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Click here for the PDF version of the June 2020 edition

Message from the editor

The June issue of The Mainstreeter has been published and distributed throughout our community. We hope everyone has enjoyed the issue, including expanded coverage we have provided on COVID-19 and its impacts on Old Ottawa East. Our next issue will be published in August, and our next submission deadline for content is July 15th. As always, we welcome all readers to submit articles, letters to the editor, photographs and any other contributions they wish to have considered for publication in the August issue.

During these difficult times, we have come to rely increasingly on our many volunteers within our community who willingly and cheerfully distribute each issue of The Mainstreeter to every home in Old Ottawa East. For many of our distributors, the decision to continue to deliver hard copies of the newspaper during the pandemic has been a difficult one to make, given health and safety considerations and the need to physically distance and wear protective equipment. Despite the hardships, virtually all of our distributors have decided to continue their volunteer work within the community! We think that our loyal distribution volunteers and the work they do to ensure that all of us get our print copy of The Mainstreeter is a story unto itself. That’s why we intend to feature our distributors and thank them in an article in the upcoming August issue.

We are also working now on another feature for our August issue – this one relating to Crime in Old Ottawa East. We are asking any resident of Old Ottawa East who: 1) has been the victim of a crime at their home or in their neighbourhood over the past year or so, or 2) knows of a friend or neighbour in the community who has been victimized during this time period, to contact us at editor@mainstreeter.ca. We will get back to your by reply email and put you in contact with our reporter investigating the topic for our August issue.

Despite some challenges that we have experienced with distribution of the printed version of each issue of The Mainstreeter, we have no intention or desire to cut back or discontinue home distribution of the printed newspaper. We do, however, recognize that some of the residents of Old Ottawa East prefer to receive their copy of The Mainstreeter in digital or electronic format. For this reason, we initiated email delivery of a pdf version of the June issue to those readers who have advised us of their preference for digital distribution (see Item 2 below if you wish to receive digital distribution of The Mainstreeter.)

In addition, The Mainstreeter will continue to be available at select Old Ottawa East businesses that are open and accessible to shoppers. A variety of businesses have willingly offered to host stacks of our community newspaper during this COVID-19 outbreak, including several new locations such as Greens & Beans restaurant, NU Grocery, Cyco’s as well as Saint Paul University and Singing Pebble Books and 3 Trees.

Please remember that once our August issue of The Mainstreeter is published, you can access it in one of the following ways in addition to home distribution of the print copy:

1. Online in pdf format at The Mainstreeter’s website at www.mainstreeter.ca . Our June issue is currently available on the website and will be replaced as soon as the August issue is published;

2. In pdf format, for those readers who wish to receive their copy of the August issue of The Mainstreeter via email. If you wish to have digital distribution, kindly send an email to editor@mainstreeter.ca with the subject line: Mainstreeter, and we will send you the August issue as a pdf attachment to our online distribution email. Please ensure that you include your name and the email address to which you would like us to distribute the online issue to you; and

3. Via links on our social media – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mainstreeter/; Twitter: @MainstreeterOtt; Instagram: @themainstreeter and via community noticeboards, including the CAG eUpdate and the OOE Facebook page.

Take care everyone!
Lorne Abugov
Editor,
The Mainstreeter