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On a cold Sunday afternoon, a group of volunteers gathered at the corner of 53 Daly Ave. to hand out winter clothing, food and hot beverages for those in need.
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Hoodies, winter jackets, sweaters, gloves and tuques were piled onto a tarp on the ground on March 1, and a volunteer would hand them out to people who asked for them.
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Two other volunteers were handing out hot beverages and hot dogs at a table nearby, and dozens of people were already lined up when the event started at around 1 p.m.
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The community support event was held in honour of Gilles Comtois, who was stabbed on Rideau Street near Colonel By Drive on Feb. 19, right outside the Rideau Centre downtown. Emergency crews found him with life-threatening injuries and transported him to hospital, where he died that evening. He was 58 years old.
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Comtois was known to many members of Ottawa’s vulnerable community, especially in the Rideau Street area. Many volunteers and people at Sunday’s community support event were holding signs of Comtois’ face.
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This wasn’t the first time Comtois had been stabbed. Around three months ago, Comtois was rushed to hospital after a group of teenagers stabbed him after he refused to give them cigarettes.
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“We’re here to honour him because he means so much to us. He’s our brother,” said Segetlab “Ziggy” Haile, the organizer of Sunday’s event who knew Comtois for five years.
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“He would go around telling people about all the events we throw. He was so involved with them, so we’re here to honour him today.”
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This isn’t Haile’s first community support event. His community group Protect the Rise regularly organizes clothing and food drives for Ottawa’s most vulnerable people.
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In 2024, he hosted a Christmas dinner in his apartment at the corner of Dalhousie and Rideau streets for a group of people who couldn’t afford a lavish holiday dinner.
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“We always do clothing drives. We usually have bigger events, but we’re not really funded by anybody,” Haile said.
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“We just provide. It’s way more than the clothing, way more than what you give. It’s about the times that we spend here to help people. And our main goal is to just get people to believe in themselves and to get out of the streets and to find a way to get housed again.
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“We’re all one, no matter the race, no matter our situations. We’re all unheard. When we come together, we’re all able to hear each other and help each other out.”
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Haile urged Ottawans to build relationships with the vulnerable community, who deserve dignity and adequate housing.
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“Even if you don’t want to work in a group or anything, you could come downtown. You can create relationships with people. You can motivate them to get their life back on track,” he said.
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“If you have any clothing like jackets or summer stuff, we’re always taking clothing. You can come and volunteer, because giving service to your community is the best gift.”
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— With files from Natasha Baldin
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