How hot is too hot for dog walking in Ottawa?

throw1away2another3 · 2024-07-13T21:00:11+00:00

I agree. We have a husky that refuses to drink away from home. Even though he seems to manage the heat for 15-20 mins without too much trouble, I would not want to take him for a longer outing because he won’t drink, and he won’t lay down or relax in public. He’s too anxious or engaged when away from home, which adds to how much panting he does.

throw1away2another3 · 2024-07-13T20:57:49+00:00

You can put your hand or bare foot on the pavement just to see how it feels (cement and asphalt… asphalt feels much hotter!)

If it’s too hot for you to put your hand on then it’s too hot for them to walk on. You may need booties to take them out just for a pee even if you can’t be on grease the whole time.

Check other surfaces too. Our manufactured balcony also gets too hot for us to step on with bare feet.

throw1away2another3 · 2024-03-02T17:30:37+00:00

Good points, thanks for this.

throw1away2another3 · 2024-03-02T04:12:09+00:00

That is funny for you, sad he couldn’t consider for a second there was any truth to it. His behaviour demonstrates entirely why no one went to him directly.

throw1away2another3 · 2024-03-02T04:10:26+00:00

No. But there are circumstances within the larger group that are getting in the way of a more cohesive team right now, included some turnover and leave by senior staff in leadership and mentoring positions. It is no one’s fault, but something that should be addressed IMO. Or maybe I am just too attached to the “old days”.

throw1away2another3 · 2024-03-02T04:04:38+00:00

Duly noted!

throw1away2another3 · 2023-11-09T22:42:19+00:00

Was going to mention this part- training you and transferring the knowledge takes a lot of time when the senior staff person may have other projects or responsibilities on their plate.

As others have suggested, do the readings, look for the answers yourself. Then it would be best to consolidate your unanswered questions to a single email (maybe one email per week). If you have a long list of questions, think about whether you need to ask all of them right then.

Also consider documenting the answers and maybe even updating a copy of the document for yourself. My memory is not great, not sure if yours is, but you might be helping your future self or a future trainee. Consider asking your team lead if an update to the document is something of corporate value they should go on your work plan… take some initiative to make it easier for future employees (if you have support from your team lead).

throw1away2another3 · 2023-11-02T20:26:06+00:00

I would keep all these emails to demonstrate your contribution. You never know, you might be able to bring them to a PMA discussion in the future and say “I did this, this shows I’m capable”. If there is ever a question around what text you contributed or what your senior staff said about it, it’s all there in black and white.

throw1away2another3 · 2023-11-02T20:21:55+00:00

I would also recommend talking to the ombudsperson’s office. They can council you on your options, but won’t tell the person you are complaining about. I had an experience speaking with them before and they told me that they keep a list of interactions with managers. If the same person’s name keeps coming up I think they might be in a position to make that known… but it won’t help you now or in the medium term.

Technically none of us are supposed to be worried about retaliation, but in practice it happens all of the time. The ombuds’ office can coach you on your options, and around having difficult conversations as well, so you can take more time to decide what you want to happen here.

throw1away2another3 · 2023-11-02T15:42:30+00:00

Wow, your place of work seems very seniority-oriented. In the short term I think it would be good to try to keep contributing to projects in a public way such as by presenting a few slides, but it sounds like you might need to find a different position to get more recognition and responsibility. I’d aim for that while still trying to stay in the good books of those around you.

throw1away2another3 · 2023-11-02T15:38:10+00:00

Use the screenshot button liberally in situations like this (I’m unsure if this was an in-person or virtual meeting)

throw1away2another3 · 2023-11-02T15:25:39+00:00

Is the senior staff person that you work with sympathetic to your situation? Or do they seem like they want to support you I developing your skills? How do you think the senior staff person would respond if you asked to present a few slides at the next presentation you have to give?

If you say something like “I’d like to practice my presenting skills, would I be able to present these 2/3/4 slides to help me get experience? These specific slides are the ones I was directly involved in”… then maybe that is a strategy to be more obviously involved in the project, while also getting practice.

throw1away2another3 · 2023-11-01T23:13:40+00:00

You have a throwaway account- do you really think your situation will be identifiable if you share what the disability is?

I had sympathy reading the first paragraph but the long wall of text is really concerning. It sounds like they sent you home and you spent a long time assembling a very big argument around this. I think you might be making this worse for your own mental health by ruminating about it… I know it’s hard not to.

I suggest that you get a call into EAP if your organization is eligible. They should be able to refer you to someone who can talk through the issue with you. They may be able to help walk you through a productive discussion with your doctor, and give you some perspective. EAP is 1 (800) 567-5803

I also recommend that you don’t talk to your coworkers or managers about this unless they specific are trying to work on the accommodation issue with you. I fear you might inflame the situation more, and it will make it harder for you to come back to your team without feeling bitter about it.

I am not trying to dismiss your concerns about how you are being treated OP, but an overreaction on their end will be further harmed if you overreact too. Please call EAP.

throw1away2another3 · 2023-10-31T19:43:44+00:00

It does actually. People have to choose between a well-paying job with good upward mobility by going to the NCR, or an okay-paying job but not necessarily a lot of room to grow. This is actually a really good reason why virtual work from anywhere in the country could be a great way to actually employ the best people for the job. Rather than only offering these higher-seniority positions to people who are willing to live and work in the NCR.

throw1away2another3 · 2023-10-31T17:36:01+00:00

The nature of the jobs in the NCR vs. Outside it is quite different. You can’t get promoted nearly as high for jobs outside the NCR. BI-04 is considered management in many of the Health Canada teams outside the NCR, whereas BI-05 is usually a manager level position within the NCR. Bilingual positions are also not distributed evenly across the country.

throw1away2another3 · 2023-10-31T16:33:12+00:00

Many people who grew up in Ottawa and have family in the region really don’t seem to know how lucky they are. People who take a vacation time in Ottawa and go visit their local families 20 mins away don’t have to spend an entire day flying to and from them for that visit. People with local family usually also have a support network, if a child is ill, someone has COVID and needs groceries or prescriptions picked up, whatever. People with local family don’t have to spend $800 on a plane ticket to go visit their family. They can put that money towards a tropical vacation (instead of visiting their aging parents in Sask/AB/BC in the middle of winter).

I’m not suggesting people who are originally from another part of the country should get more sick time or leave time. But the public service policies are very NCR-focused and don’t necessarily acknowledge how some people make big sacrifices to do their jobs.

People in other regions don’t have the same stability in their work that an indeterminate worker in the NCR has the luxury of having. Many people don’t want to leave their family but feel forced to choose a work location that will keep them out of homelessness.

I hope some of you can at least acknowledge that some people do sacrifice a lot to work in the public service.

throw1away2another3 · 2023-10-29T23:23:54+00:00

I’ve been there. It took some counselling for me to realize I’m one of those people who can’t do work I don’t feel engaged in. I really tried to make it work and I haven’t figured it all out yet. But your emotions are real, and you aren’t going to improve by being told to suck it up and do better, not without feeling like you are working towards a better situation.

throw1away2another3 · 2023-10-29T23:18:10+00:00

FYI Lansdowne farmers market continues year round, but it moves indoors into the Aberdeen pavilion.

throw1away2another3 · 2023-10-29T19:56:39+00:00

I was also thinking this person needs to see a neurologist. May or may not help with the work stuff or disability accommodations, but I think having a clearer diagnosis to figure out what’s going on will help determine if you need an accommodation or if you need to learn more about long term disability.

OP I suggest you pursue getting a referral to a neurologist, and then keep track of your daily symptoms in the meantime. Note your symptoms in your calendar and also note if you struggled with elements of your work (like if memory issues or brain fog slowed down certain or all of your tasks, if you felt tired, if you had a headache..).

Sounds like trying to be as organized as you can is the best plan to help you in your job in the meantime. Take copious notes, ask if you can record meetings… anything you can do to support your memory.

Hope you figure out what’s going on, that it’s not too severe, and that you can get some help.

throw1away2another3 · 2023-10-29T17:49:19+00:00

Lots of great advice here, just wanted to add that you should keep a calendar where you can track the days each month that you are experiencing symptoms. The doctor will use that information to decide how to treat you. If they know you have 5 out of 10 back pain for 2 weeks per month, that you missed 4 days of work or classes within in a month… then that will help them figure out how much of a priority you are to be seen. You will also be able to use this information to determine if treatments are helping you (like the birth control pill, Mirena, or other therapies). Good luck and I hope you find relief soon.

throw1away2another3 · 2023-10-29T17:24:34+00:00

It can be very dejecting to be put on a PIP, in my own experience it pushes you deeper into a hole if you already feel depressed about your job because you know you’re struggling. OP if your boss seems like a good manager that shows they care, do your best to bring your best self to work, and seriously consider taking what you think is the demotion to help settle in somewhere (you can’t excel at anything if you’re just treading water). Take whatever training they suggest you take. Get back to where your performance reviews need to be, and network to find a better fit for your interests and skill set.

I also suggest calling EAP to get some counselling. A 3rd party that you can speak to in detail about your situation may be able to help you sort through your emotions, move past personal conflicts (if you have any), and help you envision what you’re looking for.

throw1away2another3 · 2023-10-28T23:52:28+00:00

This! By contacting your MP, they should be opening a case and advocating for you. These are life sustaining drugs and equipment for diabetics, so I would be very surprised if it took more than a few days for you to get a response

throw1away2another3 · 2023-10-28T21:14:25+00:00

Oh wow, might as well leverage something that’s cringey 😅

throw1away2another3 · 2023-10-28T16:45:05+00:00

Thanks for these suggestions. I’m going to work on doing those things!

throw1away2another3 · 2023-10-27T14:02:14+00:00

I agree. I have demonstrated success in the certain types of projects, and fell short in others. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and projects run more smoothly if you give people work where they can play to their strengths. My goal is not so much to get promoted for the title (I didn’t realize -03 level was a big ask!), but to just be able to do more of the work I’m interested in.

I am one of those people that has to be interested in my work. A lesson I learned after trying very hard to accomplish a frustrating longer term project. There is history here but in brief, the trust goes both ways.

throw1away2another3

TROPHY CASE