Overbrook West - McArthur
History and Description
Overbrook West - McArthur is bounded on the north by Montreal-Olmstead-Cyr-Enfield-Steven-Carmen-Irwin Miller-McArthur. To the south lies Highway 417, St. Laurent Boulevard to the east, and the Rideau River to the west. The Duke Cornwall and the Duchess of York visited Ottawa in 1901. Ten years later, upon the death of King Edward VII, the Duke and Duchess acceded to the throne as King George V and Queen Mary. Within a year, the first reference to Overbrook is found on a map published by Thorburn & Abbott. The community of Overbrook had two streets named after the newly crowned King and Queen commemorating their coronation, and a third street commemorating the consort of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert.
As the pie chart above shows, French was slightly predominant as a mother tongue as of the 2001 census. Twenty-five percent of the residents were immigrants; while 5% were recent immigrants (i.e. came to Canada within the last 5 years).
In 2001, the average income in Overbrook West - McArthur was $26,030, which is well below the Ottawa average. Unemployment was 8.7% and the proportion of people below the Low Income cut-offs was 30.3%. Also, 8% of the population belonged to lone parent families. Thirteen percent of Overbrook West - McArthur residents have completed bachelor’s degrees and 70% have completed high school. Overall, the neighbourhood was in the fifth of 5 socio-economic levels, with 1 representing the most advantaged neighbourhood and 5 the least advantaged neighbourhood.
Housing
In 2001, this neighbourhood had 5503 dwellings. A minority (36%) of the residents owned their homes, while 64% rented. Housing is unaffordable for many residents in Overbrook West - McArthur: 32% spend more than 30% of their income on shelter. Eight percent of the dwellings were reported to be in need of major repairs (higher than city average). The number of persons per room (.46), a measure of crowding, was also higher than the city average.
Civic Engagement and Responsibility
Overbrook West - McArthur residents are not well engaged in the political process. Only 38.8% of eligible voters participated in the last municipal election (Fall 2006), which is lower than the city average of 46.7%. The neighbourhood is also fairly stable, with 18.2% of residents moving within the last year; this is higher than the city average of 15 percent. Just over half of the residents (55.9% ± 11.7) felt a sense of belonging to the neighbourhood; this is not statistically different than the city average or the average for the lowest socio-economic quintile. In 2005, the property crime rate of 66.4 per thousand people was higher than the city average of 57 per thousand people. Personal crime rates were also higher than the city average of 24 per thousand people, at 52.8 per thousand people.
Overbrook West - McArthur has .98 religious organizations per thousand people.
Neighbourhood Health Outcomes
CDF - NCLB progress at Overbrook W - McArthur
Click to ViewUpdated community profile Inventory of Assets and Resources Community Assessment Survey Community Action Plans Evaluation Matrix Minutes of Overbrook Steering Committee Progress Reviews/reports *Please note that the results from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) represent combined data from the 2001, 2003, and 2005 waves, and should be considered as preliminary. Results from the Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance System (RRFSS) represent combined data from 2002 to 2006 for self-rated health and body mass index (BMI) and from 2003 to 2006 for physical activity.
The health of Overbrook West - McArthur residents is below average for the Ottawa area. From 2002 to 2006, 54.3% (± 8.3%) of residents rated their overall health as excellent or very good. This is significantly lower than the city average of 65.6% (± 1.2%) and similar to the average of 55.3% for the fifth socio-economic quintile. For reproductive health, there were 7.5 cases of Low Birth Weight per hundred births in the years between 2002 and 2006; this is above both the city average and the average for the lowest socio-economic quintile. Also, the preterm birth rate was 9.2 per hundred births, which is higher than both the Ottawa average and lowest quintile average.
The number of emergency room visits between 2002 and 2006 for Ambulatory Care Sensitive (ACS) conditions (conditions such as asthma, diabetes, cellulitis, angina, and hypertension) was 7006.7 per 100,000, which was well above the city average and above average for the lowest quintile of socio-economic disadvantage. The rates of hospitalizations for these ACS conditions was 1286.6 per hundred thousand; this is also well above the city and socio-economic quintile averages.
In terms of physical activity, 78.9% (± 8.4%) of residents were either moderately or highly active across all domains including work activities, leisure time, domestic and gardening activities, and transportation (RRFSS). This is similar to the Ottawa average of 79.1% and the 5th quintile average of 75.4%. Specific to leisure time 52.1% (± 10.5%) of the residents were inactive in their leisure time; this is higher, though not significantly, than the city average of 42.7% and the fifth quintile average of 45.7% (CCHS). More than half (58.8% ± 8.5%) of residents aged 18 and older had obese or overweight BMIs; this is also higher, though not significantly different, than the city average of 50.1% (± 1.3%) and the average for the fifth socio-economic quintile of 50.4% (RRFSS).
Neighbourhood Strengths & Needs
Overbrook West has a strong history and a good age and linguistic mix. However, housing quality is a concern as is the high proportion of residents below the Low Income Cut-off. While many healthy food outlets are available, it is very probable that the 30% of residents below the Low Income Cut-off and/or who pay more than 30% of their income on shelter are not able to afford all of the food that they need. The easy availability of fast food is a concern, particularly as all schools are within easy walking distance of a fast food outlet. Residents do have relatively easy access to a library and the area is well served by banks and pharmacies. The low proportion of residents who voted in the last election is a concern as are the high crime rates. While most residents have a regular doctor, oral health is a concern. Other important concerns include the high rate of Low Birth Weight and premature babies, low self-rated health, and the very high rate of ER visits and hospitalizations for Ambulatory Care Sensitive conditions.
The People
As of the 2006 census, Overbrook West - McArthur had 11268 residents; the age structure in 2006 is shown in the pie chart.
