Bingham Cup Ottawa 2022

Health and Safety Resources

Game day is just around the corner. Check out these local resources to stay healthy and ready for whatever comes on and off the field.

Monkeypox

The monkeypox virus is in Ottawa and has mostly been reported among gay and bisexual men so far. It seems to be passing through close personal and sexual networks. The virus is passed on through prolonged close contact like kissing, skin-to-skin contact, sex, or sharing a cigarette/joint. It’s not as transmissible as COVID, so short or distant interactions with people (like a hug or a handshake) don’t really pose a risk.

Throughout the Cup, you will likely be in close contact with other players (at least on the field). Understanding how the virus is passed along, what the symptoms are, and how to handle it is key to helping stop its spread.

In the current outbreak, symptoms can start out looking like small pimples or a rash, as exhaustion, or as a fever. These blisters are often showing up on people’s faces, in or around their ass, or on their genitals.

For some people, it can be very mild, while for others, the blisters can be extremely painful. We don’t know enough yet about why people react differently, but we do know that getting the smallpox vaccine (Imvamune, in Canada) can help reduce chances of getting it and reduce your symptoms if you do get it.

Participants in the Bingham Cup are eligible to get vaccinated through Ottawa Public Health. A special clinic will be set up at the Players Village.  The special clinic is not open to the public nor to VIP participants—it is for registered tournament participants with priority given to athletes:

Dates: Friday August 19 and Saturday August 20

Time: 8:30am to 4:00pm

Location: Player’s Village Hornet’s Nest Sports Dome (1662 Bearbrook Road)

The vaccine can take up to two weeks to take full effect, but getting vaccinated at all is better than not.

If you’ve had (or think you’ve had) close contact with someone with a confirmed case of monkeypox, call Ottawa Public Health at 613-580-6744 right away. They can set you up with access to testing and a post-exposure vaccine, if you haven’t been vaccinated yet. 

The virus is passed on through prolonged close contact, so doing things like keeping distance from others, limiting the number of people you have sex with or make out with, keeping your skin covered, and wearing a mask can all help. Some of this is hard during a rugby tournament, of course, so find what works for you. At the very least, keep the contact info for anyone you have sex with or kiss so that you can follow up if you develop symptoms.

There’s no shame in contracting monkeypox (or any other virus), but caring for ourselves and each other can help slow or stop its spread.

Check out our main page for detailed info on the virus, the symptoms (including photos), or the vaccine.

And for Ottawa-specific info on the virus, check out the Ottawa Public Health page: ottawapublichealth.ca/en/public-health-topics/monkeypox-virus.aspx.

COVID-19

COVID-19 levels remain high in Ottawa. Make the most of your experience at the Bingham Cup by staying healthy and using layers of protection.  Screen for symptoms, isolate yourself if you have symptoms, carry a mask with you for indoor or crowded spaces and stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines. If you need a mask, ask one of the Cup’s organizers.

Local resources:

Mental health and addiction services

Struggling with your mental health might be hard for a variety of reasons during the Bingham Cup. We all have a role to play in reducing stigma, building community, and helpings others to get help when they need it.

If you need help with your mental health or an addiction problem, there are services available to help. Find Mental Health and Addictions services in Ottawa.

Party safer and overdose prevention

We know that the party doesn’t stop after the game. While our community comes together, let’s continue to take care of each other—for the third half and beyond! Here are some things to be aware of during post-game parties when it comes to drugs.

Mostly known as chemsex, party and play, or PnP, there are lots of reasons why people get high when having sex. Sometimes that’s to feel more sexually free, to overcome rejection, to cope with problems or stigma, to feel affirmed, or to join their friends when they do it. Regardless, it’s important to know more about chemsex so you can have a handle on your health.

    • There are confirmed cases of drugs being cut with (or contaminated by) fentanyl in Ottawa. This has led to drug poisonings and overdose deaths in recent months.
    • If not dosed properly, drugs like crystal meth and GHB can affect your heart rate and cause a blackout or an overdose.
    • The drugs can lower inhibitions and impact your capacity to give and ask for consent. It’s always good to know your limits and set boundaries before partying.
    • Being high can change what choices you make around sexual health. That might mean having bare sex when you would normally wear condoms, missing your PrEP dose, or sharing a pipe or needle. These things can increase the chances of getting or passing along HIV, Hepatitis C, or other infections.
    • Chemsex drugs can have adverse interactions with other prescription medications, especially erectile dysfunction drugs. They can also increase the risk of anxiety, psychosis, heart attack, or stroke.
    • Some people struggle with being able to stop using chemsex drugs like crystal meth and GHB, even after using them once.
    • Partying too often can affect your sleep and  increase the possibility you’ll run into mental health issues like depression, anxiety, paranoia, and psychosis.
    • Make sure you never take drugs alone.
    • Know the signs and symptoms of an overdose or drug poisoning.
    • Start low, go slow. Anything can be cut with fentanyl, so use a small dose at a time and pace yourself. MAX Ottawa provides fentanyl testing kits that could help in assessing the safety of your drug supply.
    • Don’t mix drugs—including alcohol.
    • Have a Naloxone kit available. Naloxone is a drug that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose or drug poisoning for long enough to get emergency medical care.
    • Sometimes it may take several doses of Naloxone to reverse an opioid overdose or drug poisoning, so carrying a minimum of 2 kits (4 doses) is better if you are in the city, and 3 kits (6 doses) is better in the country.
    • If Naloxone is used on someone to reverse an overdose or drug poisoning, don’t take any other drugs—that can increase the chance of going back into distress and increase the amount of Naloxone needed to reverse the overdose in the future.
    • Don’t be afraid to call 9-1-1, an overdose is a medical emergency.
    • Party with consent. Know you can refuse drugs or sex if you want to.

The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act in Canada should protect you, the person who is overdosing, and anyone at the scene from being charged with:

    • Simple possession of illegal drugs
    • Breaches in pre-trial release, probation orders, conditional sentences, or parole related to simple possession.
Sexual health services

If you need sexual health services while you’re in Ottawa, connect with the folks at Ottawa Public Health and MAX Ottawa: 

Tobacco, Cannabis, and Vaping

In Ontario, you have to be at least 19 years old to buy tobacco, cannabis, or vaping products. No smoking and no vaping laws and regulations in Ottawa are designed to protect kids and non-smokers from the hazards of exposure to second-hand smoke and potential health impacts from exposure to vapour. Smoking regulations apply whether it’s tobacco or cannabis, and it’s illegal to drive high.

You can learn more about Ottawa’s no smoking/no vaping regulations including where they are enforced by visiting Ottawa Public Health’s website.

For more information on cannabis use and regulations, visit Ottawa Public Health’s Use Legally page or Ontario.ca/Cannabis.

Local Hospitals

Here is a list of the local hospitals in the Ottawa area.

613-722-7000
TTY: 613-761-4024

613-737-7600

613-721-2000

613-746-4621

Our Partners

Ottawa Public Health

Ottawa Public Health works to support public policies that make Ottawa and its residents healthier and safer. Protecting and promoting health and preventing disease is part of everything that they do.

MAX Ottawa

MAX provides health and wellness services and programs for the GBTQ2 community  in Ottawa

Bingham Cup