Ottawa

An Elgin Street apartment [sic] building is slated to be converted into a residential building, as Ottawa's downtown core continues its makeover coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Colliers International senior managing director Warren Wilkinson says 200 Elgin Street joins 360 Laurier Avenue and 130 Slater Street as buildings being converted into housing.

Paramedics confirmed they were called to a crash Thursday morning when an OC Transpo double-decker bus slid off Frank Kenny Road in the Navan area. One man was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Police have urged caution for the morning commute, with most roads continue to be slippery.

Ottawa is home to nearly 200 Shawarma restaurants, serving up the Middle Eastern meal featuring marinated meat, garlic sauce and other toppings.

Now, council will weigh in on whether Canada's capital is also the 'Shawarma Capital of Canada.'

Coun. Laura Dudas will introduce a motion at today's council meeting to officially recognize Ottawa as the 'Shawarma Capital of Canada,' saying the Shawarma industry is a "major employer and economic driver."

Ottawa motorists will be paying three cents a litre more to fill up the gas tank on Monday, when the federal carbon tax hike kicks in.

As of April 1, the federal government is increasing the price on carbon pollution by $15 per tonne to $80. The federal carbon tax will be 17.71 cents a litre on gas in Ontario.

Canadians for Affordable Energy President Dan McTeague says the average price of regular gasoline in Ottawa will increase three cents from 159.9 cents a litre to 162.9 cents a litre on Monday.

Motorists will also see a 3 cent a litre hike in Kingston and across eastern Ontario.

...

Ontario's premier called on the federal government to require public servants to work in the office more frequently to revitalize the city's downtown — but neither the government department responsible for public servants nor one of its main unions appeared moved by the request.

"They have to get people back to work," Premier Doug Ford said during a press conference on Thursday in Ottawa, standing next to Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.

"It sounds crazy. I'm begging people to go to work for three days — not that they aren't working at home, but it really affects the downtown."

Ford popped by Sutcliffe's monthly city hall breakfast Thursday where he served up a wide-ranging funding plan for the capital over the next decade — one that would also require significant federal investment. The "new deal for Ottawa" offers up to $543 million over 10 years from the province for housing, travel, public safety and other areas.

Up to $20 million is on offer for economic recovery and downtown revitalization.

What are your plans for the long weekend?

Premier Doug Ford announced a new $543 million agreement between the Ontario government and the city of Ottawa, which includes Ontario taking over responsibility of Ottawa Road 174.

"When we upload the roads, really the biggest issue on roads and highways is the maintenance so we're providing $9 million in immediate funding for maintenance […]”

Ownership of Hwy. 174 has been a debate in Ottawa and at Queen's Park since the Progressive Conservative Government of former Premier Mike Harris downloaded the road to the city of Ottawa in 1997.

The City of Ottawa is asking people to give their insight into where to plant more trees.

If you have a place in mind, the city wants you to complete its survey.

The survey will remain open until April 15.

The province is funding a new Barrhaven interchange along Highway 416 to meet the needs of booming subdivisions in the area — one of Ottawa's few capital projects in the 2024-2025 Ontario budget.

Barrhaven has only one exit off the 416 at Fallowfield Road. A second exit at Bankfield Road further south predominantly serves Manotick.

Barnsdale is in the roughly 10-kilometre gap between the two, offering an easy connection with Greenbank Road.

Ottawa parkgoers eager to partake in an alcoholic beverage while they're there will likely have to wait until 2025 before they can imbibe legally.

"A pilot project for alcohol in parks requires a thorough evaluation of safety considerations," reads the response by Dan Chenier, the parks department's general manager.

Chenier said it also requires public input, consultation with communities near any of the sites included in the pilot, and the development of rules and signs.

A burn ban is in effect for the City of Ottawa, Ottawa Fire Services announced Sunday.

All open-air fires are prohibited, including fires on properties that already have a permit. The ban applies to agricultural and brush-pile burns, as well as campfires. 

For inquiries, call the city’s 24-hour service line at 311.

Ottawa Fire Services says no injuries were reported after a fire broke out in a commercial building along Bank Street in the Glebe Sunday morning.

Firefighters say they received multiple calls around 7:59 reporting black smoke coming from the top of a two-storey building located at 785 Bank St..

When crews arrived on scene, two minutes into the initial call, they found fire in the ceiling of the second floor. That was when they began opening up the ceiling to put the flames out. Crews reported significant fire in the attic of the structure at at 08:21, the fire department said.

The fire was declared under control at 10:03 a.m..

"A 'fire watch' has been set up to monitor for any flare ups," Ottawa fire said in a post on X.

Ottawa fire spokesperson Nick Defazio told CTV News Ottawa the fire was contained to the building.

However, smoke made its way into the grocery store at the back of the building, prompting crews to use high pressurized fans to ventilate it out.

Defazio said crews had asked Hydro Ottawa to cut the power to the building, as a precaution.

Firefighters asked people to avoid the area between Second and Third avenues while they were on scene.

The investigation into what led to the fire is ongoing.

Recognizing the growing threat, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is taking a new approach to raise awareness and educate individuals with the knowledge to steer clear of scams, using a unique and interactive escape room.

Patricia Doyle and her husband, Danny Boyle, have been scammed in the past, an experience they describe as unsettling. Now, they are testing themselves in the 'Be Smart Scam Escape Room' at the St. Laurent Shopping Centre.

The interactive experience takes less then ten minutes and participants receive a score at the end, reflecting their ability to uncover fraudulent activities.

Later next month, the Be Smart Scam Escape Room will travel to Montreal, followed by Halifax, where is will make its way back across Canada, through the GTA, and to Vancouver.

A woman is in critical condition in hospital following a police-involved shooting in Ottawa's Westboro neighbourhood.

Statistics provided to CTV News Ottawa show 632 tickets were issued to Ottawa police, Ottawa Fire Service and the Ottawa Paramedic Service through the automated speed enforcement and red light camera programs in 2023 for speeding in community safety zones or running red lights.

A total of 262 tickets were issued through red light cameras, while 370 tickets were handed out for speeding through the photo radar program.

Of the 632 tickets issued to emergency services personnel, a total of 376 tickets were issued to police, fire and paramedic vehicles responding to an emergency at the time of the alleged offence, according to officials.

A new weekend event celebrating the art, culture and fandom of anime will take place in Ottawa for the first time this month.

Earlybird tickets for Anime Ottawa are $30 for a single day, or $60 for a weekend pass, with discounts for children aged 6-12 accompanied by an adult.

The report notes that residents in the capital should be making $129,320 per year -- as of February, 2024 -- to qualify for a mortgage to purchase the average priced home. The income needed to prequalify has risen by $480 from January to February.

The average price of a home in Ottawa was $621,600 in January and $628,500 in February – an increase of $6,900, reads the report.

The owners of planned Capital Region Resource Recovery Centre in Ottawa's east end have applied to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks for permission to accept residential waste at its landfill at the intersection of Highway 417 and Boundary Road.

The landfill is a joint venture of Taggart Investments Inc. and Miller Waste Systems and is currently an approved greenfield waste management facility for recycling and disposal of residual commercial and industrial waste.

The city of Ottawa's only municipally run landfill is the Trail Road Waste Facility on Trail Road, which is expected to run out of space in the next 13 to 15 years.

The city of Ottawa ended 2023 with a multi-million dollar budget surplus, despite a series of severe weather events that hit the capital in the spring and summer.

A report for the finance and corporate services committee shows the city's tax-supported services ended 2023 with a $14.858 million budget surplus […]

Staff say COVID-19 added $64 million in cost pressures to the city, including at OC Transpo and Ottawa Public Health.  Costs included enhanced cleaning, personal protective equipment, required retrofits and equipment and revenue reductions primarily for transit.

🤞

Niyondagara, who is Black, said he was shocked with a stun gun, pinned down, struck in the face and handcuffed before police realized their mistake.

...

After some discussion about the name [of an alleged murderer], the police officer left the cruiser and soon returned to explain "that there was a misunderstanding," Niyondagara said.

The cops then drove Niyondagara home.

I'd take either over Yasir Naqvi personally.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/17609258

Sri Lankan family slain in Ottawa to be remembered at funeral service today

Non-Paywall Article

An Ottawa surgeon has been ordered to take a remedial course on ethics and boundaries after sharing with several patients his controversial opinions about the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

The complaints panel heard evidence Matyas cast doubt on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, promoted the use of ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug, and suggested that surgical masks were ineffective at preventing the disease’s transmission.

Matyas appealed that decision to the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board, arguing the college had no authority to investigate and punish him for expressing scientific opinions that challenged the “official narrative” on COVID-19.

According to the review board decision in the case, the college received complaints about Matyas from two patients, including a Carleton University microbiology professor. The professor, an infectious disease specialist, said Matyas spread “unsolicited propaganda” about COVID-19 vaccines during an appointment in September 2021 and described them as a useless, money-making venture for pharmaceutical companies.