Ottawa news

• Phoenix Down Under: Auditor likens bungled payroll system to 'catastrophic' Australian experience

  21-11-2017 22:27 via ottawacitizen.com
  The failure of a Phoenix-like pay system in Australia’s Queensland Health service in 2010 cost taxpayers $1.2 billion and was described by the state’s premier as “possibly … the worst public policy failure in Australia’s history.”
  The “catastrophic” experience of Queensland Health’s IBM pay system was referenced Tuesday by auditor general Michael Ferguson in his report on the federal government’s Phoenix fiasco. Ferguson noted the Aust
  
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• STORY: Plane makes emergency landing near Shirley's Bay ow.ly/VYA030gJtaE #ottnews https://t.co/KtNfAYbzvR

  21-11-2017 22:26 via twitter.com
  
  STORY: Plane makes emergency landing near Shirley's Bayow.ly/VYA030gJtaE #ottnews https://t.co/KtNfAYbzvR
  
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• Reevely: Avoiding a repeat of the Salvation Army fight will take a whole new deal for social services

  21-11-2017 22:25 via ottawacitizen.com
  Helping people who have almost nothing but themselves, day after day, on shoestring budgets you have to beg for, takes a supply of spiritual, emotional and psychological strength that a mission from God surely helps sustain. The more so if, like the Salvation Army, they get talked about like villains for seeking to help poor people in the way they believe is best.
  My colleague Kelly Egan points out that paying a private organization like the Salvation Army public money to provide public services
  
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• 1310 NEWS has your complete guide to the 105th #GreyCup and #GreyCup Festival ow.ly/HFKc30gJqMk #ottnews https://t.co/NK7lBgM2Tm

  21-11-2017 21:57 via twitter.com
  
  1310 NEWS has your complete guide to the 105th #GreyCup and #GreyCup Festival ow.ly/HFKc30gJqMk #ottnews https://t.co/NK7lBgM2Tm
  
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• Gatineau police chase ends with five injuries and arrest

  21-11-2017 21:47 via ottawacitizen.com
  Five people were injured in a car crash in Gatineau Tuesday morning that occurred as a driver was allegedly fleeing from police.
  Officers were operating a radar trap near an elementary school on St. René Boulevard West when a car sped past them and the driver refused to pull over, police said.
  Less than a minute later, the fleeing car was in a crash with three other vehicles in the intersection of Montée Paiement and St. René. Police say preliminary information indicate
  
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• Committee approves water bill increases, but challenged on green-energy program

  21-11-2017 21:20 via ottawacitizen.com
  Proposed increases to water and sewer bills received the environment committee’s endorsement on Tuesday, but councillors spent several hours considering the funding of new green schemes as part of the city’s draft 2018 budget.
  Public delegates zeroed in on the city’s Energy Evolution program and asked councillors to increase funding for the first phase.
  As part of the program, a $500,000 “community energy innovation fund” would be launched in 2018 as part of the cit
  
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• Pilot unhurt as small plane comes down in west end

  21-11-2017 20:51 via ottawacitizen.com
  There were no injuries when a small plane made an emergency landing in the city’s west end Tuesday afternoon.
  Ottawa Fire Services said the forced landing happened near the intersection Carling Avenue and Rifle Road. They were first called to the area of Allbrich and Constance Bay roads for a small aircraft in distress after a mayday call was received by the airport.
  City police said the landing happened on Shirley Boulevard at Rifle Road. While the plane was badly damaged, fire servi
  
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• Police tells us four people on small plane that was forced to land on Shirley Blvd. at Rifle Rd. No injuries reported. #ottnews

  21-11-2017 20:26 via twitter.com
  Police tells us four people on small plane that was forced to land on Shirley Blvd. at Rifle Rd. No injuries reported. #ottnews
  
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• Cohen: Alabama, two centuries behind Washington

  21-11-2017 17:41 via ottawacitizen.com
  Alabama, Alabama, Alabama. If you want to understand why an accused sexual predator may become the state’s newest United States senator, blame Alabama.
  It’s the place itself – miserable, misbegotten and messianic.
  “Life here … was full, rich, original and real,” writes Rick Bragg in All Over But the Shoutin’, his lyrical memoir of growing up in Alabama in the 1960s and 1970s, “but harsh, hard and mean as a damn snake.”
  His was not the gentee
  
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• NEXT: Pollster @niknanos joins @_MarkSutcliffe for weekly segment: bit.ly/1uwtdOs https://t.co/oxf0yF2TTF

  21-11-2017 17:30 via twitter.com
  
  NEXT: Pollster @niknanos joins @_MarkSutcliffe for weekly segment: bit.ly/1uwtdOs https://t.co/oxf0yF2TTF
  
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• Coming up on the #PowerLUNCH at NOON: @twitandrewking & #Ottawa Lawyer John MacDonell join @_MarkSutcliffe in stu… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  21-11-2017 17:28 via twitter.com
  Coming up on the #PowerLUNCH at NOON: @twitandrewking & #Ottawa Lawyer John MacDonell join @_MarkSutcliffe in stu… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Coming up at 11:45: @Spencerpress & John McQuarrie on new @OttawaCitizen book: Capital Builders: the remarkable p… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  21-11-2017 17:26 via twitter.com
  Coming up at 11:45: @Spencerpress & John McQuarrie on new @OttawaCitizen book: Capital Builders: the remarkable p… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Police find car involved in Preston Street hit-and-run that left woman in critical

  21-11-2017 17:23 via ottawacitizen.com
  Ottawa police have located a vehicle that they believe was involved in a hit-and-run on Monday that left a woman in her 20s in critical condition.
  Police said they found the car in a “west end” neighbourhood but they were still looking for the car’s driver. As of Tuesday morning, police said they had not received any indication that the car was stolen.
  The hit-and-run incident occurred at 2:23 p.m. at Preston and Pamilla streets, two blocks north of Carling Avenue. Th
  
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• RMC failing at providing leadership training, costs double of other institutions: Auditor General

  21-11-2017 17:15 via ottawacitizen.com
  Auditor General Michael Ferguson’s latest report raises questions about the value of the Royal Military College. The audit focused on whether the Royal Military College of Canada produced the quality of officers that the Canadian Armed Forces needed at a reasonable cost. The audit also focused on whether National Defence ensured the proper conduct of Officer Cadets and staff at the Royal Military College of Canada. The answer in both cases was no.
  Some highlights published in the report:
  -
  
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• BREAKING: #Zimbabwe Parliament speaker says Mugabe has resigned, according to @AP

  21-11-2017 16:58 via twitter.com
  BREAKING: #Zimbabwe Parliament speaker says Mugabe has resigned, according to @AP
  
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• 'Weep no more for Redblacks, #GreyCup party is here' @HockeyScanner joins @_MarkSutcliffe comign up at 10:45:… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  21-11-2017 16:42 via twitter.com
  'Weep no more for Redblacks, #GreyCup party is here' @HockeyScanner joins @_MarkSutcliffe comign up at 10:45:… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Live now: @johnsonthree in studio w/ @_MarkSutcliffe talking #Phoenix pay system/ auditor general report:… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  21-11-2017 16:39 via twitter.com
  Live now: @johnsonthree in studio w/ @_MarkSutcliffe talking #Phoenix pay system/ auditor general report:… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Members of public, military personnel, first responders to be recognized for acts of bravery

  21-11-2017 16:31 via ottawacitizen.com
  Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, will present 2 Stars of Courage and 39 Medals of Bravery at a ceremony at Rideau Hall, on Thursday.
  Created in 1972, Decorations for Bravery recognize people who risked their lives to try to save or protect the lives of others. The Cross of Valour (C.V.) recognizes acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril; the Star of Courage (S.C.) recognizes acts of conspicuous courage in
  
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• BREAKING: Fixing #Phoenix pay system years, millions of dollars away, says audit: bit.ly/2zW12aw #cdnpoli https://t.co/PvTTNF0t4G

  21-11-2017 16:24 via twitter.com
  
  BREAKING: Fixing #Phoenix pay system years, millions of dollars away, says audit: bit.ly/2zW12aw #cdnpoli https://t.co/PvTTNF0t4G
  
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• Minister suggests considering options other than Phoenix pay system

  21-11-2017 16:21
  The government has budgeted $540 million to fix the long-troubled pay system— but it still might not be enough, according to a scathing report from the Auditor General.
  
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• Delays in funding forced cuts to settlement services for Syrian refugees, auditor general finds

  21-11-2017 16:12 via ottawacitizen.com
  Delays in federal funding to help the huge influx of Syrian refugees who arrived in Canada in 2015-16 meant some settlement agencies had to cut services for several months, the Auditor General of Canada has found.
  The auditor’s report filed Tuesday found that most of the Syrian refugees had their needs assessed and received language training during their first year in Canada. In fact, the Syrians received settlement services at a higher rate than other refugee groups, the report found.
  But
  
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• Editorial: Phoenix goes from bad to worse

  21-11-2017 16:09 via ottawacitizen.com
  In early 2010, a government department in Queensland, Australia, launched a new IT payroll system for its 78,000 employees. But the workers soon started to find mistakes in their pay. The department, Queensland Health, quickly set to work analyzing this widespread problem, and costing out the fix. It took about four months to get the recovery plan going, at a budget of about $246 million Cdn. In the end ­­(there are still problems to this day), its payroll implementation took more than 1
  
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• JUST IN: Fixing Phoenix pay system years, millions of dollars away, says audit #cdnpoli

  21-11-2017 16:05 via twitter.com
  JUST IN: Fixing Phoenix pay system years, millions of dollars away, says audit#cdnpoli
  
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• Coming up on the 10 O'Clock Talk: @1310JasonWhite, @Justin_Ling & @sophienadeau join @_MarkSutcliffe live: Liste… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  21-11-2017 15:51 via twitter.com
  Coming up on the 10 O'Clock Talk:@1310JasonWhite, @Justin_Ling & @sophienadeau join @_MarkSutcliffe live: Liste… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Coming up at 9:45: @weathernetwork Michael Carter joins @_MarkSutcliffe with what kind of #winter we can expect i… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  21-11-2017 15:40 via twitter.com
  Coming up at 9:45: @weathernetwork Michael Carter joins @_MarkSutcliffe with what kind of #winter we can expect i… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Antiques: Rare steam powered animation viewer valued at $6000

  21-11-2017 15:29 via ottawacitizen.com
  Q. This item (which I believe is a variety of praxinoscope) has been in my family for many decades. The wooden base measures 41 by 12 by 17 cm high to the top of the carousel (16 x 4.75 x 6.75 inches).
  As you can see, I haven’t made any attempt to polish the metal surfaces. There are about 10 image strips. The initials E.P. (possibly Ernst Plank) appear both on top of the carousel and on the base plate. Everything moves freely. It’s an extremely interesting device.
  Thanks in advance
  
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• Coming up 9:15: @Georgetown David Levy joins @_marksutcliffe to discuss link between #tobacco taxes & cutting smo… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  21-11-2017 15:05 via twitter.com
  Coming up 9:15: @Georgetown David Levy joins @_marksutcliffe to discuss link between #tobacco taxes & cutting smo… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• POLL: Should the federal government increases taxes on tobacco products to reduce the smoking rate to less than 5%?

  21-11-2017 14:57 via twitter.com
  POLL: Should the federal government increases taxes on tobacco products to reduce the smoking rate to less than 5%?
  
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• #Nigeria police say at least 50 killed in mosque bombing: bit.ly/2zWyGfW https://t.co/b41EzMGyWU

  21-11-2017 14:46 via twitter.com
  
  #Nigeria police say at least 50 killed in mosque bombing: bit.ly/2zWyGfW https://t.co/b41EzMGyWU
  
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• POLL: Should the federal government increases taxes on tobacco products to reduce the smoking rate to less than 5%?… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  21-11-2017 14:29 via twitter.com
  POLL: Should the federal government increases taxes on tobacco products to reduce the smoking rate to less than 5%?… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Mixed skies with a high of 8 C before rain, snow roll in Tuesday night

  21-11-2017 14:20 via ottawacitizen.com
  After that striking sunrise, Tuesday’s forecast is positively balmy with a high of 8 C and a bit of sun amid the cloud.
  But by evening, a few showers are are expected roll in.
  The rain is  forecast to end before midnight but then there’s a 40 per cent chance of flurries by morning and a low of 0 C, according to Environment Canada.
  Wednesday’s forecast is for a mix of sun and cloud, a 40 per cent chance of early-morning flurries and a plunging temperature that will hit
  
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• Pedestrian critical after morning crash at St. Laurent, Belfast

  21-11-2017 14:02 via ottawacitizen.com
  Police are asking motorists to avoid St. Laurent Boulevard and Belfast Road where a pedestrian was critically injured by a car in one of two crashes at the same intersection Tuesday morning.
  The southbound lanes of St. Laurent were closed to traffic.
  Paramedics said that the woman in her 50s was taken to the local trauma centre after the 7:05 a.m. crash. She suffered head and chest injuries and a fractured femur.
  Police said that the vehicle that struck her remained on the scene and officer
  
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• 'CBS This Morning' to air for 1st time after Rose suspension bit.ly/2mM6hEk https://t.co/YildxSaMSc

  21-11-2017 11:55 via twitter.com
  
  'CBS This Morning' to air for 1st time after Rose suspensionbit.ly/2mM6hEk https://t.co/YildxSaMSc
  
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• Montreal's Grevin wax museum to unveil sculpture of Justin #Trudeau tonight: bit.ly/2AYBExt #cdnpoli https://t.co/aSas5dWWv8

  21-11-2017 11:46 via twitter.com
  
  Montreal's Grevin wax museum to unveil sculpture of Justin #Trudeau tonight: bit.ly/2AYBExt #cdnpoli https://t.co/aSas5dWWv8
  
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• Premier Kathleen #Wynne takes town hall questions on #collegestrike, #hydro: bit.ly/2z6LQmY #onpoli https://t.co/d8rzU6RlwW

  21-11-2017 11:39 via twitter.com
  
  Premier Kathleen #Wynne takes town hall questions on #collegestrike, #hydro: bit.ly/2z6LQmY #onpoli https://t.co/d8rzU6RlwW
  
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• Police seek suspect in #LittleItaly hit and run that left woman critical: bit.ly/2jcDdRd #ottnews https://t.co/698P2xLVuf

  21-11-2017 11:33 via twitter.com
  
  Police seek suspect in #LittleItaly hit and run that left woman critical:bit.ly/2jcDdRd #ottnews https://t.co/698P2xLVuf
  
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• Time running out for Argentine sub crew? Canada monitoring situation, search intensifies

  21-11-2017 06:27 via ottawacitizen.com
  Argentina’s navy says the search for the missing submarine ARA San Juan has entered a critical phase.
  The sub has been missing for five days. But the next several days are critical say Argentine officials because the 44-member sub crew could be getting to the limit of their oxygen reserves if they are underwater.
  Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi says the boat has enough food and fuel for the crew to survive 90 days. However, it only has enough oxygen for seven days underwater. The sub has been
  
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• At 94, Ottawa engineer leaves behind second career — helping immobilized hospital patients

  21-11-2017 01:54 via ottawacitizen.com
  At 94, William “Bill” F. Dawson has retired. Again.
  The first time was about seven years ago. Dawson graduated as a mechanical engineer in 1945. For the next 66 years, he worked in the construction and computer industries. His passion was low-cost housing. He built companies, made and lost fortunes (more about that later), and retired, reluctantly, at 87, the same year he gave up downhill skiing.
  “My grandchildren said I didn’t know how to ski slowly,” he says.
  Head
  
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• Army reservist Nolan Caribou rose to the challenge of serving in the military

  21-11-2017 00:45 via ottawacitizen.com
  The family of Corporal Nolan Caribou, of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, was found deceased while participating in an Army Reserve training exercise at Canadian Forces Base Shilo in Manitoba on November 18, issued the following statement regarding the passing of their loved one.
  “Nolan Caribou loved a challenge.He graduated on October 13 of this year with a Bachelor of Arts & Sociology from the University of Winnipeg.He was very determined despite challenges that he encountered while in the
  
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• College students who withdraw will get full refund, province says

  21-11-2017 00:44 via ottawacitizen.com
  College students who withdraw in the next two weeks will be able to apply for a full tuition refund on the fall semester.
  “Students withdrawing from programs or continuing education courses which were affected by the strike can apply for a full tuition fee refund of the 2017 fall semester, and any tuition and ancillary fees paid for the next or subsequent semesters, if they are unable to complete the course for reasons related to the strike,” Tanya Blazina, a spokeswoman for the Mini
  
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• Canadian War Museum 'honoured' to acquire Victoria Cross

  21-11-2017 00:17
  King George V presented the Victoria Cross to late Lt.-Col. Harcus Strachan in Buckingham Palace on Jan. 16th, 1918. Now, it resides at the Canadian War Museum.
  
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• Reevely: We can't tell what we're getting for our huge housing budgets, watchdog warns

  21-11-2017 00:00 via ottawacitizen.com
  We have almost no idea which anti-homelessness programs work well and which don’t, says Canada’s former Parliamentary budget officer, despite the millions upon millions of dollars we spend on them each year.
  Kevin Page has kept watchdogging since he left the federal government in 2013, at the University of Ottawa’s Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy. He’s also a co-chair of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, and he hit Ottawa City Hall last week to argue ag
  
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