Ottawa news

• Ottawa judge gives discharge to young clerk charged with drug trafficking in pot shop raid

  07-02-2018 23:41 via ottawacitizen.com
  An Ottawa judge has discharged drug-trafficking charges against a young clerk who worked at a marijuana dispensary but said she didn’t realize the business was illegal.
  The woman was only 21, had no criminal record, has accepted responsibility and expressed remorse, and is at low risk of re-offending, said Justice Norman Boxall in his sentencing decision.
  Selena Holder-Zirbser is one of about 44 people who have been charged in police raids on illegal shops in Ottawa. She says she took
  
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• Bagnall: Could cloud services signal the end of 'big zombie IT projects' in government?

  07-02-2018 23:19 via ottawacitizen.com
  As federal government announcements go, this one could have been a real snooze-fest.
  Treasury Board President Scott Brison and Carla Qualtrough on Wednesday jointly unveiled a new information technology policy that had been in force for months, involving a once-obscure branch of technology called cloud services.
  But their short show-and-tell, delivered on Facebook Live, hinted at something more profound taking place.
  Brison in particular has accepted the idea that big government has to change th
  
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• As snow continues to fall across the capital region, check the @1310NEWS Extreme Weather Centre for the latest on… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  07-02-2018 22:51 via twitter.com
  As snow continues to fall across the capital region, check the @1310NEWS Extreme Weather Centre for the latest on… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Uncertainty lingers over expenses racked up during LRT delay

  07-02-2018 22:47 via ottawacitizen.com
  Questions linger about how insulated municipal taxpayers are against extra costs related to the LRT delay.
  Hints of uncertainty were sprinkled through a finance and economic development committee meeting this week as city managers tried to assure politicians that the $2.1-billion fixed-price contract was virtually bulletproof.
  For some councillors, one of the most surprising facts revealed by city lawyers on Tuesday is that there is no detailed language about what municipal costs the Rideau Tran
  
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• Illegal pot shops flourish in Ottawa; one plans a cannabis lounge

  07-02-2018 22:10 via ottawacitizen.com
  Ontario’s attorney general has warned that illegal marijuana dispensaries will be closed across the province, but potpreneurs in Ottawa don’t seem to be getting the message.
  There are at least 19 pot shops still operating in the city, with a couple of new ones opening in the past few weeks. 
  At one of the new stores, Cannada’s Culture on Baseline Road, plans are afoot to open a lounge, too, where consumers could smoke or vape weed.
  One of the rooms inside is reserved
  
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• Reevely: Ontario will retaliate against 'Buy American' rules, Wynne promises

  07-02-2018 21:47 via ottawacitizen.com
  Ontario needs a new law letting the government retaliate against American states that keep companies here from bidding on their public contracts, Premier Kathleen Wynne said Wednesday.
  New York will be the first target, she said — a state where Ontario fought off wide-reaching “Buy American” restrictions last year, but where a more limited law saying contractors have to use only American iron and steel in state-funded road and bridge projects takes effect in April.
  “I hav
  
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• Three arrested as Walkley and Greely-area raids net drugs, cash

  07-02-2018 21:30 via ottawacitizen.com
  Police report that they seized cocaine, oxycodone, pot and cash and arrested three people in a pair of early-morning raids Wednesday.
  Officers executed search warrants on Banff Avenue near Bank Street and Walkley Road and on Breanna Cardhill Street in south of Greely. They report the money seized was a “substantial” sum but didn’t provide a dollar figure.
  A 28-year-old man, Reda Dia, was to appear in court Wednesday charged with trafficking both drugs that fall under Sched
  
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• Three people face multiple charges after Wednesday morning arrests bit.ly/2FXF5qJ https://t.co/BBcYdvILfd

  07-02-2018 21:19 via twitter.com
  
  Three people face multiple charges after Wednesday morning arrests bit.ly/2FXF5qJ https://t.co/BBcYdvILfd
  
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• STORY: Gender-neutral anthem lyrics now official bit.ly/2GW8Md2 https://t.co/ndRuPaWw5V

  07-02-2018 21:09 via twitter.com
  
  STORY: Gender-neutral anthem lyrics now official bit.ly/2GW8Md2 https://t.co/ndRuPaWw5V
  
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• Gee, Ifill and Reid: #MeToo has somehow become about men. That's wrong

  07-02-2018 21:04 via ottawacitizen.com
  Somehow, in the wake of the #metoo analysis, we’ve lost the plot.
  Instead of celebrating a movement that is making workplaces safer for women, classrooms better learning environments for girls and public spaces more accessible to all genders, we’re focusing on, strangely enough, men.
  We live in a world that revolves around men and the male experience. Every time we, as women, snatch just a bit of space to talk about the issues that disproportionately affect us, we’re derailed i
  
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• Glavin: Demonstrations for equality in Iran, 'peoplekind' jokes here

  07-02-2018 20:51 via ottawacitizen.com
  The White Wednesdays protests began last May, in the streets of Tehran, and every Wednesday since, women across Iran have been posting pictures or videos of themselves wearing white hijabs, or walking unveiled while holding white hijabs aloft, or just wearing something white. The point is to offer up some gesture of resistance to the gender apartheid women have endured in the Islamic republic ever since the Khomeinists came to power in 1979. 
  I’ll get to what this has to do with the t
  
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• Update: Tweeters raise the alarm as snow greases the afternoon commute

  07-02-2018 20:38 via ottawacitizen.com
  Snow was falling steadily but the capital’s commute home hadn’t even begun when motorists began grumbling about traffic Wednesday afternoon.
  “Canadian edition of “Whose line is it anyway?” is ‘Whose Lane is it anyway?’” tweeted one.
  “What’s really amazing is that the Starman is going to get to Mars before I make it home from work tonight,” added another.
  And first responders got into the act with warnings to drive for conditions,
  
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• Oh-oh Canada: Baffling fake university mangles our culture

  07-02-2018 20:34 via ottawacitizen.com
  Somebody in the world of fake science publishing has now invented a whole fake university covering 50 fictional city blocks in California, and it has messy Canadian fingerprints all over it.
  California South University looks like any other second-rate online source for quickie mail-order degrees, posing under a name that mimics the University of Southern California and a couple of others.
  But there’s a twist.
  The university doesn’t appear to do anything. You can’t attend it, yo
  
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• Possible shooting outside Le Pigale bar not connected to strip club, Gatineau police say

  07-02-2018 20:24 via ottawacitizen.com
  There was a report of shooting outside a Gatineau strip club two weeks ago but no one actually targeted anyone at the strip club, Gatineau police say.
  Police got a report of someone firing shots from a moving vehicle outside Le Pigale on Gréber Boulevard the evening of Jan. 20.
  No injuries were reported.
  Analysis of the building’s walls showed no damage from shooting, and after interviews with witnesses police have found nothing to suggest that shots were fired.
  [email protected]
  
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• Wes Montgomery CD reviewed

  07-02-2018 19:51 via ottawacitizen.com
  In Paris: The Definitive ORTF Recording (Resonance Records) Wes Montgomery
  I must thank three fine gentlemen for schooling me, just last year, on the majesty of Wes Montgomery.
  The gig involved Montreal guitarist Mike Rud, then-Ottawa-based bassist Alex Bilodeau (now a Bostonian) and Ottawa drummer Michel Delage — plus yours truly on the piano, at times hanging on for dear life. The gig’s mandate, over two nights plus a matinee show, was to pay tribute to Montgomery, the seminal jazz
  
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• Editorial: LRT – taxpayers need better information this election year

  07-02-2018 19:48 via ottawacitizen.com
  In the grand scheme of things, a six-month delay on Phase 1 of the LRT isn’t catastrophic. Yes, it will cause real pain to some downtown businesses that have lost customers because of years-long construction outside their doors. But for most of us, waiting until November to hop a train at Tunney’s or Blair Station won’t be some grave exercise in human suffering.
  What this week’s disclosure of the new “delivery” date for LRT service highlights, however, is the
  
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• 'An anti-competitive process': Critics decry feds' move to limit printer seller numbers

  07-02-2018 19:30 via ottawacitizen.com
  The number of approved suppliers who sell printers to the federal government is being reduced from 12 to three, according to several people familiar with the initiative who argue the move is “bad business” for taxpayers and limits competition.
  Shared Services Canada is aiming to cut back the number of companies that are able to sell printers, photocopiers and printing services to the federal government in a bid to increase order size and lower prices.
  However, opponents of the plan s
  
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• Afghan war to cost U.S. government $45 billion this year

  07-02-2018 19:19 via ottawacitizen.com
  The Afghan quagmire is burning through a lot of money.
  The Senate Foreign Relations Committee heard the details on Tuesday from U.S. defence officials. The estimated cost this year is $45 billion U.S. Here is the breakdown of that cost according to U.S. officials:
  Funding Afghan forces – $5 billion
  Funding U.S. forces inside Afghanistan – $13 billion
  Economic aid for Afghanistan – $780 million
  Logistic support – most of the remaining amount
  Billions of dollars are “
  
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• Going out best bets, Feb. 8 to 14

  07-02-2018 19:12 via ottawacitizen.com
  Pop
  Michael Kaeshammer, a multi-talented Vancouver Island-based musician who was nominated for a Juno Award this week, brings his band back to Ottawa Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. concert at the National Arts Centre’s Babs Asper Theatre. The dashing singer-songwriter-pianist always puts on a terrific performance; this time, he’s drawing from his Juno-nominated album, No Filter, but also giving a preview of his next project, Something New, which includes 10 new songs that were recently rec
  
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• Does Caroline Mulroney have the experience needed to lead the Ontario PCs? @Andrew_Z_Cohen joins @_marksutcliffe… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  07-02-2018 18:28 via twitter.com
  Does Caroline Mulroney have the experience needed to lead the Ontario PCs? @Andrew_Z_Cohen joins @_marksutcliffe… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• The @rick_gibbons Show for 2/17/18: 1:08: @environnementca 1:17: @jordandonich 1:30: #GuyLaflamme 1:45:… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  07-02-2018 18:08 via twitter.com
  The @rick_gibbons Show for 2/17/18: 1:08: @environnementca 1:17: @jordandonich 1:30: #GuyLaflamme 1:45:… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Coming up at 11:45: Stephen Brunt of @Sportsnet joins @_marksutcliffe on Winter Olympic expectations/ Russia dopi… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  07-02-2018 17:40 via twitter.com
  Coming up at 11:45: Stephen Brunt of @Sportsnet joins @_marksutcliffe on Winter Olympic expectations/ Russia dopi… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Coming up on the Power Lunch at 12: @caitlinkealey & @JLMadigan join @_MarkSutcliffe in studio: 📻: 1310 💻:… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  07-02-2018 17:35 via twitter.com
  Coming up on the Power Lunch at 12:@caitlinkealey & @JLMadigan join @_MarkSutcliffe in studio: 📻: 1310 💻:… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Dining Out: Kebabs and stews are stars at I Cook Persian Cuisine

  07-02-2018 17:26 via ottawacitizen.com
  I Cook Persian Cuisine731 Ridgewood Ave., 613-695-3004, icookpersiancuisine.caOpen: Weekdays 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Weekends noon to 9 p.m.Prices: main courses $13.99 to $24.99Access: no steps to front door, wheelchair-accessible washroomNote: Vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free options available
  The consistency of the Persian cuisine that I’ve sampled over the past few years, in a handful of modest strip-mall eateries from Kanata to Orléans, has been really strikin
  
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• Coming up at 11:30: @condorsottawa @jimperkins61 joins @_MarkSutcliffe live on the contributions Kyle Turris has… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  07-02-2018 17:25 via twitter.com
  Coming up at 11:30: @condorsottawa @jimperkins61 joins @_MarkSutcliffe live on the contributions Kyle Turris has… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Youths arrested after hundreds of mailboxes smashed, stolen in Renfrew

  07-02-2018 17:19 via ottawacitizen.com
  Renfrew OPP reports half a dozen young men, one 18 and the others 17, have been arrested following a “massive” investigation after hundreds of mailboxes were smashed or stolen in a weekend binge.
  “Charges are pending,” the community street crime unit reported.
  It happened in McNab Braeside, Admaston and Greater Madawaska townships over the weekend of Feb. 2-5.
  Police, who were continuing to hear from victims, said that more information would be released Wednesday afternoo
  
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• Trudeau says 'peoplekind' remark was a bad attempt at humour he regrets: bit.ly/2BIImvW https://t.co/4hv3caetTS

  07-02-2018 17:08 via twitter.com
  
  Trudeau says 'peoplekind' remark was a bad attempt at humour he regrets: bit.ly/2BIImvW https://t.co/4hv3caetTS
  
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• Antiques: Value blooms for these vases

  07-02-2018 17:05 via ottawacitizen.com
  Q. These two glass vases have been in our family for generations. I believe that they were wedding gifts to either my maternal grandparents in 1910 or great-grandparents around 1875. They are 30.5 cm high (12 inches). The flowers are only painted on one side.  There are no markings to indicate the artist or manufacturer.
  I am curious if you can determine where they were created and if they were purchased in England or Canada. Thanks so much.
  E.J., Fergus
  These two Art Nouveau vases were mos
  
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• Denley: This Ontario job-skills program is actually a good idea

  07-02-2018 17:04 via ottawacitizen.com
  Imagine if Ontario’s secondary school program were structured so that students got real work experience, specialized instruction in their area of interest and training solid enough to qualify them to go to university, college or straight into the workforce.
  What a blessing that would be for students who now spend 14 years in public education and leave with no real job skills or specific career prospects. It would be particularly relevant for people who are impatient with academic courses t
  
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• Coming up at 11: Professor Elliot Tepper joins @_MarkSutcliffe in studio: 📻: 1310 💻: bit.ly/1uwtdOs… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  07-02-2018 16:55 via twitter.com
  Coming up at 11:Professor Elliot Tepper joins @_MarkSutcliffe in studio: 📻: 1310 💻: bit.ly/1uwtdOs… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Coming up at 10:30: @KeithEgli joins @_MarkSutcliffe live on LRT delays: 📻: 1310 💻: bit.ly/1uwtdOs… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  07-02-2018 16:25 via twitter.com
  Coming up at 10:30:@KeithEgli joins @_MarkSutcliffe live on LRT delays: 📻: 1310 💻: bit.ly/1uwtdOs… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Follow @StaySaif for the latest on the @Yasir_Naqvi announcement. twitter.com/StaySaif/statu…

  07-02-2018 16:04 via twitter.com
  Follow @StaySaif for the latest on the @Yasir_Naqvi announcement. twitter.com/StaySaif/statu…
  
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• Legal pot on track for July but actual retail sales may take longer: bit.ly/2shXYCV https://t.co/BKwRINIjjv

  07-02-2018 15:59 via twitter.com
  
  Legal pot on track for July but actual retail sales may take longer: bit.ly/2shXYCV https://t.co/BKwRINIjjv
  
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• Several Ottawa builders, renovators in running for national housing design awards

  07-02-2018 15:51 via ottawacitizen.com
  The Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) this week announced finalists for it’s 2018 National Awards for Housing Excellence, and Ottawa builders and renovators were well represented, with finalists in 12 categories.
  “These awards recognize the very best in Canadian new homes, home renovations, community development and marketing. Our finalists come from all across Canada and showcase the amazing housing diversity in our country,” CHBA CEO Kevin Lee said in a media r
  
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• Here is how Canada's new fighter jet purchase will unfold?

  07-02-2018 15:08 via ottawacitizen.com
  Here are some more details on the timing/milestones of the Canadian government’s purchase of 88 new fighter jets:
  A draft request for proposals (RFP) is expected by this fall. Suppliers will have up to two months to submit comments and the RFP will be finalized by early 2019. It will be issued in the spring of 2019.
  Suppliers will be given around six months to work on their proposals, with submissions by early 2020.
  There will be discussions with suppliers about their proposals and revised
  
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• Cancelled rural school buses, delayed flights ahead of up to 15 cm snowstorm

  07-02-2018 14:29 via ottawacitizen.com
  Cue the “Jaws” theme.
  Wednesday’s early commute may have been smooth sailing but Environment Canada has a special weather statement in effect with snow expected to start falling Wednesday morning, triggering cancelled school buses in areas around the capital and warnings of bus and flight delays.
  Total accumulation is expected to be five to 10 cm – with as much as 15 cm near Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Rivers – before flakes taper off in the late afternoon or
  
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• Follow @cmaconthehill for the latest on this funding announcement. #cdnpoli twitter.com/cmaconthehill/…

  07-02-2018 14:25 via twitter.com
  Follow @cmaconthehill for the latest on this funding announcement. #cdnpoli twitter.com/cmaconthehill/…
  
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• Charges pending after hundreds of mailboxes smashed, stolen in Renfrew

  07-02-2018 14:19 via ottawacitizen.com
  Renfrew OPP reports that officers have a “massive” investigation underway after hundreds of mailboxes were smashed or stolen in a weekend binge.
  “Several suspects have been identified and charges are pending,” the community street crime unit reported.
  It happened in McNab Braeside, Admaston and Greater Madawaska townships over the weekend of Feb. 2-5.
  Police released few details but appealed for any victims who haven’t yet reported to police to call investigators at
  
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• Extreme weather update: twitter.com/1310JasonWhite…

  07-02-2018 14:10 via twitter.com
  Extreme weather update: twitter.com/1310JasonWhite…
  
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• POLL: Should the consortium building the light-rail line pay a penalty for missing the original handover deadline?… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  07-02-2018 13:58 via twitter.com
  POLL: Should the consortium building the light-rail line pay a penalty for missing the original handover deadline?… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• City not penalizing RTG over missed LRT deadline: bit.ly/2BeH1fn https://t.co/jt6Ot7ybj3

  07-02-2018 13:47 via twitter.com
  
  City not penalizing RTG over missed LRT deadline: bit.ly/2BeH1fn https://t.co/jt6Ot7ybj3
  
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• OPH to request funding to make supervised injection site permanent: bit.ly/2BIkyZ6 https://t.co/ROcrnJ9gLd

  07-02-2018 13:32 via twitter.com
  
  OPH to request funding to make supervised injection site permanent: bit.ly/2BIkyZ6 https://t.co/ROcrnJ9gLd
  
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• Sikh separatists in Canada drawing ire in Indian media before Trudeau visit: bit.ly/2nIkuzT https://t.co/plZfcmrSvt

  07-02-2018 13:05 via twitter.com
  
  Sikh separatists in Canada drawing ire in Indian media before Trudeau visit: bit.ly/2nIkuzT https://t.co/plZfcmrSvt
  
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• 'You've defamed me Sarah:' Steve Paikin responds to harassment allegations: bit.ly/2ErfN7o https://t.co/DYUVBrZ7FZ

  07-02-2018 12:56 via twitter.com
  
  'You've defamed me Sarah:' Steve Paikin responds to harassment allegations: bit.ly/2ErfN7o https://t.co/DYUVBrZ7FZ
  
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• Matt Duchene's three-point night leads under-manned Senators past Devils 5-3: bit.ly/2GWzNNA https://t.co/WfBk1lLxPf

  07-02-2018 12:40 via twitter.com
  
  Matt Duchene's three-point night leads under-manned Senators past Devils 5-3: bit.ly/2GWzNNA https://t.co/WfBk1lLxPf
  
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• The 1310 NEWS Extreme Weather Centre is OPEN! Our @1310JasonWhite reports school buses are cancelled outside the… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  07-02-2018 12:04 via twitter.com
  The 1310 NEWS Extreme Weather Centre is OPEN! Our @1310JasonWhite reports school buses are cancelled outside the… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Snow in the forecast means school bus cancellations outside the city! Buses cancelled for the Catholic District S… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  07-02-2018 11:58 via twitter.com
  Snow in the forecast means school bus cancellations outside the city! Buses cancelled for the Catholic District S… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Uber apologizes for 'unacceptable' treatment after blind woman twice denied rides

  07-02-2018 01:04 via ottawacitizen.com
  Uber has parted ways with two drivers in two cities after a legally blind woman was twice denied rides on the same day, with both drivers claiming they were “allergic” to her guide dog.
  Diane Bergeron was left hurt and frustrated after she was refused a ride in Toronto outside a downtown hotel on Feb. 1. She said the driver was at first accommodating, but balked once he spotted her guide dog, a seven-year-old golden retriever named Lucy.
  Her frustration only grew when she was denied
  
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• Downtown businesses unsurprised and frustrated by LRT delay

  07-02-2018 00:08 via ottawacitizen.com
  The news of a delay in the opening of the city’s $2.1-billion light rail project, which has now been pushed back to November, attracted a chorus of groans from downtown businesses on Tuesday, but many are prepared to simply tough it out for another nine months.
  “Of course we’d like to see the end of construction,” said Peggy DuCharme, executive director of the Downtown Rideau Business Improvement Area (BIA). “We’d been aware that the likelihood of them not mee
  
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