Ottawa news

• Toronto van attack – no mental health concerns raised about alleged attacker, defence minister says

  24-04-2018 23:42 via ottawacitizen.com
  The man accused of using a van to kill 10 people in Toronto on Monday went through rigorous screening before being recruited into the Canadian Forces but no concerns were raised about his mental health, said Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan.
  Alek Minassian, who was arrested minutes after the attack, has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder
  Minassian was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces for 2 months in late 2017. He served from August 23 until Oc
  
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• Roofer who died from fall at Ottawa construction site wasn't clipped in

  24-04-2018 23:27 via ottawacitizen.com
  The day construction worker Robert Cyr fell from a residence to his death, Michele Lavergne said he could sense the potential danger of the icy and snowy roof they were working on.
  “It was a bad day, too. I didn’t want to go up,” Lavergne, a roofer, told an inquest at city hall on Tuesday about Cyr, who died on Nov. 24, 2015.
  He was 47.
  The inquest heard Robert Cyr was not clipped on to any safety anchors and had narcotics in his system when he fell from the slippery roof
  
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• Boom lowered on Ottawa radio host Wendy Daniels

  24-04-2018 22:52 via ottawacitizen.com
  After spending nearly three decades in listeners’ living rooms, cars and kitchens, Wendy Daniels is, for the time being at least, leaving Ottawa’s airwaves.
  The popular on-air radio personality and host of Boom 99.7’s midday show was let go on Monday, with the station announcing the news on its Facebook page.
  “We made some changes to our boom 99.7 programming lineup today,” it said. “Wendy Daniels is no longer host of our midday show. Wendy is a true broadcast
  
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• Analysis: Mitel is eyeing short-term pain for long-term gain

  24-04-2018 22:51 via ottawacitizen.com
  Kanata-based Mitel will be taking its business private as it prepares for decisions that are sure to cause short-term pain, but which should, ultimately, lead to long-term gain, according to the firm’s chief executive officer.
  Richard McBee, who has been chief executive at Mitel since 2011, said Tuesday that with customers moving away from large purchases of telephone equipment, the time is ripe for the company to pursue new business opportunities. Mitel makes telephone and commu
  
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• Analysis: Why Mitel is eyeing short-term pain for long-term gain

  24-04-2018 22:50 via ottawacitizen.com
  Kanata-based Mitel will be taking its business private as it prepares for decisions that are sure to cause short-term pain, but should, ultimately, lead to long-term gains, according to the firm’s chief executive officer.
  Richard McBee, who has been chief executive at Mitel since 2011, said Tuesday that with customers moving away from large purchases of telephone equipment, the time is ripe for the company to pursue new business opportunities. Mitel makes telephone and communicat
  
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• Police looking for witnesses after gunfire exchange between two vehicles in Nepean

  24-04-2018 22:47 via ottawacitizen.com
  Police are looking for witnesses after receiving numerous 911 calls reporting shots fired between two vehicles on St. Claire Avenue Monday night.
  They were called to the street near Baseline Road and Clyde Avenue at about 8:30 p.m. During the investigation, officers found a number of spent shell casings in the area where the alleged incident occurred, which is between the 1 to 100 block of St. Claire Avenue. There is no vehicle description being released at this time. There are no reports of inj
  
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• Audit finds dramatic rise in antisemetic vandalism in Canada - ottawamatters.com/local-news/aud… #ottnews https://t.co/aU7UH0L0wN

  24-04-2018 22:40 via twitter.com
  
  Audit finds dramatic rise in antisemetic vandalism in Canada - ottawamatters.com/local-news/aud… #ottnews https://t.co/aU7UH0L0wN
  
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• Chagall family rebukes National Gallery over decision to sell La Tour Eiffel

  24-04-2018 22:25 via ottawacitizen.com
  The family of the late Russian-French artist Marc Chagall has written the National Gallery of Canada to say that it “deeply regrets” the gallery’s move to sell the Chagall painting La Tour Eiffel next month at auction in New York.
  In the latest twist to what has become a bizarre bit of intrigue in the worlds of Canadian art and politics, the Marc Chagall Committee in Paris sent a letter Tuesday to gallery director and CEO Marc Mayer. Obtained by this newspaper, the co
  
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• Woman, 26, missing from Murray Street since mid-March

  24-04-2018 22:19 via ottawacitizen.com
  “Not lucky just blessed,” reads Maranda Lynn George-Morrisson’s tattoo.
  The 26-year-old’s family is now worried for her safety, police said. George-Morrisson was last seen in the area of Murray Street on March 15, according to police.
  Police describe her as Aboriginal, 5’3″ to 5’4″ tall and 130 lbs with long hair and brown eyes. The tattoo is just below her neck.
  The Native Women’s Association of Canada is helping in the search effort.
  MISSIN
  
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• If approved by council next month, the home of former PM Lester B. Pearson will be demolished. #ottnews… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  24-04-2018 21:55 via twitter.com
  If approved by council next month, the home of former PM Lester B. Pearson will be demolished. #ottnews… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• STORY: Indoor bike and skate park more than half way there ottawamatters.com/local-news/ind… https://t.co/Y7TDz4rgN2

  24-04-2018 21:25 via twitter.com
  
  STORY: Indoor bike and skate park more than half way thereottawamatters.com/local-news/ind… https://t.co/Y7TDz4rgN2
  
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• Police seek missing woman ottawamatters.com/local-news/pol… https://t.co/YWRfzQQVGy

  24-04-2018 21:24 via twitter.com
  
  Police seek missing womanottawamatters.com/local-news/pol… https://t.co/YWRfzQQVGy
  
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• Planning committee recommends demolition of former Lester Pearson home

  24-04-2018 20:22 via ottawacitizen.com
  The Ugandan High Commission should be allowed to demolish the former Sandy Hill home of Lester B. Pearson and construct a new office building, the planning committee decided Tuesday.
  The committee, in a 9-1-vote, reversed a decision by the built-heritage subcommittee, whose members worried that by allowing demolition of 231 Cobourg St., the city would send the wrong message to owners of aging buildings in heritage districts. The built-heritage subcommittee, made up of councillors and citizens wi
  
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• Quebec lays claim to David's painting of Saint Jerome, ending National Gallery's bid to buy it with Chagall proceeds

  24-04-2018 20:21 via ottawacitizen.com
  The family of the late Russian-French artist Marc Chagall has written the National Gallery of Canada to say that it “deeply regrets” the gallery’s move to sell the Chagall painting La Tour Eiffel next month at auction in New York.
  In a letter sent Tuesday to gallery director and CEO Marc Mayer and obtained by this newspaper, the Marc Chagall Committee in Paris, which also controls the artist’s estate and upholds his reputation, says that Canadians will be deprived of
  
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• Septuagenarian biker escapes 417 crash with minor injuries

  24-04-2018 20:12 via ottawacitizen.com
  A man in his 70s was lucky to escape serious injury when he fell off his motorcycle on the eastbound Highway 417 near the Vanier Parkway just before 1 p.m. Tuesday.
  His bike somehow managed to keep upright on its wheels before landing in the ditch several hundred metres away.
  Paramedics said his injuries were minor but eastbound traffic was backed up towards Nicholas Street.
  (MTO) Highway 417 Eastboundat VANIER PKWY/RIVERSIDE (IC 117) – Collision. All lanes closed.
  — Ottawa_Traffic (
  
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• Ottawa police continue to search for woman, 43, missing since February

  24-04-2018 20:07 via ottawacitizen.com
  Ottawa police have issued a new appeal for assistance in the search for Nicole Lenz, 43, who was last seen in the Merivale and Carling area in February.She’s described as white, standing five feet six inches tall, with a medium build, long brown hair and brown eyes.Police believe she is no longer wearing a yellow jacket shown in handout photographs.If you have information on her whereabouts, call Ottawa police at 613-236-1222. If you do not know her whereabouts but have information to assi
  
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• Kitchen-table issues: Meet the prime minister's new chef

  24-04-2018 19:27 via ottawacitizen.com
  What happens at Justin Trudeau’s family dinner table?
  It’s all a bit hush-hush — information that’s known, but closely guarded, by those who run the kitchen.
  Such savoury secrets have now become the purview of a new chef: Wakefield’s Che Chartrand has taken over the role at Rideau Cottage, which currently serves as the home to the prime minister and his family.
  Chartrand, who’s an alumnus of Ottawa’s Beckta restaurant empire, has been handed th
  
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• Accused in Toronto attack joined Canadian Forces last year – didn't complete training

  24-04-2018 18:56 via ottawacitizen.com
  This is the statement from the Canadian Forces:
  Alek Minassian, the accused in the recent incident in Toronto, was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces for 2 months in late 2017 – from 23 August until 25 October.  He did not complete his recruit training and requested to be voluntarily released from the CAF after 16 days of recruit training. For privacy reasons, we will not comment further on Alek Minassian’s service in the CAF.
  
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• Firefighter hurt in Stittsville blaze released from hospital

  24-04-2018 18:00 via ottawacitizen.com
  A firefighter who was badly hurt while fighting a massive Stittsville house fire last week was released from the hospital Monday, the city’s fire chief reports.
  Chief Gerry Pingitore thanked the community and hospital staff for their care and support.
  The unnamed firefighter – he posed for a photo with colleagues but asked not to be identified – was one of two volunteers who plunged through the floor of the home on Snowberry Way April 16.
  While his colleague was able
  
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• Coming up on the Power Lunch at noon: @MelAdams1310 & @ShelleyMcLean_ join @_marksutcliffe in studio: Listen:… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  24-04-2018 17:45 via twitter.com
  Coming up on the Power Lunch at noon: @MelAdams1310 & @ShelleyMcLean_ join @_marksutcliffe in studio: Listen:… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Cappies review: Talented student cast powers We Will Rock You

  24-04-2018 17:42 via ottawacitizen.com
  Show #14: We Will Rock You
  Where: Philemon Wright High School
  Director: Phillip Holmes
  Eliza Aguhar, Critic
  Colonel By Secondary School
  Good ‘ol rock and roll lives on forever in Philemon Wright High School’s We Will Rock You.
  Boom, Boom, Clap! Boom, Boom, Clap! – The beat will never be mistaken. With powerful vocals, energetic choreography, and a talented cast, Philemon Wright High School’s production of We Will Rock You proved that rock and roll will forever be a force
  
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• Cappies review: Musical romance amid strike yields a labour of love

  24-04-2018 17:41 via ottawacitizen.com
  Show #13: The Pajama Game
  Where: Woodroffe High School
  Director: Terry Duncan
  Max Hanner, CriticAll Saints High School
  What can you buy for 7½ cents? Probably not that much, but Woodroffe High School’s production of The Pajama Game proved how vital those few pennies were back in the 1950s, thanks to their cast’s conviction onstage and their crew’s support throughout the show.
  Based on Richard Bissell’s 1953 novel 7½ Cents, The Pajama Game premiered on Broadw
  
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• Coming up at 11:45: @citytammie joins @_marksutcliffe on the #Toronto van attack: 📻: 1310 💻:… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  24-04-2018 17:39 via twitter.com
  Coming up at 11:45: @citytammie joins @_marksutcliffe on the #Toronto van attack: 📻: 1310 💻:… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• The @rick_gibbons Show for Tuesday, April 24th: 1:08: #DavidBHarris 1:18: @joe_warmington 1:30: @GryphonReport 1:4… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  24-04-2018 17:33 via twitter.com
  The @rick_gibbons Show for Tuesday, April 24th: 1:08: #DavidBHarris 1:18: @joe_warmington1:30: @GryphonReport 1:4… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Coming up at 11:30 @JohnIbbitson joins @_MarkSutcliffe on 'the truths Canada needs to remember' Listen: 📻: 1310… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  24-04-2018 17:25 via twitter.com
  Coming up at 11:30 @JohnIbbitson joins @_MarkSutcliffe on 'the truths Canada needs to remember'Listen:📻: 1310… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Cohen: Sometimes, tragedy just makes no sense

  24-04-2018 17:13 via ottawacitizen.com
  On Jan. 29, 1979, Brenda Ann Spencer killed two adults and wounded eight children at Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego. When asked why, she said: “I don’t like Mondays. This livens up the day.”
  Spencer, 16, was unapologetic. Her explanation was a sigh and a shrug. She was just bored. And when her ennui became agony, she grabbed her father’s .22-calibre rifle and began shooting.
  She didn’t need a reason. “I don’t like Mondays” was enou
  
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• Police investigate reports of gunfire on Nepean street late Monday

  24-04-2018 16:52 via ottawacitizen.com
  Police are looking for witnesses after receiving numerous 911 calls reporting shots fired on St. Claire Avenue Monday night.
  They were called to the street near Baseline Road and Clyde Avenue at about 10:30 p.m. and found shell casings but no victims or suspects.
  A vehicle or vehicles may have been involved.
  Anyone with information can contact west district investigators at 613-236-1222, ext. 2166.
  
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• Mitel shares soar on news of $2B acquisition by U.S. investment firm

  24-04-2018 15:49 via ottawacitizen.com
  Kanata-based Mitel has agreed to be acquired by an American investment firm in a $2-billion cash deal designed to take the company private.
  The deal, announced early Tuesday, will see Mitel shareholders receive $11.15 per share, which puts the firm’s market capitalization at $1.35 billion. As part of the deal the American investor, Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P., will also assume all of Mitel’s corporate debt.
  The news of the acquisition, which is expected to close in the se
  
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• Royal Canadian Navy getting new miniature maritime drone this summer- Update on defence industry news and contracts

  24-04-2018 15:17 via ottawacitizen.com
  Here is defence industry news from my article in the latest issue of Esprit de Corps magazine:
  MDA, a Maxar Technologies company, signed a contract worth around $8 million to provide the Department of National Defence with what is being called a Maritime Miniature Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MMUAS). The contract also includes services to support training, resource and equipment development activities and development and validation of naval tactics and new capability development, according to the
  
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• Firefighters rescue man from Sarsfield quarry

  24-04-2018 14:47 via ottawacitizen.com
  Fire crews used ropes and a rescue boat Monday evening to pull a 55-year-old man out of a quarry in Sarsfield, at the city’s eastern boundary.
  A witness alerted first responders to a man in distress in the water at 3100 Larmours Rd.
  He’d apparently jumped in the water but was unable to scale its steep walls, described as cliffs, to get out again and was clinging to a rock.
  Firefighters called in water and rope rescue teams and quickly made contact with the man, got him into a life ja
  
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• Wild turkey roaming around NAC; two beavers spotted in Ottawa airport stairwell

  24-04-2018 14:45 via ottawacitizen.com
  They’re busy as, well, beavers, even if they’re a bit lost.
  Twitter user Stephanie Shanks reported Tuesday morning that she’d spotted a pair of beavers in a stairwell at the Ottawa airport. 
  “Does it get more Canadian than that?” she asked, adding a video of the “confused” pair sniffing around.
   
  Confused beavers at the #Ottawa airport pic.twitter.com/OLdsAb9n4n
  — Stephanie Shanks (@ShanksYa) April 24, 2018One of two beavers in the stairw
  
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• April showers arrive to lay groundwork for May flowers, high 19 C

  24-04-2018 14:21 via ottawacitizen.com
  The mercury is forecast to hit 19 C, with periods of rain expected to begin before morning breaks.
  Tuesday’s forecast is for increasing cloudiness in the morning with southwest winds at 20 km/h gusting to 40 near noon and a UV index of 5 or moderate.
  There’s a 40 per cent chance of evening showers before the rain begins to increase, falling to a low of 7 C.
  Drew Garby and Gillian Campbell relax in the warm #spring #sunshine at Lansdowne Park in #Ottawa Monday April 23, 2018. #ottnews
  
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• Gurski: Why the Toronto attack can't be called terrorism – yet

  24-04-2018 14:15 via ottawacitizen.com
  A man is in custody following an incredibly professional arrest by a Toronto Police Service officer who acted with amazing coolness given the situation. There are at least 10 dead and 15 wounded.
  When the van attack occurred I was on Twitter, sharing news stories about terrorism with like-minded people because that is what I have chosen to do after a three-decade-long career with Canada’s security intelligence services.
  As soon as I read a tweet from a friend and trusted source, a real Can
  
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• The inquest is expected to last two days and will hear from about eight witnesses. twitter.com/OttawaMatters/…

  24-04-2018 13:59 via twitter.com
  The inquest is expected to last two days and will hear from about eight witnesses. twitter.com/OttawaMatters/…
  
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• POLL: Can anything be done to prevent vehicles from being used to attack pedestrians? @_MarkSutcliffe… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  24-04-2018 13:32 via twitter.com
  POLL: Can anything be done to prevent vehicles from being used to attack pedestrians?@_MarkSutcliffe… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Expert says turning vehicles into deadly weapons is easy & cheap: bit.ly/2qUdlyg https://t.co/zFSzKEhSym

  24-04-2018 13:25 via twitter.com
  
  Expert says turning vehicles into deadly weapons is easy & cheap: bit.ly/2qUdlyg https://t.co/zFSzKEhSym
  
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• Competition Bureau approves Metro's purchase of Jean Coutu, with conditions: bit.ly/2Jj8m0U https://t.co/3iaAcPKKRv

  24-04-2018 13:03 via twitter.com
  
  Competition Bureau approves Metro's purchase of Jean Coutu, with conditions: bit.ly/2Jj8m0U https://t.co/3iaAcPKKRv
  
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• Egan: City denies proclamation to annual anti-abortion March for Life

  24-04-2018 13:00 via ottawacitizen.com
  For the first time in more than 15 years, the annual March for Life will not be awarded a City of Ottawa proclamation, organizers were told Monday.
  The Parliament Hill rally, which can attract more than 20,000, is scheduled for May 10 in support of the rights of the vulnerable, particularly the unborn.
  An email from the city’s protocol office to Ambrose Atkins and Margaret Mountain, co-chairs of the march, cited the city’s new policy on proclamations and flag-raising, which was revie
  
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• Spokesman: George HW Bush hospitalized with blood infection: bit.ly/2vFxJYF https://t.co/i7m8CQ3OMf

  24-04-2018 12:55 via twitter.com
  
  Spokesman: George HW Bush hospitalized with blood infection: bit.ly/2vFxJYF https://t.co/i7m8CQ3OMf
  
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• Mosque killer wanted 'grandiose act' to stop people mocking him: psychologist: bit.ly/2HqqrcP https://t.co/6hFDzwnZWT

  24-04-2018 12:45 via twitter.com
  
  Mosque killer wanted 'grandiose act' to stop people mocking him: psychologist: bit.ly/2HqqrcP https://t.co/6hFDzwnZWT
  
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• Anti-straw movement should consider people with disabilities, advocates say: bit.ly/2JoiaXj https://t.co/FUWvSEGxj3

  24-04-2018 12:40 via twitter.com
  
  Anti-straw movement should consider people with disabilities, advocates say: bit.ly/2JoiaXj https://t.co/FUWvSEGxj3
  
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• Today's letters: Long-term care needs more help

  24-04-2018 12:30 via ottawacitizen.com
  April 25: Readers have a few things to say about long-term care, and about the environment. You can write to us too, at [email protected]
  —
  We need more resources in care homes
  Re: Ottawa nursing home reports reveal fresh cases of abuse, death, March 7.
  I’m a nursing student employed as a PSW at an Ottawa long-term care home. Abuse should not be tolerated anywhere, especially in long-term care homes with some of our most vulnerable people. However, I have the opportunity to s
  
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• #Ottawa grieves with #Toronto after van attack ottawamatters.com/local-news/ott… https://t.co/lB9jJ6aU35

  24-04-2018 12:28 via twitter.com
  
  #Ottawa grieves with #Toronto after van attackottawamatters.com/local-news/ott… https://t.co/lB9jJ6aU35
  
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• Cosby jury to decide: Serial rapist or con artist's mark: bit.ly/2qUrKu6 https://t.co/oHe7RvZsw2

  24-04-2018 12:28 via twitter.com
  
  Cosby jury to decide: Serial rapist or con artist's mark: bit.ly/2qUrKu6 https://t.co/oHe7RvZsw2
  
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• ICYMI: @MathieuFleury wants to see the Sally Ann shelter project move forward quicker -- as long as it's not on a m… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  24-04-2018 12:20 via twitter.com
  ICYMI: @MathieuFleury wants to see the Sally Ann shelter project move forward quicker -- as long as it's not on a m… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• 'I am ready to spit nails': North Gower landowners cry foul over massive drainage fee hikes

  24-04-2018 04:36 via ottawacitizen.com
  Landowners in the Cranberry Creek watershed area near North Gower tell stories about the terrible impacts of rising flood waters in recent years.
  On Monday, though, those landowners and many beyond the watershed were at the Alfred Taylor Recreation Centre swapping tales of the high cost of fixing the problem.
  Homeowners are being asked to share the expense of a new pump station and dyke system — and now tempers are rising instead of water.
  In some cases, landowners who were payin
  
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• 150 police officers are on modified duties for medical reasons, force says

  24-04-2018 03:07 via ottawacitizen.com
  About 150 Ottawa police officers have formal medical accommodations that require modifications to their regular duties — a situation that’s creating staffing issues and “friction” in morale.
  Of those 150 officers, 95 — about two-thirds — are frontline officers.
  Those details were among the information the force presented to the police board in a long-awaited report Monday.
  One third of the officers on formal medical accommodation — where they c
  
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• Paramedics tell @1310NEWS a pedestrian has been struck on St Laurent @ Ogilvie. Man believed to be in his 20s rushe… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…

  24-04-2018 01:04 via twitter.com
  Paramedics tell @1310NEWS a pedestrian has been struck on St Laurent @ Ogilvie. Man believed to be in his 20s rushe… twitter.com/i/web/status/9…
  
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• Stay with @1310NEWS as we are extending our coverage on the fatal hit and run in Toronto until 8pm. #ottnews

  24-04-2018 00:35 via twitter.com
  Stay with @1310NEWS as we are extending our coverage on the fatal hit and run in Toronto until 8pm. #ottnews
  
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• More students, more teachers: Ottawa's public school board in 'growth mode'

  24-04-2018 00:09 via ottawacitizen.com
  The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is being described as in good shape for the coming financial year, with a predicted budget surplus of $4.3 million.
  If things go as projected, the board would be left with an accumulated cushion of $24 million for a rainy day — and that means no cutting and chopping. The board has a budget that is nudging $1 billion.
  “If you know you have money in the bank, you don’t have to take any drastic action,” said the board&rsquo
  
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