Ottawa news

• Joanne Laucius honoured with Joan Gullen Award for Media Excellence

  04-03-2019 23:37 via ottawacitizen.com
  Reporter Joanne Laucius is this year’s recipient of the Joan Gullen Award for Media Excellence for her story about a program to help treat mothers who are dependent on opioids and their newborn babies.
  Her story — The Case for Cuddling — appeared last March in the Ottawa Citizen and Ottawa Sun. It followed the story of Rebecca Dowds, 28, who gave birth to a baby girl at Kingston General Hospital while she was taking Percocet to cope with sciatica and spinal pain.
  Under the
  
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• Ottawa Public Health concerned about legalized cannabis edibles - OttawaMatters.com

  04-03-2019 23:00
  Ottawa Public Health concerned about legalized cannabis edibles  OttawaMatters.comThe OPH is worried there is a lack of public understanding of how edibles work, and concerned it could be branded similar to familiar foods.
  
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• Council going into a $4.6B LRT decision not knowing when its $2.1B decision will bear fruit

  04-03-2019 22:58 via ottawacitizen.com
  City council is under financial and political pressure this week to approve $4.6 billion more in LRT spending while not knowing if a $2.1-billion investment of government money will produce a decent transit system.
  The city didn’t want to be in this position, asking council to ink Stage 2 deals to expand the rail network without having Stage 1 up and running.
  But it’s going to happen Wednesday, and councillors have to decide if they have enough faith in much of the current LRT infras
  
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• Frozen and forgotten: art installation raises money to help house homeless youth

  04-03-2019 22:51 via ottawacitizen.com
  “When you think of homelessness, you think of that old man on the streets smoking his cigarette with a piece of cardboard asking for money … we don’t realize that it could be any of us,” says Sophia Torchinsky, a Grade 8 student at Joan of Arc Academy.
  The school recently erected an outdoor art installation meant to raise awareness about our city’s homeless youth. It also launched a fundraising campaign.
  The school’s Girls 4 Girls initiative, launched five ye
  
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• Health agency calls for stricter rules on cannabis edibles - CTV News

  04-03-2019 22:48
  Health agency calls for stricter rules on cannabis edibles  CTV NewsYou might not be able to buy cannabis-infused lollipops, gummy bears and certain types of cookies in Ottawa this October, when cannabis edibles will be ...
  
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• Now you can ski, snowshoe or walk the dog along a winter trail next to the Rideau River in Vanier and Overbrook

  04-03-2019 22:44 via ottawacitizen.com
  A winter trail has been created along the Rideau River path in Vanier and Overbrook to allow people to ski, snowshoe, fat bike or just take a walk.
  The trail, from Montreal Road to Hurdman’s Bridge on the east side of the river, is a pilot project. The snow-packed trail opened Saturday. 
  The #RiverRiverTrail pilot is officially launched thanks to the great team work between @RideauRckcliffe & #TeamFleury – now enjoy the groomed trail #XcountrySki #Fatbike #snowshoe #LoveOtt
  
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• Research could lead to easily accessible test for schizophrenia

  04-03-2019 22:42 via ottawacitizen.com
  Schizophrenia could eventually be diagnosed using an MRI, thanks to research co-authored by Clifford Cassidy, a scientist at the Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research.
  The study reveals a brain-based biomarker for schizophrenia that can be identified using specially configured MRI machines, which are widely available.
  An accurate, quick diagnostic tool would help people with schizophrenia to get the right treatment sooner and improve their quality of life.
  The technique could be revo
  
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• Some Ottawa city councillors feeling left in the dark on LRT issues - OttawaMatters.com

  04-03-2019 22:40
  Some Ottawa city councillors feeling left in the dark on LRT issues  OttawaMatters.comWhen it comes to the trains running on time and on budget along Ottawa's new Confederation Line, some members of city council feel they are always last to get ...
  
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• Fire at empty St. Laurent Boulevard grocery store quickly controlled

  04-03-2019 22:28 via ottawacitizen.com
  Ottawa firefighters made quick work of a roof fire at an empty grocery store on St. Laurent Boulevard near Donald Street Monday afternoon.
  Firefighters were called to the large commercial building in the plaza at 1065 St. Laurent Blvd. just after 1 p.m. for a report of burning construction material on the rear of the roof. While one crew tackled the fire, two others searched the inside of the building and cleared it of smoke.
  The fire was under control by 1:30 p.m. There were no injuries and the
  
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• Chiarelli: LRT 2, Ottawa's biggest project, deserves proper oversight

  04-03-2019 21:43 via ottawacitizen.com
  On Wednesday, City Council will discuss and be asked to approve the largest project the city has undertaken: LRT Phase 2. Personally, I am fully supportive of LRT but I have concerns regarding this project. Council and taxpayers deserve full disclosure of all information before this project is approved.
  Almost 10 years ago, an audit was conducted on the financial information that Council received regarding the originally proposed North-South LRT. That audit indicated that key terms, conditions a
  
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• Ottawa man charged in Highway 417 'road rage' incident: OPP - www.insideottawavalley.com/

  04-03-2019 21:33
  Ottawa man charged in Highway 417 'road rage' incident: OPP  www.insideottawavalley.com/An Ottawa man has been charged in relation to a March 2 alleged road rage incident on Highway 417. Members of the Ottawa OPP responded to the incident, ...
  
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• First video of fatal arrest of Abdirahman Abdi shown in Montsion trial

  04-03-2019 20:53 via ottawacitizen.com
  Two and a half years since the fatal arrest of Abdirahman Abdi, the trial of the Ottawa officer charged in his death was shown the first frames of video capturing the critical moments that, according to prosecutors, caused Abdi’s death.
  Const. Daniel Montsion has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon.
  The defence team of Michael Edelson and Solomon Friedman screened the first few frames of the controversial CCTV video that has dominated the early
  
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• It's but one win, but optimism returns to Ottawa Senators dressing room - Ottawa Sun

  04-03-2019 20:30
  It's but one win, but optimism returns to Ottawa Senators dressing room  Ottawa SunIt's but one win, but optimism returns to Ottawa Senators dressing room.
  
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• Transit commission chair says good news about Ottawa’s LRT on the way - Global News

  04-03-2019 19:54
  Transit commission chair says good news about Ottawa’s LRT on the way  Global NewsTransit Commission chair Allan Hubley tries out the LRT simulator. Ottawa councillors and staff were invited to check out the OC Transpo facility on Monday ...
  
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• Adam: Yes, Ottawa needs to approve LRT Stage 2 now

  04-03-2019 19:48 via ottawacitizen.com
  Money matters obviously, and Ottawa councillors are right to question the skyrocketing cost of Stage 2 LRT, which has shot up to $4.6 billion from the original estimate of $3.4 billion. A number of councillors are unhappy not only at the $1.2-billion increase, but at being stampeded into approving such a complex project with little debate. Stage 1 has been such a debacle, with the missed deadlines and conflicts with builder Rideau Transit Group (RTG), that some want the city to complete it befor
  
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• Menard: Here's why we can't rush approval for Ottawa's LRT Stage 2

  04-03-2019 19:21 via ottawacitizen.com
  With recent news highlighting that current LRT cars are experiencing major challenges in winter weather, it is more clear than ever that the Rideau Transit Group (RTG) is going to miss its March 31 deadline for handover of the Confederation Line to the city. It begs the question: Who knew about this and why weren’t councillors informed of this major impediment in advance of approving Stage 2? As city residents are painfully aware, this project is already well behind schedule and over-budge
  
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• OPP seeking witnesses to Queensway road rage

  04-03-2019 18:53 via ottawacitizen.com
  When the men driving a blue BMW and a white Chevy Cruze got into a scrap on the westbound Queensway Saturday evening, it turned into an outright “altercation” after both drivers pulled over and got out of their cars on the Terry Fox Drive offramp, police allege.
  Stuart Nicol, 47, of Ottawa, is charged with assault causing bodily harm and was released on a promise to appear in court April 3, Ottawa OPP said in a release Monday.
  The other driver was taken to the hospital where he was t
  
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• Lobby Wrap: Campbell's lobbying Ottawa on retaliatory tariffs - iPolitics.ca

  04-03-2019 18:31
  Lobby Wrap: Campbell's lobbying Ottawa on retaliatory tariffs  iPolitics.caSoup-making giant Campbell's is lobbying Ottawa on retaliatory tariffs levelled against the U.S. and possible opportunities to “mitigate costs.” Leslie Noble ...
  
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• Alleged drunk driver nabbed after flashing police

  04-03-2019 18:16 via ottawacitizen.com
  Hey, officer! Over here!
  An allegedly drunk driver drew police attention Saturday night when he flashed his high beams at a patrolling Thousand Islands OPP officer.
  Police say that the officer was on the prowl on Country Road 3 in Leeds and the Thousand Islands Township at about 9 p.m. when they witnessed the “traffic offence.”
  The driver was pulled over and arrested for driving with more than 80 mg of alcohol per 100 mL of blood. A sober passenger removed the vehicle from the roadwa
  
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• Instant Pot maker announces merger with kitchenware giant Corelle Brands

  04-03-2019 18:10 via ottawacitizen.com
  Ottawa’s Instant Brands Inc., maker of the popular Instant Pot, has agreed to a deal that will see it join houseware giant Corelle Brands LLC.
  Instant Brands, which is headquartered in Kanata and has four factories in China making its Instant Pot kitchen appliance, announced the news Monday morning, saying the agreement will help it expand globally at a much faster pace.
  “We are thrilled to partner with a global leader in Corelle Brands as we look to embark on our next chapter of str
  
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• Federal government highlights climate change plan in Ottawa - OttawaMatters.com

  04-03-2019 18:06
  Federal government highlights climate change plan in Ottawa  OttawaMatters.comThe federal environment minister stopped by her local hardware store to highlight items Canadians can purchase with their carbon pricing rebates to reduce ...
  
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• Scott: Ottawa can get more people enjoying winter sports in the city

  04-03-2019 16:31 via ottawacitizen.com
  Over the last three winters, I’ve stood on a frozen winter trail and witnessed something amazing happen.
  In the Fall of 2016, I started working at a ski shop in Wellington West Village. As part of my job, I rent skis at a small location at Remic Rapids, next to the Ottawa River, where several years ago, Dave Adams began grooming a multi-use winter trail, called the Sir John A. Macdonald Winter Trail, focused on cross-country skiing. It is now such a popular spot, it may be difficult to rem
  
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• Ottawa re-ups with PAL Aerospace on aerial surveillance contract - The Journal Pioneer

  04-03-2019 16:18
  Ottawa re-ups with PAL Aerospace on aerial surveillance contract  The Journal PioneerPAL Aerospace will continue to provide aerial surveillance for Canada's inland, coastal and offshore waters on behalf of the Government of Canada after having ...
  
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• Ottawa to invest billions less on new military kit than promised, threatening NATO target - The Globe and Mail

  04-03-2019 14:06
  Ottawa to invest billions less on new military kit than promised, threatening NATO target  The Globe and MailThe federal government will invest billions of dollars less in new military equipment than promised this year, raising concerns about the readiness of the ...
  
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• Ottawa Peewee hockey team wins $100K for tornado-ravaged community - CTV News

  04-03-2019 14:02
  Ottawa Peewee hockey team wins $100K for tornado-ravaged community  CTV NewsOttawa's West Carleton Warriors Peewee hockey team were named the winners of the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup and have won $100000 to go to disaster ...
  
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• Pedestrian, 69, struck and killed in southeast Ottawa Sunday

  04-03-2019 13:58 via ottawacitizen.com
  A 69-year-old man died in hospital Sunday evening after being struck by a vehicle as he walked on Renaud Road in the Chapel Hill South area.
  Police say the 6:29 p.m. crash on Renaud Road is still under investigation. No charges had been laid as of Monday morning. The roadway was temporarily closed between Markinch Road and Mer Bleue roads. Police reported the road had reopened just before midnight Sunday.
  The victim suffered trauma to multiple systems of his body and was in cardiac arrest, param
  
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• With falling temperatures, today's high has already come and gone. Also: More snow coming

  04-03-2019 13:57 via ottawacitizen.com
  So-called normal temperatures for early March are highs hovering around freezing and single-digit below zero lows.
  None of that foolishness!
  After light snow overnight, Ottawa awoke Monday morning to a spot-on seasonal -8 C but the temperature will actually DROP to -13 C by late morning with 20 km/h winds making it feel like -19 before the mercury rises to -5 C.
  Overnight, expect a low of -16 C that will feel like -20.
  Periods of light snow begin Tuesday morning with a high of -11 C and wind chi
  
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• Traffic: School bus changes to impact more than 1,300 kids, police watching speeders

  04-03-2019 13:57 via ottawacitizen.com
  More than 1,300 city kids will be affected by “numerous” changes to routes and busing taking effect Monday morning, the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority said.
  Students who were being provided service by National Transportation Services are affected by the service changes after an “unprecedented and unforeseen driver shortage.”
  Alternate operators and drivers will be taking over some National routes and there may be some delays as new drivers get up to speed.
  &ldquo
  
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• Pedestrian, 69, struck and killed in southeast Ottawa Sunday - Ottawa Citizen

  04-03-2019 13:52
  Pedestrian, 69, struck and killed in southeast Ottawa Sunday  Ottawa CitizenA 69-year-old man died in hospital Sunday evening after being struck by a vehicle as he walked on Renaud Road in the Chapel Hill South area.
  
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• Mayberry: Let's shed a little light on coping with blindness

  04-03-2019 13:00 via ottawacitizen.com
  I am a 68-year-old female, diagnosed as legally blind 15 years ago. I had been losing my vision long before that, but didn’t honestly notice – until people and objects started carelessly bumping into me, and cars began suddenly and rather dangerously leaping into my path as if from nowhere.
  How sad, you might say, for just as I have been legally blind for 15 years, I have also been unable to drive for the same period. This was a big blow. The doctor was less than sympathetic, simply
  
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• Spratt and McAleese: Our criminal record suspension system needs a fix

  04-03-2019 12:30 via ottawacitizen.com
  It’s been more than 200 years since a hot iron was used to mark permanent letters on the bodies of people convicted of crimes in courtrooms across England – the birthplace of Canada’s common law system of justice. ‘T’ for theft, ‘F’ for felon, and ‘M’ for murder. Though this violent branding no longer occurs, we still mark people through the imposition of a criminal record that is often just as damning.
  A criminal record is almost as visible
  
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• Richardson: What theatre tells us about the Jody Wilson-Raybould drama

  04-03-2019 12:30 via ottawacitizen.com
  During times of high political theatre, it can be helpful to turn to the actual theatre for insight.
  Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s 1882 play An Enemy of the People tells the story of Dr. Thomas Stockmann, medical officer for a new municipal spa intended to turn an economic backwater into a thriving tourist hub.  But the doctor makes a discovery. The water is polluted from an upstream tannery. It makes people sick.
  Stockmann believes he will be called a hero for revealing the tru
  
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• Kolga and Gold: How the Kremlin distorts the past to divide us

  04-03-2019 12:30 via ottawacitizen.com
  The following is offered in rebuttal to a Feb. 25 blog from Citizen writer David Pugliese entitled “Nazi whitewash gathers momentum as memory of the Holocaust fades”:
  The crimes of all totalitarian regimes that engage in genocide, repression, corruption and the abuse of human rights should be condemned in the strongest terms possible – none more so, of course, than the Holocaust.
  Grounded in the importance of this memory and message, we must be aware of and reject any attempts
  
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• 'They kind of surprise you': Bats regular visitors at aging Civic

  04-03-2019 12:00 via ottawacitizen.com
  On top of other challenges, nurses working overnight shifts at the aging Civic hospital have had to become skilled at dealing with swooping bats.
  Bats are regular visitors to some units, especially during night shifts, said a nurse who works at the Civic. She spoke to the Citizen on the condition that her named not be used.
  “They just kind of surprise you when you are walking down the hall to check on your patients and the bat swoops down on you.”
  The nurse most recently saw one whil
  
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• Egan: MPP Amanda Simard parked Ford, now starts bumpy ride as independent

  04-03-2019 12:00 via ottawacitizen.com
  Amanda Simard was still a fresh-faced MPP last November — not yet 30, not in office for 180 days — when she was blindsided by an existential crisis, the kind that defines careers.
  Would she sell her soul, in political terms, to remain a loyal Tory?
  “When you talk about language and culture, especially with the francophone minority that still has a sensitivity to the (Mike) Harris days with the Montfort and all of that, it goes to your core, because we’re talking about you
  
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• 'Unreliable' LRT trains can't handle Ottawa winters, internal reports reveal - CBC.ca

  04-03-2019 10:00
  'Unreliable' LRT trains can't handle Ottawa winters, internal reports reveal  CBC.caThe $2.1-billion light rail system that was supposed to be completed by the end of this month appears to have significant issues, CBC has learned — especially ...
  
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• Feeling the pinch of Ottawa's precarious commute - CBC.ca

  04-03-2019 10:00
  Feeling the pinch of Ottawa's precarious commute  CBC.caCBC Ottawa Traffic Reporter Doug Hempstead shows you where Ottawa's traffic tie-ups begin.
  
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• Canadian special forces from Petawawa wrap up African exercise

  04-03-2019 05:35 via ottawacitizen.com
  Canadian special forces were in Africa taking part in the annual U.S.-led Exercise Flintlock.
  Canada’s participation in Flintlock 2019 started in Burkina Faso on Feb. 18 and went until March 1.
  Elements of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR) from Petawawa participated in the exercise, which is part of Canada’s commitment to counter-terrorism and capacity-building in the Sahel region.
  CSOR personnel worked with the Forces Armées Nigeriennes in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkin
  
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• Ottawa man turning disposable coffee cups into works of art - OttawaMatters.com

  04-03-2019 04:46
  Ottawa man turning disposable coffee cups into works of art  OttawaMatters.comOn Sunday, Tomas Pajdlhauser hosted an art show at Citizen restaurant on Gilmour Street, showing off 100 disposable coffee cups for sale, each featuring a ...
  
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• Ottawa spent $60,000 to fight $25,000 defamation case against O’Regan, and will spend more before case is decided - The Globe and Mail

  04-03-2019 04:07
  Ottawa spent $60,000 to fight $25,000 defamation case against O’Regan, and will spend more before case is decided  The Globe and MailThe federal Liberal government spent $60,000 to defend a cabinet minister against a $25,000 defamation case launched against him by a disabled veterans' ...
  
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• Car crash compounded with towing bill shock, but company let woman off the hook

  04-03-2019 02:37 via ottawacitizen.com
  After Leah Phillips’s car skidded into a jackknifed truck on Woodroffe Avenue during a whiteout, things went from bad to worse.
  Her car was accidentally towed to the wrong location — and she was told by the towing company that it would cost about $1,000 in charges to get it back.
  Phillips and her fiancé, Mike Edgar, were on their way to work on the morning of Feb. 25. She was driving; she is an educational assistant for special needs students at a school in Barrhaven.
  Woodroff
  
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• Car crash compounded with towing bill shock, but company let woman off the hook - Ottawa Citizen

  04-03-2019 02:07
  Car crash compounded with towing bill shock, but company let woman off the hook  Ottawa CitizenAfter Leah Phillips skidded into a jackknifed truck on Woodroffe Avenue, her car took an unexpected — and very expensive — tow truck ride to Carp.
  
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• Ottawa's largest school board braces for possible provincial funding cuts

  04-03-2019 01:03 via ottawacitizen.com
  Ottawa’s largest school board is bracing for funding cuts after the province suggested Ontario boards consider implementing a hiring freeze.
  “I think all of us are concerned that we will see some reduction in our funding,” says Lynn Scott, chair of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. The English public board has more than 70,000 students in 148 schools.
  The provincial government has said it wants to trim the deficit.
  It has already instituted a hiring freeze for the publ
  
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• Ottawa's largest school board braces for possible provincial funding cuts - Ottawa Citizen

  04-03-2019 00:42
  Ottawa's largest school board braces for possible provincial funding cuts  Ottawa CitizenOttawa's largest school board is bracing for funding cuts after the province suggested Ontario boards consider implementing a hiring freeze.
  
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