SIU investigating police shooting in Westboro

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Good morning!

In a sign of how strange things have been this spring, the city has declared an open-air fire ban across Ottawa. That means no bonfires, no brush burning, and no outdoor fireplaces can be used. Hopefully the rain in the forecast for later in the week arrives and gives us some moisture.

Plenty to get to today, so let’s get to it.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor.

WEATHER

Monday: +8 🌡️ -3 | ☀️

Tuesday: +12 🌡️ +4 | 🌧

Wednesday: +14 🌡️ +4 | 🌧

POLICING

Provincial agency investigating Westboro police shooting

What happened: A 25-year-old woman was taken to the hospital in critical condition after she was shot by an Ottawa police officer on Friday after a traffic stop, according to the province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU). According to the agency, the woman ran from her car on foot, and the officer chased her before the shooting.

• The SIU is a provincial agency that investigates shootings and other uses of police force in Ontario.

Holding a weapon: The SIU told CBC the woman was holding a gun when she was shot. According to the agency, Ottawa police tried to pull over the woman’s car at Churchill and Avondale in Westboro. It was then she got out of the car and ran. Witnesses told the broadcaster her car appeared to have multiple flat tires, and was missing a bumper, and what appeared to be parts of a police car could also be seen on the road.

The chase: Witnesses told the Ottawa Citizen the woman was running down Avondale being chased by a police officer. She then turned, appearing to have a weapon in her hand when the officer fired at her. The witnesses told the paper they heard what sounded like four shots.

Collateral: It appeared that a ricochet hit the home of one resident. One pane of the double glazed glass of her front door window was smashed, and police retrieved a bullet as evidence, she told the Citizen.

• Despite the stray bullet, only the woman was shot, no one else was injured.

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• As they advance, our Grade 1 to 8 program has an equal split between French and English language instruction

Sign up here for AWA's upcoming Open House on Monday, April 8th and meet their talented team of staff, faculty and student ambassadors! Can't make the Open House but still want to learn more and see if Académie Westboro Academy could be the right fit for your child(ren)? Reach out to their admissions team and book your private tour of the school!

Spaces remain in kinder program as well as select other grades for the upcoming 2024-25 academic year.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🩺 108: The number of family medicine residency positions unfilled in the province after the first round of matching for the training spots. It’s a warning sign that not enough student doctors are going into family medicine to alleviate the severe shortage in Ontario. [CBC]

🚦 19: This many rural intersections are approved for traffic lights, but are still waiting on their installation. The average wait time is more than five years, with one intersection on the list since 2008. [CTV]

POLICE BOARD

Local groups to continue lawsuit against police board

What happened: A group of local activist organizations suing the Ottawa Police Board for changing its rules to limit public engagement has decided to proceed with its lawsuit after failing to come to a settlement with the board. In a new filing to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, obtained by the Ottawa Lookout, the plaintiffs said by changing the rules, the board has infringed on the public’s Charter rights to free expression.

• “The Board's impugned actions and selective enforcement of its policies are anti-democratic and antithetical to the Charter values exercised by the Board in establishing public participation in the first place.” 

The changes: Last year, the board voted to approve new rules that restricted how, and how often, members of the public could participate as public delegates at its meetings. Members of the public now have to submit their speaking notes a day in advance of meetings, have those notes approved by the board, and are limited to how often they can present before the board.

• The public delegation portion of the meeting is also restricted to one hour.

Fair application? In their amended claim, the groups said the rules are not applied equally. 

• “These same restrictions are not placed on others who may seek to make submissions before the board, including city councillors who support a multi-million dollar investment in the Ottawa Police Service’s new south facility. This selective enforcement has infringed and continues to infringe the Plaintiffs’ freedom of expression,” the claim said.

The groups will announce the amendments at a press conference at 3 pm today.

NEW LOCAL JOBS

Check out the new open positions in Ottawa.

1. Digital project coordinator at Centretown Community Health Centre

2. Environmental public health officer at Indigenous Services Canada

3. WSIB/disability management coordinator at the Ottawa Carleton District School Board

4. Program facilitator at NC Consulting Solutions

5. Construction safety officer at Industra Construction

Local jobs are selected by the Lookout team and are not paid ads, unless specifically noted. 

THE AGENDA

⚠️ Current and former students and staff of Carleton’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs could risk arrest in Belarus and Russia, after the latter country declared the program an “undesirable organization.” [CTV]

💸 Both the city and the collections agency it put in charge of collecting on old unpaid tickets clarified that any notices of unpaid tickets on a person’s credit record will be removed after the fine is paid — but it could take several weeks. [CBC]

🚒 The Glebe Apothecary suffered a three-alarm fire Sunday morning. No one was injured, but the building was seriously damaged. The neighbouring McKeen Metro had to close because of smoke damage. [CTV]

🚨 A joint operation between the OPP and police forces in Quebec netted the arrest of 34 people as part of a suspected car theft ring. Many stolen vehicles are taken from Ontario, then illegally shipped out of the Port of Montreal. [CBC]

🍽️ Local food charity Feed Ottawa is ramping up its efforts this Ramadan to make sure families have halal food to eat when they break their daily fast. The organization is hoping to put together 300 hampers for families in need this year. [CBC]

🏥 The Ottawa Hospital was the first hospital in Canada to try a new treatment for infections to artificial joints that have become resistant to antibiotics. The treatment is for cases where the chances of successful surgery are slim. [CTV]

🪖 A retired Lancaster bomber from the Second World War, that served as a photo reconnaissance aircraft in the Arctic until 1964, is heading to Base 31 in Picton for restoration. The bomber will reside there for several years while the National Air Force Museum of Canada in Trenton undergoes renovation. [CBC]

EVENTS

What to do this week

Music

🎷 Jazz Ensemble, Wednesday 12 pm: The uOttawa jazz ensemble plays ​​Chick Corea, Horace Silver, Paul Desmond, Nat Adderley, Yves Laroche and more. At Salle Freiman Hall, Pavillon Pérez Building, 610 Cumberland St. Free.

🎼 Faure Requiem, Friday 7:30 pm: A night of music as musicians and vocalists bring Faure’s Requiem to life. AT St John the Evangelist Anglican Church, 154 Somerset St. Tickets $23.

🌷 Sounds of Spring, an Easter Concert, Sunday 1 pm: A performance from 4 young vocalists backed up by a brass quintet from uOttawa. The concert follows Easter service and a light luncheon. At Dominion-Chalmers United Church, 355 Cooper St. Tickets via donation.

Food

🍷 Bottle openings of 2023’s best buys, Tuesday 7 pm: The National Capital Sommelier Guild hosts a night opening bottles from Wine Enthusiast magazine’s Top100 Best Buys for 2023 list. They’ll be opening 10 wines, including two from the Top 10. At the Vendange Institute, 440 Albert St., Suite C108. Tickets start at $58.

Kids/Family

✨ Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Book Fair, Monday and Tuesday: A book fair for little readers to build their libraries. All in support of Roger’s House. At Algonquin College, 1385 Woodroffe Ave., between A and B buildings. Tickets free or via donation.

🐇 Jumping into Easter - Capital Cookie Decorating Classes, Tuesday 5:30 pm: A beginner class on sugar cookies. Learn how to make the dough, then handle royal icing, and more under the close eye of an instructor. Open to those 15 and up. At Calabogie Brewing, 105 Schneider Rd. #Unit 130. Tickets $81.

🐰 Easter at the Bunker, Saturday starting at 10 am: Decorate an egg, take a photo at a photo booth, take part in a scavenger hunt and plenty more. Plus treats will be given out in goodie bags at the end of the visit. At the Diefenbunker museum, 3929 Carp Rd. Tickets $12.

General

🎙️ Introduction to Stand-Up Comedy, Monday 6 pm: The first in a six-week course on finding your feet on stage as a comedian. Start from discovering your humour, to performing at a club. Taught by Pierre Brault. At Absolute Comedy, 412 Preston St. Tickets $333.

✌️ Anime Ottawa, Friday to Sunday: Ottawa’s newest anime festival, with plenty of guests including voice actors Daman Mills and Chris Hackney. At the EY Centre, 4899 Uplands Dr. Ticket prices vary by day.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Pride of Ottawa Rachel Homan and her squad took gold at the women's curling world championship, which Canada hasn’t won in six years. [The Canadian Press]

• Use Clio and want to make your legal practice less taxing? Brian K. Hlady Professional Corporation is your local Clio Certified Partner. [Sponsored]

• Emily Nash, an 18-year-old from Ottawa, is one of the youngest people known to have a highly superior autobiographical memory or “super memory” that allows her to recall days and events years later with great precision. [CTV]

• Want a festival pass to Bluesfest? The City of Ottawa is running a contest. Answer enough questions about proper waste disposal and you could win. [City of Ottawa]

• With their playoff hopes officially toast, the Sens are looking for the silver linings in the rest of the season. [Ottawa Citizen]

• Have you seen Athena? The cat was flown to Ottawa by a local rescue and escaped her carrier at the airport. [Twitter]

• A group of girls got a rare treat from PWHL Ottawa, as they took in team warmups from the home bench. [CTV]

• New towing rules came into effect this year, know your rights when your vehicle is towed. [CTV]

• Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to everyone who got the Ottawa Wordle last week. The answer was TULIP, as in the buds that are starting to appear across town.

For this week’s quiz, we want to know…