Counter-protesters outlast anti-trans protest

Good morning!

A bit of happy news around Lookout headquarters these days, as we’ve brought a new puppy into our life. Astrid is a sweet and gentle bundle of joy, who we’re so happy to have in our home. The cats, on the other hand, are not quite as enthusiastic, shall we say. That part will take some time.

Also, a great many of you noticed a bit of a boo-boo in last Friday’s newsletter. I hope no one broke out the parka because of our very, very incorrect temperatures. Apologies for that!

Let’s get to it.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Monday: 24 🌡️ 15 | ⛈️

Tuesday: 22 🌡️ 12 | 🌧

Wednesday: 23 🌡️ 13 | 🌦

WEEKLY LOOKOUT

Sens sale? Could this finally be the week? It’s thought that there are two final bidders in competition for the team: Michael Andlauer, and Jeffrey and Michael Kimel. This might be the week at last. Maybe. Probably? Maybe. [Ottawa Citizen]

PRIDE MONTH

Anti-trans protesters descend on Westboro elementary school

What happened: Violent anti-trans protesters descended on Broadview Elementary School Friday, led by a BC-based billboard-wearing provocateur, but were met by community members there to counter protest and show their support for LGBTQ students at the school, CTV reported.

• Five people were arrested by police. Sam Hersh, an activist with Horizon Ottawa, said on Twitter at least four of the people arrested were counter-protesters, and accused the anti-trans protesters of violence.

Punched: NDP MPP Joel Harden was hit in the face after he said he was breaking up a confrontation between two women. He said he did not want the woman who hit him charged.

The leader: The man leading the anti-trans protest travels the country, and the world, with a billboard draped around him to protest against pro-LGBTQ school policies. He protested in the same area in Ottawa two years ago. He led about 200 followers to the protest.

From the school board: “Schools are places of learning and should not be the targets of political protests. Adults should never make children and youth feel threatened or intimidated. Protests that are intended to provoke students, staff, families and/or community members to generate attention or social media traffic are completely unacceptable,” the Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) said in a statement (emphasis theirs).

Showing up: OCDSB board chair Lyra Evans told CBC it was important she was personally in the crowd to show her support for the students at the school.

• “It's really important that LGBTQ people see themselves represented in protests.… It's really important to show up in community events and show that the people in power have not lost the ability to show up to support the community,” Evans told the broadcaster.

The mayor speaks: Friday evening, after the protest and counter-protests were over, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe made his own statement in support of the students:

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🔌 4,300: The number of Hydro Ottawa customers in Barrhaven who were without power for about two hours yesterday. [CTV]

📈 14.6%: The cost of rent increased this much on average in May compared to the same month last year. The average rent for an apartment rose to $2,134. [CTV]

🤳 25: The number of people charged by the OPP for using a phone while driving on the 401 in eastern Ontario last Friday. [CTV]

💸 $5.9 million: The amount the Ottawa Catholic School Board will use from its reserve fund to balance its $649 million budget for the 2023-24 school year. [CTV]

NEW LOCAL JOBS

Check out the new open positions in Ottawa.

1. Ontario west district manager at a confidential fashion retail operation

2. Organizational development advisor at the House of Commons

3. Policy analyst and senior policy analyst at the Public Health Agency of Canada

4. Change manager at Rideau Transit Maintenance

5. Director of programs and quality at Roberts/Smart Centre

THE AGENDA

❤️ The first same-sex couple in Ottawa to get legally married celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary Sunday. Though, Renée Sauvé and Tracey Braun really count July 31, 1994, when they held a commitment ceremony before it was legally considered a wedding, as their true anniversary. [Ottawa Citizen]

🔥 The people of Centennial Lake are grateful to be back home after they were forced from their homes by wildfires raging through their community. The fire is still burning, but fire crews have it under control. [CBC]

⚠️ Two kinds of Alasko-brand frozen fruit have been recalled for possible norovirus contamination. The types recalled are IQF Whole Raspberries and IQF Antioxidant Blend in one- and five kilo packages. [CBC]

🐻 A pair of bears were spotted in Stittsville on the weekend. Police and conservation officers are asking people to remove food sources from their backyards. [CTV]

🚨 Four people were shot, with two of them receiving life-threatening injuries, after a shooting in the market late Saturday. No arrests have been made. [CBC]

🏳️‍🌈 A rainbow crosswalk painted in Smiths Falls for the start of Pride Month was vandalized over the weekend. Police are trying to identify a suspect. [CTV]

⚖️ Leeds County OPP Const. Jason Redmond was found guilty of five counts of assault, three counts of assault causing bodily harm, and one count of assault with a weapon. Redmond was recently convicted of sexual assault for raping an unconscious woman. [Ottawa Citizen]

📚 A large majority of educators surveyed at the OCDSB said that an instance of bullying was brought to their attention in the month before the survey. About 2,100 educators at the board filled out the survey, 77 percent of whom said they had been alerted to bullying. Overall, 71 percent of them said students feel safe at school. [CTV]

☎️ The city’s auditor general is asking the public to please stop making complaints about the driving of OC Transpo drivers to her office’s anonymous fraud and waste hotline. The office does not have the resources to investigate the calls anymore. The auditor called the calls, about five to 10 a day, “an abuse of the fraud and waste hotline.” [CBC]

EVENTS

Your weekly guide

Arts

💃 613 Day, Tuesday 4 pm: Apartment613 is celebrating its 14th birthday with an outdoor dance party with Art House Café. At 555 Somerset St. W. Free tickets.

Food

🍷 Wine Trip! Tuesday 6 pm: Le Poisson Bleu is hosting a night of wine tasting, snacks, and canapes to go with your trip. A drop-in event. Tickets $39.

Kids/Family

🌳 STEM in the Great Outdoors, Wednesday 9:30 am: For kids 18 months to six years old, explore science, technology, engineering and math concepts in the forest. At the Sarsaparilla Trail on Old Richmond Road. Free tickets.

General

⛪️ TuesdayClub613 Fundraiser for St. Brigid’s Centre for the Arts, Tuesday 6 pm: Hoping to help them get back on their feet after the TUPOC absurdity, a fundraiser featuring the ByTown Sea Shanty Collective will perform at Brigid’s Well Pub in the basement of the church, at 310 St. Patrick St. You can also donate via e-transfer to [email protected].

Film

📽️ Northern Lights Refuge Fundraising screening of ‘Supernova,’ Thursday 8:15 pm: Northern Lights Refuge sponsors LGBTQ+ individuals in life-threatening situations to come to Canada. The film stars Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci. At the Mayfair Theatre, 1074 Bank St. Tickets $15.

Other

🫀 University of Ottawa Heart Institute Careers Showcase, Tuesday 4 pm: The Heart Institute is showing off all of the career opportunities across its operation. At 40 Ruskin St. Free admission.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• The Redblacks started the season on familiar footing, dropping their first game 19-12 to the Montreal Alouettes. [The Canadian Press]

• Ever wonder how big Ottawa is compared to other places? Really big! (Not actually this big.) [Twitter]

• The final day of the Orléans Craft Beer Festival was a great success thanks in no small part to the departure of the smoke haze. [CTV]

• The Ottawa Titans swept the Joliet Slammers with a 10-1 victory Sunday. [Ottawa Titans]

• Tuesday will officially be the last day to shop at Nordstrom before the retailer closes up shop for good. [CTV]

• Want to have your announcement featured? Contact our partnership team for more info.

CAPITAL EATS

Meet here for an unforgettable meal

During the pandemic Ottawa lost some very good northern Chinese eateries but a resurgence has been brewing and this noodle house is the latest incarnation. Ottawans are clearly keen for these flavours and when the food is this good, it deserves an audience.

I started with appetizers of spring rolls and egg rolls. Both rolls had a proper ratio of filling to wrapper and were nicely seasoned. The egg rolls were packed with greater flavour and a larger amount of meat and I did prefer them although they were less photogenic. The accompanying plum sauce was complex and a nice reprieve from the usual commercial packets.

The next dish, a humble cold noodle salad, was like rolling thunder on a sunny day. Out of nowhere my taste buds were challenged to make sense out of something so seemingly simple.

TOP PHOTO

Today’s photo comes from reader André Martin, sent a little earlier in the spring. “I went to Plaisance, Que. to take in the spring runoff of the Petite-Nation...very impressive!” he said.

Do you have a photo you’d like to share with the Lookout community? Send it in!

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to everyone who got last week’s Ottawa Wordle, the answer was SMOKE, as in the stuff in the air last week.

Today, we want to know how many people got dinged by the OPP on the 401 last week for driving while distracted? The first five people to write in with the correct answer will get their names mentioned in the next issue.

Subscribe to Insider to read the rest.