Police gun down roaming bear in west end

Good morning!

It’s sad to see another wild animal shot by police in the city. Rather than capture it, a bear was shot several times by officers. It’s not the first time it has happened — several moose have been shot in town in recent years, then there was the elk — and once again police “exhausted all options” before killing the animal.

We’ve got news about that, the ongoing federal strike and more in today’s newsletter.

Let’s get to it.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

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NATURE

Police gun down black bear in Kanata

What happened: Ottawa police gunned down a black bear that was first spotted in Bells Corners last week, CTV reported. Police were called when it was spotted near homes in Kanata. When police arrived, they shot it multiple times.

No catch, no release: Last week, bylaw promised to trap and relocate the bear. Now, several councillors are wondering why police had to shoot the bear. Monday, bylaw told the city the bear was not aggressive:

• “He is calmly looking for food having recently come out of hibernation.… He’s literally just gnashing on birdseed coming from feeders in those yards. When it runs out, he wanders off. He has a yellow tag on his left ear. Totally chill bear, I might add, as they often are,” an official said in an email obtained by CTV.

Hours later, the bear was dead.

Police response: The Ottawa Police Service said the bear had to be killed to protect public safety. “Our officers worked diligently to safely remove the bear from the area, but unfortunately, after exhausting all available options, it became clear that the animal could not be safely relocated,” the force said.

• Bylaw said the decision was made by police. “[Bylaw], the NCC and [Natural Resources] were not involved in the decision to put down the animal,” director Roger Chapman told CTV.

Both the NCC and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources were working to capture the bear so it could be released elsewhere. The NCC had set live traps in the greenbelt near Bells Corners hoping to catch it.

Coun. Laine Johnson said she was following up with city officials so this “never happens again”:

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🕊️ 5: The number of Holocaust survivors in the city who are still alive and able to share their stories with students in Ottawa classrooms. Soon, it will fall to the survivors’ children. [Ottawa Citizen]

😷 52 percent: Severe illness caused by strep A bacteria have gone up this much in the province. Four children and 92 adults have died of the infection in the last six months. [Ottawa Citizen]

OUTSIDE DOWNTOWN

💐 A family is mourning a grandfather from Tweed who was killed in a crash on Highway 7 close to home when his car was rear-ended into oncoming traffic. [CBC]

💥 A car crashed through the front entrance of a Nepean eyeglasses store just off Merivale Road. No one was injured. [CTV]

🚔 One person has been arrested in the death of a man in South Keys. Police released no details, other than they were called about an assault. The man was transported to hospital where he died. [CTV]

🚐 A couple in Orléans is looking forward to hitting the road and living the van life in their newly converted camper van. [Orléans Star]

🚨 A driver has been charged with killing a pedestrian in Westboro while allegedly fleeing police. [CBC]

👩‍🚒 The Stittsville fires station recently held an information session for people looking to become volunteer firefighters in the community. [Stittsville Central]

🪖 A huge ammo dump will be built by the military on a tract of land in Trenton that was expropriated by the government. The land was originally supposed to be for a new special forces base, which will instead be built in Dwyer Hill. [Ottawa Citizen]

PUBLIC SERVICE

Seniority, wages, remote work and contractors the big sticking points

What happened: There are four big issues keeping the federal government and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) apart on a new contract, according to the government. Wage increases, making hybrid work part of the bargaining process, banning the use of outside contractors and layoffs being made by seniority, CTV reported.

Stepping up: Across the country, PSAC picket lines have moved to more “strategic” locations, The Canadian Press reported. Here in town, workers marched across the Portage Bridge, briefly delaying traffic. And at the Prime Minister’s Office and Treasury Board headquarters, picket lines only allowed one person into the build every five minutes, CP said.

Hype man: If you see a man with a megaphone at one of the picket lines, there’s a good chance it’s Alex Silas. The Ottawa Citizen has a nice profile of Silas, who’s from a line of union activists. As the PSAC regional executive VP for the area, he tours from picket line to picket line, hyping up the striking workers.

Tax season: One accountant has started a petition for the Canada Revenue Agency to extend the tax deadline like it did at the start of the pandemic, CBC reported. More than 25,000 people have signed. More than 30,000 CRA workers are on strike.

HOUSE OF THE WEEK

Ever wanted to live closer to the tastes of Little Italy? This custom-built end unit might be just the home you’re looking for. It’s got all kinds of features, but what might be best is the primary bedroom that takes up the entire third floor, that has a five-piece ensuite washroom, and private balconies of the bedroom and bathroom.

See what else the home has at the listing.

THE AGENDA

🚔 The province of Ontario plans to remove post-secondary education requirements for police in the province. It’s the exact opposite of the recommendations of the inquiry into the Nova Scotia mass murder, where 22 people died thanks in part to police incompetence, which recommended a three-year program be instituted. Tuition at the Ontario Police College will also be dropped. [CBC]

🏥 Many nurses across the province are considering leaving the profession, but say more pay could keep them in their jobs. Province-wide, there is a shortage of nurses which has led to periodic hospital department closures. [CBC]

🐥 Mayor Mark Sutcliffe is paying for the Twitter Blue service out of the mayoral office budget, his office told the Lookout. “The increased functionality of Twitter Blue has helped our office to better engage with stakeholders on the platform. Additionally, it provides – confirming [sic] to followers that the account is indeed legitimate.”

🚍 OC Transpo will begin tearing down the scaffolding that protects transit riders from the elements at Hurdman and Tunney’s Pasture stations in the next few weeks. After the structures are removed, they will present plans for possible permanent replacements. There is no timeline for when those could be built, if at all. [City of Ottawa memo]

🦫 Bylaw officers picked up an injured beaver in the ByWard Market. The beaver was taken to the humane society to be patched up. [CTV]

📸 City staff recommended Ottawa open its own office to process speed and red light camera tickets. A backlog at the Toronto office where they’re processed now is leaving too many unsent before it’s too late. Last year only two-thirds of Ottawa tickets were processed. It would cost about $2.4 million to start the office. [CBC]

🚛 Convoy organizer Chirs Barber has pleaded not guilty to a new charge of ignoring a court order. The charge relates to a TikTok video where he encourages truckers to use their horns after an injunction banned their use downtown. [CBC]

⚖️ Ottawa lawyer James Bowie has been charged with uttering death threats, extortion and harassment. Police say there could be more victims. [CTV]

💧 The city is relaunching an insurance plan to cover water- and sewer-line damage that many residents were suspicious was a scam. [CTV]

🚲 Images of the new bike lanes on Wellington Street have been underwhelming; lanes are protected only by paint, with right-turn lanes cutting them off. Coun. Ariel Troster said on Twitter that’s as good as they’re going to get. [Reddit]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• OC Transpo is looking for feedback on your experience with the LRT and bus service.

• Longtime city hall journalist Joanne Chianello will be leaving the ceeb and the profession for a “new opportunity.” (Fear not, she says it won’t be at city hall.) [CBC]

• Good news, the local burn ban has been lifted by Ottawa Fire Services. [CTV]

• What would a functioning OC Transpo bus service look like? Something like this. [Reddit]

• Local events for King Charles III’s coronation will be held May 6 on Wellington Street. [CTV]

• The public service strike has the bus feeling like pre-pandemic times again. [Reddit]

• Near the Riverside Hospital there’s a fox. He wasn’t much good at catching geese. [Reddit]

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

CAPITAL EATS

Capital Eats is written by our food editor Ralf Joneikies.

Chef Cristian Lepore has had a yo-yo relationship with Canada. Over many years he worked to achieve his residency here and we can be glad that it was love that brought him to Ottawa.

I first met the man when he was chef at the beloved Orto Trattoria in the Glebe. I had been served an excellent pasta and I was inspired to meet the person behind the dish. At the time I found him affable and generous of spirit with a kind and calm disposition. Two years ago he started a meal prep and catering company and in late 2022 added pizza and pasta to the menu.

His food is only for takeaway but you’ll be happy to have made the drive out to his industrial park kitchen. He uses chiefly Italian ingredients and even in a humble pizza there’s a lightness in his touch that only comes with tremendous training, experience and innate ability.

Read the rest of the article.

SPORTS

🏒 The Ottawa 67’s suffered a disappointing 5-4 loss to the Peterborough Petes in Game 6 of the second round of the playoffs, officially ending their season. [Ottawa Sun]

🥅 The 67’s were really missing Sens’ draft pick, forward Tyler Boucher, who was out with a shoulder injury. [Ottawa Sun]

🏈 One of the bidders of the Ottawa Senators is also looking to buy the NFL’s Washington Commanders. [Ottawa Sun]

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to Pat, Rohit, Gord, Chantal, Jill, and Beverly who all knew “tzar” should have been spelled “czar” or “tsar” in a recent city report about the possibility of appointing a night mayor (among other names).

Do you know where today’s Ottawa Guesser is? The first five people to respond get their names mentioned in the newsletter.

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