Local man arrested for threatening to blow up Parliament

Good morning!

And happy New Year! Welcome back to a regular edition of the Lookout. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I certainly did, though it never does seem long enough, does it?

We really want to thank all of the new members who stepped up during our holiday fundraising drive. We’re so excited to be able to bring a new city hall newsletter to you in the coming months. Your support means the world to us, without you this publication wouldn’t exist.

Now, how about we get to the news.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Weather advisory: freezing rain

Wednesday: +1 🌡️ -3 | 🌧/❄️

Thursday: -3 🌡️ -4 | ❄️

Friday: -2 🌡️ -7 | ❄️

CRIME

Local 19-year-old arrested for threats against Parliament

What happened: A 19-year-old from Ottawa was arrested for tweeting threats to Parliament, the Department of Defence, and the embassies of the US and China, according to the RCMP. Daniel Houde was charged with several counts of committing a terrorist hoax, uttering threats against a person, and uttering threats against property.

The details: The charges stem from a series of threats to make bombs to blow up the Defence building in the city as well as the US embassy and Parliament, according to court documents obtained by Global News. He also threatened to burn down the Chinese embassy, Global said.

Arrested last year: The charges are only being announced now, despite the arrest taking place Nov. 10, two days after the threats were made, CBC reported. Houde was released on several conditions, including not to communicate with staff at the embassies or Parliament. He is also banned from going near the buildings, and has a nightly curfew from 8 pm to 7 am. His next court appearance is Jan. 18. 

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🥵 1890: The last time the lowest temperature was above 0 C on a Jan. 2, until Monday. [Ottawa Weather Records]

🚨 106,327: The number of tickets issued for speeding by 17 photo radar cameras across the city. A camera on St. Laurent issued 19,430 of the tickets. [CTV]

🤑 $500,000: A Nepean retail worker won this much playing the Maxmillions lottery. [Ottawa Sun]

OUTSIDE DOWNTOWN

🥫 Just before Christmas, the students and staff of Barrhaven’s Pierre-Savard High School collected 4,300 items for the Barrhaven Food Cupboard and the Ottawa Snowsuit Fund. [Barrhaven Independent]

🏅 The Orléans Star announced the recipients annual Outstanding Youth Award to the 20 most deserving athletes in any individual or team sport in the region. [Orléans Star]

☃️ The recent warm weather has put the fate of a five-metre-tall snowman in Kanata in jeopardy. [CBC]

🎄 A woman from Stittsville travelled to Calgary last month to help pack shoeboxes for Operation Chirstmas Child, so children in need across the globe could get gifts of clothes, toys, school supplies and hygiene items for Christmas. [Stittsville Central]

🐶 A dog in Osgoode was saved by the Ottawa Fire Service after she broke free from her leash and fell through the ice on the Rideau River. [Ottawa Citizen]

CITY HALL

Mayor’s focus is on economic development

What happened: Mayor Mark Sutcliffe sat down with the Ottawa Business Journal to talk about his priorities for the coming year, chief among them economic development. He told the business magazine the city’s ability to fix its social problems will flow downward from its economic strength.

• “I think if we have a strong economy, that allows us to make all the other investments we want to make in addressing social issue challenges, like homelessness and helping the most vulnerable, addressing mental health issues, and substance abuse disorders,” Sutcliffe said.

His focus, therefore, will be on building up the city’s economic strength, he said. He found the federal government’s decision to move their employees back into the office encouraging for downtown businesses who have been hurt by empty office towers.

On the LRT inquiry: The new mayor said the city was still studying the 103 recommendations from the scathing report on the failures of the operation and construction of the LRT system. 

Some other highlights:

• The mayor once again promised not to use any of the new strong mayor powers given to him by the province;

• He’s encouraged by the cooperation around the council table, including the agreement to move forward on his proposed budget framework;

• Sutcliffe still believes in public-private partnerships, despite the issues with the partnership created for the LRT.

HOUSE OF THE WEEK

It’s a cliché now, but there’s a definite truth in the old real estate line, “Location, location, location.” Here’s a perfect example. 

This two-bed, two-full-bath condo is at the corner of Sussex and Rideau, right next to the Chateau Laurier. What more do you need? A view of Major’s Hill Park, perhaps? (Yes.) A building boardroom that doubles as a dining room, complete with full kitchen? (Also yes.)

Check the listing to see what else this home offers. 

THE AGENDA

🚨 There were 16 homicides in the city last year, nearly half of them were women or girls, a sharp increase to typical trends. [CBC]

🚕 A lawsuit launched in 2016 finally got underway yesterday as taxi operators and drivers sued the city over its decision to allow ridesharing companies into town. [CTV]

🚛 A convoy reunion first planned for Ottawa and now set for Winnipeg, is back on for now despite infighting among organizers. [Ottawa Citizen]

💊 Pharmacists can now prescribe drugs for certain common ailments like eczema and UTIs, but local pharmacies are slowly phasing it in as they adapt to the new workload. [CBC]

🌳 Scientists are studying why spongy moths attacked trees en masse in Quebec (and Ottawa) in June 2021, stripping their leaves, and then disappeared. [CBC] 

💰 At about 10 am yesterday morning, the country’s richest CEOs had already earned for the year as much as the average worker will in a year, about $59,000. [CBC]

FOOD

The best and biggest food surprises of 2022

Our food editor Ralf sampled more than 100 different restaurants and food spots around the city last year. So he knows a thing or two about where to eat.

So which places made his list? French dining, Indian and a small pizza place round out more than 10 places Ralf says you should check out.

Read the entire list of Ottawa’s biggest food surprises. 

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Here’s how you can get rid of your Christmas tree this year. [CBC]

• Believe it or not, video rental stores are still out there, including two in Ottawa. [CBC]

• Expect to see some new takeout containers now that the plastics ban is in effect. [The Canadian Press]

• What may be Ottawa’s best sushi place has re-opened.

• A local five-year-old got a rough introduction — and hilarious reaction — to OC Transpo bus service, as a bus blew by the stop they waited at with their parent. [Reddit]

• DJ Jon Deck’s Thursday night sets at the Dominion Tavern bring a fascinating hip-hop mix week after week that brings together the arts community. [Apt613]

• This Ottawa Thai street food restaurant is about as authentic as you can find. 

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

OUTDOORS

Calabogie Peaks to re-open after fire, in tough winter sports season

What happened: Local ski resort Calabogie Peaks suffered a serious fire to a pump house yesterday morning. The ski hills and lodge are expected to be back open today, the resort said on its website. 

The fire was in one of its snow making buildings. No one was hurt, but the structure that didn’t burn down had to be pulled down to make it safe for visitors, CBC reported. The cause of the fire is not yet known.

A bad season: While other ski hills haven’t had to deal with fire, they have had wild variations in weather to deal with. A pre-Christmas snow dump turned into days of wet and dreary weather. Camp Fortune closed for several days because of the weather, CBC reported.

Other outdoor winter activities are faring much worse. Nordic ski trails across town have also suffered as snow has turned to slush. Outdoor rinks have had to start over, and the canal has yet to open because of warm temperatures. The NCC has not set a predicted date for when it could open.

SPORTS

🥅 The Senators successes have often been followed by failures in a bafflingly inconsistent season. [Ottawa Sun]

🏒 Journeyman AHLer Jacob Lucchini scored his first NHL goal for the Sens on New Year’s Day, which was also the game winner over the Buffalo Sabres. [The Canadian Press]

🏈 DeVonte Demon signed a two-year deal to stick with the Redblacks, and said Ottawa had become a home to him. [Ottawa Sun]

Upcoming games

Senators vs Kraken | Saturday, Jan. 7, 7 pm | At home | Tickets

67’s vs Attack | Sunday, Jan. 8, 2 pm | At home | Tickets

OTTAWAGUESSER

Congrats to everyone who got the pre-Christmas Wordle, particularly those of you who got it on the first try. The answer was maybe a bit obvious: STORM.

This week’s OttawaGuesser doesn’t look much like this right now (given it’s winter) but do you know where this place is? The first five people to respond get their names mentioned in the newsletter.

LATEST COVID STATS