City approves three garbage bag limit

Good morning!

Did you hear? The big news? Hard to believe all the coverage it’s gotten, but even though it’s slightly outside of our mandate, we had to get in our take. I imagine it was kind of hard to miss, but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. 

We’ve got all the latest on the biggest story of the week, the many buildings open this weekend for Doors Open Ottawa. (Did this joke work, probably not. Guilty as charged.)

Also some news about garbage, a food round up, and plenty of other events for the weekend.

Why don’t we get to it.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

WEATHER

Friday: 22 🌡️ 8 | ☀️

Saturday: 26 🌡️ 11 | ☀️

Sunday: 22 🌡️ 14 | ☁️

Monday: 26 🌡️ 16 | ☀️

TRANSIT

Three-bag limit passes council

What happened: City council unanimously approved a plan to limit garbage collection to three items per household. It’s a stop-gap measure to try and increase recycling and green bin use to extend the life of the Trail Road dump. 

There are several possible combinations for what will be accepted by garbage crews as three items, according to the city:

• One 140-litre bin, a plastic waste bag and a broken chair

• Three 140-litre bins

• Three plastic waste bags

• Two 140 litre bins and one broken vacuum

Timeline: The plan goes into effect Sept. 30. At first, all garbage will be picked up, even if the amount is over the limit, CTV reported. When November rolls around, crews will pick up all but one bag and leave a notice if the number is over the limit. In December the limits will be fully enforced, and only three items will be picked up.

Extra trash: If you’ve got extra garbage that needs to go out, city-branded yellow bags will be available at the cost of $4.40 each. The bags only come in four packs, which cost $17.60. The bags will be available at city service centres, and Home Hardwares will be the primary retailer of the bags, but more specific outlets will be announced closer to Sept. 30.

Exemptions: Agricultural properties will be exempt from the pickup limits in April and May for unavoidable farm waste. The “special consideration” program — which allows weekly pickup of diapers and incontinence products — will expand to more types of medical waste. The program allows for weekly pickup of one bag for registered homes.

• The three-item limit will still apply to homes with a basement apartment or coach house. 

Next steps: The city will also be rolling out green bins to all multi-unit residential buildings. That will happen in stages from smaller buildings 

Income-based parking fines impossible

What happened: The city is unable to issue parking or other fines with amounts based on income or the value of a vehicle, CTV reported. Staff were asked by Coun. Shawn Menard if such a thing was possible.

• The idea would be to give lower fines when a parking ticket would be a serious burden on someone, but to increase them for someone who would barely notice.

The reason: Provincial law doesn’t allow for the value of fines to be increased if someone is more able to afford them. However, when reviewing tickets, officials are able to use their discretion to offer alternative payment plans to those who don’t have the means.

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OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

📸 37,285: Photo radar cameras across the city issued this many tickets in April. So far this year, the city’s cameras have issued 121,652 speeding tickets. [CTV]

🥳 1,000,000th: Kingston’s Lilan Wilson was the one-millionth visitor to the Diefenbunker museum, which has been open since 1998. [CTV]

🫀 40: It’s been four decades since the uOttawa Heart Institute performed its first heart transplant on May 29, 1984. Since then, they’ve completed 738 transplants. [CTV]

THE AGENDA

🏥 Emergency room closures will continue through the summer. Staffing problems persist, and there is approximately one closure per week somewhere in Ontario. Almonte General Hospital has already had to close its ER overnight this spring. [CBC]

🗳️ While not committing that his government would wait until the scheduled 2026 election date, Premier Doug Ford said he would not call an early election this summer or fall. Speculation had been growing about a looming election call after the province decided to pay at least $225 million to get beer into corner stores a year early. [CTV]

🚨 Ford suggested without evidence Thursday that immigrants were to blame for shots fired at an unoccupied Jewish school. “Before you plan on moving to Canada, don't come to Canada if you're going to start terrorizing neighbourhoods like this,” he said. The premier later clarified his comments — he meant there “was more that unites us than divides us” — but did not apologize. [The Canadian Press]

💐 Poor planning for the movement of heavy vehicles led to the death of a 63-year-old construction worker in Chelsea last year, according to a provincial workplace investigation. The man was pinned between a reversing dump truck and the parked vehicle he was fuelling. He died at the scene. [CBC]

🚔 The Ottawa police riot squad arrested several pro-Palestine protestors blocking Wellington Street on Wednesday. Protestors had started the day at the EY Centre near the airport at an arms trade show, before moving to the street in front of Parliament Hill and then police headquarters. Eight people were arrested in total. Protestors want an end to arms sales to Israel amid its war in Gaza. [CTV]

🔧 The movable Bascule Bridge along Kingston’s LaSalle Causeway will be demolished, after part of its structure was damaged during repair work. Demolition could start next week, but it’s not yet clear when a temporary placement will open up. It’s expected the channel will reopen to boat traffic in July. [CBC]

📈 An arbitrator awarded elementary teachers in the province raises of 3% for the first two years of their collective agreement, and 2.75% and 2.5% for the final two years. The agreement runs from 2022 to 2026. The government had offered increases of only 1.25% per year. [The Canadian Press]

⚖️ The Ottawa Catholic School Board and seven other Ontario boards joined a proposed class-action lawsuit against multiple social media companies. The boards say the sites are disrupting student learning with their products. [CTV]

📖 Several parents of Jewish students shared stories of the antisemitism their kids have faced in OCDSB schools with the board. A student delegate said little had improved since she first spoke to the board in 2021. [CTV] 

🚑 A man who recently bought a decommissioned ambulance at auction was issued several fines for illegally using emergency lights and not registering or plating the vehicle. [CTV]

EVENTS

What to do this weekend

🏛️ Doors Open Ottawa, Saturday and Sunday: Buildings across town are opening themselves up to the public for tours. Museums, historic churches, embassies and more are all available for exploration. Across town. Some tours by appointment only.

🧘‍♀️ City of OM, Friday and Saturday: The city’s annual yoga event has indoor and outdoor spaces with classes, vendors, food and more. At Lansdowne Park. Tickets $81.

🎸 Jeremy Fisher at the New Ed Fieldhouse, Saturday: Singer-songwriter Jeremy Fisher puts on two concerts, a 2 pm afternoon show for youth, and an 8 pm evening show. At the New Edinburgh Park Fieldhouse, 203 Stanley Ave. Tickets $25-$35.

🫒 Masterclass by Aurelius Fine Oils, Saturday 1 pm: Learn all about the intricacies of fine olive oil in a deep dive hosted by Mike George. At Chef’s Paradise, 1314 Bank St. Tickets $40.

🥊 InFightStyle Cup, Saturday 6 pm: An all-women night of Muay Thai fights. At the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum, 11 Aviation Pkwy. Tickets start at $56.

🎤 Edinburgh or Bust! A Night of Comedy, Saturday 8 pm: Join headline Rick Currie and friends for a night of comedy, all in support of the Ottawa Little Theatre’s production of An Act of Grace who are raising money for a trip to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. At the Ottawa Little Theatre, 400 King Edward Ave. Tickets $23.

📕 Norman’s Conquest Book Launch, Monday 7 pm: Local author Don Butler launches his second novel, a fast-paced mystery novel, Norman’s Conquest. At Perfect Books, 258A Elgin. Free!

CAPITAL EATS

What happened this week in food

🍕 The Pizza Safari goes deeper into the city’s pie scene, with a few very pleasant surprises (and some very fine wings). (Insiders)

🍶 Ever been curious about saké? We’ve got a guide on what to look for in a bottle, and where you can try some great cocktails and authentic tastes around the city. 

🍒 Looking for an after dinner sipping liqueur? Or maybe something a bit tart? Try this cherry liqueur, and don’t miss our food editor’s cocktail creation. (Insiders)

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Congrats to the St. Joseph’s Jaguars baseball team, who were crowned city champs and are off to the provincial finals. [Twitter]

• Subscribe to The Starglow Weekly to get the TLDR on all things purposeful parenting, help lessen screentime, and find that balance we're all seeking. [Sponsored]

• Retiring after decades at CBC Ottawa, the city declared today Lawrence Wall Day. [Twitter]

• The Beer Store in Barry’s Bay will close June 16 after it decided not to renew its lease. [CTV]

• The fire department is warning residents to stay away from the dangerous Deschênes Rapids on the Ottawa River. [CTV]

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

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to Kathy, Terry, Adam, Barbara, Laís, James, and the many others of yo who knew this week’s Ottawa Guesser was of the abbey ruins on the Mackenzie King Estate.

Think you can solve this week’s Ottawa Wordle? Play now.