City sets near-record high temperature as cold front bears down

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Good morning!

What a wild few days of weather we’re having. Get out your Sou’westers out today, as the rain might also be joined by a thunderstorm. In February. We’ve got plenty more on the weather, and the cold snap that’s coming below.

Plus some news about the next phases of the O Train — it’s good! Wait, sorry, no. No, it’s not good. But why would it be? This is an Ottawa train project we’re talking about.

We’ve got plenty to get to, so let’s get right to it.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor.

WEATHER

Wednesday: +14 🌡️ -13 | ⛈️

Thursday: -7 🌡️ -13 | ☀️

Friday: +4 🌡️ -1 | ☀️

CLIMATE

First the heat, then a cold snap

What happened: Temperatures didn’t quite hit an all-time February record, but they sure came close. The high of 11.9 C was just half a degree shy of the warmest ever, set exactly 24 years ago, according to weather historian Rolf Campbell. But with a forecast high today of 14 C, the month’s record could still fall.

As warm as it will get, the weather will take a quick turnaround. After rain and the possibility of thunderstorms (yes, you read that correctly) earlier in the day, the mercury will take a sharp dive. So sharp, that Environment Canada has issued a flash freeze warning for today.

• “A dramatic change in temperatures is expected on Wednesday with the passage of a sharp cold front. Temperatures are expected to go from well above freezing to below freezing in just a matter of a few hours,” the Environment Canada warning said.

You’ll want to be careful walking and driving, as much of the salt that’s been previously applied will have already washed away in the spring-like melt.

Balmy goodbye: The hot weather left the NCC no choice but to formally declare the end to Canal skating season. While a definite improvement over last year’s lack of opening, it’s the second-shortest season ever with only 10 days of skating. 

Adaptation? The commission is looking at a variety of ways of trying to mitigate the effects of climate change and warmer winters, in hopes of extending the precarious skating season, according to an NCC blog post. 

• They’re focusing on slush machines to help build ice early in the season, heat exchanger technology to cool the water under the ice during the season to speed growth, and snow clearing tech (robots!) to let them clear snow off the ice to better expose the surface to frosty conditions before the ice has thickened enough for people and machinery to get on the ice.

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OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🧱 $140,000: The amount of money a woman said a contractor allegedly took in deposits without finishing work on her hobby farm in Beckwith Township. She now risks losing her home. The contractor has been charged with fraud. [CBC]

🏎️ 143: The number of tickets issued to on-duty OC Transpo drivers by automated speed and red light cameras. [CTV]

🏚️ 82%: This percentage of property owners in the city have already filled out their Vacant Unit Tax declaration forms ahead of the March 21 deadline. You can find out how to complete the forms at the city’s website. (Note: the service will be down until about noon today.) [CTV]

💸 $99,351: The amount of severance former mayor Jim Watson received after leaving office. Councillors who left office received $55,555. [CTV]

🚨 168 km/h: Police pulled over a 20 year old going this fast in a 80 km/h zone near Orléans. [CTV]

OUTSIDE DOWNTOWN

🗳️ The City of Gatineau set June 9 as the date of a byelection to elect a new mayor, after France Bélisle, the first woman to serve as mayor, stepped down because of harassment and death threats. [CBC]

⚖️ A resolution in the Eastway Tank explosion case could be in the works this week. The trial was set to begin next week, but lawyers and the judge are meeting on Friday. The Merivale business and its owner are charged with unsafe working practices that led to the deaths of six employees. [Ottawa Citizen]

🚮 Cornwall city council voted to approve a plan to institute clear waste bags to improve recycling compliance in the city. Starting next year, any bags with more than about 10 percent recyclable or compostable material visible in the bag won’t be collected. [CBC]

🚫 A driver in Renfrew is facing impaired driving charges after OPP officers found a vehicle parked on the sidewalk outside the front doors of their detachment. [CTV]

🚨 After declaring a state of emergency, the City of Belleville is now grappling with how best to handle the opioid crisis in the city. The community is scrambling to deal with a sharp uptick in homelessness and addiction. [CBC]

TRANSIT

So much for optimism, LRT Line 2 opening pushed back again

What happened: Last week transit general manager Renée Amilcar seemed optimistic the city would have good news. While playing coy, she strongly hinted the north-south Trillium rail line would be opening this spring.

• Sadly, for us anyway, her unwillingness to be specific about an opening date was with good reason. The city now expects to be open by summer at the earliest, and may not even be open in time for the return of school, CTV reported.

The timeline: At this point, the city expects (hopes?) the consortium building the line to hand over the trains to the city sometime between May and June, and then passenger service would begin in the period between May and September. 

Not-so-good news: Last week, Amilcar said she expected to be able to share “very good news” at this week’s transit commission meeting. But the slideshow with the delayed timeline that leaked to CTV has little in the way of good news. Interestingly, a written report posted in advance of the Thursday meeting of the light rail committee goes to great lengths to discuss testing, hiring, training, and other activities being done to prepare the rail line, but makes no mention of any delay.

Some kinda good news: For the first time a train travelled east of Blair station on the Confederation line. It marks the start of testing of the tracks that will eventually (let’s not bother with timelines) bring transit users to and from Orléans. By the end of the year, the city expects trains to be testing all the way to the end of the line at Trim Road, CTV reported.

HOUSE OF THE WEEK

This week’s house is an interesting one. This Westboro condo townhouse is tucked between Richmond Road and the Kichi Zībī Mīkan. With ready access to transit, and walking distance from the amenities of Westboro, there’s plenty to like with the location. It’s also got a modern kitchen and bathrooms, plus plenty of private and cozy outdoor space.

Check the listing to see the price.

House of The Week is a home selected by the Lookout team and is not a paid advertisement. All ads are labelled as such. If you’re a realtor who wishes to feature your home in our newsletter, please contact our sales team. 

GIG LISTINGS

Listings are provided by OttawaGigs.ca, the best place to discover live music in Ottawa. Check out Ottawagigs.ca for full listings across the city.

Profanatica, Wednesday 7 pm: The vanguard of American black metal, performing for over 33 years.  At Brass Monkey, 250 Greenbank Rd. Tickets $42.

Ura Star & Fireball Kid, Thursday 8 pm: Best friend team-up from Montreal creating starry-eyed indie pop. At House of Targ, 1077 Bank St. Tickets $15.

Excuses Excuses, Friday 8 pm: Melodic alternative rock, inspired by Nirvana and Black Sabbath. At the Rainbow Bistro, 76 Murray St. Tickets $17. 

Thievery Corporation, Friday 7 pm: Eclectic American electronic music duo, mixing dub, acid jazz, reggae, and more. At the Bronson Centre, 211 Bronson Ave. Tickets $65. 

Slo' Tom and the Handsome Devils, Saturday 8 pm: Hilarious and heartbreaking lyrics over lap steel, acoustic guitar, and mandolin.At Red Bird, 1165 Bank St. Tickets $20.

THE AGENDA

🚓 Cruisers for the Ottawa Police Service will be getting a more aggressive and identifiable look. The new navy blue scheme with white doors will begin rolling out over the coming months. During the transition period, both the old white with blue stripes scheme and the new two-tone scheme will be visible on city streets. [CTV]

🚏 To mark the 100th anniversary of the city’s first bus route, OC Transpo has placed commemorative bus stop flags along the route that went from the base of Elgin and Argyle to Main and Clegg. The city ran REO Speedwagon (no, really) buses for a few years along the route starting in 1924 until they were replaced by street cars later in the decade. The city went to all buses in 1957. [OC Transpo/CTV]

👮‍♂️ Police Chief Eric Stubbs disputed the characterization of the treatment of convoy protestors as a double standard when compared to that of rallies for Palestinians or trans rights. He said policing efforts of the convoy reunion were successful because the situation did not escalate. The Ottawa Police Board ordered a review, after police initially said no officers were present when fireworks were set off by convoy protesters which was contradicted by video of police at the scene. [CBC/ConvoyWatch]

🪧 The Public Service Alliance of Canada has filed a grievance with the federal government over the changeover in employee benefits to the insurer Canada Life. The public servants’ union wants financial compensation for its members who it said have faced long waits and difficulty accessing benefits. [CBC]

🚨 Police said they arrested an unlicenced tow truck driver who allegedly tried to steal a car. [Twitter]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Ottawa’s Derek Gee crashed out of a cycling race in Belgium, breaking his collarbone in the process. [CBC]

• Uncover insider travel secrets with Daily Drop. Their 5-minute newsletter helps you maximize miles, find affordable fares, and stay ahead with top loyalty programs. Join 1M+ adventurers who get their daily insights - sign up for free! [Sponsored]

• Friday and Saturday the Chaudière Crossing will be closed to vehicles, while construction crews install new sidewalks. [Government of Canada]

• Sad news as Tuesday the Courtyard Restaurant abruptly announced it would be serving its last dinner that night. [Instagram]

• Porter Airlines is launching a new route between Ottawa and St. John’s in June. [CBC]

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

CITY HALL INSIDER

Why the city removed dozens of properties from heritage registry

What happened: City council voted to remove 465 properties from the city’s heritage register. The decision comes as a provincial deadline approaches that would remove all properties on the register, and forbid them from receiving full heritage designation until after a five-year cooling off period.

The difference: Being registered on the heritage registry is different than being a designated heritage property. Designated heritage properties have strict rules around what can and cannot be done to them. Properties on the register have “interim demolition protection,” according to a city memo. If a property owner wants to demolish a building on the registry, they need to provide 60 days notice, in writing, to the city.

• But the Ontario government introduced a law that required any properties on the register to be approved for heritage designation, or be removed from the register.

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to the 79 percent of you who knew the answer to the Ottawa Quiz, that the temperature was forecast to be an all-time record of 14 C yesterday. 

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