City proposes hiring 120 new paramedics

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Good morning!

It sure was nice to be able to open the windows again. Beyond being just generally bad for you, the smoky days meant sealing the place up, which is no fun when the weather is otherwise pleasant. Things have definitely improved, and the fire risk has lessened slightly, but there is still a risk of more smoke this weekend, so enjoy the good air while it lasts.

We’ve got news on the paramedic service’s plan to bring on more desperately needed staff, plus plenty on the wildfires raging through the country and what it means for you. And, of course, our weekend events guide.

Let’s get to it.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Friday: +7 🌡️ -1 | ⛈️

Saturday: +5 🌡️ -5 | 🌦

Sunday: -4 🌡️ -12 | 🌤

Monday: -4 🌡️ -12 | 🌧

HEALTHCARE

City wants to hire dozens more paramedics as response times slip

What happened: The city’s paramedic service wants to dramatically increase hiring over the next several years to relieve pressure on the overburdened system, CBC reported. The service wants to add 40 new full-time positions over each of the next three years, well above the 14 new full-time staff they’ve added in recent years.

• In the service’s annual report, chief Pierre Poirier said the cost of 23 new positions should be funded on a cost-sharing basis with the province, while the other 17 should be fully funded by the province. In total, the city wants to hire 120 new paramedics over the next four years, 51 of them fully funded by the province.

Not keeping up: Because of the ongoing issues with the healthcare system, combined with the additional pressures caused by COVID, the Ottawa Paramedic service noted in its annual report that they did not meet its targets for responding to life-threatening calls, urgent calls, or calls for sudden cardiac arrests.

Level zero: The paramedic service has increasingly been unable to respond to calls because all of its crews are either on an active call, or waiting at a hospital to offload patients.

• “The steady increases in response volume, offload delay, and level-zero events, along with other issues in healthcare are creating significant challenges for the service and its staff,” the report said. “The service will require continued investment to address an ever-increasing response volume due to population growth and an aging patient demographic.”

Offload delays: One of the major problems affecting the service is the number of paramedics who have to wait at hospitals with patients until they are seen by emergency room staff. Many of the proposed new hires would be assigned to work at hospitals to free up more crews to answer calls in the city.

• “In 2022, Ottawa’s paramedic service spent 93,686 hours in offload delays, or more than 512 hours per day,” Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said in a statement to the Lookout.

The mayor’s ask: Sutcliffe called on the province to better fund the city’s paramedic service, as healthcare is a provincial responsibility. In a tweet thread, Sutcliffe had asked the province to fund 51 new paramedic positions, but that tweet has since been deleted. (CTV quotes the tweet in question in this story.)

The mayor’s office said Sutcliffe’s position was still that the province should fully fund those 51 paramedic positions, despite the missing tweets. A spokesperson said the tweets’ disappearance might be the fault of a glitch, but the exact cause isn’t known.

In a statement, the mayor went on to advocate for more funding:

• “We’re grateful for all the government has done so far. However, despite these investments, offload delays and the resulting number of level-zero events have not improved.… We will continue to hire more paramedics to serve the community. But until we resolve the offload delays in hospitals, the problem won’t be solved. We need the province’s help on dramatically reducing offload delays,” Sutcliffe said.

The Lookout’s thoughts: Asking for funding is all well and good, but it hasn’t worked well so far. Before the municipal election, then-mayor Jim Watson sent a letter to the province asking Ontario to fully fund 42 new positions (something Sutcliffe also promised in his platform). The province didn’t fund the new positions.

• Ontario has been similarly indifferent to giving funding to OC Transpo to backfill the transit system’s large deficit.

The city may find other levels of government unwilling to cover the things this city needs. At that point, the city will need to get real about its financing. Either it makes cuts to other (already stretched) services or builds a budget around paying for the services the city needs. The days of building a budget based around a proposed tax increase and then working backward to fit in the city’s needs might have to come to an end.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

📈 4.75: The Bank of Canada raised its overnight interest rate by 25 basis points to this level as inflation persists. Inflation increased in April to 4.4 percent, well above the Bank’s target of two percent. The Bank wants to target “corporate pricing behaviour” which many argue is a major cause of current inflation. [BNN-Bloomberg]

🪵 200,000: The backlog of federal government payroll transactions still unresolved thanks to the broken Phoenix pay system. At its peak, the backlog was at 384,000 transactions, in January 2018. [CBC]

SPONSORED BY ENVIROCENTRE

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Maybe you’re looking to save money, or breathe more fresh air. Perhaps you want to get a bit more exercise into your day, escape the morning gridlock, or be one of the cool parents who drops their kids off right at the door where the bike racks are.

There are many reasons to consider shifting away from a car-for-transportation default, but it’s not always so easy as just, well, taking your bike instead of your car.

As we shift into summer, this is the perfect time to reconsider what might help you make that choice more frequently, and be prepared and ready to go! There’s no single answer that will be right for everyone, so check out this blog post for the three things you need to think about if you want to start to use your bike for transportation more often in your daily life!

WILDFIRES

Smoke abates, but the haze is expected to return

What happened: Ottawans were able to open their windows once again as air quality across the region improved Thursday, but the clear air might be short-lived. Smoke is expected to return this weekend, but not at levels seen earlier this week, CBC reported.

• The bulk of the smoke is being pushed west of the city by a low-pressure system to the north.

The good news: The fire risk in eastern Ontario has dropped to high from extreme. There are still five fires burning in this part of the province and western Quebec. Most are being held or are under control, but two fires in the Pontiac region are still out of control, CBC reported. Despite the drop in the fire risk, fire bans are still in effect throughout the region.

The bad news: The First Nation of Kitigan Zibi Anishinābeg is preparing for a possible evacuation. The members of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake who have had to flee to the Ottawa-Gatineau region are worried about their homes. At least two cabins had been destroyed by fires, CBC reported.

Gratitude: The residents of the area near Centennial Lake are grateful for the help of firefighters battling the blaze in the area, and the welcome they have received away from their homes. The region is under an evacuation order until at least today, CBC reported. The fire is considered under control, but it is not yet out.

Derecho effects: There are still tens of thousands of downed trees lying around the city’s forests from last year’s windstorm, which are adding to the risk of fires in the region, the Ottawa Citizen reported. The dead trees make perfect fuel for a wildfire.

Funding issues? The provincial government was accused of cutting more than $100 million from its firefighting budget. Ontario is short about 50 firefighting crews this year, CBC reported. Natural Resources Minister Graydon Smith said the province will spend as much money as it takes to fight this year’s fires.

What to do if fire comes for you: Being prepared in wildfire season is important. Removing any flammable or explosive materials away from the house, having a bag with all the essentials — food, water, clothing, and medications — making sure your car is fueled up, and having everything ready to take your pets with you are some of the essential steps you should take. CTV has put together a comprehensive guide for how to prepare to evacuate.

Reinforcements arrive: The fight against the major wildfires raging deeper in Quebec received a boost as nearly 300 more firefighters from New Brunswick, the US, and France arrived to bolster the ranks of the 800 firefighters already on the ground, CBC reported. Most of the 102 of the 137 active fires in the province are considered out of control.

• No further evacuations are planned in the province. About 12,600 people have had to flee their homes, as nearly 6,500 square kilometres of the province has burned.

THE AGENDA

🚧 The westbound 174 will be closed between Jeanne d’Arc and Montreal Road this weekend for LRT Stage 2 construction. St. Joseph Boulevard will be the detour route. [CBC]

🚇 Partial shutdowns of the LRT will continue this weekend for maintenance on the system. See Coun. Wilson Lo’s Twitter thread of maps explaining what sections will be closed when. [Twitter]

👶 The provincial government plans to increase wages for early childhood educators so it can create 86,000 new childcare spaces across Ontario. It’s expected that without boosting wages, the province will be short about 8,500 educators by 2026. [The Canadian Press]

🐻 A bear in Kanata was safely caged and relocated after it was found wandering a suburban neighbourhood. [CTV]

🔥 A malfunctioning air purifier is the likely cause of a house fire in Nepean. Ottawa Fire Services said a smoke alarm alerted a napping resident to the fire and they were able to escape unharmed. [Twitter]

🚨 A driver from Stittsville is expected to be charged with assault with a weapon, uttering threats, and dangerous driving in a road rage incident that escalated to the point he ran over another driver’s motorcycle. [CTV]

🚔 An anonymous call warning of a person with a weapon at Holy Trinity Catholic High School led to a lockdown of the Kanata school. Police searched the building and found no weapon. [CTV]

💐 A head-on collision on Highway 7 near Carleton Place killed three people in one of the vehicles. Two people in the other vehicle were taken to hospital with serious injuries. [CTV]

⚖️ Twenty-three of Quebec’s bilingual cities are challenging the province’s Bill 96 in court, which limits the rights of English-speaking residents.[CBC]

🏛️ Premier Doug Ford drew the ire of the opposition benches in the legislature, when he referred to the Ontario economy as “on fire” while several wildfires burned throughout the province and country. [Twitter]

EVENTS

Your weekend guide

Music

🎙️ Thirteen Strings fundraiser and concert, Friday and Sunday: Kicks off with a fundraising reception at the French ambassador’s residence on Friday with French wine, food, and music. Then Sunday there’s a concert featuring singer Pandora Topp performing favourites by Édith Piaf at Allsaints Event Space in Sandy Hill. Ticket prices vary.

Food

🍺 2023 Orléans Craft Beer Festival, until Saturday: A rain or shine outdoor beer festival with craft beers, wines and spirits. Plenty of live entertainment and this year a charity beer run to raise money for the Orléans Cumberland Resource Centre. At Centrum Plaza, 255 Centrum Blvd. Limited tickets start at $28.

Kids/Family

👶 Tout Petit Festival, until Saturday: A French-language gathering of creators and educators focused on early child development for kids six and under. With live theatre performances great for the whole family. À la Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins, 333 King Edward Ave. Tickets start at $10.

🚜 Vintage Tractor Jam, Sunday 10 am: A festival of classic tractors celebrating 30 years of Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm. With tractor pulls, a parade, displays of farm equipment, live music, a petting zoo, food and more. At 2452 York’s Corners Rd. Admission by donation to support farmers’ mental health.

General

🪖 War Games, Friday to the end of the year: Today, the Canadian War Museum will open a new exhibition on war games, from ancient times to modern video games, where you can see how the world and the military have interacted with wargaming. At 1 Vimy Pl. Museum admission $12-18.

🚴‍♀️ Critical Mass Ride, Saturday 10 am: Join with you neighbours to celebrate the joys of urban cycling and demand better from the city. The ride Starts at the War Museum and finishes at Lansdowne Park. Free!

Market

👗 613Flea, Saturday 10 am: As many as 150 vendors with everything from vinyl records to vintage clothing, and everything in between. At the Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne Park. Free admission.

Culture

🇰🇷 Korea Week 2023, Friday to June 15: The largest-ever edition of a festival celebrating Korean culture, kicks off tonight with K-Music and -Cinema, followed Saturday with a dance festival, music, food vendors, cultural booths and so much more. Runs until June 15 at Lansdowne Park’s Great Lawn. Attendance is free, some events have limited spaces.

CAPITAL EATS

Every week our team at Capital Eats scours Ottawa for the best places to eat, drinks to try and events to attend. Recently, our food editor picked eight of his favourite dishes he’s tried this spring. Here’s a taste of one dish he raves about:

Jinsei Ramen arrived a few months ago and after trying the shio clam broth ramen, it catapulted Jinsei, along with Ramen Isshin in the Glebe, into the top tier of ramen eateries.

This was a masterful broth. Fortifying and alive. The soy-cured egg was perfectly executed with the yolk lusciously runny. The scallions had been thoughtfully julienned and the greens were sweet and blanched to preserve both colour and texture.

It’s so good that I will be going back and I will provide you with an update.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• The submarine that director James Cameron used to go to the deepest known point in the ocean is on display at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society on Sussex. [CTV]

• Here are some of the city’s top dishes this spring, including a delightful green bean caesar salad, and a great new addition to Ottawa’s ramen scene.

• How bad is the haze today? It’s pretty bad when you see it side by side with a normal day. [Reddit]

• Another before-and-after set of photos show how bad the smoke is. [Twitter]

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

TOP PHOTO

Today’s photo comes from long-time contributor Joanne Reyes. We’ll let her explain what’s going on here: “Just makes me laugh. They figure if they don’t move you can’t see them. Caught in the act, eating the plants. 😃”

Do you have a photo you’d like to share with the Lookout community? Send it in! (If you can, send in photos in landscape as they’re easier for us to share.)

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to Gord, Barbara, Jeffrey, Adam, Andrée-Anne, Kelly, and Ann, who all knew that this week’s Ottawa Guesser was of the crossing over the Rideau Falls near Tavern on the Falls.

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

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