Under pressure, committee approves Orléans development without any additional parking

Good morning!

Spring may have technically arrived, but that doesn’t mean winter is done with us. Environment Canada is warning freezing rain is coming tonight. Expect more updates on the amount of rain today, but it seems like it’s going to be a lot. So be careful out there, especially tomorrow morning.

Things will be a bit weird downtown this week, as US President Joe Biden comes to town. We’ve got all the details on what’s closed and what isn’t.

Let’s get to it.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Special weather statement: Prolonged freezing rain likely starting Wednesday night, continuing into Thursday morning.

Wednesday: +1 🌡️ -1 | 🌤

Thursday: +7 🌡️ -3 | 🌧

Friday: +3 🌡️ -9 | 🌤

CITY BUILDING

Council committee makes parking U-turn, approves Orléans housing

What happened: After stinging public backlash to a decision to delay a Orléans housing development for not having enough parking spaces, the city’s planning committee approved the development without changes. The plan passed unanimously the second time it came up.

The developer promised to keep track of residents with multiple vehicles and inform residents of nearby transit options. This was good enough for Coun. Laura Dudas who spearheaded the initial delay, CTV reported.

• “To take a week and a half just to have these conversations, I think it was absolutely essential and I think it was the right thing to do.… I don't see any issues with us taking some time when it comes to developments, knowing that we have to get it right,” Dudas said according to CTV.

Housing pledge: Mayor Mark Sutcliffe will soon sign a pledge to meet the provincial housing construction goal of 151,000 new homes over the next decade, CBC reported. Signing the pledge is necessary to access provincial money to boost housing in the city.

Councillors are worried that the pledge doesn’t have any weight behind it. The number of building permits issued by the city has already dropped off from 2022’s all-time high of 12,600 permits. To meet the housing pledge, the city has to build 15,100 new homes every year.

• The pledge will go to the city council for a vote today, then it will head to the mayor’s desk.

Also at council

Tewin clearcutting: Land clear cut near a new development in the east end in February was done weeks before a lease was signed for farming until March 3, when it was delivered to the city, CBC reported. The owners of the land, Algonquins of Ontario and the Taggart Group, cut down thousands of trees overnight without a permit. An exception to the bylaw that requires a permit is to use the land for agricultural purposes.

• City staff said they were aware of the developers possibly using the land for farming since last year, but a signed lease is a “key component” of making that judgement.

Wastewater heating: The environment committee approved a plan to allow the construction of a wastewater energy transfer system at a LeBreton Flats development. The plan would see the buildings use city wastewater to keep the building warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It will go to a full council vote in mid-April.

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OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

📈 5.2%: The national year-over-year inflation rate in February dropped to this, down from 5.9 percent the month before. Grocery prices still rose at an alarming 10.6 percent. [The Canadian Press]

⏱️ 2: The approximate number of hours passengers on a Via Rail train were delayed arriving in Ottawa when their train broke down. [CTV]

OUTSIDE DOWNTOWN

🏛️ The mayor of Pembroke has hired his law firm partner to do legal work for the city, outraging residents over the apparent conflict of interest. [CBC]

🏥 The Cornwall Community Hospital is suffering from extended wait times in its ER because of staffing problems, and is asking the public to be kinder. The hospital had more verbal and physical abuse of its staff. [CTV]

💰 The federal government will spend $1.2 billion to upgrade the Dwyer Hill training facility for the Army’s JTF-2 special forces unit. [CTV]

🏞️ Members of the community said the NCC’s closure of the parkway in Gatineau Park to cars limits the access of seniors, those with disabilities, and anyone looking to walk, especially when shuttle buses only run part of the week. [Ottawa Citizen]

👔 The pandemic is still hurting small businesses like Orléans’ Spic and Span Dry Cleaners. The owner has begun shifting more of her business to custom sewing jobs. [Orleans Online]

PRESIDENTIAL VISIT

Expect more security as Biden comes to town

What happened: Expect to see more police, and even military flyovers later this week. The arrival of US President Joe Biden means a dramatic increase in security in the city. Ottawa police said they will be using several large parking lots as staging areas for vehicles.

• One Reddit user spotted dozens of cruisers at the Nepean Sportsplex. Police said not to be alarmed by the sudden increase in security officers, the RCMP and other forces will be taking part.

Traffic closures: There will be numerous closures downtown this week. There will be temporary and full closures of several streets in the core, as well as routes leading to and from the airport, and in and around the US embassy and the Sussex area. See the city’s website for a full list of what roads are closed and when. For security reasons, the timing of certain closures will only be communicated at the last minute, the city said.

• Buses downtown may be diverted, but LRT service is expected to run as normal.

Flyovers: You can also expect to see military aircraft above the city. CF-18 Hornet fighters and CH146-Griffon helicopters could start popping up as early as today, the federal government announced.

Biden will be in town Thursday and Friday to talk about economics, the war in Ukraine, immigration and more during the visit, CBC reported.

HOUSE OF THE WEEK

It’s been a while since we’ve had a heritage home here. But this one’s really something. Built in 1912, this Rockcliffe Park home has a sizeable lot and plenty of interior space thanks to plenty of additions over the years. It was also once the home of former prime minister Lester B. Pearson.

Check the listing to see how much this little piece of history will cost.

THE AGENDA

⛏️ The NCC will be doing an archaeological dig this summer on the site of a possible future arena. They’ll be looking to uncover artifacts of 19th-century city life in the area. [CBC]

👃 A sulphurous sewage smell was bad enough downtown that the Senate halted business for the day. The likely cause of the smell is stagnant water, which circulated after locks on the Rideau Canal were opened. [CTV]

(Editor’s note: We’ve asked the city more about the source of the smell, but they weren’t able to get back to us in time to make this morning’s edition.)

🥅 Several prospective buyers of the Ottawa Senators will be in town next week, along with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and NCC officials will meet with the buyers and the commissioner. [Ottawa Sun]

🏥 An insider at the Riverside hospital told the Ottawa Citizen a plan to catch up on a backlog of cancer surgeries has been cut back because of staffing issues caused by for-profit orthopedic surgeries on the weekend. The hospital denies the claim. [Ottawa Citizen]

🩺 A member of the city’s board of health is grateful for the outpouring of support from the community after she received a letter from someone saying she shouldn’t serve on the board because of her weight. [CTV]

🥊 A local boxer said the provincial boxing authority failed to properly investigate abuse allegations she made against her former coach. [CBC]

🎺 Music programs have returned to schools, but the pandemic gap in classes means fewer students with underdeveloped skills in the programs. [CBC]

📰 Ottawa Magazine will publish its final issue in May. [Ottawa CItizen]

💰 The provincial government has proposed increasing fines to $100,000 to $200,000 for employers who confiscate the passports of foreign workers. [CTV]

🚨 A Muslim man at the Ottawa train station was told by a Via Rail employee not to pray. The rail carrier has apologized, and said such discriminatory behaviour will not be tolerated. [CityNews]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• As part of rehab work, the Champlain Bridge will be closed overnight for the rest of the week between 8 pm and 5 am. The middle lane will be closed until November.

• Our food editor looks back at the first months of the year and picks out some of his early favourites and surprises from around town.

• Good news for the tourism industry, hotel numbers have jumped 50 percent since 2019. [CityNews]

• Police will be keeping an extra eye on school zones this week, as they launch a safety initiative. [CityNews]

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

RETAIL

Nordstrom liquidation sale kicks off with disappointing discounts

What happened: The soon-to-close Nordstrom stores kicked off their liquidation sales yesterday with shoppers lined up outside waiting to get deals first thing, CTV reported. It didn’t appear the deals were huge to start, with only five percent off many items, according to Reddit user Of_the_forest89.

The plan: The sales couldn’t begin until a judge approved the company’s plan to liquidate its inventory, The Canadian Press reported. Don’t expect any third-party goods in the store, those were all removed over the weekend. The company expects its liquidation to be finished by June when it will close all its Canadian stores.

SPORTS

🥅 Called up from the AHL team on Sunday, Sens goalie Dylan Ferguson made 47 saves in the team’s 2-1 victory over the Penguins. [Ottawa Citizen]

🏒 Ferguson hasn’t had an easy road to the NHL. The 24-year-old goalie was first drafted in 2017 by the Dallas Stars, and hasn’t been called up since the 2017-18 season. [Ottawa Citizen]

🤧 …but he won’t be able to extend his winning streak right away, as he was out with a non-COVID illness Tuesday night. [Sportsnet]

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to Adam and Chantal who both knew the city hopes to have net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. (There were some other guesses, but not quite the round number we were looking for. Next time!)

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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