A convoy inquiry for the people, by the people

Good morning!

Hard to believe Canada Day is upon us, but here we are. Summer has arrived, and hopefully, it’s not going to come with too many of the dingbats who are threatening to return.

Because of the holiday weekend, there will be no Monday issue. Friday’s issue will be focused on the holiday, so it may be a little lighter than usual. 

Hopefully all of you received our survey yesterday. We’re looking to hear from our readers about what the next steps we should take for the Lookout. Should we launch a stand-alone food newsletter? A city-hall specific publication? Let us know.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Wednesday: 22 🌡️ 12 | ⛈

Thursday: 25 🌡️ 17 | 🌤

Friday: 28 🌡️ 17 | 🌦

Getting the full story of the convoy

What’s happening: Dissatisfied with the official inquiries into the convoy occupation that have ignored the people most affected a group of residents are organizing their own commission. 

The Ottawa People’s Commission (OPC) will hold its own hearings to here from real people on the ground. They kicked off the commission by appointing three commissioners: Leilani Farha, global director of housing rights advocacy organization Shift; Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity; and Alex Neve, human rights lawyer and former secretary general of Amnesty International Canada. 

• “Decision-makers weren’t actually addressing the needs of the community as quickly as they should have. … IIt was a scary, scary time. And I think it’s time for us to talk about what that meant for us collectively,” Owusu-Akyeeah told the Ottawa Citizen.

Collective trauma: The director of the Centretown Community Health Centre told the Citizen the number of people looking for mental health support greatly increased during the occupation. The OPC hopes to help heal some of that trauma by giving people a safe place to speak about their experiences.

• Looking to help the commission? You can volunteer your time or donate to the Ottawa People’s Commission at their website.

Canada Day convoy preparations underway: Police say they are prepared for a return of convoy-related protests on Canada Day. Interim chief Steve Bell said setting up structures or loudspeakers without a permit, and occupying streets by protesters will all be shut down, according to CBC. Legal protest will be allowed. 

• The RCMP and OPP will be providing officers to assist Ottawa police over the holiday.

Preparation includes limiting traffic downtown for days before and after Canada Day. Starting today, there will be no on-street parking or stopping downtown from north of Laurier between Booth to the west and the Canal to the east. Police will be manning checkpoints on the way in, and the same no-stopping rules will apply to several streets leading to this control zone. You can see the map here.

• Plan ahead: What’s open and closed in Ottawa on Canada Day [CTV]

LRT Inquiry: Private chats and family ties

Day 11: June 27

Who testified Monday:

• Michael Morgan, of the City of Ottawa

• Brian Guest, consultant with Boxfish and former mayoral advisor

What happened: The big focus on super-consultant Brian Guest’s testimony was about his family. His sister and his brother-in-law were both high up in the city bureaucracy, and were important players. 

Guest was also a longtime advisor to former mayor Bob Chiarelli. He also advised Mayor Jim Watson. Guest denied his family and political ties had anything to do with his company getting consulting contracts on the rail project, despite his lack of experience in engineering, procurement, or public-private partnerships, CBC reported. 

Problems piling up: The other witness of the day said many of the problems were too small to hold back the launch of the LRT system. 

Michael Morgan, who was the director of O-Train construction during Stage 1, said there was no political pressure to get the system running. He said for the first weeks of the LRT where there was parallel bus service, the trains were working fine, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

Day 12: June 28

Who testified Tuesday:

• Thomas Prendergast, a consultant from STV Inc.

• John Manconi, former general manager of transportation with the City of Ottawa

Manconi defends private chats: Partway through testing of the LRT city manager Steve Kanellakos told the then-head of the transportation department not to send a memo to council laying out the problems with the LRT. Instead, John Manconi shared updates in a private WhatsApp group with Mayor Watson and head of the transit board Coun. Alan Hubley, CTV reported.

• Other LRT news: Stage 2 LRT construction closer to getting urgently needed funding [CBC]

For a summary of each day, read our LRT inquiry guide. 

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Alfie in the Hall

He’s in! Finally, former Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. 

After five years on the ballot, the Sens best-ever player is getting his due. He was captain of the for 14 years and holds team records for the most goals, assists, and points.

Fans estatic: This year, a group of fans made a formal submission to the HHOF to get the Sens captian in. The Alfie to the Hall group made a huge impact, and were thanked by both Alfredsson and the team, the Ottawa Citizen reported. In the paper, several fans lauded his generosity with his time not just for fans but for the community.

House of the week

Here’s an interesting one. A spacious unit in a converted Hintonburg school from the 1930s. A big loft-style suite with an elevator that opens right up to the apartment. 

Includes:

• High ceilings, 10’ to 12’ throughout;

• Two parking spots in underground garage;

• Large balcony;

• Modern open-space kit

• Storage unit in the basement;

• Two bathrooms, two bedrooms, and a den.

All this for less than you might figure a place with an elevator to your door would cost. See more!

Some good news

What happened: The good people of the Ottawa Fire Service rescued a person who fell down an embankment near the west side of Parliament. The person was safely brought up by the rope rescue team, sent to the hospital, suffering non-life-threatening injuries. 

It’s good to know that if you get in trouble, the fire service is there to help.

Stories you might've missed

Two dead in stabbing, suspect also dead: A woman and one of her children were stabbed to death Wednesday near Bank and Heron. The man who killed them was also killed when police arrived and shot him. A third woman who had suffered stab wounds, was hit by police gunfire, but survived and was taken to hospital. The Ontario Special Investigations Unit is investigating. [CBC]

Intimate violence epidemic: The jury looking into how three women were murdered in 2015 is recommending the province formally declare intimate partner violence an epidemic and establish an independent commission to find solutions. The jury also recommended probation officers keep a closer eye on high-risk offenders, and said abusers should receive treatment well before they need to enter the criminal justice system. [CTV]

City looking for what to do with storm debris: The city is looking for ways to dispose of thousands of tonnes of storm debris its collected. They’re looking to turn the debris into something useful rather than discarding the whole mass. [Ottawa Citizen]

Tamara Lich arrested: The convoy leader was arrested in her hometown of Medicine Hat, Alta. for breaching her bail conditions. Lich will be returned to Ottawa to face a new charge for the breach. Lich was photographed with another convoy participant who was on the list of people she was not allowed to communicate with. [CTV]

Hillcrest High students want principal removed: A petition circulating among students of an OCDSB high school want a new principal removed over accusations of racism and discrimination. Several students report incidents of being profiled and being singled out for discipline. The school board says it is taking the allegations seriously and has started an investigation. [CTV]

Clinical trial to treat infant lungs: An Ottawa doctor is starting a trial to test a stem-cell treatment on premature babies born with chronic lung disease. It’s hoped that  at risk of developing a disorder that affects lung development will give the infants a chance at treatment where none currently exists. [Ottawa Citizen]

Community highlights

• One person on Reddit was wondering what cuisine Ottawa does better than Toronto, you won’t be surprised that shawarma topped the list.

• The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Health Unit is winding down some of its pandemic phone services. [CityNews]

• Apt613 was at the return of Jazzfest, capturing some great shots of the the Ottawa Latin Jazz Orchestra.

• A shuttle between Gatineau Park and the city is up and running, and Narcity has all the details.

• Don’t be alarmed Canada Day, as CF-18s will be doing two flyovers of the city, first at 8 am, then again at about noon.

• Noticing parts of the city are looking little…different lately? That could be one of five film productions active in Ottawa right now. [Narcity]

Photo of the day

Today’s photo once again comes to us from Peggy Lee, who sends us this great shot of some very good dogs cooling off in the Rideau River at Brewer Park. Apologies to Peggy, whose photo ran with the wrong caption in the last issue. (Dogs are very much not allowed in the water at Mud Lake.)

Send us your photos! We love running reader photos in the Lookout to share with our community.

Do you have a summer photo you’d like to share with other readers? Send it our way! We love sharing reader photos with the Lookout community.

Latest COVID stats

Note: Ottawa Public Health is now only updating COVID stats twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. Because of the Lookout’s publishing schedule, this means the numbers here may be out of date. For the most recent stats, see the OPH COVID Dashboard.

• Active Cases: 554

• Total deaths: 819

• Ottawans In Hospital: 10

• Ottawans In ICU: 1

• Acute Beds Occupied: 90% 

• ICU Beds Occupied: 68% 

• ICU Ventilator Beds Occupied: 15%