Police say they were unprepared for nature of convoy, as inquiry begins

Good morning!

Hard to believe, but today’s issue marks exactly one year of the Ottawa Lookout. It’s really hard to express what it means that you’ve put your trust in us.

It’s been quite the journey, and this newsletter wouldn’t be the success it is today without all of you, the readers. Thanks to everyone who’s been there from the beginning, and to those who have joined along the way.

We’ve got a special announcement for Insiders soon. In the meantime, to celebrate, until midnight tonight we’re chopping 20 percent off your first year of an Insider membership.

With that, let’s get to the newsletter.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free.

Weather Report

Friday: 15 🌡️ 2 | 🌦

Saturday: 16 🌡️ 3 | ☀️

Sunday: 14 🌡️ 1 | 🌦

Monday: 10 🌡️ 2 | 🌧

CONVOY

Residents terrorized, police unprepared: Public Order Emergency inquiry gets underway

What happened: At the first day of hearings into the use of the Emergencies Act during the convoy, lawyers laid out an inquiry roadmap.. The commissioner, Ontario Court of Appeal Justice Paul Rouleau, said the inquiry will make recommendations “modest or wide-ranging” but it would not find legal liability, CBC reported.

• “While inquiries seek to uncover the truth, they are not trials. Questions of civil and criminal liability are decided by courts and not commissions,” Rouleau said.

What they said:

• Lawyers for the Ottawa police said they followed procedure that worked in the past, but were not prepared for the nature of the convoy;

• The representatives of the convoy organizers said the use of the Act was unconstitutional and unnecessary;

• The federal government said it followed a deliberate process before making the unprecedented step of invoking the law;

• Paul Champ, representing some of the community, saw many of the documents submitted to the inquiry, and told CBC, “I think there’s going to be a very disturbing story to be told.”

Tight schedule: The commission has thousands of documents at its disposal, and will hear from 65 witnesses for potentially six weeks, CBC reported.

Who will testify over six weeks: Tamara Lich, Zexi Li, Coun. Catherine McKenney, Mayor Jim Watson, former police chief Peter Sloly, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

You can find the full list of witnesses, a live stream of the proceedings, and an archive of hearings at the commission’s website.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

• 4.1%: The unemployment rate in Ottawa-Gatineau rose to this in September, up from 3.4 percent in August. [OBJ]

• $2,883: Fines one Gatineau man is facing after being stopped for speeding. [CTV]

ELECTION

McKenney points out “hole” in Sutcliffe’s budget at CTV debate

What happened: The fight over the candidates fiscal plans continued at a CTV debate last night, as Catherine McKenney pinned Mark Sutcliffe on an apparent error in his budget.

"When you calculated for inflation, you, in fact, left it off half the city budget. You know that this leaves a multi-million dollar hole in your plan, correct?” McKenney said to Sutcliffe, CTV reported. Sutcliffe countered that there was no error in his plans, and said McKenney would break the city’s piggy bank.

It was a significant moment in a debate with a few other interesting moments, including:

• Bob Chiarelli and McKenney both said the city should wait for the next council to be sworn in to hire a permanent police chief, Sutcliffe did “not necessarily” agree;

• Sutcliffe said McKenney’s $250-million plan to add bike infrastructure wasn’t good value for money because fewer people cycle in the winter;

• All the candidates said they would make council a less combative place, after a year of acrimony at city hall.

You can watch the whole debate at this CTV video playlist.

Today is the final day of advance voting throughout the city. Looking to find where you can vote today? Use this tool from the city.

Election resources

Get to know the candidates: CBC has in-depth profiles on all three of the leading candidates, so you can get to know each of them before election day.

• Bob Chiarelli: A familiar name with a depth of life experience [CBC]

• Catherine McKenney: Trying not to think about making history [CBC]

• Mark Sutcliffe: Running a race to level the playing field [CBC]

Understanding fiscal plans: These candidates have major differences between their financial plans. The Ottawa Citizen breaks down the plans of Chiarelli, McKenney, and Sutcliffe issue by issue.

Get to know your ward: The journalism students at Carleton University have put together profiles of each riding in the city. So far at Capital Current, they’ve published a look at 17 of the city’s 24 wards. You can find them here.

• The Ottawa Citizen also has a wealth of riding profiles, and short columns from every municipal candidate that wanted to participate, to explain what they would do if elected.

CITY HALL

Scam warning: The city said scammers are sending out messages about parking infractions. “Do not reply,” they said. “The City of Ottawa will never request or communicate about financial information through text message.”

Montreal Road reopening: Next Friday, Montreal Road will reopen to two-way traffic transit. There is still some work remaining — on the cycle track, some intersection work, and landscaping. But to celebrate the end of detours through the Vanier thoroughfare, the city will host a reopening party at Carré de la Francophonie de Vanier on Oct. 22.

GIVEAWAY

Are 100 bagels too many bagels?

Well, you might just find out if you win our latest giveaway.

We’ve teamed up with Kettleman’s Bagels to give away a giftcard worth 100 bagels.

Entering is easy. Just head over to this page to enter. Only a few people have joined so the odds of winning are quite good!

HOUSING

Bleak outlook in the housing market as inflation continues

The bad news: The CMHC has a not-so-rosy view of what’s to come in the housing market. On top of a “modest” recession at the end of the year, lasting into 2023, the CHMC expects a dip in home prices nationally to be short-lived because of insufficient growth in supply.

• “​​Higher mortgage rates and reduced household income will make it more challenging for renter households to access ownership and push others out of ownership,” the CMHC said.”

The good(?) news: Realtors Royal LePage predict the housing prices in Ottawa will only increase 0.5 percent in the fourth quarter from 2021, CTV reported. That’s down from their estimate in July, where they said prices would be up 10 percent.

STORIES YOU MIGHT’VE MISSED

COVID worries: Dr. Kieran Moore, the province’s top doctor, said hospitalizations and ICU admissions are creeping up before winter has arrived, and is worried about new COVID strains. He recommended people should get one of the new bivalent boosters, both of which you can sign up for appointments. [CityNews]

Long waits at QCH: The Queensway Carleton Hospital said ER wait times are longer than usual because of the large number of patients. The hospital said there was no “light at the end of the tunnel” between the onset of flu season and the continued lack of staff. The concern is things will continue to deteriorate into the winter. [CTV]

Attempted ATM theft: An attempted robbery at a Merivale Road ATM is being investigated by the police arson unit because of a “device” used to attempt opening the TD Bank ATM. The bomb squad and the fire service’s hazmat team had to be called in. [CTV]

Man charged for threatening doctor: A Windsor, Ont. man has been charged with hate-motivated harassment, intimidation of the health service, and other charges for anti-Semitic threats made to an Ottawa doctor. It is likely the first time someone has been charged under the new Bill C-3 meant to protect health care workers. [CTV]

Glengarry closes ER overnight: The hospital in Alexandria will have to close its ER overnight this weekend from 7 pm to 7 am until Oct. 16. Staffing shortages are to blame. [CityNews]

PODCAST

Hear about the future of Ottawa

Sometimes reading isn’t enough, you need more than just an email.

Our team is hard at work preparing our election podcast, to help you make an informed decision in the coming weeks.

Launch date: The first episode airs this Monday with one of the big mayoral candidates. No spoilers, but we discuss cycling infrastructure, managing the budget, and the effect of the convoy on the city.

Where to listen: Subscribe on your favourite podcast network to get the first episode early.

• Apple

• Spotify

• Google

WEEKEND GUIDE

Comedy, jazz, and plenty of pumpkins

Driveway Jazz Session | Sunday | 2 pm | 2056 Benjamin Ave. | The last session of the season, bring your own chair and blanket and enjoy some jazz on a driveway.

The Welcome Back Project | Saturday | Noon | Various locations | An art crawl across the city with 21 visual artists engaging with the question “what makes a welcoming community?” Runs until Oct. 31.

2022 Tree Forum | Sunday | 10 am to 2 pm | 2391 Pepin Ct. | Registration required, limited spots | Learn from forestry experts about the early lifecycle of trees, how to collet seeds and plant your own.

Pumpkin Fest | Sunday | 10 am | 3485 Hawthorne Rd. | $10 | Get the Local Farm Flyer for $50 in savings at Pumpkin Fest, with wine, spices, soups and more. Proceeds go to Ottaw Dog Rescue.

613Flea | Saturday | 10 am to 4 pm | Lansdowne Park | Free | The flea market is back at Lansdowne with all the assorted goodies on sale you know and love.

Comedy for Clean Water Fundraiser | Sunday | 7 pm | 399 Richmond Rd. | $30 to $40 | Comics Rachelle Elie and Mike Dambra, along with host Bobby Knauff perform in this 19+ show to raise money for the Water First NGO.

Insider members get access to a curated list of the best food and drink events in the city. Try an Insider membership for only $1 for your first month — there’s no risk and you can cancel anytime.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• The Sens dropped their first game of the season to Buffalo 4-1. [Ottawa Sun]

• Love bagels? How about 100? Then you should enter our Kettleman’s Bagel giveaway.

• And you might still have a shot at getting a standing-room ticket for the Sens home opener Tuesday.

• Wall Space has two new solo exhibitions that play on humans’ interaction with nature. [Apt613]

• Head on out to Embrun to Pearson St. Smashburger, one of the hidden gems our food editor has found around town.

• Ninety-six year old Stefan Mayer is hanging up his blue volunteer coat at the Riverside Hospital after more than 30 years. “I did so many things here. … But it’s enough,” Mayer said. [Ottawa Citizen]

• Tickets for Athletico Ottawa’s first home playoff game are on sale now.

• Ottawa’s biggest Latin mural is inside Bienvenidos and worth checking out. [Reddit]

• Everyone 12 and up will be eligible for bivalent COVID boosters starting Monday. [CityNews]

• Insider members got a look at three fantastic Portuguese food establishments around town. You can too for only $1 for your first month.

• Fill out this form to have you event or announcement featured in community highlights

TOP PHOTO

We’ve got another beautiful fall photo here from Madeleine Rae who took this one just last weekend.

Have you got fall photos you want to share with Lookout readers? Send them in by replying to this email!

OTTAWA WORDLE

Congrats to Georgia, Rod, and Carol who all correctly guessed this week’s Ottawa GeoGuesser was on the SJAM parkway, right near Lincoln Fields.

Today’s Ottawa Wordle, we’re breaking the five-letter rule because we can. Play now!

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