Crime stats are in and shootings are down

Good morning!

Once again it’s going to be a rough weekend for getting around town. We’ve got all the details of the upcoming closure of the 417 in the newsletter, but my advice is park the car. Downtown is once again going to be a mess, and there’s no point adding yourself to all that traffic.

Good luck out there, let’s get to the news.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Wednesday: 14 🌡️ 7 | 🌧

Thursday: 13 🌡️ 2 | 🌤

Friday: 16 🌡️ 5 | ☀️

CRIME

Number of shootings down, but more people injured

What happened: The Ottawa Police Service released their crime statistics for the second quarter of 2022 and the number of shootings is down one quarter compared to last year.

This year there have been 48 shootings reported as of Sept. 20, interim police chief Steve Bell told the Police Services Board.

So far this year, 27 people were injured in shootings, and three died. In 2021, 33 people were injured and nine people died the entire year.

Some context: We won’t have a full idea until the year is over and the police submit their annual report, but the longer-term trend is less worrying. 

• While crime has gone up year-over-year recently it has still been below pre-pandemic levels, the Ottawa Citizen reported. When compared to 2019, crime in 2021 (the last year we have full statistics for) the overall crime rate had dropped by 17.3 percent.

According to the Citizen from 2019 to 2021, violent crime dropped 10.2 percent, non-violent crime dropped 18.9 percent, and the crime severity index dropped 12.4 percent.

TRAFFIC

Queensway to close for another bridge replacement

The plan: This weekend the Queensway through downtown will once again close, this time to replace the Rochester Street bridge. Starting Friday at 7 pm the 417 will close from the Carling exit to Metcalfe. The highway is expected to remain closed until Tuesday at 6 am.

Way around: The detour for the highway will once again run along Carling and Bronson. Extreme traffic backups expected.

Several downtown streets will also be closed in the area, including:

• Rochester Street closed between Gladstone Avenue and Aberdeen Street from Sept. 20 to Oct. 11.

• Booth Street southbound closed between Gladstone Avenue and Raymond Street from 5 pm Friday to 6 am Tuesday.

• Booth Street northbound closed between Carling Avenue and Raymond Street from 5 pm Friday to 6 am Tuesday.

• Daniel McCann Street closed between Booth Street and Lebreton Street South from 5 pm Friday to 6 am Tuesday.

• Norman Street closed between Booth Street and Rochester Street from 5 pm Friday to 6 am Tuesday.

The entire process will be live-streamed, and you can watch here starting Friday.

SPONSORED BY TAGWÀGI FESTIVAL

Celebrate the change of season this weekend at the Tagwàgi (Autumn) Indigenous Festival

Experience a unique blend of indigenous art, culture, and heritage during this beautiful change of season.

• Sept. 30th – Reconciliation Dinner: Enjoy Incredible Indigenous cuisine and live entertainment while supporting attendance by Residential School Survivors.

• Oct.ober 1 & 2 - Family Festival: Stage performances, makers and farmers market, creative workshops, Ojibwe Spirit Horses, nature walks, farm play and culinary delights — fun for all ages.

Where: Mādahòkì Farm, 4420 W Hunt Club Rd., Nepean

Learn more and register to attend.

CAPITAL EATS

Catherine McKenney sits down to talk food and more

With the launch of our new food publication Capital Eats, we thought we’d ask the mayoral candidates some questions about food and events in the city. Our food editor Ralf Joneikies sat down with mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney. Here’s a bit of what they talked about.

Proudest achievement: McKenney said they were proud of working for then-councillor Alex Munter, as well as working as an assistant to Diane Holmes.

Ottawa favourites: McKenney said they tended to prefer Italian food, and their current favourite pizza place was Del Piacere. When out with their family, they prefer Kiko Sushi or Pubwells.

Read the full interview to see more of which restaurants are Catherine’s favourite.

Ralf also sent requests to the Chiarelli and Sutcliffe campaigns, but they did not participate.

JOBS

Plenty of vacancies in food service, construction work

What happened: Businesses are looking for staff, particularly in the service sectors. In the city, food service jobs have the most vacancies of all occupations, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

The problems: The wages being offered to food workers are on average between 16 and 22 percent lower than what workers are looking for. Experienced workers, the Citizen found, have left because of the frequent ups and downs of the pandemic.

Bad for skilled trades, too: The construction sector has a record number of job vacancies. And the number of construction employers saying labour shortages are an issue has risen to 58 percent, from 37 percent earlier in the year. There, an aging workforce coupled with jobs that often require night work, has left the industry struggling.

STORIES YOU MIGHT’VE MISSED

Pinecrest health centre replacing CEO: The head of the Pinecrest Queensway Community Health Centre is out. The health centre has been under scrutiny after four health care workers were terminated without cause as part of a “restructuring.” The city is investigating whether public funds for a housing initiative were misused. [Ottawa Citizen]

Sutcliffe decries online abuse: Facing what he said are trolls online, mayoral candidate Mark Sutcliffe said online abuse directed at him, as well as other candidates, is contributing to a toxic culture at city hall. He also said he wasn’t Jim Watson 2.0, after Bob Chiarelli accused him of following in the current mayor’s footsteps. [CTV]

Mini baby boom at Queensway Carleton: Several nurses and a few doctors at the Queensway Carleton Hospital all had children in the last year, mostly in the last six months. While on maternity leave, they meet up monthly to catch up. [CTV]

Lanark Food Bank feeling the pressure: The number of people using the Food Bank east of the city is going up. Thirty percent more people used the service, and costs have doubled thanks to inflation. Milk, eggs, cheese, and meat are most in demand. [CityNews]

SPONSORED BY DECLUTTER4GOOD

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• Are infrequently used items taking up ‘prime real estate’ (on countertops, at key entrance/exits, etc)

Need help? Find out why we’re the top-rated organizing & decluttering company in Ottawa. Reach out to [email protected]

HOUSE OF THE WEEK

There’s more than one historic church for sale in town. This one in North Gower has five bedrooms, original church windows, a wood-burning fireplace. The walls have three layers of brick, so you won’t be disturbed by the noise of the outside world. And the main stairwell is a thing of beauty.

See how much it’s selling for.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• The Canadensis Garden Fall Celebration has something for everyone: Botanical art expo & sale, garden exhibits,crafts for kids and wagon rides. Visit this Saturday between 10 to 4 pm. Learn more.*

• Do your doggo a favour and enter to win $150 worth of prizes from Brian P

• The Panda game between Carleton and UofO is this weekend at Lansdowne, and the city and police are warning attendees to be respectful.

• The Ontario SPCA has launched a 50/50 draw to raise money for animals in need. [CityNews]

• Someone spotted a pair of turkey vultures having a rest on a downtown building.

• Homeowners are facing rising mortgage costs in Smiths Falls, as they wait for hydro lines to be built to a new development before they can move in. [CBC]

• Briana Kim the chef and owner of Alice in Little Italy won gold at Canada’s Great Kitchen Party on Monday. [Ottawa Citizen]

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

*Sponsored post

21 discounts left for our Insider membership

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Since we announced our Insider membership discount to fund our municipal election coverage, 52 of you joined.

That means there’s only 21 discounts of 20 percent off an Insider membership remaining.

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Discounts like this only come around a few times a year. And there’s zero risk —- if you aren’t satisfiedsatfified with an Insider membership, we’ll refund you. How’s that for a deal?

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TOP PHOTO

Today’s photo comes from reader Madeleine Rae, which she took last year at the Mackenzie King Estate.

Do you have a photo you’d like to share with readers? Reply to this email and we may run it in an upcoming issue.

OTTAWA GEOGUESSER

Congrats to Beverly, Evelyn, and Chantal winners of our Monday quiz, who all knew St. Brigid’s began construction in 1889.

And here’s today’s Ottawa GeoGuesser. Do you know where this is? The first 10 people to reply with the right answer will get their name in the next issue!

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