DJ Smith is out, as Martin and Alfie return

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Good morning!

We’re almost at the end of the year for the Lookout with just two issues remaining. This is just a reminder that we won’t be publishing at all next week, as we take a break for the holidays. The Lookout will return to our regular programming Jan. 3.

Bad news for anyone hoping for a white Christmas. It looks like the snow that’s on the ground is all we’ll get. (Please don’t blame me, I’m just passing on the message from Environment Canada.)

There’s plenty to get to today, so let’s just dive right in.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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WEATHER

Wednesday: +2 🌡️ -9 | 🌤

Thursday: -7 🌡️ -16 | ☀️

Friday: -7 🌡️ -8 | ☀️

SENS

DJ Smith fired, Jacques Martin and Alfie behind the bench

What happened: The Ottawa Senators fired head coach DJ Smith after the team went on a three-game losing streak. Assistant coach Davis Payne was also let go, the team said in a release. Smith was on the road with the team in Arizona when he was fired, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

The replacements: The team replaced Smith with the good vibes pairing of former coach Jacques Martin at the helm and former captain Daniel Alfredsson as his assistant. Martin coached the team for nine seasons from 1996 to 2004.

• Martin holds the record for games coached (692), regular-season wins (341), playoff wins (31) and playoff games coached (69), according to the team.

• Alfredsson is the team’s all-time leader in goals (426), assists (682), points (1,108), and game-winning goals (69), according to TSN.

“I think we all feel a sense of responsibility, including DJ. He was disappointed in himself and handled it like a true pro. We had a good, long conversation and he accepted it and was disappointed that he couldn't see it through,” President of Hockey Operations, and acting general manager, Steve Staios said according to CTV.

• General manager Pierre Dorion was let go from the team earlier this year after the NHL stripped a first-round pick from Ottawa for not sending along a no-trade list when moving Evgenii Dadonov.

Smith’s reaction: The now-former coach told the Citizen he was disappointed he couldn’t take the team to the next level. Speaking from his hotel room, he told columnist Bruce Garrioch every player and staff member with the team stopped by a farewell party at the hotel bar after he was fired Monday. Smith said he could see he was near the end of his time with the team when things did not improve in recent weeks.

• “When we got it back to .500, you had to see that we needed to make a step and not continue to drop lower. I’m disappointed in that, but not disappointed in the whole body of work. I think I did my job in developing these young guys and turning them into real NHL players by giving them the confidence every day,” Smith told the Citizen.

Return results: The debut of the Martin/Alfredsson team behind the bench started off gloriously as Sens left the first period up 3-0 on the Phoenix Coyotes, but things fell apart as the team’s lead was slowly whittled away. WIth just 3:33 left in the third period, the team gave up a fourth straight goal. Losing 4-3 in the end. The team still sits last in the Atlantic Division with a record of 11-16-0.

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OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🥵 1895: That’s when the heat record of 5.6 degrees was first set for Dec. 18 (it was matched in 1921). Monday’s high of 5.9 degrees broke the 130-year-old record. [CTV]

💰 3.1%: The national inflation rate held steady at this percentage, year-over-year. Mortgage interest costs, up 30 percent, and rent, up 7.4 percent, are the leading contributors to persistent high inflation. The rate of food inflation slowed slightly to 4.7 percent. [CBC]

💸 $2.59 billion: The amount the federal government will spend on armed unmanned drones, which will be controlled from a centre in Ottawa. [CBC]

⚖️ $25,000: The size of the bond the former police board chair paid as surety to bail her son out of jail while he awaits trial on drug trafficking charges. [Ottawa Citizen]

OUTSIDE DOWNTOWN

👮‍♂️ The Kingston Police Service officially appointed Scott Fraser as chief. Fraser had been serving as acting chief since October 2021. [CTV]

⛺️ A developer in Gatineau has set up 28 heated, fire-resistant tents to give shelter to people living in a nearby tent encampment where two people have died this year. [CBC]

🧶 The Orléans Knitting Club has received more than 1,000 donated balls of wool and yarn after asking the community for help. The club will turn all the donations into hats, mitts, and more over the coming years to donate to local organizations that need them. [Orléans Star]

🚨 Two people are now facing first-degree murder charges after the body of Carleton Place woman was found in a river in November. [CTV]

🪧 Non-public funds workers at Canadian Forces bases, including in Petawawa, voted to authorize a strike. The workers are those who perform support roles and are not paid by either National Defence of the Treasury Board. A strike can be called within seven days of a successful vote, but no date has been set. [CTV]

CRIME

Youth charged with terrorism offences in alleged anti-Jewish bomb plot

What happened: The youth facing terror charges for an alleged bomb plot targeting Jewish sites is facing new charges that they possessed materials to make explosives, CBC reported. Details are still scarce, but the youth will appear in court for the first time today.

The youth, who cannot be named because they are a minor, now faces a total of five charges, according to the RCMP:

• Knowingly facilitating a terrorist activity by being in possession of explosive substances;

• Possession of explosive substances with intent thereby to endanger life;

• Possession of explosive substances;

• Facilitation of a terrorist activity by communicating instructional material related to an explosive substance;

• Knowingly instructing, directly or indirectly, a person to carry out a terrorist activity against Jewish persons.

Rising anti-semitism: The police hate and bias unit is investigating a swastika spray painted at Algonquin College. The college said in an internal bulletin that security had “apprehended” two students for the alleged vandalism, and they were being dealt with using the school’s disciplinary process. Police were called Dec. 18, while the painting was made earlier this month.

Help needed: The interim head of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa said more needs to be done to combat hate speech in the capital, The Canadian Press reported.

Charged in BC: A man in British Columbia was charged with multiple offences for a threatening phone call to Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth, CTV reported. The charges stem from a call where misogynistic and anti-semitic threats were made, according to Kaplan-Myrth.

• Kaplan-Myrth, an outspoken Ottawa family physician and public school board trustee, has been the victim of numerous instances of harassment.

Sanctions imposed: Meanwhile, Kaplan-Myrth was found to have violated the Code of Conduct of the Ottawa Carleton District School Board by a unanimous vote of her fellow trustees Tuesday, CTV reported. The board also voted 10-1 to bar her from the next meeting, and forbid her from attending committee meetings for three months.

HOUSE OF THE WEEK

Today’s house is an interesting find. A duplex in the west end of Centretown. It’s a bit of a fixer upper, but it’s the sort of place with plenty of potential. With two decent sized units, and hardwood floors throughout, there’s lots to like. Plus all appliances come included.

It is sold as is, but at this price, it might be just the thing.

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THE AGENDA

✋ The Ottawa Police Service outpost set to open next year in the Rideau Centre won’t be open to the public for likely a year. The force blames staffing issues for their inability to make the not-quite-a-station publically accessible. [CTV]

📚 Some Quebec teachers, fed up with fighting for better from a government that doesn’t seem to want them, are considering leaving the profession. Nearly 1,500 showed up to an online seminar on life after education as the strike nears a fifth week. [CBC]

📖 …With the strikes ongoing, January’s exams for Quebec high school students have been postponed. A new date has yet to be set. [CBC]

⚡️ The federal government set new rules for green car sales across the country. By 2030, 60 percent of all cars and SUVs must be fully electric or plug-in hybrids. That climbs to 100 percent by 2035. [Postmedia]

💐 A man in his 40s was struck and killed by a driver who fled the scene early Tuesday morning in Gatineau. Police are asking anyone with information to come forward. [CTV]

🚨 In Orléans, police are also looking for a hit-and-run driver who struck and injured a cyclist on Innes near Mer Bleu. The vehicle is thought to be an older blue Kia Rio. The cyclist's injuries were not life-threatening. [CTV]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• One of Ottawa’s oldest Chinese restaurants closed its doors this weekend, and our food editor was there to bid them a fond farewell. 

• The Caring and Sharing Exchange is in need of donations to help families in need this holiday season. 

• Life at the hospital can be difficult, but there’s plenty of joy to go around at the Gatineau Hospital birthing unit. [CBC/Radio-Canada]

• Still looking for some last-minute gifts? Try this Spanish importer for some special finds.

• Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.

CITY HALL INSIDER

Coming up: The year in selfie videos

In the next Insider we take a look back at the year that was at city hall through an unusual lens. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe puts out a lot of selfie videos, selling his vision of the city. What if we watched them all at once? What could we learn about the mayor…and ourselves?

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OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to the 24 percent of you who knew that construction on the Rideau Centre started in 1981. 

Do you know where today’s Ottawa Guesser is? The first five people to respond get their names mentioned in the newsletter.