How the education strike will affect Ottawa

Sponsored by

Good morning!

We’ve done it everyone, we’ve made it to the end of daylight saving time. In the wee hours Sunday, clocks will roll back one hour to bring us back to standard time. I’m not one of those people that hates the time change — though the twice a year debate on whether we should keep the change or not does get grating. 

I say rejoice, we get an extra hour on Sunday. Use it wisely, or frivolously, it’s your day after all.

This Saturday, we’re having our first Lookout food event, where food editor Ralf Joneikies will tour us through a series of Croatian wines at Bistro Ristoro. Looking forward to seeing everyone who bought tickets!

For those who missed out, fear not, we’re planning more events soon. 

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: 19 🌡️ 14 | 🌤

Saturday: 22 🌡️ 15 | 🌤

Sunday: 19 🌡️ 10 | 🌧

Monday: 17 🌡️ -4 | ☀️

EDUCATION

Education workers to strike ‘until further notice’

What happened: The union representing education support workers in the province said it would be on strike “until further notice,” CTV reported. 

Most boards in and around Ottawa will close and go to online learning, with the exception of the OCDSB, the Renfrew county board, and the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est which will all stay open, CBC reported.

• Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien hasn’t decided whether it will need to close schools.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) presented a new offer to the government, which rejected it because the union wouldn’t take its threat to strike off the table. “It is clear that this government never intended to negotiate,” CUPE tweeted.

Government response: The province went ahead and passed Bill 28, CTV reported. Premier Doug Ford was not in the chamber for the vote. The bill imposes a four-year contract on the workers. It’s a practice that has been ruled by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional, and previously cost the government $100 million, so government invoked the notwithstanding clause of the Charter to shield the move from a court challenge.

• Dig deeper: 'Dangerous' and 'draconian': labour experts pan Ontario's notwithstanding clause use [The Canadian Press]

Expanding blowback: About 8,000 Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) education workers will walk of the job today in solidarity with their CUPE colleagues. The government’s imposition of a new contract “isn’t just an attack on education workers’ collective bargaining rights, it is an attack on all workers’ rights,” OPSEU said according to CityNews

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🏘 41%: House sales dropped this much in October to 987 sales, down from 1,670 a year earlier. The average sale price for a home dropped five percent to $577,873. [CTV]

⛽️ 172.9: Gas prices rose four cents today to this amount. The end of October saw gas prices rise 20 cents in four days from Oct. 26-29. [CityNews]

SPONSORED BY CMPA

More investment in diverse Canadian stories

Canada is a diverse country made up of voices that should be heard. 

But outdated laws in the Canadian Broadcasting Act mean many foreign media companies aren’t required to invest in Canadian media production. That’s hurting independent Canadian producers.

• How can we improve this? By passing Bill C-11. 

Updating Canada’s Broadcasting Act - the first time in 30 years - will increase investments in media production for Indigenous, Black and other equity-seeking creators from across Canada.

• Increase investments: It’ll make foreign streaming services, who make billions from Canadians, invest in Canadian productions.

Changes to the Broadcasting Act will give Canadians control of our stories, which reflect the people and places of Canada.

Learn more about Bill C-11 today.

CONVOY

Highlights from the convoy inquiry

The revelations coming from the public convoy inquiry are hard to keep up with. Here are some of the key takeaways from this week’s hearings.

Police from multiple forces were leaking a “steady stream” of information to convoy organizers. Lawyer Keith Wilson told the inquiry, “It happened many times.” Tips about incoming raids and other information were passed to the convoy by officials who were supportive of the convoy, he said. [CBC]

Wilson, the convoy lawyer, who was present at the protests encouraged people to stay in the core after the invocation of the Emergencies Act, and said he never imagined the “peaceful” protesters would be arrested. A second lawyer advising convoy organizers told them people were likely to be arrested. [CTV]

The convoy raised more than $24 million through its fundraising campaign. Much of that money was frozen, and sits in escrow pending the outcome of a class action lawsuit. Organizer Tamara Lich received $1 million of that money to her personal bank account. [National Post]

One of the convoy’s organizers, Chris Barber, presented two very different versions of himself, as The Globe and Mail’s Shannon Proudfoot breaks down. One version was a childish naif, awed by the way the convoy came together; the other version a savvy communicator and political organizer. [Globe and Mail]

HOUSING

Housing bill strips environmental protections, could lead to property tax increases

What happened: The Ontario government’s new housing bill will cut out major environmental regulations placed on new construction. Municipal green building standards, greenspace protections, and wetlands protections are all on the chopping block, The Narwhal reported.

• Developers will also have more say in how parks are built, and consultation with Indigenous peoples will be limited.

No Ottawa consultation: The province is holding consultations on the new housing rules, but only in the Toronto area. The hearings wrap up in two weeks, with none scheduled for Ottawa, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

What it could mean: One of the major changes is to limit development charges for new construction. Cities use that money to build infrastructure like sewers and water mains, build community centres and parks, and provide services for new builds. That money has to come from somewhere, and could lead to property tax increases, CBC reported.

EVENTS

Your weekend guide

Friday

📚 Rockcliffe Park Book Fair, until Sunday: The return of the in-person book fair, at 360 Springfield Rd. Rockcliffe Park Public School is celebrating 100 years of the school being open.

🛍 One World Bazaar in Manotick, until Sunday 12 pm-7 pm: Handcrafted goods for sale from around the globe. Only three weekends remain!

🍷 Outstanding in their Fields, tonight: The 10th edition of this wine and craft cider event, hosted at City Hall. COme and try and buy more than 100 different products. Tickets start at $89.

💂‍♀️ Poppy Drop, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm until Nov. 11: Parliament will have 117,000 virtual poppies projected onto the Peace Tower and the Senate, one for each of the country’s war dead.

🎬 Ottawa Canadian Film Festival, Nov. 3-5: The film festival has eight short films tonight, starting at 7 pm at the Bytowne Theatre. Two more films, a short and a feature, will be shown Saturday. Tickets start at $12.

Saturday

🎹 Classical Piano Concert by Nicholas Deek, 2 pm: A performance of Bach, Mozard, Chopin and more at the Woodroffe United Church. Tickets start at $22.

🎻 En Mémoire, 7 pm: A concert of Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem at St. Paul University on Main Street. Tickets start at $15.

Sunday

🏃‍♀️ Army Run, 7 am: Head downtown to support the runners of the five and 10 kilometre races that snake through downtown.

🧵 Kanata Holiday Craft Fair, 9 am to 4 pm: Head on out to the Kanata Holiday Inn and Suites for one of the first holiday markets of the year, with plenty of handmade gifts for sale. Entrance is free, but bring a non-perishable food donation.

📰 Canzine, 11 am to 6 pm: A celebration of zines and other independent print products hosted at the Ottawa Art Gallery. Entry is free.

Food and Events (Insiders Only)

How to get them: Insider members get a curated food event list in our Thursday Insider email, as well as early access to restaurant reviews. Try an Insider membership for only $1 for your first month - there’s no risk and you can cancel anytime. 

QUICK HITS

🚨 A 70-year-old man was killed when he was hit by two drivers on Merivale Road on Wednesday. A 35-year-old was seriously injured on the SJAM Parkway the same day.  [CBC]

✖️ CHEO cancelled surgeries, procedures, and clinic appointments because it is beyond capacity to handle an unprecedented surge in patients. CHEO and other children’s hospitals have asked adult hospitals to take patients older than 14 years old to take some of the load. [CTV, and The Canadian Press]

🏥 Rural hospitals like Alexandria’s Glengarry Memorial have been hit especially hard by healthcare worker shortages. [The Canadian Press]

😷 Mask mandates could return if flu season and COVID infections continue to get worse and the surgical backlog continues to grow. [The Canadian Press] 

📈 Rising inflation has given Loblaws excess profits of $1 million per day, and all the major grocery chains saw above-average profits for the year. [Toronto Star]

SPORTS

💰 One name that has emerged as a possible buyer for the Ottawa Senators is actor Ryan Reynolds. One of his motivations is to keep the team in the city. [People Magazine]

🥅 The Bell Capital Cup, a hockey tournament for youth, will return this year after a two-year COVID absence. [Ottawa Sun]

🏒 Brady Tkachuk has been captain of the Sens for a year. He talked with the Ottawa Sun about how he takes the responsibility of leading the team. [Ottawa Sun]

Upcoming games

Senators @ Flyers | Saturday, Nov. 5, 7 pm | Watch on Sportsnet 1, TVA Sports 2

Ottawa 67’s vs. Barrie Colts | Friday, Nov. 4, 7 pm | At home | Tickets

Ottawa 67’s vs. Peterborough Petes | Saturday, Nov. 5, 7 pm | At home | Tickets

SPONSORED BY TELUS

What’s digital policy got to do with the environment?

Connectivity can help fight climate change. From high-speed video-conferencing, smart applications for energy management for homes and entire communities, virtual healthcare, and digital efficiencies for farming and supply chains, strong digital policies allow for innovative technologies that enable us to reduce our carbon footprint and reach net-zero emissions faster. 

When Canadians are connected, we can all fight climate change together. Learn more and take action today at TELUS.

GOOD NEWS

Returning a valuable ‘treat’: An eight-year-old Hawkesbury girl was hailed for her honesty for returning a ring that slipped off a woman’s finger and into her Halloween treat bag. When offered a reward by the ring’s owner, the family turned it down, so the woman donated $250 to the Food Bank in the girl’s honour. [Ottawa Citizen]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Local record stores are thriving, and are looking forward to Record Store Day later this month. [OBJ]

• Date night this weekend? Why not check out Sans Façon for some fine French cuisine. 

• The city has extended its sidewalk patio program until Nov. 13 because of the nice weather.

• Don’t forget about Sunday’s downtown road closures because of the Army Run.

• There were 15 holiday movies filmed here this past year. Keep your eye out for some familiar locations on the small screen this Christmas. [CTV]

• Mars, a six-month-old white rabbit, is a laid-back and social pet up for adoption at the Ottawa Humane Society… [CityNews]

• …the Society just announced its new CEO will be Sharon Miko, the organization’s current director of operations. [CityNews]

• For Insiders: Check out the Capital Eats guide to Mexican food in our city.

• A meteor was spotted this morning outside of Kemptville by one Reddit user, who captured the moment on their dashcam. [Reddit]

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

TOP PHOTO

Reader Alan Bacon sends in this great fall shot of some geese fuelling up for their trip south.

Have you got photos you’d like to share with Lookout readers? Send them our way!

OTTAWA WORDLE

Congrats to Nathalie, Mike, John, Rosemary, Ron, and everyone else who guessed correctly that this week’s Ottawa GeoGuesser was on Somerset just west of Preston, near City Centre.

Want to try your hand at the Ottawa Wordle? Play now!

LATEST COVID STATS