Education support workers could strike Friday

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Boo!

It’s spooky season! More than once this weekend I briefly forgot it was halloween, and was pretty puzzled seeing people in costume. What the h— oh, right, right. Halloween.

This is a long way of saying, I didn’t really do much that was Haloweeen-y over the weekend. Didn’t even carve a pumpkin this year. The dog is happy though, she has never been one to enjoy a costume, and we have several.

Anyway, you’ve come here for a newsletter, so let’s get to that.

— 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

Monday: 14 🌡️ 7 | 🌤

Tuesday: 14 🌡️ 4 | 🌧

Wednesday: 13 🌡️ 3 | ☀️

WEEKLY LOOKOUT

Halloween: Careful out there tonight, there will be costumed kids out and about, looking to stock up on candy. Police are warning drivers to keep extra care on the roads. [CTV]

Convoy inquiry: Former police chief Peter Sloly is still on the witness list for this week at the inquiry. Also on the list are a number of convoy leaders, including Chris Barber, Pat King, and Tamara Lich.

Mayoral transition: Mayor Jim Watson will host incoming mayor Mark Sutcliffe this morning for a briefing for the handover of power. Sutcliffe and the rest of council will be officially sworn in on Nov. 15.

Council meetings: For the first time since a new chief was appointed, the Police Services Board will meet. On the agenda will be a police budget update, and several reports from the Special Investigations Unit which clear several officers from misconduct complaints. The transit commission will get an update on the progress of Stage 2 LRT construction, as well as a staff report on the LRT Inquiry.

EDUCATION

School support workers could strike Friday

What happened: The union representing education support workers gave a five-day strike notice on Sunday. The Canadian Union of Public Employees unit representing 55,000 school staff said their members will be on a “full withdrawal of service” starting Friday if a deal is not reached this week.

• “No one wants to strike, least of all the lowest-paid education workers who can barely pay our bills. Still, we need a significant wage increase and we deserve it. … Doug Ford is premier of Canada’s richest province and he clearly has the power and resources to accept our reasonable, affordable, and absolutely necessary proposals,” Laura Walton, president of CUPE’s Ontario School Boards Council of Unions said in a statement.

The government’s response: That looks to be out of their hands. Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced Sunday night the government would pre-empt any strike by introducing legislation today. Global News reporter Colin D’Mello said on Twitter, that it’s expected the government will impose a contract on the workers.

• “For the sake of students and parents, we are not giving up on a deal that protects in-person learning for kids, after two years of disruption that led to learning loss and mental health adversity," Lecce said before announcing the decision to introduce legislation, according to CTV.

The union represents workers at the Ottawa Catholic School Board, the Conseil des écoles catholiques Centre-Est and Conseil des école publiques de I’Est, but does not represent any Ottawa Carleton District School Board workers, CTV reported.

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OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

⛽️ $0.05: Gas prices dropped this much to about 176 cents per litre across the city over the weekend. [CTV]

🥗 $1,088: It costs this much every month to feed a family of four in the city. [CTV]

💸 $660,000: The amount of severance the city will pay out to departing councillors and the mayor. [CTV]

CONVOY

Former chief Peter Sloly testifies

What happened: In an emotional appearance, former Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly defended his time in command during the convoy occupation. He said while some intelligence suggested the convoy could stay longer, it didn’t seem as if the convoy would stay longer than a weekend, CTV reported.

Sloly’s response: He said it didn’t take long after the first weekend to realize how wrong his initial assessment was: “What we saw in violation of our community's rights, our business community's rights, the level of unlawfulness and assaultiveness in the broadest sense of that term, including the literal sense of that term, was not what we expected and was overwhelming,” Sloly said according to CBC.

• Even in retrospect, the former chief said he doesn’t think he made the wrong call.

Key quote: Sloly felt his officers didn’t get the support from the community or the media he felt they deserved:"They were doing their very best under inhuman circumstances, like the city was, like the community was… it was too cold and it was too much but they did their very best and I'm grateful to them."

EVENTS

What to do this week

Dido Reimagined, Nov. 1: Dawn Upshaw and Brentano Quartet play a performance inspired by the Purcell opera Dido and Aeneas at 355 Cooper St. as part of Chamberfest. Tickets start at $25.

Lorenzo Naccarato Trio, Nov. 3: This jazz trio fronted by Franco-Italian pianist Naccarato is playing an eclectic set at Club SAW. Tickets start at $17.

Irish whiskey tasting, Nov. 3: The Ireland Canada Chambers of Commerce is hosting a tasting of a series of Irish whiskeys at the ByWard Heart and Crown. Tickets are $25.

Ottawa Canadian Film Festival, Nov. 3-5: The film festival kicks off Thursday at the Bytowne Theatre with the animated short The Star Mill and the feature documentary the smallest steps. Tickets start at $12.

JOBS AROUND TOWN

Check out the new open positions in Ottawa.

1. Senior manager, contracts and risk assessment at the NAC

2. Communication advisor in social media analytics at Natural Resources Canada

3. Project manager at Delco Security

4. Senior analyst at Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy

5. Team leader of operations at Medical Council of Canada

QUICK HITS

🗳 Mark Sutcliffe won a majority of wards in the election on his way to victory, with the bulk of his support in the rural and suburban areas of the city. [CBC]

🚨 The remains of an Inuk woman, missing for five years, were discovered in a Vanier apartment building at the end of last month. Her identity was only just confirmed. [CTV]

🪧 Hundreds of protesters marched in solidarity with Iranians who are protesting the regime at home. They were joined by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. [CTV]

👟 Community groups worry the sale of the downtown YMCA-YWCA will mean a loss of necessary services in the core. [CBC]

⚽️ Atlético Ottawa lost the Canadian Premier League final against Hamilton’s Forge FC 2-0.

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COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• It was a good weekend to be a costumed dog, as they and their owners took over Sparks Street. [CTV]

• Bill-11 ensures Canadian media producers are treated fairly. Learn about the bill and why 87% of Canadians want a level playfield with foriegn broadcasters.*

• The Redblacks’ disappointing season ended on a low note, as they lost to the Hamilton Ti-Cats 23-16. [The Canadian Press]

• At the new ice cream shop Haven’s Creamery, the secret is the high quality dairy.

• If you’re looking for a perfect last-minute pumpkin for carving, one Reddit user recommends the Loblaws on Isabella Street. [Reddit]

• The United Way of Eastern Ontario gave 92-year-old Gordon Bethune its latest Community Builder award for his years of volunteering. [Apt613]

• The Ottawa Riverkeeper has moved into its new home in the refurbished River House. [Ottawa Citizen]

• You’ve got to try the Imperial rolls at Pho Tuan on Somerset. One of the best examples of these rolls in the city.

• The Pembroke Hospital raised $215,000 at its first fundraising event since the pandemic began. [CityNews]

• Ooof. The Sens’ roadtrip got off to a rough start with a 5-3 loss to the Panthers. [Ottawa Citizen]

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GIVEAWAY

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Would you buy them all at once and freeze them? Visit each week over a few months?

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Increase your chances by referring your friends to our newsletter. Because who doesn’t love news and bagels?

TOP PHOTO

Reader Alan sends us this photo of a lovely painted pumpkin.

Do you have any great Halloween photos? We’d love to run them this week, send them our way!

NEWS QUIZ

Congrats to everyone who got last week’s Ottawa Wordle, the answer was BELLS, as in Bells Corners.

Former chief Peter Sloly has been at the centre of the convoy inquiry. What police force did he work at before becoming head of the Ottawa police? The first five people to write in with the correct answer will get their names mentioned in the next issue.

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