Former deputy chief charged with sexual assault

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Good morning!

For this week’s City Hall Insider, dropping Saturday, we’ll be digging into the city’s infrastructure plans, and the hefty cost of a new development in the city’s far east. Today we’re focusing a former deputy chief facing charges and a plan to plant new trees.

— Robert Hiltz, Lookout managing editor

Wednesday: 24 🌡️ 13 | 🌦

Thursday: 21 🌡️ 8 | ☀️

Friday: 22 🌡️ 16 | ☀️

POLICING

Former deputy chief charged with sexual assault

What happened: Former Ottawa Police Service deputy chief Uday Jaswal was charged with sexual assault, the Ontario Special Investigations Unit announced. The alleged assault occurred in 2011 when Jaswal was an inspector on the force.

• The SIU is a provincial agency tasked with investigating police officers.

Resigned: Jaswal resigned from the force in 2022 after two years of paid suspension. He was facing eight charges including discreditable conduct and insubordination under the Ontario Police Services Act, but those charges were dropped when he resigned and was no longer subject to the act, CTV reported. Multiple women had accused him of sexual harassment, including a civilian employee, according to CBC.

• While suspended, Jaswal earned more than $500,000.

According to CTV, the current charge relates to an alleged assault against a woman who was a police officer at the time.

Response: Jaswal’s lawyer told CBC and CTV the charges were “opportunistic and factually implausible.” He went on to tell CTV that “Mr. Jaswal will fully and vigorously defend against this false accusation, and we will be seeking the earliest possible trial.”

Other policing news

Rideau outpost: A new community police hub will officially open in the Rideau Centre today, CTV reported. While officers will work out of the office starting this week, it won’t be open to the public until at least next year. [CTV]

Canada Day reinforcements: Officers from the OPP, RCMP, Waterloo Police Service and other police forces from across the country will bolster the ranks of the Ottawa police on July 1, CTV reported.

SPONSORED BY UNITED WAY EAST ONTARIO

Beverly finds balance with seniors’ programs and caregiver supports

“I don't know how to do this.”

But for Beverly, the challenges were tougher than anyone could imagine. Her husband Bob was hospitalized for 10 weeks after a stroke. His care wouldn't be easy.

The stresses that come with taking care of a loved one can take a toll on our wellbeing and mental health. Ninety-six per cent of individuals receiving long-term home care in Canada have an unpaid caregiver. More than one in three of these caregivers reported feeling distressed. 

Luckily, a local hospital connected her with a United Way partner for caregiver respite and seniors’ support. Thanks to those programs, Bob has fun with friends, and Beverley feels more energized to better care for him at home.

Read their full story about how United Way is improving lives for seniors and caregivers in Ottawa and the region, to find the supports they need.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🔊 38: The number of complaints received by Ottawa Bylaw Services over the Escapade Music Festival, which only ran for two of its three nights because severe weather cancelled the final day. [CTV]

🚔 831: This many vehicles were reported stolen in the first six months of the year in the city. That’s a steep climb from the 504 reported stolen in the first six months of 2023. [CTV]

🏘️ 1.19564%: The city’s property tax rate, which is the second-lowest among nine cities surveyed in the province. Ottawa ranked 13th out of 24 cities surveyed. [CTV]

OUTSIDE DOWNTOWN

⚠️ A February sewage spill at the Chalk River nuclear laboratory into the Ottawa River was toxic but non-radioactive. The federal government said it planned to increase communications about incident reporting, but the leader of the Kebaowek First Nation, who had asked for more information about the leak, was not optimistic. [CBC]

🎨 Students of three Barrhaven high schools used their art skills to paint several traffic control boxes in the suburb to add a splash of colour to the drab metal boxes. [CTV]

🌪️ Researchers confirmed that a weak tornado touched down in Deep River on the weekend. The EF0 strength tornado had wind speeds that reached 115 km/h, and travelled about one kilometre, causing damage to homes and pulling trees out of the ground. [CBC]

👁️ A man from Brockville who used to live in Ottawa, was able to get cataract surgery in a few weeks at a local clinic after being told it could be more than a year to get the surgery in Ottawa. [CTV]

🚨 Two people were seriously injured near Kingston after a head-on collision on the 401. Police said a driver was going the wrong way in the east-bound lanes. [CTV]

✈️ The Snowbirds and Italy’s airforce demonstration team the Frecce Tricolori performed a flypast of the city Tuesday along the Ottawa River ahead of this weekend’s Quinte International Airshow in Trenton. [CTV]

🚂 The neighbourhood of Mechanicsville is proud of its history, and residents are keen to preserve its legacy. The community came together to preserve greenspace in a proposed “embassy row.” [CBC]

💐 A 33-year-old man was killed when his truck was hit by a freight train at a private rail crossing east of Lancaster. [CTV]

CITY HALL

Tree planting plans get go-ahead at city council

What happened: The city will start replacing trees that fall on public land without the need for a resident to request a replacement, and look to add more trees to poorer neighbourhoods after council unanimously approved two new plans Tuesday, CBC reported.

Replacement plan: Right now the city only replaces about one-third of the trees that fall on public land, which includes the right of way in front of homes and other buildings. To get those trees replaced, it requires a formal request. The city would switch to a proactive approach to make sure trees that fall are automatically replaced

• According to city staff, this will mean the city will plant about 2,000 more trees per year, an increase of 60%, and the new approach will be phased in over three years. The city expects it to cost $3 million per year, plus one full-time equivalent position.

The city is also considering a tree planting program on private land to offer trees free of charge to the public. Staff estimates it will cost $234,000 per year.

Tree equity: To bring trees and shade to neighbourhoods lower on the socio-economic scale, the staff will do a study of the city based on the “Tree Equity Score” to figure out which neighbourhoods should be prioritized for tree planting, according to another staff report.

Also…

Stage 2 settlement: The city is seeking money for the Stage 2 LRT expansion from the provincial and federal governments. Council met behind closed doors to approve a plan for the mayor and the city manager to “proceed with the next steps in a confidential settlement process designed to resolve claims related to the Stage 2 LRT projects,” the city said in a press release.

• Mayor Mark Sutcliffe told reporters the claims are related to construction delays, including COVID-related delays, according to the Ottawa Citizen.

HOUSE OF THE WEEK

This week’s house is a downtown, two-bedroom condo. On the western edge of the core, this open-concept unit has been recently updated with new floors and improved HVAC. Includes in-unit laundry, and a balcony looking south over downtown.

Check the listing to see more of this reasonably priced condo.

House of The Week is a home selected by the Lookout team and is not a paid advertisement. All ads are labelled as such. If you’re a realtor who wishes to feature your home in our newsletter, please contact our sales team.

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Don’t stress over kid's playtime, this newsletter has you covered

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GIG LISTINGS

Listings are provided by OttawaGigs.ca, the best place to discover live music in Ottawa. Check out Ottawagigs.ca for full listings across the city.

Jakuar Band, Wednesday 7:30 pm: Potent, expressive guitarist seamlessly blending elements of blues, rock, and light jazz. At Montgomery Scotch Lounge, 750 Gladstone Ave. Tickets $10. 

Steel Cut Oats, Thursday 8 pm: Vibrant, female-fronted, indie 5-piece from Halifax blending rock, pop, and punk with infectious lyrics. At Avant-Garde Bar, 135 Besserer St. Tickets $15.

Wild Bloom, Friday 8 pm: Contemporary folk trio with rich emotive vocals, blended harmonies, and captivating fiddle improvisation. At Live! on Elgin, 220 Elgin St. Tickets $20.

Saravah Brazilian Festival, Saturday from 4 pm: Two day festival of Brazilian music, culture and heritage. At Club SAW, 67 Nicholas St. Tickets $15.

Summer Spirits, Saturday from 5 pm: Brittany Kennell leads a strong line up of country talent at the local festival. At Simon Park, Rockland.  Tickets $35.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

1. Volunteer mover for Shelter Movers Ottawa

2. Youth worker assistant for The Door Youth Centre

3. French reading volunteer for United for Literacy Ottawa

4. Piano player for the Peter D. Clark Home

5. Kitchen helper for Belong Ottawa at The Well

Have a volunteer listing you’d like to share? Send it to [email protected] with “Volunteering” in the subject line.

THE AGENDA

🥅 The Ottawa Senators traded for the 2022-23 Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Linus Ullmark. In return, the Boston Bruins received Mark Kastelic and Joonas Korpisalo. The Sens will also pay one-quarter of Korpisalo’s salary. [CTV]

🦷 The same insurance company that took over health coverage for federal public service workers will soon take over dental coverage for retirees. Canada Life takes over in November, and pensioners are concerned they will face similar issues with delays and coverage as when health coverage was transferred. [CBC]

🇨🇦 A map of the country sent to residents to colour for Canada Day by Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi was short a province and a territory. The map was missing Prince Edward Island completely, and the border between the Yukon and Northwest Territories was absent. [CBC]

🍸 Starting tomorrow, LCBO locations will open early and close late in advance of a possible July 5 strike. Stores will open at 9:30 am, and many will close at 10 pm. [CBC]

⚖️ Justin Cassie-Berubie was sentenced to 14 years in prison for manslaughter, and assault in the death of the five-year-old daughter of his girlfriend. Chloe Guan-Branch was assaulted multiple times before her 2020 death, and denied medical attention. The child died alone in her room, suffering from a ruptured bladder. [CBC]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Brooke Henderson is preparing for the Canadian Open and the Paris Olympics. [CTV]

• Beverly's husband Bob suffered a stroke. See how the United Way is helping families in Ottawa like theirs and caregivers get the support they need. [Sponsored]

• Here’s what’s open and closed around the city for Canada Day. [CTV]

• You’ll be able to find tubs of Merry Dairy ice cream around town once again, after the treat marker got a licence to sell their ice cream wholesale. [CTV]

• The Northern Pitch is a free, five-minute newsletter summarizing the biggest soccer games across the country. Try it out for free today. [Sponsored]

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

CAPITAL EATS

Kiko is killing it on Preston

Capital Eats is written by our food editor Ralf Joneikies.

While it remains very firmly established as Little Italy, Preston Street has seen an evolution in dining options. Apart from fine Italian cuisine, other top restaurants include EVOO, Mati, Ayla Social Kitchen and Kiko Sushi Bar. 

Kiko had been calling my name for some time and on the heels of other reviews of Japanese restaurants, the moment was right. 

I took advantage of their lunchtime opening (Thursday and Friday only) and was pleased by the contemporary staging. It was modern with accents of bamboo and a wall of paper cranes adorning the back of the restaurant.

To read this story and instantly subscribe to our food newsletter to discover the best hidden gem restaurants in the city, click here. 

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to the 36% of you who knew that the driver who was charged with stunt and impaired driving was going 90 km/h over the speed limit. Apologies to the 49% of you who guessed it was 170 km/h, which was the speed he was caught doing in an 80 km/h zone (a difference of 90 km/h).

Do you know where today’s Ottawa Guesser is? Reply with your name and the correct location of the photo. The first five people to reply correctly will be mentioned in the next newsletter.