Group leaves St. Brigid’s after eviction order

Good morning!

It’s good to be back at the keyboard after a couple of days of rest. Thanks to Geoff for taking the helm, I know you were all in good hands while I was away.

Went out for a lovely walk in the woods this weekend. And, anticipating rain, I put the dog in her coat. Unfortunately, no coat is much good at keeping a dog dry when they jump into the river. Might be time for a bath pretty soon…

Anyhow, let’s get to the newsletter shall we?

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Monday: 16 🌡️ 11 | ⛈

Tuesday: 17 🌡️ 10 | 🌧

Wednesday: 14 🌡️ 3 | 🌧

OTTAWA THIS WEEK

Fall colours: The NCC started its annual Fall Rhapsody meter to measure leaf colours across the region. For the moment, it’s all green, but expect the fall colours to explode across the city soon.

Mayoral debate: Five mayoral candidates including Bob Chiarelli, Catherine McKenney, and Mark Sutcliffe will meet for a debate on the environment. Hosted by CAFES Ottawa, you can attend live at the Centretown United Church or watch a live stream.

ST. BRIGID’S

Eviction successful, Lowertown church returned to owners

What happened: The group occupying St. Brigid’s is gone. Friday, a judge ruled The United People of Canada (TUPOC) could be evicted from the property. The judge also ordered the group to pay $53,000 to the owners, CTV reported.

One owner, Patrick McDonald, said he was glad to see the group go. He also apologized to the neighbourhood:

• “Sorry to the community down here that it’s been going on for such a period of time. … We’d heard from some people in the TUPOC group that they’re going to stay here indefinitely… I’m glad that they’re packed up and gone,” McDonald told CTV.

What neighbours thought: They were happy to see the group go, several told the Ottawa Citizen they were happy to no longer have the group in the area.

What’s next: The building is still up for sale, but the owners say they will do more due diligence before another sale, they told the Citizen. William Komer, leader of TUPOC, said he will appeal the ruling.

HOUSING

Income required to buy a house drops slightly, still in six figures

Required income: Ottawa has the fifth-highest income required to buy a house in the country. With the average home price of $620,000 in August, a 20 percent down payment would require a yearly income of about $130,000 to pass the mortgage stress test, CTV reported. That’s down from a required income of about $137,000 in June.

• The median family income in Ottawa is $102,000, according to the city.

Snapshot: Cost of housing tops the list of the most important issues for Ottawa voters this election, with 48 percent agreeing it was a big concern, according to polling by the Broadbent Institute.

Background: Ottawa appears to be bucking the national trend of falling prices in a few different ways, according to Remax analysis, none of them good:

• The year-to-year sale price rose 10 percent for residential homes and nine percent for condos;

• In August, prices on residential-class properties increased to about $707,000, and condos to about $422,000.

Meanwhile, the national average home price tumbled 3.9 percent year-over-year.

According to CTV, average rental prices in the city for a one-bedroom apartment increased by 13.9 percent in August compared to a year ago, to $1,890 a month.

What’s being built: An analysis by CTV showed 11,000 new building permits have been issued, with 48,000 48,000 units for rezoning applications have been approved, but only 7,000 were actually built.

SPONSORED BY CANADENSIS GARDEN FALL CELEBRATION

Embrace gardening, art and nature this Saturday at the Canadensis Garden Fall Celebration… before winter arrives!

Enjoy outdoor nature! Canadensis Garden is hosting a Fall Celebration this Saturday.

What is it: Fall fun for the whole family, featuring a botanical themed art expo and sale, make & take children’s crafts, horse-drawn wagon rides, botanical exhibits and education.

When: Saturday 10 - 4 pm at Canadensis Garden, Experimental Farm (Prince of Wales Drive at Hartwell’s Locks Lane)

It’s the perfect afternoon activity to spend with your family. Learn more.

JOBS AROUND TOWN

• Manager of interior design at the House of Commons

• Senior advisor, financial reporting at the Royal Canadian Mint

• Data scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

• Government relations advisor at The Co-operators

• Contract advisor at the University of Ottawa

ELECTION

Sutcliffe promises to drop recreation fees, McKenney promises more French services

What happened: Mayoral candidate Mark Sutcliffe promised to drop recreation fees for children by 10 percent. The reduction would apply to all programming for preschoolers, children and youth, his campaign said.

• Sutcliffe also promised to overhaul the city’s registration website for things like swimming lessons. It’s something the city is in the process of upgrading, and expects it to be online later this year, CBC reported last month.

He said he would expand the number of recreational programs to meet demand in the city, as well as allow bookings for drop-in activities at any time. Current restrictions force you to book a day or two in advance.

Improving French services: Candidate Catherine McKenney promised to increase city services for French-language speakers. They said they would expand swimming lessons in French to meet the high demand, and also shorten wait times for 311 in French.

Voting opens: Early voting opened up across the city for the municipal election. Until Tuesday, nine locations across town will be open from 10 am to 8 pm for early voting. See the city’s website to find a location near you.

STORIES YOU MIGHT’VE MISSED

Senior moved to LTC against her will: A 62-year-old woman with multiple sclerosis and severe diabetes was forced to leave the hospital and take a bed at a long-term care home not on her list of preferred beds. “We were operating on fear, and didn't have time to make decisions. The bed was offered at 1 pm on the Thursday and the decision had to be made,” the woman’s caregiver told CTV. If she hadn’t accepted the bed, she could have been charged hundreds of dollars a day or moved as far as 70 kilometres because of a new provincial law. [CTV]

Staff shortage at Perth, Smiths Falls hospitals: The delivery rooms at the Perth and Smiths Falls hospitals have both been closed until at least Oct. 10 because of a staffing shortage. The nearest birthing unit is at the Almonte Hospital, 45 kilometres away. One ER doctor said the hospital is losing too many nurses, largely because of treatment by the province over pay. [CBC]

Downtown businesses struggle: The shift away from office work is putting strain on downtown businesses. A recent study suggested downtowns will need to diversify land use and the types of economic activity that go on so they can survive. [CBC]

SPONSORED BY UBER

Uber introduces life-saving 911 data-share capabilities to Ottawa

Uber Canada and RapidSOS are partnering to make it easier to find you in an emergency.

Ottawa is the first Canadian city to have 911 data-share capabilities to the Uber app, making critical information immediately available to 911 operators and first responders during an Emergency.

This data enables faster and smarter emergency response and ultimately helps save lives.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• For a delicious savoury sandwich, give Mr. Kaak a try for a Lebanese treat.

• Celebrate Fall this weekend at Mādahòkì Farm. Tagwàgi (Autumn) Indigenous Festival has stage performances, makers market, creative workshops & culinary delights — fun for all ages. Learn more.*

• The OCDSB has launched a new online tool to report bullying in school. [CTV]

• This year’s Carp Fair set aside time in the Special Needs Midway Hour to dim the lights and lower the music to give more people a chance to ride. [CTV]

• A number of people decided to use an on ramp on the 174 as an off ramp this weekend because of construction traffic. (Please don’t do this.) [Reddit]

• Mayor Jim Watson collected a lot of gifts over his years in office, and now he’s selling them off to benefit the Ottawa Food Bank.

• Watch out if you’re in Kanata, a black bear was spotted on the Old Quarry Trail. [CTV]

• Are you missing your Presto card? Someone found it on the end of a “Whatever!” lanyard on Bank Street. [Reddit]

*Sponsored ad

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To sweeten the deal, we’re launching a flash discount: the next 46 people who join get 20 percent off a yearly or monthly Insider membership for the first year.

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OTTAWA QUIZ

Congrats to everyone who got last week’s extra-sized Ottawa Wordle, the answer was REDBLACKS.

For the quiz this week, we thought we’d keep it topical. Now that St. Brigid’s is once again unoccupied, in what year did construction start on the building? Reply to this email with your answers, and if you’re right, we’ll print your name in the next issue.

LATEST COVID STATS

Note: Ottawa Public Health is now only updating COVID stats twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. Because of the Lookout’s publishing schedule, this means the numbers here may be out of date.

Active Cases: 686 | New Cases: 235 | Total Deaths: 888 | Ottawans In Hospital: 32 | Ottawans In ICU: 2 | Acute Beds Occupied: 101% | ICU Beds Occupied: 78% | ICU Ventilator Beds Occupied: 34%