Long waitlist, lack of staff, and missing funds

Good morning!

The summer just keeps on giving, doesn’t it? Yet another tornado has hit the city’s southern suburbs. Though, it seems like this one was a bit less destructive than the ones a few weeks ago. Hopefully, you and your families are all safe and sound.

Apologies to anyone on our food list who got an extra email last night. I was fiddling with the website and accidentally sent out one of the stories as an email. Sorry about that!

And I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend. Unlike many long weekends, most stores will be open on the holiday Monday, but public services will be closed, according to CBC. Garbage day is pushed back one day next week.

And a quick heads-up: there will be no Monday newsletter because of the holiday, so we’ll see you again on Wednesday!

Now, let’s get to it.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Friday: 25 🌡️ 11 | 🌦/⛈️

Saturday: 27 🌡️ 13 | ☀️

Sunday: 26 🌡️ 17 | 🌤

Monday: 23 🌡️ 19 | 🌧

HEALTHCARE

The system’s at least as broken as it seems (maybe moreso)

What happened: Healthcare across the country is in crisis with a lack of family doctors, long surgical waiting lists, and a lack of mental health supports, a new report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information said. Since the pandemic, 15 percent fewer surgeries have occurred in Ontario, and 10 percent of the province is without a family doctor.

• The report is the first in a series of yearly snapshots the institute will publish measuring progress in the nation’s healthcare system.

Staffing troubles: A lack of staff is high on the list of issues. Across the country, 18 million overtime hours were worked in 2020 and 2021, the equivalent of 9,000 full-time jobs. This led to pandemic burnout, with nurses and other healthcare workers leaving the profession, the institute said.

• At the same time, the number of family doctors hasn’t been growing as much as normal. The number of doctors used to increase about three percent a year, but now only increases one percent, and at the same time many older doctors are retiring.

Closing ERs: The Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital has had to close its emergency room several times this year because of staffing shortages. Nursing staff there rarely get weekends off, have shifts that extend hours beyond normal, and pick up extra shifts, all to keep the ER open, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

• The hospital is still waiting to hear from the province if it qualifies for a new program to help stop closures and whether it can use the money to hire more staff.

Spending squeeze: The province of Ontario spent more than $7 billion less in the last year than it planned in its most recent budget, according to the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario. That includes spending $1.7 billion less than they budgeted for in healthcare, made up of:

• $198 million less in capital funding for hospitals (maintenance, infrastructure upgrades, etc.);

• $279 million less in operational funding for hospitals (staffing, etc.);

• $137 million less in home-care spending;

• $239 million less in drug programs;

• $84 million less in long-term care spending;

• $416 million less in public health spending ($341 million of which was unspent COVID funds).

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🥅 15: The age a new uOttawa study suggests bodychecking in hockey be banned until, raising it from the current age of 13 to reduce concussions in children. [CBC]

📈 $37,834: The amount house prices have increased year over year in July. Prices were up to $754,188, a five percent boost, from $746,445 in July last year. [CTV]

⛽️ 166.9: The price, in cents, that gas is expected to drop on Friday. [CTV]

CLIMATE

More tornadoes touch down in southern suburbs

What happened: At least one tornado was confirmed to have touched down near Metcalfe yesterday by Environment Canada, as severe storms blasted through the area.

Storm chaser Connor Mockett spotted a tornado near Albion and River roads:

Damage: In Riverside South, the roof of one home was ripped off, according to Ottawa Fire Services. The family in the house was able to escape, but firefighters had to enter the building to find their dog, who was safe. There were no reports of injuries in the path of the storm, according to Coun. Steve Desroches.

Power: Trees and wires were downed in the area, the fire service said. More than 400 customers in the area were without power, according to Hydro Ottawa.

TRANSIT

City confident in Aug. 14 LRT reopening

What happened: With work underway to fix troublesome parts of the LRT tracks, the city is confident trains will start again by Aug. 14, transit general manager Renée Amilcar said in a memo.

• “At this time, OC Transpo believes that full Line 1 service will be ready to safely resume on Aug. 14. OC Transpo is closely following this progress and will continue to provide updates on the timing to gradually restart service,” she wrote.

Not quite full service: While the memo said “full Line 1 service,” it will actually be a much-reduced train service, augmented by R1 bus service. OC Transpo is planning on only running eight single-car trains, instead of the usual 13 double-car trains along the line. Amilcar said with LRT ridership at only slightly above 40 percent, she and her staff are confident the single trains will be enough to handle the volume of passengers.

What about the tracks? With a major redesign of the trains’ axles required, it opens the door to the question: might the tracks themselves be part of the problem? Several experts told CBC it’s possible the tracks are part of the issue, but any serious redesign and rebuild of the track layout would mean shutdowns of months, if not years to fix any underlying issues.

THE AGENDA

🚨 Two men are dead and a woman was seriously injured after a major collision in the east end. The woman was driving north on St. Laurent when police said she may have run a red light hitting a vehicle travelling West on Montreal Road, which then burst into flames. Alcohol, speeding, and running a red light are all under investigation. [CBC]

📰 Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, is cutting off news access to Canadians on their platforms. Here’s what you need to know. [CBC]

🚒 An overnight fire in Sandy Hill has left 25 people without homes. [CTV]

🪧 Workers on Parliament Hill, who are forbidden from striking, have hit an impasse in contract negotiations and are being forced into arbitration. [CBC]

😷 A horse in Lanark County tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis virus, an illness that can pass to horses and humans from birds via mosquito bites. [CTV]

🚧 Expect traffic delays on the 417 and downtown Saturday as another “Rolling Thunder” protest will make a drive-by of the War Memorial. [CTV]

EVENTS

What to do this weekend

Arts

🎭 St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival, until Aug. 5: Featuring A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Oscar Wilde’s Importance of Being Earnest, and Alice in Wonderland on different dates. At the Kinsmen Amphitheatre, 101 Water St W, Prescott. Tickets $38 for adults.

🔥 Ottawa Busker Fest, Friday to Monday: A festival of street performers from across the globe, music, performance and more. On Sparks Street across four stages. Free.

💰 Odyssey Theatre's The Miser, until Aug. 20: The Odyssey Theatre presents the classic play by Moliere under the stars. Suitable for kids eight and up. At Strathcona Park. Donation requested.

Sports

🏃‍♀️ Canadian Track and Field League Championships, Saturday: The country’s best athletes compete in individual and team events. At the Terry Fox Athletic Facility, 2960 Riverside Dr. Tickets $10.

General

🚣‍♂️ Kaleidoscope Kayaking, until Aug. 19: Take a trip down the Rideau Canal in an LED-lit kayak, while the fireworks from the Les Grands Feux du Casino Lac-Leamy light up the sky. On the Rideau Canal. Tickets $89.

Market

👗 Vintage & Antique Market, Saturday 11 am: A market with all sorts of great items just waiting for you to find them. From clothes to vinyl, you’re sure to find something for you. Family and pet friendly. At the Urban Art Collective, 1088 Somerset St. W. Free!

Film

📽️ Capital Pop-up Cinema, Friday at dusk (8:45 pm-ish): A screening of The Neverending Story outdoors. Starts at dusk, at Beechwood Cemetery. Free.

Culture

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Glengarry Highland Games, Saturday and Sunday: The annual celebration of highland culture. Caber tossing, dance, food and more. In Maxville, Ont. Admission $30.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• The William Commanda Bridge isn’t quite ready, but that’s not stopping some from jumping the barriers to ride across. [Ottawa Citizen]

• It’s nice to see the LRT stations still getting some use by wildlife while the rest of us are locked out. [Reddit]

• Have you seen this stuffed cow? It was lost at Bayshore this week, possibly in the food court or at Winners. [Reddit]

• Keep an eye out when you’re near the Rideau River, you might spot a white egret! [Reddit]

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CAPITAL EATS

Every week our team at Capital Eats scours Ottawa for the best places to eat, drinks to try and events to attend. Here’s a breakdown of all the biggest stories.

🇮🇷 One of the city’s most exciting new restaurants opened up recently. If you like Persian food, you do not want to miss it.

🍜 Sometimes it’s worth revisiting a favourite, as our food editor found out, when he returned to a local Korean restaurant to find some great new items on their expanded menu.

🇰🇷 (Insiders) Speaking of Korean food, we’ve got a guide to some of the city’s best Korean restaurants you need to put on your list.

🍷 (Insiders) French wine is always in style, and here’s a wine from the Corbieres region that’s great for grilling season.

TOP PHOTO

Today’s photo comes from reader Mark Ferguson. Thanks for the great photo, Mark!

Do you have a photo you’d like to share with the Lookout community? Send it in!

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to Jennifer, Bruce, and Adam who knew this week’s Ottawa Guesser was the retirement home on Eagleson near Terry Fox.

Do you think you can get this week’s Ottawa Wordle? Play now.