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Here’s what you need to know about Ottawa River flooding
Where the floods are expected and a tour of pizza spots around town
Robert Hiltz & Geoff Sharpe
19 Apr
Good morning,
Today’s newsletter is a bit different today than normal. Unfortunately, we’ve spent the last few days taking our very good dog, Lady Bird, to the vet and the oncologist. It’s been a difficult time, as you might imagine, and the news has not been good.
There will be more to say eventually, but for the moment we’re just grateful to have more time with our dog.
A gigantic thank you to Geoff for filling in today on this truncated issue.
We’re going to try and get back up to full steam as soon as possible, but things may be a bit disrupted for the next few days.
Let’s get to it.
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Weather Report
Wednesday: +7 🌡️ -3 | 🌧️/❄️
Thursday: +14 🌡️ +7 | ⛅
Friday: +20 🌡️ +10 | 🌦
SPRING
Flooding expected along the Ottawa River
A flood warning has been issued along the lower Ottawa River and could result in flooding in areas and communities along the area beginning sometime today and lasting until Thursday, according to CBC.
What it means: The Ottawa River Regulation Planning board says that the water will exceed major flooding levels, which is described as "the level at which one or several streets are beginning to flood, with several houses, buildings or neighbourhoods being affected,” CBC reported.
Background: The board issued the warning on Monday. The cause of all is because of a higher than normal snowpack melting at a faster rate due to the warm weather, according to CityNews. This is expected to continue into the weekend, with reservoirs unable to hold the higher volume of water, according to CBC.
One small piece of good news is flood levels are not expected to rise as much as 2017 and 2019, according to the Ottawa Citizen (thank goodness).
CBC has broken down the expected metres of flooding:
Constance Bay with 0.7 metres;
Grandview Road and Belltown with 0.65 metres;
Boise Village, Morin Road and Leo Lane with 1 metre;
Rockland with 1 metre;
And Hawkesbury with 0.5 metres.
Here’s a breakdown of what areas could be affected as of reporting Tuesday afternoon:
In the Pembroke district near Lac Coulonge and to Arnprior;
Cumberland Village and in Rockland
Laurentian Valley Township at the area below Des Allumettes Bridge and at Sullivan Point Road Area;
And areas of Gatineau, including rue Jacques-Cartier Est, Cartier and other places listed here.
Supplies: People in the affected area can get sand and sandbags from Ottawa and Gatineau. This includes 29 Hurdman Rd., 2145 Rogers Stevens Dr. and 11 other locations. Streets are expected to be closed. You can find the closest location to you here. Residents of the affected areas on the Quebec side of the border can find sandbag pickup locations here.
OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS
8 cents: The increase in the cost of gas this week as gas stations switch from winter to summer blends, with the price expected to rise to 164.9 cents per litre. That’s the highest gas price since Nov. 15. [CTV]
Over 12 and counting: The number of pizza places our food editor Ralf has tried in the last year. That’s a lot of pizzas. [Capital Eats]
GOVERNMENT
PSAC workers on strike
It’s official — as of last night, 155,000 government workers are on strike after the government and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) were unable to come to an agreement at the bargaining table. Both sides will continue to negotiate, but the prospects of an agreement are unclear as both are far apart, according to CBC.
Background: Negotiations have been ongoing since June 2021, and there’s been no significant movement since May 2022, according to CBC. Wage increases and work-from-home options have been the key bargaining priorities for PSAC, according to CTV.
PSAC has been pushing for a 4.5 percent increase each year for the last three years to keep up with inflation. The government has offered a 3 percent increase. The inflation rate was 4.3 percent in March, the lowest it’s been since August 2021, and down from 5.2 percent in February, according to CBC.
What’s next: Picket lines will be set up across the country at 250 locations. Taxes will be the biggest service impacted, with certain CRA services unavailable, according to the Canadian Press, along with many others which you can read here.
Essential employees: There are 46,000 workers who are deemed essential, according to the government, and will still be required to work, including those associated with essential services like Employment Insurance and Canada Pension Plan payments, Veterans’ income support, and OAS and GIS payments.
You find a list of picket line locations here.
FOOD
Magnificent coffee (and more) at Sharpfle Waffle
Editor’s note: With the news of Sharpfle Waffle being forced to move, we thought we’d share our food editor’s review from last September. It was normally a members-only post, but we’re making it accessible for everyone to read. If you enjoyed it, please consider becoming a member to support more journalism like this.
Those who love coffee may have found themselves down the rabbit hole long ago. It happened to me twenty years back when I became a home-roaster of green coffee beans.
I used a small table top device called a Fresh Roast that was in its first generation. It roasted enough beans to make between four to six cups of coffee in a French press.
Already you may have noticed some specificity in what I described. Four to six cups? French press? Why not a drip coffee maker or a pour over? And wouldn't you use the same amount of ground coffee for each of the methods?
Not necessarily and yes we open a Pandora's box once we start asking questions around coffee.
But this Pandora’s box is actually a profile of a Hintonburg coffee shop named Sharpfle Waffle. A visit here will provide you with, what is in my estimation, a finer coffee experience than almost any shop in Ottawa.
HOUSE OF THE WEEK
Realtor.ca
We’re jumping across the river to feature a beautiful spot in Chelsea. Cathedral is not normally how you’d describe a place, but this spot? Yes, yes you can. The open space layout is immaculate, with a kitchen that food lovers would die for. Plus you can host guests in the two-bedroom guest suite.
THE AGENDA
🏒 Goaltender Cam Talbot will not be returning to the Sens next year, after he sought more money than the team was willing to offer. He went 17-14-2 for the team last season. [ESPN]
🚴♂️ A cyclist is in critical condition after he was struck by a vehicle near Kinburn Side Road between Loggers Way and John Shaw Road. If you have any information, please contact the police. [CityNews]
♿ The Hintonburg Community Association is raising concerns about the impact on people with disabilities of Ottawa’s patio-design guidelines. [Capital Current]
🧇 Sharpfle Waffle has been forced to leave their location after a complaint by Stella Luna, who claim that their lease includes a strict non-compete clause. [CBC]
🛣️ Ottawa’s transportation committee approved the city’s new transportation master plan. Councillors who voted against it say it didn’t go far enough to improve walking and cycling infrastructure, especially in suburban areas. The biggest change since the last transportation plan is a focus on active transportation and safer streets. [CBC]
🏊 Ottawa wants to lower the minimum age of lifeguards to 15 to ensure there are fewer staffing shortages. [CityNews]
COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS
Here’s a handy guide to knowing where public service picket lines are across the city. [CTV]
What moment did you realize you were an Ottawan? That’s the question posed on Reddit and there are some great answers, including our personal favourite, the “first time the shawarma dude called me boss.” [Reddit]
There are some great movies playing at Ottawa’s independent cinemas this month, including Willy Wonka (the good version), A Clockwork Orange and the Rocky Horror Picture Show. [Apt613]
If you like wine, our food editor has a world-class chianti to check out. [Capital Eats]
Feeling bored? Here’s a list of fun spring events to check out around town. [CTV]
Want to have your announcement featured? Contact our partnership team for more info.
FOOD
A tour of Ottawa’s pizza spots
Ottawa has more pizza places than the city knows what to do with. Luckily our food editor Ralf is out tasting, sampling and reporting on what places you need to try. We’ve included a list of these places so you can experience them yourself.
The St. Rita | 752 Bank St.
Nestled in between Cantina Gia and Haven’s Creamery, this little spot evokes “an old world Victorian chic” with a menu focused on Mediterranean food, along with their pizza.
House of Pizza | 160 Richmond St. W
“They offer 37 different pizzas, from the Ottawa style that we all grew up with, to the wood-fired Neapolitan style. They also do a credible job with all the other casual foods we’ve come to love from burgers and fries to wings and a broad range of sandwiches and salads.”
Del Piacere | 416 Preston St
“The thin crust is terrific, if a little uneven in spots, but I have no issues with that as it demonstrates a hand-crafted nature.every part of it was baked through perfectly. The sauce was light and bright allowing the individual toppings to shine.”
Pizza All’Antica | 5530 Manotick Main St.
“New menu items include garlic knots, garlic stuffed olives and a charcuterie board. The literally biggest new addition to the line-up is the calzone. As Lisa put it “it’s basically a folded pizza.” True enough but somehow it just appeared more daunting in this iteration than a regular pizza.
It turns out I was right and I needed to take the rest home. You’ll be happy to know that it re-warmed very nicely in the oven.”
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Reddit/nownowthethetalktalk
What a beautiful sunset of Britannia beach, courtesy of Reddit user nownowthethetalktalk.
Do you have a photo you’d like to share with the Lookout community? Send it in!
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