Mayor’s trip to London Marathon to be paid by tourism board

Good morning!

Okay, so I knew the croissant we’d ordered for Easter brunch was going to be large, but honestly had no idea what we were getting ourselves in for. It was very big, about the size of the baby boy, and much, much larger than this banana (for scale):

Very much worth every penny, however. Took us a few days to get through. But I would absolutely recommend you head to Tartelette the next time you’re looking for a pastry larger than most cats.

We’ve got a bunch to get to today, so let’s get to it.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor.

WEATHER

Wednesday: +6 🌡️ -1 | 🌧/❄️

Thursday: +1 🌡️ -1 | ❄️

Friday: +6 🌡️ 0 | 🌧/❄️

THE MAYOR ABROAD

Ottawa Tourism paying for Mayor Sutcliffe’s travel to London Marathon

What happened: Mayor Mark Sutcliffe is heading to the UK to run the London Marathon later this month, he’ll be tagging along with a delegation from Ottawa Tourism on the trip. The delegation will also include members of Invest Ottawa and Run Ottawa. 

Who’s paying: The mayor’s office told the Lookout that Sutcliffe’s flights and accommodations will be paid for by Ottawa Tourism, but his office said, “Any costs associated with participating in the London Marathon are being covered by the mayor.”

• When asked, the mayor’s office couldn’t say what type of entry Sutcliffe had in the marathon, only that “he registered and paid for it himself.” Normal international entries into the marathon would have been notified in July last year if they’d won a spot, according to the London Marathon’s website.

Funding: Ottawa Tourism is a not-for-profit organization. According to its 2022 annual report, the most recent available, they received the bulk of its funding, $11.2 million, from sales and marketing revenue. But it is also heavily subsizied by the three levels of government. The feds gave them $4.4 million, the province $4.1 million, and the city $872,000.

• Ottawa Tourism’s revenues totalled $24.4 million in 2022, and the organization finished that year with a deficit of $4,131.

Previous marathons: Sutcliffe ran last summer in the Berlin Marathon, where he finished in a time of 3:51:42, with an average pace of 5:30 per kilometre. In 2015 and 2018, he ran the Boston Marathon, finishing in 3:42:37 and 3:49:37, respectively. And in 2016, he ran the Chicago Marathon in 03:38:06.

• With London under his belt, he will be well along the way to running in all of the big six marathons in New York, Boston, Chicago, Tokyo, London, and Berlin.

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OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🏘️ $1 billion: The amount of money the federal government committed to a new national school food program, with the goal of feeding about 400,000 children a year, starting next year. [CBC]

🌞 98.87%: The percentage of the sun that will be covered by the moon during the partial eclipse next Monday. The path of totality, where the sun will be fully covered, falls just to the south and east of the city. [CTV]

🚗 $90: The price of a licence renewal fee the city of Gatineau is considering to help fund transit. The city expects the levy would bring in $15 million per year. [CBC]

🏥 $329,999: The salary CHEO CEO Alex Munter has earned since 2012. Unlike essentially every other leader on the provincial sunshine list, he hasn’t had a raise since he started at the position. [Ottawa Citizen]

OUTSIDE DOWNTOWN

💐 A 39-year-old driver died of his injuries sustained in a crash with an OC Transpo bus at Blohn and Hunterswood in Hunt Club Park. The intersection is an all-way stop. The driver and two passengers of the bus were injured, but released by paramedics. [CBC]

⚖️ The man who murdered three Ottawa Valley women is dead. Basil Borutski died at the maximum security Millhaven Institution outside of Kingston last week of apparent natural causes. The killing of Nathalie Warmerdam, Anastasia Kuzyk, and Carol Culleton led to a coroner’s inquest that made recommendations for widespread reform to how intimate partner violence is policed. [CBC]

🪖 André Hissink was the last surviving pilot of the 320 Dutch Squadron in the Second World War. He flew more than 60 bombing missions against the Japanese and Germans. Earlier this year, he died at the age of 104 in Perth. [Ottawa Citizen]

🚨 The woman shot by police after a traffic stop in Westboro is facing 13 charges, including weapons offences, assault with a weapon, and assaulting a police officer. She was allegedly carrying a loaded handgun at the time of the stop. The woman remains in hospital in stable condition. [Ottawa Citizen]

😸 A pregnant cat who got loose from her cage in the airport parking lot was found safe. Athena was on her way to a local cat rescue after coming from Winnipeg when she got loose. [CTV]

💥 Three youths were arrested and charged after two police officers were seriously injured during an alleged stolen car chase near Merivale Road. The driver of the vehicle tried to speed away and avoid police, but struck a cruiser head on. Both officers have since been released from hospital. [CTV]

HOUSING

Federal government promises billions in new housing infrastructure fund

What happened: The federal government announced a $6-billion infrastructure fund to spur the construction of more homes across the country, CBC reported. The first $1 billion of that money will go directly to cities with critical, shovel-ready infrastructure projects.

The catch: The remaining $5 billion will be given to the provinces, but only if they meet certain conditions. The money will be earmarked for the installation and upgrading of infrastructure like water mains and sewers. The feds want the provinces to allow four-unit buildings as a right, freeze development charges for three years,

• Federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser said it comes down to a binary choice, “Do you want support to expand infrastructure and make the decisions that will make it easier to build homes? Or do you want to go it alone and adopt measures that restrict housing supply, knowing that a consequence will be a lack of federal infrastructure funding?” he said according to CBC.

Reaction: Provincial governments aren’t always keen on the federal government entering their areas of jurisdiction. Ontario Premier Doug Ford previously rejected the idea of allowing fourplexes to be built on any lot, one of the federal requirements for the money. In BC, Premier David Eby was more welcoming of the money, saying provinces that build housing should be prioritized for the cash, and those unwilling to play ball should be left out.

Timeline: Provinces will have until Jan. 1 to come to an agreement with the federal government for their share of the money. After that point, the feds said they’d give the money directly to cities. The timeline for handing out the final $5 billion has not been set, and it’s not clear how much each province would get.

What it means: The federal government is trying more and more of late to impose conditions on the money it transfers to other levels of government. It’s a loophole of a sort that allows them to reach into areas that are the responsibility of others to try and force certain outcomes. (Health transfers work along similar lines, though not without tension.) The hope is that big dollar figures will overcome the reluctance of provinces to give into federal demands and get more homes built.

• A lack of infrastructure isn’t the biggest thing holding housing back, but paying for it while at the same time demanding for looser zoning rules may make progress toward easing the housing crisis.

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THE AGENDA

❄️ The city is expecting a strong storm to blow through today and tomorrow, with as much as 10 to 15 cm of snow and rain expected through Thursday night. Rain will begin early today before transitioning to snow. Environment Canada warns of dangerous travel conditions and possible power outages. [Environment Canada]

⚠️ The city’s mental wellbeing response team can now administer suboxone to treat withdrawal symptoms and the symptoms faced after having an overdose reversed. The response team is a partnership between the paramedic service and The Ottawa Hospital. After receiving the treatment, the Royal Ottawa’s addictions clinic will follow up with the individual to offer addiction treatment. [City of Ottawa]

🌷 The Canadian Tulip Festival is facing a funding crisis, as the city, province and federal government all reduced the amount they give the festival. This year, that means there will be no musical performances or fireworks. [CTV]

🚕 A class-action lawsuit between taxi drivers in Quebec and the provincial government began this week. Taxi drivers are looking for compensation because they say the Quebec government allowed Uber to undermine provincial law and undercut taxi services, which led to a steep decline of the value of taxi licences. [CBC]

HOUSE OF THE WEEK

Today’s home is a fine townhouse in Sandy Hill. The heritage home was built in 1868 has five bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms, with hardwood throughout. It’s got a marble fireplace and original staircases, and plenty more historic touches.

Check the listing to see what it costs.

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. 

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.

Land of Talk, Thursday 8 pm: boundary-stretching, unflinching, vulnerable indie rock. At the National Arts Centre, 1 Elgin St. Tickets $22. 

They Grieve, Thursday 8 pm: two-piece doom/post-metal blending synthesizers, electronics and lofty guitar drones. At House of Targ, 1077 Bank St. Tickets $15.

Medve, Friday 8 pm: Toronto post-punk featuring former members of Newfound Interest in Connecticut. At Avant-Garde Bar, 135 Besserer St. Tickets $15.

River Town Saints, Saturday 7 pm: Anthemic country hits with rich vocal harmonies, from the Ottawa area. At Brass Monkey, 250 Greenbank Rd. Tickets $22.

Rachel Behrens Latin Jazz Quartet, Saturday 7:30 pm: Distinctive, expressive music blending latin roots with a jazz upbringing and love of soul. AtGigSpace, 953 Gladstone Ave. Tickets $25.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Snoop Dogg will bring his Cali to Canada tour to the Canadian Tire Centre on June 11. [CTV]

• Curious about AI? Ai for normal people is the newsletter for you, whether you're a complete newcomer or a seasoned pro, they've got you covered. Sign up for free today. [Sponsored]

• The PetValu in Kanata will be hosting a microchipping clinic by Furry Tales Rescue to get your dogs, cats, and rabbits chipped. [Reddit]

• At the Ottawa Home and Garden Show, our food editor found plenty of great products from local producers. [Capital Eats]

•  Who makes the city’s best chicken sandwich? The only way to find out is to hit the streets for a Chicken Sandwich Safari. (Insiders) [Capital Eats]

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

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to everyone who got last week’s Ottawa Wordle, the answer was BUNNY, as in the Easter Bunny.

Do you know where today’s Ottawa Guesser is? The first five people to respond get their names mentioned in the newsletter.