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McKenney promises to freeze transit fares and increase funding

Mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney promises to freeze transit fares if elected mayor. They also promise to make transit free for kids, and boost funding by 20 percent.

Good morning!

I spent most of the weekend sanding, spackling, caulking, and painting. It wasn’t exactly restful, but finishing the job was rather satisfying.

Next weekend will be a bit different. On Sunday, I’ll be walking in the Ovarian Cancer Canada Walk of Hope for my step-mom, Nancy. Rather than tell you what her journey has been like, I thought I’d let her do it in her own words:

  • “I have been unwell for a couple of years and despite multiple trips to the doctor, I was misdiagnosed and underwent various painful ‘treatments’ for the wrong problem. A year and a half ago I was diagnosed with Stage 3-4 ovarian cancer. There is no cure.”

  • “Through my journey, I have learned two important things: First, raising awareness is critical if lives are to be saved. Multiple doctors and nurses were not able to identify my cancer even when it presented outside my body. Second, funds are desperately needed to help develop better treatments as they have not changed in more than 20 years; and most importantly a valid screening test needs to be developed so it can be caught before it is a death sentence.”

My family and I are walking this weekend in hopes of raising awareness and raising money. We’ve already hit our goal of raising $10,000, but we’d love to push even further. If you can spare a few dollars, myself, Nancy, and our whole family would be grateful.

You can donate at the Ovarian Cancer Canada website, where they will also issue a tax receipt.

With my thanks, let’s get to the newsletter.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Wednesday: 25 🌡️ 11 | ☀️

Thursday: 27 🌡️ 12 | ☀️

Friday: 28 🌡️ 13 | ☀️

ELECTION

McKenney promises transit fare freeze, 20% increase to funding

What happened: Mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney promised to increase OC Transpo funding 20 percent over the next four years and freeze fares if they’re elected. McKenney would also make transit free for anyone 17 or younger.

They also promised to bring maintenance for the troubled LRT under city control, if Rideau Transit Group is found in default of its service contract. The city is currently suing the private company for not providing adequate service.

McKenney also promised to:

  • Make Equipass more widely available to low-income residents;

  • Speed up the electrification of the bus system;

  • Conduct a review of the system within the first 100 days to pinpoint areas to improve service;

  • Increase the accessibility surcharge by $0.20 per ride for rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft to better fund ParaTranspo.

How to pay for it: McKenney said they would reallocate funding from elsewhere in the city budget. In an email to the Lookout, McKenney expanded on where the money would be found:

  • “The City of Ottawa has a $4-billion budget. Experts in city budgeting, like myself, know how the city finances work and can easily find flexibility for a $35-million expense. Like in 2019 when the city was able to switch directions and pledge $15 million for affordable housing.”

McKenney said their full plan for paying for their promises will be available before anyone votes.

Check our our municipal election guide to stay updated on the latest developments.

Election stories you might have missed

McKenney, Chiarelli promise fair wage contracts: The two candidates said they would build into all city contracts the requirement that contractors and subcontractors pay their workers a “fair wage.” McKenney said a fair wage would be tied to the cost of living, and enforced by city staff when issuing contracts. Chiarelli said he would model his policy on the cities of Toronto and Hamilton. [CTV]

Sutcliffe promises more police funding: Mayoral candidate Mark Sutcliffe promised to increase police funding and hire 100 more personnel. Sutcliffe would renegotiate the funding deal with the federal government to a level more reasonable for a national capital. He also promised to support the piloting of community paramedicine to relieve the stress on the city’s paramedic service.

The toll on current councillors: The CBC has done a deep dive into how sitting around the council table has become more difficult than ever. The pandemic, eroding relationships, and the convoy crisis have all led to a worse environment for elected officials, according to several councillors leaving public life who spoke to the broadcaster. [CBC]

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS
  • $95.21: The amount Ottawa MPP Joel Harden and four of his colleagues will have to spend on groceries for two weeks, the same amount people receiving disability support have to spend on food. [CTV]

  • 3: The number of overdoses police responded to over the long weekend, all of whom were saved by naloxone. [CityNews]

HOUSING

Ottawa home sales drop 27% year over year

What happened: Twenty-seven percent fewer houses were sold in August of this year compared to the year previous, according to the Ottawa Real Estate Board. Sales were down to 1,137 last month, compared to 1,565 in August 2021.

Board president Penny Torontow said prices are still rising in some areas, but with “lower single-digit percentage increases, bringing back the moderate price-growth stability that is characteristic of the Ottawa resale market.”

August real estate by the numbers:

  • Condo prices rose four percent to $421,966;

  • House prices rose five percent to $707,712;

  • There is now about three months of housing inventory;

  • Houses are staying on the market for an average of nearly 30 days.

GIVEAWAY

Your doggo’s dream giveaway prize

Have a special doggo in your life? Then you’ll want to enter our newest giveaway.

We’ve teamed up with local Ottawa business Brian Picknell Dog Training to give away $150 worth of dog toys and treats. It’s the perfect prize for the good boy or girl in your life.

Enter for a chance to win. You can increase your odds of winning by referring your friends and family on the sign-up page.

But hurry, the giveaway closes Sept. 16.

CONVOY

Convoy leaders want funds unfrozen, People’s Commission sets hearing dated

Convoy funds: The leaders of the convoy are asking the court to unfreeze $450,000 for the upcoming Emergencies Act Inquiry. The lawyer for the leaders, including Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, is asking the judge overseeing the class-action lawsuit against the convoy to give them access to the money to cover expenses for lawyers and accommodation for the hearings, scheduled for later this month, according to the Ottawa Citizen.

RCMP feared leaks to convoy: The Mounties were afraid their own officers would leak operational details of RCMP plans to convoy participants, CBC reported. The federal police force worried officers who were sympathetic to the protesters would give them techniques and tactics.

People’s Commission sets dates: The first hearings for the citizen-led commission into the convoy occupation are set for later this month. The Ottawa People’s Commission (OPC) said it will hold its first hearings on Sept. 21 at the McNabb Community Centre and Sept. 22 at Le Patro d’Ottawa. The OPC also added a fourth commissioner, author Monia Mazigh, to oversee the hearings.

STORIES YOU MIGHT’VE MISSED

St. Brigid’s still in TUPOC hands: A hearing last Friday over the possible eviction of The United People of Canada from St. Brigid’s was adjourned until Sept. 19. The judge imposed a series of conditions on the group. In the meantime: they can’t harass other tenants of the property, impede parking, interfere with bailiffs, or interfere with maintenance work to the building’s boiler. [CBC]

Locals arrange Pakistan flood relief: The Canada Pakistan Association for the National Capital Region is running weekly relief drives to collect supplies to send to Pakistan, where nearly one-third of the country was flooded. They’re looking to collect tents, clothes, and hygiene products to ship overseas. They’re also collecting donations to buy tents. You can find out more information about the group’s efforts at their website. [CBC]

Ottawa police officer accused of theft, again: A guns and gangs detective is accused of stealing $25,000 from a home while executing a search warrant. A defendant in a drug case is looking to have the charges thrown out because of the theft. It’s the second time Det. Kirk Gidley has been accused of taking cash from a home he was searching. In 2019 he was accused of taking $50,000 and planting a handgun during a drug search. Prosecutors abandoned the charges in that case. [Ottawa Citizen]

Four hospitals close over weekend: Hospitals in Almonte, Alexandria, Kemptville, and Carleton Place all had to close their emergency rooms for one or more evenings over the Labour Day weekend. Staff shortages at all four hospitals meant they had to direct patients to other hospitals in the area. It’s part of a pattern seen all summer where COVID outbreaks, burnout, and a general lack of staff have led to a health care crisis. [Ottawa Citizen]

SPONSORED BY DECLUTTER4GOOD

Home sales: You had me at hello

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At Declutter4Good we do it all for you ensuring that your closets, garage, kitchen, and other living spaces are organized. As a result, your home sells in less time and for more money. Reach out today.

FOOD

Why Outaouais should be your next weekend destination

Coronation Hall Cider Mill

Coronation Hall Cider Mill. Ralf Joneikies/Ottawa Lookout

Written by food editor Ralf Joneikies.

Take a one-hour drive from Ottawa into the Outaouais and you’ll come to the municipality of Pontiac, Que. It’s a destination that was new to me but what an eye-opening experience it was to discover a region so steeped in history. It’s a region with a burgeoning wine industry, artisanal food producers, a community theatre in a historic dance hall and a largely English-speaking village that has more churches per capita than any other place in Quebec.

HOUSE OF THE WEEK

This week’s house is actually just outside Ottawa. This Carleton Place home was built in the early 1900s and has six bedrooms. It’s also been recently updated, including a new boiler, and exterior renovations to restore the original character of the house.

Want to see more? Check out the listing!

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS
  • A new bookstore, The Spaniel’s Tale, has opened up in Hintonburg this week. Stop by and say hello! [CTV]

  • The Market has a great new addition in Parlê, with light and refreshing meals with a strikingly appealing interior.

  • Tonight, the Ottawa Titans play in a do-or-die game in Pomona, NY to make it to the first round of the playoffs set for Friday. [Ottawa Citizen]

  • Check out the champingons con chorizo and gambas al ajillo when you head to Bistro Ristoro in the Market.

  • Tickets for the Broadway production of Pretty Woman: The Musical at the NAC go on sale next week. [Ottawa Citizen]

OTTAWA WORDLE
This week's GeoGuesser

Google Maps

Congrats to everyone who guessed last week’s Ottawa Wordle, we won’t spoil the answer in case you missed it.

Today we’ve got a GeoGuesser from somewhere around town. Do you know where it is? Reply to this email with your name and we’ll announce the winners 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: 520 (+130)

  • Total deaths: 878 (+1)

  • Ottawans In Hospital: 21

  • Ottawans In ICU: 1

  • Acute Beds Occupied: 100%

  • ICU Beds Occupied: 74%

  • ICU Ventilator Beds Occupied: 35%

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