New mayor and council start the term hoping for unity

Good morning!

It’s hard for me, as someone who writes a newsletter, to say that I hate to be the bearer of bad news. That’s pretty much the job. But I do have some bad news. Environment Canada has issued a winter weather travel advisory for this morning.

The first snowfall of the season is only going to be about five centimetres, but it’s going to come during the morning commute, and is expected to cause poor visibility. So, be careful out there. It’s the first snow of the season, take it easy.

There’s not a ton of really bad news in the rest of the newsletter, so hopefully we’ve pulled that band-aid off nice a quick.

Let’s get to it.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Wednesday: 0 🌡️ -4 | ❄️

Thursday: 0 🌡️ -9 | ☁️

Friday: +1 🌡️ -6 | ❄️

CITY HALL

New mayor, council sworn in

What happened: Mark Sutcliffe is mayor now. He and the 24 councillors were officially sworn in yesterday to serve the next four years. In his opening speech, Sutcliffe appealed to his new colleagues to come together for the good of the city.

• “We are not going to solve the challenges of tomorrow by continuing the divisive tactics that we're seeing more and more often in politics. Let's work together, let's focus on the success of all of Ottawa,” Sutcliffe said, according to CTV.

The mayor also promised to give his new job his full efforts over the coming years.

• "I will pour my heart and soul into making our city better and stronger; I will do everything possible to work with everyone because my goal is not to build a political career, my goal is to build a better city,” Sutcliffe said.

Interesting fact: It marked the first time Ottawa’s city council swore allegiance to King Charles III, after the passing of the Queen earlier this year.

Saying goodbye: After a dozen years, Jim Watson packed up his office on Monday and headed into civilian life. “I think you can overstay, and I don’t want to be that guy in his 70s or 80s clinging onto power. I have enjoyed every moment of my time in this office,” he told CTV. First up after his time as mayor: A train trip across the country he’s booked at the end of the month.

What it means: The fresh start with a positive tone is a welcome one. The last term was a bitter and divided one. But with a series of overlapping problems that aren’t going away—a change in work patterns, a transit system in shambles, and ever increasing house prices—a change of tone can only accomplish so much.

The votes showed a big divide between the urban, suburban and rural areas. The issues that matter to those people can differ sharply. Sutcliffe won with more than 50 percent of the vote city-wide, but lost in all of the city’s urban wards. Whether the unity message holds will depend on what issues he focuses on in the early part of his term.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🏛️ 11: The number of new councillors sworn in at City Hall yesterday, another 13 councillors were re-elected.

⛽️ 5: Gas prices will drop this many cents today, to an average price across the city of 158.9 cents/litre. [CTV]

🥅 1,157: All-time points for Daniel Alfredsson, 444 goals and 713 assists, over 18 seasons. [NHL]

HEALTH CARE

Only three family doctors accepting patients in Ottawa

What happened: There are only three family doctors, each at a different clinic, who are accepting new patients in the city, according to a CBC investigation. The city and the surrounding region also have the longest average wait time in the province for a new doctor.

Key numbers, according to CBC: 

• It takes an average of 225 days to be matched with a doctor;

• About one-third of patients looking for a doctor never were matched with one;

• CBC was able to link 584 doctors with a family practice in the city.

Possible solution: Family medicine can be a demanding field that wears many doctors out, and typically pays less than other specialties. Two retired family physicians argue in the Ottawa Citizen the province should create more Family Health Teams (FHT), which include doctors, nurses, and other health care workers. There hasn’t been a new FHT approved in the province since 2012.

The benefits of FHTs: This form of health care adds other care workers like pharmacologists, dieticians, and social workers to an office allowing specialists to take some of the load in a doctor’s office.

Doctors also say the way family physicians are paid doesn’t work: they’re paid by the doctor visit, which doesn’t include costs like administration. A model that many recommend, in both CBC and the Citizen, is called “capitation” which involves payment per patient registered at each practice, with adjustments made for a patient’s age and the complexity of their needs.

HOCKEY

Alfie inducted into Hall of Fame

What happened: At long last, the city’s best-ever player Daniel Alfredsson is a member of the hall of fame. In his speech on Monday he thanked the city and its fans for the support over the years, as well as to his family, coaches and everyone else who helped him along the way, Sportsnet reported.

Mental health: He also made time to speak about the mental health issues athletes face.

• “The pressures of hockey for some can become unbearable. Mental health issues are a reality of our game. We’re long overdue to finally erase the stigma around mental health. … I hope that every player, coach or manager who spots the signs of someone struggling, will reach out and help,’ Alfredsson said, The Athletic reported.

Sens lose: At an early game Monday, the Sens dropped their eighth of the last nine games, losing to the New York Islanders 4-2, The Canadian Press reported. Despite drawing within one goal in the third period, the team gave up an empty-net goal. After the loss, the team showed the induction ceremony throughout the arena.

OUTSIDE DOWNTOWN

🔌 More than 2,000 residents in Carlingwood lost power when a construction crane hit power lines and caught on fire. [CTV]

⛵️The Nepean Sailing Club held its annual clean up the shore event, where volunteers picked up garbage along the Ottawa River. [Ottawa Citizen]

📸 An Orléans man is lucky a pair of thieves weren’t able to steal his Jeep, and caught their failed attempt on camera. [CTV]

🚨 Three people were arrested in Gatineau after a high school was locked down for several hours because of a possible threat. [CTV]

☪️ The South Nepean Muslim Centre in Barrhaven is celebrating Islamic Heritage Month through the coming weeks. [Barrhaven Independent]

🚒 A garage fire outside of Manotick displaced a family and their dogs. No one was hurt in the blaze. [CityNews]

🚔 A statue of a Black Virgin Mary in Vanier had its skin painted white in an apparent act of vandalism. [CBC]

HOUSE OF THE WEEK

This week’s house is one in the city’s west on Buckham’s Bay, a cozy bay off the Ottawa River. It’s got direct water access and plenty of amenities you won’t want to miss, including a walkout rear patio and a gorgeous elevated deck.

Check out the listing to see more.

QUICK HITS

🏗️ The federal government announced $78 million in funding for the construction of 271 rental units in the city’s east end. About half of the units will be affordable. [Ottawa Citizen]

🚚 The RCMP wasn’t expecting a request from Ottawa police for 1,800 reinforcements during the convoy, and needed to see a plan before sending officers. [CBC]

⚖️ …while two convoy organizers said they can’t afford their defence in a class-action lawsuit and need the court to release $200,000 from millions of held funds to pay their lawyers. [CTV]

🚔 Two men were arrested and charged with several crimes after allegedly breaking into Parc Omega in Montebello, Que. and killing three boar and an elk inside the animal preserve. [CBC]

🚨 The national cell phone alert system will be tested at 12:55 pm, with a test in Quebec at 1:55 pm. [CTV]

🛴 Bird, the company that rents electric scooters in Ottawa and elsewhere, may be in serious financial trouble. [The Verge]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• In the mood for Portuguese food? Ralf’s new review of this Portuguese cafe will have you screaming delicioso

• What’s your favourite pizza place in Ottawa? Head over to our poll to vote.

• Someone in town is looking for a blue and purple jacket that belonged to their late father and was accidentally donated to the Value Village at Bank and Wakley. [Kijiji]

• Winter parking regulations went into effect yesterday, meaning the city can declare overnight parking bans when necessary. [CityNews]

• The Help Santa Toy Parade is urgently looking for volunteers to help with the parade this weekend.

• Across the region, appointments for changing to winter tires are filling up quickly because of the cold weather. [CTV]

• The folks at Apt613 are still looking for help making a list of Ottawa’s cultural spots. [Apt613]

• The provincial SPCA has started its annual iAdopt for the Holidays campaign to find pets a home by Christmas. [CityNews]

• Want to have your announcement featured? Contact our partnership team for more info.

TOP PHOTO

Today’s photo comes courtesy Philippe Visintini, who grabbed this great shot of a sunset in Westboro recently.

Have you got a photo you’d like to share with readers? Send it our way!

OTTAWAGUESSER

Congrats to Beverly, Philip, Gord, Rohit, Chantal and everyone else who knew the answer to Wednesday’s news quiz: that the province had added land to the urban boundary in the city’s official plan.

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

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