Official plan approved by province, with some big changes

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Good morning!

Well, that was quite the weekend. Thanks so much to all the readers who came out to our first food event. Our food editor Ralf accompanied by wine importer Saša gave us a great show, taking us through the fantastic Croatian wines on offer, and Vladdo and the rest of the Bistro Ristoro crew put out a lovely five-course meal.

It was wonderful to meet so many of you, and we’re very much looking forward to doing more of these in the future. Stay tuned!

With that, let’s get to the newsletter.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Monday: 13 🌡️ 1 | 🌤️

Tuesday: 6 🌡️ -4 | ☀️

Wednesday: 4 🌡️ 4 | ☀️

WEEKLY LOOKOUT

Remembrance Day: The ceremony at the National War Memorial will have a full veteran’s parade, and gets under way at 10:30 on Friday. There are also smaller ceremonies throughout town. [CTV]

Convoy hearings: The convoy inquiry carries on this week, with testimony coming from officials at several border crossings blocked last winter.

Last council meeting: Wednesday will be the last time the current group of councillors meets, before the new crop takes over Nov. 15.

CITY HALL

Province approves official plan, adds more sprawl

What happened: More than a year after it was approved by city council, the province approved the official plan. The province made several changes to the plan, adding to the city’s urban boundary, removing rental protections and increasing the height limits along minor corridors to six storeys.

The plan will be in effect until 2046 and the province’s changes can’t be appealed, CBC reported.

The additions: In Kanata, Orléans, Stittsville, and in the city’s south end, an additional 500 hectares of land have been added to the city’s urban boundary, on top of the 445 hectares earlier approved by council, CTV reported. The city had approved buildings up to four-storeys on minor corridors, the province’s changes allow for six storeys in urban areas and seven storeys in the suburbs.

• Coun. Jeff Leiper made an animation showing the city’s urban boundary before and after the province’s changes.

The subtraction: The city added rules to prevent the number of rental units in town from decreasing. The rules said essentially if rental units were removed, new ones needed to be built nearby, and limited the ability to convert apartments into condos. The province removed the language entirely.

Industry reaction: The housing industry is a fan of the changes. The head of the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association told CTV the changes by the province were welcome and would increase housing supply in the city.

Not everyone approved of the province's decisions. Leiper was critical of the changes, and said it rolled back planning to the 1940s.

• “We've had 75 years of planning that has resulted in impossible infrastructure deficits, soulless and unhealthy cities, choked highways, inequities baked into geography and climate catastrophe, and we're doing it again,” Coun. Jeff Leiper said on Twitter.

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OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🥵 23.4 C: Saturday’s temperature, the hottest Nov. 5 on record, and the second-hottest November day. [Ottawa Weather Records]

📈 4.2%: The unemployment rate edged up in October slightly, up from 4.1 percent in September. [OBJ]

EDUCATION

Education worker strike continues

What happened: The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) education workers strike continues. The province and the union were in marathon meetings over the weekend at the Labour Relations Board, where the province argued the strike should be declared illegal, The Canadian Press reported.

• A strike can be declared illegal when it comes when a collective agreement is in effect. The union argued the contract wasn’t freely entered into, as it was imposed by legislation, and shouldn’t be considered an illegal strike.

General strike? At a press conference to be held today, it’s expected that CUPE along with other unions will call for a general strike in the province to begin on Nov. 14, CityNews reported.

Public reaction: New polling from Abacus Data shows the public is largely blaming the government for the strike. Across the province, 62 percent of people blame the government, which rises to 68 percent of parents with school-aged children, Abacus said. A large majority, 71 percent, said the government should negotiate a fair deal to end the strike.

School closures: In the city, the Ottawa Catholic School Board schools will be closed to in-person learning, as will the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario, CTV reported.

The only board with CUPE members keeping its schools open is the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est, which said it can comply with disinfection standards. The public OCDSB doesn’t have any staff represented by CUPE, and so will remain open.

• All the other school boards in eastern Ontario in and around the region will be closed, CTV reported.

EVENTS

What to do this week

Inside Out, Nov. 10-13: A 2SLGTBTQ+ film festival with showings in-person at the Ottawa Art Gallery and online. Tickets start at $15

Swing dance with the Gordon Webster Trio, Nov 8: Ottawa’s own Gordon Webster leads a night of dancing and jazz at the Arts Court. Tickets $25 in advance.

Barrhaven networking breakfast, Nov. 9: A breakfast in support of the Ottawa Heart Institute at Waterford Grand. Tickets are free, but donations are welcomed.

Build a pet food stand, Nov. 10: The Ottawa Tool Library hosts a session to learn how to build a pet food stand for your furry companion. Bring home what you build! Tickets are $134 and include all the materials.

NEW LOCAL JOBS

Check out the new open positions in Ottawa:

1. Economic policy research analyst at the Canadian Homebuilders’ Association

2. Pension project manager at Canadian Blood Services

3. Coordinator of the inclusive recreation portfolio at the City of Ottawa

4. Social media coordinator at the US Embassy

5. Business analyst at Innovapost

QUICK HITS

🔥 A burn ban is in effect for the city because of the hot and dry conditions. [CTV]

🏒 The Senators confirmed the team is being put up for sale, but said it would only be sold under the condition the team stays in town. [OBJ]

🚒 Manotick’s Gingerbread Man shop was destroyed by a fire, just at the start of their busy season. They started a GoFundMe which you can find here. [CTV]

⚖️ Coun. Rick Chiarelli was found by the city’s integrity commissioner to have harassed and bullied a former staff member, and recommended he be docked 90 days pay. [CTV]

🚚 Testimony from the convoy leaders at the official inquiry showed they had little sympathy for residents of the city during the occupation. [CBC]

🚛 At the same time, residents expressed their anger and frustration to the Ottawa People’s Commission. [Ottawa Citizen]

🚨 The city captured and euthanized three coyotes in the Riverside Park South community that had become too habituated to people. [Ottawa Citizen]

GIVEAWAY

A cure for the grocery inflation blues

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And be sure to check out Burrow Shop’s awesome products from local farmers, makers, restaurants and small businesses. They even offer same day pick up and delivery.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• A 13-year-old is close to raising $200,000 to buy CHEO a travel incubator, like the one that helped save his life when he was a newborn. [CityNews]

• Feeling the effects of the time change? Exercise and a proper night’s sleep can go a long way to helping. [CityNews]

• Awesome Ottawa awarded Ashley Newall $1,000 for his colourized historical photos of the city. [Apt613]

• Try the bun cha at Pho Tuan on Somerset, you won’t be sorry.

• Claude Giroux scored his 300th career goal in the Sens 2-1 loss to the Flyers. [The Canadian Press]

• Cheques will soon be in the mail for parents with kids in daycare in Ottawa, as the federal daycare program goes into effect this month. [CTV]

• The warm weather has been a boon to bars and restaurants, allowing them an extended patio season.

• Santa Claus parades across the city are only a few weeks away. [CTV]

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

TOP PHOTO

Today’s photo comes from reader Sandy Fusaro, who took it along a hike through Gatineau Park.

Have you got photos you’d like to share with the Lookout community? Send them our way!

NEWS QUIZ

Congrats to everyone who got last week’s Ottawa Wordle, the answer was GOOSE.

The official plan approved by the province is not the city’s first. In 1950, French architect Jacques Gréber put out his master plan for growing the city. One feature was the Greenbelt that surrounds the core. What year did the federal government begin expropriating land for the Greenbelt we know today?

The first five people to write in with the correct answer will get their names mentioned in the next issue.

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