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OPP officer shot and killed in ‘ambush,’ two officers wounded

An OPP officer was killed and two others were injured in an “ambush” in Bourget east of the city.

Good morning,

Before we get to the newsletter, I wanted to share some very sad news. Early Wednesday morning, my dog Lady Bird died in her sleep. While the last few weeks had been tough, we had a lot of really good days with her. Monday she was back down by the river, splashing around, if a bit slower than usual. She got to leave us on her own terms.

When she died, she had her people nearby and was surrounded with love. She was a big dog, but the hole she leaves in our hearts is even bigger.

I want to thank the Nepean Animal Hospital and the oncology department at the Capital City Specialty and Emergency Animal Hospital for taking such good care of Lady Bird.

I’d also like to thank the many readers who reached out with a kind word over the last few weeks.

To see that the love we had for Lady Bird shone through even the little glimpse you got of her brings a great deal of comfort in an otherwise difficult time.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

Consider forwarding this to your friends so they can discover the Lookout. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free.

Weather Report

Friday: 23 🌡️ 13 | ☀️

Saturday: 20 🌡️ 3 | 🌤

Sunday: 18 🌡️ 6 | ☀️

Monday: 23 🌡️ 9 | ☀️

CRIME

One OPP officer dead, two wounded in ‘ambush’

What happened: OPP Sgt. Eric Mueller was shot dead, and two other officers were injured in the village of Bourget, CBC reported. One of the injured officers was released from hospital and the other is in critical but stable condition.

  • A 39-year-old Alain Bellefeuille was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Police found a long gun at the scene.

Disturbance: Police were called to the village in Clarence-Rockland at about 2 am when someone called reporting the sound of a gunshot. Three officers responded to the call.

  • “They arrived at a residence on Laval Street in Bourget, and upon arrival three of our officers were ambushed and shot. Tragically, 42-year-old Sgt. Eric Mueller was killed and two other veteran OPP officers were injured,” OPP Commissioner Thomas said, CTV reported.

Eric Mueller: The dead officer had been on the force for 21 years, and has been a sergeant since 2018. "He is described by his colleagues as a coach, a mentor, someone that everybody looked up to, the glue that held his shift together, the best leader that many people had ever had the privilege of working for," the commissioner said.

  • “Our hearts are broken as we remember Eric, we stand beside his family and we focus our attention on the recovery of the officers who have been physically injured and emotionally impacted.”

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🌊 35-50 cm: The amount the Ottawa River is expected to drop by next week. [CTV]

🏎️ 60 km/h: The speed limit for March Road between Carling and Teron will drop to this from its current 80 km/h. [CTV]

🚍 6 million: The number of trips on OC Transpo in March, the highest ridership since 2019, and 1.6 million higher than March 2022. [City of Ottawa]

CITY HALL

City delays green building regulations

What happened: Over objections from some councillors that new green building rules had waited long enough, council voted to delay their implementation from this summer as it waits on clarification from the province, CBC reported. A motion to delay the regulations, just months from going into force, was put forward by Barrhaven West Coun. David Hill.

  • The city based the proposed rules on regulations Toronto passed more than 10 years ago.

The rationale: The provincial government recently put out new housing laws. It is not entirely clear what the government’s plan is — more housing through density, or sprawl, because the direction of new housing rules keeps changing, as John Michael McGrath argued in TVO.

The motion to delay the rules is to wait for city staff to harmonize the environmental rules with provincial plans. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said the provincial housing minister asked him to delay the city’s implementation of the already approved rules.

The pushback: Several councillors said the city was just delaying putting in place the rules for no reason. Coun. Shawn Menard said city staff would be able to adjust the regulations as necessary.

  • “It's coming back to committee anyway based on the changes that we’re seeing and how it works within that first year,” Menard said according to CBC.

The point: The rules are to reduce building emissions in the city, which account for nearly half of all carbon emissions in Ottawa, according to CBC. The rules would make buildings more efficient, and lead to lower long-term costs.

Pushing forward: Not every city is waiting for the province to set limits. Toronto city council passed a plan to go further than the province on zoning rules. A provincial bill allowed for as many as three housing units on single residential units across Ontario. This week, Toronto pushed that further to as many as four units on up to three storeys across the city, The Globe and Mail reported.

THE AGENDA

🏥 Wait times at the Ottawa General Hospital were the longest in the province in March, at 4.4 hours before first getting assessed by a doctor. At CHEO, the Civic and the Queensway-Carleton, wait times were all about three hours. [CTV]

🏨 The town of Cantley, north of Gatineau, voted to ban short-term rentals like Airbnbs in Mont-Cascades. Of the area’s population of 300 residents, 280 signed a petition in favour of the move. The mayor said the holdouts owned short-term rentals. [CBC]

🛤️ Transport Canada is investigating a rail spur in Kingston where three derailments have occurred in the last three years. The most recent one was this weekend when a train leaked acid following a derailment. [CBC]

🚻 At the end of the year, federally regulated workplaces will have to provide free menstrual products to their employees. [The Canadian Press]

🔥 Two students under the age of 12 were responsible for setting a fire in a Gatineau elementary school bathroom last month. The children won’t face any charges. [CTV]

🚔 A man was arrested for fraud, for trying to trick a woman to hand over $20,000 in “bail money” in a so-called grandparent scam. She’d paid $10,000 to the man, who then asked for a second payment. Police were there when he came to collect. [CBC]

🚓 One person has been arrested in connection with the death of a 74-year-old man. The arrest was caught on camera. [CTV]

📚 The city is looking to allow little free libraries as close as two metres of the sidewalk, as part of new rules clarifying the community features. Gardens within the right-of-way in front yards will also be permitted under the proposed new rules. [CTV]

🪧 The full details of the tentative PSAC deal with the federal government were released by the union. [Ottawa Citizen]

WEEKEND GUIDE

Mothers Day

Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea in Laurier Room, Sunday 10 am: Celebrate Mother’s Day in style with afternoon tea. At Fairmont Chateau Laurier. Tickets $53.

Mother's Day Kids FunFest, Saturday 11 am: Kids activities, including music, water play, and face painting. Loosestrife Way. Free.

Arts

Twelve Angry Jurors, today onwards at 7:30 pm: The famous play/movie of one juror who tries to convince 11 other jurors a teenager is innocent. Tickets $30.

Food

Hummingbird Chocolate Factory Tour & Tasting, Saturday 10:30 am: Tour the award-winning chocolate shop and see how they make their chocolate. At 476 Ottawa St., Almonte. Tickets $11.30

Coffee Master Class - Coffee Mechanics, Saturday 11:30 am: Join coffee expert Tristian as he explores farming, drying, roasting and brewing coffee. At 1314 Bank St. Tickets $28

Kids/Family

Canadian Tulip Festival, today and this weekend 10 am-10 pm: Annual festival every May, showcasing over one million flowers, with many events. At Commissioners Park. Free.

Ottawa Children’s Festival, Friday-Sunday at multiple times: Multi-day event extravaganza with shows, performances and arts for kids, from Canada and across the world. Multiple places around Ottawa. Multiple prices.

Market

Mamma Mia! It's a Craft Market, Saturday 10:30 am: Over 40 local artists and makers to visit. At 175 Third Ave. Free.

Other

Free Simpson's Trivia at Broadway Prince of Wales, Saturday, 7 pm: Are you a Simpson’s expert? Test your knowledge, and have some beer. At 1896 Prince of Wales Dr. Free

SPORTS

Reynolds no longer bidding for Senators

Flickr/Gage Skidmore

What happened: Ryan Reynolds is officially out! The popular actor is no longer bidding for the Ottawa Senators with the Remmington Group, according to ESPN.

The details are still scarce, but ESPN reports that Reynolds requested an exclusive window to complete the deal. That was not agreed to, so Reynolds pulled out of the buying process. Reynolds has partnered with The Remington Group, and are believed to have bid $1 billion.

  • There had been reports that Reynolds hoped to do to the Senators what he had done for Wrexham.

Who’s left: There are still a few celebrities remaining, including The Weeknd, along with Toronto billionaires Jeffrey and Michael Kimel, and Sneep Dog, with Los Angeles-based businessman Neko Sparks, are two of the other celebrities vying for the franchise.

FOOD

A trip to Chinatown, sushi and hummus

Every week our team at Capital Eats scours Ottawa for the best places to eat, drinks to try and events to attend. Here’s a breakdown of some of the stories you might’ve missed.

🍲 Three Chinatown spots that are delicious and won’t break the bank.

🍣 A proper sushi experience that exceeds expectations.

🇹🇷 Hummus, tarhana soup and kabobs are the standout items at this Turkish restaurant.

🍕“A cured slab of pork belly and slowly roast it for many hours in order to render off all the fat.” That’s how you know the pizza at this place is worth trying.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Good news for kids! Starting July 1, anyone under the age of 12 can ride OC Transpo for free. [CTV]

  • Is the new passport ugly? Maybe! But this fall you’ll be able to renew your passport online, skipping the line at the office. [The Canadian Press]

  • Weekend bike days kick off this weekend on NCC roads across town this weekend. [Ottawa Citizen]

  • Careful out there, tick season has started early because of the warmer winter we had. [CBC]

  • Atlético Ottawa were knocked out of the Canadian Championship, losing 3-2 in a shootout to Hamilton’s Forge FC. [The Canadian Press]

  • The Ottawa Titans named Zac Westcott as the team’s Opening Day starter. [Ottawa Titans]

  • Two Ottawa youths were honoured at the 911 Children’s Achievement Awards for calling 911 when their respective parents were in distress. [CTV]

  • The return of Come From Away is one of the headlining shows for the NAC 2023-24 season. [Ottawa Citizen]

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

TOP PHOTO


Today’s photo is of a very good girl, who we’ll miss very much.

Do you have a photo you’d like to share with the Lookout community? Send it in!

SPORTS

🏒 Chicago will pick first in the NHL Draft, where they’ll likely take Vancouver native Conor Bedard. The Sens traded away their first round pick to the Arizona Coyotes, and had little chance of winning the lottery anyway. [Ottawa Sun]

🥅 Sens captain Brady Tkachuk was named the King Clancy nominee for the team. It’s a trophy given to the NHLer with leadership qualities on and off the ice. [Ottawa Sun]

⚾️ The Ottawa Titans won their first home exhibition game of the season 6-0 against Trois-Rivières. [Twitter]

⛳️ Claude Giroux will play in the Commissionaires Ottawa Open, part of a lower tier PGA Canada event. [Ottawa Sun]

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to Gord, Julia, Adam, Paul, and Richard, who all knew this week’s Ottawa Guesser was of the Rideau Canal Skateway on Dow’s Lake, facing the pavilion.

Can you get this week’s Ottawa Wordle? Play now!

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Capital EatsHelping you discover the best restaurants, food and drinks in Ottawa and the Capital Region. From the team at Ottawa Lookout. Read by 18,000+ locals.

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