Arson charges in Overbrook fire

Sponsored by

Good morning!

It’s prize day at the Lookout. We’re launching our first giveaway of the year! It’s a curated food box put together by our food editor Ralf, with some local and national products and gift cards.

Entering is easy, just refer a friend to our newsletter. Every person you refer increases your odds of winning. Use your personalized URL to refer people. You can also share on Facebook, Twitter or forward this email to friends.

A bit of technical housekeeping: Some of you might have received Wednesday’s newsletter with a subject line that was a repeat of last week’s. We’re not exactly sure how it happened, but we’re working with our email provider to determine what caused it. All the same, apologies for the confusion!

Now, let’s get to it.

— 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: -10 🌡️ -23 | 🌤/❄️

Saturday: -13 🌡️ -18 | ❄️ (chance of flurries)

Sunday: -4 🌡️ -15 | ❄️ (chance of flurries)

Monday: -6 🌡️ -8 | ☁️

FIRES

Arson suspected in major apartment fire, Orléans explosion

What happened: A 31-year-old woman has been charged with arson and attempted murder in a major fire in Overbrook that displaced 60 people, CBC reported. The fire started on the upper floor of the low-rise building before it spread to the roof. The Ottawa Fire Service declared a three-alarm fire before it could be put out.

• The provincial fire marshal, along with the police arson unit, are investigating. The woman has been charged with arson to property, arson endangering life, and attempted murder.

Rescue: Four people, one of them a child, needed to be rescued by fire crews from their balcony on the fourth floor. One resident described the escape from the building as chaos. “I got my shoes on and I knocked on people’s doors: ‘[It's] real this time. Get out, get out!’ ” George Mullins told CBC.

The non-profit Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation owns the building, which provides affordable housing. It’s not clear whether the city will rebuild the apartment building.

Orléans explosion

Deliberate: Police are now treating the explosion in an Orléans subdivision as a criminal matter. They said in a press release that the arson unit had taken over the investigation because “the circumstances surrounding the explosion were deemed criminal.” No suspects have been named.

Next steps: The site has been turned back over to Minto, the builder of the neighbourhood, according to CTV. The company said it hopes to resume construction shortly but first has to inspect the houses damaged in the blast. Several homes were destroyed, and some were damaged badly enough that families were not been able to return.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

💰 10%: Loblaw Companies Ltd. had its revenue rise this much in the fourth quarter to $14 billion, compared to $12.8 billion a year ago. Profit was up to $1.76 per share, from $1.52 per share a year ago. [The Canadian Press]

🏥 $8.4 billion: The amount of new money for healthcare over the next decade in a new deal between the federal government and Ontario. The deal also includes $776 million in immediate funding to shore up urgent needs like ERs and pediatric hospitals. [CTV]

🏭 691 megatonnes: The country’s annual carbon emissions in 2021. It’s up slightly from 672 megatonnes in 2020, but still below the pre-pandemic level of 738 megatonnes. [CBC]

SPONSORED BY ENVIROCENTRE

How to access $10,000 in rebates and make your home more energy efficient

Want to save $10,000 in rebates when retrofitting your home? There’s never been a better time to invest in home energy efficiency upgrades.

But where do you start? And how can you best use the funding? It’s enough to leave anyone confused. Luckily Ottawa’s EnviroCentre is here to help.

• They help you understand how to make your home the most efficient it can be, and save you money.

As an environmental non-profit, they’re not selling anything. A greener city is their only mission.

In their latest article, they break down how to lower your energy bill, make your home comfortable and reduce your carbon footprint. Learn more about retrofitting your home.

And if you’d rather speak to a human, our customer care team is always ready to help. Call us toll free: 1-877-580-2582

HOUSING

The housing correction is here, but it won’t end the crisis

What happened: Prices in the housing market are falling, but homes are even more unaffordable than ever, thanks to higher interest rates.

Writing at The Hub, economist Trevor Tombe looked into the latest national housing data from the Canadian Real Estate Association, and the news is grim. The country may be in line for the second-largest decline in housing prices, adjusted for inflation, in the country’s history, he wrote.

• A variety of projections have forecast a fall in prices from between 59 percent and 10.7 percent, Tombe wrote.

More expensive: But despite this historic contraction of the market, Tombe said the actual cost of buying a home is higher. A monthly mortgage payment at the national average would cost roughly $4,100 a month, up from about $3,800 a year earlier. The figures are well above pre-pandemic prices which were about $2,300 a month.

• Comparing housing prices to wages, Tombe found the ratio is triple what it was in 2000 and 20 percent above 2019 levels.

Ottawa sales: Sales in Ottawa fell off a cliff last month, dropping 35 percent from a year earlier to 606 homes sold. That’s well below the five-year average of 819 sales, according to the Ottawa Real Estate Board.

Starts slow, too: The number of homes being built also slowed down. Building rates in January dropped 84 percent in Ottawa-Gatineau from last year, with companies building 101 units, down from 640 in 2021, according to the Ottawa Business Journal. The six-month average of housing starts dropped 58 percent.

THE AGENDA

🎸 The Bluesfest lineup is out! Shania Twain, Death Cab for Cutie, Foo Fighters, The War on Drugs, Pitbull and more are coming to town this summer. Tickets are on sale today.

🚨 Two men have been charged with murder and a third has been charged with weapons offences in the shooting death of a 64-year-old man in the ByWard Market on Tuesday. [CTV]

🪫 A proposed bill by a local NDP MPP to require landlords to have generators to power elevators and water systems in large buildings in case of a storm found little support at Queen’s Park. [CTV]

💍 The guest list for Premier Doug Ford’s daughter’s wedding included developers, a lobbyist, and several government appointees. The opposition has asked the Integrity Commissioner to investigate. [Toronto Star]

🏎️ The city is more than doubling the number of speed cameras. Most of the 23 new cameras will be in school zones, but five will be in areas notorious for speeding: Hunt Club near Pike Street, Wakley near Harding, Montreal near Ogilvie, King Edward near St. Patrick, and Bronson at Sunnyside. [CBC]

📚 More parents are coming forward with horrific stories of bullying at Vimy Ridge Public School. [Ottawa Citizen]

☃️ Burned by weather too warm to open the Rideau Canal, Winterlude organizers are looking at ways to diversify the festival in future years. [Ottawa Citizen]

🪧 Strike votes for 120,000 public service workers started this week, as talks with the federal government stalled. The voting will be open until April 19. [CTV]

EVENTS

What to do this weekend

Music

Duelling Pianos, Saturday 6 pm: Pianists Tyler Kealey and David Kalil, joined by guitarist Todd Huckabone, duel through tons of classics. At Sens House, 73 York St. Tickets $21.

Flavia Nascimento and Tio Chorinho, Saturday 8 pm: Canada’s first ensemble performing Brazilian choro music, an energetic and soulful genre. At the Arts Court, 2 Daly Ave. Tickets $17.

Sports

C*4 Wrestling Savage Streets, tonight 7:30 pm: Wrestling is back in the city, featuring the return of “Bad Boy” Joey Janela, and plenty more. At the Preston Event Centre, 523 St. Anthony’s St. Tickets $33 in advance.

Art of War 6, Saturday 6 pm: A night of Muay Thai fighters from the city and across the region. An intense night of competition at the Canadian War Museum. Tickets $59.

Mill Street Milers run club FeBREWary mural run, Sunday 11 am: Check out some great local art as you run in a supportive group. Open to all skill levels. First 50 sign-ups get a free Mill Street beer at the Mill St. Brew Pub, 555 Wellington St. Free.

Market

613Flea, Saturday 10 am: An ever-changing flea market of all sorts of goodies. Clothing, records, jewellery, antiques, food, and more at Lansdowne Park’s Aberdeen Pavilion. Admission is free.

Culture

SPAO Gallery, Intercept, opening reception, Tonight 5 pm: The opening of the School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa’s latest exhibition, featuring the work of five artists exploring the pause between the before and after of a significant event. At 77 Pamilla St. Admission is free.

Other

Ottawa Boat and Outdoors Show, until Sunday: Boats, fishing gear, paddle sports and plenty more — tons of vendors have everything you’re looking for at the EY Centre. Tickets start at $16.

SPONSORED BY BEACON HILL FUR FAMILY

More than just grooming: visit the pet community centre at Beacon Hill Fur Family

If you think a grooming place is just about cleaning, think again. The team at Beacon Hill Fur Family has something for everyone.

Puppy training: Their Start Your Puppy Off Right is the course for new puppy owners. Learn more + book a spot.

50/50 draw: Purchase tickets to support the Lanark Animal Welfare Society and you could win! Enter today.

Wednesday Weekly​​ Neighbourhood Socials: Bring your pet to a safe, warm and supervised setting. It’s like a dog park, but indoors and supervised.

Puppy yoga + adoption: Exactly as it sounds, yoga and puppies! Check it out.

To book any event, visit Beacon Hill Fur Family today.

CAPITAL EATS

What happened this week in food

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 all the biggest stories.

🍗 Looking for lunch? This fusion place has plenty going for it. The wings are a great option — much better than you’ll find at wing-focused restaurants — and don’t skip the spring rolls and hot and sour soup.

🌶️ If spice is what you’re after, this Chinese restaurant has what you’re looking for. The green beans with minced pork are fantastic, and so were the clams with enoki mushrooms.

🍣 And for Insiders, our editor went to one of the city’s most popular sushi spots. While it wasn’t quite to his more traditionalist tastes, there’s plenty to like about the portions and preparation of the food. (Plus, where you should go for dessert afterward!)

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• The Sens traded away defenceman Nikita Zaitsev to Chicago for future draft picks. [CTV]

• The new owners of the Carleton Tavern promised to keep up the traditions of the historic pub. [CTV]

• The Ottawa Titans re-signed infielder Brendon Dadson, and added pitcher Alec Thomas to their rotation. [CityNews]

• If you can’t get enough reading about the LRT, this deep, deep dive into what’s gone wrong with our transit system should whet your appetite. [The Walrus]

• The best cats are lap cats, and Tortellini is just such a feline who’s available for adoption. [CityNews]

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

GIVEAWAY

A foodie’s dream, and it’s free to enter

Our food editor has compiled a fantastic food giveaway of delicious items and local gift cards to some of Ottawa’s best restaurants.

• Best of all? You have two chances to win.

Entering is easy. All you have to do is refer a friend (or even better, friends!) to Ottawa Lookout or Capital Eats. Every person you refer increases your odds of winning.

• The contest closes on March 8. You must live in Ottawa to enter.

We’ve even made it easy to share! Just click these links to automatically share with your contacts.

Share to enter

Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin | Forward to a friend

TOP PHOTO

Today’s photo comes from Janet Stephens who sent us this lovely photo called “Reflections on the Water.”

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

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to Adam, Michele, Angela, Cynthia, and James, the first five people to write in the correct answer to this week’s OttawaGuesser. They were right, it was from Sussex Drive, not far from the French embassy.

Do you have what it takes to solve this week’s Ottawa Wordle? Play now.

LATEST COVID STATS