Paramedic service under heavy strain

Good morning!

I’ve really come to appreciate cycling this year. It’s great to live in a part of town where I can hop on my bike, head down the path and in 10 or 15 minutes get somewhere to grab a bite or a beer. Not sitting in traffic, no hassle with parking. When the weather’s been this great, it’s been wonderful. I highly recommend it!

And a bit of housekeeping: Monday is the August long-weekend holiday, so there will be no newsletter on that day. See you next Wednesday!

Let’s get to some news, shall we?

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Friday: 27 🌡️ 16 | 🌦

Saturday: 26 🌡️ 14 | ☀

Sunday: 30 🌡️ 18 | ☀

Monday: 30 🌡️ 19 | ☀

Level Zero and the paramedic crisis

What happened: The head of Ottawa’s paramedics said the service has had an unprecedented number of “level zero” events this year, CBC reported. There have been 750 instances with no ambulance available, equalling the total number from 2021.

• One woman had to wait six hours last week for an ambulance. She was eventually taken to hospital by paramedics from Cornwall.

Healthcare crisis: It’s part of a broader problem cascading through the healthcare system. Ambulance crews can’t leave patients at the hospital before they are admitted to the emergency room. Because of staffing shortages and high demand, ERs are over capacity, meaning paramedics have to stay at the hospital with their patients, keeping them off the road.

Possible solutions: The ambulance service is hiring more paramedics, and hopes to station some specifically at hospitals to stay with patients, so ambulance crews can get back on the road.

LRT expected back to full steam sometime today

The plan: OC Transpo expects the LRT to back up to full service sometime today, CTV reported. The train has been down for several days after a lightning strike took out nearly a kilometre of the cable powering the trains between uOttawa and Lees stations.

• It’s expected service won’t be ready for the morning, but trains should be fully running in the afternoon or evening.

Repairs, then testing: After repairs are completed, tests need to be done along the line before full service can resume.

Officials are still investigating why the system failed after the strike. The surge protectors and other safety systems functioned as expected.

What’s open on the holiday Monday

Monday is Colonel By Day, so here’s a quick guide to what’s open and closed. You can see the full list of what’s open and closed from the city here.

City services:

• 311 is only open for urgent matters;

• In-person service centres are closed, and so is the business licensing centre;

• Garbage collection won’t take place Monday, and will be shifted one day later for the whole week;

• The Trail Road dump is open;

• Ottawa Public Health Information Centre and COVID information line will both be closed;

• The COVID vaccine booking line for OPH will be closed;

• Supervised injection sites on Clarence Street will be closed, but the mobile van will be running;

• All libraries will be closed;

• All municipal child care centres will be closed;

• The Tom Brown and Bernard Grandmaître respite centres will be closed;

• City dental clinics will be closed;

• Parking regulations will apply as normal.

OC Transpo:

• Buses will run on a Sunday schedule, with increased services on busy routes;

• The LRT will operate on a reduced weekday schedule;

• Family Day Passes are available for $11.25

• Customer service centres will be open;

• Para Transpo will be on a holiday service schedule, and regular bookings for Aug. 1 will be automatically cancelled, trips for next Monday can be booked this week;

• The reservation phone line will be open from 7 am to 5 pm, and the cancellation line will be open from 6 am to 12:30 am.

Recreation facilities:

• Indoor and outdoor pools, recreation and fitness centres, will all be on modified schedules, and public swims may be cancelled on short notice because of staffing issues. You can check individual schedules here;

• Mooney’s Bay, Britannia, and Petrie Island beaches are all open between 11 am and 7 pm;

• Most city art centres and museums will be closed.

Shopping and groceries, via CBC:

• The city’s malls will be open;

• Most grocery stores are open, but it’s recommended you check ahead;

• Some LCBOs will be closed, and some Beer Stores will be closed, check the hours of your nearest location to be sure.

City Hall update

Stories you might've missed

Detours with deadly consequences: Residents of a Vanier neighbourhood said they aren’t getting normal community outreach from the city and police after a woman experiencing homelessness was hit and killed by a truck. They also say traffic has become dangerous with both more vehicles, and more vehicles ignoring stop signs and speeding. This is because of detours around the reconstruction of Montreal Road. [Ottawa Citizen]

St. Brigid’s backer comes forward: A London, Ont. investment advisor is the biggest backer behind The United People of Canada’s purchase of St. Brigid’s church in Lowertown. Tony Cuzzocrea wouldn’t tell the Ottawa Citizen how much he’s given the group for the $6-million asking price for the church, but said it was “sizeable.” Cuzzocrea met one of United People's board members in an office building in London. [Ottawa Citizen]

Police officer demoted: Const. Troy Forgie has been demoted for 15 months by the Ottawa Police Service for giving police information to a woman he once pursued for a threesome through social media. The woman asked for confidential information about an abusive ex-boyfriend she was trying to get away from. Forgie pleaded guilty to insubordination, breach of confidence, and discreditable conduct. [CBC]

Hit-and-run driver arrested: One person is in custody after a string of hit-and-run collisions early Thursday morning. No one was injured. The suspect fled police on the 417 and was arrested after they hit a cement barrier. [CTV]

Truck thrown in air by tornado: The driver of a truck thrown dozens of feet into the air by a tornado said he felt lucky to be alive. Driving along Highway 7 on Sunday night through heavy rain, the man stopped his truck when rocks started hitting his vehicle. The storm then picked his pickup truck, tossed it through power lines, and into a nearby field. [CTV]

Firefighter dies in skydiving accident: Ottawa firefighter Jeff Dean, an experienced skydiver, was killed while landing after an “advanced parachute manoeuvre.” He had completed more than 4,000 dives. OPP and the provincial Ministry of Labour are investigating the accident. Dean worked out of Fire Station 12 in the Glebe. [CTV]

Monfort champion dies: Gisèle Lalonde died at the age of 89. Lalonde was mayor of Vanier in the 1980s, and went on to lead SOS Montfort, a campaign to save the hospital from closure in the late 90s, as it was the only francophone academic hospital in Ontario. [CTV]

Frontline staff treating overdose wave: Workers at Ottawa Inner City Health and the Somerset West Community Health Centre said they are dealing with more overdoses than ever inside and outside their safe injection sites. The presence of the potent opioid fentanyl in the drug supply is a major factor. The sites said they need more resources to add space for more users to safely use drugs so if there is an overdose they can help. [CBC]

Community highlights

• The Ottawa Humane Society said healthy animals may not be admitted to their facility because of a lack of capacity.

• And if you’re looking for a bunny, OHS has 20 rabbits who need new homes. [Ottawa Citizen]

• Summer means burger season, and our food editor is on safari hoping to find the city’s best.

• Christmas arrived a little early along Elgin Street, for what a Reddit user believes is the filming of a Christmas movie.

• Electric rental scooters were seen being deployed around the city by one Reddit user.

• It’s patio season, why not try out one of these great brewery locations?

Your weekend guide

Festibière | July 20 to 30 | Place des festivals Zibi | Tickets start at $24 | Gatineau’s big beer festival is back and has a fantastic selection of breweries to choose from. Plus a secret speakeasy. It ends this weekend. (See what all the fuss is about in this week’s Insider!)

Glengarry Highland Games | July 29 to 30 | Kenyon Agricultural Fairgrounds, Maxville, Ont. | $27 and up | Piping, drumming, heavyweight lifters, dancing, and plenty of music are all on off at the games celebrating Scottish heritage and culture.

Lansdowne Summer Arts Showcase | July 31, 6:30 pm to 8 pm | Aberdeen Plaza | A free performance by the Ottawa StoryTellers, come for an evening of outdoor theatre. Some seating is available, but it’s recommended you bring your own chair.

The Tempest | July 29 to 30 at 7 pm | Alexander Grove in Stittsville (the 29th), and Fairmont Park at the Civic Hospital (the 30th) | Pay what you can | Come see a 90-minute performance of Shakespeare’s The Tempest put on in the park by A Company of Fools.

Beach Party Roller Disco | July 30, 5 pm to 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm to 11 pm | Rideau Curling Club | Starting at $8.45 | Two sessions to roller skate the night away, an early one for families and a late session for adults put on by the Ottawa Quad Rollerskating Club.

Today's top photo

Today’s top photo comes from reader Joanne Reyes, who sends in this photo of a bee doing its thing. “Nature at its finest,” she writes.

Have you got some great nature shots you want to share with the Lookout community? Send them in! We love to share with our readers.

Weekend Ottawa Wordle

Congrats to Voula who correctly spotted this week’s GeoGuesser was Cathcart Park near the ByWard Market.

This week’s Wordle is a tough one. Here’s a hint: across the river. Play now.

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. For the most recent stats, see the OPH COVID Dashboard.

• Active Cases: 1,346

• Total deaths: 340

• Ottawans In Hospital: 44

• Ottawans In ICU: 1

• Acute Beds Occupied: 96%

• ICU Beds Occupied: 73%

• ICU Ventilator Beds Occupied: 19%

Previous Lookout editions

• LRT service expected to return Friday - read more 

• Wheel hub problems take LRT out of service - read more

• Inflation seems to have peaked, here’s why - read more

• Hot and dry conditions brings a fire ban - read more 

• The first mayoral campaign clash - read more 

• How should we pay to operate OC Transpo? - read more