Possible Sens owners make their pitch

Good morning!

You have to admire the Sens' determination not to give up on the dream of making the playoffs. As long as the odds are now — and make no mistake, they are awfully long — the team keeps fighting to the end. However it shakes out, it’s a lot of fun to see a team really giving it everything.

Before we get to the newsletter, I want to thank all the new members who came on board. We couldn’t keep this thing running without all of you, so thank you, from all of us here at the Lookout.

Why don’t we get to it.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Monday: +6 🌡️ -2 | ❄️/🌧

Tuesday: +8 🌡️ -1 | 🌤

Wednesday: +6 🌡️ +5 | 🌧/🧊

WEEKLY LOOKOUT

City hall: Council committees are back at it with the election compliance, finance, and planning committees all meeting this week.

People’s Commission: The citizen-led and -focused inquiry into the convoy occupation will release the second part of its final report Tuesday. In this volume, they’ll outline their recommendations for how the city and police can regain the trust of residents directly affected by the convoy.

SENATORS

Potential buyer Neko Sparks makes his case

What happened: Sens ownership contender Neko Sparks was in town last week to pitch his plan for the team to the mayor and other possible stakeholders. Sparks is one of several investors who have come to the city looking to tour the Sens facilities and meet with officials, CTV reported.

Who’s in: Sparks told the broadcaster his consortium has a mix of investors from Canada, the UK and US. While he wouldn’t list all of the members, he said "We have a very, very well-established partner here in Ottawa. There will be a lot of community ownership with the way that we've structured our transaction."

• According to a report in Sports Pro Media, Dwayne Johnson, The Rock himself, is among the involved investors.

If he succeeds, Sparks would head up the first-ever Black ownership group in the NHL.

The bad news: While ownership talks may be moving forward, the Sens moved further back in their hopes for a playoff spot. The team lost 3-0 to the Maple Leafs, making their slim playoff hopes even slimmer. They also lost goaltender Mads Sogaard, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

Sunday, they kicked off a three-game road trip, with their season on the line, against the Columbus Blue Jackets, where they lost 4-3, putting their playoff hopes even further out of hope, the Ottawa Sun reported.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🥶 -9.3C: The temperature Sunday morning, making it the coldest April 2 in decades. [CTV]

⛸️ 2%: The amount many city fees went up at recreation and other facilities this month. [CTV]

🚦 45,723: The number of tickets issued by red light cameras in the city last year, down from 53,956 in 2021. [CTV]

🛢️ 1.15 million: The number of barrels of oil Saudi Arabia and other countries will reduce their output by per day, until at least May. This will likely raise fuel prices worldwide. [The Associated Press]

CITY HALL

Sutcliffe rakes in cash from big-money donors

What happened: Mark Sutcliffe raised more than half a million dollars in the municipal election from about 750 people. About one-third of his donors gave him half his total fundraising, by giving the $1,200 maximum donation, CBC reported.

• Sutcliffe’s campaign spent $282,792 on advertising, $46,094 on staff, and $40,035 on signs.

Developer dollars? Sutcliffe promised not to take money from development companies, and turned some of those donations away. One they didn’t turn back was $1,200 from the CEO of a construction company that works in development. Sutcliffe explained to the broadcaster that the campaign’s "understanding was that Morley Hoppner is a construction company that provides solutions to developers."

Sutcliffe received several donations from notable people, according to CBC:

• Four McGunitys, including former premier Dalton — $1,200 each

• Adviser to Premier Doug Ford, Kory Teneycke — $1,200

• Jim Watson — $500

• Municipal lawyer Michael Polwin — $1,200

• Shopify president Harlery Finkelstein — $1,200

• Farm Boy’s Jeff York — $1,200

• Chefs John Borsten and Stephen Beckta — $1,200

• Two founders of the cannabis corporation Hexo — $1,200 each

McKenney: Mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney outraised Sutcliffe by about $5,000. They had about 3,100 people donate to their campaign. Only 60 people gave the legal-maximum donation.

NEW LOCAL JOBS

Check out the new open positions in Ottawa.

1. Director of renovation services at the Canadian Home Builders’ Association

2. Nurse practitioner at the Lower Outaouais Family Health Team

3. Manager of visitor services at the Canadian Museum of History

4. Account director at Accurate Creative

5. Systems support technologist at Nav Canada

THE AGENDA

🛒 The Balderson Village Cheese grocery store in Balderson has been lowering prices by negotiating with suppliers and passing those savings on. The owner is going so far as to make deliveries himself, rather than pay shipping. [CTV]

🚫 The Indigenous welcome sign at uOttawa has been repeatedly vandalized, with large letters spelling “kwey” (“hello” in Algonquin) being removed. The school will be installing cameras to prevent further vandalism. [CBC]

🚨 One person died in a Manotick house fire over the weekend. Firefighters tried to save the man, who died from his injuries at the hospital. Three other people were treated at the scene for minor injuries. [CTV]

⚖️ A judge ordered remaining residents to leave a care home in Cornwall after fire officials had closed it for safety reasons. The residents have been put in temporary housing. [CBC]

⚡️ No one was injured when an excavator at the LRT construction site in the west end hit power lines, causing serious sparking. One home briefly lost power. [CTV]

⛽️ A new provincial bill would require drivers to pay before pumping gas to help prevent gas theft. [CBC]

💧 A former Kitigan Zibi chief wants the Gatineau River to be given personhood status to enhance the legal protections of the waterway. [CBC]

🪧 Both sides of the Carleton University education workers' strike have returned to the bargaining table as the job action enters its second week. [Ottawa Citizen]

🚒 Firefighters saved someone trapped on an ice shelf in the Rideau Canal on Sunday near the NAC. [Twitter]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• The World Men’s Curling Championships kicked off this weekend at TD Place. [CTV]

• You can’t go wrong with the pork rib soup at this Chinatown restaurant. It’s one of several can’t-miss deals in the neighbourhood.

• If you like Ryan Reynolds jokes(?), you’ll like these April Fools gags(??) from across town. [CTV]

• Frankie the cat is looking for a forever home with someone who will be patient as she adjusts to a new home life. If that’s you, a donor is willing to cover her adoption costs. [Reddit]

• How is the sausage made? One link at a time, as our food editor found out at a recent workshop.

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

EVENTS

What to do this week

Music

🪐 Echoes of the Galaxy, Wednesday 7:30 pm: An evening of music from all your favourite space-themed music played by the Ottawa Pops Orchestra, from Star Wars, Star Trek, Gustav Holst's The Planets, and more. At Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre, 355 Cooper St. Tickets start at $20.

General

🎰 Rideau Carleton Casino Future Hard Rock Career Fair, Monday 10 am: An information session on all the upcoming jobs available at the Rideau Carleton Hard Rock. At YSB Employment Services 1355 Bank St., Suite 703. Free registration.

📚 Take A Stance Bullying Prevention Information Night, Monday 6 pm: A free two-hour seminar for parents and teachers on ways to learn the dynamics of bullying and how to prevent it. At Ron Maslin Playhouse, 1 Ron Maslin Way. Free registration.

⛵️ Getting out on the Water: Boating and Sailing at NSC, Wednesday 7:30 pm: The Nepean Sailing Club is hosting an information session on all the ways you can get out on the water with the club. From racing to pleasure sailing, training to volunteering, there are plenty of options available. Registration is free.

Market

👕 Pop-Up Thrift Shop, Monday and Tuesday: An opportunity to shop for all sorts of interesting items. Everything is under $20, and there are free coffee and snacks. All proceeds are going to Upstream Ottawa. At Algonquin College, room N203. Free reservations.

TOP PHOTO

Today’s photos come from reader Beverly Berry, who sends in these two great shots near the Deschenes Rapids while the ice was breaking up.

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

OTTAWA GAMES

The answer to last week’s Ottawa Wordle was ARENA, as in it’s not as clear as it once was where a new Sens arena might be built…

So it was cold this Sunday, but not the coldest ever according to the CTV story we posted. In what year was the coldest April 2 recorded in Ottawa, when the temperature hit -15.6 C? The first five people to write in with the correct answer will get their names mentioned in the next issue.

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