Province appeals ruling that struck down Bill 124

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Good morning!

Welcome to the longest day of the year. Enjoy today’s sunshine, because after today the days will only get shorter. It also means that summer is officially here! So if you’re able, get out there and make the most of it. Soon enough, we’ll be back to dreaded winter.

We’ve got a bunch to get today on healthcare, a helicopter crash and more.

Let’s get to it.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Wednesday: 27 🌡️ 13 | ☀️

Thursday: 28 🌡️ 17 | 🌤

Friday: 27 🌡️ 18 | 🌧

HEALTHCARE

Province appeals ruling against wage-cap bill

What happened: The Ontario government appealed a ruling that struck down Bill 124, a 2019 law which capped the wages of nurses and other public sector workers at one percent per year, The Canadian Press reported.

• “The Charter protects not just the right to associate but also the right to a meaningful process in which unions can put on the table those issues that are of concern to workers and have them discussed in good faith,” a lower court justice wrote when striking down Bill 124 last November, CTV reported

The appeal: The government argues in its appeal that unilaterally setting or capping wages does not conflict with collective bargaining rights because unions can still negotiate other aspects of their contracts beyond wages, according to The Canadian Press.

• Recently, an arbitrator awarded hospital nurses retroactive pay raises of an additional 0.75 percent for 2020, one percent for 2021, and two percent for 2022, CP reported in April.

The effect: There are about 780,000 provincial public workers. The province’s Financial Accountability Office (FAO) estimates the government owes those workers about $8.4 billion if the government’s appeal fails.

Hospitals in crisis: Across the province, particularly in rural areas, hospitals are expecting another summer where departments have to close because of staffing issues, CP previously reported. It’s one of the major reasons for the staffing crunch since the pandemic, which nursing unions have largely blamed on poor pay.

About that cash: Meanwhile, the FAO said the province is spending $5.6 billion less than its budget projects. The office said over the next four years, the government will actually spend $22.6 billion less than it said in its budget, The Canadian Press reported. The office said the province could use the money for new programs, more spending on existing programs, or paying down the debt.

What’s next: Premier Doug Ford wouldn’t say whether his government would appeal the latest hearing to the Supreme Court of Canada if they lose. Both sides can file an appeal to the country’s highest court.

Paramedic situation

Mayor at work: The city has struggled for years with a lack of paramedics, with many crews stuck at hospitals while they wait for stretched ERs to see their patients. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said talks with the province for solutions to the problem are progressing well, but wouldn’t specify what measures the province might take, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

• Sutcliffe and the city’s emergency preparedness committee had asked the province to fully fund 17 new paramedic positions to help with the crisis, but the province said it would only split the salaries 50-50, as it does for all paramedics.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🔌 $2.7 million: The amount of money the province is dedicating to a new program to upgrade the skills of 65 electricians in eastern Ontario. [CTV]

🛍️ 2.4%: How much Canadian retail sales climbed in a year in March, compared to March of the previous year. That’s 0.8 percent higher than other major countries like France, Germany and the U.K. [CTV]

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OUTSIDE DOWNTOWN

🚧 From 7 pm Friday until 5:30 am Monday, Montreal Road in Orléans will be closed at Highway 174. The on and off-ramps of the highway will also be closed. [Twitter]

🐻 Five schools in Kanata had students and staff briefly shelter in place when a black bear was spotted nearby. Bear sightings had recently been reported in the area. [CTV]

⛪️ A priest at the Heron Gate Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish has been removed as pastor following a lawsuit alleging sexual assault. [Ottawa Citizen]

🏠 Several home buyers in Nepean are frustrated that five years after putting down a deposit on new homes, they have nothing to move into. [CBC]

🍸 Lanark County is trying a new approach to getting youth away from drugs and alcohol, starting with improving the sleeping habits of students. [CBC]

⚖️ A man in North Stormont has been charged with arson and attempted murder after a house fire in the community last week. [CTV]

HELICOPTER CRASH

Two RCAF crew missing after late-night crash

What happened: Two members of a helicopter crew were missing and another two were injured after a helicopter crashed near Garrison Petawawa early Tuesday morning, the Ottawa Citizen reported. The CH-147 Chinook helicopter crashed into the Ottawa River on a training mission.

Two people were taken to the Pembroke Hospital. Canadian Forces personnel, with assistance from the OPP and local fire departments, were searching throughout the day trying to locate the missing two crewmembers.

Missing or? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his condolences for two crewmembers “who’ve been killed,” but the Defence Department said a search was underway and no official confirmation of the missing crew’s status had been made.

• The missing crew are a part of the 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, but have not been identified, CTV reported.

The river: Boating and other water use along the Ottawa River near the base was restricted. A watering ban was put in place in the town of Petawawa because the city’s fresh-water intakes had been closed while the search was underway. Rescue boats and aircraft searched all through the day along the river.

THE AGENDA

⚓️ What once seemed like a life preserver now seems more like an anchor. Pandemic loans to businesses are coming due, and many are worried they won’t be able to repay the money. [Ottawa Citizen]

🚑 A bystander who is a doctor performed CPR on a three-year-old boy who was pulled unconscious from the water at Mooney’s Bay Beach. The child was upgraded to stabilized condition Tuesday. [CTV/Ottawa Citizen]

😷 Ottawa Public Health has found savings of $9 million in its budget to keep staff who were once focused on COVID to maintain programs helping the city’s disadvantaged that started during the pandemic. [CBC]

🏛️ Several Ontario municipalities have asked the province to add to the oath of office for mayors and councillors language acknowledging the treaty rights of Indigenous peoples. [CBC]

💳 Now that it’s installed readers on all of its buses, OC Transpo will begin testing a system to allow for fare payment by credit card across the bus and train system. [CTV]

🚂 The city expects to know in September the date they’ll be able to open up the Stage 2 extension of the Trillium Line, which will stretch all the way to Riverside South. [CTV]

🪖 A design by Indigenous artist and former Canadian Forces member Adrian Stimson was selected for the National Afghanistan War Memorial. [CTV]

🏒 New Senators owner Michael Andlauer took a trip to Ottawa this week to survey his new purchase. Andlauer said he plans to move to the city full-time from Toronto. [Ottawa Citizen]

💥 A 39-year-old woman is facing several charges for allegedly driving the wrong way on the 416 northbound and crashing head-on into another vehicle, causing a broader crash. [CTV]

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COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Community members will gather at Rochester and Gladstone for a protest demanding infrastructure to protect cyclists at the corner where a woman was hit and severely injured by a dump truck driver. The rally starts at 7:45 am on Thursday.

• The community of Winchester is looking to buy back a local landmark, Tony the fibreglass horse, that was bought by a private buyer. [CBC]

• It’s the season for snapping turtles to lay eggs on Petrie Island. [Reddit]

• This year’s Canada Day celebrations on LeBreton Flats will include the typical day-long concert, plus a citizenship ceremony. [CTV]

• This local photographer uses her photos to highlight the Black experience in the city. [CBC]

• Have you seen this cat? Archer went missing near Meadowlands and Prince of Wales. [Reddit]

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SPORTS

🏒 Several former Sens took part in the Kyle Turris Capital City Condors Golf Invitational to raise money for the Condors, the country’s largest special needs hockey club. [Ottawa Citizen]

🏈 Despite the spectacle of an RCAF flyover, the Redblacks lost their second game of the year at last week’s home opener 26-15 to the Calgary Stampeders. [Ottawa Sun]

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to Adam, Gord, Doug, Oluwaseye, Helena, Rohit and many more of you for knowing the answer to this week’s quiz. The vacancy rate in Gatineau is at 0.8 percent.

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