Public service union pushes back against return to work

Good morning!

A white Christmas seems pretty close to guaranteed now. Starting Thursday night, Environment Canada expects 25-30 cm of snow to fall until Saturday morning. The agency is already warning people to prepare, and adjust their travel plans accordingly.

A reader reached out to let us know that several dozen — 48, in total! — stray cats and kittens made a long journey to Furry Tales Rescue in Smiths Falls all the way from remote Manitoba communities. They’ll have more information soon on how you can help, but for now check out this video to see their journey end with a bunch of very happy cats playing at their foster homes.

Let’s get to the newsletter.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Wednesday: -4 🌡️ -9 | ☀️

Thursday: +3 🌡️ -1 | ❄️

Friday: +1 🌡️ -2 | ❄️

FUTURE OF WORK

Public service fights back against rumoured back-to-office order

What happened: The biggest federal public service union said a rumoured mandatory back-to-work order would be an “egregious violation of workers’ collective bargaining rights.” In a statement, Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) president Chris Aylward said news of a possible order “came as a shock to me and our union.”

• Aylward said PSAC will make remote and hybrid work rules part of its next agreement with the government. He said policies aren’t applied evenly across the public service, causing anxiety and frustration.

The possibility of a coming order was first reported by Policy Options. There has been no official announcement from the federal government on a return to work. The order, if it comes, would likely require public servants to be in the office two or three days a week.

The fate of downtown: The city’s core has suffered particularly hard since the pandemic. The public service is the city’s single biggest employer, and most of its offices are downtown. The city has about 45 percent fewer commuters returning to downtown Ottawa compared to pre-pandemic, CBC reported. In Gatineau, there are 75 percent fewer commuters than three years ago.

• Nationally, transit ridership has returned to about 75 percent of pre-pandemic levels, but OC Transpo has only at about 63 percent.

Business outcry: Multiple business associations have written to the federal government in the past month asking workers to return to the office, CTV reported. Those groups said the government needs to “set an example” and also complained it was more difficult for stakeholders to engage with the government.

Another path: There are other options to reviatlize the downtown. Earlier this year, some developers bought a former National Defence downtown office building with the intention to convert them to housing, CTV reported.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🗻 3,000 km: A snowstorm this long is heading our way from Colorado. It’s expected to hit eastern Ontario later in the week. [CTV]

🚒 7: A carbon monoxide leak in an apartment building’s boiler led to this many people being forced from their homes. [CTV]

OUTSIDE DOWNTOWN

🚌 A new Catholic elementary school in Barrhaven South will not open until January 2024, instead of being ready for the fall 2023 term. [CTV]

🚨 A 24-year-old pedestrian in Barrhaven was killed by a driver who hit him early Tuesday morning. Woodroffe Avenue was closed for several hours. [CTV]

🍺 Brew Revolution played host to the first Stittsville Business Association meet and greet since the start of the pandemic. [Stittsville Central]

🥅 Brandt Clark of Nepean and Tyson Hinds of Gatineau were both named to the Canadian World Juniors roster. [CityNews]

🏥 The provincial government is investing $30 million for rural hospitals to operate new MRIs. But the province isn’t providing the money to buy the machines. [The Canadian Press]

🚔 A vandalized statue in Vanier of a Black Virgin Mary has been covered up by the city while it awaits repair. [CBC]

🪵 Premier Doug Ford was in Pembroke for the 175th anniversary of Shaw Lumber. [CTV] 

🩺 An 80-year-old doctor in Sharbot Lake would like to retire, but his clinic can’t find a replacement. [CBC]

HOUSING

Real estate prices expected to grow slightly in 2023

What happened: House prices in Ottawa are expected to rise two percent, according to a new market survey from Royal LePage. The real estate company expects the aggregate price for a home to hit $739,602 by the end of next year. But they also expect a slow start to the market in 2023 because of rising interest rates.

• Condos are expected to see prices rise the most, because higher rates will push buyers into the lower end of the market.

“If interest rates stop increasing, or even decline next year, we could see a spike in home prices and a resurgence of buyer demand from those who have been waiting on the sidelines,” John Rogan of Royal LePage said.

The bigger picture: Nationwide, prices are expected to decline over all, the company expects. The aggregate price is expected to drop one percent year-over-year to $765,171.

“The frenzied housing market overshot and the inevitable downward slide or market correction began, intensified by rapidly rising borrowing rate,” Royal LePage president and CEO Phil Soper said.

• While prices are expected to drop, the company doesn’t expect a huge market correction, Soper said. “We simply don’t see the factors at play that would result in a large drop in home values.” He pointed to the strict stress test and an overall lack of housing supply in particular.

Interest rates: It doesn’t appear that the Bank of Canada is set to drop interest rates any time soon. In a recent speech, Bank Governor Tiff Macklem said there is more risk in not raising rates high enough, than raising them too high and causing a recession, BNN reported.

Elsewhere: Calgary offers an interesting example for repurposing buildings. While not high-rise office towers, that city has converted school houses, water pumping stations, and even abattoirs into new uses, rather than tearing them down and building on their lands, as CBC reported.

HOUSE OF THE WEEK

A waterfront property on the Ottawa River with a pool? You better believe it. There is one catch, though. This sale is just the strip of property. It does come with plans to build your own home, but what’s special about this one is the possibility. It’s not about what is, but what it could be. Plus there’s the sunsets with the Gatineau Hills across the water.

Check out the listing to see more of the great view.

THE AGENDA

🚚 During the convoy, Ottawa police locked out officers who were on leave from their email and other internal communication services because of worries some officers would leak info to the protest. [The Canadian Press]

⚖️ Multiple students at Sir Robert Borden High School are facing possible discipline after a student was seen giving a Nazi salute in a class where a swastika had been drawn. [Ottawa Sun]

🏛️ A lawsuit between a company owned by the late Eugene Melnyk and his former business partner in a previous LeBreton arena bid has been settled out of court. [Ottawa Sun]

🐶 The humane society is looking for information about what happened to Dottie, a young dog who was found alone on a road bitten and pepper sprayed. [CBC]

🏥 CHEO had 73 children admitted with the flu last month — typically it sees one or two — on top of 149 children admitted with RSV. Wait times are still high, and can be as long as two days for admission. [CBC]

What do the chef at Le St. Laurent, butter cookies, Toronto restaurants, and noodles have in common?

They’re all stories you can discover as part of being a member of Insider Food, our members-only newsletter covering Ottawa’s food scene.

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COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• A veterans group in Kingston did renovations on the house of a 99-year-old vet so he wouldn’t have to leave his home. [Ottawa Citizen]

• Looking for some gifts for the wine geek in your life? Our food editor has some suggestions for what to buy, and what not to buy.

• Oof, some road lines painted in Orléans in the last few months are already peeling away. [Reddit]

• The Earl of Sussex pub will be closing Dec. 31 after four decades. [Reddit]

• Ottawa Bylaw is reminding residents it’s a $110 fine to park your car on your driveway in a way that blocks a sidewalk. [Twitter]

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

CAPITAL EATS

Ottawa’s best sushi reopens as takeout only

One of Ottawa's best sushi places has relaunched and is now in their new digs in an industrial area of Ottawa’s east end.

They now only provide delivery and takeaway but they can still claim to be providing amongst Ottawa’s finest Japanese cuisine.

Their prices continue to be rather high for Ottawa sushi but they make up for it in quality and the little details such as providing a proper sushi/sashimi soy for your fish. Sushi soy is seasoned and tends to be a little sweeter and milder than cooking soy. It’s a welcome touch.

Read the review and find out who has some of Ottawa's best sushi.

SPORTS

🏒 Former Sens defenceman Wade Redden was the first player inducted into the team’s Ring of Honour. [Ottawa Sun]

🥅 The best women’s hockey players in North America rolled through town for a series of all-star games and skills competitions. [Ottawa Sun]

🤕 Centre Josh Norris could return to the Senators lineup later this year, after injuring his shoulder in the fifth game of the season.

Upcoming games

Senators vs Canadiens | Wednesday, Dec. 14 7:00pm | At home | Tickets

67’s vs Generals | Friday, Dec. 16 7:00pm | Home | Tickets

Senators @ Red Wings | Saturday, Dec. 17 1:00pm | Away | TSN5, TVAS

67’s vs Bulldogs | Saturday, Dec. 17 2:00pm | Home | Tickets

Senators @ Wild | Sunday, Dec. 18 2:00pm | Away | TSN5, RDS

OTTAWA GUESSER

Congrats to Adam, the only person who knew the correct answer to the budget for the LRT: $2.1 billion.

Today we’ve got an OttawaGuesser for you. Do you know where this is? The first five people to respond get their names mentioned in the newsletter.

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