417 to close again this weekend for overpass replacement

Good morning!

Made a horrendous error in Monday’s newsletter. Instead of calling the Buffalo Springfield song For What It’s Worth by its actual title, I called it by the words of the chorus. Horrible, unforgivable even. I certainly regret the error.

It wouldn’t be summer without major construction headaches, and this weekend they’re really going to peak with the closure of the 417. We’ve got all the info you need and plenty more news from the city and the surrounding region.

Let’s get to it.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Wednesday: 25 🌡️ 15 | ☀️

Thursday: 21 🌡️ 17 | 🌧

Friday: 21 🌡️ 18 | 🌧

CLOSURE

Queensway to close tomorrow for weekend bridge replacement

What happened: Construction season will reach its apex this weekend when the 417 closes for the replacement of the Bronson overpass. The Queensway will start closing at 7 pm tomorrow, and is scheduled to open by 6 am Monday once the overpass is replaced, the city said.

What’s closed: The highway will be closed between Carling and Metcalfe heading east, and Metcalfe and Rochester heading west. During the changeover, many of the side streets in and around Bronson where it passes under the 417 will be closed too.

Detours: The ways around the closure are pretty straightforward. Heading east, Carling, Bronson, and Isabella will be the primary route. Westbound, Catherine and Raymond will get you back on track.

• You can keep up to date on traffic in the city with its traffic map.

Live and in colour: Want to watch the replacement live? The stream starts at 3 pm Thursday right here on YouTube.

Traffic effects: The closure will likely be felt throughout a large part of the city. Last year, during similar closures, traffic was noticeably worse from the Ottawa River in the north, to Hunt Club in the south, and between Woodroffe in the west and Riverside in the east, CBC reported.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

🛠️ $2.6 million: The amount the provincial government is putting toward a free job training program for new Canadians. [CTV]

🧱 53: The number of homes for homeless people the provincial government is providing $10 million for. [CTV]

OUTSIDSE DOWNTOWN

💰 The scourge of big-city landlords and renovictions have made their way to small towns like Tweed. After a local landlord died, a property management company from Mississauga bought an apartment and issued renovation notices to all 121 tenants in the building. Many who fear their rents will skyrocket if they’re ever able to return to their homes. [CBC]

🍼 The tap water situation in Casselman has deteriorated to the point parents are urged not to use municipal water for making infant formula because of high manganese levels. [CTV]

🚨 The family of 47-year-old Michael Quattrocchi of Kingston believe he was shot and killed in Ottawa in a case of mistaken identity. [Ottawa Citizen]

⚠️ Everyone’s favourite road obstacle, the Highway 7 Cavanaugh Bump, has returned to the road between Ottawa and Carleton Place. [Ottawa Citizen]

🔥 No one was injured in a tow truck fire in Nepean when the vehicle burst into flames just off Merivale Road. [CTV]

⛈️ A campsite in Eganville was severely damaged in what officials believe was a microburst storm that damaged trees and trailers at the site. Fortunately, no one was injured. [CTV]

🏅 Student-athletes in the East End won six medals at the provincial track and field championships last month. [Orléans Star]

CRIME

Violence in Cornwall and Brockville blamed on biker gangs

What happened: Two people were stabbed and one person was shot in Cornwall on Saturday after a fight between two rival biker gangs, and Tuesday a gang hangout was gutted in a suspicious fire in Brockville. Police aren’t explicitly linking the two events, but the OPP said a link is possible, CBC reported.

The fight: Members of the rival gangs the Outlaws and the Loners clashed Saturday in a Cornwall parking lot. Five people were arrested after the three were wounded — none of their injuries were life-threatening.

The fire: Days later, the clubhouse of the Outlaws on Perth Street was almost completely gutted. The fire was suspicious, officials told CBC, and about a dozen buildings were damaged. At least one house was unsalvageable, and many people were forced from their homes.

• Just last week, police arrested 12 people on 52 charges for weapons and drug offences in Alymer, CBC reported. Four of the people charged were members of the Outlaws.

Firearms: Perhaps most concerning in the recent outbreak of violence is the increase in gun violence. “There's an increasing level of firearms usage and the violence associated [with] outlaw motorcycle gangs. This isn't unique to that world, but we do recognize that increased level of violence and increasing firearms,” the OPP told CTV.

Are authorities doing enough about biker-gang violence?

HOUSE OF THE WEEK

It’s hard to dislike this cute post-war home. Three bedrooms, one bath, it has a lot of charm. But for its size, this Vanier home is a bit on the pricey side. It’s hard to look at a listing like this and not think about the broader housing crisis facing the city.

See how much this cute place will set you back.

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THE AGENDA

🐯 Gordon Reid, the founder of Giant Tiger and its CEO until 2020, died over the weekend at the age of 89. He opened the first store in the ByWard Market in 1961, and the company now has 265 stores across the country. [Ottawa Citizen]

💰 Long-term care homes that fared poorly during COVID are now getting provincial money to expand, despite in many cases fines for serious deficiencies in care. [CBC]

🌊 City officials are warning about the dangers of open water after one girl was taken to hospital at Britannia Beach, and two people died in western Quebec waters over the weekend. [CBC]

🛬 An Air Canada flight from Halifax to Toronto made an emergency landing at the Ottawa airport after the pilots reported smoke in the cockpit. No one was injured. [CBC]

📞 Numerous public service retirees are facing long wait times, the inability to speak with anyone at all, and fears they aren’t going to get prescriptions and other medical costs covered after their health benefits plan switched to a new provider, Canada Life, on July 1. [CBC]

��️ A new NCC bistro on Wellington is drawing the ire of at least one business owner on Sparks who said it is taking business away from struggling restaurants on the pedestrian mall. [CTV]

🚂 So far, the city is pleased with Pimisi Sation’s ability to handle Bluesfest crowds. The LRT stop was closed to most passengers on Canada Day. [CTV]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Ottawa’s Michael Woods talks about what it means to him to win a stage of the Tour de France. [CTV]

• In Barrhaven? This cat is missing and the owner is desperate to be reunited. [Reddit]

• Wingless bird, or just a thieving squirrel? You decide! [Reddit]

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

CAPITAL EATS

Unique tea shop lands in Hintonburg

If bubble tea shops were stones we’d never stop stumbling our way through the city. I’m still at a loss to explain the popularity. Then again I’m a very serious fan of coffee, yet I don’t frequent that many coffee shops either.

I suppose what puts me off of the idea of the bubble tea shop is the array of luminescent powders I’ve seen in these places. This is often what goes into your drinks and I just don’t see that as tea. Of course there are real teas offered in many shops but it’s not what’s dominant.

Kiet Tran, owner of a new bubble tea shop in Hintonburg had a different idea, and it’s safe to say that there’s nothing else like it.

Read the rest of the article.

SPORTS

🏒 Getting rid of forward Alex DeBrincat was the right call by the Senators, argues Citizen/Sun columnist Bruce Garrioch. [Ottawa Citizen]

🏈 The Redblacks QB Jeremiah Masoli is out for the season with a ruptured achilles tendon, and the team has reached out to former Argos QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson as a possible replacement. [The Canadian Press]

🥅 Sens’ president of business operations Anthony LeBlanc left the club in advance of new owner Michael Andlauer taking over the team. [Ottawa Citizen]

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to Joan, Adam, Mary-Marthy, Emma, Jill, and Deborah who all knew that the city sold land at the Riverside Campus to the Ottawa Hospital for $1

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