Pride Parade returns to the capital

After two years of COVID cancellations, the city came out for the biggest ever Pride Festival

Good morning!

I really do hate to admit it, but summer really is coming to a close. Wore my jacket multiple times this weekend, which is more than I expected based on the forecast. I’m just going to have to accept that time marches forward and so do the seasons.

But summer may not be quite done with us yet, even though those nights are getting cooler. There’s still time to get out there.

It’s always kind of bittersweet. Knowing that soon all my short-sleeved button ups will be going back in the closet for a good few months is always a bit like saying goodbye. There’s always next year, though.

Let’s do some newslettering, shall we?

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Monday: 30 🌡️ 21 | ⛅

Tuesday: 25 🌡️ 18 | ⛈

Wednesday: 21 🌡️ 9 | 🌧

OTTAWA THIS WEEK
  • Council returns: Meetings of the Police Services Board and the full city council are set for Tuesday and Wednesday. A finance committee meeting on Thursday has been cancelled.

  • Eviction watch: A court date for the eviction dispute with the group who has taken over St. Brigid’s has been set for Friday, after The United People of Canada failed to complete the sale of the church and missed payments. [CTV]

PRIDE

Pride parade returns with biggest-ever turnout

Marchers in the Pride Parade

Amy Boughner/Ottawa Lookout

What happened: After two years of online-only parades, the city came out to throng the streets for the 2022 Capital Pride Parade. Pride’s executive director, Toby Whitfield, told CFRA it was the biggest crowd the parade had ever seen.

  • “We’ve seen record numbers at all of our events so far. … There seems to be a buzz in the air. People are excited to get together again to celebrate and come together as a community,” Whitfield said to CFRA.

This year, 185 floats participated in the parade, and it took 90 minutes for the 7,500 or so participants to pass by, according to the Ottawa Citizen. The parade was followed by concerts at three stages along Bank Street, including headliner Fefe Dobson.

  • Mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney told the paper: “It’s not lost on me that we’re on Kent Street and it’s just a way of affirming the type of city Ottawa is: Ottawa is a caring, accepting city. What we saw here in February [the convoy] didn’t represent our city.”

It was the culmination of a week of celebrations, wany of which were family focused. Saturday, at Dundonald Park in Centretown, bouncy castles and other fun for kids were set up, along with a drag queen storytime reading of Dr. Seuss, CBC reported.

Federal funding: Also Sunday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced five years of funding for a federal 2SLGBTQI+ action plan. Three-quarters of the money will go to community organizations, according to The Canadian Press.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS
  • 734: The number of rat complaints the city has received this year, with 100 coming from Orléans. [CTV]

  • 90: The number of minutes the full LRT line was down this weekend because of an IT issue. [CTV]

  • 7: The number of people injured, one seriously, in a major crash east of the city. [CTV]

FOOD

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Paper Tiger Cucumber Salad.

Paper Tiger Cucumber Salad. Ralf Joneikies/Ottawa Lookout

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PARKS

Storm damage remains in many NCC parks

Stoney Swamp, in better days

Stoney Swamp, in better days. Gordon Bell/Flickr

What happened: Trails across the Greenbelt are still officially closed after the spring storm that battered the city. Even some that have been cleared by volunteers remain closed, CBC reported.

  • About three-quarters of the trails at Conroy Pit were cleared by volunteers with chainsaws. As of Friday, it was officially open, but CBC reported it was in use while being officially closed.

Much of the Greenbelt was in the direct path of the destructive derecho, the name for the type of storm that over swathes of trees. Forests of red pine, planted in the 50s to serve as utility poles, were hit particularly hard because of the lack of natural undergrowth. People told CBC the storm cleanup had left parts of the forest clear cut in large parts.

Residents worried: People who spoke to CBC said they were worried putting too much pressure on the NCC to clean up the forests would force them to sell off some of their assets.

  • The crown corporation has had a years-long maintenance backlog, and is stuck in a cycle of only being able to deal with the most serious maintenance issues in the numerous parks across the region.

JOBS AROUND TOWN
HEALTHCARE

COVID Science Table disbanded by province

What happened: The independent COVID Science Advisory Table will disband early next month. The provincial government will convene a new working group under the direct control of Public Health Ontario, the Ottawa Citizen reported. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ontario-to-replace-covid-science-table-with-a-less-independent-group

  • Through the pandemic, the science table has been a trusted source of COVID information. At several points, the table provided information and modelling that directly contradicted the government’s more rosy outlook for the pandemic.

Former members’ criticism: Several soon-to-be former members of the science table said it puts the board’s former independence at risk. Several doctors told the Citizen the new setup was the “exact antithesis” of its current form. Public Health Ontario will select all the members of the new group, and also set what topics the board can cover.

The Ottawa Hospital’s Dr. Doug Manuel told the Citizen, “If we want to learn the best lessons from the pandemic about how to better prepare for the next pandemic, my concern is we are not off to a good start.”

The premier’s response: Doug Ford said the new working group will retain its independence. “They are always going to be independent, just like Public Health is. … They are going to work hand-in-hand with Dr. [Kieran] Moore and Public Health Ontario. It is a natural partnership,” Ford said, according to the Citizen.

STORIES YOU MIGHT’VE MISSED

TUPOC missed $100k in payments: The group that tried to buy St. Brigid’s failed to pay a $100,000 deposit as part of the sale agreement. It was listed for sale for nearly $6 million. The group also missed $10,000 in rent payments, according to court documents found by CTV. A hearing in the eviction case of The United People of Canada is set for Friday. [CTV]

Searching for stem cells: An Alberta father of a toddler with Leukemia arrived in Ottawa hoping to find a stem cell donor for his child. Jacob Marfo is travelling the country hoping to find a donor match for this two-year-old son Ezra. Donors are difficult to find for patients of African descent. Two events in the Black community were held to try and find a donor. [CTV]

Carlington Food Bank in need of cash: The Caldwell Family Centre may have to cut back hours or programs because demand for hot meals and food hampers is up sharply. They are serving twice as many meals as they did last year, and the number of people using their services is up 55 percent. They’re in need of $117,000 to maintain their current level of service. [Ottawa Citizen]

Driver hits child: A young child was taken to hospital with serious injuries Saturday after being hit by a driver on Baseline Road. Several lanes were closed by police for the afternoon. No further details about the child or the investigation were released. [CTV]

Chlorine gas hospitalizes three: Two pool chemicals were accidentally mixed, releasing chlorine gas at a Holiday Inn in the east end. Half a barrel of muriatic acid was mixed with four litres of chlorine, releasing the dangerous gas. The building had to be evacuated and the Ottawa Fire Services hazmat team had to decontaminate the poll room. Three people had to be taken to hospital. [CTV]

Quebec campaign kicks off: The provincial election officially began Sunday in Quebec. The governing CAQ has an enormous polling lead at the start of the campaign. Voting day is Oct. 3. [The Canadian Press]

Community highlights

  • Local golfer Brooke Henderson played to a huge home crowd at the LPGA CP Women’s Open, but fell 14 shots short of winner Paula Reto. [The Canadian Press]

  • See 200 works by Claude Monet at Imagine Monet the Immersive Exhibition. Discounted tickets available for families. On until Sept. 4. Book your tickets today.*

  • Thirsty for something local? Why not try the Handshake Cocktail, our food editor’s creation of two local spirits from either side of the Ottawa River.

  • A former Ottawa Hospital nurse is still looking for a liver donor. [Ottawa Citizen]

  • The company iWasteNot has developed software to help companies better recycle within their organizations. [OBJ]

  • Not all pizza is created equal, here’s how some of the pies across town stack up in the Pizza Safari.

  • The Redblacks notched their second win of the season in Edmonton, beating the Elks 25-18 on Saturday. [The Canadian Press]

*Sponsored post

TOP PHOTO
A double rainbow over the Rideau Canal

Richard Tarasofsky/Ottawa Lookout Reader

Today’s top photo comes from reader Richard Tarasofsky, who sends us this shot of brighter days and this double rainbow over the Rideau Canal.

Have you got a photo you’d like to share? We’d love to put it in the newsletter! Reply to this email with your favourite shots and we’d love to run them in a future issue.

OTTAWA QUIZ

Congrats to everyone who got last week’s Ottawa Wordle, PLACE (as in, Place d’Orléans).

Let’s get to today’s quiz! This year was the city’s biggest Pride festival, but what year was the city’s first gay pride celebration? (Hint: It’s not as old as you might think.) Reply to this email with your answers, and if you're right, we'll mention your name in the next newsletter!

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: 689

  • Total deaths: 871

  • Ottawans In Hospital: 22

  • Ottawans In ICU: 1

  • Acute Beds Occupied: 99%

  • ICU Beds Occupied: 73%

  • ICU Ventilator Beds Occupied: 21%

PREVIOUS LOOKOUT EDITIONS
  • Deadline passes for eviction at St. Brigid’s, the convoy group stayed - read more 

  • Famous Churchill portrait stolen from the Chateau Laurier - read more

  • Group at St. Brigid’s being evicted - read more 

  • City blames everyone else for LRT failures - read more 

  • Traffic headaches end, as 417 reopens - read more 

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