Ottawa Lookout
Posts
Promises for bike infrastructure, road money by the candidates

Promises for bike infrastructure, road money by the candidates

The major candidates released more transportation promises focusing. And Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96.

Good morning!

I wanted to thank a so many of you for making donations to Ovarian Cancer Canada these last few days. As I mentioned in last issue, I’ll be walking in the Walk of Hope this Sunday to raise money in the name of my step-mom Nancy, who’s undergoing treatment for this horrible disease.

Unfortunately, she was misdiagnosed in earlier stages of the disease, despite serious symptoms. Part of the goal of this weekend’s walk is not just to raise money for badly needed ovarian cancer research, but also to raise awareness. Ovarian cancer is difficult to detect — as yet, there is no blood test for it — and often its symptoms suggest other issues.

We’re in a final push to raise money before Sunday’s walk. If you could, Nancy, myself, and our whole family would really appreciate it. Donate to Ovarian Cancer Canada.

With that, let’s get to the newsletter.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free.

Weather Report

Friday: 28 🌡️ 13 | ☀️

Saturday: 29 🌡️ 14 | ☀️

Sunday: 28 🌡️ 16 | 🌦

Monday: 27 🌡️ 16 | 🌦

ELECTION

McKenney promises bike lanes, Sutcliffe emphasizes roads

Pablo Vallejo/Unsplash

What happened: The major mayoral campaigns put out duelling transportation infrastructure announcements this week.

First, Catherine McKenney promised to build 25 years worth of cycling lanes and paths across the city in just four years. They said the $250-million promise would be paid for by issuing green bonds, instead of coming out of general tax revenue.

The McKenney campaign said in a statement front-loading the construction of so much bike infrastructure would save the city money in the long-term by avoiding construction cost escalations. It would also reduce wear and tear on the city’s roads.

Sutcliffe responds: Mark Sutcliffe put out a statement that said the proposal to build so much bike infrastructure would “prioritize bicycles over cars.” He instead proposed $100 million over four years to improve and repair the city’s roads, bike lanes, and pathways.

Sutcliffe said the city’s roads are in terrible shape, and called McKenney’s plan irresponsible. He said the city needed his balanced approach to respect all infrastructure users.

Chiarelli says no to new roads: Bob Chiarelli said he would cancel all new road projects, and instead use the money to repair existing infrastructure. Included in that he would cancel the Alta Vista Expressway (and absurd plan to build a new highway through parkland to connect the 417 to Walkley Road) and the twinning of the Airport Parkway. He would also divert red light and speed camera fines to road repair.

“It makes no sense to prioritize new road infrastructure when we are investing billions in LRT,” Chiarelli said.

The numbers: The city is spending $112 million to widen 3.3 kilometres of Strandherd Drive in Barrhaven. The 2022 budget had about $11 million for cycling and pedestrian infrastructure upgrades, and $88 million for road repairs. The city budgeted $62 million for other road construction and widening projects.

Election stories you might have missed

Transit, housing top issues: A new survey by the Broadbent Institute shows Ottawa voters ranked housing affordability, transit reliability, and accountability at city hall as their top three issues this election.

69 percent of respondents said they supported increased density and the inclusion of affordable housing in new developments.
68 percent said the LRT should be brought under control of the city
65 percent supported expanding transit in the city’s suburbs.

Vote by mail: For the first time, every voter in the city can cast their ballot by mail. The deadline to sign up for a mail-in ballot is Sept. 16 at 4:30 pm. You can find more information and apply for one here. [Ottawa Citizen]

To catch up on any election news you might have missed, check our election guide.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

2,381: The number of charges the OPP laid across eastern Ontario over the Labour Day weekend, most of them for speeding. [CityNews]
60%: The increase in Ottawa Senators season ticket sales compared to 2019. [Ottawa Sun]
3.25%: The Bank of Canada overnight interest rate, which the bank hiked by 75 basis points as it attempts to tamp down inflation. The bank started the year with its interest rate at 0.25 percent. [CBC]

THE QUEEN

The Queen is dead, Charles III becomes King

Adam Scotti/Prime Minister’s Office

What happened: The country’s longest serving Monarch died yesterday at the age of 96. Flags on the Peace Tower, City Hall, and all across town were lowered to half mast to commemorate Elizabeth II’s death.

Elizabeth was crowned in 1952, after the death of her father George VI and had held the throne ever since.

Elizabeth first visited Ottawa as Queen in 1957 when she opened Parliament that year with the speech from the throne. She had visited the country several times in the past, including a five-week trip in the early 1950s in place of her ailing father. You can read more of her connection to the country, and about her life in this obituary in the Ottawa Citizen.

Dig deeper: All the times Elizabeth II visited Ottawa [CTV]

Charles III: Charles took the throne immediately upon his mother’s death. He will officially known as King Charles III, the first to take that name since the 1600s.

Charles III will be officially proclaimed King likely later today, but his coronation is not likely to be for some time. Those are both formalities. Legally, he became King the moment the Queen died. It’s the same in Canada, the Queen was monarch one moment, and the King the next, according to The Canadian Press. You can read more about the official procedures for the change in monarch and what to expect in the coming days and weeks at the BBC.

CITY HALL

Strong mayor: The province passed legislation that will give the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto enhanced powers. The new powers will allow the next mayor to veto council votes, set the budget, and have more control over appointing committee members. The legislation also gives the province the ability to set priorities for the cities, but those regulations have yet to be published. [The Canadian Press]

Frustration at the council table: Several members of council who won’t be returning told CBC the job is a demanding and often frustrating one. Long hours, limited power, and a series of crises made the last council term particularly hard. The relationship between councillors also deteriorated, they told CBC. [CBC]

OC Transpo teams up with TTC: The city has teamed up with the Toronto Transit Commission to buy its next set of electric buses. The hope is the city will get better value by buying the busses with another Ontario city, making maintenance easier because the buses are standardized, CBC reported. The city had originally planned to go it alone, but a pre-emptive report by the auditor general had them change course. [CBC]

Rideau Centre highrise approved: A 21-storey highrise will go up on the site of the old City Registry Office located at 70 Nicholas St. The building, which will include 288 units and retail space, will incorporate the 150-year-old heritage building which currently sits vacant. The development was approved by the planning committee, and will go to a vote of the full council on the 21st. [Ottawa Citizen]

HEALTHCARE

Ontario recieves first Omicron vaccines

What happened: The province got its first delivery of the new bi-valent COVID vaccine that targets the Omicron variant and the original virus. Long-term care residents and healthcare workers will receive the first doses, The Canadian Press reported.

Wider availability: The public will get access to the new shots as Ontario receives more. Final plans have not been made, but the province said they were working with local health units to prepare for the new shots. The federal government said the country will receive enough doses for everyone over the age of 18 to get theirs over the fall and winter.

STORIES YOU MIGHT’VE MISSED

Low water levels on Lake St. Lawrence: Water levels in the man-made lake on the St. Lawrence seaway are at record-low levels. A lack of rainfall further up the watershed in Lake Ontario and elsewhere has forced regulators to keep the water low, in order to keep the seaway stable elsewhere. It’s hurting tourism in the area, with the shoreline moving feet away from where it normally is. [CTV]

Mollypenny retires: After more than 20 years as CHEO’s official therapeutic clown, Mollypenny is retiring later this year. Ruth Cull thanked the patients and staff at CHEO for her time there. “I am thankful for their gifts of knowledge and laughter. It means the world, the galaxy, to me,” she said. [Ottawa Citizen]

WEEKEND GUIDE

Waterworks, spinning, sparks, and jazz

Almonte Fibrefest | Until Sunday | 10 am to 5 pm Saturday, until 4 pm on Sunday | Almonte Textile Museum | $7 | Head on out to Almonte for workshops and vendors of everything fibers. Learn felting, weaving, and hooking and so much more. Advance registration required for workshops.

Tribute to Herbie Hancock | Saturday | 9:30 pm | Montgomery Scotch Lounge | $16.93 | The Nick MacLean Quartet, joined by Brownman Ali, are putting on a tribute to jazz great Herbie Hancock in two sets: one focused on his early work with Miles Davis, and a second set on his later funky period.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

The Sens’ big summer continues as they signed centre Tim Stützle to an eight-year contract worth $66.8 million. [CTV]
Summer is still with us. We’ve got a list of brewery patios you need to check out.
Take a tour through this year’s Minto Dream Home, the grand prize of for the CHEO Dream of a Lifetime Lottery. [CTV]
Fine Chinese dining arrived in the city when Peking Duck opened its doors.
Would you eat a poutine with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos dust in it? The Sens think you will.
Don’t miss out on this $150 dog toy prize pack giveaway from Brian Picknell Dog Training!
Seeing more wasps this year? It’s not just you, calls are up across town. [CTV]

TOP PHOTO

André Martin/Ottawa Lookout Reader

After a brief hiatus (we kept running out of space) the top photo is back! Today’s comes from reader André Martin, who sends in this great shot of a bee on a sunflower.

Do you have photos you want to share with Lookout readers? Send them in! We love running reader shots.

OTTAWA WORDLE

Congrats to Claude, Michele, Douglas, Julia, Natalia, Robert, Brenda, and Sylvia who all correctly GeoGuessed (sorry) the photo from last issue was on St. Patrick Street, near Notre Dame.

If you thought that was fun, why not give the Ottawa Wordle a try? Play now!

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.

Active Cases: 520 (+130)
Total deaths: 878 (+1)
Ottawans In Hospital: 21
Ottawans In ICU: 1
Acute Beds Occupied: 100%
ICU Beds Occupied: 74%
ICU Ventilator Beds Occupied: 35%