St. Brigid’s group provides slim evidence for eviction trial

Good morning!

Busy times here at the Lookout. Two big announcements we’re really excited about. 

First, we’re preparing to expand our municipal election coverage. But first we need to hear from you. Take a minute to fill out our Municipal Election Survey and shape the stories we write about.

Second, are you in real estate, the housing industry or interior design? We’ve got a big opportunity for someone who wants to get in front of thousands of readers. You can email our partnership director to get more info. 

Now, let’s get to that newsletter.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Wednesday: 18 🌡️ 5 | 🌦

Thursday: 18 🌡️ 6 | ☀

Friday: 18 🌡️ 10 | 🌦

ST. BRIGID’S

Group being evicted alleges harassment from all corners

What happened: The group refusing to leave the historic St. Brigid’s church filed court documents accusing other tenants of being aggressive, problems with the neighbourhood, with the bailiff who delivered eviction papers, and issues with the state of the building. 

• According to CBC, the filings said the group had verbal agreements to delay the paying of rent and to paint the doors of the church, a possible heritage violation.

Lack of evidence: Rather than file things like sales agreements, and proof of agreements, the United People of Canada are relying on affidavits. The group’s director said he would provide any documentation under cross-examination. 

Owner’s response: The owners of St. Brigid’s include more than 180 pages of evidence including the sales agreement and email back and forths between the group and the real estate agent involved in selling the church.

Court date: The next hearing is expected for Monday. The group’s asked for an extension to transcribe conversation audio recordings, but none of those transcripts are included in the filings.

THE QUEEN

Federal holiday proclaimed for Monday for Queen’s funeral

What happened: The federal government announced next Monday will be a federal holiday in honour of the Queen’s funeral. Only federal workers will get the day off.

• Instead…: The Ontario government has instead declared Sept. 19 as a “Day of Mourning,” according to CityNews reporter Richard Southern.

Premier Doug Ford said people can observe a moment of silence at 1 pm on Monday. “We encourage all Ontarians to use this day to honour Her Majesty and pay tribute to the extraordinary legacy she leaves behind,” Ford said.

• Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island all announced the 19th as a holiday.

Business lobby wins: The president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business  Dan Kelly had urged the provinces to reject the holiday, telling CBC it would cost businesses too much. 

Army Run postponed: Instead of taking place this Sunday, the Canada Army Run will instead move to Nov. 6 because of the Queen’s death. Refunds are available to anyone who can’t make the new date, or they can transfer their registration to next year’s edition or this year’s virtual run.

• Dig deeper: Some Ottawa residents conflicted over Queen's legacy [CTV]

ELECTION UPDATE

Fundraisers, housing and a campaign launch

Sutcliffe hosts big money fundraiser: Mayoral candidate Mark Sutcliffe held a $1,200 per person fundraiser over the weekend. The ticket price counted as a donation to the campaign, the event site said, and $1,200 is the legal donation limit. 

In his pre-politics life, Sutcliffe looked down upon events when corporate money was involved at the provincial level.

• What Sutfliffe said: “The potential conflicts of interest at some of these events – ministers raising money from the very companies that their departments regulate or do business with – are far too many to list here. But it’s as simple as this: how could any business justify $7,500 for a meal if it didn’t think it was getting a lot more than food?” he wrote for the Ottawa Citizen in 2016.

Sutcliffe said it’s time to rename the SJAM: Pointing to another op-ed he wrote for the Citizen, Sutcliffe said the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway should be renamed. “Sir John A. Macdonald may have demonstrated vision and foresight in many aspects of the founding of our country, but on the treatment of Indigenous people, he clearly failed the test,” he wrote last year.

McKenney to announce housing plans: Mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney will announce their plan to address housing affordability and homelessness this afternoon. McKenney will make the announcement in Barrhaven, their campaign said in an email.

Sutcliffe to officially launch campaign: The campaign may be well underway, but the Sutcliffe campaign will officially kick off this evening at the St. Elias Centre near Mooney’s Bay. The campaign said there will be parking, but encouraged people to use transit. Sutcliffe will give a speech and launch a new campaign video.

STORIES YOU MIGHT’VE MISSED

Reunited with birth family: Someone hoping to find their birth father posted a photo from the 80s to Reddit. And it worked! In a follow-up post (the original has since been deleted) the user said they met their aunt online and learned they still have family in town. “Whatever may come of this discovery, good or bad, I'm so grateful to everyone for your offers of help, words of kindness and for my fellow Ottawans for being bros,” they said. 

Murder charge laid: A 22-year-old woman was stabbed to death, just days after coming to town to study nursing from Nunavut. Savanna Pikuyak had moved into a room in a house off of Craig Henry last Thursday. She was killed Sunday. A 33-year-old man, her roommate and brother of the homeowner, has been charged with second-degree murder. [CBC]

Parents want action after school beating: Thousands of people have signed a petition asking the education ministry and Gloucester High School to take action after a student was beaten at a plaza near the school. The school said it is investigating the incident.

GST rebates, dental plan: The federal GST rebate will be doubled when Parliament resumes. The federal government also announced the first phase of its national dental care plan will be put into place for Dec. 1, and will focus on coverage for children under 12 for families earning less than $90,000 per year. Renters with low-income will also get a one-time top up of $500 as part of the package of inflation-fighting measures. [CTV]

Warm fall ahead: The Weather Network said much of the province, including Ottawa, will see warm weather this fall lasting into October. It’s expected rainfall will be at normal levels. The network said November is expected to be closer to normal and snow is likely. [The Weather Network]

Coyote kills two pets: Residents of Riverside Park South are feeling terrorized by a coyote that snatched a dog and a cat recently. Residents said the coyote doesn’t appear to be afraid of people. The city has brought in a private contractor to track coyotes in the area and come up with recommendations for what to do. [Ottawa Citizen]

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SURVEY

What municipal election questions do you have?

Have questions about each candidates plan for housing? How about taxes? Will they expand transit?

We’re preparing to expand our municipal election coverage, but we need your input to decide what we cover.

Take the short survey today before our end-of-week deadline.

HOUSE OF THE WEEK

Wouldn’t go quite so far as to call this one a manor, but it’s a heck of a house. Located on Long Island in Manotick, you’re just steps from the Rideau River. It’s got extensive updates, five bedrooms, a pool, and a double-sided fireplace.

Check out the listing to see more!

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Ottawa Public Health is recommending anyone who is eligible to get their latest COVID dose.

• Discover which burger our food editor thinks is the best in Ottawa.  

• An Osgoode farmer is selling top-quality Wagyu beef, and sells gift-boxes for between $250 and $350. [CTV] 

• If you’re in the Craig Henry area and are missing your cat, it may have been found by a Reddit user.

• Ottawology? You read that right. It’s the study of all things Ottawa, in a course at Carleton’s Lifelong Learning Program. [Apt613]

• Police were called to Bells Corners when a bear was spotted near Robertson Road. The bear headed back into the woods once police arrived. [CityNews]

• If you’re a Lookout paying member, be sure to check out all of our resources for subscribers! We’ve got our local food maps, wine recommendations and more.

• After 10 years in business, Hummingbird chocolate has expanded into a new facility. [Apt613]

• There was a Christmas movie filmed on Preston Street this week. It’s one of two productions in the city right now. (Curious what’s being filmed in the city, one Reddit user recommended the ACTRA Ottawa website.)

GOOD NEWS

100 donations: A Kingston police officer, Sgt. Steve Koopman, hit a milestone 100 blood donations. He’s given blood since he was 17, and has kept it up ever since, CTV reported. It’s especially important now, because Canadian Blood Services said it lost about 31,000 donors since the pandemic. [CTV]

TOP PHOTO

The classics are classic for a reason. Thanks to reader Basia for sending in a shot of one of the city’s best views, looking up the Canal toward the Chateau Laurier.

Have you got a photo of the city you want to share? Send it in! We love running reader photos.

OTTAWA GEOGUESSER

Congrats to Linda, Bev, Ron, Chantal, Sandra, and Khalida, who all knew that the Queen first visited Ottawa as the Queen, in 1957. Thanks for playing!

Today’s GeoGuesser might be a tough one, but we have a feeling quite a few of you will get this. (Have to say, you’re all pretty good at these. Going to have to make them tougher if you keep getting them right.)

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: 487 (+167)

• Total deaths: 885 (+2)

• Ottawans In Hospital: 25

• Ottawans In ICU: 1

• Acute Beds Occupied: 99% 

• ICU Beds Occupied: 75% 

• ICU Ventilator Beds Occupied: 25%