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Major winter storm to shut down much of the city
A huge storm of wind, rain, sleet, and snow is coming to town, and closing everything from NHL games to schools
Robert Hiltz
23 Dec
Good morning!
Well, what would Christmas be without a storm of sleet and snow. We hope that you and your family are able to weather the storm, hopefully without too much disruption. It looks like it’s going to be a big one.
Next week we won’t be on our normal publishing schedule because of the holidays. We’ll have a bit of a year-end wrap-up next week, but we’ll be back on our regular schedule Jan. 4.
We’re not the only ones with different hours on the holidays. City services like 311 will be closed for all but emergencies, but garbage pickup will stay on its normal schedule. Buses and recreation centres will be on modified schedules. You can find the full list of what’s open and closed here at the city’s website.
Let’s get to the newsletter, shall we?
— Robert Hiltz, managing editor
PS - There’s still time to become an Insider member and save 39 off a membership before the deadline. Join today and unlock the best Ottawa has to offer.
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Weather Report
Friday: +3 🌡️ -10 | 🌧/❄️
Saturday: -6 🌡️ -8 | ❄️
Sunday: -7 🌡️ -12 | ❄️
Monday: -5 🌡️ -14 | ❄️
WEATHER
Major winter storm to shut down much of the city
What’s happening: A storm is rolling through town today, and is expected to go from rain to snow, with the danger of freezing rain or a flash freeze — maybe both — sometime today, according to Environment Canada.
Snow overnight will turn to rain in the morning, and the temperature will plummet through the day, turning back into snow. The windchill will reach -20C, with sustained winds as high as 70 km/h.
Schools closed: Before the storm has even arrived, school boards across the city decided to close Friday, bringing an early snow-day start to the Christmas break. The public and Catholic boards will both be closed, CTV reported.
The rain, sleet, snow, and wind all threaten travel today, one of the airport’s busiest days of the year. If you’ve got a flight today, getting where you’re going may be more a matter of luck.
The city officially declared a “significant weather event” meaning city services may be delayed, including road plowing, CBC reported. A winter parking ban will go into effect today at 10 am, and is expected to be lifted at 7 am Saturday morning. You can find more info here at the city’s website.
Power problems? Hydro Ottawa has crews on alert to respond to any outages 24 hours a day until the storm has passed, CBC reported. The wind is expected to be the biggest danger, but the utility said it had gained experience with the spring derecho that knocked out power for large swathes of town.
Try not to drive: The OPP are recommending people stay home during the storm, CBC reported. They recommend if you do have to travel to give yourself extra time, and to let the plows do their work, clearing roads and laying down salt.
Other effects:
The Christmas market at Lansdowne cancelled its last day today, due to safety concerns, according to CTV.
The Senators game against the Detroit Red Wings has also been cancelled and rescheduled to late February, CTV reported.
The Humane Society is recommending you limit time outside with your pets, CityNews reported.
OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS
🚗 118 km/h: A driver who’d just left the Drive Test centre off Wakley Road with a new licence had it almost taken away almost immediately when they were caught going this fast in a 50 zone. [CTV]
💰 6.5%: The inflation rate in Ottawa for November, down slightly from 6.9 percent the month before. [The Canadian Press]
INTEV
Hard times hit the Food Bank, here’s how you can help
Ottawa Food Bank/Handout
Inflation and rising food prices means more emergency services usage like the Ottawa Food Bank. We reached out to the Food Bank to see how things are different this year, and how you can help. What follows has been edited for length and clarity.
How are things different this year to previous years?
In 2022, the Ottawa Food Bank reported over 400,000 visits to food banks within our network – a 37.5 percent increase over 2019 pre-pandemic numbers. We are seeing a significant increase in the number of visits at the network of food banks and emergency food programs. Almost every month in 2022 has been a historic and record-breaking month in terms of visits.
What is new this year is that we are seeing more people who are employed, seniors, and single people needing to access a food bank. We continue to see a high number of families needing support and about 36% of all those who need a food bank are children.
The other significant change is that while the numbers of new people accessing food banks has increased, we are also seeing an increase in the number of times per month someone needs to access a food bank.
How are you coping with the increased demand?
Dealing with the increased demand is a sector wide concern. The Ottawa Food Bank has doubled the amount of food that is available per person, from three days of food to seven days of food. We will continue to provide this level of support until the fall of 2023.
We are committed to never having to turn people away, however sustainability is always a concern. We knew there would be a time when donations of money and food would decline but that the numbers of people accessing food things would continue to climb.
Our community has been incredibly generous over the last two years, and we have been able to set money aside for emergencies like this. If the numbers continue to rise like this in 2023, there will come a point when our system will no longer be able to meet the need. We need all levels of government to come together to address the issue of poverty and reduce food insecurity in our city. We need policies that prioritize life stabilization, affordable housing, and a basic income. We also need social assistance rates to keep pace with the inflation and cost of living.
Inflation seems to be a major factor in the increase of Food Bank use, is it the only factor?
Several factors contribute to continued and escalating need for food banks, including high inflation rates and the rising cost of basic necessities (food, fuel, housing). The growing gap between income and the cost of living continues, and this has caused an unprecedented increase of visits to our network of food banks.
Other than donating food, can people donate money?
We are also able to accept monetary donations. Thanks to our incredible food industry partners and bulk purchasing arrangements, the Ottawa Food Bank can turn each donated dollar into about $5 worth of delivered food. We use these types of donations to purchase perishable food items like lean proteins, cheese, yogurt, milk, fresh fruits and vegetables, and more.
Other than making a donation, how else can people help?
We know that the cost of basic needs are increasingly unaffordable. Wages and social assistance rates haven’t kept up, and people increasingly rely on our network of food banks to make ends meet. Emergency food provision is essential - but we should aim for fewer emergencies. Sufficient income, affordable housing, and mental health supports go a long way to providing much-needed stability.
Is there anything else people should know?
In the new year, the Ottawa Food Bank will be relocating to a new location to ensure we can increase our capacity to provide fresh, healthy food to all in need. With added space, larger food storage equipment and efficiency, we will be in a better position to meet growing needs. As we say goodbye to 2022, we are reflecting on the generosity of our donors and community members who help us achieve our mission: to create a healthier city by empowering people, increasing access to healthy food, and advocating for systemic changes that reduce food insecurity. Ottawa is experiencing a food insecurity crisis and a sustained response is necessary.
Donations to the Ottawa Food Bank are down approximately eight percent compared to 2021. The continued generosity of the Ottawa Food Bank’s donors enables reactive response. The Ottawa Food Bank is asking the public for continued financial support.
What they need most
The Food Bank said these are their most-needed, non-perishable items:
Rice, pasta and pasta sauce
Canned proteins such as meat and fish, canned fruit or fruit cups in water or 100% fruit juice, canned vegetables, canned stew or chili
Nut butters
Diapers
Unsweetened apple/fruit sauce
Shelf stable milk
Whole grain cereal, instant oatmeal minipacks
Dried fruit (raisins, apricots, dates)
Tuna, hummus, chicken snack packs (shelf stable), chole grain crackers, whole grain granola bars
If you’d like to help the Food bank in other ways, you can donate to the Food Bank here or register to volunteer here.
THE AGENDA
⚖️ The Public Service Alliance of Canada will file a complaint with the labour board over the federal government’s plan to force all workers back into the office two or three days a week. [The Canadian Press]
🚒 A firefighter was injured battling a blaze in Old Ottawa South. It took crews almost two hours to put out the fire on the three-story home… [CTV]
👨🚒 …While another firefighter on his first shift saved two people and a dog. [Ottawa Citizen]
😷 Ottawa’s top doctor Vera Etches recommends citizens mask up and get vaccinated because the respiratory virus season is expected to get worse in January. [CBC]
🏛️ One city councillor accidentally voted the wrong way on council’s vote on the budget direction last week. [Ottawa Citizen]
🛷 Despite warnings it is unsafe, some sledders are still using Mooney’s Bay Hill to toboggan. [Ottawa Citizen]
💐 Lowertown residents are mourning the passing of Frank Richer, a local fixture who died last week. [CBC]
🍦 Rather than enter the corporate world after business school, this CARP entrepreneur preferred to start her own company. [OBJ](In the last issue, we didn’t attach a link to this story, sorry about that!)
GOOD NEWS
New track named to honour train enthusiast
What happened: VIA Rail named a track siding in honour of a Brockville train enthusiast Chelsea Cadieux, CTV reported. The section of track will now be known as the Chelsea Siding.
Cadieux, who lives with Sturge-Weber Syndrome, has long greeted train engineers and other VIA employees with their favourite playing card when trains arrive at the station.
"I started out by saying ‘'What's your favourite playing card?’ And they would either pick Queen of Hearts or Jack of Spades, or any card at all. From then on, I remembered what a certain engineer's favourite card was and it makes them happy when I show it to them,” Cadieux told CTV.
One train engineer told CTV: “This is our special girl, coming into the station and seeing her there with her cards and jumping up and down. … Now having this station renamed after her is just a huge deal because we're going to be saying this out over the airwaves forever now and you'll hear it.”
Eight more days to save on an Insider membership (and support local journalism)
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Get a discounted membership to our Insider Food and City Hall memberships for 39 percent off, but this only lasts until Dec. 31.
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COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS
A Stittsville couple is having an extra special Christmas, after they won a $1-million Maxmillions prize. [CTV]
If you’re having trouble with your snowblower, generator or other small engine, this mechanic on Reddit has advice to help you get it running. [Reddit]
The Sens signed defenceman Artem Zub to a four-year deal worth about $4.6 million per year. [CTV]
Lily the five-month-old rabbit is looking to be adopted. The white rabbit loves to play and explore. [CityNews]
This Brockville couple goes all out to decorate the inside of their house for the holidays, including dozens of Christmas trees. [CTV]
CTV’s got a great guide for how to lower energy costs by getting the most out of your thermostat this winter. [CTV]
Want to have your announcement featured? Contact our partnership team for more info.
COMMUNITY PHOTO
Irenka Farmilo
Reader Irenka Farmilo sent in the photo after the storm last weekend. Here’s hoping the city looks this good after this next one.
Send us your storm photos! We love running reader photos, especially after big storms.
WORDLE
Congrats to JoAnne, Doug, Adam, Gord, and Michelle who all knew this week’s Ottawa Guesser was the Chaudière Bridge across the Ottawa Weather. Thanks for playing!
Now it’s time for your last Ottawa Wordle of the year. Can you get it right? Play now.
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