Mayor Watson testifies at convoy inquiry, says everyone failed

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Good morning!

We sure are learning a lot about how things went wrong last winter as the convoy took over the city. It turns out, officials were quite aware the group planned to stay for more than just a weekend, they just kind of…hoped they wouldn’t. So now the inquiry has quickly turned to the finger-pointing phase. Fortunately, there seems to be plenty of blame to go around.

Thanks to everyone who checked out the Ottawa Lookout Pod this week. For our first episode we sat down with mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney. If you missed it you can find the latest episode here for Apple, Spotify, or Google.

And a brief bit of apology: In last issue’s intro, we inadvertently misgendered mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney thanks to a breakdown in the editing process. I and the rest of the Lookout team want to apologize, we very much regret the error.

Onward.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

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Weather Report

Wednesday: 10 🌡️ 3 | 🌦

Thursday: 8 🌡️ 1 | 🌧

Friday: 13🌡️ 9 | 🌤

CONVOY INQUIRY

City “lost control” of downtown during convoy

What happened: Mayor Jim Watson said the city “lost control” of the red zone, where convoy protestors took hold of downtown. He struggled to get other levels of government to send additional police officers after things got out of hand, CBC reported.

"There was no question, when you look back in hindsight at what happened. There were several failure points along the way, whether it was the city, provincial or federal governments," Watson said, according to CBC.

• Dig deeper: How a plan to end the convoy protest came together — and why it failed [CBC]

He said both the provincial and federal governments were slow to respond to requests for help, and Watson was disappointed Premier Doug Ford never made a visit to the city during the crisis, according to the Ottawa Citizen.

What else we learned the last few days:

• Few people had the phone number of Watson — the police chief, head of the police board of local councillors not among them — and his ringer was usually off. But Dean French, the go-between the convoy organizers and city officials did, according to CTV’s Mackenzie Gray.

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Watson that Premier “Ford has been hiding from his responsibility on it for political reasons,” The Canadian Press reported.

• The mayor’s office knew days before the truckers arrived that many were looking for hotel bookings for at least 30 days.

• The city manager said the first weekend of the protests “went quite well,” according to CTV’s Gray.

• The city declared a state of emergency hoping to get the attention of other levels of government, CTV reported.

• Parliament Hill securty did a bomb blast assessment once a deal was announced to move trucks out of residenital areas and onto Wellington Street, according to CTV.

We’ll continue to update readers as we learn more from the inquiry.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

💰 $500,000: An Orléans man won this much at the lottery. He plans to pay off his mortgage, put aside money for his grandchildren’s education, and travel. [CityNews]

🚔 $62 million: The estimated additional cost to the city and police from dealing with the convoy. [CTV]

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Learn more about our road to zero emissions.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

ELECTION

No speeding: Chiarelli, McKenney come together to oppose speedy hiring of new police chief

What happened: Mayoral candidates Bob Chiarelli and Catherine McKenney sent a joint letter to the Ontario Civilian Police Commission asking the commission to investigate the process for hiring a new chief.

Ottawa Police Board chair Eli El-Chantiry is accused of having a conflict of interest by co-chairing Sutcliffe’s campaign while also saying he would appoint a new chief before the next council term begins next month.

• “This risks further eroding public trust, as Mr. Sutcliffe is perceived to have influence over the chief's selection process while running as a candidate for mayor,” Chiarelli and McKenney write.

The two candidates also want the commission to investigate the selection of a new chief because they said:

1. The convoy inquiry has yet to finish its work;

2. The public consultations during the hiring process were “inherently flawed;” and

3. There will be a new council and mayor in less than a month.

Campaigning for rural votes: Both Sutcliffe and McKenney are hoping to woo rural voters in this week’s last big push.

• Sutcliffe said he would prioritize the needs of rural residents, by focusing on road maintenance, family doctors and low taxes, CTV reported. He said it was absurd to say rural villages and downtown Ottawa have a lot in common, as McKenney did at a Monday debate.

• McKenney rolled out promises including to make sure rural communities were represented on city committees; ensure new developments protect water and farmland; give the communities access to disaster services; and address the lack of paramedics outside of town.

More election headlines:

• Mark Sutcliffe Advocated Defunding Capital Pride, Festival Franco-Ontarien and Tulip Festival in old columns [Press Progress]

• Candidates face off with one week left before municipal election [Ottawa Citizen]

• Ford ‘very disappointed’ Ottawa candidates won’t use strong mayor powers [CTV]

Voting day is next Monday. Find your polling place with this City of Ottawa tool.

OUTSIDE DOWNTOWN

We’re bringing you a weekly dose of news from outside the downtown core. Let us know if you like this feature in our survey at the end of the newsletter.

🗑 Work has begun on the Carp landfill expansion, starting with the widening of Carp Road to make way for the dump’s new entrance. [Stittsville Central]

🏅 This month, 113 community leaders, volunteers, and business people from Orléans received Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Awards. [Orléans Online]

🚘 Two people in Barrhaven were seriously injured in a head-on crash on Borrisokane Road. [CTV]

🚍 Residents in Chapel Hill wonder why the city tore down forest to build a OC Transpo Park and Ride only served by two non-express buses that’s gone mostly unused. [CBC]

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 The Galeries Aylmer mall in Gatineau is accepting donations for Ukrainian refugees settling in Canada. [CBC]

🗳️ If you live in Stittsville Ward, you will want to check out this great breakdown of the municipal election candidates. [Stittsville Central]

🏘️ Want cheap housing? Turns out rent in Nepean is $359 cheaper per month. [CTV]

HOUSE OF THE WEEK

Today’s house is an uncommon one around these parts: a duplex. This Glebe home has two spacious units over three floors. The main level has two bedrooms, laundry and a backyard patio. The second upper unit is on the top two floors with its own private patio and four bedrooms. Don’t miss the third-floor loft.

See how much it costs.

QUICK HITS

📶 Nokia plans to massively expand its Kanata campus, turning it into a mixed-use R&D hub which will include 1,900 units of housing. All three levels of government will contribute a planned $70 million to the project. [CTV]

📝 Education support workers, including custodians, early childhood educators and admin staff, will be in a legal strike position Nov. 3, after talks reached an impasse. The union is required to give five days notice before a strike begins. It may not be a full strike and instead a work-to-rule campaign. [The Canadian Press]

🚨 Two women in their 20s were hit by a driver and one of them is dead after an early morning crash in Sandy Hill. The second woman suffered serious injuries and remained in hospital. [CBC]

🏡 Housing starts in the city are down slightly, and a labour crunch is on the horizon as Ottawa struggles to keep up with population growth. [OBJ]

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Tomorrow, United Way East Ontario, Ottawa Board of Trade, and Ottawa and District Labour Council will host Ottawa’s final mayoral debate.

Called Common Ground, the debate will explore how each candidate will tackle the city’s biggest issues, like community trust, landmark infrastructure, and affordable housing.

• Attend or watch: Register to attend or Livestream the debate at Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre, 355 Cooper St. from 7 pm to 8:30 pm, or stream online.

What’s on your mind?

What’s on your mind? Every week we want to ask readers to share something local: a new neighbourhood business, a cool spot you visited, or a question you desperately need answered.

The answer: We’ll share it in next week’s edition of the newsletter. Submit your question here.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• You might think it’s too cold to try a new ice cream place, but Haven’s Creamery will change your mind.

• Meet Saša Muradori, an importer of world-class Croatian wines right here in Ottawa.

• The fall colours really are better this year, thanks to cool (but not cold) temperatures and plenty of rain. [CBC]

• Ontario Parks is reducing the number of days people can book campsites for during the busy season. [Ottawa Citizen]

• Mechanicsville is 150 years old, here’s the story of how two industrialists started the community. [Kitchissippi Times]

• A bank teller in Rockland is getting plaudits for stopping a customer from transferring funds to a scammer. [CityNews]

• The users of /r/ottawa on Reddit are sharing videos of their heroes during the convoy, heroes like Pot and Ladle Guy. [Reddit]

• Fill out this form to have you event or announcement featured in community highlights

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