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Why this weekend’s Ottawa road closures will be a nightmare

Why this weekend’s Ottawa road closures will be a nightmare

As our city grapples with a healthcare crisis, the Ontario government won’t rule out private health care.

Robert Hiltz
12 Aug

Weather Report

Friday: 23 🌡️ 7 | ⛅

Saturday: 25 🌡️ 9 | ☀

Sunday: 26 🌡️ 12 | ☀

Monday: 26 🌡️ 15 | ⛅

TRAFFIC

417 closed through downtown until Monday

Handout/City of Ottawa

What happened: At 8 pm last night the 417 closed for a five kilometre stretch from Carling to Metcalfe for the replacement of the Booth Street overpass. A detour is in place with Carling and Bronson as the main arteries, with Isabella set for eastbound traffic, and Catherine for westbound traffic. It is set to reopen Monday at 6 am.

Eight downtown on ramps have been closed, and sections of Booth, Raymond and Rochester streets will be closed while the new bridge is put in place.

Avoid driving: If you can, it’s best to stay off the affected roads. Find another route, take the LRT, bike, walk, canoe down the river, hire a team of donkeys, anything to stay out of what is sure to be a painful experience for everyone on the road.

Other closure: Slater Street from Bronson to Bay will be closed this weekend and next as crews perform major sewer and water main work, according to the city. There will be bus detours through downtown, but local access will still be available for residents.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

25%: The amount the average house price across the country could drop by 2023 according to a new Desjardins report. [The Canadian Press]
Nov. 30: The date the LRT Inquiry final report deadline has been extended to. [CTV]
106 mm: The amount of rain that fell from Sunday to Tuesday this week, more than usually falls for the whole month. [CBC]

Ottawa's biggest garden festival is happening right now

Come rejoice in colour, scent and nature’s artistry at the inaugural Ottawa Garden Festival, from now until Aug. 21.

Celebrate the Year of the Garden by visiting over 75 urban and rural public gardens with bus, bike and walking tours, botanica cocktails and art exhibits, and floral design demonstrations.

Check out their full event list here.

Festival partner Canadensis, which is planning a national botanical garden in Ottawa, hosts artist gardens, performances of Shakespeare’s summer-perfect The Tempest, and other activities.

Location: Events are throughout Ottawa. Use these helpful maps to plan a garden walking tour.

Want to learn more about gardening? Experts are on hand to answer gardening questions and you can vote on spectacular floral arrangements by amateurs using flowers they’ve grown themselves.

It’s the perfect mid-week or weekend family outing. There’s events for kids and parents alike. Learn more to plan your perfect visit.

HEALTHCARE

Province puts privatization on the table

What happened: The provincial government is considering more private health providers into the public system, as widespread hospital department closures sweep through the system. Health Minister Sylvia Jones said Wednesday all options were on the table, The Canadian Press reported.

“I am saying that there is innovation and opportunities here in Ontario, and we will explore those,” Jones said.

OHIP access: Jones clarified slightly Thursday when she said access to healthcare through OHIP would never change, but stood by her comments on innovation and would not rule out the entrance of more private companies to deliver public services, CBC reported.

Dig deeper: Here's how long you wait to see a doctor in an Ottawa hospital emergency department [CTV]

The Lookout’s view: The province has declined to take up measures put forward by nurses that would alleviate the crisis. Those suggestions essentially boil down to the fact health care workers are overworked and underpaid. Instead, it is pushing buzzwords like “innovation” to bring in private providers, that critics say will undermine a public system it seems uninterested in building back up.

CITY HALL UPDATE

OC Transpo needs better organization: The bus driver’s union said OC Transpo’s poor organization is to blame for ongoing mass bus cancellations. Mandated breaks for drivers still aren’t being accounted for in the schedule, the union said. One councillor said the transit service should be able to plan ahead so disruptions aren’t all at once, or give riders advance notice about route cancellations. [CBC]

Chiarelli promises tax freeze: Mayoral candidate Bob Chiarelli promised to freeze taxes in the first year if he’s elected. He also promised to have a third-party review of the city operations to find efficiencies in the first 100 days. He said he would stop any new megaprojects like Lansdowne 2.0, freeze all new road building, and delay the purchase of electric buses. He said he would honour all existing contracts.

CITY HALL

Province to make Ottawa mayor stronger than council

What happened: The province introduced new legislation to give the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa new mayoral powers. It’s a pilot project that could be expanded to other cities. The government said would speed up housing construction throughout Ontario, CBC reported.

According to CBC, the “strong mayor” bill would allow mayors to:

Set the city’s budget;
Have sole control of hiring senior bureaucrats;
Appoint committee leaders;
Veto bylaws deemed against provincial priorities;
And introduce bylaws that are provincial priorities.

What the mayoral candidates are saying

Mark Sutcliffe: “More housing is needed, but special powers for mayors are not. … No one politician can fix the housing crisis and no amount of new powers from Queen’s Park can overcome the labour shortage or political games that often get played with building homes,” he said in a statement.

Catherine McKenney: “I’ve never supported the strong mayor model. It’s undemocratic. It takes away the democratic rights of residents who elect both a mayor and the councillors. … What we need, really, is a strong city model where actual cities have more power,” they told CTV.

Bob Chiarelli: It is a tool that will be available. … I would be in favour of it. If we do have a deadlock at council then the power of the mayor can be used to break a tie or break a dispute, and it could be used very responsibly,” he said to CTV in July, when the powers were first proposed.

The other candidates: You can see what the nine other candidates said about the powers at CTV.

Our analysis: It’s not clear whether the new powers would speed up housing development. Requiring a two-thirds supermajority of council to override a veto is not exactly democratic. In Ottawa, our current mayor has a de facto council majority, but without the will from the top, these problems don’t get solved. What is clear is the powers to veto bylaws against provincial priorities and introduce measures from the province will give the government in Toronto even more say on how this city is governed.

STORIES YOU MIGHT’VE MISSED

St. Brigid’s group forming security force: The group in the process of buying St. Brigid’s church said it’s beginning to form a private security force. The “United People of Canada” said they wouldn’t reveal the force’s members. Ottawa Police visited the church to speak with the group, after it had reported acts of vandalism, and informed them security guards must be licenced. [CBC]

Missing for 42 years, actually living abroad: A woman who left home at 22 years old in 1980 and was never seen again was living outside Canada the whole time. Police posted an age-progressed sketch of the woman last year, and recently a person came across the post to say she had recently died outside of the country. Where she lived was not revealed by police. [CTV]

City clear cuts forest after storm damage: Where there was once a forest in Hazeldean Woods, there is now a large clearing, after city crews cut down a large section of trees. Many were damaged by the storm, but a local resident said the city went too far, and could have been more selective. [Ottawa Citizen]

Pushing for masks at Canadian Blood Services: Donors and recipients are upset blood donor clinics have lifted their mask mandate. At a time when the blood supply is low, there is fear potential donors are staying away from donor clinics. [Ottawa Citizen]

A bird? A plane? It’s better, it’s puppets (this weekend only)

It’s Friday. The kids are asking, what are we doing this weekend? Little do they know their weekend is about to be entirely different.

Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival in Almonte — Presented by Neilcorp Homes — is on today until Sunday.

Featuring world-class puppet artistry, a puppet parade, a kids’ craft tent and ample shade. Don’t worry parents, there’s stuff for you too.

Check out the jam-packed schedule or get your day pass before they sell out.

WEEKEND GUIDE

Festivals, flea markets, and a film in the park

Asinabka Festival | Until Sunday | Club SAW, Ottawa Art Gallery and Gallery 101 | See schedule for times | $0 to $54 | Film screenings, an art gallery, and a music showcase and 2-Spirit Ball are all part of this festival celebrating Indigenous arts in Algonquin Territory.

Plant and Pottery Pop-Up | Sunday | 11 am to 4 pm | 877 Boyd Ave. | Free | Local female-owned businesses will be selling their wares at this pop-up. With activities and a vegan food truck. There will also be a moss farm workshop from 12 pm to 2 pm with limited spots, the $150 price tag includes a lesson and all materials — sign up here.

Community highlights

There's still lots of time to win $100 worth of ice cream from La Cigale. Enter the giveaway here.
Is the clutter in your home making you feel stressed and overwhelmed? Declutter4Good can help. Reach out to them today to book a free consultation.*
The Canadian Wildlife Federation is saving hundreds of turtles in its Kanata office. [CBC]
Don’t forget! The LRT is closed overnight this weekend for its entire length starting at 8 pm each night.
This wonderful tour around Pontiac might be just what your weekend needs.
The United Way in Kingston is looking for backpacks and school supplies for local kids in need. [CTV]
You need to try this smashburger in Ottawa, a thin-smooshed patty you won’t forget.
The Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry will pay the rent for a year for one person living outside the counties to become a brand ambassador for the region. [CTV]
Friends in Sportfishing is doing good in the community by making free fishing trips accessible for people who wouldn’t be able to get out on the water. [CBC]

*Sponsored post

WEEKEND OTTAWA WORDLE

Maybe the GeoGuesser was too easy. Rosemary, Élaine, Diane, Sonia, Alexandra, Sonia, Ron, Sandra, Kristy, Laurent, Joel, Andre, Jean, JoAnne, David, Aadil, Rohit, Martha, Alyson, and Tanya all guessed Hog’s Back as the correct answer. (If we missed anyone, deepest apologies, a lot of you got it right this week.)

This week's Wordle should be a straightforward one, but hopefully not too easy. Think you have what it takes? Play now.

TOP PHOTO

Suzanne Denis/Ottawa Lookout Reader

Today’s glorious shot comes from Suzanne Denis, who grabbed a photo Wednesday night of the Canadian fireworks team during the Casino du Lac-Leamy fireworks show.

Do you have great summer shots you want to share with Lookout readers? Send them in! We’re always looking to run your photos.

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: 1,016
Total deaths: 854
Ottawans In Hospital: 39
Ottawans In ICU: 2
Acute Beds Occupied: 92%
ICU Beds Occupied: 70%
ICU Ventilator Beds Occupied: 31%

Previous Lookout editions

The province has no plan to fix hospitals - read more
Five solutions to Ottawa’s healthcare crisis - read more
Why home sales dropped 35 percent in July - read more