Alcohol

Alcohol remains a factor in half of all boating fatalities. We've all heard "if you drink, don't drive" but it's the same on the water. Boating while impaired is an offence under the Criminal Code of Canada and a boat is a vehicle in the same way a car is under the Highway Traffic Act in all provinces and territories. If you are convicted of driving any motorized vehicle under the influence, you will lose your licence.

Wear a lifejacket

Boats are required by law to have enough life jackets/PFDs on board for each person on the boat. Ensure they are properly sized for the passengers on board - children should only wear properly fitted child size lifejackets. And to decrease the risk of drowning, everyone in the boat needs to be wearing the life jacket/PFD at all times.

Be prepared

The mandatory Pleasure Craft Operator's Card (PCOC) card is mandatory on all waterways in Canada. We go an extra step by recommending that you take a boating skills course. Always check the weather conditions before heading out, make sure that your boat is mechanically sound and that you have enough gas for your trip. A first aid kit as well as the proper safety equipment and emergency contact information should also be on board.

Please visit the Ottawa Police website for further safety and crime prevention tips.

* Source: Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons

The warning was issued at 9:17 and covered Ottawa North, Kanata, Orleans and Gatineau.

The thunderstorm was capable of producing hail up to 2 centimeters in diameter. 

The thunderstorm is moving southeastward at about 60 km/h.

View the complete forecast.

Serves 6 to 8

Recipe from Avocados from Mexico

• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 cup kasha or buckwheat groats
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled, in ½-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon each: salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• Half of a sweet red pepper, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
• 2 firm ripe avocados from Mexico, halved, pitted, peeled, diced
• ½ cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds

1. In saucepan, bring broth, garlic and cumin to boil over high heat. Stir in kasha; reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until no liquid remains nd kasha is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Scrape into bowl. Let cool.

2. In separate saucepan, of boiling salted water, cook sweet potato just until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain; let cool.

3. In small bowl, whisk vinegar, oil, mustard, paprika, salt and pepper; add to kasha along with green onions, celery, red pepper and parsley, tossing to coat. Gently fold in sweet potatoes, avocados and pepitas. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Note: If making ahead, add avocado and pepitas just before serving.

Asparagus-stuffed chicken breasts

Serves 4

Recipe from Foodland Ontario

• 4 boneless skinless Ontario chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons each: Dijon mustard and chopped fresh tarragon
• Salt and pepper
• 4 slices Ontario provolone cheese
• 16 Ontario asparagus spears, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs

1. Place chicken between waxed paper or plastic wrap; pound with mallet to flatten to 1/4-inch thickness.

2. In small bowl, combine mustard, tarragon, salt and pepper to taste; spread evenly over rough side of each chicken breast. Top each with cheese slice and 4 asparagus spears. Roll up chicken, letting asparagus protrude on both ends; secure with toothpicks. (Tip: allow toothpicks to protrude on side of stuffed chicken for easy removal after baking.)

3. Place seam side down on parchment-lined baking sheet; brush with a little of the butter. Toss crumbs with remaining butter; pat onto stuffed breasts. Sprinkle with pepper to taste.

4. Bake in preheated 400°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced. If desired, broil for 2 to 3 minutes to brown crumbs. Remove toothpicks and serve.

Rhubarb Flan

Serves 6 to 8

Recipe from Foodland Ontario

• 2 cups chopped Ontario rhubarb
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 8 ounces light cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated orange rind
• 1 purchased sponge cake flan

1. In saucepan over medium-high heat, combine rhubarb and granulated sugar. Cook, stirring until sugar dissolves and rhubarb softens into a sauce. Cool.

2. Meanwhile in mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat cream cheese, icing sugar and orange rind together until smooth.

3. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly in depression on top of flan. Spread cooled rhubarb filling over cream cheese. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cut into wedges.

Variation: In June when Ontario strawberries are in season, arrange halved strawberries over rhubarb. In July use Ontario raspberries or blueberries.

Canadian Blood Services says men who have not had sex with other men within the last five years will be allowed to donate blood when the new policy comes into effect this summer.

Agency executive Dr. Dana Devine acknowledges some people will feel that the deferral period is too long, but she says the agency will review it over time.

A number of other countries already allow gay men to give blood, and some use a shorter deferral period than Canada has settled on.

In Britain and Australia, gay men who haven't had sex with other men for at least a year are eligible to give blood and in South Africa the deferral period is six months.

Those who had been campaigning for Canada to drop its lifetime ban had been advocating for a period of 12 months.

"We recognize that many people will feel that this change does not go far enough, but given the history of the blood system in Canada, we see this as a first and prudent step forward on this policy," said Devine, who is vice-president of medical, scientific and research affairs at Canadian Blood Services.

"It's the right thing to do and we are committed to regular review of this policy as additional data emerge and new technologies are implemented."

The shadow of Canada's tainted blood scandal has loomed over discussions to change the blood donation policy, discussions which have dragged on over years. In 1980s, before the Red Cross began to test donated blood for HIV, hundreds of Canadians were infected with HIV and-or hepatitis C.

On the recommendation of the Krever inquiry, a Royal Commission into the affair, the Red Cross was stripped of responsibility for Canada's blood supply. Canadian Blood Services and Hema-Quebec were set up to take over the task.

A string of attacks in the middle eastern country has killed more than 270 people in just the past week.

Baird says consular officials are in touch with the Canadian's family and are offering assistance.

He says he's grown "increasingly concerned" about the violence that has rocked Iraqi cities and towns in recent days.

Baird says while the security situation in Iraq has been fragile for years, the most recent violence is "particularly troubling" and risks plunging the country into a civil war.

He says Canada will be monitoring the situation carefully and is urging Iraqi authorities to do all they can to increase security.

Rising tensions between Sunnis and the Shiite-led government in Iraq have burst into a new round of bloodshed recently with scenes reminiscent of some of the worst carnage during the days when the two Islamic sects battled each other as well as U.S.-led forces in the chaotic years after Saddam Hussein's ouster.

The violence has raised fears the country is sliding back to the brink of civil war amid rising Sunni anger over perceived mistreatment at the hands of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government and dangerous spillover from Syria's civil war next door, where the two factions are also pitted against each other.

A series of blitz attacks on Monday, stretching from north of Baghdad to the southern city of Basra and targeting bus stops, open-air markets and rush-hour crowds, killed 113 people.

Meanwhile, 20 were killed after a car bomb exploded as Sunni worshippers were leaving a mosque after evening prayers Tuesday in Baghdad. Several smaller attacks struck areas elsewhere in the country earlier Tuesday.

With files from the Associated Press.

Chelsie McCumber, a resident of Moore, said she grabbed her two-year-old son, Ethan, and covered him with a mattress before taking shelter in the coat closet of her home.

“I told him we’re going to play tent in the closet,” McCumber said.

She sang to her son when he complained it was getting warm inside the cramped space. “Time just kind of stood still,” recalled McCumber. “I was kind of holding my breath, thinking this isn’t the worst of it yet.”

When the pair emerged from the closet, McCumber said she was shocked by the devastation left by the mammoth storm. “When I got out, it was worse than I thought.”

On Tuesday, the National Weather Service confirmed it was an EF-5 twister, the fiercest and most destructive possible.

Keli Peritle, a spokesperson for the weather agency, said the tornado was upgraded from an EF-4 to an EF-5 based on the damage an assessment team saw on the ground.

The national weather agency described the twister, which had a path of destruction of 27 kilometres long and two kilometres wide, as “incredible.” Winds were clocked at more than 322 km/h, and authorities said that less than one per cent of all tornadoes reach such speeds.

The Enhanced Fujita scale, or EF scale, is the standard for rating tornadoes’ strength. It is based largely on wind speed and degrees of damage to structures, such as apartment buildings, schools and shopping malls, and vegetation, such as trees.

An EF-1 tornado has wind speeds of up to 137 km/h. EF-5 twisters have wind speeds exceeding 322 km/h.

Authorities on Tuesday said 24 people, including nine children, were killed when the twister ripped through the small town in a central U.S. region known as Tornado Alley. Homes were reduced to piles of splintered wood, and a local elementary school was demolished.

“We will rebuild and we will regain our strength,” Gov. Mary Fallin said. Fallin, who went on a flyover of the area, said the destruction was “hard to look at.”

An aerial view of the town shows large patches of turned-over red dirt where the tornado, which was on the ground for 40 minutes, had ripped through the town. Squares of concrete slabs could be seen where homes once stood and a pond was filled with piles of wood.

Authorities say they have yet to determine the full scope of damage left by the tornado and they do not know the number of families that have been displaced.

A fresh crew of emergency workers moved in on Tuesday to continue the search-and-rescue effort undertaken by more than 200 personnel overnight. By Tuesday evening, after nearly 24 hours of searching, the town’s fire chief said he was confident there were no more bodies or survivors left.

“I’m 98 per cent sure we’re good,” Fire Chief Gary Bird said at a press conference. He said crews have combed through every damaged home at least once.

Bird said his goal was to search each building three times just to be certain there were no more bodies or survivors. He said he expects the search for survivors to come to a close Tuesday night, though heavy rains have dampened their efforts.

Emergency crews have also run into difficulty navigating the devastated neighbourhoods as no street signs or recognizable landmarks are left. Some rescue workers relied on smartphones or GPS devices to guide them.

The death toll was initially reported to be 51 but was lowered. In the early chaos after the storm some victims were counted twice, Amy Elliot, a spokesperson for the state’s medical examiner’s office, told The Associated Press.

More than 200 people have been treated at surrounding hospitals.

Meanwhile, in Washington, President Barack Obama pledged government help for the community of 56,000 people 26 km south of Oklahoma City.

"In an instant, neighbourhoods were destroyed, dozens of people lost their lives, many more were injured," Obama said. "Among the victims were young children trying to take shelter in the safest place they knew -- their school."

Early Tuesday morning, rescue teams at Plaza Towers Elementary were able to pull several students from under a collapsed wall. Some students looked confused, others scared as workers passed the survivors down to parents and volunteers. Seven of the nine dead children were killed at that school.

The twister tore off the school’s roof and destroyed the playground, leaving behind a heap of twisted metal and plastic. Moments before the twister destroyed the elementary school, the tornado alarm sounded, recalled sixth-grader Phaedra Dunn.

“All the teachers started screaming into the room and saying, ‘Get into the hallway! We don’t want you to die!’ and stuff like that,” Dunn said. “We just took off running.”

While more than 100 schools across Oklahoma have reinforced tornado shelters, Plaza Towers Elementary and nearby Briarwood Elementary did not.

Messages of condolence have poured in to the community from around the world, including from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who offered the assistance of the United Nations, according to deputy spokesperson Eduardo del Buey.

With files from The Associated Press

The Musical Ride is one of the endearing images of the RCMP: officers on horseback performing intricate drills to music. Staff Sergeant Caroline O'Farrell outlines in the statement of claim that she had dreamed of being part of that team but explains how that dream became a nightmare. She alleges the abuse started when O'Farrell joined basic training with the musical ride in April of 1986. She was the only female officer on the course. She alleges she was subjected to repeated “s***-troughing” or “horse-troughing”  in the horse stables, where she was doused with water "dragged along face down by her arms through...dirt, shavings, manure and urine...all the while her colleagues (they) were laughing and videotaping the incident." 

The officer, now 52, alleges the abuse continued for months; that her "high brown boots were filled with manure", the straps on her horse's bridle were not buckled".  The lawsuit claims the RCMP's investigation "upheld the harassment complaint....and concluded there were over 100 incidents of harassment that had been substantiated." 

O'Farrell alleges she was transferred off the Musical Ride in July of 1987 -- she was told “for her own safety as her supervisors couldn’t guarantee her safety during the next leg of the Ride.”  None of these allegations has been proven in court.

 Canada's Attorney General is among those being sued along with 13 former colleagues of the musical ride, many of whom have since been promoted within the RCMP. 

“I don’t comment on specific cases as you know,” said Nicholson at a news conference on another matter.

The suit is claiming more than $8 million dollars in damages for battery, sexual assault and loss of income, international infliction of mental suffering, misfeasance in public office and breach of contract on behalf of O'Farrell, her ex-husband and two children.

These allegations are the latest to hit the already battered police force.

"Something has to happen,” says Francis Scarpaleggia, the Liberal Critic for Public Safety, “because these incidents whether they're from the 80's, 90's are making it difficult for the force to maintain the trust of the people that it's serving and that's a very serious problem.”

O'FArrell, who is still with the RCMP, is coming forward now her lawyer says after finally understanding what damage was done to her.  She wants the officers and the force held accountable.   O'Farrell wasn't talking to the media today; neither was the RCMP.  The RCMP Musical Ride, begins Thursday with Commissioner Bob Paulson's annual inspection at the RCMP Stables in Ottawa’s north end.

Tornadoes are rated on a scale from zero to 5. The Barrie twister was an EF 4 and 12 people were killed.

Most tornadoes in Ontario are considered mild, rated EF zero, but they can still cause a lot of damage.

Peter Kimbell of Environment Canada says, “EF zeros are quite capable of uprooting trees and causing superficial damage to housing, shingles and siding, and every bit capable of causing injuries.”

Kimbell says in the event of a tornado take shelter. “Get in, get down, and cover up. If you are outside get inside, if you are inside get into the basement, or into an interior room.”

Canada has about 70 tornadoes a year compared to about 1200 a year in the US.

The most severe tornado in Canada happened in Manitoba in 2007. It was rated an EF 5, the highest on the scale, and caused plenty of damage. Incredibly, no one was killed.

CTV's Natalie Pierosara will have more on this story tonight at six.

 In the weeks and months ahead, expect disruptions near Bronson and Slater - the west end of the tunnel, and most importantly on the Queensway from Nicholas to the split. The stretch will be modified to make temporary room for more buses. “We're getting ahead of the game. We know that the transitway will be dug up. And we need that extra lane for buses on the Queensway going into the downtown," says Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson.

It’s the latest of what has become a very busy construction, and traffic disruption, season for Ottawa. Many projects have been accelerated to make way for even more LRT-related disruptions in the years ahead. "It's almost like instead of the band-aid coming off really slowly it's being ripped off, get it done in one fell swoop and people will appreciate it," says Watson.

In the meantime, the City will do what it can to manage traffic tie-ups. It's hoping residents will do the same, opting for alternate routes, carpooling, and public transit. And when things get really bad, remember the long-term gain. Says Craig,"What everyone needs to remember is that 5 years from now, although it may seem like a long time, there's going to be a significant improvement of mobility around this city."

Liberal Senate leader James Cowan argued before the Senate Tuesday night that a secret deal between Duffy and Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief of staff, Nigel Wright, may have violated the privileges of parliamentarians.

Wright stepped down on Sunday after CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported that he wrote a $90,000 personal cheque to help Duffy repay ineligible living expenses. Duffy also left the Conservative caucus over the growing scandal.

“If there was a connection, if monies were paid, which would influence the decision of a Senate committee, then that is contempt of Parliament and that infringes my privileges as a senator and it infringes privileges of senators, the Senate and interferes, I think, in a spectacular way…with the independence of the Senate,” Cowan told reporters Tuesday evening.

Cowan is arguing that the executive branch interfered in the proceedings of the Senate committee looking at Duffy's expense claims.

If Senate Speaker Noel Kinsella agrees that there was a breach of parliamentary privilege, he could send the issue to a special committee, which would be able to summon witnesses, including Wright.

Cowan suggested to reporters that the prime minister himself could be called as a witness.

Cowan’s motion to refer Duffy’s expense audit “to the appropriate law enforcement agency” was shot down. The audit will instead go back to the same Senate committee for another look.  

Former Liberal Senator Mac Harb also raised a question of privilege in the Senate on Tuesday, suggesting his reputation took a hit when the Senate committee ordered him to pay back $51,482 in improperly claimed living expenses.

Harb was also audited along with Duffy and former Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau. Both Harb and Brazeau are fighting the orders to repay the money they claimed in living expenses.

Sen. Pamela Wallin’s travel expenses remain the subject of an ongoing audit. She also left the Conservative caucus amid the controversy.

Harb told the Senate that independent auditors found rules around primary residences were not clear, and they did not determine he had broken them.

Conservatives speak out on scandal

Earlier Tuesday, Conservative Sen. Jacques Demers said that senators who are caught abusing taxpayers’ dollars should do more than step down from caucus.

“They should not be a senator,” he said.

Demers made the comments after he attended a Conservative caucus meeting Tuesday morning.

Demers said, while all the facts have yet to emerge, Senators caught fleecing taxpayers should be out of a job.

“If he or she have done wrong and taken money that doesn’t belong to them they should be fired. That’s it. No independent. You’re out,” Demers said.

Demers also said the expense scandal has given him pause to reflect. When asked what that meant, Demers said that if he doesn’t like what he hears once all the facts come out, “I’m going to go.”

Several Conservative MPs and Senators stopped to speak with reporters as they made their way into Tuesday morning’s meeting. While a number of MPs either refused to address the ongoing Senate expenses scandal or stuck to talking points, others expressed their disappointment.

“My constituents are not happy, my supporters are not happy, I am not happy,” Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said. “I think what my constituents are telling me is that they want the Prime Minister to lay down the law. This type of behaviour is absolutely unacceptable.”

Heritage Minister James Moore said Canadians expect Parliamentarians and Senators to “respect taxpayer dollars” and anybody not doing that “should leave.”

When asked what his constituents are saying to him about the scandal and whether Duffy should resign, Moore replied:

“I think Canadians expect Members of Parliament and Senators to respect taxpayers’ dollars,” Moore told reporters. “Anybody who’s here not respecting that commitment to Canadians, they should get out, they should leave.”

The Prime Minister’s Office insists that Harper did not know about the payout to Duffy or about any aspects of the secret arrangement.

When asked if the prime minister knew of the deal between Wright and Duffy, Moore said he didn’t know, but has been told “that’s not the case.”

Demers told reporters that there were many occasions when he was an NHL head coach that he didn’t know everything that was happening with his team. Demers said he trusts the prime minister.

“There’s a lot of things that were done behind my back as a coach and I didn’t know about it and I found out after the fact,” Demers said. “I’m just saying I know Mr. Harper is an honest person.”

During Tuesday’s caucus meeting, Harper told Conservative senators and MPs, as well as reporters who were permitted to observe his opening remarks, that he is “not happy” about the conduct of parliamentarians “and the conduct of my own office.”

He also suggested that anyone seeking to use their place in Parliament for their own benefit “should make other plans.”

With files from Andrea Janus and The Canadian Press

The Italian heritage restaurant has been given notice by the property manager CLV Group to vacate its premises on Bell Street by the end of June.

It's a bitter pill for one of the family owners, Palmo Pasqua."It's been four generations,my late grandfather worked here also in the 70s. Customers used to come in with their kids, now their coming with their own kids" said Pasqua.

Pasqua says Calabria has served generations of Italian families through their life milestones from baptisms to marriages.

The family is now pondering its next move. One option is to build a new restaurant on a parking lot it owns across the street. Building a new restaurant would still take up to a year to set up.

Whatever they choose to do, customers are now reflecting on their memories of the original Calabria Restaurant. "This is a true blue family restaurant, a part of the Ottawa family," says long time customer Tony Germano.

In a rare move, Harper invited reporters and cameras to witness him address the Conservative caucus before he flies to South America later in the day for trade meetings. He took no questions from reporters and wasn't in the daily House of Commons question period Tuesday afternoon.

"I don't think any of you will be very surprised to hear I'm not happy, I'm very upset, about the conduct we've witnessed, the conduct of some parliamentarians and the conduct of my own office," Harper said as he opened his speech.

Last week, CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported that Harper's chief of staff, Nigel Wright, had written a personal cheque to Duffy for over $90,000, allowing him to repay the money he owed for improperly filed housing expenses.

Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson confirmed late Tuesday that her office has launched an investigation into Wright’s cheque to Duffy under the Conflict of Interest Act.

“The Commissioner and her Office cannot comment on the examination, as all examinations are conducted in private,” Dawson’s office said in a statement.

The Canadian Press reported Tuesday afternoon that Liberals in the Senate are trying to trigger special parliamentary hearings in an effort to force Wright and other Conservatives to testify.

Liberal Senate leader James Cowan is expected to argue that the PMO violated the privileges of parliamentarians. If Senate speaker Noel Kinsella agrees, he could send the issue to a special committee.

Wright resigned Sunday , while Duffy quit the Conservative caucus on Thursday. Another Conservative-appointed senator facing an expenses audit, Pamela Wallin, recused herself from the Conservative caucus on Friday.

On Monday, sources told Fife that Harper’s former special counsel and legal adviser Benjamin Perrin helped draft a letter of understanding that called for Duffy to publicly declare that he would repay the money. In return, sources said, Wright would give a personal cheque to Duffy to cover the $90,000. Sources also said the agreement stipulated that a Senate investigation into expense claims would go easy on Duffy.

On Tuesday, Perrin said in a statement he was “not consulted on, and did not participate in, Nigel Wright’s decision to write a personal cheque to reimburse Senator Duffy’s expenses.”

“I have never communicated with the Prime Minister on this matter,” he added.

The opposition hammered the government about the $90,000 cheque and the agreement during question period Tuesday.

“Duffy says he agreed to ‘stay silent’ on the orders of the PMO. In exchange, the Prime Minister’s Office agreed to cover the cost of the senator’s fraudulent expenses,” NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair said. “Why were taxpayer-funded lawyers used to negotiate this secret backroom deal between the prime minister’s chief of staff and Senator Duffy? Was taxpayers’ money used to bankroll Senate-gate, yes or no?”

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird responded, saying: “I reject much of the premise of his question. The government’s been very clear that the prime minister was not aware of this payment until media reports surfaced last week.”

In response to a separate question, Baird also denied that taxpayers’ money was used to pay Duffy’s expenses.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau accused the government of having “lost its moral compass.”

Trudeau asked: “Apparently when Conservatives break the rules, they get their debts secretly paid off by their friends in high places. It boggles the mind. Nobody over there even thinks anybody did anything wrong except get caught. When will they release this secret document, allow for a full investigation, and while they’re at it, how about apologizing to Canadians?”

Baird denied the existence of a legal deal.

“With respect to a legal agreement that the member opposite refers to, our understanding is there is no such agreement. This issue has been referred to two independent authorities, which will look into the matter and we look forward to them reporting back to Parliament and to Canadians.”

On Tuesday, Harper touted his own government's efforts to introduce accountability and transparency since they were first elected in 2006, saying "Canada now has one the most transparent and accountable systems of governance in the whole world and this is something Canadians are rightly proud of."

However, he said it is something Canadians can never take for granted.

Without getting into specifics about the recent controversy, Harper said Sen. Marjory LeBreton, leader of the government in the Senate, has been tasked with closing loopholes in the way senators claim expenses. Those not willing to play by the rules should get out, Harper said.

"Anyone who wants to use public office for their own benefit should make other plans or better yet leave this room," Harper said to rousing applause.

He also said that he "didn't get into politics to defend the Senate" and said the Conservatives have pushed to reform the Red Chamber but have been blocked by the opposition parties.

The NDP on Monday asked the RCMP to look into Wright's actions as well.

The New Democrats have called on Harper to give Canadians a public explanation of exactly what he knew and when.

Charlie Angus, the NDP ethics critic, said Harper missed an opportunity Tuesday to clear the fog surrounding the repayment of Duffy's expenses, calling it an "epic failure."

"When you write a secret cheque to a politician and there appears to have been perhaps an agreement to go easy on him in the Senate, that breaches all the ethical rules, that breaches the rules of any politician and it also may breach the Criminal Code," Angus told CTV News Channel.

"And this happened out of the Prime Minister's Office and the prime minister completely dodged that, he refused to take responsibility for it, he refused to talk to the media, he's refused to talk to Canadians."

On Tuesday, Minister James Moore told reporters that any Parliamentarian who doesn’t respect taxpayers’ money “should leave.”

Harper departed Tuesday afternoon for Peru, where he'll take part in bilateral trade discussions before heading to Colombia for talks on the Pacific Alliance trade group. Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru are permanent members of the trade group, while Canada has observer status.

However, Canada already has free-trade agreements with all four countries and critics have questioned the timing of the out-of-country trip with so much going on in Ottawa.

Ford was briefly spotted in an elevator on his way to a council meeting on Tuesday morning. When the doors of the elevator opened, Ford stood with his back turned to the crowd of reporters and photographers waiting outside.

It was the embattled Toronto mayor’s first public appearance since Friday, after reports of the alleged video first appeared on U.S. gossip website Gawker, and subsequently in the Toronto Star.

Neither Ford nor his staff responded when asked if the mayor would hold a press conference on Tuesday.

Ford did, however, speak up during a special council meeting in which councillors debated a proposed downtown casino.

Speaking to council during the meeting, Ford called on his colleagues to vote against any casino being built in the downtown core, saying the facility would not serve Toronto’s best interests.

After delivering a six-minute speech on the issue, Ford left council chambers without taking questions.

The casino debate was expected to be shelved last week, after Ford announced the deal to host a gaming facility was “dead.” Ford wanted a guarantee of at least $100 million a year in revenue for the city from the province, but under a revised funding formula, city staff estimate that Toronto would receive about $39 million in hosting fees for a downtown casino.

However, the issue was put back on the agenda after a majority of councillors signed their names to a petition asking that the debate go ahead.

Will Ford break silence?

Ford has said little since news of the alleged video broke.

In brief remarks addressing the matter Friday, Ford called the claims “ridiculous.”  The video's authenticity has not been substantiated.

Ford and his brother Coun. Doug Ford cancelled their weekly radio talk show that was supposed to air Sunday, and the mayor remained out of sight over the Victoria Day long weekend.

On Monday, Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday said he expects Ford to answer reporters’ questions about the alleged video early this week and said it was possible that some councillors would ask about it during Tuesday’s meeting.

“Some members of council might try to put this on the floor of council to embarrass him,” Holyday told CP24 Monday afternoon.

“But I don’t imagine the speaker will let that stand in order. And I don’t think it is in order. There isn’t an item on the agenda to deal with this subject. And we’re there to deal with casinos, and that’s what we’ll deal with.”

Holyday said he “was stunned” when he first heard about the allegations against Ford, and said he has “never even seen him take a drink.”

But he said the mayor is “going to have to give some explanation,” because the issue is “not going to go away.”

“And if the video doesn’t come out, then I don’t know where we stand because it’s almost like someone repeating a story that someone else told them,” Holyday said. “And that’s about what it is in this case. Now it’s a video, which might be a little stronger than a statement, but it still isn’t proof positive and the video itself would have to be examined.”

Since news of the alleged video broke late last week, Gawker has launched a crowdsourcing campaign to raise the $200,000 needed to purchase the video.

More than $89,000 was raised through donations on the website Indiegogo as of Tuesday afternoon.

Paramedics say the crash happened around 2:18 p.m. Firefighters had to extricate the man from the vehicle but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Three dogs were in the vehicle and one was transported to a veterinary hospital with a possible broken hip.

Ottawa police are investigating the cause of the crash and say the 174 in both directions between Canaan Road and Old Montreal Road is expected to be closed “for a significant time.”

More to come…

The video was shot about three weeks ago.  An employee with a newly-registered charity told CTV Ottawa that he staked out three clothing donation bins in the city’s west end that he claims belong to them.  Just before midnight on the second day, the video shows a yellow truck pulling up.  A man gets out, cuts off all three signs, put up different signs, then cuts the locks and takes the clothes.

The man who did the videotaping agreed to speak providing he remained anonymous.

“We don't want any confrontations or problems,” he says, “We just want to be left alone.”

 The signs now in place belong to a for-profit business that claims it owns the clothing donation bins.  The store manager with Canadian Tire says he did have a verbal agreement for the bins to be placed on his property but the agreement wasn’t with either group.    

The stakes are high in this industry.  Clothing donation bins bring in an estimated $100 million dollars every year in Ontario alone.  Most of the clothes collected by for-profit companies are shipped overseas for use in third world countries or get sold for rags.   

The clothes sell for about 25 cents a pound.  According to those in the business, it is easy to fill a 53 foot trailer every week with the clothes we donate.  Companies say they are doing a service to the environment; ensuring clothes that were destined for the landfill are now going somewhere else. 

“A lot of the clothes go overseas,” says the man who provided the videotape, “so we provide affordable clothes to third world countries. There are people all over the world who'd be thrilled to have second hand clothes.”

With money to be made, bins are popping up all over the city, dumped there often without permission of the property owner. At the Rexall pharmacy on Wellington Street, the store manager says the bin popped up overnight a few weeks ago and efforts to have it removed have failed. So the onus, and the cost, falls on the store, she says, to get rid of it.   

Ottawa Councillor Allan Hubley hopes a new bylaw he proposed will help both charities and private property owners.  The bylaw that comes into effect June 3rd would require owners of clothing donation bins to explain whether they are for profit or for charity, include the name of the charity and the charitable status number from Revenue Canada and provide a working phone number for people to contact.

“Revenue Canada registers names to all legitimate charities,” says Councillor Hubley, “They will have that number now on their signs. That helps weed out the pretend charities from the real ones.”

Charities, like Ottawa Neighbourhood Services that rely on donations to their bins are counting on that, saying enforcement will be toughest part.

 Dave Smith is the Honorary Chair of Ottawa Neighbourhood Services. "When these people from Toronto take away our clothing,” says Smith, “we have to cut back on the amount of people we help in this city and it's not fair.”

Patricia Lemieux, the president of Ottawa Neighbourhood Services says people need to do a little research before they dump their donations into the bins.  Lemieux recommends people lookon the bin for the name of a charity they recognize, look for the charitable number that will be required on the bins starting in June.  She says if people are not sure, phone the number on the bin and ask questions.

The best deals are in Orleans, Kemptville and Perth.

You can fill up at a number of stations in those lcoations for as low as 1.19 a litre as of Monday morning.

Most self service stations in  Ottawa have prices posted from 1.26  to as high as 1.29 a litre.

Gas prices in this region have skyrocketed in the last two weeks.

The highest price in Canada for gas today is in Vancouver.

A regular litre of gas will set you back 1.49.

Alfredsson scored with 29 seconds left in regulation Sunday night to tie Game 3 of the Senators' Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ottawa went on to win 2-1 in double overtime as Colin Greening scored on a rebound. The Senators now trail the series 2-1.

"It feels great to get a goal like that, there's no question, but we had three guys, me (Sergei) Gonchar and (Milan) Michalek all make good plays on it and I was able to get loose on the far side," Alfredsson said, deflecting the praise although the play started and ended with him.

"I made a drop pass to Gonchar who drew a couple of guys to him. I was able to get loose on the outside and Milo threw a great pass that I was able to chip over (goaltender Tomas) Vokoun."

The goal was the 50th of Alfredsson's playoff career and although it wasn't the overtime winner, Greening's goal doesn't happen without Alfredsson's tying.

No one was happier to see the puck go in then Senators defenceman Erik Karlsson, who was sitting in the penalty box after taking a slashing penalty 58 seconds earlier.

"We knew we had to force it shorthanded. I'm sure (Pittsburgh) was frustrated not to being able to clinch the win there but for us it was huge," Alfredsson said.

Although he wouldn't say how the goal ranked among the other 475 in his career, it was the biggest goal since his overtime marker in 2007 over the Buffalo Sabres sent the Senators to the Stanley Cup final.

"That's why he's been the captain for so long. He never quits and he leads the way for the rest of us. He showed that even though we were down a man we were really going to try and win the game and that's exactly what he did," Karlsson said.

"It's a game changer for sure. It's a big difference being down three (games) instead of one."

Alfredsson has now taken of the Senators' scoring lead in these playoffs with three goals and eight points.

"Another big goal from our captain that gave us energy. We really wanted to win at home and to come away with this is incredible," said rookie Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who has four playoff goals.

Jason Spezza was making his playoff debut following back surgery that ended his regular season after just five games. He has witnessed firsthand some of Alfredsson's magic over the years having played alongside him for nine years with the Senators.

"When you get the penalty there you don't expect to get much out of it, but it was a heck of a play by all the guys on the ice and a nice finish," Spezza said.

"It was a huge goal and the bench was pretty excited. When you get a goal like that you feel that good things are going to happen."

And good things did happen.

Greening flipped the rebound of an Andre Benoit shot past Vokoun at 7:39 of the fifth period and instead of being a what would have been a 0-3 hole, the Senators are now one win away from heading back to Pittsburgh with the series tied 2-2.

The Senators host Game 4 Wednesday night.

Nigel Wright announced his resignation Sunday morning, just days after CTV Ottawa bureau chief Robert Fife reported that he wrote a personal cheque to help Senator Mike Duffy pay back more than $90,000 in improperly claimed senate living expenses.

Wright said he believed repaying the funds that Duffy had improperly claimed was “in the public interest,” and said he accepts sole responsibility in the matter.

"My actions were intended solely to secure the repayment of funds, which I considered to be in the public interest, and I accept sole responsibility," Wright said in a statement. "I did not advise the Prime Minister of the means by which Sen. Duffy's expenses were repaid, either before or after the fact.

Harper said in a statement that he accepted Wright’s resignation with “great regret” and thanked his top aide for his contributions to the Tory government.

“I accept that Nigel believed he was acting in the public interest, but I understand the decision he has taken to resign. I want to thank Nigel for his tremendous contribution to our government over the past two and a half years.”

Ray Novak, who has served as Harper’s principal secretary since 2008, is taking over as the prime minister’s chief of staff.

On Thursday, Duffy announced he quit the Conservative caucus and would sit as an Independent, as the public controversy surrounding the repayment of Senate expenses had become a “distraction.”

Following news of Wright’s resignation, NDP ethics critic Charlie Angus said the Harper government is in “full-fledged panic mode.”

"Why, for months, was Sen. Duffy allowed to pretend he paid the money out of his own pocket,"Angus said on CTV Question Period Sunday.

Liberal MPs were also quick to indicate that the controversy is far over, and when parliament resumes on Tuesday after a break, questions are likely to dog the Conservatives.

Foreign affairs critic Bob Rae said he was not surprised by Wright’s resignation and stressed the need for an independent investigation into the matter.

“If the Conservatives are not prepared to let it go to a parliamentary committee, then they need to appoint a special investigator or someone who has the capacity to ask all the difficult questions,” he said Sunday afternoon.

Rae added that the scandal has more to do with the Prime Minister than the Senate itself.

“This is about Mr. Harper. This is about the Prime Minister’s Office, how the Prime Minister’s Office operates and the ethical and legal standards by which it operates,” he said. “That’s where the focus is, and that’s where it now belongs.”

Calls for investigations

Last week, the New Democrats asked Senate Ethics Officer Lyse Ricard to launch an investigation in the matter, claiming the $90,000 cheque from Wright violated ethics rules that prohibit senators from accepting gifts.

Under the Senate Conflict of Interest Code, all gifts over $500 must be reported within 30 days.

“What people need to know about the Senate is it’s such an old boy’s club that you actually need the permission of the Senate to begin an investigation,” Angus said.

Duffy’s expenses had been the subject of an internal audit, along with those of Senators Patrick Brazeau and Mac Harb.

Under the Senate’s housing rule allowance, senators can be compensated for living expenses if they live more than 100 kilometres from Ottawa, requiring them to maintain a secondary residence.

However, according to evidence outlined in an independent audit showed that Duffy, Brazeau and Harb each spent more time in the capital than at the homes declared to be their primary residences, rendering their claims ineligible.

Earlier this month, a Senate committee ordered Brazeau to repay about $48,000, and Harb $51,000.

Brazeau insists that he didn’t break rules by claiming the housing allowance, and he is determining if the order to repay the money can be overturned. Harb has retained a lawyer and will attempt to “quash” the audit’s findings.

On Tuesday morning, Harper will hold an emergency meeting with Conservative senators and MPs, many overwhelmed by complaints they've been hearing from their constituents about the issues raised in recent weeks.

Emergency crews responded to a 911 call this morning around 8:00 a.m. for a dumpster fire behind 25 Woodridge Crescent.

Ottawa fire crews reported a 16x16 shed with four dumpsters inside on fire.

They say five nearby vehicles and one moped were damaged by the heat from the flames.

No one was injured and traffic was not disrupted.

The Ottawa Police Arson unit is continuing the investigation and asking anyone with information to contact police.

Damages are estimated at about $50, 000.

Speaking for the Conservatives on CTV’s Question Period Sunday, the Calgary-Centre North MP expressed her frustration over the expense claims controversy.

CTV Ottawa bureau chief Robert Fife reported earlier this week that Nigel Wright, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief of staff, helped Sen. Mike Duffy pay back a $90,172 debt to the Senate for improperly claimed living expenses.

The PMO then confirmed that Wright, a former Bay Street executive, wrote a personal cheque to Duffy as a gift to an old friend, although sources say the two men are not close.

Rempel says that based on her understanding, there were no strings attached to that cheque.

“Based on my understanding, Mr. Wright was seized with a burden of making sure that taxpayers’ dollars were not on the hook in this situation,” Rempel said.

The interview was conducted before Sunday morning’s announcement that Wright had resigned.

“I think when these expenses came to light, there was a desire on behalf of the government to ensure that -- even though they might not pass the smell test -- that we need to make sure taxpayers first and foremost have a sense of accountability and transparency with this government. And I think that’s where these actions stem from.”

“Certainly, am I as a person disappointed in what appears to be some serious problems on behalf of one of our former senators? Yes, I am, and I’m sure your viewers are as well,” Rempel told CTV QP host Kevin Newman.

“But I don’t think that there can be an implication here that there is anything other than a desire to make sure that we have accountability and transparency in the Senate on a go-forward. ”

No one is more disappointed in the situation than Harper himself, Rempel said.

She said the Conservatives were brought into power with a promise for more government transparency and the government has not strayed from that mandate, citing the Conservatives’ introduction of The Federal Accountability Act.

“When you look at individual accountability and responsibility, you also have to understand that there a group of people that should not be painted with the same brush,” she said.

Speaking on Question Period, NDP MP Olivia Chow said there are many unanswered questions regarding the expense matters that came light last week.

“We need to get to the bottom of it, which is why we need an independent investigation,” Chow said.

What to expect when parliament reconvenes this week? Watch CTV Question Period live at 11 ET across the country for insights, including more from CTV Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife and the @CTVQP panel of political experts.