A new name for the SJAM and a bear spotted roaming around Ottawa's west end: Top 5 stories this week

The NCC is closing the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway on weekends in May (Photo courtesy: Twitter: NCC_CCN)

The Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway will soon have a new name, a head-on, wrong-way crash on Hwy. 416 caught on camera, and a bear is roaming around Ottawa's west end.

CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at the top five stories in Ottawa this week.

RCAF releases names of pilots killed in military helicopter crash in Petawawa, Ont.

Two Royal Canadian Air Force pilots were killed when a Chinook helicopter crashed into the Ottawa River in Petawawa, Ont. this week.

The Department of National Defence said the crew of the CH-147F Chinook were participating in a night-time training exercise when the chopper crashed near Garrison Petawawa Tuesday morning. The bodies of the two pilots reported missing after the crash were recovered from the water Tuesday evening.

On Friday, the RCAF identified the victims as Capt. David Domagala of Woodstock, Ont. and Capt. Marc Larouche of Amos, Que.

Domagala, 32, served in the Canadian Army Reserve before applying to become a pilot. After graduating from the Royal Military College, he completed pilot training and was posted to the 450 Helicopter Squadron in 2019.

Larouche, 53, earned a private pilot's license before joining the Royal Canadian Air Force as a pilot. The RCAF says Larouche served with several squadrons, flying the CH-135 Twin Huey, CH-146 Griffon and CH-147F Chinook helicopters.

The two other crew members onboard the Chinook were treated for minor injuries and released from the hospital.

The Royal Canadian Air Force's Directorate of Flight Safety continues to investigate the cause of the crash.

The Royal Canadian Air Force identified the victims of Tuesday's Chinook crash near Garrison Petawawa as Capt. David Domagala (left) and Capt. Marc Larouche. (Royal Canadian Air Force/release)

Ottawa doctor performed CPR on child pulled from water at Mooney's Bay

The quick actions of a bystander and a doctor helped rescue an unconscious child from the Rideau River at Mooney's Bay last weekend.

The three-year-old child remained in critical condition at CHEO this week after he was rescued on Sunday.

City officials say a bystander carried the child from the water, and CPR was performed on the victim until paramedics arrived at the scene.

"The child was already out of the water, lying on its tummy when I got there," Dr. Damiam MacDonald said. "We were here for a Father's Day picnic with my daughters and one of them pointed toward the water and said, 'There's someone on the ground there, daddy, you should go over there,' because they know I work in the field."

MacDonald said it felt like he was doing CPR for five to ten minutes between when he called for help and when an ambulance arrived.

Mooney's Bay Beach on Sunday afternoon. A child found unconscious in the Rideau River at the beach was rescued by a bystander, Ottawa paramedics said. (Aaron Reid/CTV News Ottawa)

Head-on, wrong-way crash on Highway 416 caught on camera

A driver is facing charges after a head-on crash involving a vehicle travelling the wrong way on Highway 416 in Ottawa, according to Ontario Provincial Police.

The crash happened at approximately 7:45 a.m. on June 15, in the northbound lanes.

A driver was going the wrong way and slammed into a northbound vehicle. In total, four vehicles were involved in the crash, OPP said.

Video captured on a dashcam shows a driver pulling away from what appears to be a previous collision, swerving around a northbound vehicle and then slamming into the front of the vehicle with the dashcam.

A driver’s dashcam captured the moment a driver going the wrong way slammed into their vehicle on Highway 416. (Ally L/YouTube)

NCC votes to rename the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway in Ottawa

The Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway in Ottawa's west end will soon be renamed Kichi Zībī Mīkan.

The National Capital Commission's board of directors approved the new name for the federally-owned road following consultations.

Kichi Zībī Mīkan means "Great River Road." The NCC says the name was chosen based on an Indigenous naming and engagement exercise.

Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Chief Dylan Whiteduck says they've been advocating for the past 10 years to change the name of the parkway.

"I think it’s a very good step with the NCC to move forward with a name change like this," Whiteduck told CTV News Ottawa.

"I've got to applaud all the chiefs, all those who were involved in trying to move this file forward to get the renaming of the John A. Macdonald Parkway."

The scenic route was known for years as the Ottawa River Parkway. In 2012, the former Conservative government renamed the road after Canada's first prime minister.

A sign for the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway is seen in this undated image. (CTV News Ottawa)

Police keeping an eye on a bear in Stittsville

Ottawa police and NCC conservation officials kept their eyes on a bear spotted roaming around Kanata and Stittsville for two days this week.

The bear forced several schools to keep children inside, and homeowners were asked to remove bird feeders from backyards as the bear was looking for food.

"We are working closely with the NCC and Ottawa police in tracking this bear," Michael Lalonde, Ottawa Bylaw Services supervisor, told CTV News Ottawa Wednesday afternoon. "We want to remove it safely by either having it tranquilized or have a trap set up to have it relocated."

Ottawa police had received 16 reports of bear sightings in the Kanata and Stittsville area over three days.

There have been several reported sightings of bears in Ottawa this spring.

Bernie Derbach sent CTV News Ottawa video of a bear in the backyard of a Dunrobin home on Wednesday.

Coun. Theresa Kavanagh tweeted a photo on Sunday of a bear in the Greenbelt just north of Watts Creek Pathway.

Bears were also spotted in Stittsville and Kanata this month, with one bear in Stittsville captured and relocated.

A bear was spotted in the backyard of a Stittsville home on Wednesday. (Steve Robinson/CTV News Ottawa viewer)