An eighth week without LRT service and picking a new Ottawa councillor: Five stories to watch this week
An LRT train near uOttawa station on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. OC Transpo began simulating regular service on the line on Thursday. (Josh Pringle/CTV News Ottawa)
OTTAWA -
Ottawa begins an eighth week without LRT service, the U.S. land border opens to non-essential Canadian travellers and picking a new councillor for Kanata North.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at five stories to watch in Ottawa this week.
WAITING FOR OTTAWA'S LRT TO RESUME SERVICE
The city of Ottawa is optimistic service will resume on the Confederation Line this week, as commuters begin an eighth week without LRT service following a derailment.
Testing continued all weekend on the 12.5 km line as part of the return-to-service testing to ensure issues have been addressed following the derailment on Sept. 19. That was the second derailment in two weeks.
"We are still very much on schedule to have train service within the first two weeks of November," Mayor Jim Watson said at the outset of a technical briefing on Friday. "We will announce the specific date a day or two before that."
Five trains were temporarily pulled from testing on Thursday after operators and engineers detected vibrations.
Meantime, Council will vote Wednesday on a motion from coun. Catherine McKenney to call for a judicial inquiry into the LRT contract.
McKenney initially introduced the motion on Oct. 13, but council approved a replacement motion from coun. Glen Gower to ask Ottawa's auditor general to investigate the LRT contract.
McKenney's motion would allow a judge to hold public hearings into the facts and sequence of events from 2012 to the present regarding approvals, development, costs, timelines and operation of the LRT system.
Workers with Alstom and RTG watch as an LRT car moves along the Confederation Line on Oct. 27, 2021, near the spot where a train derailed on Sept. 19. (Jeremie Charron/CTV News Ottawa)
U.S. LAND BORDER REOPENS TO TRAVELLERS
The U.S. land border will open to non-essential travellers from Canada on Monday for the first time in 19 months.
Fully vaccinated travellers will not need a negative COVID-19 test to cross the land border into the United States, but they will need one to return to Canada.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says fully vaccinated, non-citizen travellers at U.S. land ports of entry or a ferry terminal should be prepared to:
- Provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination
- Verbally attest to their reason for travel and COVID-19 vaccination status during a border inspection
The Canada Border Services Agency says border measures remain in place for travellers entering or returning to Canada.
Fully vaccinated travellers entering Canada must complete the mandatory pre-arrival molecular COVID-19 test and submit their mandatory information including their digital proof of vaccination through the ArriveCan app or website within 72 hours before arriving in Canada.
If you are planning a day trip or overnight to the United States, you can take your pre-arrival COVID-19 test before leaving Canada.
The Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)
COVID-19 NUMBERS
All eyes will be on COVID-19 numbers in Ottawa and Ontario this week, following a sharp rise in cases over the weekend.
There were 636 new cases of COVID-19 across Ontario on Sunday, the first time more than 600 cases were reported since Oct. 9.
The 500 new cases of COVID-19 in Ontario on Friday and Saturday were the first time since early October that there were more than 500 cases on two consecutive days.
Ottawa has seen the three highest COVID-19 case numbers since early October this weekend, with 39 cases on Friday, 52 cases on Saturday and 46 cases on Sunday.
The rise in COVID-19 cases comes as thousands of Ottawa residents are eligible to book an appointment for a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
As of Saturday, the following vulnerable populations are eligible to book a booster shot appointment, as long as they received their second dose at least six months ago.
- Individuals aged 70 and over (born in 1951 or earlier)
- Health care workers
- Designated essential caregivers in congregate settings (including long-term care home and retirement home staff)
- Individuals who received a complete series of a viral vector vaccine (two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine or one dose of the Janssen/Johnson and Johnson vaccine)
- First Nation, Inuit and Métis adults (16+) and their non-Indigenous household members
NEW COUNCILLOR FOR KANATA NORTH
Council will appoint a new councillor for Kanata North on Wednesday, filling the vacancy left by Jenna Sudds move to federal politics.
Twenty candidates have tossed their names into consideration to be the new councillor for the riding for the final year of the term.
Each candidate will have five minutes to make a presentation to council.
An open vote will be held, with each member of council asked to state the name of the applicant that they are voting for. The applicant receiving the greater number of votes and receiving more than 50 per cent of the vote will win.
If the applicant receiving the greatest number of votes cast does not receive more than one-half of the votes on the first vote, the person receiving the fewest number of votes and those who received no votes will be removed from the ballot and councillors will vote again.
Ottawa City Hall. (File photo)
REMEMBRANCE DAY
Canadians will gather at cenotaphs and legions across the country on Thursday to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty.
The National Remembrance Day ceremony will be held at the National War Memorial in downtown Ottawa on Nov. 11.
The city of Ottawa says the following streets will be closed around the National War Memorial between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Thursday.
CTV will broadcast the Remembrance Day ceremony, starting at 10 a.m.
For a list of Remembrance Day services in Ottawa and eastern Ontario, click here.
EVENTS IN OTTAWA THIS WEEK
Monday
U.S. land border reopens to non-essential travellers
Tuesday
Ottawa Planning Committee meeting – 9:30 a.m.
Ottawa Police Services Board finance and audit committee (2022 budget) – 1 p.m.
Ottawa Carleton District School Board meeting – 7 p.m.
Ottawa Catholic School Board meeting – 7 p.m.
Ottawa Senators at Boston Bruins – 7 p.m. (TSN 5 and TSN 1200)
Wednesday
Ottawa City Council meeting – 10 a.m.
Thursday
Remembrance Day
Los Angeles Kings at Ottawa Senators – 7 p.m. (TSN 5 and TSN 1200)
Friday
Mississauga Steelheads at Ottawa 67's – 7 p.m.
Saturday
Pittsburgh Penguins at Ottawa Senators – 7 p.m. (TSN 5)
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