An Ottawa high school discusses updating the dress code and a Royal visit to the capital: Five stories to watch this week
An Ottawa French Catholic high school begins meetings to update the dress code, construction season ramps up in Ottawa and Prince Charles and Camilla visit the capital.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at five stories to watch this week.
Revising the dress code
Ottawa's French Catholic School Board says meetings will be held this week with students at Béatrice-Desloges high school to review the dress code, after students and parents expressed outrage at a dress-code blitz.
Students held a protest on Friday after the principal and senior staff conducted a dress code 'blitz' one-day earlier to enforce the school's dress code. Students said the class-to-class enforcement left them feeling degraded and humiliated.
On Saturday, the director of education for the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est apologized to students for the dress-code check, adding it was unacceptable.
"This dress code verification strategy is not encouraged by the CECCE and is not acceptable," Marc Bertrand wrote. "All students must absolutely be treated with dignity and respect. No student should be subject to such a check of his or her clothing and even less to be challenged in front of his or her peers. The strategy employed by the school last Thursday unfortunately does not reflect these values, which are very dear to the CECCE."
A board superintendent told parents that starting this week, meetings will be organized with students to review "certain elements specific to the dress code" in a bid to update it to reflect "changing expectations."
Jason Dupuis told Newstalk 580 CFRA the board will work with the students to make some changes to bring the dress code to "be in line with fashion of 2022."
Students at Béatrice-Desloges high school are planning to hold a second protest on Tuesday.
Ontario election debate
Ontario's four main party leaders will debate the issues Monday night in the television election debate.
Green Party leader Mike Schreiner, Liberal leader Steven Del Duca, NDP leader Andrea Horwath and Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford will meet Monday at 6:30 p.m.
The debate comes two-and-a-half weeks before Ontarians head to the polls to elect a new Member of Provincial Parliament, which will determine who forms the new government.
You can catch the debate on CTV News Ottawa and Newstalk 580 CFRA.
Record high gas prices
Experts predict the cost to fill up your gas tank will continue to rise this week leading up to the Victoria Day long weekend.
Gas was selling for 208.9 cents a litre in Ottawa on Sunday, a new record high for prices. The six cent a litre jump came one day after gas exceeded $2 a litre for the first time ever.
Canadians for Affordable Energy President Dan McTeague told Newstalk 580 CFRA on Friday that gas prices should hit $2.10 a litre by the long weekend.
"Welcome to the new reality of less supply, tightness of supply, a weak Canadian dollar and high taxes all make for a pretty devastating and potent combination."
According to ottawagasprices.com, gas was selling for $1.24 a litre at this time last year, and $0.83 a litre in May 2020.
An Ottawa gas station selling gas for 208.9 cents per litre. Sunday, May 15, 2022. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)
Construction season arrives in Ottawa
The joke is that there's only two seasons in Ottawa – winter and construction. Well, Ottawa's construction season will ramp up this week with millions of dollars in new projects.
Transportation Committee chair Tim Tierney and Barrhaven Coun. Jan Harder will kick off the 2022 construction season Monday morning at the Strandherd Drive widening project.
The Standherd Drive widening project will see the road widened to four-lanes from Maravista Drive to Jockvale Road. The $112 million project began in 2020 and is scheduled to wrap up in the fall of 2023, with work this year focusing on completing all underground work and construction of the westbound lanes and associated sidewalks and cycle tracks.
The 2022 city of Ottawa budget included $427 million in capital funding to improve roads, bridges, culverts, sidewalks, pathways and intersections. The city will spend a total of $76 million on road resurfacing and $13.4 million on active transportation.
A 'construction ahead' sign on Bay Street between Slater and Albert Streets in Ottawa. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)
Royals visit Ottawa
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla will visit Ottawa this week as part of the three-day tour to Canada.
The royal tour, marking the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, will see the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall arrive in St. John's, N.L. on Tuesday, before visiting Ottawa on Wednesday and Yellowknife on Thursday.
Prince Charles and Camilla will join Governor General Mary Simon at the National War Memorial to pay tribute to Canadian veterans on Wednesday, meet with members of the local Ukrainian community and take in a special performance of the RCMP Musical Ride.
The day will wrap up with a gala at Rideau Hall to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee.
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall are seen outside Rideau Hall, in Ottawa on Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Adrian Wyld/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
EVENTS IN OTTAWA THIS WEEK
Monday
Ontario election debate - 6:30 p.m.
Princess Margriet of the Netherlands wraps up the visit to Ottawa
Tuesday
Standing committee on environmental protection, water and waste management meeting – 9 a.m.
Wednesday
Prince Charles and Camilla visit Ottawa
Ottawa transit commission meeting – 9:30 a.m.
The Canadian Children's Museum opens
Thursday
Community and protective services committee meeting – 9:30 a.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.