Auditor general to release reports on Ottawa's response to the 'Freedom Convoy': Five stories to watch this week
Auditor general to release reports on Ottawa's response to the 'Freedom Convoy': Five stories to watch this week
Hundreds of trucks remain parked on Wellington Street and surrounding streets in downtown Ottawa on day 10 of the "Freedom Convoy" demonstration in downtown Ottawa. (Josh Pringle/CTV News Ottawa)
The auditor general will release reports this week on the city of Ottawa and Ottawa police response to the 'Freedom Convoy', transit riders may learn more about why the O-Train was partially out of service for six days last month, and all eyes on the Rideau Canal Skateway.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at five stories to watch in Ottawa this week.
A look at Ottawa's response to the 'Freedom Convoy'
Ottawa's auditor general will release three long-awaited reports this week on the city of Ottawa and Ottawa Police Service response to the 'Freedom Convoy' last winter.
Last March, the Ottawa Police Services Board approved a motion for Auditor General Nathalie Gougeon to review the police response to the convoy protest that occupied downtown Ottawa streets for more than three weeks. Former City Manager Steve Kanellakos then asked the auditor general to conduct an independent evaluation of the city's response to the protest.
Gougeon and her office held two virtual public consultations last summer for residents to provide insights on how they were impacted during the demonstration and how city services and programs could have been improved.
The reports will be released on Wednesday, and a special meeting of the Ottawa Police Services Board will be held on Thursday to discuss the reports.
The Auditor General's Office says the audit of the city's response to the 'Freedom Convoy' will examine the city's actions "leading up to, during, and post the convoy protest", with a focus on the period from when organizers announced the 'Freedom Convoy' was coming to Ottawa until the mayor lifted the state of emergency.
The audits of the Ottawa Police Service and the Ottawa Police Services Board response to the convoy will examine the OPS collaboration with city staff prior to and during the convoy protest as well as their communication with the Ottawa Police Services Board, and the board's oversight role leading up to and during the convoy protest.
The auditor general's three audits are separate from the Public Order Emergency Commission, which is looking into the federal government's decision to invoke the Emergencies Act during the protests. The commission was initially given a deadline of Feb. 6 to submit its final report, but was granted an extension.
2023 city of Ottawa budget
Ottawa residents can have their say this week on the city of Ottawa's 2023 draft budget, while transit riders may learn more about the specifics in the transit budget and the $47 million in proposed efficiencies.
City Staff tabled the 2023 city of Ottawa budget last Wednesday, which includes a proposed 2.5 per cent property tax hike this year and a freeze in transit fares.
Few details were announced about the $706 million Transit Services budget for 2023, which will be based on 70 per cent pre-pandemic ridership instead of 85 per cent of pre-pandemic ridership that the 2022 budget was drafted on.
Transit riders and advocates have speculated the draft budget will result in cuts to routes, but Transit Services general manager Renee Amilcar said more details would be announced during Thursday's Transit Commission meeting.
Some details are known, such as 117 buses that are beyond their lifespan or are too expensive to maintain will be retired, and there will be adjustments to capital spending. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe insists that the savings presented in the budget should not affect service.
Public consultations on the 2023 city of Ottawa budget will begin on Monday, with councillors holding sessions in their wards between Feb. 6 and 20. More information can be found on the city of Ottawa's website.
Ottawa City Hall (File photo)
Premiers chat health care with the prime minister
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invited the premiers to Ottawa on Tuesday to discuss healthcare funding.
Trudeau told reporters last month that the meeting with provincial and territorial government leaders is a chance to discuss an agreement to invest more funding into healthcare across Canada.
"It will be an opportunity to share with them our plans to support the healthcare systems across the country, hear their priorities for investment, and start working together concretely to ensure that we're transparent about how this money is being invested," Trudeau said.
The premiers have called on the federal government to increase the Canada Health Transfer to 35 per cent from 20 per cent.
Why did a section of the O-Train shutdown for six days?
One month after a section of the O-Train was out of service for six days following a freezing rain storm, transit riders may find out this week why it took so long to resume service.
The Transit Commission meeting on Thursday includes a staff presentation on "Line 1 Service Disruption, January 4-10, 2023."
A section of the O-Train line, between St. Laurent and uOttawa stations, was out of service for six days following a freezing rain storm and damage to the overhead wiring system.
OC Transpo general manager Renee Amilcar said a root cause investigation into why trains stalled during the storm was underway and a report will presented to the Transit Commission.
Rideau Transit Maintenance CEO Maria Guerra told reporters that one major issue that kept service offline for so long was ice buildup on the line.
“We know what happened. The ice buildup was so extreme that we had to take several steps to remove it and because of that, it took much longer than it normally would have,” Guerra said.
A train stalled in between Hurdman and Tremblay Stations on the Confederation Line, Jan. 7, 2023. (Jeremie Charron/CTV News Ottawa)
Will the Rideau Canal Skateway open?
All eyes will be on the Rideau Canal Skateway to see if and when the world's largest skateway will open for the public.
It will either be the latest opening in the history of the Rideau Canal Skateway or the first time it does not open for the winter.
Crews resumed operations in an attempt to open the Rideau Canal Skateway for its 53rd season last week, but it was unclear when the canal may open for skating.
"While the Skateway will not be open for the first weekend of February, our teams are working relentlessly to safely open a section of the Skateway, flooding the ice surface every evening," the NCC said last Wednesday.
The latest opening date for the skateway was Feb. 2, 2002.
The Rideau Canal Skateway remains closed on Saturday. (Josh Pringle/CTV News Ottawa)
EVENTS IN OTTAWA THIS WEEK
Tuesday
Ottawa Finance and Corporate Services Committee meeting – 9:30 a.m.
Ottawa Carleton District School Board meeting – 7 p.m.
Wednesday
Ottawa City Council – 10 a.m.
Thursday
Ottawa Transit Commission meeting – 9:30 a.m.
Ottawa Police Services Board meeting – 2 p.m.
Gatineau Olympiques vs. Ottawa 67's – 7 p.m. at TD Place
Friday
Niagara Ice Dogs vs. Ottawa 67's – 7 p.m. at TD Place
Saturday
Edmonton Oilers at Ottawa Senators – 12:30 p.m. at Canadian Tire Centre
After weeks of resistance, and ahead of a vote that could have compelled it to happen, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office has announced that his chief of staff Katie Telford will testify about foreign interference, before a committee that has been studying the issue for months.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has released foreign interference special rapporteur David Johnston's mandate, which instructs the former governor general to determine by May 23 whether a public inquiry is necessary.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
Donald Trump will try to turn any indictment to his advantage by stoking anger among core supporters over what they see as the weaponization of the justice system, though it may also push more Republicans tired of the drama around him to look for another presidential candidate.
A Virginia teacher who was shot and wounded by her 6-year-old student said it has changed her life and she has vivid memories and nightmares about that day.
A group of sheriff's deputies and other personnel at a Virginia mental hospital forcibly pinned patient Irvo Otieno to the ground until he was motionless and limp, then began unsuccessful resuscitation efforts, according to newly obtained surveillance video.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
The president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) is weighing in after two staff members and a student, who is also the suspect, were injured in a stabbing at Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
The New Brunswick government has tabled a $12.2-billion budget that forecasts a small surplus and promises a funding boost to help stabilize the ailing health-care sector.
A 31-year-old neuroscientist is believed to be among the six people missing after a massive fire in Old Montreal last week. An Wu was staying at the heritage building on Place d'Youville to attend a conference, according to friends and family.
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Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard is scheduled to table the first budget of the Coalition Avenir Québec's second mandate this afternoon. Girard broke with tradition on Monday — instead of buying new shoes ahead of the budget, he announced a $5,000 donation to a Quebec City community centre.
Sudbury police are looking for a transport truck and its driver involved in Monday's crash on MR80, originally believed to be a single-vehicle collision.
Gwyneth Paltrow appeared in court in Utah on Tuesday morning in a lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who said that the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer violently crashed into him in 2016 while skiing at one of the most upscale ski resorts in the United States.
At least 10 people are displaced after a century building in the heart of Aylmer was destroyed by fire Monday evening. The blaze broke out shortly after 8:30 pm on Talbot Street.
An 81-year old property owner tells CTV News he’ll do the work himself without machinery, if that’s the method directed by city council. Three years after John McLeod demolished the historic barn on Halls Mill Road without a permit, a plan to remove the pile of wooden debris is taking shape.
Razak Iyal was given a warm embrace as he officially became a Canadian citizen, more than six years after nearly freezing to death walking across the Canada-United States border in Manitoba.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
Students and community members will gather in protest outside the Calgary Board of Education Centre Tuesday morning, calling for the removal of the Sir John A. Macdonald name from a northwest junior high school.
A Wheatland County sanctuary that cares for abandoned and surrendered farm animals faces an uncertain future after having a permit application to keep operating denied.
The Edmonton police officers killed in the line of duty last week will be moved to a funeral home on Tuesday. A procession will take constables Brett Ryan and Travis Jordan from the medical examiner's office to Serenity Funeral Home at noon.
A woman who lives across from the apartment where a 16-year-old shot and killed two Edmonton police constables has multiple bullet holes in her door, with a couple piercing her doorframe.
One person was arrested in Surrey Monday after police say a speeding driver hit a pedestrian who was walking on the sidewalk, sending the victim to hospital.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
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Saskatchewan RCMP and Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan (CTSS) reported to have arrested and charged 138 motorists around the province under the criminal code for impaired driving in January and February.
Hundreds of trucks remain parked on Wellington Street and surrounding streets in downtown Ottawa on day 10 of the "Freedom Convoy" demonstration in downtown Ottawa. (Josh Pringle/CTV News Ottawa)
Ottawa City Hall (File photo)
A train stalled in between Hurdman and Tremblay Stations on the Confederation Line, Jan. 7, 2023. (Jeremie Charron/CTV News Ottawa)
The Rideau Canal Skateway remains closed on Saturday. (Josh Pringle/CTV News Ottawa) 
