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.
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.
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)
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.
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)
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)
Ottawa Finance and Corporate Services Committee meeting – 9:30 a.m.
Ottawa Carleton District School Board meeting – 7 p.m.
Ottawa City Council – 10 a.m.
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
Niagara Ice Dogs vs. Ottawa 67's – 7 p.m. at TD Place
Edmonton Oilers at Ottawa Senators – 12:30 p.m. at Canadian Tire Centre
The Liberal MP who allegedly benefitted from Chinese election interference is speaking out against the report, categorically stating the foreign government did not help him in his nomination campaign.
An Idaho hospital has announced that it will no longer be able to deliver babies because the state’s near-total abortion ban — one of the most extreme in the U.S. — has driven so many doctors away.
More witnesses are expected to testify on Wednesday in a trial about a 2016 ski crash between Gwyneth Paltrow and a retired Utah man suing her and claiming her recklessness left him with lasting injuries and brain damage.
The Senate adjourned early on Tuesday afternoon after a foul smell in the building caused headaches in the chamber and disrupted proceedings.
One of the oldest surviving biblical manuscripts, a nearly complete 1,100-year-old Hebrew Bible, could soon be yours -- for a cool US$30 million.
China on Wednesday said President Xi Jinping's just-concluded visit to Russia was a 'journey of friendship, co-operation and peace,' and again criticized Washington for providing military support to Ukraine.
The first day of Nordstrom's liquidation sale began on Tuesday, but some shoppers walked away underwhelmed, as most items were only marked down five per cent.
The Liberal MP who allegedly benefitted from Chinese election interference is speaking out against the report, food prices remain high across the country and some shoppers walked away underwhelmed by the discounts at Nordstrom's liquidation sale. Here's what you need to know to start your day.
President Joe Biden's administration is not dismissing out of hand the idea of renegotiating the bilateral 2004 treaty that governs the flow of asylum seekers across its northern border, says Canada's ambassador to the U.S.
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 Transportation Board of Canada is to release a report Wednesday on its investigation into the sinking of a scallop dragger off Nova Scotia more than two years ago.
Halifax Regional Police are investigating after shots were fired at a home in Dartmouth, N.S., early Wednesday morning.
An Ontario couple's trip to India was cut short over an issue with their visa documents.
Premier Doug Ford is set to make an announcement in Oakville, Ont. Wednesday morning.
Police have arrested two men following a triple shooting at a popular Toronto mall that left one person dead Monday afternoon.
As the search for victims of a five-alarm fire in Old Montreal stretched into its fifth day on Tuesday, friends and family members are getting frustrated with the pace of the investigation and lack of answers.
Montreal police confirmed Tuesday evening that a second body has been recovered from the building in Old Montreal that was destroyed by a fire last week.
The Farmers' Almanac has released its 2023 summer forecast, and, according to the long-range forecaster, Ontario could be in for some 'hot and soggy' summer months.
A Canadian city has just been named the worst in the country for bed bugs for the third year in a row.
Doug Ford said a misunderstanding with a barber led to the shortest haircut he's ever had.
London police have released more photos of a man wanted in connection to a random stabbing. The suspect is described as a dark-skinned man, waring a black hat, dark sweater or coat, tight dark-coloured jeans, black boots and a white medical mask.
London, Ont. city councillors want more information and more opportunities for public input before making a final decision about the future of Thames Pool.
Some drivers in London, Ont.’s west end are raising concerns about a pair of shining digital billboards recently installed on a rail overpass.
A Winnipeg business owner is reminding others to be careful online after her social media accounts were hacked over the weekend.
Frustrated and left with few options – that's how many Winnipeg parents were feeling Tuesday after they couldn't get their kids into swimming lessons.
The Liberal MP who allegedly benefitted from Chinese election interference is speaking out against the report, categorically stating the foreign government did not help him in his nomination campaign.
The second day of the inquest into a fatal police shooting saw a number of people who knew 20-year-old Beau Baker leading up to his death testify, including with the police officer who shot him.
One Kitchener city councillor described a decision from Tuesday night’s meeting as one of the hardest he has had to make in his 12 years at city hall.
The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) says its officers laid 232 charges and arrested 18 people in connection to the large St. Patrick’s Day street party in Waterloo’s university district.
Last month, Dr. Michael Yang, a spine surgeon at Foothills Medical Centre, performed a discectomy to remove the damaged part of a herniated disc in the spine, on a patient who was wide awake.
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.
The City of Calgary says potholes are everywhere and crews are busy trying to keep up with demand to fill them.
The long awaited 2023-24 provincial budget will be unveiled in the Legislature on Wednesday afternoon, outlining the government’s taxation and spending plans for next year.
A Nipawin doctor has been charged with unprofessional conduct after pleading guilty to criminally harassing his ex-girlfriend.
Saskatchewan RCMP say a 45-year-old man in the Maidstone area is "at high risk to breach conditions involving youth."
Edmonton Valley Zoo is making improvements to Lucy the elephant's enclosure and routine to accommodate her for the long term after international experts did not agree she was fit to be relocated.
A Spruce Grove first responder artist created a series of portraits in memory of the pair of Edmonton Police Service constables killed in the line of duty last week.
Hockey, snow and big shopping malls are some of his favourite things so Nick Bjugstad was gushing Tuesday when talking about his new home in the Alberta capital.
The owner of a vintage furniture store in Vancouver’s Chinatown is warning about a Facebook Marketplace scammer who’s asking buyers for deposits and taking off with the cash.
An 18-year-old who got kicked out of the SZA concert in Vancouver on Sunday is pushing back against claims by Rogers Arena that he was removed after being repeatedly asked to stop dancing in the aisles.
Concerns are being raised that a probe into potential interference by China in Canadian elections could lead to more anti-Asian racism.
The long awaited 2023-24 provincial budget will be unveiled in the Legislature on Wednesday afternoon, outlining the government’s taxation and spending plans for next year.
Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan (CTSS) said police and STARS Air Ambulance were on the scene of a crash along Highway 6 south of Regina Tuesday morning.
Regina was ranked as the second most affordable city for first time home buyers, according to a study conducted by real estate firm Edmonton Homes.
