Back to school, municipal election signs come out, and a new Conservative leader: Five stories to watch in Ottawa this week

It's the first day of classes for students at École élémentaire catholique Horizon-Jeunesse in Ottawa. (Christina Succi/CTV News Ottawa)

English school boards get back to class, the municipal election signs come out and a new Conservative leader is crowned.

CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at five stories to watch this week.

English school boards get back to school

Students in Ottawa’s English language public and catholic school boards get back to classes Tuesday, one week after French language board students returned to class.

With few COVID-19 restrictions remaining in the province, Ontario’s education minister anticipates this school year will be the most “normal” since the pandemic began, with extra-curricular activities like clubs and sports in full swing.

Ottawa police are reminding drivers to be mindful of young children on the streets and to stop for school buses.

There may be fewer school buses on the roads, however. The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority says 33 bus trips on 20 routes to schools across the city of Ottawa are being cancelled ahead of the start of classes on Sept. 6 as it deals with a driver shortage.

Tens of thousands of students in Ottawa's French public and French catholic school board returned to the classroom Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. School officials saying this year will feel more like pre-pandemic times. (Leah Larocque/CTV News Ottawa)

Municipal election signs come out

Municipal election signs will begin popping up this week.

The first day an election sign can be placed on private or public property is Friday.

The municipal election on Oct. 24 will bring at least 11 new councillors and a new mayor at city hall this term. Nine councillors are not seeking re-election, one councillor is among the 14 people running for mayor, and there is a new, 24th municipal ward in the city.

There are 106 people vying for 24 council seats, and 83 people registered to become trustees in one of Ottawa’s four school boards. Eight school board trustee candidates will be acclaimed because they had no opponents as of the registration deadline in August.

Police and transit funding have emerged as some of the key issues of this election, with mayoral candidates trading barbs over the cost of reducing or eliminating fares on OC Transpo and the cost of funding or expanding police services in the city.

File photo of municipal election signs from the 2018 election in Ottawa.

COVID-19 levels and the new vaccine

With students back in classrooms and post-secondary schools this week, health officials will be monitoring the spread of COVID-19.

Recent data from the city’s wastewater monitoring project show the amount of virus detected in the city’s sewage has been on the decline, but it remains higher than it was last September and health officials expect a rise in transmission this fall. Ottawa Public Health is not mandating mask use for schoolchildren but is recommending them. Parents should also be monitoring their children for symptoms.

Students must wear a mask in public for 10 days after the onset of COVID-19 symptoms, though Ontario has done away with its five-day isolation rule for people who test positive.

Last week, Health Canada approved Moderna’s new bivalent, omicron-targeting vaccine, which is expected to become available for adults and high-risk children over 12 soon. The province has also approved booster doses for children aged 5 to 11.

Since the pandemic began, Ottawa Public Health has recorded 80,905 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 877 deaths in the city. There have been more deaths from COVID-19 in Ottawa so far in 2022 than in all of 2021.

FILE - A vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is displayed at a pop-up vaccine clinic for EMS workers Center in Salt Lake City on January 5, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Rick Bowmer

Another rate hike expected

Another rate hike from the Bank of Canada is expected to be announced this week.

Some Canadian banks are forecasting a key interest rate hike of three-quarters of a percentage point, bringing it to 3.25 per cent. It would follow a full-point jump in July amid decades-high levels of inflation.

The inflation rate slowed slightly in July. August’s numbers have yet to be finalized.

Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem says inflation remains “far too high” and aims to bring it back down to around two per cent.

The Bank of Canada building is seen in Ottawa, Wednesday, April 15, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Could an Ottawa MP become the next Conservative Party leader?

The Conservative Party of Canada selects its new leader this week, and all eyes are on an Ottawa MP.

Pierre Poilievre, who represents the suburban-rural riding of Carleton, has drawn large crowds to rallies across the country and he is widely perceived to be the front-runner in the race. Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper endorsed Poilievre for the leadership.

The race has seen candidates attack each other for not being conservative enough, in the case of former Quebec premier Jean Charest, and for supporting the “Freedom Convoy” occupation of Ottawa, in the case of Poilievre. Brampton mayor Patrick Brown was in the running before being disqualified in July over “serious allegations of wrongdoing.”

Brown’s name will remain on the ballot because the party did not have time to reprint hundreds of thousands of ballots that are being sent out to members across the country.

There are five candidates in the running for leader: Poilievre, Charest, Roman Baber, Scott Aitchison, and Leslyn Lewis.

According to a Leger poll released in August, Poilievre is the clear favourite among CPC members, while Charest has more support among Canadians overall.

The leadership convention will be held Sept. 10.

Conservative leadership hopeful Pierre Poilievre, left, smiles as he takes part in the Conservative Party of Canada French-language leadership debate in Laval, Quebec on Wednesday, May 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz