Board of Health member speaks out against body shaming and President Biden visits Ottawa: Top five stories this week
Board of Health member speaks out against body shaming and President Biden visits Ottawa: Top five stories this week
President Joe Biden speaks with Kirsten Hillman, Canada's ambassador to the United States, left in blue, and Canada's Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, second from right, as Biden arrives at Ottawa International Airport, Thursday, March 23, 2023, in Ottawa, Canada. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
U.S. President Joe Biden visits Ottawa, a board of health member calls out a body shaming email and a school board proposes a four-day school week at two elementary schools.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at the top five stories on our website this week.
Heavy security and sparse crowds greeted U.S. President Joe Biden during his whirlwind two-day trip to Ottawa.
Biden's visit to Ottawa included a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, an address to Parliament and a gala dinner at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
On Friday morning, a small crowd gathered along Wellington Street to watch the president's motorcade drive to Parliament Hill.
"It has been a really long time since a president has come to Ottawa and I am hoping to get a glimpse through the ‘beast’ window before he gets to Parliament Hill," Josh Arless said.
The U.S. President did not take a side trip to any destinations during his 27-hour visit to the capital.
Biden did get to taste ice cream from a beloved Ottawa shop during his visit to the capital. Biden and Trudeau shared ice cream from Moo Shu, the small-batch ice cream maker on Bank Street, after the president arrived in Ottawa Thursday evening.
The flavour, officially called “Friend-chip Goals,” Moo Shu founder Liz Mok told CTV News in an email.
The ice cream was a toasted marshmallow and maple sugar ice cream, "spun with chocolate like a stracciatella for a chocolate chip effect,” she said.
President Joe Biden meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in his office at Parliament Hill, Friday, March 24, 2023, in Ottawa, Canada. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo)
Ottawa board of health member sees outpouring of support after body-shaming message
A member of Ottawa's Board of Health spoke out about body-shaming this week after receiving a letter that said she shouldn't serve on the board because of her weight.
Elyse Banham tweeted a picture of a letter she received that claimed she could not be a role model because she appeared to be overweight, according to the writer.
"As a member of the Ottawa Board of Health, citizens expect you to be a role model for our city's residents and I believve (sic) you cannot fulfil that role due to your unhealthy status. It is unacceptable to be overweight by the 20 pounds it appears you are carrying," the letter said. "I would be happy to see you on the new committee on the condition that you become a better role model."
Banham was quick to call it out.
"Standards that are projected onto women make this type of work hard. Sad, demeaned & hurt today but standing up for myself and all women," she said on Twitter
OPH's Twitter account replied with a "corrected" letter from their "Bruce" character calling Banham "an incredible role model for our community" and that her empathy for others makes her a "beacon of much-needed light" for which they are grateful.
Ottawa Board of Health member Elyse Banham (right) speaks with Ottawa city councillor Theresa Kavanagh, the council liaison on women and gender equity. March 20, 2023. (Jackie Perez/CTV News Ottawa)
VIA Rail apologized this week after a Muslim man was told he couldn't pray at the Ottawa train station.
Ahmed, who asked that his last name not be used, said a security guard at the station told him he was not allowed to pray there and that he should pray outside.
The Toronto man said the interaction left him feeling shocked, embarrassed and disgusted.
Via Rail issued a statement apologizing to Ahmed and "the entire Muslim community" and said they are investigating the incident.
On Thursday, the crown corporation said it is working to improve its diversity and inclusion policies in response to the incident.
A screenshot from a video on social media in which a security guard at the Ottawa train station tells Ahmed, a Toronto man waiting to travel home, not to pray inside the station. (TikTok/@a.p416)
Elementary students at two Ottawa French Catholic schools will soon have the option to go to school four days a week.
The Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est has announced plans for a four-day school week pilot-project this fall, becoming the first school board in Ontario to offer families a shortened school week schedule.
Parents of students at École élémentaire catholique l’Étoile-de-l’Est in Orleans and École élémentaire catholique Saint-Rémi in Kanata will be allowed to opt-in to a four-day school week.
Students enrolled in the four-day school week would begin classes one week earlier than students attending classes five days a week and the school year would end three days later than the typical school year. Each school day would last an additional 38 minutes compared to students attending classes five days a week.
École élémentaire catholique l’Étoile-de-l’Est in Orleans will be home to a four-day school week pilot project, starting in the fall. (Tyler Fleming/CTV News Ottawa)
Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference David Johnston will be questioned by MPs at committee Tuesday morning, about his role, his report into election meddling, his decision against a public inquiry, and allegations of a conflict of interest.
Prince Harry entered a courtroom witness box Tuesday, swearing to tell the truth in testimony against a tabloid publisher he accuses of phone hacking and other unlawful snooping.
Canada's emergency preparedness minister says images of wildfires burning across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada and the current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.
Many Canadian parents are stretching themselves thin — even going as far as to postpone their retirement in some cases — in order to help pay for their children’s education, according to a new survey.
The wall of a major dam in a part of southern Ukraine that Moscow controls collapsed Tuesday, triggering floods, endangering Europe's largest nuclear power plant and threatening drinking water supplies as both sides in the war rushed to evacuate residents and blamed each other for the emergency.
Police in Australia are investigating the suspicious death of a woman who used to live in Surrey, BC, after her body was found in her apartment on the outskirts of Sydney.
Pope Francis briefly went to Rome's main hospital on Tuesday for tests and returned to the Vatican, two months after he was hospitalized with an acute case of bronchitis.
Astrud Gilberto, the Brazilian singer, songwriter and entertainer whose off-hand, English-language cameo on 'The Girl from Ipanema' made her a worldwide voice of bossa nova, has died at age 83.
Canada’s housing market saw the largest improvement in affordability in nearly four years in the first quarter of 2023, according to a report from economists at the National Bank of Canada.
Canada's emergency preparedness minister says images of wildfires burning across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada and the current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.
A grieving widow whose husband was run over and killed by a speeding OPP officer can't believe the force told her it won't hold a public hearing into the case because it decided the misconduct was 'not serious.'
A 53-year-old man was shot and killed in the Montreal suburb of Dorval on Monday afternoon. A source told CTV News that the victim is Francesco Del Balso, who has links to Montreal's Mafia.
The numerous forest fires raging in certain regions of Quebec have led to thousands of evacuations since the weekend and continue to threaten infrastructure on Tuesday. Temporary accommodation centres have been opened in nine municipalities on the Côte-Nord, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, to accommodate evacuees.
The Quebec national assembly's ethics commissioner Ariane Mignolet argues that the fact that MNAs are debating their own salaries can raise issues of conflict of interest.
A grieving widow whose husband was run over and killed by a speeding OPP officer can't believe the force told her it won't hold a public hearing into the case because it decided the misconduct was 'not serious.'
Canada's emergency preparedness minister says images of wildfires burning across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada and the current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.
Officials are asking people living around Centennial Lake to evacuate their homes as a forest fire burns in the area west of Calabogie, Ont. An evacuation order has been extended to Wednesday afternoon.
On this day in 2021, four out of five members of a London, Ont. family were killed while they were out for a walk and struck by a vehicle, in an apparently deliberate attack.
CTV cameras captured the moment London, Ont. firefighters discovered a sparking lithium battery pack in a charred apartment at 122 Base Line Rd. W. Sunday.
There was emotional testimony on Monday from the husband of the woman killed in a crash in south London, Ont. almost four years ago. Paul Kay testified about the last moments in the life of his 68-year-old wife, Penny.
A Ukrainian woman who now lives in Winnipeg is hoping one day she will be able to bring her husband's remains to her new home, a place he hoped one day he too would be able to call home.
Manitoba Public Insurance is suing the Manitoba government, a Manitoba construction company and an unidentified employee for more than $31,000 saying road work damaged 12 vehicles in 2021.
Flames and smoke could be seen shooting out of a home on Graham Street in Waterloo shortly after midnight on Monday, creating a scene that firefighters say was intense before they arrived.
A report going before regional councillors on Tuesday will recommend beginning the process of environmental remediation at the former Charles Street bus terminal in Kitchener.
Calgary-based Cenovus Energy says it has safely restarted a portion of its production that was shut down because of the threat of wildfires in northern and central Alberta.
While Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) publicly mulled moving its downtown emergency shelter to a location on 20th Street near the city's core, city documents reveal the wellness centre's present Fairhaven area location was heavily favoured early in the process.
Canada's emergency preparedness minister says images of wildfires burning across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada and the current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.
A long-awaited trail linking the town of Watrous to nearby Manitou Beach is now open to the public, but the meaning behind this simple gravel path goes much further than meets the eye.
Canada's emergency preparedness minister says images of wildfires burning across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada and the current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.
Edmonton police launched a new tool Monday to encourage reports of "hate incidents," something officers believe will help them track people who may escalate to "hate crimes."
Many Canadian parents are stretching themselves thin — even going as far as to postpone their retirement in some cases — in order to help pay for their children’s education, according to a new survey.
The provincial wildfire service is warning British Columbians to have a go-bag and make an evacuation plan with this year's wildfire season off to an alarming start.
Real estate experts say B.C.’s housing market is heating back after cooling off due to rising interest rates but the future is uncertain as several economists expect the Bank of Canada to hike rates again.
Police in Australia are investigating the suspicious death of a woman who used to live in Surrey, BC, after her body was found in her apartment on the outskirts of Sydney.
Canada's emergency preparedness minister says images of wildfires burning across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada and the current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.
Recent downpours have frustrated tenants of a Regina low income housing complex. They say their parking lot floods with every heavy rain and the landlord has not taken steps to improve drainage.
President Joe Biden speaks with Kirsten Hillman, Canada's ambassador to the United States, left in blue, and Canada's Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, second from right, as Biden arrives at Ottawa International Airport, Thursday, March 23, 2023, in Ottawa, Canada. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
President Joe Biden meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in his office at Parliament Hill, Friday, March 24, 2023, in Ottawa, Canada. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo) 
Ottawa Board of Health member Elyse Banham (right) speaks with Ottawa city councillor Theresa Kavanagh, the council liaison on women and gender equity. March 20, 2023. (Jackie Perez/CTV News Ottawa)
A screenshot from a video on social media in which a security guard at the Ottawa train station tells Ahmed, a Toronto man waiting to travel home, not to pray inside the station. (TikTok/@a.p416)
École élémentaire catholique l’Étoile-de-l’Est in Orleans will be home to a four-day school week pilot project, starting in the fall. (Tyler Fleming/CTV News Ottawa) 
Northern lights overhead in Dunrobin on March 23, 2023. (Christopher Illidge/CTV Viewer)
