Car crashes through the Rideau River ice and record-breaking snowfall: Top stories in Ottawa this week
A driver takes a selfie while standing on a car after it falls through the ice of the Rideau River and a record-breaking snowstorm brings Ottawa to a standstill.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at the top five stories on our website this week.
Neighbours use kayak to rescue driver after car crashes through ice in Manotick, Ont.
A yellow car speeding across the ice of the Rideau River in Manotick, Ont. last weekend hit a weak spot and plunged into the water, prompting a massive rescue operation by neighbours to save the driver.
Emergency crews responded to the incident on the Rideau River in the area of Old Mill Way, near White Horse Park, at approximately 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Witnesses reported the car was speeding at nearly 120 km/h at one point.
The incident got widespread attention after the car's driver took a selfie while standing on the submerged vehicle.
"So luckily one of my other neighbours, Rob Crober, had a rope that he had got, so he ran back to his place to grab one of his kayaks off his kayak rack. And I was untangling the rope, he got back, we tied the rope to the kayak and then just got it out to here," Zachary King told CTV News Ottawa.
"It’s like everything worked out perfectly. Got her on the kayak, pulled her in. And as soon as we pulled her in, the car went under. Fully."
Police say the driver has been charged with one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle under the Criminal Code of Canada.
On Friday, police removed the vehicle from the frozen river.
Crews from the Ottawa Police Service, Ottawa Paramedic Service and Ottawa Fire Service removed a car from the Rideau River ice on Friday. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)
Ottawa boy, 8, saves man nearly buried in snow
Two eight-year-old Ottawa boys were called heroes this week for their quick actions to help a stranger and their family.
On Monday, paramedics thanked Clayton McGuire for saving an elderly man who was almost completely buried in snow during the blizzard. Clayton had spotted the man near his home and immediately told his parents, who called 911.
"The gentleman was almost all covered due to the huge snowfall when Clayton spotted him," the paramedic service said.
"A man, I saw him on the floor. Went to get my mom and dad straight away," Clayton told CTV News Ottawa, describing the scene.
Clayton's dad Joey McGuire said he checked on the man as soon as he was outside.
"I asked the man if he was okay. He seemed like he was hurt; he couldn’t get up, he couldn’t walk, he had no strength at all," McGuire explained. "Looked like he had been down there for at least 20 minutes, maybe longer, because he was totally covered in snow."
The man was assessed at the scene but ultimately decided not to go to the hospital, according to paramedics.
Meantime, a Stittsville family is crediting their eight-year-old son for alerting them to a fire at a neighbour's home, giving them time to escape before the flames spread to their home.
Whitney and Sean Toogood say their son Mason came into their room, saying he couldn't get back to sleep and smelled something funny.
When Sean Toogood investigated, he discovered the fire next door. The family of four and their cats escaped before the fire spread.
"At the end of the day, my son was awake and he's a hero through all this," said Toogood.
Clayton McGuire, 8, plays in the snow in front of his home in Ottawa. Jan. 17, 2022. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)
Record snowfall as Ottawa sees close to 50 cm during major blizzard
The city of Ottawa spent most of the week digging out after a record-breaking snowstorm hit the capital.
Environment Canada reported 48 cm of snow fell on Monday, closing schools, vaccination clinics and COVID-19 testing sites and disrupting air and vehicle travel.
The city warned it would take two days to clear all residential streets following the storm, and crews began moving snow piles off streets over the weekend.
Mayor Jim Watson said the cleanup would cost up to $5 million.
Ottawa received another 5 cm on Wednesday.
A plow clears snow after a blizzard dumped a record 47.8 cm of snow in Ottawa on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (Jim O'Grady/CTV News Ottawa)
Fire Marshal wraps up on-site investigation into Merivale Road explosion
The Office of the Fire Marshal, Ottawa police and other agencies continued their investigation this week into the deadly explosion at an Ottawa tanker truck manufacturing facility.
Six people were killed in the explosion at Eastway Tank on Merivale Road on Jan. 13. One person died in hospital following the explosion, while the remains of five people were located at the site.
On Friday, the Office of the Fire Marshal said its on-site investigation had wrapped up and the investigative team had cleared the scene.
There is no timeline for the investigations to be completed.
"Our investigation process is very thorough, and the thoroughness of our process means it takes time," said deputy fire marshal Tim Beckett last Sunday.
Family members have identified five people as victims of the tragedy: Kayla Ferguson, Rick Bastien, Danny Beale, Etienne Mabiala, and Russ McLellan.
Ottawa police issued a drone photo of Eastway Tank on Merivale Road following Thursday's explosion and fire. (Photo courtesy: Ottawa Police Service)
Supply chain issues leaving some grocery shelves in Ottawa and eastern Ontario empty
Empty shelves at the grocery store greeted some shoppers in Ottawa and eastern Ontario this week.
Gordon Dean has spent the last 25 years in the grocery business. He’s the owner of Mike Dean Local Grocer with four stores in the Ottawa Valley.
He says he’s never seen anything like this.
"It’s not horrible. But it’s not great," says Dean. "Nobody’s going to go hungry. Nobody’s going to run out of food in communities. But the variety is definitely limited. The product coming in the door is definitely delayed."
Officials say a shortage of truckers, mandatory vaccination requirements for truckers at the Canada-U.S. border and short-staffed stores are leading to the empty shelves.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.