Construction season officially begins and the Canada Day lineup is unveiled: Five stories to watch this week
The wait continues for a new owner for the Ottawa Senators, construction season begins in Ottawa and the lineup is unveiled for Canada Day celebrations.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at five stories to watch in Ottawa this week.
Ottawa Senators sale watch
Ottawa Senators fans continue to wait for word on who will be the new owner of the NHL club.
Two weeks after the final bids were due to be submitted to New York-based Galatioto Sports Partners, there is still no word on who will own the club.
Four groups submitted bids to buy the club, with at least one offer of $1-billion, multiple reports said.
Three of the bids came from Toronto-area businessmen: Michael Andlauer, Jeffrey and Michael Kimel, and Steve Apostolopoulos. Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Neko Sparks also submitted a bid.
Postmedia reported this weekend that the four potential bidders met with Anna and Olivia Melnyk, the daughters of late owner Eugene Melnyk,
Sources told Postmedia that was a signal that the New York-based banker overseeing the sale had moved the sale process to the final stages.
The Ottawa Senators announced in November the club was up for sale, with a condition of any sale that the club remains in the capital.
The Ottawa Senators logo on the Canadian Tire Centre is seen in this undated image. (CTV News Ottawa)
Construction season begins in Ottawa
The running joke is there are two seasons in Ottawa – winter and construction. Well, construction season will officially get underway in the capital this week.
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and several councillors will kick off the 2023 construction season on Monday on Slater Street.
One of the major projects this year is the rehabilitation of the underground infrastructure along Albert Street, Queen Street, Slater Street and Bronson Avenue. This year's work includes the minor widening of Bronson, between Laurier Avenue and Slater Street, to allow for a wider sidewalk, new watermain and surface work.
The 2023 city of Ottawa budget included $245.9 million for design and construction of integrated sewer and road projects, $136 million to renew roads, $7.7 million to renew sidewalks, $21 million for the widening of the Airport Parkway's southbound ramp at Walkley Road and money for guiderail renewal.
Construction will also continue on Stage 2 Light Rail Transit extensions.
Monday officially marks the start of construction season in the capital and more roads will likely begin to close as improvements and rehabilitation goes underway. Ottawa, Ont. May 16, 2022. (Tyler Fleming / CTV News Ottawa)
Ottawa public school board tables 2023-24 budget
Ottawa's public school board will introduce its 2023-24 school year budget this week, as the board faces a multi-million budget deficit.
Last week, Trustees with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board were told the board is facing a $19.9 million budget deficit for the next school year due to rising operating costs, the discontinuation of COVID-19 funding from the Ontario government and increasing costs for replacing absent teachers.
Trustees have already approved a plan to cut 23 discretionary staff positions to save more than $2 million.
Staff have said the reserve funds have been "depleted" and the board does not have the accumulated funds in reserve to continue running deficit budgets. For the 2022-23 school year, the board is using $9 million in surplus cash for operating budgets.
The 2023-24 OCDSB budget will be tabled Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
An advisory council is discussing stopping the playing of the national anthem at OCDSB schools (Colton Praill/CTV News Ottawa)
Canada Day lineup
Canadian Heritage will unveil the lineup for Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa this week.
"Canada Day is an opportunity to connect and create memorable moments with your community," Canadian Heritage says on its website.
Last year, Canada Day celebrations moved from Parliament Hill to LeBreton Flats due to construction on Centre Block.
The full Canada Day lineup will be unveiled on Wednesday.
Canada Day celebrations will also be held in Barrhaven, Kanata, Stittsville and Orleans.
Thousands of people pack Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill for Canada Day festivities. (Jeremie Charron/CTV News Ottawa)
The 2023 CHEO Telethon
The 2023 CHEO Telethon is set for Sunday, June 4 on CTV Ottawa.
The CHEO Telethon is a time to honour brave children, youth, families and the teams that care for them.
Tune in to CTV News Ottawa from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. to see how your support makes a difference at the children's hospital. Donations are matched by generous sponsors.
Last year, the CHEO Telethon raised a record $11.8 million.
The 38th CHEO Telethon on CTV Ottawa.
EVENTS IN OTTAWA THIS WEEK
Monday
Ottawa Police Services Board meeting – 4 p.m.
Tuesday
Joint Planning and Housing and Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee meeting – 9:30 a.m.
Ottawa Carleton District School Board meeting – 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Ottawa Carleton District School Board budget meeting – 7 p.m.
Thursday
Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee meeting – 10 a.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.