Ottawa City Hall. (File photo)
Ottawa's top doctor provides an update on the COVID-19 situation in the capital and the Freedom Convoy is expected to roll into Ottawa to protest vaccine mandates.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at five stories to watch in Ottawa this week.
Ottawa's top doctor will provide an update on the COVID-19 situation in Ottawa, one week before restrictions begin to ease.
Medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches will address a special meeting of the Ottawa Board of Health at 3 p.m. Monday.
Board chair Keith Egli called the special meeting, "Given the rapidly evolving situation with COVID-19 in our community." Egli told reporters earlier this month Dr. Etches will provide an update on the COVID-19 situation, and allow board members to ask questions about the response to the pandemic.
The meeting comes as Ottawa Public Health reports a rise in hospitalizations linked to COVID-19 in Ottawa. As of Sunday, there were 93 people in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19 related illnesses, up from 65 people in hospital last Monday.
The update comes one week before Ontario takes the first step in a three-step plan to begin relaxing COVID-19 restrictions.
As of Jan. 31, social gatherings will increase to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors. Restaurants, bars, retailers and gyms can operate at 50 per cent capacity.
Sporting events, concert venues and theatres will be able to operate at 50 per cent seated capacity or 500 people, whichever is less.
Ottawa medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches received her first COVID-19 vaccine shot on Tuesday, June 8. (Photo courtesy: Twitter/VeraEtches)
Truckers are expected to roll into Ottawa on Saturday from across the country to protest the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for truckers.
The "Freedom Convoy" left British Columbia on Sunday en route to Ottawa for a demonstration against the mandate. Truckers from Ontario and eastern Canada are also expected to arrive in Ottawa.
As of Jan. 15, the federal government requires all truckers crossing the border from the United States into Canada to be vaccinated. As of Jan. 23, all non-Americans entering the United States at a land border must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
A GoFundMe page for the Freedom Convoy states, "We are taking our fight to the doorsteps of our Federal Government and demanding that they cease all mandates against its people. Small businesses are being destroyed, homes are being destroyed, and people are being mistreated and denied fundamental necessities to survive."
The Canadian Trucking Alliance issued a statement saying it does not support and "strong disapproves" of any protests on roadways, highways and bridges.
"The vast majority of the Canadian trucking industry is vaccinated with the overall industry vaccination rate among truck drivers closely mirroring that of the general public," said the alliance in a statement on its website.
"Accordingly, most of our nation's hard-working truck drivers are continuing to move cross-border and domestic freight to ensure our economy continues to function."
Ontario Provincial Police reported a convoy from Pembroke to Ottawa on Saturday.
Truck in Windsor, Ont. on Friday, Jan. 14, 2022. (Chris Campbell/CTV Windsor)
The legislative year kicks off this week at Ottawa City Hall, as the countdown begins to the 2022 municipal election.
Council will meet for the first time in 2022 on Wednesday. The first meeting of the year will be highlighted by Mayor Jim Watson's final state of the city address before he leaves municipal politics following the election.
"It's somewhat bittersweet, as it's a yearly tradition I've grown quite fond of over my time in office and one that provides a good opportunity to look back on the year that's gone by and ponder the important decisions that lie ahead," said Watson during the Mayor's Breakfast on Friday morning.
Watson announced in December he would not seek a fourth term in office, and will retire after the October municipal election.
The final council meeting of 2022 includes a motion from Coun. Jeff Leiper to eliminate 'red revert' sensors at all intersections. The transportation committee rejected a proposal to eliminate the sensors for cyclists at an intersection in the fall.
Ottawa City Hall. (File photo)
The Ottawa Police Services Board will discuss workplace sexual violence and harassment in the workplace during its first meeting of the year on Monday.
A report recommends the board adopt a five-year, $8.2 million strategy to address harassment and violence within the ranks, after an independent review called for "urgent and immediate attention."
Rubin Thomlinson makes 18 recommendations, including:
People pass the Ottawa Police station on Elgin Street in Ottawa, on Monday, Feb. 1, 2021. (Justin Tang/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Wednesday is Bell Let's Talk Day – a day to engage in a conversation about mental health and mental health initiatives in Canada.
This year, Bell Let's Talk Day is encouraging Canadians to support themselves and each other.
"Working together in communities large and small all around the country, we have made great progress in moving mental health forward and increasing awareness about mental illness," said Mary Deacon, chair of Bell Let's Talk. "On Bell Let’s Talk Day and throughout the year it’s so important to keep listening, keep talking and keep being there for ourselves and each other to make a lasting difference in the lives of so many people impacted by mental illness."
On Wednesday, Bell donates 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for every applicable text, local or long distance call, tweet or Tik Tok video using #BellLetsTalk, every Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Tik Tok, Twitter and YouTube view of the Bell Let's Talk Day video.
Monday
Ottawa Board of Health meeting – 3 p.m.
Ottawa Police Services Board meeting – 5 p.m.
Tuesday
Ottawa Carleton District School Board meeting – 7 p.m.
Ottawa Catholic School Board meeting – 7 p.m.
Ottawa Senators vs. Buffalo Sabres. (TSN 1200)
Wednesday
Bell Let's Talk Day
Ottawa City Council meeting – 10 a.m.
Thursday
Ottawa Planning Committee meeting – 9:30 a.m.
Ottawa Senators vs. Carolina Hurricaines (TSN 1200)
A wave of buyer's remorse is taking shape in several heated real estate markets, after housing prices started dropping and the number of sales slowed over the last two months.
There is a cost to war — to the countries that wage it, to the soldiers who fight it, to the civilians who endure it. For nations, territory is gained and lost, and sometimes regained and lost again. But some losses are permanent. Lives lost can never be regained. Nor can limbs. And so it is in Ukraine.
Etiquette expert Julie Blais Comeau answers your questions about how to address the royal couple, how to dress if you're meeting them, and whether or not you can ask for a selfie.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that the military alliance stands ready to seize a historic moment and move quickly on allowing Finland and Sweden to join its ranks, after the two countries submitted their membership requests.
Saddle Lake Cree Nation in eastern Alberta is 'actively researching and investigating' the deaths of at least 200 residential school children who never came home, as remains are being found in unmarked grave sites.
The Green Party of Canada is calling on the federal government to develop a targeted anti-transgender hate strategy, citing a 'rising tide of hate' both in Canada and abroad. Amita Kuttner, who is Canada's first transgender federal party leader, made the call during a press conference on Parliament Hill on Tuesday.
The existence of unmarked graves had been a 'knowing' among residential school survivors and Indigenous elders, but the high-tech survey findings represented confirmation for Canada.
Police say the Buffalo supermarket shooter mounted a camera to his helmet to stream his assault live on Twitch. The move was apparently intended to echo the massacre in New Zealand by inspiring copycats and spreading his racist beliefs.
A new report says digital technology has become so widespread at such a rapid pace that Canadians have little idea what information is being collected about them or how it is used.
The police officer who fatally shot a 26-year-old Indigenous woman during a wellness check in Edmundston, N.B., two years ago says he doesn't know why things escalated so quickly.
When a man disguised as a Mountie started killing people in northern Nova Scotia two years ago, there was considerable confusion over who was in charge of the RCMP operation, newly released documents show.
A woman who was stabbed overnight in the Halifax area has died from her injuries.
Political analysts call Doug Ford's approach the “front-runner” strategy and say it started long before the writ was drawn.
A day after Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner was robbed of his Range Rover at gunpoint outside an Etobicoke movie theatre, Toronto police said they have already seen more carjackings so far this year than they did in all of 2021.
An Ontario man who has nearly 1 million-kilometres on his car is sharing his secret of how he did it.
Peppered with questions on Bill 96, Legault said there's been "disinformation" spreading, in his opinion -- and that on one important question, health care, many critics of the bill are wrong. In fact, the bill is confusing on that point and the details still haven't been fully explained.
Montreal public health officials are considering whether to bring back a special hotline for families with sick children to get them speedy appointments with a doctor. Hospitals are seeing an increase in visits to pediatric emergency rooms.
Montreal drivers have a lot of words to describe the city's roads in summer, when the orange pylons pop up: an obstacle course, a maze, a mess. The city's auditor general agrees and offers analysis of why in a new report.
There have been more than 107 fatalities on Ontario Provincial Police patrolled roads so far this year.
B'Nai Brith Canada presented North Bay Mayor Al McDonald with a certificate of merit Tuesday morning, honouring him for standing up to racism.
As the provincial election nears, Sault Ste. Marie incumbent Ross Romano is squaring off again against Michelle McCleave-Kennedy, who gave him a tough fight in 2018.
The number of hate occurrences reported to London police has grown by more than 50 per cent for a second year in a row.
Cameron Doig of Seaforth, Ont. is facing more sexual offence charges. The 63-year-old golf pro has been charged with one count of indecent assault on a female and police say this charge is “historical” in nature.
One person is in custody for allegedly breaking and entering after a Sarnia business owner saw they were being robbed in real-time thanks to a video surveillance system.
Federal regulators are demanding answers and solutions from the bell MTS after several Manitobans have spoken out about their landline phone service which they call unacceptable.
Two Winnipeg men are facing firearm-related charges after Winnipeg police officers seized 19 guns from a home in the city’s Southwood neighbourhood.
A Manitoba mother says the use of cannabis oil has had a profound impact on the health of her child.
The search continued Tuesday for a man police say may have information about the death of an 8-year-old boy in Cambridge. Neighbours also shared their concerns about the police response.
Provincial police have launched an investigation after human remains were found in the water in Dunnville, just northwest of Port Maitland.
A contentious topic is back under review in Cambridge. City council is hearing from a number of delegates sharing their thoughts about a paintball company's land and whether it should be re-zoned.
Alberta schools boards can choose to pilot three more subjects in the new K-6 draft curriculum this fall, which is drawing criticism from some parents and student advocates.
The last time the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers faced each other in the playoffs was way back in 1991.
The ballots are in and tension is building within the United Conservative Party ahead of Wednesday's revelation of the result of Jason Kenney's leadership review.
A former employee of Epic Alliance says the firm sometimes "pushed" for higher appraisals on homes sold to landlords and would rent to tenants who would "destroy" properties
With the University of Saskatchewan research team monitoring the city's wastewater for signs of COVID-19 noting an 85 per cent drop in its latest update, experts in the city say the trend is cause for cautious optimism.
Saskatoon Police Service officers are not permitted to wear Thin Blue Line patches, according to a report to the Board of Police Commissioners.
The ballots are in and tension is building within the United Conservative Party ahead of Wednesday's revelation of the result of Jason Kenney's leadership review.
Saddle Lake Cree Nation in eastern Alberta is 'actively researching and investigating' the deaths of at least 200 residential school children who never came home, as remains are being found in unmarked grave sites.
A hunter's wife has testified she texted her husband not to drink and drive or get in a fight the night he and his uncle were shot to death on a rural Alberta road.
The soaring cost of gas is hitting charities in Metro Vancouver hard and organizations are worried they will soon have to make tough decisions and cuts to services if they don’t get some relief.
Nearly three weeks after Moderna became the first pharmaceutical company to apply for Health Canada approval of its COVID-19 vaccine for young children, the regulatory agency is tight-lipped about progress.
Volunteers with the CFB Chilliwack Historical Society are reeling after thieves broke into a military museum and stole irreplaceable items donated by war veterans and their families.
A number of social media users captured Saskatchewan's first apparent first tornado of 2022 on Tuesday evening.
Some food vendors at Mosaic Stadium are pausing preparations for the preseason as the CFL strike has potential to postpone the first exhibition game of the year.
The Williston Basin Petroleum Conference has returned to Regina after three years away due to the pandemic.
