OTTAWA -- COVID-19 is detected in local school populations just as the school year starts, a severe driver shortage cripples school bus services, and a popular buffet restaurant adapts to a pandemic world.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at the top five stories in Ottawa this week.
Busloads of students isolated after COVID-19 found in five school populations
As many as 190 students and around 10 teachers were told to isolate this week out of an abundance of caution after people who attend or work at five different schools tested positive for COVID-19.
Ottawa's medical officer of health, Dr. Vera Etches, said the schools were not the source of the exposure.
The reason so many students needed to isolate is that Dr. Etches said Ottawa Public Health was not confident that students on school buses were keeping to their assigned seats. Several full buses of students were told to stay home.
A positive test result at a sixth school in the city was reported by the provincial government on Friday.
"Severe" driver shortage cuts school bus service to thousands
More than 2,300 students in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and the Ottawa Catholic School Board will need to find another way to get to school as the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a school bus driver shortage.
The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority said 30 routes have had to be cancelled for Monday's resumption of yellow bus service, affecting 45 schools in the city.
The more than 2,300 students affected will not have school bus service until more drivers are found.
Photo radar dishes out 11,000 speeding tickets in two weeks
The City of Ottawa released data this week on a photo radar pilot project in several city neighbourhoods, showing nearly 11,000 speeding tickets were handed out in just over two weeks in July.
The four cameras—two that are fixed in place and two that move about—snap photos of vehicles going faster than the posted speed limit and tickets are then mailed to the vehicle's owner, regardless of who was driving. Fines are based on how fast the driver was going.
The pilot project started in mid-July and focused on school zones. By the end of the month, 10,771 tickets were handed out.
The money generated by the fines is spent on community safety initiatives, Mayor Jim Watson said.
Driver who killed beloved Renfrew couple sentenced to five years in prison
An Ottawa man convicted in the deaths of a beloved Renfrew couple has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Joan, 66, and Doug Foster, 69, were killed in the head-on crash on March Road near Carp on Dec. 4, 2016.
John Anstie, then 24, was on his way to Kanata from Almonte when his car collided head-on with the Fosters'. He was convicted of impaired driving and criminal negligence causing death in July 2019.
Popular buffet adapts to pandemic measures
Many restaurants have been hard hit by the pandemic, especially buffets, which can no longer offer self-serve.
At the Mandarin restaurant, a popular all you-can-eat eatery, their pivot could be a new success.
It’s called small-eats; it's a pay-per-dishes model.
When you sit down, you can remove your mask and you're given a one-time use menu and order form. There are 70 items to choose from and prices range between $1.99 and $4.99.
The tapas-style menu is cook-to-order and staff then bring your selection to the table.
