Eight stories that caught readers’ attention in 2021

CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at eight stories that caught our readers’ attention in 2021.

OTTAWA STUMPS JEOPARDY! CONTESTANTS

A question about Ottawa stumped two contestants on Jeopardy! in late November.

The Final Jeopardy category was world capitals, and the final clue was; "An annual event called Winterlude includes skating on the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in this city."

Both contestants were stumped. The first, Genesis Whitlock, said Paris. Then five-time champion Amy Schneider said Amsterdam.

While the two contestants got the question wrong, they won't be walking away empty handed. Ottawa Tourism offered the two an all-expanses-paid trip to Ottawa.

“We want to show them what they might have missed,” Michael Crockatt, Ottawa Tourism’s president and CEO, said in a news release.

'BRUCE', THE OTTAWA PUBLIC HEALTH INTERN

Ottawa Public Health made national headlines on Super Bowl Sunday, with a tweet attempting to illustrate how to spot misinformation online.

"What an amazing Super Bowl!! Congratulations to the (*Bruce, make sure to put the winning team's name here)," said OPH in a tweet.

Bruce, of course, didn't exist. The health unit sent a follow-up thread about spotting misinformation online to be completely clear the tweet was a joke.

In March, Ottawa Public Health took the gag to a new level, revealing Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds was "Bruce the Intern."

"Yes I occasionally tweet from Ottawa Public Health. Why? Everybody does," Reynolds says. "About the Super Bowl, in my defence, these days I'm just, I'm so busy, okay? So just...so back off. On Super Bowl Sunday, I just forgot."

Ottawa Public Health's unique blend of humour and sound health advice on Twitter has garnered the more than 131,000 followers and recognition far beyond Ottawa.

Reynolds ended the video on a serious note, reminding people to wash their hands, wear a mask, stay home, get tested and get vaccinated.

The health unit tweeted a video with A-list star Ryan Reynolds, revealing his identity as Bruce the intern, who went viral in a post-Super Bowl tweet by Ottawa Public Health last month.

BISON GETS HEAD STUCK INSIDE CAR WINDOW

A large bison at a wildlife park in western Quebec escaped unharmed after getting its head stuck in an open window.

The incident on Oct. 11 at Parc Omega, near Montebello, Que., was caught on camera.

“Somebody opened the window and … the bison put the head inside the car and I was shocked,” said Leonardo Heizer.

Thankfully, staff say the bison was able to free itself from the vehicle in about ten minutes without harming itself or the people in the car.

TARRED KITTEN MAKES FULL RECOVERY

Ashley, the cat, is happy, healthy and living with a new family, months after being found covered with hot tar in Gatineau, Que.

In August, CTV News Ottawa introduced you to Ashley, at the time fighting for its life. The cat and its two siblings were found struggling to move in tar.

Sandi Lawson of Adopt Me Cat Rescue said Ashley was caked in tar, and her eyes were glued shut.

Tar is toxic to cats.

In October, Joanne and Gerry Drew adopted Ashley and her siblings.

"My heart just broke, I could not imagine," says Joanne. "And to see her now, it's just amazing. I hope we’re going to have a great long life with all three of them."

Ashley the cat is recovering after being found covered in tar last week in Gatineau. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)

SMITHS FALLS BUSINESS GOES VIRAL ON TIKTOK

A Smiths Falls, Ont. businessman gained worldwide attention by posting videos about products on TikTok.

"We wanted something original that showed our personality, so we tried a few things and then started using TikTok," said Corey McMullan of McMullan Appliance and Mattress.

"We were uploading them to our other platforms but they weren't getting much reaction," McMullan said. "We eventually saw the reaction on TikTok starting to go through the roof and our phones started to ring and our emails started to light up across, really, the world, as far away as Australia and New Zealand."

The videos include testing the products, like the nickel test to demonstrate how stable a washing machine is.

Corey McMullan of McMullan Appliance and Mattress in a TikTok video with American actress, model, musician and songwriter Zooey Deschanel.

MOVIE RETURNED NINE YEARS LATE

A Blu Ray was returned to a video store in Kingston, Ont. in September, nine years late.

Tom Ivison of Classic Video was going through the weekly returns when he came across Role Models in the bin.

"(I) had several piles, I’m working my way through them and I notice one case in rough condition," he explains. “I typed in the number to return the movie, looked back a minute later and that's when I saw."

Someone had taken out the Blu Ray and returned it nine years later.

“I looked it up and it was signed out November 2, 2012,” laughs Ivison. “I saw it; I took a photo of it. I sent the photo to my co-worker saying you won’t believe this, it’s nine years late.”

The late fees came to $2,757, but Classic Video has waived all late fees during the pandemic.

Classic Video owner Tom Ivison holds a copy of a movie that was returned nine years late. (Kimberley Johnson / CTV News Ottawa)

GATINEAU, QUE. MANSION BUILT TOO CLOSE TO THE ROAD MUST BE DEMOLISHED

A Quebec judge ruled this summer that a multimillion-dollar home in Aylmer must be demolished because it was built too closed to the street.

The nearly $3-million home at 79 chemin Fraser was built seven metres from the street, instead of the minimum 15.67 metres. Nearby residents opposed to the home’s construction say it doesn’t fit with the rest of the neighbourhood.

The city granted homeowner Patrick Molla all the required building permits in 2013. He believed the plans complied with municipal rules since the city approved them.

The city later found the plans were approved due to ‘human error,’ since the planning official who granted them didn’t know the relevant bylaw. To fix that mistake, in July 2014 city council granted a minor exemption to allow the home to be closer to the street.

The judge's decision overturned that exemption.

A home at 79 chemin Fraser in Gatineau's Aylmer sector can stay standing, Quebec's court of appeal ruled on March 7, 2023.

PROM DRESS OUT OF DUCT TAPE

An Ottawa teen created her prom dress entirely out of duct tape.

Duck Brand duct tape launched the 'Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest', giving high schools students the chance to win $10,000 by making a tuxedo or dress entirely out of duct tape.

“I worked for about 143 hours. Some days, I worked five hours, other days one or two,” said Erika Avellaneda. “It was a hard process. A lot of sitting down and working, but it was worth it.”

The dress is made of roughly $100 worth of duct tape, 17 rolls, and it weighs about six pounds.

Erika says the styles and colours of ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt inspired her.

Erika Avellaneda showing off her incredible duct tape dress. Avellaneda is a finalist in a contest to win a $10,000 scholarship. (Dave Charbonneau / CTV News Ottawa)