A small rally marks the one-year anniversary of the 'Freedom Convoy' in Ottawa, 49 federal employees fired for claiming CERB while employed, and the city of Ottawa tables the 2023 budget.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at the top five stories on our website this week.
A blast of cold Arctic air gripped Ottawa for more than 48 hours this week, but it wasn't enough to open the Rideau Canal Skateway for the opening weekend of Winterlude.
An extreme cold warning was in effect for Ottawa from Thursday to Saturday, as temperatures dropped below -27 C, with the wind chill making it feel like -43. Saturday is the coldest Feb. 4 in Ottawa in 100 years, with the temperature dropping to -32.2 C at 6 a.m.
The cold temperatures forced Canadian Heritage to cancel all outdoor activities on Friday for Winterlude.
Meantime, the red flag continues to fly on the Rideau Canal Skateway. Despite the cold temperatures to end the week, the National Capital Commission said the world's largest skating rink was not ready for skaters in time for the opening weekend of Winterlude.
If the Rideau Canal Skateway does open this winter, it will be the latest opening in the skateway's history. The latest date for the opening of the Rideau Canal Skateway was Feb. 2, 2002.
Ottawa police reported no problems in the Parliamentary Precinct as people gathered to mark the one-year anniversary of the arrival of the 'Freedom Convoy'.
Police and Bylaw Services maintained an increase presence around downtown Ottawa last weekend as a rally was held to mark the anniversary of the protest against COVID-19 public health restrictions. Police had said more than 200 people gathered on Parliament Hill on Saturday, Jan. 28 for a rally and dance party.
On Monday morning, Ottawa Bylaw said police and Bylaw Services officers had issued 244 parking tickets for violating the Special Event No-Stopping Zone restrictions, while 25 vehicles had been towed from downtown streets. At least 67 Provincial Offences Notices were also issued.
Parliamentary Protective Service officers arrested two people for trespassing on Parliament Hill Saturday afternoon.
On Monday, the Ottawa People's Commission of the Convoy Occupation tabled a report on the impact the 'Freedom Convoy' had on residents, saying all three levels of government failed to take into account the human rights of people directly affected by the occupation.
Ottawa police and Ontario Provincial Police officers monitor a rally on Wellington Street on Saturday. A rally was planned for Parliament Hill to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the 'Freedom Convoy'. (Josh Pringle/CTV News Ottawa)
A federal government department has fired 49 employees who received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit while they were employed.
Employment and Social Development Canada, which oversaw the distribution of the benefit—better known as CERB— conducted an internal investigation and found that some of its employees had claimed the benefit for themselves.
"Those individuals that did break the trust of the employer-employee relationship … have been terminated," assistant deputy minister Mary Crescenzi told a House of Commons committee on Thursday. "To date, we have terminated 49 individuals."
An auditor general's report on the billions of dollars in COVID-19 benefits issued by the government found that at least $4.6 billion in overpayments went to those who were ineligible and another $27 billion merited further investigation.
The landing page for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit is seen in Toronto, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Giordano Ciampini
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says the city of Ottawa's 2023 budget is a "tight budget".
City staff tabled the $5.5 billion 2023 city of Ottawa budget on Wednesday, which includes a 2.5 per cent property tax hike, a transit fare freeze and a 10 per cent reduction in some youth recreation fees.
Sutcliffe said staff have also identified $54 million in "savings and efficiencies" that mean programs and services won't need to be cut.
"Those efficiencies help us reinvest in our priorities," he said.
However, Sutcliffe said the city will need help from other orders of government down the line.
"Without the appropriate level of support from our provincial and federal governments, we will have significant pressures on our finances next year and beyond, particularly on transit and infrastructure," he said.
Councillors will host public consultations on the budget over the next two weeks, and city committees will finalize each department budget before Council holds the final vote on the budget on March 1.
If approved, the 2.5 per cent would cost the average urban taxpayer an extra $104 this year.
Two Ottawa restaurants are on the list of most romantic restaurants in Canada.
Two weeks before Valentine's Day, OpenTable has released a list of the 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in Canada for 2023, based on more than one million reviews by OpenTable diners.
The two Ottawa restaurants on the list are Cantina Gia and Riviera.
OpenTable recommends booking a reservation for Valentine's Day at least one week before, and dining at off-peak hours may increase your chances of securing a table at popular restaurants.
Ottawa restaurants Riviera (left) and Cantina Gia are on the list of the 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in Canada for 2023. (Riviera and Cantina Gia/Instagram)
U.S President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have announced updates on a number of cross-border issues, after a day of meetings on Parliament Hill.
Sky-gazers and shutterbugs across much of Canada were treated to a spectacular display of northern lights Thursday night and into Friday morning.
A new survey conducted by Research Co. found that the majority of Canadians support tying speeding tickets to income, otherwise known as ‘progressive punishment.’
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's teenage daughter and son, Ella-Grace and Xavier, 'no longer access TikTok,' the father of three told reporters during a joint press conference with U.S. President Joe Biden in Ottawa on March 24.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
After a day of meetings on Parliament Hill, U.S President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced updates on various cross-border issues. CTVNews.ca breaks down Biden's first presidential visit to Canada, as it happened.
Global travel site Big 7 Travel ranked the most remote and beautiful places in the world, and only one Canadians location—Ivvavik national park—is among them.
Notable people will be in attendance at Friday’s gala dinner with U.S. President Joe Biden, hosted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum, including former prime ministers and celebrities.
The first lady of the United States got a sweeping introduction to Canadian sports culture in Ottawa Friday as Sophie Gregoire Trudeau took Jill Biden to the curling rink for her first trip to Ottawa.
Two students are being recognized for their quick actions, and school administration and parents are thanking the community, after a difficult week at Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, N.S.
Police say a woman is in hospital following a shooting in west Saint John, N.B., early Friday morning and three suspects have been arrested.
As competition for health-care workers heats up, so too does the bidding.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
Ontario's so-called sunshine list is out and the three top paid public employees in the province are all at Ontario Power Generation.
An astrophotographer from southern Ontario captured Thursday night's display of the Aurora Borealis and has offered some tips and tricks for catching a glimpse of them yourself tonight.
A man in his 30s was sent to hospital in life-threatening condition after being shot in Pierrefonds-Roxboro Friday evening, paramedics say.
Short-term rental company Airbnb says it will pull listings that don't have a proper permit from the Quebec government. The San Francisco-based company made the announcement eight days after a fatal fire destroyed an Old Montreal building that housed illegal rentals.
Quebec Premier François Legault said he was 'happy' that Roxham Road will be 'closed' at midnight Friday as part of the agreement announced between Canada and the United States on asylum seekers.
Ontario's so-called sunshine list is out and the three top paid public employees in the province are all at Ontario Power Generation.
CTV News has learned an Ontario Provincial Police sergeant with 22 years of service has been charged in Sudbury with criminal harassment.
Merrilee Fullerton, a longtime cabinet minister in Doug Ford's government, unexpectedly resigned Friday, forcing the premier to name a new minister to the children, community and social services post.
A new safety assessment of the Hamilton Road and Highbury Avenue intersection makes several recommendations to address the high number of collisions.
A London man was arrested early Friday morning after being spotted throwing a cinder block through the front door of a restaurant, according to police.
An elderly Byron man said he received numerous offers of help to clear away rotting barn rubble from his property, after a London, Ont. city council committee endorsed a recommendation to grant a demolition permit.
There are mixed feelings in Manitoba about a proposed plan to expand liquor sales and put beer, wine and hard alcohol on the shelves of retailers like grocery stores.
A town in Manitoba's Interlake area is trying to find new homes for stray cats that were dumped in the community.
A Manitoba First Nation is enacting measures to combat an ongoing drug and addiction crisis while also calling on the federal and provincial governments to do more to address drug-related deaths within northern remote Indigenous communities.
Organizers of the ‘Catch the Ace’ lottery in Hagersville are warning the public about fake tickets as the jackpot climbs closer to $2 million.
Southern Ontario got a show-stopping look at the northern lights Thursday and there may be a repeat performance this weekend.
A Kitchener man has been arrested by Waterloo regional police for making alleged death threats towards Region of Waterloo Chair Karen Redman.
Tank Standing Buffalo's MONSTR was one of eight animated shorts chosen from more than 1,200 submissions to be part of the HBO Max series Only You: An Animated Shorts Collection.
One person is missing and a dog is dead after two homes caught fire Friday afternoon in northwest Calgary.
Calgary police have released photos of a man and vehicle believed to be involved in a case of road rage last month that left the victim with substantial injuries.
An elder from a Saskatchewan First Nation says his home was raided last fall by conservation officers who confiscated moose meat intended for use in a ceremonial gathering and feast.
A Warman man is organizing opposition to a cell tower SaskTel is proposing to replace on the western edge of the city.
The SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival has announced its 2023 ticketed lineup.
Players with the Edmonton Oilers say they are committed to celebrating Pride on Saturday night when they take on the Vegas Golden Knights at Rogers Place.
The procession is scheduled to leave the Alberta Legislature grounds toward Rogers Place at approximately 11:45 a.m.
Members of Edmonton's River Valley Conservation Coalition board say a freedom of information request shows the city plans to remove trees in Hawrelak Park to make room for infrastructure during the controversial three-year rehabilitation project at the park.
On the streets of Chilliwack, there are more homeless people than ever before, and some of them are barely teenagers.
Over 11,000 people have signed a petition demanding the Canadian government ban octopus farms from opening in the country.
Samuel Troya saw the northern lights over Vancouver once before, about a year and a half ago, but it was nothing like the spectacle he witnessed Friday morning.
Saskatchewan’s 2023-24 budget highlighted healthcare as one of its main priorities, with Emergency Medical Services getting a small cut of the new funding.
An elder from a Saskatchewan First Nation says his home was raided last fall by conservation officers who confiscated moose meat intended for use in a ceremonial gathering and feast.
Saskatchewan is likely taking a cautious approach when it comes to the surplus announced in the 2023-24 provincial budget, according to an associate professor of economics at the University of Regina.
