Homeowners lose thousands to absent contractor and speeding driver blames the car: Top five stories this week

Ontario Provincial Police said a driver was stopped on Saturday in Prince Edward County going 200 km/h in an 80 km/h zone. (Ontario Provincial Police/Twitter)

Ottawa homeowners lose thousands to an absent contractor and a driver blames the car for travelling 120 km/h over the speed limit.

CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at the top five stories on our website this week.

Ottawa homeowners lose thousands to absent contractor

A number of Ottawa homeowners want swift action after they allege a man they hired to perform major heating and cooling work took their money months ago without completing or – in some cases – even starting the jobs.

"He did half the job, left in the middle of it, installed a hot water heater that was not to code and stopped working after a couple of days," Dan Cockerham said. 

Cockerham hired Mahmoud El Sharafah and his company Comfort Level One Heating and Cooling earlier this year. He says after months of excuses, he's going through small claims court to try to get money back. 

This week, Cockerham met up with strangers he met online who had similar experiences at the Ottawa police station. They had filed reports but wanted to go in person to try to speed up the response.  

Ottawa police won't comment on this specific case, but say they investigate complaints as they come in. 

Strangers who hired the same man for work they say wasn't completed met for the first time this week at the Ottawa Police station. (Katie Griffin/CTV Ottawa)

Ottawa mayor wouldn't speak to Parliament security service during convoy: official

The acting director of the Parliamentary Protective Service says Mayor Jim Watson's office would not return a call during the height of the "Freedom Convoy" last winter.

Larry Brookson told Members of Parliament and Senators that he attempted to reach out to Watson and City Manager Steve Kanellakos during the protests that occupied streets around the Parliamentary Precinct for three weeks.

But he said he received responses from both of their offices that they weren't available to talk.

Brookson added that the mayor's office did not communicate with the protective service, which is responsible for security on Parliament Hill, about a failed deal between the city and convoy organizers to bring the protest to a negotiated end during its height.

Both Watson's office and Kanellakos told CTV News Ottawa they were going to appear before the committee this fall.

Mayoral candidate proposes $9-an-hour parking in downtown Ottawa

Parking rates, more transparency at city hall, making Ottawa a "music city" and economic development plans highlighted the week in the race for Ottawa mayor.

Candidates Catherine McKenney, Mark Sutcliffe, Bob Chiarelli, Mike Maguire and others released new parts of their platform during the week. 

McKenney promised to bring more transparency to Ottawa City Hall and "end the influence of money" in city politics, and outlined an economic platform that included extending small business tax credits and attracting a major employer to Ottawa. Sutcliffe outlined a plan to make Ottawa a "music city", including reviewing bylaws to help support musicians and create a music office.

The issue of parking rates came up during the eco-debate on Wednesday, as candidates were asked about a possible congestion charge to reduce vehicle traffic into the downtown core.

Candidate Brandon Bay said if elected mayor, he would increase parking fees to "discourage driving and to use that money to help maintain roads better and pay for transit."

"With the numbers I've worked out, if we increase parking rates from an average of $3.12 an hour to about $9 an hour, and include some in-station retail and vending machines, we can cover about 75 per cent of all transit fares and get rides down to about $1 a piece."

McKenney told the debate that, "the best way to provide congestion charging, I believe, is to increase parking rates in your downtown."

In a statement on Twitter Friday afternoon, McKenney said their transportation plan for the 2022 election campaign "does not include an increase in parking fees."

On Tuesday, Sutcliffe issued a call for civility on the campaign trail, saying community members and elected officials who have been attacking him are contributing to a "toxic environment" at city hall.

Human remains found at Vanier apartment building

Ottawa police are investigating the discovery of human remains at an apartment building in Vanier.

Construction workers at a three-storey building on Deschamps Avenue discovered the remains at the site on Wednesday.

"Digging at the location uncovered what are believed to be human remains," police said in a statement.

Police said on Thursday the Homicide Unit has taken over the investigation, including forensic identification processes.

Ottawa police remained at a Vanier apartment building on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022 after construction workers discovered apparent human remains. (Jeremie Charron/CTV News Ottawa)

'Car is too fast': Driver blames vehicle for going 200 km/h

A driver facing a stunt driving charge told officers it was the car's fault, according to police.

An Ontario Provincial Police officer stopped a driver on Loyalist Parkway in Prince Edward County on Sept. 24 allegedly going 200 km/h.

The speed limit is 80 km/h.

"Their excuse? The car is too fast," OPP said of the 41-year-old from Brighton who was stopped.

The driver is facing a charge of stunt driving, which includes an automatic 14-day vehicle impoundment and the driver's license suspended for 30 days.

With files from The Canadian Press