Nearly 100 vehicles towed from downtown vehicle control zone since Wednesday: Bylaw
Ottawa Bylaw says its officers have handed out more than 300 parking tickets and towed almost 100 vehicles from the vehicle control zone in downtown Ottawa since it came into effect Wednesday.
Ottawa police say residents and visitors will continue to see an enhanced police presence in downtown Ottawa today, as the cleanup begins from Canada's 155th birthday party.
Tens of thousands of people packed the parliamentary precinct, LeBreton Flats, the ByWard Market and other areas of Ottawa on Canada Day, while anti-government protesters held a march through the Centretown neighbourhood.
"Given what we know and what we are faced with, we have taken an enhanced and extended posture that starts well before the 1st of July and extends well past to ensure we properly protect our city," interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell said earlier this week.
Officers from Ottawa police, the OPP, RCMP and other municipal police forces will be stationed across the downtown area to monitor for any protests and to keep residents and visitors safe.
A motor vehicle control zone remains in effect this weekend in an area stretching from Sussex Drive/Colonel By Drive in the east to Booth Street in the west and Wellington Street in the north to Laurier Avenue in the south, along with the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway between Wellington Street and Parkdale Avenue.
A look at the Motor Vehicle Control Zone in downtown Ottawa for Canada Day. (City of Ottawa/release)
The roads are not closed, but any motor vehicles taking part in any demonstration, event, protest or rally will not be permitted.
There is no on-street parking or stopping on the roads in the control zone, and any motorists failing to follow the rules may be ticketed and towed.
Between 8 a.m. on Wednesday and 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Ottawa Bylaw said 327 parking tickets had been issued and 91 vehicles had been towed. Ottawa Bylaw also issued three tickets for unauthorized fireworks on Canada Day.
"We have developed options for multiple scenarios," Bell said about policing the capital over Canada Day.
PARAMEDIC CALLS 'WELL BELOW NORMAL'
Ottawa paramedics say they responded to a lower than normal number of calls on Canada Day compared to typical in-person celebrations.
A spokesperson tells CTV News Ottawa that paramedics responded to 31 calls across all Canada Day sites on Friday, but only transported five people to hospital. None of the issues was considered serious.
CONFEDERATION LINE
It was the first Canada Day with in-person events for Ottawa's Confederation Line since its launch in 2019, and officials say the system handled the crowds.
"OC Transpo was successfully able to move tens of thousands of residents and visitors across the city," Director of Transit Service Delivery and Rail Operators Troy Charter said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.
"Fifteen O-Train Line 1 trains ran during peak volumes to accommodate customers and move people efficiently through the system."
OC Transpo closed the Pimisi Station for a short period on Friday to assist with crowd management, Charter said.
OC Transpo issued a couple of messages on Twitter Friday asking riders not to hold open the door.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.