NHL commissioner visits Ottawa and alcohol tax set to increase: Five stories to watch this week
NHL commissioner visits Ottawa and alcohol tax set to increase: Five stories to watch this week
The Canadian Tire Centre will remain the home of the Ottawa Senators as the club takes the next step in building a new arena at LeBreton Flats. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman visits Ottawa as the Senators sale heats up, the federal government delivers its latest budget, and the cost of your favourite alcoholic drink is going up on Saturday.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at five stories to watch this week.
NHL Commissioner visits Ottawa
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly will be in Ottawa on Monday, as the sale process for the Ottawa Senators continues.
Bettman will meet with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and attend the Senators game against the Florida Panthers Monday night at Canadian Tire Centre.
"I'm looking forward to meeting with Commissioner Bettman and I'm glad to have the opportunity to speak with him on Monday," Sutcliffe said. "I think the prospective owners are just as interested in Ottawa as they are in the Senators, which I'm excited about."
"The city's got a role to play in this. It may not be a financial role, but there are lots of other ways that the city can contribute to the process. I'm ready to have those conversations, but it's very early."
Postmedia reported Bettman will also meet with National Capital Commission CEO Tobi Nussbaum and other officials to discuss plans for a possible arena at LeBreton Flats.
The visit comes as the sale of the Ottawa Senators moves into the second phase, with the winnowing down of the number of interested parties.
Sports business news publication Sportico reported earlier this month that nine different groups submitted bids to buy the franchise, with some valuing the team north of $900 million U.S.
Gary Bettman takes questions from reporter at the NHL general managers' meeting on Wednesday, Mar. 15, 2023. (TSN)
Federal budget day
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is promising "targeted inflation relief" to help make life more affordable in this week's federal budget.
Freeland and the Federal Liberal government will table the 2023-24 fiscal year budget on Tuesday on Parliament Hill.
A federal source told the Canadian Press last week that the budget will detail how the Liberals plan to go after hidden and unexpected consumer fees, like those that are tacked on to the initial price of a product or service.
The NDP has called on the government to extend the temporary boost to the GST rebate that was offered in the fall, and to provide funding for school lunches.
Ottawa public school board faces $20 million deficit
The Ottawa Carleton District School Board will take the first step in finalizing its 2023-24 budget on Monday night, with the approval of the staffing plan.
Staff are recommending the board eliminate 21 discretionary staffing positions for the 2023-24 school year, helping to save $2.3 million.
The recommended cuts include 8 instructional coaches in elementary schools, 6 instructional coaches in secondary schools, two elementary special education learning support consultants, 3.57 FTE positions for primary special needs classes and 5.83 FTE positions for learning support teachers in secondary special education.
The proposed budget for academic staffing in elementary and secondary schools is $528 million next school year, which provides for 4,938.67 full-time equivalent positions. Staff say there will be 151 new FTE positions in elementary schools and 39 more FTE positions in secondary schools for 2023-24 than the 2022-23 school year.
An advisory council is discussing stopping the playing of the national anthem at OCDSB schools (Colton Praill/CTV News Ottawa)
Stage 2 LRT update
Ottawa's new light rail sub-committee will receive an update on construction on Stage 2 of Ottawa's light rail transit project this week.
Stage 2 would see the Confederation Line extended to Tenth Line Road in the east and Algonquin College and Moodie Drive in the west, while the north-sound Trillium Line will run from Bayview Station to Riverside South, with a spur to the Ottawa International Airport.
A memo to council earlier this month said the north-south line is expected to be completed by August/September, contingent on: competition of trackwork, successfully completing signal testing and system-wide commissioning, regulatory approvals and training completion.
The eastern extension of the Confederation Line is running nine weeks behind schedule, with completion expected in January 2025.
Nearing the end of the line at Cyrville station. A small utilitarian station with not much happening except trains. (Graham Richardson/CTV Ottawa)
Alcohol costs going up
The cost of your favourite alcoholic drink will go up on April 1.
The federal beverage alcohol duty is set to increase 6.3 per cent. Alcohol excise duties are imposed at the manufacturing level and adjusted annually based on inflation.
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario says the increase in the alcohol duty will result in a 5 to 10 cent increase on a 750 ml bottle or a six-pack of beer, while a bottle of hard alcohol could increase by as much as 70 cents.
The federal carbon tax will also increase on Saturday.
Events happening in Ottawa this week
Monday
Ottawa Police Services Board meeting – 4 p.m.
Ottawa Senators host the Florida Panthers – 7 p.m. at Canadian Tire Centre
Ottawa Carleton District School Board budget meeting – 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Ottawa Community Services Committee meeting – 9:30 a.m.
Ottawa Carleton District School Board meeting - 7 p.m.
Ottawa Catholic School Board meeting – 7 p.m.
Wednesday
Light Rail Sub-Committee meeting – 9:30 a.m.
Thursday
Emergency Preparedness and Protective Services Committee – 9:30 a.m.
Ottawa Senators host the Florida Panthers – 7 p.m. at Canadian Tire Centre
Ottawa 67's vs. Oshawa Generals – Game 1 – 7 p.m. at Slush Puppie Centre in Gatineau
The Royal Bank of Canada is facing issues with online and mobile banking. According to a brief message posted on Twitter, there is an issue with the digital display of transactions.
More than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are heading to Canada in the coming days as the country battles an unprecedented wildfire season that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes so far this year.
The federal government is proclaiming a National Day Against Gun Violence, to be held annually on the first Friday of June. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and representatives of the Toronto Raptors basketball team are set to discuss the plans today at an event in Toronto.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's efforts to assure Canadians that his government is adequately addressing the threat of foreign interference took a hit on Wednesday, when the majority of MPs in the House of Commons voted for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside,' a call Johnston quickly rejected.
Forget your hook, line and sinker. An Israeli foodtech company says it has 3D printed the first ever ready-to-cook fish filet using animal cells cultivated and grown in a laboratory.
Seventeen people – most of whom are young students – were hospitalized after a falling from a height during a field trip at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar. However, many of the children are now being discharged and sent home, according to an update from the hospital.
It's time for residents along the southeastern U.S. coastlines to make sure their storm plans are in place as the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season gets underway on Thursday.
A wildfire that began burning in the Upper Tantallon, N.S., area Sunday and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents is now 50 per cent contained.
More than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are heading to Canada in the coming days as the country battles an unprecedented wildfire season that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes so far this year.
The Royal Bank of Canada is facing issues with online and mobile banking. According to a brief message posted on Twitter, there is an issue with the digital display of transactions.
A forest fire is out of control in Chapais, in the Nord-du-Québec region, with evacuations underway. Meanwhile, the situation is improving in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, where two forest fires are now under control and a third is contained.
Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville is likely to have a bad day on Thursday as several groups are ready to criticize his Bill 23, predicts Quebec Solidaire (QS) MNA Ruba Ghazal.
Doctor shortage is getting the blame for a hospital closure in Blind River on Friday. It's the fifth closure for the North Shore Health Network in roughly two weeks.
More than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are heading to Canada in the coming days as the country battles an unprecedented wildfire season that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes so far this year.
'That '70s Show' star Danny Masterson was led out in handcuffs from a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday and could get 30 years to life in prison after a jury found him guilty on two of three counts of rape at his second trial, in which the Church of Scientology played a central role.
On May 26, OPP used a search warrant to enter a home on Huron Street west for an investigation where police seized fentanyl, methamphetamine, crack cocaine and Adderall.
Seventeen people – most of whom are young students – were hospitalized after a falling from a height during a field trip at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar. However, many of the children are now being discharged and sent home, according to an update from the hospital.
Seven fire trucks, including an aerial truck, were on scene at a fire on Green Valley Drive in Kitchener on Wednesday afternoon after a fire impacted multiple townhomes.
An agency aimed at providing service dogs to those with disabilities and mental disorders is making a plea to the public to help foster 12 puppies for up to a year.
A Medicine Hat, Alta., doctor has been reprimanded by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta for improperly handling a prescription for opioids for one of his patients.
More than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are heading to Canada in the coming days as the country battles an unprecedented wildfire season that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes so far this year.
More than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are heading to Canada in the coming days as the country battles an unprecedented wildfire season that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes so far this year.
Alberta's re-elected premier says she plans to form a "council" of UCP candidates who lost in Monday's election to advise her on Edmonton issues, something her opponent made fun of Wednesday.
A team led by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has found physiological evidence of brain inflammation in people with cognitive and depressive symptoms months after their COVID-19 infections.
In response to a barrage of questions about Surrey’s beleaguered hospital, B.C.’s minister of health told reporters that an Emergency Operations Centre was activated at the site on Wednesday afternoon.
The Royal Bank of Canada is facing issues with online and mobile banking. According to a brief message posted on Twitter, there is an issue with the digital display of transactions.
More than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are heading to Canada in the coming days as the country battles an unprecedented wildfire season that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes so far this year.
The Canadian Tire Centre will remain the home of the Ottawa Senators as the club takes the next step in building a new arena at LeBreton Flats. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)
Gary Bettman takes questions from reporter at the NHL general managers' meeting on Wednesday, Mar. 15, 2023. (TSN)
An advisory council is discussing stopping the playing of the national anthem at OCDSB schools (Colton Praill/CTV News Ottawa)
Nearing the end of the line at Cyrville station. A small utilitarian station with not much happening except trains. (Graham Richardson/CTV Ottawa)
