Ottawa homeowners dive into the pool and converting a church into a dream home: Top five stories this week

Paul Roberston works out at Crossfit Bytown as patrons return to the gym as Ontario enters phase 3 of reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ottawa on Friday, July 16, 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

OTTAWA -

Ottawa sees zeroes in COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations, restrictions ease as Ontario enters Step 3 and finding a dream home in the pews of the Maxville United Church.

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

Ottawa sees zero new COVID-19 cases for first time in more than a year

Ottawa Public Health reported zero new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Monday, the first time zero new cases were reported since July 7, 2020.

It was one of four days this week that the health unit didn't add any new cases of COVID-19 to the total.

Also this week, Ottawa Public Health reported zero patients in Ottawa's hospitals with COVID-19 for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

As of Saturday, there were 27,734 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 593 deaths. There were 23 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa.

 

COVID-19 Cases in Ottawa
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What you need to know about Step 3 in Ottawa

Indoor dining rooms, fitness centres and museums opened in Ottawa on Friday for the first time in three months as Ontario entered Step 3 of the Roadmap to Reopen plan.

The Ontario government moved the province into the final step of the economic reopening plan at 12:01 a.m. Friday, easing restrictions on retail, indoor dining, personal fitness and other venues.

Social gatherings of up to 25 people indoors and 100 people outdoors are now permitted. Indoor dining rooms at restaurants can open with capacity limited to the number of people that can maintain two metres physical distancing.

Gyms and fitness centres can reopen with 50 per cent capacity indoors.

"We’re so thrilled to be able to open our doors. In Ottawa, it’s been 100 days since we’ve been able to open, some locations it’s been 300 (days)," said Abby Johnson, group experience divisional manager with GoodLife Fitness.

Lili Johanis works out as coach and owner Everett Sloan of Crossfit Bytown looks on as patrons return to the gym with Ontario enters phase 3 of reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ottawa on Friday, July 16, 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick /THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Mont Cascades water park reopens with added security after reported gun threat

Mont Cascades in Cantley, Que. was evacuated on Wednesday after a reported gun threat.

The MRC des Collines police said a man reportedly pointed what appeared to be a long gun or an imitation gun at an employee at the park.  Two men were later seen at the top of a hill near the slopes, pointing the item at a female employee.

Police say they deployed a large number of officers to search the property.

The investigation continued on Thursday.

Mont Cascades reopened on Thursday with additional security in place.

MRC des Collines police evacuated the water park at Mont Cascades in Cantley, Que. because of a reported gun threat on Wednesday, July 14, 2021.

Ottawa had more backyard pools installed in 2020 than anywhere else in Ontario

Many Ottawa residents took the plunge during the COVID-19 pandemic and purchased a pool.

New statistics show Ottawa had more backyard pools installed in 2020 than any other municipality in Ontario.

The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation says there were 936 permits for backyard pools in Ottawa in 2020.

"In Ottawa for example when it comes to swimming pool permits, for the last three years, 2017, 18, 19, we were around the 500 range for new permits for pools. Then we saw that increase in 2020," says Carmelo Lipsi, COO of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.

Workers install a backyard pool in this undated file image.

Heavenly house: Ottawa woman buys church to turn into dream home

An Ottawa woman plans to turn an old church into her dream home.

Morgan Rukiewicz purchased the Maxville United Church for $350,000, which was built in 1926.

Sitting at 2,500 square feet, with 50-foot ceilings in the sanctuary, renovating the building will be no easy task.

But on a tour with CTV News Ottawa, Rukiewicz said she’s up for it.

“I grew up in a family that does a lot of renovations, so I have doing them my whole life,” she says. “Something like this doesn’t scare me.”

The choir area and pipe organ will become the master bedroom. The outside of the building will also get a new look with a fresh coat of paint and a new front door.

Morgan Rukiewicz bought Maxville United Church, and has big plans to renovate it into a home. (Leah Larocque/CTV News Ottawa)