200 unvaccinated hospital employees suspended and a bison gets head stuck in car window: Top five stories in Ottawa

OTTAWA -

Ottawa hospitals suspend unvaccinated employees, the mayor apologizes for cutting off a councillor's microphone and a bison gets its head trapped in a car window at Parc Omega.

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

Ottawa hospitals suspend unvaccinated employees for violating COVID-19 policy

Two-hundred unvaccinated employees at three Ottawa hospitals have been suspended for violating COVID-19 vaccination policies.

CHEO, the Queensway Carleton Hospital and Bruyere Continuing Care gave employees until Oct. 15 to get two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and be fully vaccinated to help limit the spread of the virus.

On Friday, CHEO announced 47 employees were placed on unpaid leave, and could be fired in two weeks. A total of 99.3 per cent of full-time personnel and 97.6 per cent of part-time and casual personnel are immunized at CHEO.

At the Queensway Carleton Hospital, 37 employees will be placed on unpaid leave for violating the vaccine mandate.  The hospital in Ottawa's west end announced Friday afternoon that 98 per cent of staff are fully vaccinated and complying with the new policy for staff.

Bruyere Continuing Care has suspended 119 employees who are unvaccinated.  As of Friday, 91 per cent of the 2,298 employees at Bruyère are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while an additional three per cent of employees are "on track" to being fully vaccinated in the coming days.

Two dead in tractor trailer crash on Highway 401 in Kingston, Ont.

Highway 401 was closed in Kingston for 24 hours after a multi-vehicle fatal crash on Wednesday.

Two people were killed in the crash on Hwy. 401 near Gardiners Road, involving four transport trucks.

Ontario Provincial Police said the initial investigation found an eastbound tractor trailer crossed the median and collided with trucks in the westbound lanes.

Several tractor trailers collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 401 near Gardiners Road in Kingston, Ont. Oct. 13, 2021. Two drivers were killed. (Submitted)

Mayor apologizes for cutting off coun. Deans microphone during LRT debate

Mayor Jim Watson apologized for cutting off Coun. Diane Deans’ microphone during a heated debate at Wednesday's council meeting on how to investigate the issues with the light rail transit system.

"I apologized to the councillor and I made it known it was my call (to cut the mic), it was my mistake and I take responsibility," said Watson on Newstalk 580 CFRA.

The incident came after Coun. Glen Gower moved a replacement motion to Coun. Catherine McKenney's motion to call a judicial inquiry into the LRT contract.

Deans attempted to ask the city clerk to clarify whether Gower's motion was a "reasonable replacement" to McKenney's motion, but Watson said he had ruled it was a replacement motion.

"Why do we have a clerk?" asked McKenney.

"The question was asked to the city clerk prior to the mayor intervening," said Deans. "I have every right as a member of this council to ask the city clerk to pronounce on this issue. Is it a reasonable substitution or …"

Then Deans’ microphone was cut off.

On Thursday afternoon, Deans thanked Watson for the apology, but asked that he allow council to debate McKenney's motion for a public inquiry at the next council meeting.

After five hours of debate, Council voted in favour of Gower's motion to ask the city's auditor general to investigate the LRT contract and the city's process for launching the system.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson apologized for cutting off Coun. Diane Deans microphone during Wednesday's council meeting. (Photo courtesy: YouTube/Ottawa City Council)

'I was shocked:' Video shows bison with its head trapped in car at Quebec wildlife park

A large bison was not hurt after it got its head stuck in a small car during a frightening incident at Parc Omega, near Montebello, Que., last weekend.

Video showed the bison – weighing more than 450 kilograms - with its head stuck through an open window of the car.

“Somebody opened the window and … the bison put the head inside the car and I was shocked,” said Leonardo Heizer, who was at the park and captured the now viral video.

Staff at Parc Omega, east of Gatineau, said the bison was able to free itself from the vehicle in about 10 minutes without harming itself or the people in the car.

“He wasn’t trapped that long so thankfully it was just more panic rather than anything else, so he wasn’t hurt and he managed to get himself back out and he wasn’t hurt so we’re very thankful for that,” Lucy Robertson, a staff member at Parc Oméga said.

The park expressly forbids people from opening their windows in the bison enclosure, or feeding the animals.

Staff say a bison caught on camera stuck inside a car at Parc Omega was unharmed and was able to free itself from the car. (Colton Praill / CTV News Ottawa)

Orleans resident wins $1 million prize in Lotto 6/49 draw

Meet Ottawa's newest millionaire.

Rickey MacDonald of Orleans won the Guaranteed $1 million prize in the Aug. 25 Lotto 6/49 draw.

The 72-year-old was watching television when he checked his lottery tickets using the OLG App.

“The last ticket I scanned said 'Big Winner' and I thought I won $1,000," MacDonald said while picking up his prize at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto.

MacDonald says he will complete some home renovations, buy a new vehicle and do some travelling with his wife.

Rickey MacDonald of Orleans won the Guaranteed $1 million prize in the Aug. 25, Lotto 6/49 draw.