Pfizer and Moderna offered Ottawa vaccination clinics, Step 2 starting two days early and north side sucks: Top five stories this week

The stairs between Sussex Drive and Mackenzie Avenue in Ottawa on Thursday, June 3, 2021.

OTTAWA -

The city of Ottawa is offering both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines at city clinics, Ottawa set to enter Step 2 a few days early and the north side sucks.

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

Pfizer vaccines again available at Ottawa community clinics

The Pfizer vaccine was once again available at Ottawa's 11 community clinics at the end of the week after the weekly shipment was delayed.

On Sunday, the city of Ottawa announced only Moderna COVID-19 vaccines would be available for adults 18 and older due to the delayed shipment of Pfizer doses. The Ontario government said last weekend there was a two to three day delay with the shipment.

By Wednesday, the weekly shipment of 53,820 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Ottawa, and both Pfizer and Moderna doses were available.

"While we are currently offering both Pfizer and Moderna at our community clinics, given fluctuations in our vaccine supply, we cannot guarantee a particular vaccine type for adults 18 years and older," said Anthony Di Monte, Ottawa's general manager of emergency and protective services. "Ottawa Public Health continues to work with health and community partners as well as residents to increase vaccine confidence. Interchanging vaccines is safe and effective."

Ottawa sets another vaccination record as active COVID-19 cases drop

Ottawa set daily records for getting COVID-19 vaccines into arms three days this week, including 19,736 doses of vaccine on Thursday.

The city of Ottawa ramped up the vaccination campaign this week, as more Moderna doses arrived in Ottawa from the federal and Ontario governments.

Ottawa administered 17,654 doses on Monday, and 18,091 vaccines on Tuesday.

As of Friday, 78 per cent of Ottawa residents 18 and older had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 26 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated.

The Ottawa COVID-19 vaccine community clinic at the Nepean Sportsplex. (CTV News Ottawa)

Haircuts, small indoor gatherings allowed in Ottawa starting June 30 as Ontario moves to Step 2

Ottawa will take the next step in Ontario's Roadmap to Reopen plan on June 30, allowing personal care services and businesses in shopping malls to open.

Citing the province’s vaccination rate and a steady decline in COVID-19 case numbers, Ontario will move to Step 2 of reopening a few days ahead of schedule on June 30.

Under Step 2, gathering limits expand to five people indoors and 25 people outdoors.

Ottawa and Ontario were originally scheduled to enter Step 2 on July 2, 21 days after entering Step 1 on June 11. Step 1 allowed non-essential businesses to reopen, bar and restaurant patios to host four people per table and outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people.

Serial cat killer in Ottawa’s west end is a coyote, police say

A coyote is now believed to be responsible for the deaths of several cats in Ottawa’s west end this month.

Ottawa police launched an investigation after seven cats were found deceased, sparking fears of a serial cat killer in the area.

On Thursday, police say a necropsy was conducted on one of the deceased cats at the University of Guelph Animal Health Laboratory in Kemptville.

"(It) determined that the cause of death was a predatory attack, most likely by a coyote," said police.

"The analysis also pointed to similar findings with respect to the other cats."

The Ottawa Humane Society had offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest after Ottawa police reported several cats were found dead in the west end.

A poster in a west Ottawa neighbourhood warning of a potential serial cat killer. At least seven cats have been found dead in the area, and it is believed they were killed intentionally. (Katie Griffin / CTV News Ottawa)

Lansdowne north side stands and arena should be demolished, city staff say

The north side sucks so bad it needs to be torn down at TD Place.

A report for the Finance and Economic Development Committee says the arena and north side stands should be demolished and replaced for Lansdowne Park to succeed.

The facilities are “approaching functional obsolescence” and should be replaced with a smaller arena, housing and commercial and retail space as part of revitalizing the site, which has sometimes struggled to attract foot traffic on non-game days.

The city and Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group run Lansdowne as partners. That partnership ended the 2019-20 fiscal year with an $11-million loss, mostly due to the pandemic.

n this photo taken using a drone, TD Place is seen in Ottawa Wednesday June 2, 2021 in Ottawa. Located at Lansdowne Park, TD Place is the home of the Ottawa REDBLACKS CFL team. (Adrian Wyld/THE CANADIAN PRESS)