Post-Panda Game party in Sandy Hill and a fire destroys 12 townhouses in Kanata: Top five stories in Ottawa this week

OTTAWA -

The fallout from the Panda-monium in Sandy Hill, a massive fire at a Kanata development destroys 12 townhouses and Ellie the dog is home for Thanksgiving.

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

Panda-monium: Vehicle damaged, streets covered in garbage following celebrations in Ottawa's Sandy Hill neighbourhood

Post-Panda Game celebrations in Ottawa's Sandy Hill neighbourhood ended with partygoers taking over a street, flipping a vehicle, a trail of garbage and damage to the reputation of the university.

Mayor Jim Watson said he was "absolutely disgusted" by the incidents in Sandy Hill following the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees win over Carleton University in the annual Panda Game at TD Place on Oct. 2.

Ottawa police said 2,000 people descended on Russell Avenue hours after the game, a car was overturned and one person was assaulted. Seven people were transported to hospital.

"My understanding is there was no serious activity taking place at 9, police started to move out some of their reinforcements, and unfortunately that's when social media lit up and people said come to Russell Avenue and obviously thousands showed up," said Watson.

Coun. Mathieu Fleury, who represents the Sandy Hill area, said police made a mistake when they closed Russell Avenue as people began to gather.

"From my perspective, that started a problem which enabled sidewalk and street to be taken over by more than 2,000 students," he told CTV News. "Then obviously hooligans took over."

On Monday, police released images of people they wanted to speak with who attended the street party.

Late Thursday, police announced two Ottawa men and a man from Halliburton, Ont. had been charged with mischief, and released new images of people they wanted to speak with.

On Friday, the University of Ottawa Students' Union apologized for the damage caused in Sandy Hill, and promised to work with the community, the university and municipal leaders to find solutions for future Panda Game events.

Hundreds of people attended a street party in the area of Russell Avenue and Templeton Street Saturday night following the Panda Game. (Aaron Reid/CTV News Ottawa)

Fire destroys 12 townhouse units at housing development in Ottawa's west end

Twelve townhouse units under construction in Kanata were destroyed by a massive fire this week.

Damage is estimated at $6 million after the fire in the Connections in Kanata development by Mattamy Homes Wednesday evening, near the Canadian Tire Centre.

Ottawa fire received multiple 911 calls at 6:07 p.m. reporting a fire in homes under construction on Culdaff Road, near Palladium Drive. Smoke from the fire could be seen in Westboro and Barrhaven.

The units were uninhabited at the time of the fire, and windows and doors had not been installed.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Firefighters battle a fire in a home under construction off Palladium Drive. (Annette Goerner/CTV News Ottawa)

More than $1 million in cannabis products seized in Kanata, Carleton Place

More than $1 million worth of illegal cannabis products were seized from a home in Kanata and a building in Carleton Place.

Four Ottawa residents are facing drug charges in connection to the seizures.

Ontario Provincial Police said this week that searches of an industrial plant on Emily Street in Carleton Place and a home on Huntsman Crescent in Kanata uncovered more than 700 cannabis plants and 88 kilograms of processed cannabis, OPP said Monday.

Ontario Provincial Police seized more than $1 million in illegal cannabis products from an industrial building in Carleton Place and a home in Kanata. (OPP)

Here's where 15 new speed cameras will be installed in Ottawa

A city of Ottawa committee gave the green light to installing photo radar cameras in 15 new school zones over the next 15 months.

The Transportation Committee approved a staff recommendation to expand the automated speed enforcement program to 15 new locations by the end of 2022.

"The 15 areas were ranked based on feedback from schools, based on traffic studies," said Coun. Tim Tierney, chair of the transportation committee. "We just don't plop them willy-nilly. There's a lot of science behind it."

If full council votes in favour of the plan, the 15 new cameras will be installed at the following locations:

• Tenth Line Road from Amiens Street to Des Epinettes Avenue (near Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School)
• Bearbrook Road from Centrepark Drive to Innes Road (near Good Shepherd Catholic School and Emily Carr Middle School)
• Greenbank Road from Jockvale Road to Half Moon Bay (near St. Joseph High School)
• Kanata Avenue from Goulbourn Forced Road to Walden Drive (near All Saints High School)
• Abbott Street East from Moss Hill Trail to Shea Road (near Sacred Heart High School)
• Stittsville Main Street from Bandelier Way to Hazeldean Road (near St. Stephen School)
• Woodroffe Avenue from Georgina Drive to Highway 417 (near D. Roy Kennedy Public School)
• Greenbank Road from Harrison Street to Banner Road (near Sir Robert Borden High School)
• St. Laurent Boulevard from Noranda Avenue to Clarke Avenue (near Queen Elizabeth Public School)
• Fisher Avenue from Deer Park Road to Kintyre Private (near St. Pius X elementary school and high school)
• Alta Vista Drive from Ayers Avenue to Ridgemont Avenue (near Charles H. Hulse Public School and Ridgemont High School)
• Crestway Drive from Oldfield Street to Hathaway Drive (near St. Andrew School)
• Chapman Mills Drive from Beatrice Drive to Meadgate Gate (near St. Emily school, Jean-Robert Gauthier Elementary School and Chapman Mills Public School)
• Abbeyhill Drive from Aldburn Place to Sherwood Street (near A.Y. Jackson Secondary School)
• Bridgestone Drive from Sunnybrooke Drive to Granite Court (near Maurice-Lapointe Public Elementary School)

Ottawa woman reunited with her dog one week after Ellie was dognapped in a parking lot

An Ottawa woman has been reunited with her dog, one week after it was dognapped from a parked car in Westboro.

Charlotte Hannington posted a photo of her with Ellie Sunday afternoon, saying her dog is now "safe and sound."

"Really hungry but won't be for long," said Hannington about how Ellie was doing.

The 14-year-old toy Manchester Terrier was stolen from Hannington's car while she made a quick trip inside the Real Canadian Superstore on Richmond Road on Sunday, Sept. 26.

Charlotte Hannington says her dog Ellie was stolen from her car on Sunday at the Real Canadian Superstore on Richmond Road. (Photo courtesy: PETA)