Reinforcements arrive at CHEO and CUPE releases contract vote results: Five stories to watch this week
A small team of staff from the Canadian Red Cross begin work this week at CHEO, the union representing education workers release the results of the contract ratification vote and all eyes on respiratory viruses as the countdown begins to Christmas.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at five stories to watch in Ottawa this week.
HELP ARRIVES AT CHEO
A small team of staff from the Canadian Red Cross will arrive at Ottawa's children's hospital this week to assist nurses and staff respond to "unprecedented volumes" of patients during respiratory virus season.
CHEO is partnering with the Red Cross to provide assistance to clinical teams leading up to the holiday season.
"This will allow some of our redeployed staff to go back to their regular roles and ensure Team CHEO can provide the safe, world-class care that our patients deserve," CHEO Chief Nursing Executive Tammy DiGiovanni said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.
CHEO has been seeing a surge in patients with respiratory viruses this fall, forcing the hospital to cancel non-urgent surgeries and procedures, open a second pediatric intensive care unit and redeploy staff from surgical and medical care units. Patients aged 16 and 17 are also being transferred to adult hospitals in Ottawa.
DiGiovanni says CHEO has asked for extra support from organizations across the region, including Roger Neilson House, Ottawa Public Health and local hospitals for staff, equipment and accommodating patient transfers.
EDUCATION WORKERS UNION RELEASE VOTE RESULTS
The union representing 55,000 education workers across Ontario will release the results of its contract ratification vote on Monday morning.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees reached a tentative agreement Nov. 20, averting a strike that would have closed schools in Ottawa and eastern Ontario.
CUPE says the proposed four-year contract includes an average 3.59 per cent wage increase each year.
If CUPE members vote to reject the latest deal, both sides could return to the bargaining table and CUPE could give another strike notice.
CUPE represents education workers at the Ottawa Catholic School Board, and Ottawa's two French language school boards.
Education workers and supporters hold a political protest outside the office of MPP Lisa MacLeod on Greenbank Road. CUPE is protesting the Ontario government's move to impose a four year contract on union members. (Tyler Fleming/CTV News Ottawa)
OTTAWA CITY COUNCIL MEETS
Elected officials will vote on two major reports setting the stage for the new term of council on Wednesday, the final scheduled meeting of the 2022 year at Ottawa City Hall.
The first big item on the agenda is the 2022-2026 Council Governance Review, outlining council and committee structures, policies, procedures and other related issues.
Recommendations include removing citizen transit commissioners from the transit commission, separate the Community and Protective Services Committee into two committees and that the deputy mayors be appointed by rotation instead of two or three deputy mayors for the full term.
The second report will give directions for staff to develop the 2023 city of Ottawa budget. The report recommends drafting the budget with a 2 to 2.5 per cent property tax hike, which was a campaign promise from Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. The report does warn COVID-19 and inflationary pressures could affect the budget, and proposals to address increased costs will be included in the budget.
Each councillor will also have five minutes during Wednesday's meeting to make opening remarks for the session.
RESPIRATORY VIRUS SEASON
All eyes will be on respiratory viruses circulating in Ottawa, three weeks before Christmas.
Ottawa Public Health says overall trends with COVID-19 monitoring indicators are down this week compared to a month ago, but wastewater viral signals show "very high" levels of influenza and "moderate levels" of RSV.
OPH data shows a flu testing positivity rate of 27.5 per cent for the week ending Nov. 26, up from 23.4 per cent for the week ending Nov. 19.
"The levels of respiratory viruses circulating in our community remain high," OPH said on Twitter.
"Remember: the things we learned throughout the pandemic to limit the spread of COVID-19 (like wearing masks & staying home if sick) will also help limit the spread of viruses like RSV & the flu."
Trevor Fowler receives his flu shot from Barrhaven pharmacist Mohammed Manji. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)
SENATORS HOST INDIGENOUS PEOPLES APPRECIATION NIGHT
The Ottawa Senators host their fourth annual Indigenous Peoples Appreciation Night on Tuesday night at Canadian Tire Centre.
The Senators say the night will celebrate and engage the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation, the ancestral unceded land on which Canadian Tire Centre sits.
The event will include a hockey clinic for Indigenous youth from communities around the region, an Indigenous artisans' market on the 200 level concourse, and Black Bear singers.
The Senators host Los Angeles Tuesday night at Canadian Tire Centre.'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)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Ippei Mizuhara, ex-interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani, pleads guilty in sports betting case
The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud Wednesday in a sports betting case where prosecutors allege he stole US$16 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts.
Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61
Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.