Third tornado of summer hits Ottawa and a new pedestrian bridge opens: Top 5 stories this week

Ashley Russell's trampoline flies through a neighbour's backyard as a severe storm hit Findlay Creek on Thursday. (Submitted video)

Another tornado touches down in Ottawa's south end, the O-Train remains out of service for a third week and a new pedestrian bridge opens over the Ottawa River.

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

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An EF0 tornado touched down in Findlay Creek on Thursday

Residents in Ottawa's south end are cleaning up after the third tornado of the summer touched down in the national capital.

Western University's Northern Tornadoes Project says an EF0 tornado with maximum winds of 130 km/h ripped through Findlay Creek Thursday evening.

The twister damaged 12 homes in Findlay Creek and Riverside South, while dozens of trees were damaged. Falcon Ridge Golf Club said 40 to 50 trees were damaged on its course during the storm.

The storm sent Ashley Russell's backyard trampoline flying through the neighbourhood.

"Our fence was down, our trampoline was down a block in the neighbour's yard, our neighbour's roof was in our pool," Russell said.

No injuries were reported.

On July 13, two EF1 tornadoes with maximum wind speeds of 155 km/h touched down in Barrhaven, damaging more than 100 homes and properties. The Northern Tornadoes Project said the tornadoes left two paths of damage approximately 1 km and 5 km long.

Environment Canada says a tornado touched down in Findlay Creek on Thursday, damaging homes and properties. (Jim O'Grady/CTV News Ottawa)

2 people killed in crash in Ottawa's east end

Ottawa police say there are indications speed and alcohol are factors in a fiery two-vehicle crash in Ottawa's east end that left two men dead and a woman in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Emergency crews responded to a crash at the intersection of St. Laurent Boulevard and Montreal Road at 12:25 a.m. Wednesday. Ottawa police say one vehicle was travelling northbound on St. Laurent Boulevard and the second vehicle was heading westbound on Montreal Road.

"The car t-toned another car, that car spun out of control over the island and around the light," a witness said.

Social media videos taken shortly after the crash showed one vehicle fully engulfed in flames.  Photos from the scene Wednesday morning showed two badly damaged vehicles at the intersection and a damaged traffic light pole.

Ottawa police say there are indications that speed and alcohol were factors in the crash.

"The investigation is currently ongoing, but the early indication seems to believe that the vehicle travelling northbound (on St. Laurent) did pass through a red light," Insp. Scott Pettis said Wednesday.

Emergency crews at the scene of a fiery crash at the intersection of St. Laurent Boulevard and Montreal Road on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023. Two adults were pronounced dead at the scene and one woman was sent to hospital in critical condition. (Adam Zuccala/CTV Morning Live Ottawa)

Mayor Sutcliffe meets with Alstom officials as O-Train shutdown continues into a third weekend

Ottawa's light-rail transit system remained out of service for a third week, as repair work continues on the restraining rails and replacing the wheel hub assemblies on all vehicles.

Transit Services general manager Renee Amilcar said this week that O-Train service will resume on Aug. 14, and she is confident full service will be back for the return-to-school and work in September.

On Thursday, Rideau Transit Group began work to move the restraining rails at eight locations 1 to 2 millimetres, the final step to meet the requirements of the Safety Note to resume service.

Restraining rails are added to parts of rail lines, usually curves, to prevent derailments. When a train in motion goes around a curve, the rail is there as a passive safety measure to keep wheels in place; however, the wheels are not meant to be coming into contact with the rail every time the train takes the curve, which is what was happening during testing in recent weeks. This adds more wear and tear to the train.

The LRT has been offline since July 17, when OC Transpo made the abrupt decision to stop all train service in the middle of the afternoon after a routine inspection discovered an issue with one of the wheel hub assemblies on one of the trains.

On Friday, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe met virtually with officials from Alstom to discuss the issues with the LRT system.

"During that meeting, I was clear about the expectations of Ottawa residents that we not only get the trains running safely, as soon as possible, but that we also fix the root causes," Sutcliffe told reporters.

"Alstom is committed to delivering the consistently safe, reliable system that Ottawa residents expect, that they deserve and that they have paid for."

An Ottawa Light Rail Transit (LRT) train pulls into uOttawa Station in Ottawa, Ont. on Sunday, July 24, 2022. (Spencer Colby/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Walmart tests 'full service' self-checkout plan at Ottawa location

Walmart Canada says self-checkouts continue to be offered in stores across Canada, including at an Ottawa location where they were advising of a test of a 'full-serve' experience.

The Walmart Supercentre at Billings Bridge started the test at its self-checkouts last Saturday. The area was blocked off when CTV News Ottawa visited on Monday, with signs explaining it is a test of a 'full-serve experience.'

"During this test, our associates will be available to scan all items, including those being processed in the area known as our self-checkout," the note says. "We look forward to interacting with you on a more one-one-one basis."

A Walmart Canada spokesperson says additional staff were added to the self-checkout area at Billings Bridge last weekend to help customers.

"In our Billings Bridge store in Ottawa, the store introduced additional associates in the self-checkout area over the weekend to assist customers. The self-checkout area was and continues to be open and available to customers and has returned to typical staffing for this location," the statement said.

The spokesperson added that customers visiting the store can expect a "customer-led self-checkout experience where associates are available to help if needed." 

The Walmart location at Billings Bridge Shopping Centre in Ottawa. (Natalie van Rooy/CTV News Ottawa)

Chief William Commanda Bridge opens over the Ottawa River

The Chief William Commanda Bridge opened for the August long weekend, giving cyclists, runners and walkers a new link connecting Ottawa and Gatineau.

The new pedestrian bridge was originally scheduled to open last fall, but construction on the bridge was delayed due to labour shortages and supply chain issues.

The city says there is still ongoing work on the pier and the substructure of the bridge.

"Our dedicated team of engineers has given their approval to open the multi-use pathway. While using the bridge, please be mindful of the construction areas, and kindly follow all signs to ensure your safety," the city said in a statement.

The bridge just west of downtown Ottawa, built in 1880 as a railway link, hasn’t been in service since 2001. The city bought it from Canadian Pacific Railway in 2005.

The $22.6 million project included construction of a new timber deck on top of the existing rail track ties, installation of steel cable railing system, new lighting through the pathway corridor and new park benches. The federal government committed $8.6 million to the project.

The Chief William Commanda Bridge connecting Ottawa and Gatineau is now open for cyclists, runners and walkers. (Jim O'Grady/CTV News Ottawa)