Threats to an Ottawa doctor, talks about dropping 'O Canada', and border towns reopen: Top five stories in Ottawa this week

OTTAWA -

An Ottawa doctor is threatened, a local school board discusses the merits of the national anthem, and a dramatic scene on the 417.

CTVNewsOttawa.ca takes a look at the top five stories on our website this week.

Ottawa doctor pleads for help from the prime minister after death threat

An Ottawa family doctor who organized mass COVID-19 vaccination clinics earlier this year said she received a death threat and is now asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to do more to protect health-care workers facing similar risks.

Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth told the Canadian Press this week that after receiving a threatening letter she won't be holding her popular "Jabapalooza" clinics when vaccines are approved for younger children.

"I'm literally afraid now to walk outside of my office, even in broad daylight, because somebody has said they're going to kill me," she said in an interview Thursday.

"We've seen an increase in the number of doctors and nurses across Canada and across Ontario who've received death threats and other forms of harassment and it's only unheard of because we don’t usually talk about it publicly," Kaplan-Myrth told CTV News.

Kaplan-Myrth says the threat was passed on to the Ottawa Police Service, who have confirmed it was received.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed during the 2021 election campaign to bring about new criminal sanctions for people who threaten or harass health-care professionals.

Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth is pictured in Ottawa on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Ottawa school advisory group discusses dropping ‘O Canada’ from classrooms

Ottawa's largest school board says it won't stop playing the national anthem in classrooms every morning, but the board has heard discussions about 'O Canada' and its impact on Indigenous students.

Minutes from a meeting of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board’s Indigenous Education Advisory Council say a member of the committee, Lili Miller, “expressed the opinion that this practice is distasteful and should be replaced with something more healthy and positive,” in regards to students standing and singing the Canadian national anthem.

In a statement, the Ottawa Carleton District School Board said the singing of the anthem provincially mandated, but students are not forced to participate. A spokesperson for Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the government expects the national anthem to be played in schools.

Elder Albert Dumont, a spiritual advisor from the Kitigan Zibi Anishnabeg First Nation, said the suggestion sparked thoughtful discussion.

“It wasn’t something that I expected we would talk about. But whenever it did arise, I definitely know very well Canada’s history with Indigenous peoples,” he said. “There was immense oppression that occurred. So maybe I could ask you: would you be up for singing the national anthem of a country that did that to you?”

Dumont says he thinks it’s okay to have the national anthem played in schools, but would support students who wish not to sing along or stand.

An advisory council is discussing stopping the playing of the national anthem at OCDSB schools (Colton Praill/CTV News Ottawa)

Dump truck loses box in crash with Ottawa highway overpass

A dramatic scene unfolded on Ottawa's Highway 417 on Wednesday when a dump truck box came detached after hitting a highway overpass.

Witnesses said the crash happened around 8:30 a.m. heading westbound on the highway.

The bed of the truck came detached from the vehicle and could be seen leaning against the underside of the bridge.

No one was hurt and the overpass wasn’t damaged, but it took several hours to move the box out of the way.

"I don't care about the truck, I don't care about the cost – I'm just happy no one was hurt," said Chris Griffith, owner of Griffith Cartage and the truck involved in the collision.

He told CTV News Ottawa the incident involving an older truck could have been caused by a gearing system for the lift being accidentally engaged.

"Possibly driving down the road, hit the leaver or left it up," said Griffith. "I have two new trucks, they won't rev over 1000 RPM if the P.T.O. is engaged."

A dump truck box stuck under the Vanier Parkway overpass on Highway 417 Wednesday morning. (Jeremie Charron/CTV News Ottawa)

Ottawa couple fined $4,500 for refusing to wear masks at Quebec coffee shop

An Ottawa couple who refused to wear masks at a Chelsea, Que. coffee shop are facing stiff fines.

An employee at Biscotti & Cie called police on Monday around 1:30 p.m. because the couple in their 50s was “causing a disturbance,” MRC des Collines police said.

The couple were refusing to wear masks despite employees asking them to wear them.

Isaac Lauzon, the director of operations for the Chelsea Pub and part of the management team at Biscotti & Cie and says the couple turned down masks offered by staff and would not leave when asked.

Police said the couple continued to argue with staff and fellow customers.

After some more arguing, the couple did leave the restaurant a few minutes later. They were then stopped by a police officer on Old Chelsea Road and issued tickets for a total of $4,500.

Ottawa man finally picks up 40 packages stuck in the U.S. since 2019

The U.S. border reopened to fully vaccinated Canadians on Monday, allowing one Ottawa man to finally pick up 40 packages that had been waiting for him in Ogdensburg, N.Y. since 2019.

"I'm very exited about it," said Metcalfe resident Wolfgang Schulz. "Don't tell the wife, but I think I've got 35 or 40 packages!"

Schulz continued to order items online throughout the pandemic, getting them shipped to the UPS Store in Ogdensburg, directly across the St. Lawrence River from Johnstown, Ont.

The items include NASCAR die cast cars, model trains, and even a guitar.

The two hours it took him to cross the border were not a problem.

"It was quite busy this morning but it was less busy than I thought," he said. "I was planning for four hours, so I guess that a plus."

Thousands of Canadians made the trip across the border on Monday. The land border had been closed since March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For Schulz, Monday was a great day.

"I feel like a kid at Christmas! All my Christmas presents!" he said. 

Wolfgang Schulz, of Ottawa, had about 40 packages waiting for him at the UPS Store in Ogdensburg, N.Y. He made the trip across the border first thing Monday morning when it reopened to fully vaccinated Canadians. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)