City council votes to suspend Rick Chiarelli’s pay after “disgusting” actions
Ottawa City Council unanimously voted Wednesday to give College Ward Coun. Rich Chiarelli the most severe punishment possible following the release of a report into allegations of sexual harassment. Chiarelli’s salary will be suspended for nine months, a total of about $79,000. A report by the city’s integrity commissioner found that Chiarelli had violated several city policies when, Robert Marleau says,...
City council endorses mandatory mask bylaw
Ottawa City Council has followed up a public health order by passing a bylaw ordering the wearing of face masks in indoor public spaces. The vote was 14 to eight, with dissenting councillors expressing concern that the fines accompanying the bylaw are too steep. The fines would range from $200 for individuals to $400 for stores that break the bylaw,...
Most of Ontario, including Ottawa, in Stage 3 of reopening on Friday
Stage 3 will see most businesses and workplaces reopening and larger indoor and outdoor gathering sizes.
City beautification projects one key to saving habitat for native bees
The city is reviewing their plans on how to best help pollinators. Experts are calling for a focus on native bee species and preserving their habitat.
Part of Bank Street closes to vehicles to boost business, ensure social distancing
A section of Bank Street will join the growing list of Ottawa streets opting to close to motor vehicles to ensure safer social distancing this summer.
Special event for frontline health workers kicks off Ottawa Art Gallery reopening to public
The Ottawa Art Gallery is reopening the the public on July 9, with new safety measures in place to protect visitors and staff.
Super Felix Brothers: Gatineau author — and mom — addresses sickle cell anemia, diversity in her storytelling
GATINEAU — When Nahomie Acelin and Ronald Felix discovered two of their three sons had sickle cell anemia it would have been natural for them to focus on the negative. But they chose a different way of coping with the diagnosis. “We made a family decision last summer that, instead of complaining, we will talk about (the diagnosis) and turn...
Remote rituals: The Jewish community is sustaining faith, upholding sacred traditions during the pandemic
In a pre-pandemic world, eight-day-old Theo Rapkin would have had his bris ceremony in a Montreal synagogue, surrounded by friends and family, his parents and a rabbi. There would have been prayers and a brunch. The bris — formally known as the brit malah, or the “covenant of circumcision” — is a ceremony performed on the eighth day of a...
Four Ottawa-area public health units issue mandatory-mask directive for enclosed public spaces
Ottawa Public Health has shifted its approach to reducing the spread of COVID-19, and is now officially requiring that city residents wear face masks in indoor public spaces. In a statement issued jointly on Monday by four regional public health units in Eastern Ontario, including Ottawa Public Health, the agencies stated that they were “invoking a directive under the province’s...
Drive-in film series just one of the initiatives aiming to give Canadian culture a boost
The Summer Blockbuster Series will be popping up in cities across several provinces, and the event will give Canadians a chance to enjoy free movies while maintaining physical distance at a drive-in. It will also be a celebration of Canadian film, an industry that has been hit hard by pandemic restrictions.
Liberal MP Francis Drouin open to renaming federal riding that honours 19th-century slave owner Peter Russell
Liberal MP Francis Drouin, who represents the Ottawa-area constituency of Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, says he’s open to renaming his riding to erase its association with 19th-century slave owner Peter Russell. Russell, a top-level administrator in Upper Canada in the late 1700s and early 1800s, fought for special exemptions for slave owners, including himself, when the British colony passed the Anti-Slavery Act in...
Canada Day, your way: How these patriots are celebrating their Maple Leaf pride during the pandemic
With major celebrations cancelled across the country, Canadians are finding different ways to celebrate Canada Day during the current pandemic.