WOITA 170624

17 June 2024

🌊 Suns out, guns out

Most of the beaches and pools in the Capital region are now open:

• Ottawa.
  Mooney's Bay, Britannia, and Petrie Island have lifeguards daily noon until 7:00 pm.
• Gatineau.
  Parc des Cèdres, Parc du Lac-Beauchamp, and Parc Moussett beaches have lifeguards from 10:00 am or 11:00 am until 7:00 pm.
• National Capital Commission.
  The beaches at La Pêche Lake, Leamy Lake, Meech Lake, and Philippe Lake have lifeguards from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.
  
  The NCC River House Ottawa River pool is open 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.
  
  (CBC)
• Britannia Beach had a high level of E coli yesterday but is okay now. Ottawa Public Health has a Bacteria Dashboard updated daily. 
• After two years, Brown's Bay Beach on the St Lawrence River between Mallorytown and Brockville has reopened. (Jack Richardson at CTV)
• There is a largely secret lake and separate swimming in Rockcliffe Park. McKay Lake is privately owned on the west side and swimming on the east side is banned because of the endless ooze. A nearby swimming hole – a former gravel pit – allows swimming every day between 7:00 am and 2:00 pm, but there are no life guards. (This is Ottawa)
• Ottawa once had many more beaches like Dutchie’s Hole, Brewer Park, Brighton Park, Brantwood Park, and Remic Beach. All were closed decades ago due to water quality. (Jordan Moffatt in the Ottawa Citizen)

✅ Canadian Border Services Agency deal

• Some details of the deal between the Canadian Border Services Agency and its employees have come out. Employees would see a 15.7 per cent pay increase over four years, retroactive to 2022. The union says there are improvements to technological changes and to shift scheduling, as well as remote working on a case-by-case basis. Border Service employees have not yet ratified the deal but the agreement avoided job action which would have started last Friday. (CBC)

🚌 OC Transpo

• OC Transpo hopes that adding a third day back in the office for Federal employees will add an average of 12,000 more riders per weekday. So far this year, every month the agency has overestimated the number of riders it would carry. Transit Committee member councillor Riley Brockington says the biggest problem for riders will be late buses. Transit services general manager Renée Amilcar says on-time service is not a priority, actually running each bus on each route is. (Arthur White-Crummey at CBC)
  
  ➕ Related A rider says that when OC Transpo used Para Transpo buses for its successful Blackburn Hamlet on-demand trial, actual Para Transpo users were sent taxis. And Para Transpo still does not have on-demand service, riders must book at least the day before.

🙏 Almonte Cenotaph

• The grade six class at R. Tait McKenzie Public School in Almonte has successfully lobbied to have a forgotten soldier added to the First World War cenotaph. Private George Monterville died at his home in Almonte 101 years ago from injuries received in the war. When the cenotaph was built a few years later, Monterville was not included. The class spent the year ‘researching, writing letters and making presentations advocating for Monterville’s recognition’. (Dylan Dyson at CTV)