Friday March 25, 2022
What Ottawa is Talking About – 25 March 2022
▪️The Ontario Provincial Police said the Trucker protestors would be a security threat in the weeks leading up to the siege. In testifmony to a House of Commons committe, the OPP security bureau told police departments and security agencies their concerns starting January 13, and maintained a daily watch. Previously, now-acting chief Stephen Bell testified that Ottawa Police Services expected the Truckers to stay for the weekend then leave. [CBC]
+ Related The three organizers of the Trucker siege have had new charges laid against them. Chris Barber and Tamara Lich are now both charged with mischief, counselling mischief, obstructing police, counselling to obstruct police, counselling intimidation, and intimidation by blocking and obstructing one or more highways. King is now charged with two counts of intimidation, two counts of obstructing police, one count of disobeying a court order, and one count of counselling intimidation.
▪️The Province has appointed three new members of the Ottawa Police Services Board to fill the empty seats. The new members are Salim Fakirani (a lawyer with the Department of Justice), Peter Henschel (a former RCMP deputy commissioner), and Michael Doucet (a former executive director of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency). The appointments were needed after the three previous appointees all resigned last month. [Ottawa Citizen]
▪️The City's Planning Committee has approved the destruction of hundreds of low-rent homes to develop new ones. The Aggarwal family family plans to redvelope Manor Park with 3,900 new apartments in towers and townhouses. The family promises – and signed an a memorandum with the City – to resettlle 650 existing tenants at the same or less rent, and to put aside 10 per cent of the new units as affordable rent. [CBC]
▪️49 year-old Federal civil servant Lucy wants to retire next year with only a Federal pension and the income from three rental homes that she owns to help her in those twilight years. Spoiler alert: The Financial Post says that she will be all right. [Financial Post]
▪️The City's Twitter account asks ‘Looking for a good stack of pancakes or waffles?. If Parks and Recreation was set in Ottawa, which #OttCity diner would have the most awesome breakfast food just like JJ’s diner?’. It's a great question. Let us know at hello@theottawan.com if you have a suggestion. Not necessarily for a story – we're just looking for a good place to eat.[City Tweet]
