Councillor Rick Chiarelli has a backhanded victory; Shopify CEO is Businessweek's coverboy; COVID cases hit an all new high

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Thursday, December 23, 2021

HELLO OTTAWA

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 marches on. Today's count of 5,790 new cases is a record high for Ontario.

Several businesses have announced temporary closure due to positive COVID cases.

▪️All locations of Heart and Crown pubs are now closed until December 29th.

▪️Black Squirrel Books is closed until further notice.

▪️Little Jo Berry’s hasn’t had a positive case, but after today (December 23rd) they’re closed until January 4th for a staff break.

▪️The Village Bean Coffee House in Merrickville is closed and hopes to reopen on December 26th.

There are sure to be more. Stay masked, stay two metres apart.

We'll see you tomorrow – Martha and Darren

? Is there something that Ottawa should know about? Email to us at [email protected]. We read every single comment.

STATS

Weather: ☀️ Sunny. High of -9°, low of -13°

Number: $612,311. The average price of a home in Ottawa, up 19.9 per cent from December 2020. [Agent in Ottawa]

Ottawan of the Day: Flute Siva. The flautist plays an unusual version of Carol of the Bells in a video filmed at Southminster United Church in Old Ottawa South. [Apartment 613]

Quote: ‘I fundamentally find nondeterminism more interesting than determinism’ – Local mom and pop business, Shopify, CEO Tobi Lütke who is the cover story on this week’s edition of Bloomberg Businessweek magazine. [Bloomberg Businessweek]

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

Data is from this morning, comparisons are with yesterday

ONTARIO

cases	change	deaths
667,353	? 5,790	10,140?7

? Eligible people with one dose (5+)		86.2%
? Eligible people fully vaccinated (5+)		80.6%

Ontario COVID Page Ontario Vaccine Rates

QUEBEC

cases	change	deaths
511,095	?9,397	11,658?6

? Eligible people with one dose (5+)		88.9%
? Eligible people fully vaccinated (5+)		81.6%

Quebec COVID Page Quebec Vaccine Rates

OTTAWA

cases	change	deaths
35,786	?466	620 ?0

? Eligible people with one dose (5+)		887,547 (89%)
? Eligible people fully vaccinated (5+)		818,028 (82%)

Ottawa Public Health Ottawa Vaccination Rates. Ottawa Wastewater

OUTAOUAIS

cases	change	deaths
15,895	?185	223 ?0

? Number of doses of vaccine

671,286

As of December 17, 2021 Updated Weekly

? Eligible people with one dose (12+)		95%
? Eligible people fully vaccinated (12+)		92.4%

Outaouais Public Health Quebec Vaccination Rates

EASTERN ONTARIO HEALTH UNIT

cases	change	deaths
6641	?122	134 ?0

Information has not been updated since yesterday

? Eligible people with one dose (5+)		175,728 (85.7%)
? Eligible people fully vaccinated (5+)		164,237 (80.1%)
? Eligible people with booster shot		29,223

Eastern Ontario Health Unit Eastern Ontario Health Unit Vaccination Rates

COVID-19 NEWS

⭕ That paramedic party last week has now led to an additional six people being tested positive with COVID-19, for a total of 36. One hundred and five people have been traced as having contact with the partiers. [Bulldog Ottawa (PDF)]

SADLY, WE CAN’T GUARANTEE DELIVERY BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

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WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

▪️Councillor Rick Chiarelli has won his appeal against council in the worst possible way. The College Ward councillor was investigated by the City's integrity commission and found to have violated the City's harrassment policies against female staff members and job applicants. Chiarelli sued. The court found that City Council showed bias against Chiarelli and threw away Council's decision to dock nine months of his pay. The court then fined Chiarelli nine months worth of pay on its own. They also awarded $20,000 from the City to Chiarelli in legal costs, to be paid once Chiarelli pays $40,000 to the Integrity Commissioner in costs. [Ottawa Citizen]

▪️Rideau-Vanier councillor Mathieu Fleury wants a Lowertown church to stop charging for parking. The Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall tore down two heritage buildings twenty years ago and has been operating a temporary parking lot ever since. Neighbours want the Archdiocese to be developed or sold to someone who will build there. A new three year permit to operate the lot has been requested, Fleury is in favour only if the Archdiocese does not make revenue from it, encouraging it to make a decision. [CBC]

▪️In an unsurprising move, the City has postponed all winter recreational programmes for two weeks. Before and After School programs will continue to be offered as planned and pools and rinks remain open but at 50 per cent capacity. [City of Ottawa]