COVID-19 Ottawa:
Another person in Ottawa has died from COVID-19.
Ottawa Public Health is also reporting seven new cases of the virus Tuesday.
1908 cases have been confirmed in our city since March, as well as 235 deaths.
COVID-19 Ontario:
Premier Doug Ford is vowing to take action to address allegations raised in a military report on five long-term care homes.
Ford says it’s clear that the long-term care system is broken. He also says he’s not ruling out a public inquiry, which he had previously declined.
The allegations detailed by Canadian Armed Forces members include failure to isolate COVID-19-positive patients and allowing them to wander outside of their rooms. Other allegations include insect infestations and aggressive resident feeding that led to choking.
Meanwhile,
Ontario is reporting 287 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, and 21 more deaths.
It’s the first time in more than two weeks that the number of new cases has been lower than 300. There have now been 26,191 total cases in Ontario, a 1.1 per cent increase over the previous day, which is the lowest growth rate since early March.
City Opening Up Cooling Centres:
The City of Ottawa has taken steps to ensure those in need can stay cool during this week’s heat wave.
It’s opening up four cooling centres across the city, including St. Laurent Complex, and Hunt Club Riverside Park Community Centre. The other centres are the Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre, and the Sandy Hill Community Centre.
A heat warning from Environment Canada is expected to remain in place until late Thursday or early Friday.
Officer Dragged, Man Charged:
A man has been charged in connection with a frightening incident involving an Ottawa Police officer earlier this month.
Investigators say the man was stopped by police on Montreal Road just before midnight back on May 14, but took off from the scene, dragging the officer for about 500 metres, before the officer was thrown off the vehicle, suffering serious injuries in the process.
Bradley Desgens, 36, who was arrested Monday, is also accused of crashing his vehicle into a park bench, abandoning it, and reporting it stolen last week.
He is facing several charges including Assaulting a Peace Officer With a Weapon, and Causing Bodily Harm.
Man Posing As Security Guard Charged:
Ottawa Police are accusing a man of running an unlicensed security company, and performing surveillance and other services for businesses that had no knowledge of his work.
Morley Andrew Thompson was arrested Sunday and charged with Fraud over and under $5000, Public Mischief, and Failing to Comply with an Order.
Investigators want to hear from anyone else who may have come into contact with him or Undodo Security.
Killam Prizes Awarded:
The Canada Council for the Arts’ $100,000 Killam Prize has been handed out to five scholars in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences and engineering.
This year’s winners include the University of Alberta’s Sarah Carter for her writings on Western Canada’s colonial and Indigenous history, McGill University neuroscientist Alan Evans for his work in modelling brain networks and University of Toronto professor Edward Sargent for his contributions to nanotechnology.