Freeland Sworn In As Finance Minister, Parliament Prorogued:

Chrystia Freeland was sworn in Tuesday afternoon as Canada’s new finance minister, the first woman to hold the post.

Freeland is also keeping her role as Deputy Prime Minister. New Brunswick M-P Dominic LeBlanc is taking over her job handling the Intergovernmental Affairs portfolio.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he asked Governor General Julie Payette to prorogue Parliament until late next month.

He says Parliament will return September 23, which is two days after the House of Commons was initially scheduled to resume sitting. The Liberal government will then deliver a speech from the throne.

COVID-19 Ottawa:

Another person in Ottawa has died from complications related to the Novel Coronavirus.

Ottawa Public Health has confirmed the city’s 265th death during the pandemic Tuesday. Eight more confirmed cases were reported today, sending the city’s total to 2728, with 108 active cases, and 86 per cent of patients recovered.

COVID-19 Ontario:

Ontario has 125 new cases and four new deaths related to the virus. The total number of cases across Ontario now stands at 40,870, which includes 2,793 deaths and 37,126 cases marked as resolved.

River Road Fire Destroys Home:

Monday’s powerful storm has left a local family homeless.

Ottawa Fire crews say the family lit candles in their River Road home due to the power outage caused by the storm, which eventually fell over, sparking a massive fire that destroyed their home around 9:00 pm Monday. Fortunately no one was hurt, and the family is receiving help from the Salvation Army.

RCMP CRCC Reviewing Nunavut Incident:

The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP is launching an investigation into the conduct of RCMP members involved in an incident in Nunavut on June 1.

The arrest involving the door of a police truck was caught on video and posted online. It is also being reviewed by the Ottawa Police Service. The video shows a man struggling to his feet and stumbling in the heavy slush.

A lone RCMP officer arrives in a truck and opens the driver’s side door while still moving, striking the man.

Education Rally Tuesday:

You might notice a crowd gathered outside of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board office on Greenbank Road Tuesday evening.

Members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, and parents, are holding a rally at 6:15 pm, in response to the province’s back to school plans.The union has criticized the “unclear and unrealistic provincial requirements,” insisting they just want students to have a safe return to school.