Top 5 stories this week

Ottawa’s photo radar cameras caught thousands of speeders, a dump truck driver faces impaired driving charges and Porter Airlines is flying travellers to warm destinations this fall.

CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at the top five stories on our website this week.

Ottawa’s photo radar cameras issued 63,440 tickets in the first six months of this year, with one camera issuing 11,072 of those tickets.

Statistics show the automated speed enforcement camera on Fisher Avenue, between Deer Park Road and Kintyre Private, was the busiest camera, issuing 11,072 speeding tickets in the January to June period.

The photo radar camera on St. Laurent Boulevard, between Noranda Avenue and Clarke Avenue, issued 8,190 speeding tickets in the first six months of the year.

Ottawa’s 20 automated speed enforcement cameras issued a total of 63,440 tickets in the January to June period. The city has plans to install another 20 cameras this year, bringing the total to 40 by the end of 2023.

City staff told CTV News Ottawa Friday afternoon that the city collected $10.7 million in revenue through the automated speed enforcement camera program over the first six months of the year.

Ontario Provincial Police say a dump truck driver is facing impaired and dangerous driving charges after the vehicle drove off the road in Ottawa’s west end.

Emergency crews responded to a call on Hwy. 417 at Maitland Avenue on Thursday.

“The driver of this dump truck missed the off-ramp,” Ontario Provincial Police said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“The driver blew over 3x the legal limit.”

A picture posted on social media by Ontario Provincial Police showed the dump truck was hauling a trailer, which had a backhoe onboard.

Porter Airlines will be flying travellers from Ottawa to sunny destinations in Florida this fall.

The Toronto-based airline announced plans to launch daily service from the Ottawa International Airport to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, starting in November.

“Fort Lauderdale and Orlando are popular Florida destinations for Ottawa-Gatineau passengers,” Mark Laroche, president and CEO of the Ottawa International Airport Authority, said in a statement.

“Whether you’re snowbirds escaping the winter, or a family heading to one of Florida’s many attractions like Magic Kingdom, Porter’s new non-stop service will make getting to the sun and sand more comfortable this winter.”

Porter will offer the service on its new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.

It was a busy week at Ottawa City Hall, as business ramped up after a summer break.

Council approved the appointment of Wendy Stephanson as the new city manager following an hour-long in-camera session.

Stephanson has served as interim city manager since last November, when former city manager Steve Kanellakos resigned.

Stephanson said fixing the Confederation Line is a top priority.

“When I went through the process, I talked about how important it was to restore trust – not only with our residents, but also with council as well,” Stephanson said.

Council also voted to keep the vacant unit tax with some changes.

Coun. Laura Dudas introduced a motion calling on the city to rescind the tax in 2024 and not charge the owners of vacant properties the one-per-cent tax on their 2023 assessment.

However, council voted 15 to 8 in support of a replacement motion from Coun. Glen Gower, seconded by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, to maintain the vacant unit tax, and direct staff to “improve and further simplify the declaration process” and open the declaration portal earlier in December.

The Ottawa Mission is dealing with a major influx of refugees and asylum claimants who have nowhere else to go.

CEO Peter Tilley told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s “Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron” that what he first thought was a “blip” has become a pattern.

“This one caught us by surprise, in a sense, because we’re under so much pressure on so many fronts… and what we thought was originally a blip became an ongoing stat, a trend,” he said. “The number of asylum seekers and refugees lining up to book into the Mission is at record levels, three to four times higher than we would normally see at any time.”

Tilley said of the 228 new people who booked into the Ottawa Mission between June 1 and Aug. 14, 87 identified as asylum seekers or refugees.