The Orleans Star Feb. 17, 2022

February 17, 2022 • Volume 36, No. 20

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East end politicians united in opposition to Ottawa occupation

By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star

The east end’s Isabelle Weidemann is Canada’s Olympic darling after winning three medal’s in speed skating at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. See story page 13. KEVIN LIGHT/COC PHOTO

Jocelyne Lauzon

It’s unanimous – the east end’s four city councillors have run out of patience when it comes to the ongoing occupation of the city’s downtown core by Freedom Convoy protestors which entered its third week last Friday.

In a joint statement you can read on page 8, councillors Catherine Kitts (Cumberland Ward) and Matt Luloff (Orléans Ward) refer to the protest as an unlawful “siege” and accuse those involved of trying to terrorize and hold hostage the entire city.

“You don’t get to break the law to make your point,” Kitts and Luloff write, directly addressing the protestors. “You don’t get to paralyze and terrorize an entire city, hold a community hostage, forcibly close businesses, and harass people trying to go about their

daily lives because a democratically elected government has made a policy decision that you don’t agree with. Forcibly changing policies by mob rule is not how we operate in Canada.”

Beacon Hill-Cyrville Ward councillor Tim Tierney and Innes Ward councillor Laura Dudas share their colleagues’ anger at the ongoing protest and the frustration that there seems no end in sight.

All four councillors have been especially frustrated over the lack of support the city has been receiving from the provincial and federal levels of government on the ground, despite repeated requests for help.

For instance, the provincial government declared a State of Emergency on Feb. 11, but as of last Sunday it hasn’t resulted in any type of back up from the OPP, or any effort to help CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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COMMUNITY BRIEFS Crime Spotting Orléans Facebook group gets new administrators

ORLÉANS – There has been a changing of the guard at the popular Facebook group Crime Spotting Orléans. On Feb. 1, the groups founders and administration team announced in a post that they would be stepping down to focus their attention on their young families. The administrators briefly considered closing the group but ultimately decided to see if any of the group’s members would be interested in replacing them.

“A lot of good has come from this group and I couldn’t bring myself to shut it down,” wrote lead administrator Martin Corneau. After receiving a number of responses, the outgoing administrators decided to hand the reigns over to Fallingbrook residents Nick and Elena O’Connell. Nick O’Connell has been involved in the community for years. He began volunteering at the original Fallingbrook Canada Day Celebration in the late 90s and later with the Greater Orléans Canada Day Celebration on Petrie Island. He has also spent a number of years maintaining several of the outdoor rinks in the community. He is currently an executive member of the Fallingbrook Community Association and an Auxiliary Police Officer with the Ottawa Police Service.

Area residents invited to take part in federal budget consultations

ORLÉANS – Area residents interested in having their say on how their federal tax dollars are being spent can take part in a pre-budget consultation meeting being held by Orléans MP Marie-France Lalonde on Zoom on Thursday, Feb. 17. The English session will start at 7 p.m. and the French session will begin at 8 p.m. To take part, you must first register at bit.ly/3HULW4R. At least one person has responded on Twitter, saying they plan to ask about the protesters who have been occupying downtown Ottawa for over three weeks.

Registration now open for city’s March Break camps

ORLÉANS – Even though it feels like 2022 has only just begun, March Break is just a hop and a skip away. You can give your child something fun to look forward to by signing them up for one of the city’s March Break camps. Registration is now open.

Camp offerings include both in-person and virtual formats for children aged 4 to 14, in English and French. You can now browse the 2022 March Break online eGuides.

In-person camps are a great way for your kids to make new friends and participate in creative play, games, sports and crafts. Before and after care is available for parents working with challenging schedules. Virtual camps are also available for kids who want to have fun while learning something new from the comfort of their own home.

Programs range from animation, drawing and painting, to hip hop dance, karate and even junior science activities. To explore the eGuides select the program that interests you and follow these simple steps: • Go to ottawa.ca/recreation to view the eGuides or visit join.ottawa.ca; • Click the relevant barcode – it will take you to the course page, with details about the number of spaces available, fees and dates; • Add the class to your cart and then proceed through the checkout. We’ll email you your receipt. For more information on City programs and services visit ottawa.ca, or call 3-1-1 or 613-580-2400.

4 • February 17, 2022 • Volume 36, No. 20

Local politicians at their wits’ end over ongoing occupation Continued from page 3 end the occupation other than threatening to impose fines of up to $100,000 and a year imprisonment. But as one observer pointed out, it’s one thing to threaten to fine someone and another to actually do it. As of last Sunday, it appeared no one was willing to actually go into the throng of protestors and truck drivers and start handing out $100,000 summons.

Another observer pointed that Ford’s declaration only came after a rolling blockade of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor entered its seventh day and satellite protests started popping up in downtown Toronto.

The lack of police action to end the occupation in Ottawa has been especially galling to Coun. Tierney who openly criticized the Ottawa Police Service on Twitter last Saturday.

In response to Glen McGregor’s tweet – “Hearing tonight about intense frustration from Ottawa city councillors (not on police services) who are livid about police response and lack of information from the chief. They are furious,” Tierney wrote, “The OPS/PSB say they’re in charge, we’re still waiting for that to happen. #takecharge.”

He then tweeted “Someone ... Anyone.

End this NOW!” – a sign of just how frustrated he and his fellow east end councillors are.

That frustration is shared by Orléans member of provincial parliament, Stephen Blais, who has echoed the councillors’ sentiments and called on the provincial government to work with the city to bring the protest to an end.

The reality, however, is that the protest has only grown in size over the past three and a half weeks. On Saturday, thousands of supporters joined the Freedom Convoy members in what can only be described as

a carnival-like atmosphere. There was live music, people dancing and drinking alcohol out in the open and a very scant police presence.

But while the main protest was going on across the street from Parliament Hill, more than a thousand counter-protestors gathered for a rally at Lansdowne Park, demanding the Freedom Convoy leave town. The rally was attended by all four east end councillors.

“So proud to join the thousands of #Ottawa residents who rallied and marched today to send a clear message to the convoy: We will not be intimidated! Leave OUR City!,” Coun. Dudas tweeted from the event.

As the weekend came to an end, there was still no indication that the Ottawa occupation would end anytime soon. Hundreds of trucks and cars were still blocking Wellington Street along with several roads south of Parliament Hill, and trucks and cars could still come and go as they please.

Meanwhile, in a national poll conducted late last week, over 30 per cent of Canadians supported the idea of using the Armed Forces to end the siege, but Justin Trudeau has said that the use of the military is completely out of the question, leaving the city to fend for itself, which doesn’t give much hope of the protest ending anytime soon.

In the meantime, COVID restrictions, which is what the Freedom Convoy was supposed to be about, are ending.

COVID restrictions including mandatory masks, the need for vaccine passports to enter restaurants and capacity limits will be lifted on March 1 in Alberta and Saskatchewan and by March 14 in Ontario, Québec and Manitoba, although as of Sunday when this paper went to press, there were hints that Ontario and Québec may move up their timelines. All four Atlantic provinces and B.C. have said they intend to eliminate the restrictions by the end of March.

Debate over proposed Brian Coburn extension heats up again

By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star Like a dormant volcano that suddenly comes to life, the long-standing debate over a proposed extension linking Brian Coburn Boulevard to Renaud Road with a bus rapid transitway alongside erupted last week in a war of words between local city councillors and the NCC. The first salvo was fired by local councillors Laura Dudas, Tim Tierney, Catherine Kitts and Matt Luloff during last week’s city council meeting.

Council was debating a proposed Official Plan amendment which would have paved the way for a future embassy row along the Sir John A. MacDonald Parkway backing on to Mechanicsville. The application, which would have allowed for up to five embassies was put forward by the NCC. That didn’t sit well with Dudas, Tierney Kitts and Luloff, who have been pushing for the Brian Coburn extension and bus rapid transitway to no avail, thanks to the intransigent position of the NCC which has been against the extension ever since it was first proposed in 2012.

In his remarks on the matter, Tierney said

that the federal agency has not been honest brokers in either matter and therefore he would be voting against the proposal.

“We want to send a strong message that (the NCC) has to learn to work with our city and work together collectively so that we can accomplish things and I don’t see that,” said Tierney.

Kitts echoed Tierney’s comments, calling the NCC’s proposal to create an embassy row in an existing greenspace while refusing to discuss the possibility of extending Brian Coburn Boulevard through a small portion of the Greenbelt as duplicitous and hypocritical.

“In the east end, we have spent years at an impasse with the NCC on the location of critical infrastructure with their resistance hinged on protecting greenspace. Coun.

Tierney and I have worked together to try and defer this item to allow for further discussion in negotiations on a path forward, but as those have continued to fail I cannot support this application,” said Kitts.

Luloff added his voice to the opposition, claiming the application was a clear example of the NCC speaking out of both sides of their mouth.

“What’s good for downtown is good

for the suburbs as well. At the same time they’re speaking out of both sides of their mouth they won’t come and sit down with us,” said Luloff, pointing out that the city has offered the NCC a significant land swap in order to pave the way for the proposed extension which the NCC has thus far refused to consider.

Coun. Dudas has been involved in trying to get the NCC to come to the table to

discuss the proposed extension since before she was elected to council.

“It’s been exhausting about how long they’ve put up walls and have been unable and unwilling to even discuss this,” said Dudas.“We have found over many, many years of trying to bring the NCC to the table to merely discuss the extension of Brian Coburn and the Cumberland transitway...

Continued from page 12

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February 17, 2022 • Volume 36, No. 20 • 5

Occupation As I write this column, the so-called Freedom Convoy that is occupying a large section of Centretown and denying thousands of area residents the right to move freely without the fear of being harassed and infringing on their ability to earn a living, is entering its third week.

In the beginning I was sympathetic to the truckers’ cause, and as I have written many times in the past, I am dead against mandatory vaccinations.

But enough is enough. The protesters can beat their chests and honk their horns all they want, and I’m sure they think that what they are doing is making a difference, but it isn’t. The convoy has not made a positive impact on anything. On the contrary. It’s made a negative impact on tens of thousands of downtown residents and hundreds of local businesses and their workers who were looking forward to being able to open at 50 per cent capacity, but no sooner did that happen, then the convoy arrived.

And now it’s time for the protestors to go home.

The protest actually has nothing to do with politics. I know just as many Conservatives who are against the protestors as Liberals. They say they’re ticked off at Justin Trudeau, and sure he is a weak-kneed, pantywaist, but Doug Ford is a moronic buffoon. So what? They are equally inept regardless of their party labels.

This has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with how we are governed in this country. Too many people feel disenfranchised because they don’t think their vote matters anymore. We think we have a perfectly functional democracy, when in actual fact we have a democratic dictatorship in which the dictators flip-flop between one party and the other. We also have a system in which we end up with leaders – if I may use that term loosely – who are loath to make any decision that may effect their popularity, aka electability.

The pandemic is a glaring example of what can happen when unelected public health officials have the ability to set policy rather than the people we elected. But that’s finally changing – and not because of a bunch of horn-blowing protestors clogging Wellington Street. It’s because more enlightened governments in Europe have already decided that it’s time to take a different tack.

Some of the provinces have already begun to follow Europe’s lead, including Alberta and Saskatchewan which ended the need for COVID vaccination passports to enter restaurants and other businesses last week.

Québec, Ontario and Manitoba plan to lift all their restrictions by March 14, including mask mandates, although there’s a good chance it will happen sooner – and even Trudeau is expected to end the need for PCR tests for travelers returning to Canada and hallelujah for that.

So things are looking up, not because of the protest/occupation/ blockade, but in spite of it. So if allowing the protestors to take credit for the easing of restrictions means they will pack up and go home, so be it. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that we get back to normal as soon as possible and limit the devastating impact the restrictions have had on our economy and society as a whole.

As for the protestors, they can grow old and tell their grandchildren stories about the Great Cross Canada Convoy of 2022, more commonly referred to as “The Occupation”.

– Fred Sherwin, editor

Fredrick C. Sherwin, Editor & Publisher fsherwin@orleansstar.ca The Orléans Star is a bi-weekly publication distributed to 44,000 residences in Blackburn Hamlet, Orléans and Navan. The newspaper is locally owned and operated by Sherwin Publishing Inc., 745 Farmbrook Cres., Orléans, ON. Inquiries and delivery issues should be sent to info@orleansstar.ca.

6 • February 17, 2022 • Volume 36, No. 20

Ford government derelict in failing to help end occupation For two weeks, illegal occupiers have taken over necessary suppliers and resources to the City of Ottawa. the streets of downtown Ottawa, wreaking havoc, Instead of acting swiftly, and decisively, the Ford desecrating monuments, intimidating residents, and government took two weeks to take action, eventually holding hostage the residents of our doing so on Feb. 11.

Nation’s Capital. coordinate and bring an Queen’s endToto help We all enjoy a right to protest, the ongoing crisis, the federal Park as residents of Ottawa we have all government organized a Trilateral seen plenty of them. But it was clear, Table between the federal, provincial Corner relatively early on, that this was and municipal levels of government. not a typical protest. It is, in every I was shocked and disappointed to Stephen Blais aspect, an occupation and siege of learn that the provincial government downtown Ottawa. failed to attend ALL THREE Trilateral Table meetings.

I hope that by the time this appears in the Orléans So, what does this illegal occupation mean for local Star that the occupation is over.

Ottawa taxpayers? The Ottawa Police are estimating Local businesses have had to close out of fear for that the occupation has cost local Ottawa taxpayers their safety. Workers in the healthcare industry have at least $800,000 a day on policing alone, this is why been verbally and physically harassed for simply I requested the government enforce Schedule 1 of travelling to work. Shelters and soup kitchens have the Comprehensive Police Services Act, to bill the faced intimidation. Residents have been victimized organizers of this illegal occupation for the millions in with constant honking and noise, public urination and policing and other City costs. defecation and the inclusion of racist symbols like the I also called on the provincial Attorney General swastika and Confederate Flag. Ottawa is under siege, to make clear that Crown prosecutors will follow the and it will take all three levels of government working guidance in their Prosecution Manual and will seek together to end this illegal occupation. forfeiture of any assets used in the commission of a For weeks, Ontario Liberals have been calling serious offense. on Doug Ford’s Conservatives to send a clear and Too often it takes the provincial government far too unequivocal message to the illegal occupiers in Ottawa, long to respond to issues taking place in Ottawa. The leave now, or risk losing your truck. second largest city in Ontario, our Nation’s Capital, From the start of this occupation, I have been shouldn’t be an afterthought. I’ll continue to bring requesting the provincial government to declare a Ottawa’s issues forward and push the government to provincial State of Emergency so that we can allocate take quicker action.

Ottawa Occupation is a national security failure of epic proportion As the truckers’ convoy rolled into Ottawa, I empathized with the national mood of pandemic fatigue and frustration that they, in part, represented. However, their so called “memorandum of understanding” – since pulled from the Canadian Unity website – read like a drunk, late-night Facebook post.

Calling for the Governor General and Senate to remove the Prime Minister from office and ending lockdowns and mandates everywhere was – and is – buffoonery of the highest order.

Its authors are fortunate that they are already citizens because their MOU would not have given them a passing grade in Grade 9 civics, or on a citizenship test.

But for political and law enforcement leaders to say then (or now, three weeks later) that they are surprised that the hard-core of this group – who represent something dangerous and pernicious – dug in for, pun intended, the long haul, reveals an appalling lack of insight, in the context of historical precedent, and imagination, in failing to plan.

The summer of 1990 saw multi-day trucker protests in Québec and BC over cost disadvantages of doing business vis-à-vis their American counterparts. In May 1991, over 1,200 truckers snarled traffic around Toronto

Walter Robinson Guest Column for 24 hours while 100 or so drivers drove into Ottawa, parked around Parliament Hill, and stayed for a week. During this same period, border crossings in Windsor, Sarnia, and Niagara Falls were targeted. Déjà vu, anyone?

Did any serious scenario planning occur in advance of this protest? Was a formal and inclusive command table established in late January? Any teen who has read dystopian fantasy or sci-fi novels could have predicted one outcome of this group of angry-frustrated people coming to Ottawa would be some sort of encampment or occupation. Trucks are imposing symbols, not to mention a source of shelter, supplies, a perimeter, and yes, potential weapons on wheels.

As for scenario planning, our hospitals

and security agencies routinely run table-top exercises to deal with mass casualty incidents from of chemical/biological/nuclear terrorism and how they would respond. And we have a standing command table that convenes around the Canada Day celebrations to prepare for the 100,000 people and vehicles who descend on the Parliamentary precinct and surrounding area.

The membership of this table includes representatives of six law enforcement agencies (RCMP, PPS, OPP, SQ, Ottawa and Gatineau), the federal government, the NCC, Ottawa and Gatineau, two transit authorities, public works, local utilities, etc.

A table – or multi-agency Zoom call – exists now but what could have been a weekend protest and move ’em out scenario with better intelligence, closing off the downtown core, and having sufficient officers and tow trucks at the ready, has become a three-week nightmare.

Parliament Hill is now a recurring destination weekend for all the wrong reasons and this movement’s success in Ottawa has spawned at least four border snarls and serial protests in no less than seven Canadian cities. #OttawaOccupation is a national security failure and embarrassment. The protesters that

remain include former intelligence operatives that are beating police on the chess board of move and counter move. Their little one-hour jaunt out to the Ottawa airport last week with a couple of dozen vehicles was a taunt to say, hey Ottawa, you’re still vulnerable. And I fear that their psyops tactics of flooding 911 with out-of-country calls, misdirecting posts on social media, and filling jerry cans with water or fuel to confuse police and fill idling rigs on Wellington Street are just the beginning.

I feel for up to 50,000 downtown residents who have endured three weeks of diesel fumes, noise, intimidation, and feelings of unease or outright fear in their own neighbourhoods. So far, the operations of government and have not been interrupted but there remains a sizeable and organized protest contingent just 100 metres from our seat of government, steps away from PMO/PCO, a short jaunt to TBSFinance, or a quick mob march on DND or to storm City Hall.

This is a national security fiasco that, by now, would have been defused in any other G7, or dare I say G20 capital.

Protest is the DNA of democracy but so too is the rule and enforcement, of law. Something must give, and the clock is ticking.

February 17, 2022 • Volume 36, No. 20 • 7

Councillors call on feds, province to help end ‘unlawful’ occupation We are writing our column jointly this week as we continue to work as a united front while our city and community deals with the challenges of the ongoing occupation.

At the time of writing, the lawlessness continues in our downtown core, and is spreading to areas elsewhere in Ottawa and the province.

We acknowledge that this continues to be a divisive issue, even right here in our own east end communities, and that there are legitimate concerns with government mandates for crossborder logistics.

We implore our residents to treat each other with respect and kindness as we observe the tentacles of contention spread.

That said, the actions of the demonstrators are well beyond the pale, and the siege of our city must end. It needs to end by whatever lawful means necessary, and it needs to end immediately.

Catherine Kitts Cumberland Ward 19 City Council, and other political governing bodies, cannot direct police operations, but we can express our expectations.

On Feb. 6, the City of Ottawa declared a State of Emergency.

City Council also passed a litany of motions to strengthen our response. The province of Ontario followed with its own Emergency Declaration on Feb. 11.

With these civil statements,

the occupation is unambiguously illegal, and our police forces have given clear indication that this cannot continue.

The Premier has said police will be given the tools they need to clear our city from the disruption, with fines for non-compliance as high as $100,000 and a year in prison; however, we are becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of meaningful action taking place, as we watch the resources our City has asked for being diverted to other regions, or not materializing at all.

We hold dear the right to free speech and lawful demonstration, but what is taking place in Ottawa is not lawful. Those rights are undermined by completely ignoring the equal and more important responsibility of upholding the rule of law.

This is what underpins our entire society, that everyone is equal under the law.

What this means is that you don’t

get to break the law to make your point. You don’t get to paralyze and terrorize an entire city, hold a community hostage, forcibly close businesses, and harass people trying to go about their daily lives because a democratically elected government has made a policy decision that you don’t agree with.

Forcibly changing policies by mob rule is not how we operate in Canada.

We do not have to vilify those who disagree with our opinions, but we must acknowledge that millions of Canadians got vaccinated and complied with infuriating restrictions so that we could begin to lift the pandemic chokehold on our society. A lawless group of individuals wants to take credit for this, abetted by political opportunism. We will not stand for it.

What’s more, the world is watching. We are deeply concerned that what is taking place in Ottawa is breathing oxygen into nefarious movements worldwide. The law

is not being enforced to bring this occupation to an end, and we can be sure others are noticing.

What we are seeing unfold in our city is undermining the very foundation of the country we love, and it is attracting some of the most extreme and violent radicals North America has to offer.

We are a country of peace, order and good government. Peace and order are not negotiable. If you feel you do not have good government, then engage in the democratic process.

Voters had their say federally last September and provincially, you will get your say in June.

What these occupiers are doing is undemocratic. They say they love this country, but don’t seem to have an idea of what this country stands for.

This occupation is an ugly caricature of Canada, and it must end now.

We will continue to do what is within our power to make it so.

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Founded in 1983, Keller Williams has more agents than any other real estate franchise in the world. The company prides is self on providing an unprecedented level of support to its agents in terms of ongoing training and coaching, technological supports and marketing, all of which Jennifer takes full advantage of in helping her clients.

And now a little bit more about Jennifer. Originally from Montreal, she is the mother two kids aged 11 and 12 and the step-mom to a 21-year-old son. She and her husband David are both police officers. Jennifer joined the Ottawa Police Service 15 years ago.

As a teenager, Jennifer was a competi-

tive soccer player. She earned a soccer scholarship to the University of TexasEl Paso and eventually transferred to the University of Ottawa where she earned a degree in criminology.

After graduating, Jennifer moved to Ottawa where she pursued a career with the Ottawa Police Service. When asked what her most important trait is when it comes to being a successful real estate agent, Jennifer simply said “honesty”.

“You have to be honest with people if you really and truly want to help them, and sometimes being honest means telling them something they may not like hearing in terms of establishing certain expectations, but if you’re genuine and you’re honest, it makes the whole process a lot easier and a whole lot more rewarding for everyone involved.”

To celebrate getting her real estate license last summer, Jennifer held a street dance at the end of her street and raised over $1,600 which she donated to the Canadian Cancer Society to help fight acute myeloid leukemia.

“The turnout was amazing and everyone was so generous,” says Jennifer who

Jennifer Biondi plans to do it again this summer.

Committed, honest hard-working and loyal, these are all traits you should look for when considering a real estate agent.

Jennifer Biondi has those traits.

If you would like to find our how Jennifer can help you find your dream home or sell your existing home, why not give her a call at 613-612-2049 or e-mail jenniferbiondi@kw.com.

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artottawa.ca

February 17, 2022 • Volume 36, No. 20 • 11

T:5"

NCC digs in its heels in opposition to Brian Coburn extension Continued from page 5 they’ve been unwilling to even talk, and to stonewall about that is a disservice to not just the east end but our city’s transportation network.”

It didn’t take long for the NCC to respond to the councillors’ comments.

In an email to the Ottawa Citizen, NCC spokesperson Valérie Dufour said the city’s desire to build a four-lane road and a bus rapid transitway through the Greenbelt beside the Mer Bleue Bog contravened their own planning principles.

Across the province, more workers are joining the skilled trades as resources and industries in the north become part of the future of clean steel and electric vehicles.

More jobs are being created by building new bridges and highways, expanding public transit and constructing new homes—all for a growing province. Home-grown businesses are manufacturing more of the things we rely on.

Ontario’s economy is getting stronger.

See what’s happening at ontario.ca/stronger

T:11"

Ontario is getting stronger

“By linking the rezoning application of lands identified in both federal and municipal plans as a site for future diplomatic missions, and supported by City planning staff, to the NCC’s unwillingness to cede environmentally sensitive lands in the Greenbelt near the protected Mer Bleue Bog to allow the City to build additional lanes for road infrastructure, city council has contravened the planning principles,” Dufour wrote.

The proposed Brian Coburn Boulevard extension and bus rapid transitway, known as Option 7, would see Brian Coburn extended to Anderson Road along Renaud Road and then on to Innes Road. It would consist of four lanes with a bus rapid transitway running along side.

In her email to the Ottawa Citizen, Dufour, took the opportunity to remind the city councillors that the city had proposed an earlier alignment for the bus rapid transitway next to Blackburn Bypass, but it was withdrawn.

“Unfortunately, the city decided not to

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12 • February 17, 2022 • Volume 36, No. 20 Client/Brand: Ministry of Finance/Covid Recovery

proceed with the agreed alignment and undertook an assessment of new road options through NCC lands that were not the subject of any prior agreement with us,” Dufour wrote.

“The NCC clearly communicated its concerns about the city’s preferred option, but, in the spirit of partnership and flexibility, offered to discuss ways in which two of the city’s alignment options could be considered. That offer was refused by the city.”

The extension was first proposed in 2013 by the Bradley Estates Community Association which was looking for ways to reduce the increasing level of commuter traffic through the community along Renaud.

At the time, the City was considering the possibility of adding bus-only lanes to the Blackburn Bypass, but with the growth in housing south of Innes Road and accompanying traffic over the past eight years, the need for an increase in road capacity as well as a bus transitway has become glaringly apparent.

Marie-France LALONDE

/LalondeMF

Paid for by the Government of Ontario

Renaud Road

Date: 2-9-2022 4:28 PM

APPROVALS

Gloucester Concordes alum Canada’s newest Olympic heroine

By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star Isabelle Weidemann has come a long from the days when she used to skate around the rink at the Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Centre as a member of the Gloucester Concordes speed skating club.

At the time this paper was being printed, the former east end resident and Colonel By Secondary School grad had won two medals at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China and was poised to win a third.

The 23-year-old Weidemann won bronze in the 3,000-metre event on the opening day of the Olympics and then followed that up with a silver medal in the 5,000-metres last Thursday, leaving the women’s Team Pursuit, which took place on Tuesday this week, as her lone remaining event.

Barring any unforeseen disaster, Weidemann was expected to win at least a bronze medal with teammate and fellow Orléans native Ivanie Blondin and Valerie Maltais.

The trio was the number one ranked team heading into the Olympics after winning all three of the World Cup events this season.

In the Team Pursuit quarterfinals, run last Saturday, they qualified for Monday’s semi-finals with the second-best time of the day skating behind Japan. That was the

good news. The bad news was that the cofavourites from the Netherlands had the third best time, which meant they would be skating against each other on Monday for a spot in the final. Japan will be skating against South Korea, which had the fourth fastest time in the quarters.

The highly talented Dutch team is made up of double gold medalist Irene Schouten (5,000- and 3,000-metres); veteran Irene Wust, who won gold in the 1,500-metres; and Antoinette de Jong who won bronze in the 1,500.

The Olympic Team Pursuit event differs from the World Cup format in that World Cup events are run as time trials. All the teams skate on the same day and the fastest team wins. In the Olympics, the Team Pursuit takes place over three days in a playoff format. Lose in the semi-finals and you lose your shot at a gold medal.

Won or lose, Team Canada will still have a shot in the bronze medal race against South Korea where they will be massive favourites.

Assuming that Weidemann, wins a third medal she will become only the second female Canadian speedskater in history to win at least three medals in the same Olympics, bettering both Clara Hughes,

Isabelle Weidemann holds up her silver medal after placing second in the 5,000-metre event in Beijing. ANDREW LAHODYNSKY/COC PHOTO who one a gold and a bronze at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy; Catriona Le May Doan who won a gold and a bronze in Nagano, Japan in 1998; and Kristina Groves who won two silver medals in Turin and a silver and bronze medal in Vancouver in 2010. Only the great Cindy Klassen has won

more with a gold, two silver and two bronze medals, also in Turin.

Weidemann had high hopes heading into the Olympics after placing second in three of the four World Cup events this season over 3,000 and 5,000 metres.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

February 17, 2022 • Volume 36, No. 20 • 13

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HearingLife has an outstanding website at hearinglife.ca where you can take a free online hearing test. You can also find information on the causes of hearing loss, the types of hearing loss and the signs and symptoms of hearing loss.

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Hearing tests are provided free of charge in either official language to all adults age 18 and older. Once your hearing loss is properly assessed, they will walk you through the various types of hearing aids that will best suit your needs and provide you with a proper fitting. Once you have your hearing aid(s), you can take advantage of their exclusive 360-AfterCare plan which provides everything you need for three years including batteries.

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Weidemann cheered on by family and friends watching in Calgary Continued from page 13 She has been steadily improving since joining the senior Canadian speed-skating team in 2015. At the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, Korea, she placed sixth in the 5,000 and fifth in the 3,000. At last year’s Single Distance World Championships, she placed fourth in the 5,000 and fifth in the 3,000.

In the 5,000-metre event in Beijing, Weidemann skated in the second-to-last pairing with Ragne Wiklund from Norway and established a time of 6:48.18, temporarily putting her in first place with two skaters to go.

The last pairing was made up of Irine Schouten and Francesca Lollobrigida from Italy, who placed first and second respectively in the 3000-metres.

The two women were ahead of Weidemann’s pace at the halfway mark of the race, before Lollabrigida started falling back.

Schouten, however, kept picking up steam and ended up crossing the finish line in 6:43.51, smashing the 20-year-old Olympic

record held by Claudia Pechstein by 3.4 seconds.

As for her own race, Weidemann said the six plus minutes went by in a flash.

“It went by really fast. I was trying to control it, and think about my technique, but I lost track of the laps. I was trying to find a rhythm, but it was a fight,” said Weidemann.

“I’m so excited. I’m overjoyed. Winning a medal earlier in the week I thought was the top of it, so this is also very exciting. I was hoping the 3,000 wasn’t a fluke.”

At just 23 years of age, Weidemann should be in her prime when the next Olympics are held in Milano Cortina in 2026.

Her main rivals will likely be retired by then – Schouten is 29, and Lollobridgida is 31 – leaving de Jung, who is 26, as her likely main rival.

As Weidemann was skating her way to three medals, her parents John Weidemann and Laura Rockwell were following her every stride at their home in Calgary along with her brother Jake and sister Lily.

The Weidemanns moved to Calgary when

Isabelle made the national team. The team’s main training centre is at the Olympic oval.

In an interview with Global News in Calgary after the 3,000-metre event, Mrs. Weidemann described watching her daughter race.

“We knew she was capable of such a performance, but to actually see it happen... oh, my gosh, we certainly weren’t prepared for the emotions. The incredible pride and love. She’s worked so hard and to see her see it all come together on such a stage is

beyond words.”

Isabelle’s younger siblings Jake and Lily are both competitive athletes in their own right. Jake is a 20-year-old Ontario Quest for Gold athlete who trains at the Calgary Oval as part of Speed Skating Canada;s NextGen team, and Lily has competed at the junior level, skating for Team Ontario at the 2019 Canada Winter Games.

Jake competed in his first World Cup event in Poland in November, placing 13th out of 39 skaters in the 1500 Division B event.

Blondin to seek redemption in Mass Start STAR STAFF – Isabelle Weidemann’s teammate and fellow Gloucester Concorde alum Ivanie Blondin has been waiting four long years for her shot at redemption in the women’s Mass Start event which takes place this Saturday.

Blondin was one of the favourites in the event heading into the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, by an unfortunate fall in the semi-final

ended her shot at a possible medal.

She’s is one of the favourites again this year with a win and two second place results in the three World Cup events so far this season.

The semi-final gets underway at 2:45 a.m. EST and the final is at 5 a.m. EST. You can both races live on the CBC Olympic website or the replay anytime afterwards.

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February 17, 2022 • Volume 36, No. 20 • 15

16 • February 17, 2022 • Volume 36, No. 20