Ottawa best place to live in Canada
OTTAWA—MONEYSENSE MAGAZINE HAS named Ottawa the best place to live in Canada for the third consecutive year.
The magazine used hard, measurable data, such as economic statistics, climate, and crime rates, to rank cities. In addition to cultural offerings and family-friendly lifestyle, Canada’s capital boasts high income levels, owing to plentiful government jobs.
Notable mentions on the list include Burlington, Ont., in second place and Kingston, Ont., in third. Canada’s biggest cities did not place well this year, with Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal ranked 47th, 56th, and 149th respectively.
—Megan Delaire
Tulip festival back in the capital
OTTAWA—THE CANADIAN TULIP Festival received a Celebrate Ontario grant of $350,000. The festival is now finalizing plans and programming for its 60th anniversary. After receiving funding from both the City of Ottawa and the Department of Canadian Heritage, the additional grant means the festival can now move forward.
“It was very positive news from the Ontario government and that now completes the funding picture and the festival can finalize plans,” said David Luxton, volunteer chair and financial patron of the festival, to the Ottawa Citizen.
A Friendship Garden in the ByWard Market, an International Pavillion in Little Italy, a Celebridée series, as well as an anniversary party for the festival, will all be featured at this year’s 60th anniversary.
“It’s actually refreshing to be out talking to these business groups and see their enthusiasm for this to happen.” Luxton said.
—Spencer Van Dyk
OC Transpo app not fully functional
OTTAWA—OC TRANSPO GENERAL manager John Marconi said the global-positioning data that calculates the locations of its buses for their iPhone app is unreliable. The app is used to determine the arrival of buses at particular stops, but Marconi said the technology is not entirely accurate.
He went on to say it is unclear whether the issue is with the GPS equipment or how the data is transmitted and processed. A resolution is expected to be found by April or May, but because the root of the problem is not yet clear, OC Transpo is not making any guarantees.
The delay in re-releasing the app is affecting OC Transpo’s attempts to adjust and solidify bus schedules and ensure buses are arriving on time.
—Spencer Van Dyk
Sixteen-year-old sends police on high-speed chase
GATINEAU, Que.—A 16-YEAR-OLD GIRL faces charges after stealing a security van from a Gatineau hospital and leading police on a high-speed chase in the early hours of March 21.
Security guards transferred the girl from a youth correctional facility to the hospital after she complained of illness. Upon arrival at the hospital, the girl stole the van when the guards were distracted.
Police spotted the van a few hours later and a half-hour chase ensued on Gatineau’s Highway 50. Police used a spike belt to pop the vehicle’s tires, though the girl persisted in attempts to flee, striking two police cars in the process. She was eventually apprehended, and there were no injuries.
—Samantha Cowan
