— Your Evening Update — 

November 20, 2024

Hello,

It's always nice to start off with some good news. So, good news, everyone!

City council has heard the outcry from unhappy Ottawans, and will be backing off its big increase to the cost of seniors' transit passes.

How much they'll scale back their increases is still up in the air. Reporter Ken Warren spoke to some of the decision-makers to find out more about the dollars and cents.

In less good news (at least for me): we might see the first snow this week. Possibly. Maybe.

All that and the rest of your news of the day below.

Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux

PHOTO: Spencer Colby / THE CANADIAN PRESS

PBO 'not holding' his breath over public service layoffs as personnel spending still on the rise

By Catherine Morrison

The amount of money the federal government is spending on workers’ salaries has continued to increase, according to a new report by the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), though that could change as the government plans to cut down on the size of the public service.

According to the PBO report, personnel accounts for around $2.9 billion (or 11.7 per cent) of new spending tabled in the House of Commons on Nov. 19.

About half of that is for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat to cover public service insurance plans and programs ($644 million) and to compensate departments and agencies for negotiated salary adjustments as a result of collective agreements that were signed since last year ($971 million).

“We were not surprised to see the personnel spending continuing to grow because that’s totally consistent with the trend that we’ve seen since 2018-19,” said parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux.

REPORT FINDINGS

 SEETHING SENIORS 

City backs down on lofty monthly transit fare increase for seniors

Today's Evening Update was curated and assembled by Lois Kirkup. Our entire newsroom is proud to produce and share the journalism you see in this newsletter. If you’d like to support the Ottawa Citizen's mission to challenge the capital to be an inspiring, world-class, livable city, why not sign up for a digital subscription? We'd love to have you on board. 

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Ottawa police told Abdirahman Abdi was mentally ill during violent arrest, inquest hears

By Marlo Glass

Multiple bystanders told Ottawa police that Abdirahman Abdi was mentally ill moments before a violent struggle ensued, according to details heard on the third day of an inquest into the man’s death.

Abdi, 38, died on July 25, 2016, one day after being beaten and arrested by Ottawa Police Service officers, who had responded to 911 calls about a man who was allegedly sexually assaulting women at a Hintonburg coffee shop.

An inquest into his death is mandatory under the Coroners Act, to examine the circumstances surrounding his death, as he died in police custody.  A jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing further deaths.

WHAT WITNESSES TOLD POLICE

 DINER'S PICK 

You'll never guess which Ottawa restaurant made OpenTable's Top 100 list

St. Labre Indian School student Jerome Fox

PHOTO: Peter J. Thompson / POSTMEDIA

Residential schools still thrive in the U.S. What they're doing will shock Canada

It is Seniors Night in Big Sky Country. Onto the volleyball court trot the Lady Braves of the St. Labre Indian School, a Catholic residential academy for the daughters and sons of the Crow and Northern Cheyenne tribes of Montana, now in its 141st year.

Opposing them today are the Lady Indians of a rival school called Lodge Grass High from a Crow town on the Little Bighorn River where the median income for an entire family is US$22,222 a year.

The players and coaches on the competing squads are named Bigback, Bullcoming, Killsnight, Bad Bear, Rides Horse, Lefthand, Falls Down, Pretty On Top.

Yes, it is the “St. Labre Indian School.”

Yes, it is a Roman Catholic residential educational institution for Native American pupils from kindergarten through Grade 12.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING ACROSS THE BORDER

 GREENSPACE THREATENED 

NCC looks to revive 'controversial' Rochester Field development through land bank

• Ottawa weather: Will we see the first snow of the season this week?

• As environment committee approves fee increases, delegates want timely climate change data

• Randy Boissonnault stepping down from cabinet after shifting claims on Indigenous heritage

• A quarter of Canadians feel older than they are, study find

• Update: Still no date for Trillium Line opening; builder files 'substantial completion' submission

THE NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE

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