CBC Ottawa's most-read stories of 2019
CBC News | Posted: December 31, 2019 9:00 AM | Last Updated: December 31, 2019
Some may be hard to remember, others not easy to forget
Here are CBC Ottawa's 10 most-read stories from 2019, in chronological order:
'Abandoned' in Mexico
The first story happened the first weekend of January, far from the snowy capital.
After sitting on the tarmac for hours, vacationers on a WestJet flight returning to Ottawa from Mexico were dropped off at a hotel that wasn't expecting them. They told CBC they felt "abandoned" in an unfamiliar country.
Admitting it had failed its passengers, the airline refunded their fare, paid for any extra expenses and gave them a $500 travel credit.
Tragedy at Westboro station
Minutes after a double-decker OC Transpo bus taking commuters home to Kanata smashed into a shelter overhang at Westboro station, this was the breaking news story that appeared on our website.
The Jan. 11 crash killed public servants Judy Booth, 57, Bruce Thomlinson, 56, and Anja van Beek, 65. Many more passengers were scarred for life.
Driver Aissatou Diallo faces 35 charges of dangerous driving causing bodily harm and three charges of dangerous driving causing death. Her trial is expected to begin in March 2021.
As we near the first anniversary of the tragedy, the city is also facing several million dollars' worth of lawsuits.
Police suicide
An Ontario Provincial Police constable stationed at the Kanata detachment in Ottawa's west end killed himself in late March. His name has not been publicly released.
Since then, there have been reviews of police mental health in Ontario and beyond, including an expert report put together by Ontario's chief coroner that said officers need better resources.
If you feel you need help, you can contact the Association québécoise de prévention du suicide at 1-866-APPELLE (1-866-277-3553) or Ottawa Suicide Prevention at 613-238-3311.
Lowertown ghost hotel
Jason Yung moved from Ottawa to New York City for school, and in January found someone to rent his ByWard Market condo.
When that tenant quickly posted the unit on Airbnb and guests started churning through, there was nothing Yung could initially do stop him.
In an update earlier this month, Yung said he'd managed to evict his tenant in October after a few different legal attempts, and then sold the condo.
The City of Ottawa approved new Airbnb rules at the end of November that would require short-term rental hosts to have revokable permits, but they won't take hold until late 2020 because the specific bylaws still need to be drawn up and passed.
Fictional president vs. real Premier
Around the end of May, Nepean MPP Lisa MacLeod and Premier Doug Ford suggested that former Saskatchewan premier Tommy Douglas, recognized as the father of universal health care in Canada, would have approved of Ontario Progressive Conservatives' moves toward fiscal discipline.
Douglas' famous grandson disagreed.
The star of the show Designated Survivor has not tweeted about Ontario provincial politics since, focusing most of his posts on his music career.
Hydro hike
This year Hydro One changed how it bills cottagers and other seasonal customers.
The utility said in the summer that rates would go up for more than half of these customers.
A visit to Christie Lake near Perth, Ont., in August offered a snapshot of how upset that made some people.
Rick Chiarelli
More women came forward with allegations of inappropriate behaviour against longtime Ottawa city councillor Rick Chiarelli in the days after CBC first reported on the matter in mid-September.
To date, 12 women have told CBC he acted inappropriately at work or during job interviews.
Chiarelli has denied all allegations and has said he is challenging the authority of the city's integrity commissioner to investigate them.
On Dec. 13, Chiarelli's office said he was in the hospital to get quadruple bypass heart surgery.
Resort attack
Here's another story that caught on that happened well outside our region.
Ottawa's Lexie York said she was attacked in her Mexican resort room in mid-November by a man she'd met earlier in the day.
She required hours of surgery on her face, and when she spoke to CBC more than a week later, she still couldn't see properly.
Mexican authorities have charged a man they call "Ricardo N." with attempted murder and aggravated assault.
Her brother said in mid-December she's expecting more surgery on her jaw and one of her eyes.
Plane crash fallout
This was the story the day after the crash in northwestern Kingston, Ont., that killed a family of five from Texas and two friends from the Toronto area.
We've since found out the names and ages of all the victims:
- Otabek Oblokulov, 37, and his wife Zamira Boboeva, 36.
- Their children Muhammadali, 14, Jasmine, 10, and five-year-old Ilyas.
- Bobomurod Nabiev, the pilot's 28-year-old brother-in-law, and his wife Sabina Usmanova, 27.
The Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
It's too soon to know when they may release their findings, but it's likely a matter of months, not weeks.
SIN scam
In late November, Julia-Shea Baker got a call from a man who claimed to be an RCMP officer.
The man said a car rented under her name had been found in Toronto with blood and drugs inside.
He sent the panicking 23-year-old off to drive around her hometown of Cornwall, Ont., to buy gift cards to protect her savings, and told her to share the numbers and codes with him.
The ordeal cost her $4,000, and when she followed up with local police the next day, she realized she'd been had.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre later shared tips with CBC Ottawa on how to spot and avoid this increasingly popular type of scam, as well as a few others to watch out for over the holidays.