An underage driver took their younger sibling on an early morning Thanksgiving joyride in Ottawa Valley. The children, aged 11 and nine, snuck their parents’ car out onto the streets on Monday just before 3 am, and proceeded to attempt burnouts in an undisclosed area. This caught the attention of a nearby officer on foot patrol, who called for reinforcements. After an initial attempt to stop the vehicle, it sped away but officers did not pursue it immediately. It didn’t take long before they found the vehicle crashed into a nearby cornfield, and the youths, spotted by an OPP canine unit that hour later, were found without serious injuries and returned to their parents. However, due to their ages, no criminal charges could be laid, although the family was informed at length of the incident and its repercussions.

The newest school under the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board will bear the name of a former Prime Minister. Brian Mulroney Elementary School, named after the late federal leader, opened this year, with an inauguration ceremony that took place on Wednesday. In attendance were members of the Mulroney family, who participated in the ribbon-cutting and shared some remarks with those in attendance. It was an event that son Ben Mulroney said was “deeply impactful”, along with knowing that generations of children to come would gain memories being at the school named after his father, whose leadership ran from 1984 to 1993 and who passed away in 2024.

Even though school trustees have been running for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) in the upcoming municipal elections, they would be unpaid and carry no official bearing on their otherwise usual duties in school councils. Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra said on Wednesday that “no immediate plans” were in place to reinstate the role of trustees in the board despite the ongoing move to elect them this year due to the OCDSB still being under direct provincial government supervision, as is the case with other major provincial school boards. Financial deficits and alleged budget mismanagement have caused the board to be sent into this monitoring state, although Calandra also said that “really good progress” has been made since the indefinite takeover.