The National Capital Commission wants to beef up the city's Greenbelt. It hopes to expand the "emerald necklace" by 2,400 hectares. That includes large parcels of land along the southern edge of the existing Greenbelt in Barrhaven and Orleans, as well as a large chunk in Kanata. The NCC's chief executive officer, Marie Lemay, says the Greenbelt expansion plan "is an affirmation of its value to the city," writes the Ottawa Citizen's Mohammed Adam.

The Citizen created a map that illustrates the existing (in green)—and proposed (in red)—Greenbelt boundaries.

For her part, Citizen city affairs columnist Joanne Chianello wrote that the plan, which could be approved as early as this fall, will provoke controversy. "Are there problems with the NCC’s proposal? Arguably, tons. Is the plan going to cause a lot of consternation? For sure. Will it spark lively, even contentious, debate? No question."

For all its potential problems, writes Chianello, the NCC plan is a bold one. The same can't be said for mayor Jim Watson, whose State of the City speech yesterday morning, she writes, lacked vision.

Ontario's Ministry of Labour laid charges against the Ottawa Catholic School Board under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The charges were in relation to the death of Eric Leighton, an 18-year-old student at Mother Theresa Catholic Secondary School who was killed when an oil drum he was turning into a barbecue exploded. Four other students were injured. The ministry laid three charges: failing to provide instruction or supervision, failing to take every reasonable precaution to protect the workplace and failing to properly acquaint a supervisor with hazards associated with the handling of equipment at the shop.

OC Transpo is moving ahead with the public release of its bus-location data. Metroland reporter Laura Mueller broke the news that OC Transpo will release the GPS data to the public, and quoted Beacon Hill-Cyrville councillor Tim Tierney, an open data advocate on city council, saying those opposed to releasing the data had a change of heart. The Citizen reports that Kanata North councillor Marianne Wilkinson and Cumberland councillor Stephen Blais also support the release of the data.

Ottawa police hope to meet with sex workers in an effort to learn more about a series of unsolved local homicides. "The two-person unit is planning to hold meetings with sex-trade workers in shelters and away from the streets in an effort to bridge relations," reports CBC Ottawa, who spoke with one local sex worker who says she wouldn't talk to police.

Related: Sex workers fear predators, but also police

CTV Ottawa anchor Carol Anne Meehan's husband is still missing. She wrote on her Facebook page yesterday that anyone who knows anything about the whereabouts of her her husband, 56-year-old pharmacist Greg Etue, should call police. Meehan's Facebook wall is full of well wishes.

Additional reading:

Anthems study ranks O Canada fourth (Ottawa Citizen)

Scott legacy finds home at City Hall (Ottawa Sun)

Mock draft: Who does Alfredsson take first? (Ottawa Sun)

To read the MorningFile local news roundup in other cities, or to suggest a link we should include, check out the #MorningFile hashtag on Twitter.

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