NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

uGatineau Smile, you’re on camera! Photo radar systems, which capture the licence plates of speeders and red-light runners and then send a ticket by mail, are coming to Gatineau this fall. A previous plan suggested various locations for the cameras, including Maloney, Maisonneuve, and Sacré-Coeur boulevards. Undoubtedly a cash generator for a province in the red, although Gatineau’s mayor insists that it’s not about money, it’s about safety.

uKanata Shoe lovers will be pleased to learn that Saks Fifth Avenue is coming to Ottawa. One of up to 25 Off Fifth stores to open in Canada is set to take over the largest store available at the Tanger Outlet Mall, which can mean only one thing: more space for more shoes.

uDowntown Are Sparks Street monuments cursed? The Kinetic Clock suffered repeated hits from trucks and plows until it was removed in 2013. The grizzly statue was damaged — and then removed to make way for a proposed $4.5-million Stanley Cup monument, which is feeling the curse because fundraising has stalled. A design competition was scheduled to launch this year, but at press time no details were available.

uSandy Hill The Beth Shalom synagogue on Chapel Street has closed its doors after 60 years. Congregants agreed to sell it to a developer — who will transform it into condos and retail space — and will meet at Soloway Jewish Community Centre (near Carling and Maitland) until they find a permanent home.

uVanier Construction continues on a $9.2-million pedestrian bridge over the Rideau River, which will connect the neighbourhoods of Sandy Hill and Overbrook. Until work is completed next summer, cyclists and pedestrians will have to watch their backs on the narrow Cummings Bridge.