🎓 Grade nine and ten students in the Ottawa Carleton School District will once again sit end of year exams. The provincially appointed supervisor Robert Plamondon, who has surplanted the Board, made the decision yesterday. Plamondon says that problems with the District go ‘beyond budgeting’.  – CBC 

✂️ A new report finds that up to 24,000 Federal public employees jobs could be cut in the Capital. The analysis from the the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives reckons that 57,000 full time equivalents could be cut by 2028, with the bulk in the Ottawa – Gatineau area. – Matteo Cimellaro in the Ottawa Citizen 

🎤 The National Capital Commission has refused a permit for US singer Sean Feucht in a Gatineau park. In an email to the CBC, the Commission wrote ‘The NCC will not be issuing an event permit that had been requested for Jacques-Cartier Park North following consultation with the Gatineau Police Service and due to concerns about public safety and security for and around the event’. Parks Canada made the same decision in Halifax Tuesday for the same reason. Feucht is considered part of the MAGA movement in the US. – CBC 

✈️ WestJet will be cancelling its Ottawa flights to Winnipeg and Fort Meyers this winter. WestJet blames shifting demand. – Josh Pringle at CTV 

🛻 Chris Barber asks for an absolute discharge at his sentencing hearing. This would mean no criminal record. The laywer for coaccused Tamara Lich will make his request today. Lich and Barber were both found guilty of mischief for the January 2022 siege of downtown, with Barber receiving an extra count of ‘counselling others to disobey a court order’. The Crown has asked for sentences of seven and eight years respectively. – David Baxter in the Canadian Press

THURSDAY

• Next Door comes alive for the Queer Roller Disco & Drag Party, featuring skate rentals, a cash bar, and big beats.

• Meet your squad at Hintonburg Night Market for shopping, art, and great food. Bonus: tonight's market is also a meet-up of Vespa Club of Ottawa (unofficial), so get ready to ogle gorgeous bikes. 

• Ten Toes (837 Somerset St. W) launches City Limits, a new DJ series tonight. Head there at 8:00 pm for all-vinyl synth, techno, dark wave, industrial, post-punk, and New Wave vibes. 

• Voices of Hope Open Mic Night will spotlight emerging voices, amplify stories of healing and resistance, and raise funds for the Legacy of Hope Foundation, a national Indigenous-led charity working to educate and create awareness about the Residential School System and its ongoing impact. 

• Meet adoptable dogs at It Takes a Village Dog Rescue’s event. 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm at PetSmart 1750 Innes Road. 

• Today at Chamberfest: 10:00 am: David Marks (violist) and Max Cardilli (double bassist); Shunske Sato & Shuann Chai: Violin Sonatas with (Forte)piano (noon); Fortepiano Workshop with Shuann Chai (2:00 pm); Record Centre: Jenna Richards (5:00 pm); Pianist Illia Ovcharenko with Ironwood Quartet (7:00 pm); ᐊᐊᐧᓱᐃᐧᐣ Awasowin: Cris Derksen & Friends (9:30 pm)

• LA-based comedian Leslie Liao brings her observational and matter-of-fact material to Laugh Lounge.

• Tavi Weisz meditates on the intersection of humanity, memory, and reflection in a new exhibition entitled The Quiet Between. Vernissage from 5:00 pm to 8:00 on at Galerie St-Laurent + Hill.

• If the weather allows, A Company of Fools presents The Comedy of Errors in Lansdowne Park from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.

• ByTowne Cinema: Eddington, Sorry, Baby

• Mayfair Theatre: To A Land Unknown, The Phoenician Scheme, Band of Outsiders

  Gigs

• Duo Joe Ray McDonald. Panorama Patio (Canadian Museum of History)

• Tokoni, FAE. Songs from the Shed (Sparks St)

• Shirley. LIVE on Elgin

• The Lazys. 27 Club

• Trivia Night. McIntosh's Cider House (Saunders Farm)

FRIDAY

• Creative Mornings Ottawa will wake you up with an inspiring chat with dancer, registered nurse, and Moov Ottawa founder and artistic director Alea de Castro. Enjoy invigorating beats as you mingle and sample the coffee and treats, then settle in for the talk and Q&A with Alea, and maybe learn some new dance moves. It will all over by 10:00am, when you head out to work with a big grin on your face.  

• Shrug off the stresses of the week at Rahim Salsa. You'll start with a Bachata lesson and then dance the night away.

• Music Bingo is back at Calabogie Brewing’s Kanata taproom. 

• 🆓 Capital Pop-Up Cinema screens Spice World at Beechwood Cemetery. 

• Road Trip: Visit some of your favourite local breweries at Almonte Craft Beer Fest outside the Old Town Hall. 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm.  

• Today at Chamberfest: At noon: A Brahms Expedition, Vol. I: Beginnings with pianist Carson Becke, NAC Orchestra violinist Jeremy Mastrangelo, and cellist Julia MacLaine.  Jenna Richards plays again at Record Centre at 5:00 pm. Montréal Guitare Trio celebrates the release of their brand-new album at 7:00 pm and the day closes with Comedy Night with Sarah Hagen: Perk up, Pianist! 

• Side by Side Weekend art and music festival opens at Club SAW.        Flexible ticket options including a completely FREE show on Sunday July 27.

• Art House’s monthly 1920s speakeasy returns for an evening of Jazz, ragtime, and blues. 

• Drunken Cinema screens True Lies, a 1994 film about a spy who keeps his wife the dark about his job. TBH, Martha found the film depressingly sexist back in 1994, and she doubts it has aged well. 

• ByTowne Cinema: Cloud, Eddington, Sorry, Baby, Drunken Cinema:  True Lies

• Mayfair Theatre:  Bad Shabbos, Life of Chuck, The Rocky Horror Picture Show

  Gigs

• Adrian Sutherland. Red Bird

• QI de Abelha. Rainbow Bistro

• Beervana: tribute to Nirvana. Kaffé 1870 (Wakefield)

• Tribe 3. City at Night

• The Keystrings. Ridge Rock Brewing

• Mama Mush, Dantes Paradise, I Love You Dearly. Avant-Garde Bar

• 80s Dance Party. House of TARG

• Cowboys From Hell: A Tribute to Pantera. Brass Monkey

SATURDAY

• Freedom Dog Rescue celebrates its 10th birthday with a BBQ at Stray Dog Brewing.

• Bring your own lawn chair or picnic blanket to Capital Pop Up Cinema’s screening of The Sandlot outside the Merivale Mall.

• Today at Chamberfest: Yoga with Becky Radmore & and Julia MacLaine (cello); Masterclass: Shuann Chai (piano); Bring the Kids: Pianist and Comedian Sarah Hagen; The Gesualdo Six: Wishing Tree; Rideau Hall: The Central Band of the Canadian Forces; uOttawa Senécal Prize Winner Éric Bouchard: Romanticism, Past and Present (piano) ; Rideau Hall: The Central Band of the Canadian Forces; Chamber Chat: Jens Lindemann; Mozart & Vivaldi’s Four Seasons: Shunske Sato; Jens Lindemann and friends: Tribute to Trumpet Greats

• Carivibe Reach the Beach Weekend brings tropical sounds, food, and vibes to Petrie Island

• There'a a double header of excitement at the Ottawa Valley Roller Derby this evening.  First, Quebec Roller Derby comes to town to face the A-level travel team Ottawa Valley Rapids. Then, House League teams Valley Cats meet the Street Rats. 

• Thr33's Company Snack Bar's fifth birthday party is going to feature giveaways, samples, prizes, and loads of special food and drink. 

• Side by Side Weekend continues at SAW Centre.

• The East Ottawa Wine & Fruit Tour is a trip along Ottawa's pioneer wine trail, starting with a visit to Domaine Perrault in Navan for a guided vineyard tour and tastings of three estate wines at Ottawa's oldest winery.

• Treasure hunting
  Go hunting at Urban Art Collective’s Antique, Vintage & Thrift Market (1088 Somerset St W); Ottawa Geek Garage Sales in Vanier; and The Knick Knack & More Community Garage Sale in Navan

• Yoga
  Do your cat/cows under a hot sun at March Meadow Farm’s Yoga at the Farm The $20 session is suitable for all levels; let them know you’re coming info@marchmeadow.ca; Get into Pure Flow on the patio of Tavern at the Gallery (National Gallery of Canada, 380 Sussex Dr).

• Road Trip: The town of Carleton Place is bringing magicians, artisans, food vendors, and fun for the whole fam to the Bridge Street Summerfest. 

• At the markets
  Celebrate creativity, identity, and community at the Queer Market (Next Door, Saturday and Sunday), a queer-centered market spotlighting LGBTQIA+ makers, artists, and small businesses; Cumberland Farmer’s Market welcomes local growers, makers, and caffeine by Coffee Cartel and CCA Coffee; Road Trip: 45 vendors of local produce, treats, and crafts are waiting to meet you at Metcalfe Farmers Market. Meanwhile in Carp, Station 64 local responders will be on site at Carp Farmer's Market's Safety Day. 

• Down on the farm
  BeetBox Farm hosts Ottawa Garlic Festival, a harvesting-bunching-contest and good time with tunes, food, and even a visit from … Santa. It’s all getting underway at 8:00 am. Join the Ottawa Farm Fresh’s Carrot Weeding Bee for a relaxed “shift” in the fields and a yummy lunch. Gees Bees Co offers a weekly meet and greet with the little buzzers for just $7 per person. Mingle with more than 50 vendors at the dog-friendly Fetch Local Market at Walter Baker Park (Kanata). If you’re curious about traditional, low-impact mowing techniques, the Scything Workshop at Gaia Organics is a good fit.

• ByTowne Cinema: La Pie voleuse (Stealing Angel), Sorry, Baby, Cloud, Eddington

• Mayfair Theatre: The Life of Chuck, Crash, Saturday Night Sinema    
  
  Gigs

• A Night Between Amigos. Night Oat

• Primary Colours. National Arts Centre

• Honky Tonk Heroes. Gavan's (Quyon, QC)

• Inferno. LIVE on Elgin

• Shrek Rave. 27 Club

• Joe Ray McDonald. Irene’s Pub

JUST ANNOUNCED / NOW BOOKING

• Enjoy early evening drinks at La Bottega Nicastro on Thursday August 7. Summer Aperitivo with Bar Amaro starts off with a Cappalleti Spritz and moves on to summer wines, and you'll enjoy antipasti and bread along the way. 

• See World War II tanks come to life at the Canadian War Museum's War Machines Weekend. Saturday August 9 and Sunday August 10. Free with admission.