Hello Ottawa
In Today’s Edition
→ A part of the Skateway has been cordoned off after a chunk of concrete was found on the ice
→ Registration for City-run March Break programs begin tomorrow
→ Deals of the Day on hand printed napkins and tea towels from Havyn, prints from Koyman Galleries, and non-alc beer from Perth Brewing
– Martha and Darren
STATISTICS OTTAWA
NUMBER
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$400,000
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– The amount of money that the owners of the House of Pizza, formerly at 747 Richmond Road, have been awarded by the Ontario Land Tribunal, after their strip mall location had been expropriated by the City for O Train construction. The City had initially offered $100,000.
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OTTAWAN OF THE DAY
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Natasha Mumba
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The playwright and actor has a hit on her hands with Copperbelt at the National Arts Centre. Mumba is a former drama student of Canterbury High School. Reviews at CBC, Apt 613, and CityNews.
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Copperbelt runs until January 24.
QUOTE
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It’s kind of dangerous with kids out playing, I don’t want them gone — I just want them to move on
– Alta Vista resident Janice Hayes on the tens of thousands of crows that have been hanging around the neighbourhood.
SPORTS
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🥍 NLL Ottawa Black Bears 10 – Buffalo Bandits 9, last Friday
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🏒 NHL Ottawa Senators 3 – Detroit Red Wings 4, yesterday
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🏒 NHL Ottawa Senators 5 – Montréal Canadiens 6, last Saturday
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🏒 OHL Ottawa 67s 5 – Peterborough Petes 2, yesterday
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🏒 OHL/CHL Ottawa 67s 5 – Les Olympiques de Gatineau 3, last Saturday
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🏒 OHL/CHL Ottawa 67s 2 – Les Olympiques de Gatineau 1, last Friday
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WHAT’S GOING ON AT CITY HALL
Accessibility Advisory Committee
Tuesday, January 19 at 6:00 pm- Rental Renovation License By-law
- 2026 Municipal Elections
- OC Transpo Accessibility Plan Consultation
- Stability Belts on OC Transpo Conventional Buses
WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT
🚧 A part of the Skateway has been cordoned off after a chunk of concrete fell from the Bronson Avenue Bridge. The City has investigated and is not worried about the bridge’s structural integrity.– CBC
🛃 Ten passengers on an international Air Canada flight were directed past customs at Ottawa International Airport and sent directly to collect their baggage. After Air Canada notified the Canada Border Services Agency, some passengers were cleared through customs but others were not found. – Josh Pringle at CTV
📱 Ottawa Police Service will now start texting residents after they call for help. For both emergency and non-emergency reports, callers will receive texts about what the next step will be, report numbers, and approximate time an officer will show up. – Ottawa Police Service
🚇 On Friday, we mentioned that the Alto high speed project is considering reusing the downtown former Union Station. The Globe & Mail has an expanded piece on that outside of its paywall. There are no further more details but there are interviews with several worthies who are in favour of the idea. – Bill Curry and Sean Silcoff in the Globe & Mail
THE DAILY POLL
Do you think that the City should buy the private landfill in the east end?
🔘 Yes, the existing landfill will fill up sooner than later
🔘 Yes, alternative rubbish disposal ideas are not viable
🔘 No, we should radically cut back our waste
🔘 No, we should be burning rubbish for energy
🔘 The law should be: if you bring it onto your property, it doesn’t leave
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Previously in ottawan polls: -
We asked, ‘Are you in favour of returning train service to Union Station?’
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17% Yes, it should never have moved
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26% Yes, it allows better access to downtown and O Train lines
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14% No, we shouldn’t separate Alto and VIA Rail lines
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25% No, downtown is busy enough
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18% Let’s bring back the Britania Beach streetcar whilst we are at it
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Commentary
▪️ “And move the VIA trains back downtown, too!”
▪️ “Yay for downtown train service just like in Europe!”
▪️ “If you have seen photos from when trains came into downtown, you can easily see that the infrastructure to have it return no longer exists. It’s too pretty now to destroy.”
▪️ “The current VIA Rail station is closer to an O Train station, has long term parking, more space for curbside drop-off and pick-up and easy access to the 417.”
▪️ “Yes makes sense to have a train station right in the heart of downtown as other cities do. Seems like Ottawa does everything backwards.”
▪️ “It makes total sense that it be downtown. While we are at it, we should also have a national portrait gallery downtown.”
▪️ “Why stop at the Britania streetcar? Put the train back downtown and fill the city with road-level streetcars.”
▪️ “I don’t know. Still new enough to Ottawa to not really know where all the neighbourhoods and places are!!”
▪️ “Love the building, love it going downtown but only if it means using the current underground system. Tracks along the canal made the canal look terrible and would hate to go back to that!”
▪️ “Train stations should be in the downtown area of every city and are for the most part.”
▪️ “Moving the VIA station to the middle of nowhere was another wrong-headed move by our predecessors, who insisted that literally everything in the city have front-door access by car at any given moment. Autowa, as they say.”
▪️ “Overall, Ottawa actually hasn’ been that terrible in terms of long-term vision within urban planning (there is plenty to complaining about on a micro level, of course). But moving the station away from downtown was short-sighted indeed!”
▪️ “There’s a great episode of This is Ottawa about this. We would lose Colonel By Drive and all the green space that surrounds it to bring trains back downtown.”
▪️ “The decision to move trains from downtown was a colossal mistake back in the 60s. The current train station location does not serve the needs of a capital city. It needs to be in a downtown location. Thank you.”
▪️ “If the Union Station is opened again it will generate plenty of commercial activity around it (look at central stations in other cities that have their stations downtown). This could be what the Ottawa downtown needs.”
▪️ “Parking would be a nightmare downtown.”HISTORIC OTTAWA LOGO T-SHIRTS
Talisman Motoro Inn T-Shirt
The Beachcomber Room tiki bar at the Talisman Motor Inn was where Ottawa swingers could be found in the early 60s
Help support the ottawan by buying one of our historic logo t-shirts.
Shop for t-shirts
THE ROLLING THREE DAY CALENDAR
Is there an event we should know about?
Please use our easy event submission form✳️ Means change from previous edition
MONDAY
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Start your week at Beckta, where lunch is now served every weekday. (Downtown)
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Free Transit Ottawa presents Launch Party: A New Vision for Transit at Irene's Pub, featuring performances, speakers, DJ, and an open mic to end the evening (The Glebe).
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A brand-new, four week session of intermediate and advanced Salsa classes begin tonight at Vibe Academy (Sandy Hill).
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Flex your improv muscles with Wayward Improvised Theatre’s Wheel of Whatever. This week’s theme: ‘Wanderlust Into Night.’ (Old Ottawa South).
Cinema
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ByTowne Cinema: The Choral, Blue Monday Sing-along: Les Misérables, No Other Choice
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Mayfair Theatre: Nuremburg, Vampires Lesbos
Gigs
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Soul Rhythms. National Arts Centre
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Karaoke Mondays. Atomic Rooster
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Geek Trivia. Level One Game Pub
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The 5-Star Monday Band. The Laff
TUESDAY
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Registration for City-run March Break programs begins at 9:00 pm tonight. Be sure to check the offerings before that time and get ready to click (online).
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Join the Karlo Estates Wine Tasting & Dinner at Petit Bill’s Bistro, and enjoy wines only available in fine restaurants (Wellintgton West)
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The Ottawa Trivia League finds a new home at Robo Lounge (The Glebe)
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Victoire is holding a one-night-only, indoor sidewalk sale from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Go for the Vintage Victoire, jewelry, and more fun than you would usually expect for a Tuesday night in January. (Wellington West)
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It’s not just trivia. It’s Stranger Things trivia. The Prescott (Little Italy)
Cinema
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ByTowne Cinema: No Other Choice, The Choral
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Mayfair Theatre: Nuremberg, Father Mother Sister Brother, The Running Man
Gigs
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The Funky Bunch. Night Oat
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Fanclub, Crisis Party, Out By Lucy. House of TARG
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Retro Rewind: 70s Karaoke. Rainbow Bistro
WEDNESDAY
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🆓 Violinist Erik Johnson-Scherger presents The Post-Classical Violin, a program of contemporary Canadian repertoire for electronic violin, at today's Doors Open for Music at Southminster United Church.
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The recently rebranded Manor Park Brewing hosts the East-End Ukulele Jam with Christine Graves (St. Laurent Blvd)
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At Nepean Sailing Club’s winter speaker series tonight, hear about kiteboarding for the entire family. (Crystal Beach)
Cinema
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ByTowne Cinema: The Choral, No Other Choice, Staff Picks: Twins
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Mayfair Theatre: Father Mother Sister Brother, When Harry Met Sally…, Vampyros Lesbos
Gigs
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Hip Hop Jam. Red Bird
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Fanclub, Crisis Party, Out By Lucy. House of TARG
JUST ANNOUNCED / NOW BOOKING
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Registration is now open for March and April courses at Green Needle. Classes are available for adults, teens, and kids.
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Why worry about an impossibly significant dinner as dictated by the Valentine's Day Industrial Complex, when you and your person could instead spend a fun Valentine’s Day getting your hands dirty at Hintonburg Pottery? You'll both walk away with your own hand made mug and memories of a genuinely romantic time together. Choose a time slot on Saturday February 14 or Sunday February 15. (Hintonburg)
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Create a Winter Terrarium to brighten up your home during the colder months. Robert Plante Greenhouses, February 21. (Orléans)
MADE IN CANADA DEALS OF THE DAY
Pick up a deal on sweet hand printed napkins and tea towels from Havyn.
Use the code non-alc10%off to save on Perth Brewery's three alcohol-free beers, until January 31.
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BUT, ONE MORE THING ...
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The subject is just a little outside of THE OTTAWAN’s geographic balliwick but, truly, almost anything written by Ottawa Rewind’s Andrew King is worth mentioning.
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The subject is ‘The Lost Village of Ganneious’. King had viewed a 1733 map of the Kingston area and noticed a village named ‘Gonejou’ and wondered if the map makers had misplaced ‘Gananoque’. That led down a rabbit hole ...
RAPID RESPONSE QUALITY CONTROL
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THE END
the ottawan is written and edited every working weekday by Martha and Darren.
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