Hello Ottawa

WEDNESDAY DRINKING + DINING UPDATE

• 🗓️ This has to be the earliest we’ve mentioned Canadian-made Advent Calendars: Hello Dolly Pastries is now taking orders for family friendly, adults-only, and politically themed Cookie Advent Calendars. 

• 🪩 Taste of Wellington returns on Saturday September 19 with tastings, shopping, (a oller disco and circus acts, for example), live music performances, and kids’ activities. It’s one long street festival, it’s family-friendly, and it’s all in aid of Parkdale Food Centre. 

  🍷 Author Michael Godel is special guest at La Bottega Nicastro’s Aperitif with Chianti Classico (Tuesday September 22). Godel, who in addition to penning The Next Rooster and other books, is one of Canada's leading wine writers and an Ambasciatore of Chianti Classico. (ByWard Market) 

• 🍺 Kanata Craft Beer Festival is double the fun this year, having your choice of Friday night or Saturday sessions and DJs, live music, beer, cocktails, cider and food. Friday September 11 and Saturday September 12 at 400 March Road (note the new venue as well).

• 🧠 In the Ottawa Citizen, Olivia Belovich talks to restaurant owners and patrons who are sick and tired of pictures of food being created by artificial intelligence. 

• 🍽️ Marissa Galko in the Ottawa Business Journal notes that there are eight new resto openings and a reopening on the agenda. Opening are Carletto, Tough Luck Wine Bar on Somerset this month, Chinese tea chain HeyTea at Rideau Centre (at some future date), North Wharf seafood in the old Chippers Bakery on Somerset (at some future date), noodle chain Ajisen Ramen to Lansdowne (at some future date), a third Schoolhouse pizza in the former Fairouz in the ByWard Market  (at some future date), and a third Umbrella Burger in Westboro next month.

• Reopening is Yangtze Restaurant and Dining Lounge, with some new takes on its decade-old menu.

• 🥃 Stratford-Fox Distillery in Kanata had been planning to expand into the United States but because – well, you know – it is working on distributing in Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan.

STATISTICS OTTAWA

NUMBER

• 14

• Where Ottawa lies on CBRE’s annual North American Scoring Tech Talent report, dropping one place from 13 last year. San Francisco is, unsurprisingly, in first place. For Canadian cities, Toronto placed highest at number five.

• — CBRE

OTTAWAN OF THE DAY

• Lindy Samson

• Samson, who is the Chief of Staff and Chief Medical Officer for CHEO for five more days, will become the hospital’s new Strategic Lead for Integrated Child and Youth Systems and Population Health Outcomes.

• Besides needing a  postcard-sized business card to fit that title, the new position works in coöperation with the City to ‘strengthen connections between health, housing and community services and improve health outcomes for children in our city’. 

  — CHEO

QUOTE

“

• I’m embarrassed that, in the nation’s capital, we have Donald Trump honoured in this respect

– River ward councillor Riley Brockington to City Council, arguing that it is time to rename Trump Avenue in the Central Park neighbourhood. A similar bid to change the name in 2021 was turned down by local residents.

While no one is 100 per cent certain that the street is named after Donald Trump, the late 1990s developer obviously had a thing for New York bestowing streets with names like Madison Park, Manhattan Crescent, and Staten Street.

— Josh Pringle at CTV

SPORTS

⚾ FRONTIER Ottawa Titans at New York Boulders

Yesterday

⚾ FRONTIER Ottawa Titans  3 at New York Boulders 4

PLEASE SUPPORT THE OTTAWAN

WHAT’S GOING ON AT CITY HALL

WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

THE DAILY POLL

Have you ever taken part in the Clean the Capital campaign?

🔘 Yes

🔘 No, but I’d like to

🔘 No, this is the kind of thing that our taxes should pay for

🔘 I could use a team to come and do something about my kitchen

🔘 Thousands of people getting up early and spending a weekend cleaning a ditch? That's possibly the most Ottawa thing ever

• 
  Previously in OTTAWAN polls:

• Are you ready for school to start next Tuesday?

  • 19% Yes, I love the kids but it’s been a long summer

  • 7% No, I’ve loved having the kids around and will miss them

  • 20% What in the name of Champlain’s Astrolabe!?! I had no idea school was starting so soon!

  • 45% Not sending off any kids, it’ll just be another Tuesday except with more traffic

  • 9% I am one of the kids going back to school. An actual OTTAWAN-subscribing kid

Commentary

▪️ “And more parking on the Sandy Hill streets.”

▪️ “We homeschool so it’s just another Tuesday, but we are excited for all the other kids to go back to school so we can have museums, parks, libraries, etc around Ottawa to ourselves again during the day 😊.”

▪️ “After having the kids home for 8 weeks it’s time to go back. Woo hoo September 1st!!!”

▪️ “Wish I could send them back to school, alas they’re in their 20s now.”

▪️ “School started today for our kids, hallelujah.”

▪️ “I always miss them when they’re away from me 🤷🏼‍♀️”

▪️ “What! Already? Those poor kids did not get sufficient time off to enjoy the summer. Outdoor classes perhaps?”

▪️ “No kids, dual income. Headed to Italy a few days after school starts ... :)”

▪️ “I pity the poor French board staff and students who started this Tuesday ...”

▪️ “No kids to send off, but I thought they were going back after Labour Day. Waste of time sending them next week. Nothing will get done.”

▪️ “Retired teacher! Out for breakfast to celebrate!”

HISTORIC OTTAWA LOGO T-SHIRTS

Nortel  T-Shirt Northern Electric was founded in Montréal in 1895, growing into one of the world’s largest and most important telecom companies. Nortel hung up the phone in 2013. It's campus on Carling Avenue became the new home of the Department of National Defence. Help support THE OTTAWAN by buying one of our historic logo t-shirts. Shop for t-shirts

THE ROLLING THREE DAY CALENDAR

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✳️ Means change from previous edition

WEDNESDAY

• The Mayoral Candidate Forum and Meet & Greet will quiz candidates about their ideas for building ‘a resilient, inclusive & greener Ottawa’. Nepean Sportsplex Hall A (Nepean). 

• Australia’s The Wiggles are the big time in children's entertainment. Ottawa’s toddlers-in-the-know have already got their tickets for one of today’s two performances; there’s still time to nab tickets for the 2:30 pm matinee.

• Punk royalty visits Dominion Tavern tonight: Maus Maus from Sheffield, UK has been producing lively tunes since the 80s, meanwhile, Dresden Germany’s High Society will make their Ottawa debut. Ottawa’s own BALM Squad will play singles off their upcoming album, and The Defamed will open.  (ByWard Market) 

• There are still a few Wednesdays left to enjoy Akoustik on Beechwood (35 Barrette St, Vanier, ON K1L 7Z9) Tonight’s lineup: Edra Silva, and Mikhail Laxton's 613 Soul. 

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema: Tony, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma 

• Mayfair Theatre: Two Pianos, The Little Mermaid, Hedwig and the Angry Inch  

Gigs

• Enemies of the Crow, Bella Donna, Celestia. House of TARG

• Marty O’Reilly. Black Sheep Inn

• Hammond B3 Blues night with Don Washington and Jamie Holmes. The Robo Lounge

THURSDAY

• 🏳️‍🌈 Capital Pride offers a Community Breakfast in Dundonald Park (Centretown)

• 🏳️‍🌈 Ottawa Miniature Gallery is one of the city's most intriguing, and this month the six tiny galleries feature exhibitions by 2SLGBTQI+ identifying artists. View them at the National Art Centre's Atrium O’Brien all this month or head to the official opening tonight. (Downtown) 

• 🆓 The Plaza Bridge at Elgin and Rideau Streets will host the brand new Soundscape Festival this evening. The lineup includes Puppy Sierna, OK Naledi, and Tone Cluster.  Look for additional Soundscape events in September. (Downtown) 

• Smurfs screens at the final outdoor movie night at Lansdowne Park. (The Glebe)  

• The Home Alone Safety for Kids one-day course teaches the skills designed to give young people confidence to be at home alone. (Barrhaven) 

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema: Tony, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma  

• Mayfair Theatre: Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World 

Gigs

• Jude Zappala. Fono

• Blank Notion. LIVE on Elgin

• Ash Ravens Band. Rainbow Bistro

• Luke Bryan. Canadian Tire Centre

FRIDAY

• 🏳️‍🌈 🆓 Capital Pride’s grand opening show in the heart of downtown will have you grooving and moving all night to Ralph, La Bronze and DJ Puppy Sierna. 

• Experience the dance, culture, and food at the Capital Ukrainian Festival this weekend. Friday's highlight: beginner-friendly dancing in the Lansdowne Park Plaza. (The Glebe)   

• 🏳️‍🌈 Expect out-of-this-world hijinks at Drag Me to Uranus, featuring Pythia (of Canada's Drag Race 2, RuPaul's Drag Race: Global Allstars season 1, and Canada's Drag Race season 1). Dress code: check the theme, fashion yourself accordingly. (Downtown) 

• 🏳️‍🌈 🆓 Capital Pride presents A Kiss From The Middle East, a drag show with a Middle East flavour. (Downtown) 

• Pull on your cowboy boots and Stetson for Broncs and Tonks, the rodeo and country festival with Black Creek Rodeo and Dean Brody & The Reklaws 

• Meet other folks with good ideas at the Strong Towns Ottawa Monthly Social (Hintonburg) 

• It’s an Ontario battle as Atlético Ottawa takes on Inter Toronto FC (The Glebe) 

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema: Tony, Compostelle, Drunken Cinema: A Nightmare on Elm Street 

• Mayfair Theatre: Sheep in the Box, Franz, The Rocky Horror Picture Show  

Gigs

• Tijuana Bibles (Garage Surf Punk). The Dominion Tavern

• Fired Up Fridays. The Laff

• The Windup. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa

• SpaceCamp. The 27 Club

• Evil Costume Party with Alley Beers, Pomegranate, Sons of Au. Rainbow Bistro

JUST ANNOUNCED

• If you’re missing the excitement of heading back to school, Split Tree Cocktail Co’s Molecular Cocktail Lab Workshop on September 25 is sure to stimulate your brain cells. 

• The La La Ladies community singing group celelbrates the beauty of the female voice, while singing a range of music (Session 1 Fall 2026 is Songs of Fleetwood Mac). 

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BUT, ONE MORE THING ...

The Ottawa Business Journal has released its ‘Top 20 Best Places to Work in 2026’ list. They are:

Small employers (15-49 employees)

• Relax Massage Group
• LiveWorkPlay / VivreTravaillerJouer
• Jennings Real Estate Corp.
• Numbercrunch
• Stoneworks Technologies
• Trellis Corp.
• McCay Duff LLP
• Amsted Design-Build

Medium employers (50-249 employees)

• Snowed In Studios
• Bushbalm
• Ottawa Tourism
• Kongsberg Geospatial
• Knak
• Mann Lawyers LLP
• TPH Plumbing and Heating

Large employers (250+ employees)

• Entuitive
• Dilfo Mechanical Ltd
• Arup
• Pomerleau Inc.
• JL Richards & Associates Ltd

RAPID RESPONSE QUALITY CONTROL

THE END

THE OTTAWAN is written and edited every working weekday by Martha and Darren. Is there something that Ottawa should know about? Email to us at hello@theottawan.com. We read every single comment.