Hello Ottawa

In Today’s Edition

→ Four additional potential measles exposures identified in Ottawa

→ The authors of  the new anthology of stories set in Ottawa, A Capital Mystery,  read at Indigo Pinecrest tomorrow

→ The Deal of the Day:  Made-in-Montréal contemporary lighting from Lambert & Fils

 

Best of Ottawa Awards 2026 We’re halfway through nomination week. Thank you to everyone who has already made nominations in Dining, Drinking, Shops & Services, Culture, Media, and People & Places. Make your nominations here

 

– Martha and Darren

WEDNESDAY DINING + DRINKING UPDATE

• 🙏 Ottawa’s culinary and Inuit communities are devastated by the death of 21 year-old Joshua Qiyuk, a cook at Absinthe. Qiyuk was the victim of a stabbing in the morning of October 22.

• 🌽 And that’s a wrap: Parkdale Market season draws to a close on Friday. 

  🥡 On November 29, enjoy the Beckta Dinner Party in a Box for two to help to raise the funds for 600 brand-new snowsuits for Ottawa children in need 

  🇳🇱 The Dutch grocery store on Merivale has Christmas and Sinterklass (celebrated on December 5) treats: chocolate coins, letters, and truffles, Fondant Muizen, biscuits, and shortbread. 

  🛒 The new  32,000 square feet Food Basics Nepean opening at 3831 Cambrian Road on Thursday will include a pharmacy and will provide 125 new jobs in the community. Food Basics will be donating $5,000 to Barrhaven Food Cupboard.  

  🛒 As well as Japanese knives and accessories at great prices, get yourself one of the new house brand spoonulas at the Knifewear Fall Garage Sale (800 Bank Street, November 3 through 9). 

• 🥖 South Korean chain Paris Baguette plans to open 10 locations in Ottawa, up from six previously planned.

• 🍟 In the Ottawa Citizen, Peter Hum says you’ll find the best fries in town at Good Neighbour on Elgin Street.

• 🍜 Quinn Abugov in The Mainstreeter says the new Taki Ramen in Old Ottawa East is a ‘must try’.

• 🥒 If you have a hankering for sandwiches and pickles, the American chain Jimmy John’s is providing them at its new location in Riverside South.

Advent Calendar alert: 

• 🍁 Maker House’s massive Advent Calendar of uniquely Canadian gifts is back. Amongst other curated treats, it contains seven days of chocolate by five different Canadian producers.  Early bird pricing ends Friday. 
•  
• 🍪 Hello Dolly Pastries offers three different cookie Advent calendars, suitable for every  budget: HDP Decorated ($110), Eat the Rich stamped ($55) and Classic Winter stamped ($55) 

STATISTICS OTTAWA

NUMBER

• $3 billion

• The amount of investment over five years that Invest Ottawa is angling to be spent locally in defence spending, on an initiative called the Canada’s Capital Region National Defence Innovation Hub Strategy.

• In addition to the Department of Defence, there are  more than 330 defence and security firms in the region.

• Alex Riehl at Betakit 

•  

OTTAWANS OF THE DAY

• 15 Members of the Order of Ottawa

• The newest inductees into the Order of Ottawa are Patrick Newton Bondo, Kenneth Campbell Holly Ellingwood, Michael McLellan, Dr Louise McNaughton-Filion, Wyatt McWilliams, Patrick Moore, Suzanne Obiorah, Jo-Anne Polak, Tahawar Rana,  Carole Saad, Bernadette Sarazin, Christine Trauttmansdorff, and Jim Watson. 

• City of Ottawa 

QUOTE

• “

• It needs to be in the deal. If it’s not in the deal, we’ve seen how this has worked before. They can wriggle out of it and still reap the profits from the retail. They need to sign on the dotted line

• – Capital ward councillor  Shawn Menard on the fact that while ticket revenue from the Ottawa RedBlacks and Ottawa 67s are an integral part of the Lansdowne 2.0 financial calculations, there is no guarantee that either team will continue to exist in seven years.

• Menard wants guarantees from the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group that it will continue to operate both teams until the end of the Lansdowne 2.0 agreement in 2075.

• Currently, the Group is only bound to keep them until 2032.

• Arthur White-Crummey at CBC

SPORTS

• 🏒 NHL Ottawa Senators 3 – Chicago Blackhawks 7, yesterday

• 

  PLEASE SUPPORT THE OTTAWAN

  the ottawan was launched in 2020 as the daily answer to the questions: What’s going on? What should I do? Where is somewhere good to eat? Please consider joining the many other readers with a monthly, annual, or one-time donation to keep the ottawan on its mission. All annual or one-time donations over $60 include an ottawan or historic logo t-shirt of their choice.

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  WHAT’S GOING ON AT CITY HALL

  No more meetings this week

  Agenda

  

  WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

  🦠 Four more locations of potential of measles exposure have been identified by Ottawa Public Health. The locations are:

  IKEA (2685 Iris Street)
    Saturday, October 18 between 11:30 am and 1:45 pm

  Real Canadian Superstore (190 Richmond Road)
    Saturday, October 18 between 10 am and 1:30 pm
    Wednesday, October 22 between 4 and 7:30 pm
    Thursday, October 23 between 4:55 and 7:30 pm

  Food Basics (667 Kirkwood Avenue)
    Saturday, October 18 between noon and 2:15 pm

  Shoppers Drug Mart (1309 Carling Avenue)
    Wednesday, October 22 between 5:45 and 8 pm

  People who have visited these locations at these times are advised to monitor themselves for 21 days for symptoms.  – City of Ottawa

   

  🚊 The O Train was suspended between Blair and Tremblay stations for four hours yesterday due to a ventilation issue at St Laurent station. OC Transpo says it was water damage to the electrical system that shut the ventilation down from 7:45 am, but the incident is unrelated to ongoing work attempting to fix the water leakage issues plaguing the tunnel. – Josh Pringle at CTV

   

  🚨 Ottawa Police are seeking the owner of an earbud and earbud case found on St Laurent Boulevard. The ONN brand earbud was found at the scene of a stabbing death of a 55 year-old man outside an apartment building October 2. – Ted Raymond at CTV
   

  🛫 You can now fly direct daily to Sudbury from Ottawa (except Saturdays). We noted previously the new Propair service that flies Thursdays to Montréal and Rouyn-Noranda from Gatineau Executive Airport. But this is an expansion – Propair  has also launched direct flights between Ottawa Internation Airport and Sudbury Sunday to Friday in their 18 seat propeller aircraft.– Hugh Kruzel in Wings magazine    Propair

  

  THE DAILY POLL

  Which is your go-to supermarket?

  🔘 Loblaws, Metro, Sobeys, Real Canadian Superstore

  🔘 Food Basics, No Frills, Freshco

  🔘 Farm Boy, Whole Foods

  🔘 Local community shop

  🔘 Other

  • 
    Previously in ottawan polls:

  • We asked, ‘The fact that Sarah McLachlan, in town tonight, released  Fumbling Towards Ecstasy 30 years ago makes me feel ...?’

    • 5% Great that I have had so many memories made since then

    • 45% Confused because 1995 must be only 10 years ago or so ...

    • 22% About the same as I would about Elvis Presley, as it was released before I was born

    • 28% Holding out for the swing music craze to return

  • 
    Commentary

  ▪️ “That long ago – really!? ”
  
  ▪️ “And excited to be going tonight.”
  
  ▪️ “This is also what happens when you tell me Smells Like Teen Spirit was released 34 years ago. No. Just, no.”
  
  ▪️ “I’m going tonight! Fumbling Towards Ecstasy was part of the soundtrack to my university years.”

  

  HISTORIC OTTAWA LOGO T-SHIRTS

  Club Zinc T-Shirt For underground Ottawa of 80s, Club Zinc was a short, dark light. 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

  WEDNESDAY

  • ✳️  🆓 Today at noon, Doors Open for Music at Southminster presents acclaimed pianist Beguentch Gueldyev performing J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations. Donations appreciated. 

  • National Arts Centre Orchestra plays an eerie Halloween soundtrack in Monster Mixtape. Costumes are encouraged. 

  • Ottawa Little Theatre’s production of Turn of the Screw is a grown-up horror story on stage. Wednesdays through Sundays until November 15.  

  • After the Jays game, sing your heart out at Rock Star Scaryoke at the Heart & Crown ByWard Market.  

  • ByTowne Cinema:  Blue Moon, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge 

  • Mayfair Theatre: Köln 75, Ballad of A Small Player, The Exorcist  

    Gigs

  • All-You-Can-Play Wednesday. Ottawa Pinball Arcade 

  • Taproom Trivia. Stray Dog Brewing Co

  • Trivia Night. Brew Revolution

  THURSDAY

  Try some trivia tonight

  • The Haunted Halloween Trivia night at Brew Revolution will support Holly's Haven Wildlife Rescue. 

  • Do You Know Your Slashers from Your Scream Queens? Bring that expertise, as well as your best squad, to Head Office Ottawa for Horror Movie Trivia Night. 
    
     

  • A Capital Mystery is the new anthology of stories set in Ottawa. Listen as three of the collection's mystery and crime writers read at Indigo Pinecrest, then stay for the  Q&A and book signing. 

  • The chills continue at Ottawa Little Theatre’s Turn of the Screw. 

  • It’s the second performance of National Arts Centre Orchestra’s Monster Mixtape: an evening of  eerie Halloween movie soundtrack music. Costumes encouraged. 

  • If the words ‘Eastern Ontario's Most Terrifying Halloween Attraction’ make your hair stand on end, you'd better not book the 33rd annual Cannamore Orchard Acres of Terror experience tonight. 

  • You’ve seen the movie, now it's time to immerse yourself in Richard O'Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show, presented by ToToToo Theatre. Audience participation is of course encouraged. 

  • Get spooked by live actors at the Richmond Haunted House: Devils Night. All the scares are in aid of the Richmond Food Bank. Continues tomorrow. 

  • ByTowne Cinema: Blue Moon, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Hausu   

  • Mayfair Theatre: Ballad of a Small Player, The Rocky Horror Picture Show 

    Gigs

  • GreenWing, Futura Free, Bella Donna & Princess Unlucky. House of TARG

  • Picnic by the Motorway. Night Oat

  • Sarah McCoy. National Arts Centre

  • Lennie Gallant. Red Bird

  • Questionable Behaviour Trivia will turn up at Royal Oak Stittsville at 7:00 pm. 

FRIDAY

• Seventeen Voyces and organist Matthew Larkin perform the haunting soundtrack to the classic silent film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Repeats tomorrow.  

• Meet new people at the Halloween Social Mixer at The Office. 

• There’s another chance to experience Monster Mixtape, at which National Arts Centre Orchestra plays an eerie Halloween movie soundtrack. Costumes encouraged.  

• Check out the traditional food, music, and sugar skull art at the ByWard Market Day of the Dead festival.

• We’re relying on our readers to confirm if 1D Studios’ Studio B Horror, where it feels like you’re living inside a B movie, is ‘Ottawa’s most immersive haunted house’, because we’re too scared to go. 

• Take a scary wagon ride through the forest, then gather your courage to explore not one but two haunted structures on site at Skreamers. 

• Saunders Farm advises you to ‘bring friends you can outrun’ when you book tickets to this year’s Fright Fest.  

• Tickets are dwindling for tonight’s Stittsville Haunted Heritage Tour, a 90 minute stroll down Main Street Stittsville and six spooky stories about the ancestors of the area.  

• ByTowne Cinema: Dial M For Murder, The Mastermind, It Was Just An Accident, Halloween, Frankenhooker 

• Mayfair Theatre: Blue Moon, The Rocky Horror Picture Show 

  Gigs

• Desert Island Big Band. LIVE on Elgin

• 80s Halloween Dance Party. House of TARG

• Social Suicide. Avant-Garde Bar

• Neon Ghosthouse. Club SAW

• Marie Patenaude Trio. Night Oat

JUST ANNOUNCED / NOW BOOKING

• Tickets for the ultimate tribute show, Nostalgia Music Festival, are now on sale. The festival returns to LeBreton Flats from August 19 to 23, 2026. 

MADE IN CANADA DEAL OF THE DAY

Save an impressive 40% on Lambert & Fils made-in-Montréal contemporary lighting until tomorrow, by using the code LF40 at checkout.

BUT, ONE MORE THING ...

Every year Parks Canada drains the Rideau Canal in preparation for the Skateway, but a new study has found that the assumption that most of the fish adjust quickly and move to deeper areas is more complicated, and may actually be the cause of the decline of the muskie. (The study)

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.