Hello Ottawa

WEDNESDAY DRINKING AND DINING UPDATE

• 🍀 Get your tickets now for the Cornerstone Housing For Women Taste of Ireland Garden Party, at the Official Residence of the Irish Ambassador to Canada in Rockcliffe Park on Sunday June 7. Experience Irish dishes, complimentary wine, beer, and bubbles, and a fashion show by Sukhoo Sukhoo Khooture. 

  🥡 Street Food Showdown in Westboro Village proved a hit last year, raising over $4000 for Westboro Food Bank. It’s all happening again on Saturday June 6, when six of the neighbourhood’s top chefs compete for your votes in the People’s Choice award.  All Saints Anglican Church (347 Richmond Road)

  🍷 🆓 Vintner David Eiberg will visit Red Apron for the sampling of site-specific, low-intervention wines from Therianthropy. Thursday June 18. The event is free, but registration is a must. 

  🍕 Learn how to make Roman pizza and New York style-pizza at the Almanac workshop at its new Little Italy location this Sunday (May 24). 

• 🍺 Beau’s Brewing has launched a new beer province-wide. Beau’s Lite is brewed in Vankleek Hill.

• 🥖 Edible Ottawa's Sonia Mendes profiles BanhMiYes founder Phoebe Phuong Ha's business journey. Even now, she makes 100 baguettes per day.

• ⛱️ One restuarant in Ottawa has made it to OpenTable’s top 100 restaurants for outdoor dining. Open Table says of Arlo ‘Customers flock for ever-changing menus that exemplify playful but potent ingredient-focused Canadian cuisine’.

• 🥪 In the Ottawa Citizen, Sofia Misenheimer says the hard-to-find Some Coffee & Some Tea makes makes ‘impeccable wanpaku sandwiches’. Misenheimer describes a wanpaku sandwich as a ‘thick stack of breaded protein, shredded lettuce, cheese and sauce goes between two slices of bread, cut straight down the middle and wrapped in parchment so the colourful cross-section is revealed when you open it’.

• 🍺  The Province is extending bar hours until 4:00 am during the FIFA World Cup next month. Initially, THE OTTAWAN was puzzled as the World Cup is being held in North America – but it turns out that some matches will begin at 11:00 pm Eastern Time.

STATISTICS OTTAWA

NUMBER

• 10

• The number of lithium-ion battery fires that the Ottawa Fire Service has dealt with so far this year. Since 2024, the Service has has fought 54 battery fires.

• – Aedan Helmer in the Ottawa Citizen

OTTAWAN OF THE DAY

• Grant Gilliland

• The Bel Air Heights resident is known as the ‘bike guy’, fixing up hundreds of donated bikes and giving them away.

• – Olivia Belovich in the Ottawa Citizen

QUOTE

“

• It’s difficult to plan for those events in advance

– President of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279, Noah Vineberg, after dozens of Ottawa Charge fans waiting at Bank and Catherine streets for a bus to the Canadian Tire Centre gave up and called Ubers.

– Michael McBean in the Ottawa Citizen

PLEASE SUPPORT THE OTTAWAN

WHAT’S GOING ON AT CITY HALL

WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

THE DAILY POLL

What do you think of development?

🔘 People want single family homes, and we should build out on the land surrounding Ottawa

🔘 We should be building taller on land that’s already developed

🔘 Zoning limits housing – developers should build as the market demands

🔘 I want walkable neighbourhoods and cool shops and services nearby but also to preserve the character of the existing houses

🔘 I much prefer development 20 years after it has already happened

• 
  Previously in OTTAWAN polls:

• 
  We asked ‘What do you think of onions?’

  • 8% Like Darren, I think they are the devil’s vegetable and ruin everything they touch

  • 58% Love them, they are the base of all good cooking

  • 20% Cooked, grilled especially, they are delicious but not a fan of raw

  • 8% Nothing is more heartbreaking than ordering a sandwich and finding onions mixed in. Nothing.

  • 6% What’s the deal, OTTAWAN? Did Big Onion not make your payola payment this month?

  • 
    Commentary

▪️ “If I can barely taste them we’re good to go.”

▪️ “The thing about onions is, they have layers.”

▪️ “Onions are an ingredient found in almost all international cuisines.”

▪️ “Cooking without onions is like typing without fingers.”

▪️ “Poor Darren. Who hurt you?”

▪️ “They make me cry a lot!”

▪️ “Onions are very good for you, especially for men. They significantly lower risk of developing prostate cancer (and improve erectile function).”

▪️ “Love them. Put them in most dishes I cook. Very rarely do I think a raw onion adds anything to a dish, but I’ll eat them in salsa, salads, sandwiches, and things like that.”

▪️ “Absolutely find them disgusting, cheap so everyone uses them as fillers, and only a small amount of the good stuff. Flavour takes over everything 🤢.”

▪️ “Great companion for most BBQ items.”

▪️ “Onions are great, but the texture and taste of caramelized onions is the stuff of nightmares to me and I resent their popularity in cuisine.”

▪️ “Almost all my Vegetarian meals have onions. Not sure if people who eat meat have as much onions in their meals as I do ... LOL!”

▪️ “That onion poll brought tears to my eyes.”

▪️ “And if you’re sponsored by Big Onion, I for one am here for it. Perhaps we should build a Big Onion a la the Big Apple?”

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

• ✳️ Ottawa Charge Zone opens at 4:00 pm outside Canadian Tire Centre. Be part of the excitement as Ottawa looks to tie the series tonight, then head back to Montréal in the winner-takes-all PWHL Walter Cup Finals. (Kanata)  

• At today’s Doors Open for Music at Southminster: Composer-guitarist Andrew Paul MacDonald performs lyrical works for solo archtop guitar. Free, but donations are encouraged. 

• Ottawa Charge need the win against Montréal Victoire at tonight’s Round 2, Home Game 2. 

• Stittsville Village Association, Birdgirl Arts, and Pretty Pots have received funding for mural project to be completed on Stittsville Main Street. Organizers are seeking youth ages 12 to 25 who wish to participate. Check out tonight’s info session for more details (Stittsville) 

• The Kiwanis Feeds Kids fundraising event features the city’s chefs, brewers, and distillers of distinction, and supports school-aged kids facing food insecurity. (Lansdowne)

• Banish the mid-week blues with the Beatles sing along at the Robo Lounge. 

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema:  I Swear, The End of the Internet with Installation Experience, Restoration: Nowhere  

• Mayfair Theatre: Calle Málaga, The Christophers, Lorne  

Gigs

•  Jonathan Plays The Beatles. The Robo Lounge

• Girls to the Front: host Kristine St-Pierre, with Loch Nisse and Krista Hartman. Irene's Pub

THURSDAY

• The folks at Moto Social are an extremely friendly bunch; they invite everyone, motorcycle enthusiast or not, to join in their hangs every third Thursday from May to September. This month they’ll be meeting up at Red Door Provisions on Beechwood for coffees and a good old chinwag. (Beechwood/Vanier)  

• 🆓 Take a dance class at Zibi tonight. Each month you’ll learn a new dance style (Bollywood, Afro-Caribeean, K-Pop are all on the menu). 7:00 pm (on the island between Ottawa and Gatineau)

• Ottawa Art Galley’s Give to Get Art Auction has something for everyone, from art, to live music, great food and even activities. Ticket purchases help the OAG stay free for art lovers, fuel the careers of emerging artists, and enable the creation of exhibitions. (Sandy Hill) 

• The intimate Red Bird is filled with the sounds of Canada’s East Coast as Nova Scotia’s Dave Gunning performs his new album Field Notes. 

• Hintonburg Night Market has a new vendor and music line up every week, so you never know what you'll find. 

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema:  The Wizard of the Kremlin, Interactive: 10 Things I Hate About You 

• Mayfair Theatre. The Christphers, Calle Málaga, Exit 8   

Gigs

• Dave Gunning. Red Bird

• Human, Nature. Art House

• Ian Tamblyn. The Robo Lounge

• Kick-Off Event ft. Satellite Birdhouse, Danielle Allard, Jai Vinyl. Rainbow Bistro

FRIDAY

• House of TARG welcomes a slew of Ottawa’s best bands in a benefit for the ByTown Cup (‘Good People Playing Bad Hockey’). Dark Plains, Expanda Fuzz, and Neck are all playing. 

• The Heart of Robin Hood continues at the Ron Maslin Playhouse. (Kanata)

• Road Trip: The Smiths Falls by the Rideau Market is located by the Rideau Canal and features performances by the Next Step Cloggers, locally grown produce, crafts, and more. (Smiths Falls)  

• Nepean Choir, Castenchel Choir, Nepean High School Choir, The Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, and guest soloists bass Matthew Li and mezzo-soprano Gabriela Comeau-Gort collaborate to present Better is Peace at Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre.(Centretown) 

• Hit your daily protein target at the Kanata RibFest, today through Sunday.

• Hit your weekly carbs target at the Orléans Mac My Cheese fest. Today through Sunday 

• There’s another fine benefit show, this time at Avant Garde Bar: Red Light Run, Fantomfez, BirdDog, Dying, and Tara Holloway are playing in support of The Door Youth Centre. 

• You don’t have to run very far to join the circus this weekend. Ottawa Circus Festival offers performances, workshops, and social events where artists mingle with enthusiasts. (Sandy Hill)  

• Dogs are welcome at the Ottawa Titans’ ‘Bark in the Park’ game vs Sussex County Miners. 

Cinema

•  ByTowne Cinema: I Love Boosters, Silent Friend, Drunken Cinema: Shrek  

• Mayfair Theatre: Everyone Is Lying To You For Money, The Drama, The Wicker Man 

Gigs

• The New Hires, the Varitones, Yellow Magnolia. Rainbow Bistro

• Isaac Baronikian. Red Bird

• Cassidy Houston, Magic Machine. Night Oat 

• Fever Pitch Hot Jazz. Art House

• Jessica Kirson. Bronson Centre

• Beats’n Keys. Hard Rock Ottawa

JUST ANNOUNCED / NOW BOOKING

• Enjoy music for a brass choir, a string quartet, and more at Ottawa Pops Orchestra’s Spring Concert Fundraiser on Friday May 29. (Sandy Hill) 

• Fewer than 10% of tickets remain for Elevator Theatre Co's production of Once, playing at the Gladstone Theatre June 3 - 13. (Little Italy)  

DEALS OF THE DAY

Beat the rush and get your tickets today to the Bytown Brawl II by Premier Canadian Wrestling, happening at TD Place on October 24. Use the code TDBYTOWN26 to get presale tickets today. General sale tickets open up tomorrow (Thursday May 21).   Registration fees for the 2026 Navy Bike go up on Friday (May 22). The race hits Ottawa on June 13.

SHARE THE OTTAWAN

BUT, ONE MORE THING ...

The Ottawa Public Library has announced the winners of the 2026 Awesome Authors Youth Writing Contest. Over 337 kids entered their poetry, short stories, and comics.

Nine to 12 years old

Poetry (English)

1^st place: Emma Mai (11 years old), St Cecilia Catholic School, Wake Me Up

2^nd place: Leanna Paske (9 years old), École élémentaire catholique George-Étienne-Cartier, Let Love Be Your Lantern

3^rd place: Alina Wang (11 years old), Stittsville Public School, Spring Blossoms
 

Poésie (français)

1^st place: Maève Dutrisac, École secondaire catholique Béatrice-Desloges, Les saisons

2^nd place: Adèle Taillefer (12 years old), École secondaire catholique Béatrice-Desloges, La femme invisible

3^rd place: Neesha Laur (9 years old), École élémentaire publique Michaëlle-Jean, Mon rêve

Short Story (English)

1^st place: Addison Waselnuk, Homeschool, Zora and the King’s Rule

2^nd place: Serena Willow Kenall (12 years old), Letters

3^rd place: Max H. Barnett (11 years old), Churchill Alternative School, Celsius

Nouvelle (français)

1^st place: Chloé Shedden (11 years old), École élémentaire catholique Jonathan-Pitre, Madame Pistache à la recherche du diamant

2^nd place: Maéve Dutrisac, École secondaire catholique Béatrice-Desloges, La bouteille

3^rd place: Éloïse Poirier (12 years old), École secondaire catholique Béatrice-Desloges, Retour à la montagne

Comic (English)

1^st place: Nadia Idnani (10 years old), Homeschool, Life with Brothers

2^nd place: Andrei Osotkin (10 years old) and J.J. Scagnetti (10), École élémentaire publique Grande-Ourse and Sir Winston Churchill Public School, The food-verse!

3^rd place: Violet Ahlgren (11 years old), Roch Carriere Public School, The Missing Statue

Bande dessinée (français)

1^st place: Megumi Villeneuve (9 years old), École élémentaire catholique Montfort, Être normale, est-ce possible?

2^nd place: Annabelle Revie (12 years old), École secondaire De la Salle, Une fée en ville

3^rd place: Andrei Osotkin (10 years old), École élémentaire publique Grande-Ourse, Les grilles-pains sont chaud

13 to 18 years old

Poetry (English)

1^st place: Jena Diab (13 years old), Frank Ryan Catholic Intermediate School, "I Sat Watching Them”

2^nd place: Sara Mahdavi (14 years old), Canterbury High School, From a distance, everything behaves.

3^rd place: Maria M (14 years old), 9 Lives

Poésie (français)

1^st place: Mayssara Boudjeltia (18 years old), École secondaire publique Pierre-de-Blois, Mais que diable faisais-je ici?

2^nd place: Edith René (17 years old), École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité, Face à l'abîme

3^rd place: Mustafa Abu-Dieh (17 years old), Entre plume et algorithme

Short Story (English)

1^st place: Sara Mahdavi (14 years old), Canterbury High School, Halfway

2^nd place: Violet Stocker (13 years old), École secondaire catholique L'Escale, One Last Chance

3^rd place: Chethna Adikari (15 years old), Merivale High School, Decadence to Deception

Nouvelle (français)

1^st place: Edith René (17 years old), École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité, Lettre d’amour à la littérature

2^nd place: Eli Ernst-Fontaine (18 years old), Dissidence

3^rd place: Felix Madon (16 years old), École élémentaire catholique George-Étienne-Cartier, La Guerre de la Pensée

Comic (English)

1^st place: Sienna James (17 years old), Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School, All in a Day’s Work

2^nd place: Aubrey Caron (15 years old), Canterbury High School, Eugene the Mudskipper

3^rd place: Raphaël Rival (14 years old), Colonel By Secondary School, So Who Brought the Frisbee?

Bande dessinée (français)

1^st place: Anabelle Hall (13 years old), École secondaire catholique Béatrice-Desloges, Le vampire divergent

2^nd place: Sofia Cipcigan (16 years old), École secondaire publique Omer-Deslauriers, Manie minou

3^rd place: Edith René (17 years old) and Isla Elieff (18 years old), École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité, Tout ça pour un projet de science...

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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.