🚄 The best location to place a station for the Alto high speed train line is downtown, say downtown advocates. The heads of the Ottawa Board of Trade, Invest Ottawa, and Ottawa Tourism have signed a letter to the president of the crown corporation building Alto reading, in part, ‘Ottawa is not simply a city among cities. It is a place where Canadian values, history, and modern national identity intersect, where the institutions, landmarks, and public spaces that define who we are as a country come together in a single walkable core’. – Josh Pringle at CTV

🚨 Ottawa man convicted in 2015 of being an ISIS recruiter is being released.  After serving two-thirds of a 17 year sentence on a charge of encourging others in engage in terrorist violence, Ashton Larmond is being statutorily released into a community-based residential facility. The parole board considers Larmond to be ‘within the category of male offenders likely to reoffend within three years’. – Stewart Lews in the National Post  

 

🪏 Ottawa Police Service chief Eric Stubbs says the extra $10 million to construct the new Barrhaven police station is ‘a learning lesson’. He was defending the $233 million cost of building a new training centre next to the new police station. The $10 million was blamed on poor soil conditions which were not noticed prior to construction. – Arthur White-Crummey at CBC  

 

💰The latest local bank closure is the Royal Bank in Westboro. Accounts at the branch at 236 Richmond Road will be transferred to the Carlingwood branch. The final day in Westboro is Aug. 27. Customers are invited to attend an information session at Carlingwood Shopping Centre on May 26. – Josh Pringle at CTV  

WEDNESDAY

• ✳️ Juno-award winning trumpeter and bandleader Ed Lister leads a five piece jazz ensemble in today’s Doors Open for Music at Southminster noon concert. (Ottawa South)  

• Carleton University instructors (also known as all-stars) bring their expertise to the stage at the Robo Lounge for a night of jazz improvisation.  

• Tonight’s NAC Orchestra program begins with the introspective Les Nuits d'été by Hector Berlioz, begins to build the drama with Mel Bonis' Ophélie, and reaches its peak with Symphony No. 9 by Franz Schubert. (Downtown)  

• A couple of years ago, Edmonton’s Catalyst Theatre debuted The Invisible: Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare, an ‘unlikely’ musical about seven female operatives of the real-life Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare during WWII. The ‘genre-busting, multilingual, thrilling film-noir’ lands at the National Arts Centre’s Babs Asper Theatre tonight through May 9 (downtown)  

• Jade Circle continues at GCTC 

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema: The Christophers, Staff Picks: Speed Racer  

• Mayfair Theatre: The Blue Trail, Modern Whore, Nirvanna the Band, the Show, the Movie  

Gigs

• Madeline Goldstein, Frissons, Dark Discothèque DJs. House of TARG

• Peniel Yares Debut EP release party. Avant-Garde Bar

THURSDAY

• The 6th edition of Axé Worldfest: Empowering Women in the Music Industry Conference begins three days of presentations and showcases with an Opening Networking Mixer followed by the Official Opening Artist Showcase. 

• Mountains on Stage presents the best mountain sport films of the year at the Mayfair Theatre  (Old Ottawa South) 

• Road Trip: Wander the attractive streets of Almonte at the Spring Night Market. 

• The Mutchmor Book Sale has more than 20,000 books for browsing. (The Glebe)

• The Spring 2026 edition of Ottawa International Writers’ Festival brings readings, book signings and special events to the midcentury spendour that is Library and Archives Canada. Until Sunday.  (Downtown) l 

• The Invisible: Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare continues at the NAC (downtown)  

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema: The Christophers, Ciné-Club d'Ottawa: Monsieur Asnavour. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance - 35mm Screening  

• Mayfair Theatre: Modern Whore, Mountains On Stage 

Gigs

• Lynne Hanson. Red Bird

• The Casualties, The Drowns, The Rum Kicks. The 27 Club

• Steve Berndt "Heart of Hearts" album release party. The Robo Lounge

• Bingo night. Broadhead Brewery

JUST ANNOUNCED / NOW BOOKING

• Possible Worlds presents Object/Project Art Book Fair, the two-day event celebrating artist publishing.  May 8-9 (Centretown)