Monday, 23 March 2026
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Hello Ottawa

In Today’s Edition

→ The City is considering four 24 hour bus-only lanes along Bank Street

→ Ottawa’s International Poetry Festival, VERSefest, starts tomorrow

→ Deals of the Day from Top Shelf Distillery, Hides in Hand, and The Bare Home

– Martha and Darren

STATISTICS OTTAWA

NUMBER


OTTAWAN OF THE DAY


QUOTE

– A new report from the Office of the Auditor General warning that that the problems of the Phoenix Pay System will continue into the brand new payroll system if it is not fixed. 

 Catherine Morrison in the Canadian Press

 

SPORTS

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WHAT’S GOING ON AT CITY HALL

Joint Planning and Housing and Community Services Committee
Tuesday, March 24 at 10:30 am

Agenda

 

Whose flag is flying at City Hall today? Pakistan

City Hall flies the flag of embassies and high commissions on their national days.

WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

📷 The City is considering four 24-hour, bus-only lanes along Bank Street. The bus-only lanes would run betwen Fourth and Woodlawn avenues. The battle lines, as usual, are between some business owners  - who complain that there is not enough parking already and this will make it worse - and local residents who want increased bus service. – Guy Quenneville at CBC

↪ Strong Towns Ottawa is looking for volunteers to do outreach and gather support for the plan this Saturday.

 

🚄 Landowners, including the City of Ottawa, along the potential Alto high speed rail routes will soon be asked for permission to visit properties. Between Ottawa and Peterborough, Alto is considering two routes, a southern one through Brockville and Kingston and a northern one that doesn’t go through any major population centres.– Natasha O’Neill at CityNews

 

🎼 Tickets to new music venue, History, go on sale Friday. The inaugural act, The Wallflowers, play History on August 20. Other acts booked next Autumn include Kaleo, The Pretty Reckless, Sabaton, Two Door Cinema Club, Bahamas, Marianas Trench, TALK, and Wolf Parade. The former general manager of the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, Bronwyn Campbell, has been announced as the head of History. – Lynn Saxberg in the Ottawa Citizen  

↪ It’s the final week for Ottawa musicians to submit their songs to the City’s Music on Hold, City Sounds and O-Buskers programmes.

THE DAILY POLL

Which colour of cat is the smartest?

🔘 Orange

🔘 Black

🔘 Multi-coloured/tabby/calico/tortoiseshell

🔘 Tuexdo

🔘 I am in no way a cat fancier


  • Previously in ottawan polls:

  • We asked, ‘Should the Ottawa Police Service constables wear body cameras?’

    • 48% Yes, it will provide objective evidence about police contact with individuals

    • 11% No, the cameras are controlled by the police and can be manipulated

    • 10% All City employees who deal with the public should wear one

    • 12% We got rid of speed cameras, we don’t need more cameras

    • 19% Only if, after reading the suspect’s rights, the police say something like ‘Ready for your close-up, punk?’ or ‘You’re not big. It’s the pictures that got small’

    •  
      Commentary

▪️ Don't always trust the Police!

▪️ This is long overdue. Glad to see it will be expanded and will benefit both sides.

▪️ I think cameras would be helpful for the police and for the public as long as they cannot be modified.

▪️ It will provide protection for both citizens and officers in my opinion.

▪️ Have you watched the recent season of The Lincoln Lawyer? Nuff said.

▪️ Yes because it might make everyone behave better? Too bad Ford got rid of speed cameras ... he should have taken the funds from the tickets & given it to health care to help with that!

▪️ It’s 2026, California has been using them since 2014, and the US federal government has been helping with funding since 2016. I thought we were better than the US.

▪️ It’s for everyone’s safety. Not just investigation for accountability’s sake. All parties have the right to get home safe at the end of the day.

▪️ Especially knowing now that research shows that 9.3% of charter violations were committed by Ottawa Police Services.

▪️ This should have been done a long time ago. It’s all about accountability.

▪️ They're not perfect, but they are a start toward accountability.

▪️ After full implementation, the sketchy handling of events will need to have investigations for ‘why was your camera off'’ Track those officers. Ya, I think i watch too much TV!

▪️ All law enforcement in this country should wear body cams. The police has proven time and time again that they cant be trusted. Body worn cams dont fix every problem, but they increase accountability.​​​

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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

Cinema

  • ByTowne Cinema: Montréal, My Beautiful (Montréal, Ma Belle), Miroirs No. 3, Sympathy for the Underdog  

  • Mayfair Theatre: Marty Supreme, Tender Mercies, Colors   

Gigs

  • From Campus to Stage: Triplicate (Wayne Eagles, Roddy Ellias, Jesse Stewart. The Robo Lounge

  • Karaoke Mondays. Atomic Rooster 

TUESDAY

Cinema

  • ByTowne Cinema: The Things You Kill, Montréal My Beautiful (Montréal, Ma Belle), Rad (49th Anniversary) 

  • Mayfair Theatre: Hamnet, Marty Supreme, Scarlet

Gigs

  • Crown Lands. Howard Shenkman Hall, Shenkman Arts Centre

  • Katherine & Nicholas. Night Oat

  • Mehdi Cayenne. National Arts Centre

WEDNESDAY

Cinema

Gigs

  • Concrete Vehicles. The 27 Club

  • Open Stage. Night Oat

  • July Talk. Bronson Centre

JUST ANNOUNCED / NOW BOOKING

MADE IN CANADA DEAL OF THE DAY

Maple season is fleeting and so is this deal: Receive two free maple cookies by Kasia's Cupcakes when you purchase a bottle of Top Shelf Distillery's Maple Whisky Cream liquor.

 

Hides in Hand have launched hand-crafted, leather Golf Club Covers in a range of designs that will catch more than a few envious glances on the green. You can even have them monogrammed, making them a perfect wedding, Father's Day, Mother's Day, or anniversary gift. Get them at an introductory 20% off right now.

 

Engage in some spring cleaning of the green kind with the 20% off sale at Bare Home. 

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BUT, ONE MORE THING ...

The 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards by InsideOttawaValley.com have been announced.  

Sure, the awards cover all the usual bases – Arts, Culture & Entertainment,  Automotive, Food & Drink, Health, Beauty and Wellness,  Home Improvement,  Kids & Pets, Services, Shopping, and Sports, Recreation & Fitness, but don’t miss ‘Best Place to take a Selfie’ (Perth Sign on Gore Street).

RAPID RESPONSE QUALITY CONTROL

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Comment of the Week: ‘Love your publication!’

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.

Martha and Darren in action