Hello Ottawa

STATISTICS OTTAWA

NUMBER

• 30%

• The reduction in ‘security incidents’ at City Hall since security gates were installed May 2025. 

• –  Aedan Helmer in the Ottawa Citizen

EGANVILLIAN OF THE DAY

• Fred Hillyer

• Hillyer is the newest columnist for the recently-saved-from-extinction Eganville Leader. The fact that the Leader has replaced former columnist Al Donohue, who retired at 96 and received a Guiness Book of World Records citation for oldest male newspaper columnist, is not notable.

• No, what’s notable is that Hillyer is ten years-old. 

• – Shaun Vardon at CTV

QUOTE

• So here’s the $419 million question: why is the city investing hundreds of millions in a Lansdowne 2.0 project that is backing a dying league, and potentially evicting a winning one?

– Bruce Deachman in the Ottawa Citizen, pointing out that the City did not figure out that ‘the arena it is building may be too small for the team most want to see there, while the arena that is big enough is one many fans don’t want to go to’.

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WHAT’S GOING ON AT CITY HALL

WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

THE DAILY POLL

What are the most pressing costs to you?

🔘 Gasoline

🔘 Groceries

🔘 Rent

🔘 Interest Rates

🔘 Russian caviar

• 
  Previously in OTTAWAN polls:

• 
  We asked 'Will you visit the Canadian Tulip Festival?’

  • 14% I do every year

  • 38% I visit most years

  • 13% I visit invariably just as the tulips are wilting at the end

  • 18% No, I’m not interested in pretty flowers

  • 17% I’m Princess Margriet
    
    Commentary

▪️ “They are so beautiful and how lovely of Holland to keep sending them to us. They certainly beautify the landscape!”

▪️ “Visit the tulip fest most years of course depending on weather and the tulips.”

▪️ “The lack of parking, plus the too often dreadful weather, trim the number of days when I want to go out.”

▪️ “One of our nicest festivals and it has been going for over 4 decades now.”

▪️ “This will be my second visit. Last year was my first. I think that counts as every year!”

▪️ “If you've taken an edible and walked through a garden... you've basically been to the tulip festival just with less riff raff around.”

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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

THURSDAY

• Learn the Lindy Hop with Ottawa Vintage Swing’s six week series. (Centretown)

• The Invisible – Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare continues at the National Arts Centre.

• The Canadian Tulip Festival officially begins tomorrow but the displays in  Commissioner’s Park are worth a sneak peek today. 

• This item comes courtesy of our friend Laura at Ottawa Road Trips. People with a favourite scientific topic are invited to register to speak for up to 15 minutes at North Grenville Public Library’s  Nerd Out.  

• Cranium Conference and Showcase brings local, national, and international artists, presenters and leaders of the music business to Ottawa for three days of workshops and performances.  

• Urban Art Collective’s new season of Hintonburg Night Markets gets underway with vendors selling everything from vintage and pre-loved finds to ephemera and zines, plus drinks and other fun stuff. 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm at 1088 Somerset St. West.

• 🆓 The 2026 edition of the German Language Film Festival opens with the comedy Two to One and the documentary Sky Like Silk - Full of Oranges. Registration is required. (Downtown)

• Roam Flora will be selling dozens of varieties of Dahlia tubers, today tbrough Saturday at the farm. Visit from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm 107 Mantil Side Road.  

• 613BookExchange will meet at the Green Door Vegetarian Restaurant & Bakery. (Old Ottawa East)  

• The Overflow Brewing taproom becomes a battle ground…for artists. Art Battle Ottawa is three rounds of fierce competition between 12 artists. Mingle and watch as they create something amazing before your eyes.

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema: Amrum, Detour: Messiah of Evil  

• Mayfair Theatre: Mile End Kicks, Animation Show ’N’ Tell Ottawa 4 (sold out)

Gigs

• Switched on Synths. House of TARG

• NECROTICGOREBEAST, Atoll, Carrion Vael, Hatred Reigns. Dominon Tavern

FRIDAY

• ✳️ Today’s screenings at the German Language Film Festival: Hello Betty followed by Chasing the Line.(Downtown) 

• ✳️ The team logo is freshly installed at centre ice and the Ottawa Charge  are ready for their first home game in Round 1 Game 3 against Bonston Fleet. (Kanata)

• No matter what the weather’s doing, there’s no surer sign of spring than the opening of the Canadian Tulip Festival at Commissioner’s Park. Capture the brilliance of thousands of tulips in the Ottawa Tourism Photo Walk tonight between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm. (Little Italy) 

• 🆓 The Object/Project Book Fair by Possible Worlds is a two-day affair with more than 60 exhibitors, talks, workshops, and performances, all celebrating artists’ publishing. Who should go: the public is invited, as are zine fanatic and people who love art, publishing, and the magic that can happen when the two converge. (Centretown)  

• Cranium Conference and Showcase continues.    

• The Best Eats 613’s new Best Fest food event opens at Aberdeen Pavilion. Use our code OTTAWAN to access the evening slots for free. 

• Winnipeg filmmaker Guy Maddin and installation artist David Hoffos present works primarily in the discipline of analog collage in Maddin / Hoffos, a new exhibition at De Montigny Contemporary. (The Glebe)  

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema: Holy Days, Palestine 36, Montréal, My Beautiful (Montréal, Ma Belle), Interactive: The Hunger Games 

• Mayfair Theatre: Mile End Kicks, The Christophers, Middle Life 

Gigs

• Altar of the Fuzz. Dominion Tavern

• Duelling Pianos. The Robo Lounge

• Deecracks, The Riptides, Thee Soreheads. House of TARG

• Claude Munson. Irene’s Pub

SATURDAY

• Bestfest continues with some of Ottawa’s most loved restaurants (Lansdowne) 

• Entry by donation: Take a deep in-person dive into all things spiritual and pagan at the Mother Earth Goddess & Psychic Fair (Centretown West) 

• The Invisible - Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare concludes with two performances at the National Arts Centre. (Downtown) 

• Dash or wander through Osgoode Village during the Goode Run 2026.(Osgoode)  

• Meet the Holly’s Haven team in person at the Rescue Day event at the Orléans Critter Jungle. The Holly’s Haven team cares for injured, sick, or orphaned mammals. (Orléans)  

• Pick up some veggie seedlings, perennial divisions and shrubs at the Gloucester Horticultural Society’s Plant Sale. (Orléans) 

• The tea service at the Osgoode Museum Mother’s Day Tea and Market is fully booked, but you can still wander the grounds and investigate the market. (Osgoode - Vernon) 

• Expect deals, a BBQ In support of the Ottawa Model Showcase, in-store specials, and of course cake at the Hobby Centre’s 40th Anniversary Celebration. (Tanglewood - Hillsdale) 

• 🆓 Bring cash and cards to the Just Food Community Farm Seedling Saturday. (Blackburn Hamlet)

• Each Mom gets a flower at the Mother’s Day FUNdraiser Market (Stittsville) 

• The Vintage Vibe mobile market pulls up to 345 Richmond Road with preloved and vintage treasures. (Westboro) 

• Take Mom to Aquatopia Conservatory’s Tea in the Tropics. (Carp)  

• Get some self care at the Mothers in Bloom Holistic Healing Fair. (Nepean) 

• Cranium Conference and Showcase continues

• Commissioner’s Park isn’t the only tulip festival in the area. Buy a  “looking” or “picking” timed ticket to Green Corner's Farm, then head to 640 North Russell Road, where you’ll find a vast field of blooms.. (The township of Russell)

• For a yet another tulip experience head to Saunders Farm, where you can stroll through the fields and pick a bouquet for your mother.(Munster) 

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema:Klassic Kids: Muppet Treasure Island, Montéal, My Beautiful (Montréal Ma Belle), Palestine 36, Lady Vengeance - 35mm Screening 

• Mayfair Theatre: The Christophers, The Royal Tanenbaums

Gigs

• Deecracks, The Riptides, Thee Soreheads. House of TARG

• The Suitcase Junket. Red Bird

• F!TH, Tarbox, Tucana. Rainbow Bistro

• Mecca of Stank. Irene’s Pub

• Nameless Friends, Crisis Party, Celestia. LIVE on Elgin

JUST ANNOUNCED / NOW BOOKING

• Anuv Jain brings his Dastakhat World Tour to the Bronson Centre May 18.

MADE IN CANADA DEALS OF THE DAY

Save 20% on accessories at Arnprior’s Audrey’s Fashions.

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BUT, ONE MORE THING ...

The winners of the Ottawa Bootstrap Awards, honouring entrepreneurs that have  ‘bootstrapped’ their company and achieved commercial success.

The winners are:

1. Innovation Award: BioThera Solutions

2. AI in Action Award: Vigilant AI

3. Marketing Award: Rep Jump

    

4. Capital Award: Loon Inc.

5. Disruptor Award: Scatterlink Corp.

6. Community Impact Award: Twish Cart

7. Founder of the Year Award: Evan Zeglinski Spinney, Sielo Robotics

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.