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WHAT’S GOING ON AT CITY HALL

WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

THE DAILY POLL

Should the LCBO continue to boycott American beer, wine, and spirits?

• 🔘 Yes, it’s one of the few bits of leverage against American tariff threats that we have

• 🔘 No, it’s been a year and the boycott has made no difference

• 🔘 I’ve discovered great Canadian replacements for American booze that I would not have previously considered

• 🔘 I’ve tried Canadian replacements for American booze and find it too expensive or just nasty

• 🔘 I think you people drink too much

Previously in ottawan polls:

We asked, ‘How often do you go out for dinner?’

• 1% Pretty much every night

• 7% A few times per week

• 49% A few times per month

• 40% A few times per year

• 3% I haven’t been able to afford dinner out since the Green Valley restaurant closed

Commentary

▪️ “Love the National Capital Region’s huge variety of places to eat out these days!”

▪️ “We try to minimize it because it’s become so expensive. But sometimes you’re exhausted and/or didn’t get something out to cook. Happens at least once a week.”

▪️ “We have restaurants serving cuisines from around the world. They’re great to explore.”

▪️ “This includes getting take out. Can’t afford to go to sit down restaurant too often as the prices have been increased.”

▪️ “If Costco polish dogs count, it's multiple times a week.”

▪️ “Crazy the cost of a meal, when eating out. Not a lot of deals out there. Even fast food is crazy expensive nowadays. We are a family of three, so I can’t imagine what the bill is for a family that is 6 +.”

▪️ “Every other week routinely with the odd spontaneous outing here and there. We try to alternate one fancier, one cheaper.”

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THE ROLLING THREE DAY CALENDAR

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✳️ Means change from previous edition

THURSDAY

• 🆓 Discover how Canadian-born Eliza Reid coped with being catapulted into the spotlight as First Lady when her husband was elected President of Iceland in 2016. The launch of her memoir The First Lady Next Door gets underway at Library and Archives Canada at 7:30 pm. 

• Find an affordable piece of original art at Santini Gallery's current exhibition, Works on Paper. The group exhibit features pieces by Isabelle Rivest, Sara Alex Mullen, Lynda Goldman, Jenn Thornhill Verma, Danielle Pare, Mary McIninch and more, all priced between $100 and $350, and all ready to frame and hang. (Little Italy)

• Sens bring the NHL Playoff action home to Canadian Tire Centre for Round One Game 3 against Carolina Hurricanes.  

• Ottawa Grassroots Festival opens at First Unitarian Congregation's soaring sanctuary with performances by Les Bilinguish Boys and guest Céleste Lévis. (Westboro) 

• Filmmaker Courtney Montour will be on hand at Arts Court Theatre for a Q&A following the screening of Rising Through the Fray, her inspiring documentary that follows the Indigenous Rising roller derby team.(Downtown)   

• Indie recording artist Jane Siberry’s tour for her new album One Season: In The Thicket Of Our Own Unconsciousness brings her to the National Arts Centre. (Downtown)  

• Enter the draw to win a gorgeous handmade quilt at the Ottawa Humane Society Auxiliary Spring Craft Sale, today through Saturday at Carlingwood Mall. 

• The Singles Red Flag Party is mingling with a difference: you'll be writing your biggest red flag on your nametag (i.e., "deplores singles events", "perfers wall-to-wall carpet to hard wood floors", etc.) in place of your job title.  (The Glebe )

• Nova Scotian singer-songwriter Kristen Martell performs in a special double bill with Ottawa’s Rory Taillon. (Golden Triangle)  

• Chocolate alert: the Lindt Warehouse Sale runs through Sunday at St. Laurent Shopping Centre. (Overbrook)   

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema: The Art of Adventure, The Christophers, Miile End Kicks

• Mayfair Theatre: Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die

Gigs

• Thursday Trivia. Overflow Brewing

• The Twentieth Century Boys. Rainbow Bistro

• Thursday Blues Sessions with guest host Michael Ball. Irene’s Pub

• Sam Wood. Night Oat

FRIDAY

•  ✳️  Ottawa Grassroots Festival continues at First Unitarian Congregation's grand sanctuary with performances by Alysha Brillo and OK Naledi.  (Westboro) 

• For bibliophiles, today is Christmas. The Ottawa Indie Bookstore Crawl runs through Sunday at nine local shops. Just pick up your passport at a participating store and visit at least seven of the stores by the end of Sunday. Then, submit your passport for your chance to win the grand prize of $225 to spend at the stores. Each store will have its own activities, author meets, and giveaways, all in celebration of Canadian Independent Bookstore Day.
  
  Here's where to go: Octopus Books and Evermore Booktique (The Glebe), Books on Beechwood (Vanier), Perfect Books (Golden Triangle), Singing Pebble Books (Old Ottawa East), Love Lyla Books (Westboro), The Spaniel’s Tale  and World of Maps (Hintonburg), and in Almonte, Mill Street Books.   

• The  Irish Film Festival opens with Christy (2025). All screenings happen at the Canadian Museum of Nature Theatre (Centretown).

• Two icons of Canadian music will be performing an intimate concert of their hits tonight. Dan Hill & Andy Kim bring their In Story & Song tour to Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe for one night only. 

• Celebrate the release of Sean Murphy’s book Echoes From the Pit: Ottawa's Heavy Metal Underground, 1988 - 1995 at the release party, featuring bands you might not have seen in a long time. (ByWard Market)

• The aroma of gravy and cheeseacurds will be drifting westward from Orléans Poutinefest & Street Food Frenzy starting today and continuing all weekend at 255 Centrum Blvd.  It's more than Poutine; visit the food trucks and get down to the live music. (Orléans)  

• 🆓 Find a one-of-a-kind Mother's Day gift at the Out of the Box Fibre Fling today and Saturday at Kitchesippi United Church. Bring a donation for Ottawa Food Bank. (Britannia) 

• Saunter up to the Deacon Brodies bar where you'll sample Perth Brewery's Honey Lager and non-alcoholic Play Lager. (Golden Triangle) 

• Strong Towns gathers at Braumeister Bierhalle for its Ottawa Monthly Social. (Hintonburg)

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema: Folichonneries (Follies), The Christophers, Drawn In: The Night is Short, Walk On Girl 

• Mayfair Theatre: The Blue Trail, Modern Whore, The Rocky Horror Picture Show  

Gigs

• Wry and Ginger. Hard Rock Ottawa

• Minor Gold. Red Bird

• Kozé. National Arts Centre

• Serene Dark. Dominion Tavern

SATURDAY

• You want to get out in the warm air and sunshine, but you can't make up your mind where to go. Head to the Ottawa Outdoor Adventure & Travel Show at Nepean Sportsplex where you'll meet experts in all the outdoor activities you can imagine.(Nepean)   

• The Ottawa Charge invites you to the final game of the regular season, where a win will secure their place in the playoffs. The Fan Appreciation Game will have all the excitement of a regular match up but with added giveaways, pre-game action along Electric Avenue, and deals on beer. (Lansdowne)  

• Ottawa Grassroots Festival continues at First Unitarian Congregation's grand sanctuary with performances by Meredith Moon and Irish Millie (Westboro) 

• Tonight's screenings at the Irish Film Festival are: Saipan (2025), Horseshoe (2025), and Aontas (2025).  All screenings at the Canadian Museum of Nature Theatre (Centretown).  

• Road Trip: Watch as teams compete in the sap tapping and wood cookie categories of the 50th Perth Festival of the Maples. 

• Ottawa Mystic Market: Beltane marks the ancient Celtic transition to summer. Next Door Ottawa (Little Italy) 

• Wander 4000 square feet of vendors, artists, writers, and creators at Capital Comic Book Convention (Billings Bridge)  

• Road Trip: In an inspired collab, the Hummingbird Chocolate and Gilligallou Bird Inc Tandem Tour will give participants a history and tour of the Hummingbird Chocolate operations, followed by a presentation about the tiny birds who are currently migrating their way to breeding grounds in Canada. (Almonte)

• 🆓 Bytown Sea Shanty Collective brings the party to Beyond the Pale Brewing Company (City Centre location). 

• Come and meet adoptable felines at Ottawa Stray Cat Rescue Day (Orléans). 

• Get up close to the 2026 Model Train Show at Galeries Aylmer. 

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema:  The Christophers, Folichonneries (Follies), Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (35mm Screening)  

• Mayfair Theatre: Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, The Big Red One, Saturday Night Sinema https://mayfairtheatre.ca/schedule/ 

Gigs

• Barry and the Blasters. Rainbow Bistro

• Joe Ray McDonald: Redneck Jazz. The Robo Lounge

• Bon Enfant et Choses Sauvages. Minotaure

• The Tiptides, Hungtingtons, Passenger Princess. Dominion Tavern

JUST ANNOUNCED

• A new season of Nature Nocturne begins at the Canadian Museum of Nature on June 5, with three floors of Djs, performances, and interactions with museum experts. The first event is created around the exhibition Wild Colour (May 15 - January 7 2027), which explores how colour is utilzed in nature. (Centretown)

• Road Trip: The Trews and The Strumbellas will co-headline Devfest in Cornwall June 26-27.

   

DEALS OF THE DAY

Until Sunday save 35% on discontinued earring styles at Warren Steven Scott.

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BUT, ONE MORE THING …

The City is looking for your turtle photos – and other wildlife shots.

The Canadian Wildlife Federation's City Nature Challenge, which runs April 24 through 27, aims to record wildlife sightings over the four days and see how many new observations each city can log. 

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 us at hello@theottawan.com. We read every single comment.