Hello Ottawa

STATISTICS OTTAWA

NUMBER

• 112.8 mm

• The amount of rainfall that fell on Ottawa last month, higher than the average April rainfall of 81 mm.

• – Ted Raymond at CTV

OTTAWANS OF THE DAY

• Kailey Nathoo, Christly Dana Julsaint, and Reem Al Amhad Al Hasan

• The three kids, 11, 12, and 11 respectively, were honoured by the City at the 911 Children’s Achievement Awards for their quick thinking and calm reactions in calling 911 when their families members were in medical distress..

• – Joshua Marano at CTV

QUOTE

• The more the merrier

– Mayor of La Pêche Guillaume Lamoureux, on news that the Lac Philippe campground in Gatineau Park will reopen in June after three years of closure. In the meantime, the National Capital Commission has added an amphitheatre, 10 mini chalets, and extended water and electricty to 30 camp sites.

– CB

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WHAT’S GOING ON AT CITY HALL

WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

THE DAILY POLL

What industry do you think will provide the most jobs in future Ottawa–Gatineau?

🔘 The Federal government will always be the most important industry in the Capital

🔘 The tech industry is expanding like crazy and will eventually exceed the number of jobs provided by the Federal government

🔘 It’s a wash. Either through Federal job cuts or AI slashing tech jobs, it’s a race to the bottom

🔘 Tourism is the dark horse, more and more people want to visit

🔘 It’ll be some combination of vape / cannabis / cell phone shops. They are taking over the streets

• 
  Previously in OTTAWAN polls:

• 
  We asked, ‘What do you eat for breakfast?’

  • 34% I like it simple – porridge, cereal, or toast, etc.

  • 9% Full breakfast – bacon and eggs, pancakes, or that type of thing

  • 5% I go out for breakfast

  • 42% I skip breakfast

  • 10% I do it like they do on TV shows – a table with a full meal, toast and fruit, several jugs of juice – then take one bite and leave
    
    Commentary

▪️ “Hubby makes breakfast: virtuous steel-cut oats with fruit, nuts and yogurt during work week, all out bacon and eggs fest on weekends:)”

▪️ “I mix 1 egg with bit of salsa, green peppers, slice of cheese, perhaps some leftover chicken or bacon, etc, and cook on stovetop. Very tasty!”

▪️ “I don't eat for about 12-14 hours since dinner and my first meal is a high protein greek yoghurt with berries and a smidge of house made granola.”

▪️ “Smoothie with almond milk, cinnamon, oatmeal, flaxseed, frozen berries, avocado, and any leftover fruit or vegetable such as spinach. Also, one slice of multigrain bread with peanut butter and a glass of water.”

▪️ “Breakfast is coffee and an antacid.”

▪️ “None of the above – yogurt and fruit (banana, kiwi, grapefruit, etc).”

▪️ “I’m generally a porridge man but it’s got to be butteries when I’m in Scotland.”

▪️ “My dad made porridge for us 7/365. Imagine our surprise on sleepovers to find that Canadian children ate cold cereal loaded with sugar! I found out kids who stayed with us asked their dads for porridge when they got home – when fathers didn’t cook!”

▪️ “Optifast shake! Everyday for the past 2 years. Almost down 150 pounds.” 

▪️ “Yogurt, fruit, coffee with toast on weekends.”

▪️ “None of these answers really. Rather bowl of fresh fruits, gluten free granola and seeds with organic vegetal milk and of course really good quality coffee😀.”

▪️ “No two days are the same. One day might be a toasted BLT, the next a bowl of porridge with maple syrup, and on the third some leftover steak with a fried egg or two. It's the spark in our marriage, of course.”

▪️ “It’s usually simple on weekdays. But I love a big breakfast, so we try to do them on weekends or holidays. We also eat big breakfasts for dinner.”

▪️ “‘Continental breakfast’ croissant preferred, twice a week. ‘English breakfast’ bacon‘n’eggs, once a week. Cafe au lait on those occasions.”

▪️ “Best meal of the day – usually keeps me humming along until supper time!”

▪️ “Greek yogurt, blueberries, hemp seed, pumpkin seed and granola. Delicious!”

▪️ “I’m on a special diet, I have CKD stage 3 disease. But I’m still able to eat well!”

HISTORIC OTTAWA LOGO T-SHIRTS

Ogilvy Department Store T-Shirt Charles Ogilvy Limited began as dry goods shop on Rideau Street in 1897, and ended its reign as Ottawa's greatest department store in 1992. 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

TUESDAY

• ✳️ 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. This is ‘genre-busting, multilingual, thrilling film-noir‘ that's also a musical takes over the National Arts Centre's Babs Asper Theatre through Saturday (Downtown).

• 🆓 The Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition invites all community members to Join the Sunrise Ceremony at Parliament Hill in honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S).

• Savour five courses the Busters Bar & Grill Cinco de Mayo Eats & Sips Pairing. Must RSVP  in advance by calling 613-836-7007.

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema: Calle Màlaga, Mile End Kicks, Erupcja 

• Mayfair Theatre: Kontinental ’25, Second Wind, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie 

Gigs

• Half-cocked Trivia. Atomic Rooster

• Swing & Spritz. Night Oat

• Shaun Kirk. Rainbow Bistro

WEDNESDAY

• ✳️  This week Doors Open for Music at Southminster presents a program of unexpected musical pairings, performed by soprano Ellen McAteer and pianist Roland Graham. Admission by donation. 

• Bring your questions to Mother’s Day Propagation Bouquet and then create a meaningful gift for your mother-figure.(Barrhaven)

• Learn from a certified Pollinator Steward in the Petals & Pollinators: Growing a Garden that Gives Back workshop at Luma (Manotick) 

• Top Chef Joe Thottungal is whipping up something special to mark Ottawa’s 200th birthday. Listen as authors reveal their creative processes while you enjoy fine food and wine at Literary Feast 2026: Food With Wine and Words at the Horticulture Building (Lansdowne Park)   

• Join the Pitch ImPerfect Singers in exploring the songs of the British Invasion.(Nepean). 

• Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II opens a new season of A Bad Night at the Movies. OPL Main Branch.(Downtown)  

• Working drummer Mark Swan demos kit and spills how he nails gigs across genres at Long & McQuade Kanata. To register: email kanata@long-mcquade.com or andrewsmith@long-mcquade.com. 

Cinema

• ByTowne Cinema: Amrum, 100 Sunset, Erupcja 

• Mayfair Theatre: Kontinental ’25, Rushmore, Forbidden Fruits 

Gigs

• Switch-on Synths. House of TARG

• James Greer Happy Hour. The Robo Lounge

• Sugarcane Hangover, Love + Mayhem. Rainbow Bistro

• Bleeker, Texas King. 27 Club

• Chances au Minotaure

THURSDAY

• 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

JUST ANNOUNCED / NOW BOOKING

• Ottawa's newest foodie gathering, BestFest, puts some of the city's best restaurants under the same roof.  Friday and Saturday at Lansdowne Park. 

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BUT, ONE MORE THING ...

Nathalie Hewa Dewage has a story in The Guardian about Build, a new social enterprise by the Ottawa non-profit EnviroCentre. ‘Build aims to tackle what environmental advocates and some political leaders describe as two intersecting issues: the urgent need for retrofits in Canadian homes to combat the climate crisis and the shortage of skilled workers to do the job’. 

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.