πΉ Disability campaigners say the Ottawa Carleton District School Board is ‘troubling and undemocratic’ after ceasing to live stream meetings. While there are currently no meetings of Board members as the Province has replaced them with an appointed supervisor, provincial law says the Special Education Advisory Committee must continue to meet albeit without live streaming. At the last meeting, a parent took it upon herself to stream it on her phone, resulting in a recess while staff decided what to do. In that case, staff found no objections and allowed the private filming. – Joanne Laucius in the Ottawa Citizen
πThe Chief Librarian of the Ottawa Public Library will ask the board to include Indigenous communities across the river with free membership. While everyone living in Ottawa has free access to the Library, those outside the City’s boundaries are subject to a $90 annual fee. Sonia Bebbington says the Kitigan Zibi Anishinaabeg First Nation and Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation should have free access due to their involvement with ΔdisΕke, the joint project between the Library and Library and Archives Canada. – Rachel Morgan at CityNews
π· The Stittsville Goulbourn Horticultural Society has opened its 2025 photo competition. Categories this year are Canadian Pride, The Joys of Spring, Summer Sizzle, Autumn Magic, Winter Wonderland, Down the Garden Path, The John Curry Award (A photo of a horticultural event), and Best in Show. The deadline is February 2, 2026 – and you must join the Society first. – Leslie McKat at Stittsville Central
βͺ Check out the winners from previous years.
ποΈ The Canada Strong Pass will return for Christmas. The pass – which is really just a policy not an actually document – allows free admission to all national museums for children and teens aged 17 and under and a 50 per discount for young adults aged 18 to 24. VIARail tickets are free for kids 17 and under when accompanied by an adult. The national museums reported between 13 and 18 per cent more visitors while the pass was valid this summer. – Ted Raymond at CTV
Updates
π» In response to the news that Convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber have been given 12 months of house arrest, satirical website The Beaverton has written ‘Ottawa residents plan 12 month ‘fireworks and honking’ festival outside Freedom Convoy Leaders’ homes’.
π We’ve mentioned former Shopify executive Toby Shannan’s plan to create something new with the now-closed Perth campus of Algonquin College. Here’s a new interview with Shannan.
π³οΈ Also in the Citizen, Bruce Deachman has good things to say about former Ottawa Centre Member of Parliament Catherine McKenna’s new book, Run Like a Girl.
π¨ Guy Quenneville at CBC looks ‘back at the changes, both personal and societal, that took place’ in the 50 years since a student murdered two others from St Pius X High School and Glebe Collegiate Institute.
