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Tuesday, August 19 August 2025
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Hello Ottawa

In Today’s Edition

→ A year after new Ottawa Police outposts near ByWard Market, crime stats are meh

→ Get your jazz vibes at Night Oat and Bar Robo tomorrow night

→ Canadian Made Deals of the Day on womenswear at Power of My People


Ghost City Tunnel

Yesterday, we wrote about a planned tunnel under Terry Fox Drive to connect Kanata’s Centrum Shopping Centre with the Canadian Tire across the street, a project set in motion by the long gone City of Kanata.

We couldn’t find any information about the project on the City’s website but OTTAWAN readers came through.

The City calls it the ‘Earl Grey Drive Extension’ and while the details are on the City’s website here, they are not available on Engage Ottawa, where public consultations are usually found.

Thank you to readers Nick, Bob, and Andrea (who noted the plan is actually an underpass, not a tunnel) for sourcing the page for us.

– Martha and Darren

STATISTICS OTTAWA

NUMBER

  • 50

  • The number of fires in the city caused by ‘improperly discarded smoking materials’ so far this year, according to the Ottawa Fire Service.

  • By ‘improperly discarded smoking materials’, the Service mostly means cigarettes. The city wide burn ban remains in effect.

  • Katie Griffin at CTV
     

OTTAWANS OF THE DAY

  • Nik Lemieux, Alex Mejía, and Morgan Young

  • The chief financial officer, chief operations and compliance officer, and chief marketing officer, respectively, have been newly appointed by Atlético Ottawa to ‘to guide the club into a new era of growth, stability, and ambition’.

  • Martin Cleary in Canadian Premier League

 

QUOTE

  • “

  • Sidewalks are not an aesthetic choice. They are a lifeline. 

  • – Manor Park resident Mark Lindenberg who is dismayed that some of his neighbours are actively opposing planned new sidewalks in his neighbourhood. As a wheelchair user,  Lindenberg is forced into the road with traffic to get around.

  •  – ‘Sidewalks will make Manor Park more accessible, livable and safe’

PLEASE SUPPORT THE OTTAWAN

the ottawan was launched in 2020 as the daily answer to the questions: What’s going on? What should I do? Where is somewhere good to eat?

Please consider joining the many other readers with a monthly, annual, or one-time donation to keep the ottawan on its mission.

All annual or one-time donations over $60 include an ottawan or historic logo t-shirt of their choice.

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WHAT’S GOING ON AT CITY HALL

Planning and Housing Committee
Wednesday, August 20 at 9:30 am

  • Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment – 400 Coventry Road

  • Zoning By-law Amendment – 47 Beechwood Avenue, 12 Douglas Avenue, and 5 Springfield Road

  • Zoning By-law Amendment – 99 Parkdale Avenue

  • Zoning By-law Amendment – 2409 Carlsen Avenue

  • Front-Ending Report – Cost Increase on the March Road Sanitary Sewer, Kanata North Urban Expansion Area

  • Status Update – Planning and Housing Committee Inquiries and Motions for the period ending August 8, 2025

Agenda

Plus the Committee of Adjustment meets at 1:00 pm

WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

🚨  A year after new Ottawa Police outposts opened near ByWard Market, crime stats are meh. The Ottawa Police Service is claiming that the outposts at 50 Rideau St and in Rideau Centre have been successes, noting that assaults have gone down 7.8 per cent, threats are down 8.1 per cent, robbery down 30 per cent and break and enter down 37 per cent.

But theft under $5,000 has risen 7.2 per cent, mischief has gone up 11 per cent, while criminal harassment is up 42 per cent.  – Aedan Helmer at Ottawa Citizen

🌊  Beachgoers have six more days of lifeguard service before the season ends. The City had some hope that it could extend the swimming season past August 24, but it does not have enough lifeguards available. – Natasha O’Neill at CityNews 

🛩️  The Transporation Safety Board is asking residents to look for debris from last month’s small plane crash. The Board is asking for residents of Westboro, Carlington, Central Park, Fisher Heights, Parkwood Hills, and Fisher Glen to check their gardens, pools, gutters, and hedges for any foreign objects. – CBC

THE DAILY POLL

How are you feeling about Buy Canadian these days?

Still mad, still not buying anything American-made if I can

It’s changed my habits. I routinely look for Canadian -made now

The passion isn’t as strong any longer. I don’t regularly check 

I always bought whatever I wanted; origin doesn’t matter


  • Previously in ottawan polls:

  • We asked, ‘Do we need a tunnel to connect Centrum Shopping Centre with the Canadian Tire?’

    • 2% Yes, Terry Fox drive can get very congested

    • 44% No, it’s not worth the hassle

    • 27% I’m intrigued that a decision by no-longer-existing city is being implemented

    • 27% I’m surprised that it has already been (mostly) paid for


  • Commentary

▪️ “For a cash-strapped city, Ottawa sure has weird priorities: road widenings, Lansdowne 2.0 and tunnels. Good thing I won’t be living here anymore when the wall of maintenance and renewal costs will hit the City.” 

▪️ “This is a crazy idea. The majority of traffic in that area is going along Terry Fox, not across it!”

▪️ “Love a more walkable option, thank you friendly and helpful ghost!”

▪️ “Why?”

▪️ “There are much better ways to spend this money.”

▪️ “We have enough construction going on the whole city and Queensway are being torn apart this is very bad timing and we really don’t need a tunnel.”

▪️ “If the City is that awash in cash that it can build a tunnel to connect one shopping centre to another in Kanata then perhaps they can spare a dime for their inner city neighbours who have genuine traffic congestion needs.”

▪️ “It’s absurd to have a Tunnel to Nowhere from the Crazy Horse to Dymon Storage and Canadian Tire for $30M. 2 buses get to reduce their trip by 400m for that $. What a deal!”

HISTORIC OTTAWA LOGO T-SHIRTS

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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

TUESDAY

  • Cirquonscient brings its enchanting Faerie Picnic to Strathcona Park. Bring your own picnic and blanket and settle in for aerial performances and acts of whimsy all around you. Free but donations are welcome.  

  • Pull together your brainy squad and register for Overflow Brewing’s Trivia Tuesday. 

  • 🆓 The party that is Capital Pride is underway but in addition to the fun and celebratiions you'll find events like tonight’s Capital Pride Financial Literacy Clinic. Whether you’re planning a business or you just want to feel more confident in your money dealings, this session is a safe place to ask all the awkward questions. 

  • Overflow Brewing hosts this month’s Queers & Beers: Pride Edition, featuring live music from BLK PRL and OK Naledi. 

  • ByTowne Cinema: Souleyman’s Story, Casques Bleus (A War Movie) Director Q & A, Boys Go To Jupiter 

  • Mayfair Theatre: Shook, My Mother’s Wedding, Punch-Drunk Love  

    Gigs

  • Chris & Kat. Night Oat

  • Lex 13 and the 13s. Avant-Garde Bar

  • Trivia Tuesday. Irene's Pub

  • Kiesza. Club SAW

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

🏳️‍🌈 Today at Capital Pride: 

JUST ANNOUNCED / NOW BOOKING

MADE IN CANADA DEALS OF THE DAY

Do you need smart dressing for work and occasions that happens to be Made in Canada? Dig into the Power of My People sale for reduced prices on women's blouses and shirts. 

BUT, ONE MORE THING ...

  • Satirical website The Beaverton’s headline yesterday was ‘Bruce Fanjoy wins Battle River-Crowfoot by-election’, poking fun at how the seemingly come-from-nowhere candidate handily beat Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre in his longtime Ottawa Carleton riding.

  • On Twitter, Fanjoy was a little more circumspect: ‘Even I would have thought this wasn’t possible’.

  • In real life, Poilievre did win the Battle River-Crowfoot by-election yesterday and, at 80.4 % of the vote, he did it pretty handily.

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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.

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