– Where Ottawa lies on a list of Canada’s ten most polite cities as calculated by Uber Eats 2024 Cravings Report. The most polite city is Kingston. If you feel the need to give the gears to someone in Cornwall, that city was deemed the 6th most pickiest.

- The two directors were the award winners at the close of the Ottawa Canadian Film Festival. Navasca won the Jury Prize for her film, Desync. Rendall won the Audience Favourite for his film, Triage. Both are from Toronto.

– Council on Aging of Ottawa executive director Sarah Bercier on the proposed 120 per increase in the cost of a senior’s monthly bus pass. Bercier wonders what kind of data led to the decision. 

▪️Former Member of Provincial Parliament Randy Hillier has had his charges over his Convoy activity stayed because of court delays. Hillier, who represented Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston, was charged with mischief, counselling to commit an indictable offence, obstructing a police officer, and assaulting a police officer during the Convoy siege. The judge found that Hiller had been waiting 31 months and 13 days, which exceeds the Supreme Court requirement to have a trial within 30 months.

▪️Full time professors and at the University of Ottawa have voted to give their union a strike mandate. If negotiations fail, the Association of Professors of the University of Ottawa is empowered to call a strike next February.

▪️The Ottawa Police Service’s lease for training facilities at Algonquin College is not being renewed. For 23 years, the College has provided ‘classrooms, office space, a firing range, a simulations lab, and a defensive tactics studio‘ to the Service. The College said that it needed the extra space starting in 2026. 

▪️All Ottawa Charge hockey games will be televised or streamed next season. Which match on which medium doesn’t seem to be worked out yet, but CBC will be broadcasting selected Professional Women’s Hockey League games on Saturdays, and Amazon Prime will be streaming Tuesday games. Cable network TSN will carry the bulk of the games.

▪️The Ontario Provincial Police have been called in by the Province to look at Renfrew Victoria Hospital, in Renfrew, natch. The Province took over operations of the hospital in June after questions were raised about the hospital’s relationship and financial back-and-forth with the non-profit organization, Renfrew Health. 

▪️ One more for the Advent Calendar list, and this one isn’t necessarily just for grown ups. Each year, Maker House gathers up 25 of its very cool Made In Canada gifts, wraps them, and places them in one handy box. Each day you’ll find a gift in the food and drink, Indigenous-made, locally-crafted bath and body, and ornaments categories. $199 

▪️ Buy locally written books and chat with the authors at the 30th Anniversary Ottawa Small Press Book Fair. 

▪️ Watch Hungary’s Some Birds at Opening Night of the European Union Film Festival, and enjoy the audience Q&A session with the film’s cinematographer Marcell Nagy following the screening. 

🆓 At last: an opportunity to check out the building on Carling that always has fun messages on its sign. Organizers of Salon Des Bananes’ Peeking In - Art Exhibition in the Loen Design Studio say of tonight’s Vernissage “We promise there will be great art, lively conversations, and even food and drinks on Friday! And some other cool stuff too!”

▪️ The Hospice Care Ottawa annual Homes for the Holidays Home Tour will fill your head with ideas for your most stylish Christmas ever. This year the tour visits seven homes across Ottawa, each styled by designers and florists. Today (November 15) through 17. $50.  

▪️ The exhibition Outside the Lines: Celebrating Women War Artistsinspires the Art Battle Ottawa at Canada War Museum.

▪️ Otherworld Treasures at 1889 Baseline Road is staying open until 7:00 pm for a Holiday Jewellery Pop-Up Sale. 

▪️ Divertimento Orchestra’s Fall Concert is A Tour of Europe. 

▪️ The Grand Reveal Burlesque Show is a glamorous tease of a show plus a vendors market all in one. Shenkman Arts Centre in Orléans 

▪️ Road Trip: The Prescott Fire Department presents the 2024 Light Up the Night Parade. 

▪️ Queen St Fare hosts the monthly Queers and Beers.

▪️ The Stittsville Business Association’s Stittsville Spree is a chance to win $1000 to spend in the area. To be in with a chance for the big prize, spend at least $100 in the area between November 15 and December 31.  

▪️ The 50th anniversary season continues at GCTC with the world premier of Beowulf in Afghanistan by Laurie Fyffe. 

▪️ ByTowne Cinema: Antra, Blitz, Rumours 

▪️ Mayfair Theatre: Black Box Diaries, Lee, Terrifier 3 

Gigs

▪️ Rick Holmstrom Trio. Red Bird

▪️ Games We Play: She’s the Girl Tour. The 27 Club

▪️ 80s Dance Party. House of TARG

▪️ Better Lovers: The Highly Irresponsible Tour. Bronson Centre

▪️ Dave Bignell. Irene’s Pub

▪️ New Wave Dance Party with The Underground. The Prescott

▪️ Outskirts - Tribute to Blue Rodeo. Overflow Brewing

▪️ The LebBreton FlatBellies. Main Street Pub

▪️The Queer Christmas Craft Show runs 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at The Good Companions Center. Free parking. 

▪️ Mayfair Theatre is screening the  the 50th anniversary, 4K restoration version of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation. Bonus: see a very young Harrison Ford in an early supporting role.

▪️ Gigspace is tiny, so by the time you read this the in-person tickets to the Duncan Hopkins’ Two Guitar Hit gig might be sold out. Good thing you can purchase livestream tickets too. 

▪️ Vancouver-born singer/songwriter Suzie Ungerleider, who toured and recorded as Oh Susanna in the 1990s, is playing her new album at Red Bird tonight. As of Thursday morning there aren’t many tickets left. 

▪️ The Hub Market Café has been created to foster connections and resources for Black entrepreneurs. Today’s opening ceremony will feature speakers, interactive workshops, music and art performances, a fashion show, and more.  

▪️ It’s possible that you’ve never sampled fine, aged spirits from 75 feet underground. The Whisky Tasting Fundraiser at the Diefenbunker is your chance to try it. 

🆓 Bobby B Productions welcomes the Ottawa DJ Festival to the stage this Saturday. Drop in anytime between 3:00 pm and 11:00 pm for half hour DJ sets, food and drink trucks, and fun for the whole family. 

▪️ European Film Festival screenings: Hygge! (6:00 pm), Family Therapy (8:30 pm) 

▪️ ByTowne Cinema: Antra, Restoration: The Sweet Hereafter, Blitz 

▪️ Mayfair Theatre: The Substance, The Conversation, Saturday Night Sinema 

Gigs

▪️ Glamour Profession (Steely Dan tribute) Queen Street Fare 

▪️ Boids, Pomegranate, All Day Breakfast.  Avant-Garde Bar

▪️ Ash Ravens, Almyr Jules. Irene’s Pub

▪️ Joe Grass. Fourth Stage (National Arts Centre)

▪️ Death Comes Riffing, Possessed Steel. House of Targ

▪️ Beyond Driven, This Disaster, Don’t Tell Sarah, UNTIL. The Rainbow Bistro 

▪️ Unsociably High, The Pudding Chomeur, Leeny Jones. Live! on Elgin

Saturday Markets, Church Bazaars, and Craft Fairs:

🌲 Candles, books, home decor, tarot cards and readings: find them all and more at the Ottawa Mystic Market (today and Sunday at Next Door) 

🌲 613Flea brings more than 150 vendors to Aberdeen Pavilion. 

🌲 You’ll find more than 100 vendors at the “bigger and better” 2nd Annual Robert Plante Holiday Market (today and Sunday).  

🌲 In addition to the usual crafts and delicious home baking, the Orléans United Church Christmas Bazaar will have a silent auction. 

🌲 Trinity United Church Christmas Bazaar takes over 1099 Maitland Ave.

🌲 Itty Bitty 2024 Artisan & Art Show by Arts Carleton Place is back.

🌲 Grab a free hot chocolate or hot apple cider while you shop from 120 vendors at the Ritchie Feed & Seed Christmas Bazaar in Richmond. 

🌲 Road Trip: Visit the town of Winchester, Ontario’s Garden Party Christmas Market and enjoy horse drawn wagon rides, crafting, a petting zoo, food, and live music. 

🌲 The One & Only Arts and Crafts Fair by Action Sandy Hill will raise funds for local youth and arts organizations. You’ll also find the annual Good Book Sale, which supports literacy programs at Viscount Alexander school.  

🌲 Road Trip: It’s a busy day in Brockville, Ontario: the Christmas Market takes over Brockville Shopping Center with 30 vendors, live music and hot apple cider. Today and Sunday at 54 Centre St. Meanwhile, visit the Miracle on King Street (10:00 am to 4:00 pm today) to make an ornament in Santa’s workshop, sing carols, and enjoy live music.

🌲 The Barrhaven Winter Craft Market at the Walter Baker Sports Centre is raising funds for CHEO. 

🌲 Road Trip: It might be too early for skiing but Calabogie is alive with the sounds of Christmas at the Winter Market. Please bring a donation for the Calabogie Food Bank. 

🌲 Beechwood Market, which is closed for the season, is resurrected this evening for the Beechwood Night Market at Mackay Memorial Hall, featuring food, craft beer and wine, and tarot readings. 

A long time ago, in households not far from here, Star Wars-obsessed kids were waiting for the sequel (the first one; the one that would soon be known as The Empire Strikes Back). These youngsters were, in fact, desperate for anything Star Wars related. For lo, children, in those dark days of 1978 there was no YouTube; you couldn’t just watch Star Warswhenever you wanted. Nor could you scroll through 1000s of images of swoon Han Solo with the touch of your finger. So desperate were these tweens that they would read or watch anything that had even the most tenuous connection to the franchise. 

Well, Hollywood read the room; thus, the Star Wars Holiday Special was born. The night rolled around and the children raced to the TV, eager to catch sight of their Force-loving heroes (and, since nobody knew at that point that Luke and Leia – SPOILER ALERT! – were closely related, maybe a longed for swoon kiss?) but as the minutes ticked by, even the youngest of these fans started to get just how bad was this - of all things - variety special. (Ask your grandparents about “variety shows,” which were kind of the 1970s answer to vaudeville. Also, look up “vaudeville.”).

Anyway, the Mayfair Theatre isn’t going to make you watch the 1978 special. Instead, it’s screening A Disturbance in the Force, a 2023 documentary which seeks to answer the question “Why?” (as in, why was the special made? Also, perhaps: how much did Harrison Ford make for appearing in it? Or: was he contractually obligated to appear in it? Also: does The Star Wars Holiday Special still appear on his resumé? Disclaimer: those last three questions probably won’t be answered). 

▪️ Children of all ages, try to contain yourselves. The Barrhaven Santa Claus Parade starts at 5:30 pm. 

🆓 Do some seasonal shopping at the HoliYay Craft Market (National Arts Centre from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm) 

▪️ Road Trip: Find 20 local vendors as well as tasty, locally distilled spirits at the Vodkow Holiday Market in Almonte. 

▪️ If you have an unintentional empty alcohol bottle collection cluttering up your home bring it to the BottleWorks Glebe Bottle Driveat Kunstadt Sports, 680 Bank St. between 9:30 am and 12:30 pm. 

▪️ Bring a gothic Christmas vibe and do some fantastic local shopping at Day Two of the Ottawa Mystic Market. 11:00 am to 5:00 pm today at Next Door. 

▪️ It’s also Day Two of the fabulous Robert Plante Holiday Market(9:00am to 4:00pm), where you can shop from vendors and get your local holiday decor sorted from the greenhouse. 

▪️ You’ll have a chance to win prizes to the pub and to shop from the vendors with every $10 you spend at Finnigan’s Christmas Market (347 Montreal Road) 

▪️ Ottawa Regional Youth Choir performs Mozart’s Requiem. 

▪️ If the chill is getting you down, grab a cozy Sunday night meal from Maker Feed Co. This week’s Shepherd’s Pie Take Home Dinner is a warming mix of beef and lamb and is served with salad. 

▪️ Road Trip: Brockville Christmas Market continues today. 

▪️ Tonight’s European Union Film Festival screenings: Scarborn(Poland) and Dodo (Greece).

▪️ ByTowne Cinema: Antra, Blitz, Restoration: The Straight Story 

▪️ Mayfair Theatre: Forbidden Films at The Mayfair, Toliko za danas(aka, That’s It for Today), A Disturbance in the Force: How the Star Wars Holiday Special Happened 

Gigs

▪️ Songs That Made Us Songwriters. Irene’s Pub

▪️ Sinking Season, Milk St., Sundowner. Café Dekcuf

▪️ Wedding. Rainbow Bistro

▪️ Carys. LIVE on Elgin

▪️ Tonight’s European Union Film Festival screenings: Cats of Malta(Malta), Hilma (Sweden).

▪️ Sparks Street is all dressed up for the holidays. Take a Winter Wander and see what the merchants have in store for the Christmas season. 

▪️ ByTowne Cinema: Anora, Blitz 

▪️ Mayfair Theatre: Lee, Black Box Diaries, The Conversation 

Gigs

▪️ Gregorian: Pure Chants Tour. Bronson Centre Music Theatre

▪️ The 5-Star Monday Band. The Laff

▪️ Karaoke Mondaze. Atomic Rooster

▪️ Road Trip: Gather Brewery and Glassworks in Merrickville’s Customer Appreciation Weekend will offer specials on pints, glasses of wine, food, and merch. You can also design your own ornament. November 22-24 

▪️ The Green Needle’s January sewing classes are now open for registration.