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HELLO OTTAWA Ottawa and Gatineau both have new coronavirus restrictions. Indoor dining, cinemas, performance spaces, gyms, and casinos are now closed, as well as any personal services that require removing a mask, like beard trims. Takeout food, patios, and indoor places of worship remain open. For those riding OC Transpo, $260 fines for not wearing a mask begins today. We're in the second wave of COVID-19. But if we can get into it, we can get out of it. For those of you who used the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, the new Canada Recovery Benefit opened for applications yesterday. We'll see you tomorrow with our Wednesday Resto Roundup. It's just become harder to be a restauranteur, so if you have a favourite place you'd like to plug, reply to us at hello@theottawan.com – Martha and Darren |
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#STATS Weather: ?️ Showers. High of 14° Ottawans of the Day: Samantha Buchanan and Lindsay Simons. The two University of Ottawa medical students have brought Bag-Half-Full to Ottawa, a volunteer service that helps those with health or mobility issues, the elderly, and people who are self-isolating to get groceries and medicine [Ottawa Matters] [Bag Half Full] Quote: “Whatever his point was, I think he mistakenly stumbled upon a correct pronunciation, unwittingly so” – Veldon Coburn, professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Ottawa, on Fox News host Tucker Carlson's pronounciation of Ottawa. Tucker, who was attempting to mock the pronounciation of one-time Canadian resident and current US vice-president candidate Kamala Harris‘ name by calling our city "aw-TUH-wah". The name Ottawa was derived from the Anishinaabemowin language word “odaawe” — pronounced “aw-DAH-weh” [CBC] |
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CORONAVIRUS UPDATE For up-to-date info: Ottawa Public Health dashboard Outaouais Public Health dashboard OTTAWA: There have been 5153 confirmed cases of COVID-19, an increase of 393 since Friday, and 297 deaths, one new report. OUTAOUAIS: There have been 1799 confirmed cases of COVID-19, an increase of 138 since Friday, and 34 deaths, no new reports. ⭕ Ottawa Public Health doesn't know where more than one-third of COVID-19 cases came from [CBC] + Related Contact tracing will concentrate on high-risk spreaders ⭕ Federal Government announces new commerical rent programme that allows businesses to be assisted directly, instead of having to go through their landlord [CBC] ⭕ Two staffers at St. Jerome Elementary School in Riverside South test positive for COVID-19 [CBC] ⭕ Another staffer at the Garry J. Armstrong long-term care home has tested positive for COVID-19, making five current cases [Ottawa Citizen] ⭕ The Red Cross has been approved by the Federal Government to assist in seven Ottawa long-term care homes [CTV] ⭕ The Province has suspended jury selection in Ottawa, Toronto, and Peel Region due to rising COVID-19 cases [Brampton Guardian] ? The Canada COVID Alert App Be alerted if you have come in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The app now works in Quebec as well as Ontario. |
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#WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT ▪️City approves demolition of the Deschâtelets Building. The French Catholic school board wanted to demolish the building to build a new school, with housing above. Campaigners despaired at the loss of the beautiful art deco chapel. [The Mainstreeter] ? Discussion ▪️The National Capital Commission receives $52 million from the Federal Government to finally repair flood damage. Most of the money will repair walkways and viewpoints [Ottawa Citizen] ?Discussion ▪️The Ottawa police deputy chief who is accused of sexually harassing two police officers and a civilian employee will have a hearing in December. Deputy Chief Uday Jaswal is charged with three counts of insubordination and three counts of discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act [Ottawa Citizen] ?Discussion ▪️The former mayor of Ottawa has written to Hydro Ottawa for an electricity moratorium. Larry O’Brien has lent his support to the many people who want the utility to put a moratorium on disconnections to restaurants, which are struggling to pay their bills [Ottawa Matters] ?Discussion |
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#THE INSIDER ?️ FOOD + DRINK ▫️ The only pub in Old Ottawa East, the Canal Royal Oak, has closed. The owner doesn't blame COVID-19 but instead fear that the building would be expropriated by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario to replace a Queensway bridge [The Mainstreeter]
There, we said it, but only because the retail giants want us to start thinking about it. Earlier in the century, stores didn’t decorate for Christmas or start promoting gift ideas until after Remembrance Day had passed. Hallowe'en wasn’t promoted until after Labour Day. However, it’s 2020 and Canadian Tire started setting up Christmas decor displays last week. Meanwhile, Hallowe’en candy has been available since August. The festive spending juggernaut gets underway today. Earlier this morning the latest Amazon Prime “deal-a-thon” launched, aimed at big ticket buyers looking for deals on mattresses, sofas, and electronics. Walmart wants a piece of the action and is promoting its Big Save event, and Apple wants us to watch the iPhone 12 release. There are several reasons for these early sales pushes. 1️⃣ Christmas spending is bound to be down this year, as many households experience job losses and reduced incomes. Your friends and family might put a lower than usual cap on the dollars spent on each gift. Maybe it will be different in Ottawa; as a Government town, many still enjoy full time employment. But we at the ottawan suspect that it’s going to be a much more low key Christmas. 2️⃣ It’s likely that we’re going to be spending Christmas just with our bubble, as we did over Thanksgiving. This in turn might mean that we’re buying for fewer people. Thus, even the big players want to kick start the spending now, to mitigate potentially lower Christmas spending. 3️⃣ While we might not physically be with loved ones, we’ll still want to send them something by mail. So will everyone else, and shipping times are bound to be affected. So retailers are encouraging us to think about possible shipping delays and to buy early. (Something else to consider: You’ll probably be spending more money on postage and more time at the post office.) Our answer to the above is to spend less and spend locally. A lot of fabulous fashion, decor items, and food is produced here in the Ottawa area, as well as across Canada, and a gift that can trace its origins right back to the maker resonates in a way that a something made in an overseas factory just can’t. the ottawan will be launching our Made in Canada Gift Guide soon. Meanwhile, here are a few ideas for locally made gifts to give with pride. ▫️ Bee Savvy bees wax lip balms come in lots of pleasing flavours and contain natural ingredients. At $5.95 plus shipping each, they won’t break the bank and they’re tiny enough to slip into a Christmas stocking or even a Christmas card. ▫️ Damn Fine Prints Canada celebrates another beloved Ottawa landmark with the 1960 Civic Pharmacy sign sticker, perfect to adorn your laptop. $4.00 plus shipping ▫️ How about mittens made from recycled sweaters? Quilttens is having a sale at the moment, so you’ll get a one-of-a-kind pair of mitts for $30 plus shipping. ▫️ Made in Ottawa, these maple burl pens will look uber fancy on your desk. $44.99 + shipping For more locally sourced gifts, check out Square Lemon, Ottawa Artisans, and Maker House
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