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Friday, March 14 2025

HELLO OTTAWA

In Today’s Edition

→ Château Laurier portrait thief pleads guilty

→ St Patrick’s Day good times guide

→ Deals of the Day on beer, swimwear, womenswear, and pie

→ ⛅ High 4° Low -8° and partly cloudy.  ☀️ 7:17 am 🌛 7:08 pm 

 

The Poll

Yesterday, we asked ‘What should be done about 24 Sussex Drive?

7% Make it habitable but do no more than the minimal amount of work needed

58%  Renovate the existing building to the most modern and future standards for the Prime Minister’s family, national events, and security

29%  Raze it, start all over, and make something of national pride


7% We don’t need it at all – the Prime Minister can live at Rideau Cottage or somewhere else

0% The City may have some sprung tents around that it no longer needs ...

Just this morning, THE OTTAWAN received an email from Heritage Ottawa promoting their Zoom lecture ‘At Home With The Prime Minister: Ottawa Residences of the Prime Ministers Prior to 1952’.

Before 1952, there was no official residence for the Prime Minister and each had to find their own home. Architectural historian Hagit Hadaya will speak on it March 19, 7:00pm. It’s free but pre-registration is required.

 

Today’s question (details in What Ottawa is Talking About below):

We welcome any comments ‘hello@theottawan.com’

– Martha and Darren

STATISTICS OTTAWA

    NUMBER 

    OTTAWAN OF THE DAY

    • Shahad Abdulmawjood
    • The Carleton University PhD student has developed a method to test when the end of maple syrup season is near, which will be of great assistance to syrup producers. The system involves checking for the amino acids that indicate the best taste.

    • Natasha O’Neill at CityNews

    QUOTE

    • In 10 years Ottawa is going to be one of the best entertainment markets outside Toronto

    • – Veteran concert promoter Ken Craig on the strength of the Ottawa music scene, and the recent addition of new venues.
    • Lynn Saxberg in the Ottawa Citizen

    SPORTS

    🏒 NHL Ottawa Senators 6 – Boston Bruins 3 last night

    PLEASE SUPPORT THE OTTAWAN

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    WHAT’S GOING ON AT CITY HALL

    Transit Committee
    Monday, March 17, 2025 at 9:30 am

    • Presentation - OC Transpo update – Rail, bus and Para Transpo
    • Fare compliance initiative update
    • Stage 2 Light Rail Transit project

    📋 Agenda

    WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

    🖼️ Churchill Portrait

    • The man charged with stealing the Karsh portrait of Winston Churchill from the Château Laurier pleaded guilty in court this morning. Jeffrey Wood stole the portrait in late 2021 or early 2022 which went unnoticed for months as a reproduction was put in its place. It eventually went on auction in London and was purchased by an uninvolved Italian lawyer, who returned it to the Canadian embassy. The portrait now hangs in Zoe’s Lounge at the Château Laurier.

      David Fraser and Paul Hunter at CBC

    🧹 Clean Sweep

    • Registration for Cleaning the Capital opens today. Every spring and fall, teams register to clean public areas of Ottawa. The City takes away the debris, and provides garbage bags and gloves on request. The actual cleaning campaign is April 15 to May 31.

      Lesley McKay in Stittsville Central

    🌉 Kettle Island Bridge

    • The Federal Government has announced professional advisors for a new Kettle Island bridge between Ottawa and Gatineau. Parsons Inc and Stantec Consulting Ltd have been awarded the $10 million contract to design the bridge. It will connect Aviation Parkway in Ottawa with Montée Paiement in Gatineau.

      Toula Mazloum at CTV

    🚨  Fentanyl Czar

    • The Federal fentanyl czar, Kevin Brosseau, met with Ottawa Police Service Wednesday to discuss the trafficking of the drug. The czar position was created in the early days of the tariff dispute when US president Donald Trump claimed Canada was a large source of fentanyl entering the United States. The Canada – US – Mexico trade agreement prohibits enacting tariffs against each other but has a ‘national emergency’ loophole which Trump used as an excuse to enact his tariffs.

      Ottawa Police said it is  ‘committed to doing its part—targeting traffickers, working with our partners, and supporting harm reduction efforts to protect our community’. 


      Ted Raymond at CTV

      ➕ Related Somerset ward councillor Ariel Troster says the new harm reduction programme in Chinatown is an ‘abuse of the system’.

    🎧 Better Ottawa Municipal Panel Podcast

    • The 613 has dropped a new Better Ottawa Municipal Panel Podcast. Former journalists Joanne Chianello and Jon Willing discuss keeping the City on Twitter, how will recent court decisions affect the Mayor’s desire for the Federal government to pay more in (equivalent) taxes, and how will Wellington Street in front of Parliament be policed?

      Better Ottawa Municipal Panel podcast

    HISTORIC OTTAWA LOGO 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

    FRIDAY

    It’s Pi Day!

    • ✳️  It’s also Lucky Friday at Dominion City Brewing; the taproom will stay open late for great beer, live music, and food from Le Poisson Bleu.
       
    • Tonight’s IFFO screenings: One Day (Canada, 2024), Memories of a Burning Body (Costa Rica, Spain, 2024), Two of Hearts (Canada, 2024), The Milssile (Finland, 2024), Zoé (Canada, 2024), and Honeymoon (Ukraine, 2024) 

    • 🆓 Bring your donation pile to Zoe’s Corner for the second annual Clothing Swap. Today from 12:00 - 3:00 pm and again on Saturday (March 15) from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. 5460 Canotek Raod Unit 103.

    • Perform or be a spectator as Urban Legends Poetry Collective brings a Pay What You Decide Poetry Slam to the Arts Court Atelier.

    • Today at Gladstone Theatre Presents! Winter Music Festival, experience an evening with Mimi O’Bonswain.

    • It’s not inconceivable: the ByTowne Cinema is screening Rob Reiner’s Princess Bride at 1:00 pm.

    • Tonight’s feature cocktail at the Calabogie Brewing Kanata taproom is the Lucky Charms Radler, so you can guess the theme. Reservations encouraged.

    • The St Patrick’s Day weekend starts tonight at Heart & Crown ByWard Market.

    • Road Trip: Cold Bear Brewing in Arnprior kicks off its St Patrick’s Day weekend of festivities with a Peaky Blinders Party. Dress as your favourite character from the show, and get ready for Irish karaoke, a photo booth, and more shenanigans.

    • The Sober Lunar Eclipse Glow Walk will take participants along trails in Torbolton Forest (Constance Bay).

    • Students from the Sue Healey School of Irish Dance will kick off Moose McGuire’s Orléans St Patrick’s Day programming at 5:30 pm today.

    • ByTowne Cinema: Klassic Kids: The Princess Bride, No Other Land, The Way, My Way, The King of Comedy
       
    • Mayfair TheatreFlow, A Complete Unknown, Universal Language, Bonnie and Clyde

      Gigs

    • Cadence Weapon. National Arts Centre

    • Dance Mix 2000. House of TARG

    • Groove Society. Poa Tiki Bar

    • 90s-Now Pop Alt Rock Music Dance Party. LIVE on Elgin

    • James LeClaire. Art House Café

    • Friday Night Laughs. Nuvo Lounge 295

    SATURDAY

    • Big news for local coffee lovers in Kanata: Equator Coffee Roasters opens its newest location next door to Indigo at Kanata Centrum at 7:30 am this morning. The first 50 customers will receive a wee gift with their purchase.

    • Road Trip: Visit Covered Bridge Brewing’s new digs in Kinburn for live music, great snacks from the food truck, and good times in the cutest village West of Ottawa.

    • Enjoy a free horse-drawn wagon ride outside the Heart & Crown in ByWard Market. 67 Clarence St from noon til 4:00 pm.

    • The final performance in The Gladstone Presents! A Wintertime Music Festival, Latin Rhythms Celebration, is a matinée show presented in partnership with Axé World Fest.

    • Almonte welcomes Seedy Saturday, where you can trade and buy seeds and listen to speakers with inspiring ideas for your garden.

    • Bring your own house plant(s) to Anina’s Cafe for the Plant Swap, which is celebrating the start of Horticultural Therapy Week.

    • The flowers might not be popping up yet in gardens but you can get an eyeful of blossoms and other elements of the natural world at Urban Art Collective’s new show “botanics: artwork by Emilie Darlington.” The Vernissage runs 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm today.

    • Donations to the Ottawa Food Bank are welcome at the Brass Monkey’s St. Paddy’s Day Kitchen Party with members of Evil Creek, Bassett & The Hound, and others.

    • First up on IFFO’s schedule today is Buses Don’t Stop Here Anymore, a short film about Ottawa’s late, lamented Greyhound bus station. More shorts and features screen throughout the late afternoon and evening.

    • 🆓 There’s no cover for the ByTown Sea Shanty Collective show at Beyond the Pale Brewing Co. You’ll want to get there early though, as it’s St. Patrick’s Day weekend and the shanties will be Irish-leaning.

    • East Coast Experience and guest Irish Millie promise a St Patrick’s Day experience at the Bronson Centre.

    • Broadway Bar & Grill will celebrate St. Patrick's Day with green cocktails and live music from the Lewis Boys.

    • The jazz is injected with blues, funk, afro, latin, hip hop and other styles at Art House’s Tour of Jazz: Courage4.

    • ByTowne Cinema: IFFO screening (Buses Don’t Stop Here Anymore, Grand Tour), The Way, My Way, No Other Land, Detour: Daises

    • Mayfair TheatreFlow, A Complete Unknown, Lost Highway, Saturday Night Sinema

      Gigs
       
    • Maggots: A Tribute to Sliipkknot. Overflow Brewing

    • The Wooden Nickels. Stray Dog Brewing Company

    • The Barrow Gang. Carleton Tavern

    • Barrelhouse: Tribute to the Allman Brothers. Rainbow Bistro

    • Funk nite with Smelloship and Mecca of Stank. House of TARG

    • Marc-Anthony Sinagoga: Family Style (comedy). Gladstone Theatre

    SUNDAY

    MONDAY 🍀 St. Patrick’s Day


    JUST ANNOUNCED / NOW BOOKING

    DEALS OF THE DAY

    BUT, ONE MORE THING ...

    A judgement has been made in a lawsuit that has been going on in Ottawa since 2014 and that we had no clue about. Initially, this seemed like a weird and funny story and while it is weird, it didn’t end up being funny.

    In 2014, American soap opera star Adrienne Frantz was filming The Perfect Girlfriend in Ottawa and was bitten by a Boston terrier during a love scene.

    Frantz sued for $5 million. The film company argued that the bite was not serious and, besides, Ontario’s Workplace Safety Insurance Board means that she could get workers compensation and is precluded from suing her employer.

    The judge sided with the film company, and ordered Frantz to pay $62,000 in costs.

    RAPID RESPONSE QUALITY CONTROL

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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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