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Wednesday, August 13 August 2025
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🌦️ High 32° Low 23° and light rain ☀️6:02 am 🌛 8:13 pm

Hello Ottawa

In Today’s Edition

→ First West Nile Virus report in Ottawa of Summer 2025

→ Metcalfe Plaza ‘open-air social hub’ opens with a  party tomorrow

→ Deal of the Day: extra 20% off skirts and dresses from Katrin Leblond

– Martha and Darren

 

WEDNESDAY DINING + DRINKING UPDATE

STATISTICS OTTAWA

NUMBER

  • $1 million

  • The updated lifetime cost of maintaining the Memorial to the Victims of Communism, located near the corner of Wellington and Bay streets. Newly released Freedom of Information documents show that the maintence cost over 25 years has risen to $1 million over the initially planned $250,000.

  • David Pugliese in the Ottawa Citizen
     

OTTAWAN OF THE DAY

  • Lindsay MacArthur

  • MacArthur is the clinical manager of the Acute Cardiac Triage Unit at the Ottawa Heart Institute which, after one year of existence, has treated 3,000 cardiac patients.

  • Eligible patients avoid trips to the emergency room by being referred by a doctor before their cardiac issues become more serious.

  • Elizabeth Payne in the Ottawa Citizen

 

QUOTE

  • It’s all color-coded, so it’s always going to route you on the safest route, which is always green. Green is good.

  • – Volunteer Dave Robertson describing Bike Ottawa’s new smartphone app that shows the ‘best available, low-stress, comfortable and cycling-friendly routes to get around’.

  • Download it here for iOS and Android.

  •  – Camille Weston at CTV

  •  

  • SPORTS

  • ⚾ FRONTIER Ottawa Titans 1 – Florence Y’alls 0, yesterday

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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Join Us

WHAT’S GOING ON AT CITY HALL

No meetings this week

Meetings and Agendas

WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

🦟 West Nile Virus has been found in Ottawa mosquitoes for the first time this yearWhile one person has tested positive for West Nile Virus in Ontario this year, it wasn’t in Ottawa. Ottawa Public Health advises everyone to keep up their anti-mosquito routines. – City of Ottawa

🎾 Elmdale Tennis Club, Tennis Centre West Ottawa, and Ottawa Tennis Club have all reported their clay courts are free of asbestos. There was fear from Québec tennis court operators after clay from an American supplier was found to have asbestos that their courts may be compromised, but like the Ottawa courts, no toxins were found. – CBC

🌊 General Burns Pool will be closed for the rest of the summer for more repairs. The pool was originally expected to reopen July 18 but further needed repairs were discovered, resulting in a new opening date of September 9. – William Eltherington at CTV

🚨 A Gatineau police officer has been charged with assault and uttering threats. The officer, who was accused of committing the crimes during a ‘police intervention’ on June 9, has been placed on paid leave. – Ottawa Transit Riders

📻 The Sens have a new French language broadcaster in 104.7 Outaouais. The Sens play-by-plays were last heard on the station in 2012– NHL.com 

THE DAILY POLL

How have you managed this recent heat wave?

Love it. Because winter is coming.

Liked it to start but it's gone on too long

Meh. It’s just weather.

The height of misery.


  • Previously in ottawan polls:

  • We asked, ‘Do we still need physical offices for Members of Parliament?

    • 36% Yes, not everyone has a phone or computer

    • 31% No, everyone has a phone or computer, it’s a waste of money

    • 19% Yes, because it is someplace to protest

  • 14% No, because it’s a focal point for harassment


  • Commentary

▪️ “I think it's important as their staff provide much needed hands on help.”

▪️ “Face-to-face meetings with an elected official and/or one of their staffers can be a great way to quickly resolve issues.”

▪️ “Yes, because sometimes they don’t respond to email or phone calls, and you have to go down in person.”

▪️ “The answer says it all :)”

▪️ “We need physical offices not because folks don’t have other ways to communicate (phone/email) but because in-person conversations and meetings are an essential part of an MP’s work.”

▪️ “It’s not just the physical office, the member of Parliament should have designated hours to speak in-person with constituents.”

HISTORIC OTTAWA LOGO T-SHIRTS

T-shirt example

Ogilvy’s Department Store T-Shirt

Charles Ogilvy Limited began as dry goods shop on Rideau Street in 1897, and ended its reign as Ottawa's greatest department store in 1992.

Help support the ottawan by buying one of our historic logo t-shirts.

Shop for 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

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

  • Having launched last night, Metcalfe Plaza continues its opening weekend with Amashowza & Afroteo, DJs Obu and Coco, and lively Afrobeats from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

  • Join in or witness the awe-inspiring spectacle of Ottawa Swing Dance Society as it celebrates what would have been Canadian jazz legend Oscar Peterson’s 100 birthday. Be near the corner of Elgin and Albert, in front of the Oscar Peterson Statue, to see dancers performing. 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. What it’s all over, everyone will stroll to the usual Friday night Summer Swing Night at 174 Wilbrod St. 

  • Capital Pop-Up Cinema screens Stand By Me at Churchill Seniors Centre. 

  • Fighting Back: Wrestling with Cancer events have raised more than $600K for the Canadian Cancer Society since 2011. Help C*4 Wrestling raise even more and see top notch fighters at Wrestling with Cancer 2025.

  • Ontario Youth Choir starts its Peace, Nature, & Our Time tourwith a stop at St. Joseph's Church (174 Wilbrod St). 

  • There are sessions for kids and adults at the Th3rd Fridays: Final Summer Battle in the heart of the ByWard Market. Presented by Moov Ottawa Dance. 

  • Expect an "intimate night of music, emotion, and connection" at Ottawa recording artist Rëa's EP Release party at Art House

  • Visit Lee Valley Tools today or tomorrow for expert advice on choosing the right tools for the job. The Woodworking and Hand Tools Event runs today and tomorrow (Saturday August 16). 

  • 🆓 Watch as top rated athletes from Indigenous communities around the world compete in the Masters indigenous Games(today through Sunday).  

  • 10 days of rides, entertainment agricultural experiences, and local eats now stretch before us at Capital Fair in Gloucester

  • Tungasuvvingat Inuit and Inuuqatigiit Centre presents its annual 2SLGBTQI+ Pride Coffee House at Anina’s Cafe in Vanier. 

  • Pride Week kicks off with Born This Way with DJ Le Hartt (27 Club, 10:00 pm onwards). 

  • ByTowne CinemaSouleyman’s Story, It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley, CFI 90th Anniversary – Sane Inside Insanity: The Phenomenon of Rocky Horror, Starship Troopers 

  • Mayfair TheatreMy Mother’s Wedding, Shook, The Rocky Horror Picture Show 

    Gigs

  • Jim Bryson. Mallards Milk Bar, Arnprior

  • The Rambles, Hartlet, Blank Notion. Rainbow Bistro

  • 90s Dance Party (vol. 2: Summer is Magic Edition). SAW Centre

  • For One Hate, Klobber, Wasteland, Qwan. Dominion Tavern

  • The Last of the Duke St Kings (Bruce Springsteen and Melissa Ethridge tribute band). LIVE on Elgin

  • Mixtape. Brew Revolution

  • Alaskan, Biipiigwan, The Dark Plains. House of TARG

  • Rory Taillon. Stray Dog Brewing Co. 

  • Garvies, Robb Kerr, Mike Bassett. Avant-Garde Bar

JUST ANNOUNCED / NOW BOOKING

  • A popular street festival returns: Taste of Manotick 2025 draws foodies to check out the flavours of Ottawa's sweetest village. 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Saturday September 13 

BUT, ONE MORE THING ...

  • Every year, Ouimet Farms creates a very intricate maze but this year, the Vankleek Hill farm has created a very unusual design: a tribute to Terry Fox.

A portion of the proceeds of the entry fee goes to the Terry Fox foundation. – Camille Wilson at CTV

RAPID RESPONSE QUALITY CONTROL

What did you think of today’s ottawan?

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great

⭐⭐⭐ Satisfactory

⭐ Needs Improvement


 

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.

Martha and Darren in action