▪️Gift shopping on a budget: Gees Bees has a collection of honey-based gifts for under $20.

▪️Life is getting busier as December races by, and Red Apron’s heat-at-home meals can help. For example, next Thursday night December 19 you could eat the same old dinner or you could order Red Apron’s “Enright Beef and Mushroom Ragu” and dine like you’ve got a full staffed kitchen. Just sayin’.

▪️Road Trip: Shopping pairs well with food and drink. We know because tonight you can do some in-person Christmas shopping at Blondie Apparel (2394 Dwyer Hill Road in Ashton), from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Once you’ve worked up a hankering for a nice dinner, you could drive five minutes to Ashton Brewing Company for a cosy meal and locally crafted beer.

▪️The Pure Kitchen in ByWard Market will close December 22 after two years in business. The company says the location did not perform as well as expected but crime in the neighbourhood was not a factor.

▪️After a fire closed it two years ago, the Gingerbread Man in Manotick has reopened. The bakery features gingerbread houses, gingerbread men, ‘kits to put together and decorate your own gingerbread home’, and cookies (presumably gingerbread).

▪️In their Apartment 613 Best Bites column, Kiersten Vuorimaki and Hannah Manning ate at Amazing Authentic Artisan Noodles (‘it was more food than I could eat, even if I tried’), Strudel & Perogi Ladies (‘For $12, you get 6 pan-fried perogi, fluffy and savoury inside with a nearly embarrassing amount of caramelized onions, fried bacon, grated cheese and sour cream’), and Union Street Café (‘My go-to lunch order is one of their grilled panini sandwiches (around $15) made on homemade focaccia and filled with delicious combos like pesto, tomato, and mozzarella; or apple and brie’).

▪️Peter Hum at the Ottawa Citizen continues to ignore concerns for his blood sugar levels as he devours a piña colada Yule log at Mamie Clafoutis in Westboro. The bakery will only make 30 piña colada Yule logs but will have plenty of the chocolate variety.

After the sugar high wore off and the munchies began (presumably), Hum sought out some dim sum. Hum says of Café Orient on Somerset Street that he was previously ‘blind to its hole-in-the-wall charm and hearty, soulful, unpretentious fare’ but now ‘Cafe Orient has risen on my list of Chinese restaurants’. He also checked out the brand new T & T Supermarket in Ottawa’s saddest shopping centre on Eagleson Road and finds it as ‘large and impressive as its predecessor that opened on Hunt Club Road 15 years ago’.

▪️Artist in Residence Distillerie has released a Smoked Maple Whisky.

▪️The United Way’s Novemburger campaign has announced the people’s choice of the top three hamburgers:

🍔 ‘Blackburn 84 at the Blackburn Arms on Innes Road in Blackburn Hamlet, featuring homemade burger sauce, caramelized onions, bacon strips, melted Monterey Jack cheese, and deep-fried jalapeño rings atop a brioche bun’.

🍔 ‘Myles burger at Bamm’s Snack Shack on Cobourg Street in Ottawa, which also clinched the No. 2 spot on the people’s choice award list. The Myles burger has a brisket beef patty, lettuce, pickles, onions, bacon jam, sweet Bamm sauce and crispy jalapeños’.

🍔 ‘Halloumi Haven from Edinburger on Springfield Road in Ottawa. With a beef kaftah patty, this burger also features mint labneh cheese, jalapeño chimichurri, grilled cucumber relish, roasted red peppers, lettuce and red onion’.

The number of tickets issued in the first eight days of the winter no-stopping bylaw near the Ottawa Hospital General Campus. The problem comes from the green sign with two hour parking in large type and another sign reading “No Stopping Dec 1 to 31” in much smaller type.

Art by these 38 Ottawa artists were purchased by the City for City of Ottawa art collection in 2024. The City Hall Art Gallery is exhibiting their works December 5 to February 2025, with an opening party tomorrow 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

*️Fine, here they are:

Sarah-Mecca Abdourahman
Stéphane Alexis
Tiffany April
Joi T. Arcand
Siobhan Arnott
Gabriela Avila Yiptong
MaryAnn Camps
Ferhat Demirel
Emily DiCarlo
Maura Doyle
Alexandra Flood
Anna Frlan
David Gillanders
Martin Golland
Chris Goodyear
Greta Grip
Char Healey
Tom Hogan
Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona
Whitney Lewis-Smith
Gabrielle Madore
Błażej Marczak
Mária Moldovan
Mélanie Myers
Oladimeg
Eryn O’Neill
Yomi Orimoloye
Cheryl Pagurek
Madeline Richards
Benjamin Rodger
Jane Spencer
Katherine Takpannie
Laura Taler
Louis Thériault
Lori Victor
Joyce Westrop
Anna Williams
Shirley Yik

– Ottawa Field Naturalists’ Club board member Sheila Craig on the number of wild turkeys with which urban residents are now coming into contact.

▪️Citing fear that the Rideau Canal Skateway will not reopen this year, the Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival has cancelled its upcoming event. The Ice Dragon Boat Festival cancelled both last year’s and the previous year’s events as well due to lack of safe ice.

▪️An alternate name for the Victims of Communism memorial was turned down by the Federal Government. The Department of Canadian Heritage had asked for a name change to ‘Memorial to the Victims of Communism and other authoritarian regimes – Canada a Land of Refuge’. The name change would ‘also honour those who fled from Uganda in 1972, Kosovo in 1999, various locations in Asia, and from the military dictators who took over Chile in 1973’ said University of Ottawa historian Roman Krakovsky. The Federal government declined, retaining the official name of ‘Memorial to the Victims of Communism – Canada a Land of Refuge’. The memorial will be unveiled 9:00 am December 12 next to the terraces of the Garden of the Provinces and Territories.

▪️The City of Gatineau has approved the largest increase in its budget in ten years. Mayor Maude Marquis-Bissonnette calls the budget an ‘electric shock’, and is prioritized to homeless people and infrastructure.

▪️The 11 residents of four buildings on Bank and Nepean streets who are being evicted for development are ‘balking’ at the latest offer from the landlord. The developers negotiated with the City to give each tenant $20,000 each, $500 for moving expenses, and a promise to let them return to the new units at the same rent. Tenants who agree to not return will get $30,000 instead. One of the tenants says the new building will take years, if it is built at all, and $20,000 won’t last that long. For example, yesterday THE OTTAWAN noted that the average rent in Ottawa is $2,171 per month, or nine months for $20,000.

▪️The City has ended its partnership with a company offering warranties to homeowners on their water and sewer lines. Service Line Warranties of Canada had negotiated a deal with the City to use its logo on letters and, in return, pay five per cent of the business it generated. Unfortunately, many residents were confused by the letters, either thinking it was an official City invoice or suspecting that it was a scam illegitimately invoking the City’s logo. In reality, it was neither: homeowners are responsible for costs if water or sewer lines break on their property and Service Line Warranties of Canada provided a legitimate insurance programme against that.

▪️ Ottawa Senators take on the Anaheim Ducks at Canadian Tire Centre.

▪️ Collect “passport” stamps as you shop in the Glebe and you could win a generous shopping trip.

▪️ Cue the preteen snickering: Oh Crap! Rethinking Human Waste will be ending (so to speak) at the Canada Science and Technology Museum on January 5).

▪️ Bear Grease continues at the National Arts Centre.

▪️ ByTowne Cinema: Conclave, Reinas (Queens), Restoration: Basquiat (B&W)

▪️ Mayfair Theatre: Porcelain War, Mountains on Stage: Winter Edition

Last minute:

▪️ Road Trip: Blondie Apparel is open from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm today for in person shopping at 2394 Dwyer Hill Road in Ashton. In a happy coincidence, Ashton Brewing Company is but a five minute drive from your shopping experience, and it’s open until 9:00 pm. We’ll just let that percolate.

▪️ The Barley Mow’s - all eight locations - Customer Appreciate Night is all about you. From 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm enjoy complimentary apps, bevies, and music. Please bring a non-perishable donation for local food banks.

Gigs

▪️ Jazz Nite with Django Libre. Bar Robo

▪️ Eden Moore’s Slay Bells (drag). LIVE on Elgin

▪️ Supersonic Hearts Band. Atomic Rooster

▪️ It’s your penultimate chance to experience Hintonburg Holiday Shopping Nights.

▪️ Beyond the Pale Brewing Co’s Insider Trading: Stock Market Take-over is back for another Thursday evening of volatile (in a fun way) of beer pricing.

▪️ ByTowne Cinema: Conclave, Holiday Slumber Party! Love, Actually, Dinner in America

▪️ Mayfair Theatre: The Return, Silent Night, Deadly Night

Gigs

▪️ Peter Newsom. Irene’s Pub

▪️ Art of the Duo. Gigspace

▪️ Kenmujo. Avant-Garde Bar

▪️ The Strum Chums. Heart & Crown ByWard Market

▪️ It’ll be a Friday the 13th to remember at the Brass Monkey, where Wrestlemaniaks - the wrestling tribute band - play for the first time in seven years. They’ll be joined by guests Muffler Crunch and Chaös for a rocking good time.

▪️ Music and Beyond’s Ottawa Wine Auction fundraiser at the Fairmont Chateau Laurieris for everyone from complete beginners to connoisseurs. It’s also a fun, glamorous way to spend your Friday night.

▪️ Road Trip: Visit the town of Renfrew for an evening of shopping and dining (See?! We told you that shopping and dining pair well!).

▪️ Dance away to a live band at Ottawa Swing Dance Society’s Friday Dance featuring the Capital City Stompers. No partner or experience needed.

▪️ Dress in something shiny and vibrant for the DIKANZA 1st anniversary event. There’s a workshop from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm and social dancing follows. Pure Havana, 190 MacLaren St.

▪️ Overflow Brewing welcomes the Queers & Beers Festival Vibes Only edition.

▪️ Urban Legends Poetry Collective presents Broken Mic #2 featuring jaaword. Arts Court Atelier Studio from 7:00 pm.

▪️ Sink into post metal and industrial rock at Café Dekcuf, as ooluu and Projekt F play new music and bangers from the past.

▪️ Singer songwriters from Aylmer and Hull fill the Art House Café with intimate folk music and storytelling.

▪️ Rainbow Bistro hosts the 10th Annual Hip Hop Food Drive by BringYaEhGame.

▪️ ByTowne Cinema: The End, Queer, Drunken Cinema: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

▪️ Mayfair Theatre: All We Imagine As Light, Conclave, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

Yes, both the ByTowne and the Mayfair are screening Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. Filmed in Vancouver.

Gigs

▪️ Spitfire91. Busters Bar & Grill

▪️ 80s Dance Party with DJ Remi Royale. House of TARG

▪️ Nick Admea Quintet ft. Maël Idris. 10,000 Hours Piano Rehearsal Studios

▪️ The Flatliners Holiday Melée celebrating Destroy To Create. Bronson Centre Music Theatre

▪️ The Fake McCoys. Royal Oak Pub 2067 Meadowbrook Road

▪️ Lowheaven. Dominion Tavern

▪️ FILMharmonic presents Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring screened with a live symphonic orchestra of more than 250 musicians. Saturday January 18 2025

The CBC has a quite interesting longread on Convoy coörganizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, with interviews of the two and those on the fringes. They say that the defence in their court cases are costing them $1 million (not personally, mind you).