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Thursday, March 20 2025

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HELLO OTTAWA

In Today’s Edition

→ Flixbus now stops at the Via Rail station

→ Rosanna Deerchild discusses her new play, The Secret to Good Tea, with the NAC’s Indigenous Theatre’s Artistic Director Kevin Loring on stage tomorrow

→ Deals of the Day on ice cream

→ ⛅ High 12° Low 3° and partly cloudy.  ☀️ 7:05 am 🌛 7:16 pm 

 

The Poll

Yesterday, we asked ‘Which one of these neighbouring towns is the most magical?’

29% Almonte
1% Arnprior
4% Gananoque
16% Merrickville
6% Mont Tremblant
24% Perth
1% Saint-Eustache
2% Quyon
15% Wakefield
2% Whatever town that Herb’s Travel Plaza is located

The worst thing is, Almonte knows it.


Reader Stephen writes in to tell us: ‘Stop with the polls! Or put them at the bottom so I don't have to read them!’. So that’s a poll:

What do you think of the daily poll?

I like them, keep doing it daily

I like them, but make it weekly

Keep it as an occasional thing, with real questions

Stop it. For the love of Champlain’s Astrolabe, just stop.

You need to do more polls about polls

We welcome any comments ‘hello@theottawan.com’

– Martha and Darren

FORWARD the ottawan TO A FRIEND

STATISTICS OTTAWA

    NUMBER 

    • 3.8 
    • – The magnitude of an earthquake felt in the Capital yesterday, centred in Maniwaki. While Earthquakes Canada received 2,000 reports, none included any indications of damage..  
    • CBC

    OTTAWAN OF THE DAY

    • Elissa Mendes

    • The third-year journalism and health sciences student has been elected editor of Carleton University’s students’ newspaper, The Charlatan, for the 2025-26 publishing year. 

    • The Charlatan

    QUOTE

    • “

    • The entire package is too large, too far and too complicated and too expensive for the city

    • – Bay Ward councillor Theresa Kavanagh explaining why she wants the Tewin project removed from the City’s Offical Plan. As it stands, the Carlsbad Springs-area development for 35,000 to 45,000 people would put the City on the hook for $591 million worth of water and sewer infrastructure costs. Roads and transit costs have not been estimated.
    • Katie Griffin at CTV

    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.

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    WHAT’S GOING ON AT CITY HALL

    No meetings tomorrow.

    📋 Meetings and agendas
     

    WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

    💥 Eastway Tank, Pump and Meter

    • The owner of Eastway Tank, Pump and Meter has had his effort to argue about his Charter rights being violated turned down.Six employees of Eastway were killed in an explosion at the company in 2022. Neil Greene wanted a declaration by the court that the ongoing police investigation had violated his rights. The judge said Greene did not provide sufficient evidence that the investigation had harmed the business.

      Kristy Nease at CBC

    🌊 Gatineau Round-up

    • The mayor of Gatineau wants the city’s new parking tax reduced by 40 per cent. The new law affects all non-residential buildings with more than 22 parking spaces and is anticipated to raise $27 million. Some businesses are seeing new taxes in the tens of thousands of dollars per year. CBC
    • More than 800 people have turned in their neighbours for having an out-of-province license plate at their residence. Except for certain exemptions, Québecers must change their license plate after residing in the province for three months. Gatineau charges residents $60 per year to register their car in the city. The fine is $200. Josh Pringle at CTV
    • Starting now, Gatineau residents may only use lawn sprinkers between 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm two days per week. Addresses with odd numbers can sprinkle Sundays and Wednesdays, while even numbered addresses are permitted to sprinkle on Tuesdays and Fridays. Automatic timers are now banned, and in-ground irrigation systems are limited to one day per week between 3:00 am and 5:00 am. If you manually water your property, you can do that any day. Except Mondays, then it is banned. CBC

    🚌 Flixbus

    • The Flixbus service has added the Via Rail Station as an Ottawa stop. The Germany-based intercity bus company emerged locally after the closure of Greyhound and provides service to Toronto, London, Niagara Falls, Windsor, and Detroit. Flixbus already stops in Kanata and the Gloucester Centre but does not stop at the other Via Rail station, Fallowfield.

      Ted Raymond at CTV   Flixbus

    🎞️ Mayfair Theatre

    • The Mayfair Theatre has some cool looking stickers for sale. Designed by Celly Goose, the stickers show off, in illustrated form, the interior of the 1932 cinema. $3 at the box office.

      Mayfair Theatre 

    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

    THURSDAY

    • ✳️  The Secret to Good Tea is a "vibrant, intimate, and cheeky family portrait based on playwright Rosanna Deerchild—host of CBC’s Unreserved—and her own mother". The show runs until March 29 at National Arts Centre’s Babs Asper Theatre.

    • Gigspace welcomes Sad Girl Café - A Women’s Open Mic to Ottawa’s most intimate venue.

    • Combining comedy and fashion is either a genius move or a car crash, but you’ll only know for sure if you get a ticket for Fits & Bits: A Runway Stand-up Show at Laugh Lounge.

    • Give your hips a fun workout at the Social and Dance Lesson at Bailemos Bachata. $10.

    • Grease continues at the Greely Community Centre.

    • Winter Kept Us Warm (1965) was the first film from Canada ever to screen at Cannes, which, considering its student production team and minuscule budget, is a kind of Canuck Cinderella story. IFFO presents Ottawa’s first screening of the 4K restoration print. Other screenings: the Canadian short Gender Reveal and Toxic, a feature from Lithuania.

    • Ottawa Home and Garden Show blooms (sorry) at EY Centre. If you plan to attend after 4:00 pm the entry price of $14 is slashed in half; but you must purchase your ticket in advance.

    • Kids of all ages will enjoy the first-ever Fraggle Rock “Back to the Rock” live show at Meridian Theatres @ Centrepointe.

    • ByTowne Cinema: No Other Land, Soundtrack to a Coup d’état, Detour: Party Girl

    • Mayfair Theatre: A Complete Unknown, Universal Language, Lost Highway

      Gigs

    • Where’s Mike. The Brass Monkey

    • Seum, Rötual, Congregation of Savagery. House of TARG

    • Maggie Bough. Red Bird


    FRIDAY

    • At IFFO, shorts and features from Canada, England, and Spain are screened.

    • New band Elbows Up plays all the Canadian rock music hits at Overflow Brewing. Tickets for Tribute to Canadian Music are just $20.

    • 🆓 The pre-show chat before tonight’s performance of The Secret to Good Tea features a conversation between the playwright Rosanna Deerchild and the NAC’s Indigenous Theatre’s Artistic Director Kevin Loring.

    • 🆓 Mason’s Apron play East Coast music at Broadway Bar & Grill, 1896 Prince of Wales Dr.

    • Direct from Seville, catch Flamenco at Bar Robo. "Experience the passion, rhythm, and soul of authentic flamenco as Lia Grainger brings the spirit of Seville to life! Renowned for her powerful performances and deep connection to the traditions of flamenco, Lia delivers an unforgettable evening of music, dance, and storytelling."

    • Artists, musicians, and arts lovers are welcome to hang out at the first Digital Arts Resource Centre Social Club of the year.

    • Get inspiration for all your spaces at the Ottawa Home & Garden Show.

    • The Underground plays the best of the 80s at the Prescott’s New Wave Dance Party.

    • ByTowne Cinema: Can I Get a Witness? Santosh, IFFO 2025: Bridge the Gap, The Penguin Lessons, Drunken Cinema: Leprechaun

    • Mayfair Theatre: Nickel Boys, No Other Land, The Rocky Horror Picture Show

      Gigs

    • 80s Dance Party. House of TARG

    • Sébastien Léger. City at Night

    • Cara Q. Carleton Tavern

    • Jack and the Backburners. Art House Café

    • Sleep Late, Post-Rough, The Dwindles. LIVE on Elgin

    • Jelly Roll. Canadian Tire Centre

    • Devon Cole Two Shades Blonder tour. SAW Centre


    SATURDAY

    JUST ANNOUNCED / NOW BOOKING

    • Ottawa Outdoor Gear Library reopens for individual gear borrowing on April 1, from its new digs at 211 Bronson Ave.

    • Tickets aren’t on sale yet, but the dates have been announced for the Gatineau Hills Fiddle Festival: October 23 thorugh 26 at La Fab sur Mill. We’re only telling you now so you can mark your calendar and so you can keep an eye out for ticket info. This festival sells out.

       

    DEALS OF THE DAY

    The Merry Dairy’s Equinox Equal Scoop Challenge could get you a free second scoop. Order a double scoop at 102 Fairmont Avenue until sunset tonight (7:12 pm), and if the second scoop is within 5g difference of the first it’s free.

     

     

    BUT, ONE MORE THING ...

    Initially, we were charmed by this story by Olivia Grandy and Elitza Kouame in Capital Current about how Ottawa Public Library patrons are increasingly interested in cozy mysteries, romance novels, and historical fiction.

    Then the story quoted Library development coördinator Allison Hall-Murphy on recognizing the rise in historical fiction requests for stories ‘set in the 1950s and 1960s’.  We’re certain she must have misspoken and meant ‘modern’ or ‘midcentury’ fiction, or ... We’re just less charmed.

    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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