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HELLO OTTAWA

Lockdown roundup

Ottawa businesses are preparing to return to the lockdown world of last spring. For most that means ordering online with a delivery or curb side pickup. 

▪️If you didn’t pick up the creative bug during the last lockdown, consider ceramic painting during the dark days of January. The Mud Oven will revert to curbside pickup and drop off of its dishwasher, microwave, and food safe “Paint at Home” ceramic kits, after the lockdown begins on December 26th. Simply order the ceramics and paints online and arrange a curbside pickup day. Then, return them for firing and subsequent pickup to enjoy in your home.

▪️Zola’s has meals for Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day to reheat and eat at home.

▪️You had us at “frozen margaritas for two”. Ola Cocina Taqueria’s margaritas are available in hibiscus lime and mango, and each pouch serves two. Add a couple to your taco kit order for a truly festive New Year’s Eve. They’re open until 6:00pm today and until 2:00pm on Christmas Eve. 

▪️Hot chocolate alert: Aux Delices Bakery has some hot chocolate bombs left over after processing their preorders. They have limited amounts of white chocolate and candy cane, as well as original and salted caramel.
They’re open until 5:00pm today and until 1:00pm tomorrow (Christmas Eve). Visit them t 32 Byward Market Square before supplies run out. 

 

Lockdown means receiving stuff to our homes, and Ottawa has several homegrown businesses that can help:

▪️Gopherit was started by a pair of ex-Saskatchewans, and they offer meal prep deliveries, bulk deliveries for businesses, and courier services. They employ, train, and insure all of their employees, and utilize their own fleet of delivery vehicles. 

▪️We’ve written about Love Local Delivery before because we love that they work with independent restaurants, they charge a $5 delivery fee (or more if outside the 5km radius of the participating restaurant), and their commission is fairer than that of the big food delivery companies. You can search over 50 restaurants by neighbourhood on their website. Then, order directly from the restaurant and Love Local Delivery will bring the food to you.

 

And from other people:

▪️The Citizen has released their list of their favourite restaurants in Ottawa from 2020

▪️Wine expert Natalie MacLean pairs the proper wine by which to watch Christmas films. Films included are: A Christmas Carol, Elf, Miracle on 34th Street, Home Alone, Die Hard, A Miracle on Christmas Lake. (BTW, we refuse to believe that Die Hard counts as a Christmas movie. You know our email address.) 
 

We'll see you tomorrow – Martha and Darren


#STATS

Weather: ?️ Periods of snow. High of 0°

Number: 3. The number of months Carleton student Cihan Erdal has been detained in Turkey. In 2014, the PhD student was a member of a Turkish political party that was thought to be involved with violent clashes against the government, trying to encourage action against the Islamic State.  [Capital Current[Letter Writing Campaign to Free Erdal]

Ottawans of the Day: Jon Sinden and Mark Lim. The writer and illustrator have released a new book, The Sh*tstorm That Was 2020. [Apartment 613] [The Sh*tstorm That Was 2020]

Quote: “Our biggest concern then was a little bit less about, ‘How do we keep everybody at work?’ and a little bit more of, ‘How do we keep all of our guards healthy?’ We went from being an outward-facing institution to really having one single job, which was to secure the national collection. – Sasha Suda, the fairly new director of the National Gallery of Canada, on changing tack from altering how we view art to keeping the lights on. [Macleans]


CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

Public Health Reports: 

OTTAWA

Ottawa Public Health Dashboard

Ottawa Wastewater Dashboard

Ottawa-Carleton District School Board

Ottawa Catholic School Board

Conseil des ecoles catholiques du Centre-Est

Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario
 

There have been 9400 confirmed cases of COVID‌-19, an increase of 16 since yesterday, and 389 deaths, no new reports.
 

OUTAOUAIS

Outaouais Public Health dashboard

There have been 4348 confirmed cases of COVID-19, an increase of 49 since yesterday, and 99 deaths, no new reports.
 

EASTERN ONTARIO

Eastern Ontario Health Unit dashboard

There have been 1223 confirmed cases of COVID-19, an increase of 10 since yesterday, and 32 deaths, no new reports.


Sometimes the number of cases or deaths are lower from one day to the next. This is usually because the powers-that-be reassigned a case to a different health authority.


⭕ Health Canada has approved a second vaccine against COVID-19, the Moderna drug. This one, unlike the first, does not require -80° storage.  [Globe & Mail]

⭕ Ottawa’s lockdown may be reviewed in two weeks but the Province maintains that there was no chance in exempting us in the first place [CTV]

⭕ Over 400 Amazon warehouse staff have tested positive for COVID-19 in Peel Region [Ottawa Citizen]

⭕ Despite Premier Doug Ford’s protestations, international travellers are a tiny source of COVID-19 cases, say experts [CBC]

⭕ “The Mysterious Link Between COVID-19 and Sleep” [The Atlantic]

⭕ Journalist Nora Loreto has been keeping track of all COVID-19 deaths in long-term care homes. Here is that data visualized. [LTC Deaths]


 ? 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.

How It Works       [Apple App Store]      [Google Play Store]

HISTORIC OTTAWA LOGO T-SHIRTS

We’ve made t-shirts of iconic Ottawa logos. They'll make great Christmas gifts for Ottawans young and old.

Printed in Canada and shipped well before Christmas if you order now. It's too late for Christmas but would make a great January gift.

 

BUY

 

And don’t forget: you can still buy official ottawan t-shirts

#WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

▪️Botched ‘dynamic entry’ by Ottawa police results in acquittal for their target. An Ottawa woman was suspected of drug and firearms offenses. Waiting until the woman was not home, Ottawa police, masked and guns drawn, broke down the front door of her parents house unannounced, set off a flash bomb, and forced the woman’s parents and younger brother to the floor in handcuffs. While the police are supposed to video these events, they did not. Ontario Superior Court Justice Sally Gomery acquitted Tamara Bahlawan of all charges, ruling that the search was unconstitutional. [Ottawa Citizen

▪️ OC Transpo is cancelling free New Year’s Eve service. Now that we’re in lockdown, they don't want to encourage people going out. But as the point was to get people who were drinking to avoid driving, this may be not well thought out. [Ottawa Citizen]

▪️ For the voyeurs, a look inside Ottawa's most expensive home. The Bauhaus-inspired house near Dow's Lake is listed at $8 million. [CTV]

▪️Apartment 613 has released a playlist of Christmas songs by Ottawa musicians. Some classics, some originals, all Ottmas. [Apartment 613]

THE OTTAWAN

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Holiday Gift GuideHistoric Ottawa Logo T-Shirts

? Maps: Ottawa-Gatineau Craft Brewery MapHeated Patio MapBlack-owned Restaurants Map 

?️ The Best Of Ottawa Awards 2020 

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