PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS

HELLO OTTAWA


Food and Drink roundup

▪️ For 10 years the Bananas Beach Grill + Rum Shack operated a summer’s worth of beach fun at Petrie Island in Ottawa East, with Caribbean food, cocktails, activities, and events including weddings, exercise classes, parties, dancing classes, and community gatherings - even during last summer during the pandemic (while observing safety protocols).

After 10 years of successful business on Petrie Island organizers of the Bananas Beach Grill + Rum Shack have had their application to operate in summer 2021 rejected, despite consistent support from officials and the community. After speaking to Mayor Jim Watson’s office and local Councillors, all of whom have consistently supported the event, no reason has been given for the rejection, and organizers understand it was the decision of a single City procurement worker.

The Black-owned business venture has appealed the decision, and it is now with the Auditor General for review and further investigation. Organizers say “The City seems to be saying that what we built was good…but maybe too good for us. It looks as thought they have already made their decision, and we are not part of their greater plan.”

Organizers have started a petition to bring Bananas Beach Grill + Rum Shack to the beach this summer.

▪️ The Room Service Concert Series is back on. Rescheduled from April, the concert series, organized by Ottawa Tourism and RBC Ottawa Bluesfest, will go ahead over four weekends at 20 participating Ottawa hotels between June 18 and July 10, 2021. There are no tickets; all you need to do is stay at one of the participating hotels. Then, order room service or call your favourite Ottawa restaurant for food and drink. The virtual concerts are only available to hotel guests, and the artist lineup includes Colin James, SNL’s Pete Davidson and Alex Moffat, Lennon Stella, and many more.

▪️ The 2021 Virtual Ottawa Italian Week starts June 10th at 7:00pm and invites participants to enjoy masterclasses, games, a film screening, and of course, food and drink.


With patios opening in a matter of days, some restaurants are taking reservations Right. Now. Others don’t take bookings so you need to note the opening times. Capacities are limited, and you'll need your mask.
 

▪️ Trattoria Caffé Italia (254 Preston Street) will open not one but two patios this Friday, and while walk-ins are welcome, they recommend that you reserve a table. Meanwhile, the rooftop patio will feature comedy from Yuk Yuks all summer, Wednesdays through Sundays. 

▪️ If you’re planning to head to the cottage or stay home instead of visiting a patio, Zola’s has put together a clever “Cottage Season” boxes for two or four people that take include all the food and bevy essentials. The “Cottage Box for 2”, for example, is located up with lasagna, pizzas, a quiche, dinner rolls, and a frozen pie. $55. Add in wine ($24-27)or beer ($22 for four tall cans0, and you won’t have to leave the house all weekend. 

▪️ Parliament Hill reporters Alex Boutilier (Toronto Star) and Cormac Mac Sweeney (CityNews) have been in a boffo breakfast competition since May. Be awed by their creations. (Hat tip to The Hill Times but their story is behind a paywall. Which is worth every penny, of course.)

 

#EVENTS

▪️ OrKidstra's end of year virtual concert rolls out at 5:30pm today. The hour long show will feature music, stories, and special guests. Tickets are free
 

▪️ Drive In Ottawa @ Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Park

Friday Bridesmaids Saturday Jurassic World on Saturday. Doors 7:30 pm, showtime 8:30 pm.
 

We'll see you tomorrow – Martha and Darren

?️ Do you know something that Ottawa should hear about? Email to us at hello@theottawan.com. We read every single comment.


#STATS

Weather: ☀️ Mainly Sunny. High of 29°, low of 15°

Number: 88. The number of ounces of sangria held in these giant towers at Mexicali Rosa’s. [Narcity

Ottawans of the Day: Valentina Mounzer and Danika Hindson. The Canterbury high school students created a boardgame, Breadwinner, which won the My Money, My Future competition. The competition challenged students aged 14 to 18 to help young Canadians understand how money works.. [CTV] [Winning Entry]

Quote: If the parkway is going to run here, it's the right thing to do to call it either the Algonquin Parkway or the Kichi Zibi Parkway’ – Ottawa’s English-language poet laureat Albert Dumont, who co-wrote a petition to rename the Sir John A MacDonald Parkway after the Algonquin nation’s name for the Ottawa River. [CBC]


CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

? 9,992,575 doses have been administered in Ontario

At this rate, it will take 4.7 weeks to give each Ontarian one dose each

Info from Vaccination tracker by Andrew Lam (@socialvizcanada)

Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines delivery tracker
Federal Goverment database listing predicted future deliveries


? Public Health Reports:

OTTAWA

? 15 new cases since yesterday

? 27,335 confirmed cases of COVID‌-19

♦️582 deaths, three new reports

? 606,802 vaccinated with one dose

? 72,936 vaccinated with two doses

OUTAOUAIS

? 17 new cases since yesterday

? 12,300 confirmed cases of COVID‌-19

♦️214 deaths, no new reports

? 281,203 doses of vaccine have been administered

EASTERN ONTARIO HEALTH UNIT

? 123 new cases since yesterday

? 4,694 confirmed cases of COVID‌-19

♦️106 deaths, no new reports

? 124,262 doses of vaccine have been administered 


COVID-19 NEWS

⭕ People in Gatineau can have small gatherings with another household indoors as of next Monday, when the City enters the Yellow Zone. Bars and restaurants can also sit tables with people from two households. [CTV]

⭕ The Federal Government is today expected to lift the 14 day quarantine for Canadians who have been fully vaccinated. [Ottawa Citizen]


 ? The Canada COVID Alert App

Be alerted if you have come in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. 

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

HISTORIC OTTAWA LOGO T-SHIRTS

We’ve made t-shirts of iconic Ottawa logos. 

Printed in Canada.

BUY

 

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

#WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

▪️ Hundreds of people turned out to show respect to the Afzaal family yesterday in front of the Human Rights Monument on Elgin Street. Four members of the Muslim family were killed by a man using his truck in London on Sunday. [CBC]

▪️ The Carp River Conservation Area has created an app to make ineracting with nature even more interactive. EcoTrekr, which was inspired by Pokémon GO, has pop-up alerts as people wander into various area, an encyclopedia of the area’s plants and animals, and games. The Carp River Conservation Area is a four kilometre section of the Carp River near the Canadian Tire Centre. [Stittsville Central] [Apple App Store] [Google Play]

▪️ Beacon Hill-Cyrville councillor Tim Tierney is the person who leaked the confidential memo on the sinkhole lawsuit. The City set the Integrity Commission on the case to determine who leaked the memo, which said that the City was suing its insurer over the 2019 Rideau Street sinkhole. Tierney said he sent the letter to the Ottawa Citizen by mistake, it was inadvertently included in a package of documents sent to a reporter. Tierney was one of the councillors who voted to have the Integrity Commissioner investigated. [Kate Porter Twitter]

▪️ The Ottawa Carleton School Board should stop having police officers in the schools says its own report. The report, writter by the Board’s Human Rights and Equity Advisor, says the presence of police frightens or intmidates students, particularly from minority groups. The Board will not make a decision until autumn. [Ottawa Citizen]

▪️ A man drove his car into the Rideau River yesterday. He is being charged for not remaining at the scene of an accident and for driving without a licence. [CTV]


⏩ Did you enjoy this edition of the the ottawan? 

PLEASE FORWARD US TO A FRIEND

? Did you receive this edition the ottawan from someone?

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

THE OTTAWAN

? Want to read our newsletter archive? Click here.

Historic Ottawa Logo T-Shirts

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

Best Podcasts from Ottawa  

?️ The Best Of Ottawa Awards 2020 

?️ Email hello@theottawan.com. We read every single comment.