HELLO OTTAWA | → City Council approves 2025 budget | → Seniors to keep free Wednesday and Sunday transit trips | → Take a video tour of decorated bars | → ☁️ High 0° Low -6° and moderate or heavy snow showers | – Martha and Darren | | STATISTICS OTTAWA | | 3 Months | How long libraries in St Albert, Limoges, and St Isidore will be closed in the New Year, January 1 to March 31. The Nation, next door to Ottawa on the east side, is temporarily closing the branches as the Library Board chair has resigned and Library Chief Executive Officer is soon to retire. The Nation says the Library Board runs the library system, not the municipality, and without leadership it cannot operate. | | | | Toula Mazloum at CTV |
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| OTTAWANS OF THE DAY | Kyla Kennaley | | | ❝ | | | It was a personal attack, and I’m going to stay focused with my team to do what I love the best, which is deliver a good service for Ottawa residents |
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| – OC Transpo general manager Renée Amilcar bristling at questions asked by River ward councillor Riley Brockington at yesterday’s City Council meeting. Brockington asked city manager Wendy Stephanson if she develops ‘her personal work objectives and assess her at the end of the year on her performance?’. Stephanson said yes. Brockington also said that transit commissioners are not formally asked for their input on Amilcar’s performance. Stephanson said she does ask for feedback. | | | | Arthur White-Crummey at CBC |
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| SPORTS | 🏒 NHL Ottawa Senators 5 – Anaheim Ducks 1, last night | | 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 get a free OTTAWAN or historic logo t-shirt of their choice. |
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| | WHAT’S GOING ON AT CITY HALL | No meetings tomorrow | Meetings and Agendas | | | WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT | 💸 City of Ottawa Budget | City Council approved the 2025 City Budget at its meeting yesterday. Some items of note are: | ▪️Property tax will rise 3.9 per cent. ▪️The Ottawa Police Service received funding for 33 new sworn and civilian officers. ▪️Police body cameras were cut. | | | | Sofia Misenheimer in the Ottawa Citizen |
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| ▪️Seniors bus passes will rise from $49 to $58.25. Seniors keep their free Sunday transit trips, as well as Wednesday. ▪️The plan to eliminate monthly youth passes has been put off until September, as the City did not seem to realize that the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority, which must pay for them, has already been given its money for this school year. ▪️Likewise, the plan to increase the price of the monthly university and college student U Pass has been postponed as the City also didn’t seem to realize that it had a binding contract with the various students’ unions that precludes price rises. ▪️Regular OC Transpo adult fares rise five per cent. | | | | Arthur White-Crummey at CBC |
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| ❓ Otonabee River Man | ▪️A mysterious skull found in a Peterborough river in 1988 has been identified as an Ottawa man. The Peterborough Police Service is requesting information from anyone who knew Gerald Durocher, born in 1949. Before it was torn down, he used to frequent the Vendome Hotel near Somerset and Rochester streets. While his body has never been found, police believe his death was a homicide. Police identified Durocher sent a DNA sample to the Texas-based lab Othram, which turned up two relatives. Regular police work then tracked down who was missing in those two people’s family tree. Anyone with information about Gerald Durocher is asked to call Detective Constable Lacey White at 705-876-1122 ext. 266. | | | | Natasha O’Neill at CityNews |
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| | OTTAWA HISTORIC LOGO T-SHIRTS | An Ottawa Historic Logo t-shirt would probably make a terrific Christmas or Hanukkah gift – but it’s too late.
You can order if you like – we’d never say no to a sale – but the chances of the t-shirt making it to you before Dec 23 is pretty much none. It’s a great way to ring in the New Year, though. |  | Nortel |
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| Nortel T-Shirt | Northern Electric was founded in Montréal in 1895, growing into one of the world’s largest and most important telecom companies. Nortel hung up the phone in 2013. It's campus on Carling Avenue became the new home of the Department of National Defence. | Help support THE OTTAWAN by buying one of our historic logo t-shirts. | |
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| | THE ROLLING 3 DAY CALENDAR | Is there an event we should know about?
Please use our easy event submission form | TODAY | | TOMORROW | ▪️ Bear Grease the Musical continues at the National Arts Centre. ▪️ 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 |
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| SATURDAY | ▪️ Cirquonscient presents CrakdNutz: A Holiday Circus Dream, featuring aerial acts and high flying fun. ▪️ When Darren and Martha lived in Scotland we remember this sort of gathering being called “Bring a Party to a Party,” which we think that perfectly encapsulates the Sala San Marco Small Office Holiday Party. If you think your team is too small to organize a full sized Christmas ‘do, think again and book your table. You’ll have holiday fun and meet other small businesses. ▪️ Keep your brain flexible with an evening of trivia at the Royal Oak Beechwood. ▪️ If you need a break from holiday shopping this afternoon, listen as Ottawa Jazz Orchestra performs the big band sounds of Harry James. 4:00 pm. 🆓 Check out the locally produced works of art at the Ottawa Pottery Guild Holiday Sale. Until Sunday. ▪️ Ritchie Feed & Seed at 1390 Windmill Lane in Ottawa East is holding a Customer Appreciation event that will warm your cockles: Enjoy special discounts, be entertained with live music, and listen to local authors reading. ▪️ Ottawa’s coolest underground art party is back: Pique Winter Edition hits Arts Court with a full day’s worth of innovative visual and musical art, plus food and drink vendors and an art market. 🆓 If you’re not ready to purchase you can consider renting art from Art Lending Ottawa’s newest show, this Saturday at 1265 Walkley Road. ▪️ Cutest gift idea alert: Have your fur baby’s photo taken with Santa at the Robert Plante 2nd Annual Pet Day and Holiday Market. ▪️ The Haunted Walk visits the ByTowne Cinema for scary stories, short films, and - if you can snag one of the VIP tickets - a creepy tour. ByTowne Cinema: Free For Members: Gremlins, The End, Queer, An Evening of Haunted Holiday Stories Mayfair Theatre: All We Imagine As Light, Conclave, Gremlins, Saturday Night Sinema Gigs ▪️ Big Shiny Tunes Live with Jeff the Temp. House of TARG ▪️ Murder Me Louise. Art House Café ▪️ Lynn Miles. Irene’s Pub ▪️ The New Hires. Bronson Centre ▪️ BornBroken. Dominion Tavern ▪️ Christmas Sisters. Red Bird ▪️ Root Cause. Rainbow Bistro |
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| JUST ANNOUNCED / NOW BOOKING | | | DEALS OF THE DAY |  | Museum of Nature |
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|  | Diana Coatsworth |
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|  | Dot & Lil |
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| It’s Two for One time at Dot & Lil, where you’ll receive one free seasonal product when you purchase one. Includes seasonal items in their unisex Clark & James line, too. |
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| | BUT, ONE MORE THING … | | | DAILY QUALITY CONTROL | What did you think of today’s OTTAWAN? | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great ⭐⭐⭐ Satisfactory ⭐ Needs Improvement |
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