HELLO OTTAWA

Weather: ☀️ Sunny. High of 14°, low of -3°

Number: 30%. The amount of sales that Bridgehead Coffee is down by in 2020. The Ottawa-based chain has put their Toronto expansion on hold. [CityNews] 

Ottawan of the Day: Pascale Arpin. The artist – and Ottawa’s go-to sign painter – has released a print as a fundraiser for The Mayfair Theatre.  [Mayfair Theatre]

Quote: “Knowing who they are and where they are is very important for trust … and if you’ve already betrayed them, why would they trust you?” – Dr. Smita Pakhale, director of the Bridge Engagement Centre, a community-based research centre that is studying COVID-19’s impact on Ottawa’s vulnerable populations, on the difficulty of vaccinating Ottawa’s homeless population. [Capital Current]

Food Truck Season begins

Saturday took us to Bells Corners, and on the return trip, a visit to our Best Of Ottawa Awards street food truck runner-up Ad Mare.

Ad Mare reopened for the season on Friday in the parking lot of Kichesippi Beer Co. Kichesippi has a great patio and in normal times, it would be packed and Ad Mare’s line-up long. But as the Province has banned patio service for the next four weeks, there was no waiting.

We ordered the Shrimp Po’ Boy. What we received was a demi-baguette, overflowing with huge deep fried shrimp, on a lettuce, tomato, and pickle base. 

Heaven.

We chose the chips as an accompaniment: thinly sliced potatoes, beets, and sweet potatoes crisped on the spot. 

Absolute heaven.

So take this as your notice that Street Food Truck season has opened. We've listed some of the best here.

Everyone has their favourite chip truck, and Wes’ is ours. Wes’s Chips food truck is now open for the season, from 10-7 daily at 198 Madawaska Blvd in Arnprior, Ontario. Best. Chips. Ever.

▪️ Jerk on Wheels (1533 Merivale Road, open 12:00pm to 6:00pm) has big news: They’re opening a second truck! Details are hush-hush at the moment, but if you share their announcement on Instagram you’ll have a chance to win a large Jerk poutine.

▪️ Falafael on Wheels is open Monday to Friday 11:30am to 6:30pm and on Saturday from 11:30am to 4:30pm. 1649 Montreal Road (at Blair). Look for fresh falafels in a sandwich, on a salad, or as a snack, plus salads and fries. Available via Doordash and Uber Eats if you can’t get to the truck. 

▪️ Visit the Nepean location of Raon for Bimbimbaps (Korean rice bowls with meat or tofu), Korean fried chicken, and spicy nuts. 6-65 Bentley Avenue from Monday to Friday 11:00am - 2:00pm and 4:00pm -7:30pm, and Saturdays from 12:00pm to 7:30pm. They’re also at the Ottawa Farmers’ Market at Lansdowne Park on Sundays from 10:00am to 3:00pm.

▪️ BBQ fans mark your calendars for this Friday, April 9 for the 2021 opening of Smokin’ R & Rs in Stittsville. The menu will satisfy lovers of burgers, pulled pork, buffalo chicken, veggie wraps, salmon, and bison. It’s all there, including chips. 1441 Stittsville Main Street, 11:00am to 7:30pm daily.

▪️ Big D’s Dog House and Poutine is now open to satisfy your hot dog and poutine cravings. Open daily from 11:00am to 7:00pm at Hazeldean and Sweetnam Drive.

▪️ If you didn’t get enough Easter sweets there’s an adorable menu of mini donuts on offer at Le Donut Stop, 3910 Innes Road in Orléans (in the Canadian Tire parking lot). Open today until 5:00pm, they offer Cinnamon Sugar, Powdered Sugar, or Plain in batches of 12, 24, or 50.

▪️ When you can’t get to a campfire, you’ll find a wide selection of roasted marshmallow treats at the La Guimauverie truck. Right now they’re based at the Navan market on weekends but watch their social media for news about a new location in Orléans, coming very soon. 

We'll see you tomorrow – Martha and Darren

?️ Is there something that Ottawa should know about? Email to us at [email protected] We read every single comment.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

? 2,424,063 doses have been administered in Ontario (86% of the doses available)

? At this rate, it would take 27.8 weeks to administer one dose to each person in Ontario.

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:

COVID-19 NEWS

⭕ More than 2 million doses of vaccine will arrive in Canada this week [Ottawa Citizen]

⭕ Dr. Homer Tien, CEO of ORNGE Air Ambulance, has been appointed the head of Ontario’s vaccine distribution after the resignation of General Rick Hillier [CTV]

⭕ The Gatineau Olympiques stop play as team members test positive for COVID-19 [CBC]

⭕ 55 year-olds and older can register for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccinations at 34 Ottawa pharamacies. Bookings must be done at the individual pharmacy (or through a pharmacy chain website), it doesn't use the Provincial system [List of Pharmacies] [Shoppers Drug Mart booking] [Rexall booking] [Pharmasave booking] 

+ Related People 70 years and older can now book their vaccines through the the Provincial portal

⭕ Mayor Jim Watson asks that people do not cross the Ottawa/Gatineau border unless absolutely necessary [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]

#WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

▪️ Veteran Ottawa police officer pleads guilty to assaulting women, resigns. Constable Eric Post was charged with  sex assault, forcible confinement, assault, threats, harassment, and pointing a firearm; 32 indictments in all. Post ultimately pleaded guilty to four counts of assault against four women and one count of uttering threats, resulting in three years probabation and no jail time.  [Ottawa Citizen]

▪️ Ottawa Police shot a man carrying a sword on Montreal Road early Sunday morning. The 28 year-old is is in stable condition in hospital. A witness called the police when they saw the man bang on the window of a gas station with the sword. [CBC]

▪️ Ottawa Aces rugby club joins North American league instead of a British one. The new North American Rugby League will feature 14 teams, including Ottawa and the Toronto Wolfpack. Previously, Ottawa and Toronto played in a British league that required a lot of intercontinental travel. The two teams will begin play in 2022. [CBC]

▪️ The City is looking for jurors on the music side of cultural funding. The City needs people to sit on juries for music funding and to decide where the money goes. Jurors receive $150 per half day on the job. [City of Ottawa]

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?️ The Best Of Ottawa Awards 2020 

?️ Email [email protected] We read every single comment.