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Tuesday, May 27 2025

HELLO OTTAWA

In Today’s Edition

→ Fascinating details about the theft of the Roaring Lion have been revealed

→ Savvy Company's Oh Canada event tomorrow features 20 wines from British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Ontario

→Deals of the Day from Hides in Hand and Pop Up Podcasting

→ ☀️ High 27° Low 9° and overcast  ☀️ 5:21 am 🌛 8:40 pm 

– Martha and Darren

STATISTICS OTTAWA

    NUMBER 

    • 1,200 km
    • – The amount of roadways in Ottawa that will be sprayed with herbicide to control wild parsnip.
    • While the taproot of wild parsnip is edible, plant itself secretes oils that can burn skin on people and animals when exposed to sunlight. 
    • Ted Raymond at CTV

    OTTAWAN OF THE DAY

    • Gwyneth Philips

    • The Charge goaltender was recognized as the 2025 Ilana Kloss Playoff Most Valuable Player after the conclusion of yesterday’s playoff game.

    • During the championship run, Philips saved 257 out of 270 shots, 36 of them yesterday.

    • SportsNet

    QUOTE

    • Revenues for the period were lower-than-anticipated as a result of inclement weather and changes in driver behaviour

    • – A City of Ottawa staff member blaming drivers obeying the speed limit for an unexpected drop of $1.5 million in photo radar issued fines.
    • Josh Pringle at CTV

    SPORTS

    • 🏒 PWHL Ottawa Charge 1 – Minnesota Frost 2 last night. Frost takes the series and holds the Walter Cup for the second year. 

    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 include an OTTAWAN or historic logo t-shirt of their choice.

    Membership levels

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    ✅ $20 mo / City that Fun Remembered

    ✅ $25 mo / Truly OTT

    ✅ Or make a one-time donation

    JOIN US

    WHAT’S GOING ON AT CITY HALL

    Ottawa City Council
    Wednesday, May 28 at 10:00 am

    • File No. ACS2025-SI-SPO-0001 - City-wide
    • Designation of the former Bell Telephone Exchange Buildings at 251 Besserer Street, 200 First Avenue and 43 Eccles Street under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act
    • Designation of église Saint-François-d'Assise at 1062 Wellington Street West, and église Saint-Joseph d’Orléans at 2757 St. Joseph Boulevard under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act
    • Designation of the Ottawa Mosque, 251 Northwestern Avenue under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act
    • Repeal of the by-laws designating 38-44 Clarence Street, 520 Queen Elizabeth Driveway, 1518 Stittsville Main Street, and the Lemieux Island Bridge under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act
    • Water By-law Review
    • Water Rate Structure Review
    • Review of Special Event By-laws
    • Zoning By-law Amendment - 295 & 355 Deschâtelets Avenue
    • Evening and Weekends Parking Rate Review
    • Speed Reduction on Earl Armstrong Road from River Road to Limebank Road
    • Motion – Councillor T. Tierney – Bank Street Active Transportation and Transit Priority Feasibility Study
    • Update on Amending By-laws for Heritage Conservation Districts
    • Motion – Councillor A. Troster - 267 O’Connor Street
    • Zoning By-law Amendment - 4401 Fallowfield Road
    • Zoning By-law Amendment – 535 Legget Drive
    • 2024 Parking Services Annual Report

    Agenda

    WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

    🛻 One of the Convoy protestors has been given a six month suspended sentence. Steeve Charland admited guilt to mischief last December for his role in the occupation of downtown Ottawa.   – CBC

    👑 Royal visit round-up. It was a quick one day visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla, but some interesting local items came up:

    • We’ve mentioned before that in 1953 Martha’s mom took an oceanliner to England to see the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (and, on the return trip to Montréal, met her future husband - aka Martha and her siblings' dad - onboard). It turns out she was not the only intrepid Canadian lass to make the voyage. The creator of the Loblaws companies arranged for 50 high-school girls to travel to the Coronation. CTV talks to a few of the surviving Coronation Girls in Ottawa. – Katelyn Wilson at CTV

      PBS in the United States has a 90 minute documentary about the Coronation Girls. The page says that it is free to stream with the (also free) PBS smartphone app. We haven’t tested whether or not you can view it from Canada.

       
    • The Royal Watcher has plenty of photos.
       
    • The carriage used by the King and Queen to cruise down Wellington Street is an 1800s landau owned by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride. The carriage was found in St. Isidore and refurbished by a Québec man who donated it to the ride. This is the first trip for the carriage; previously Royal and vice-regal carriage trips used a landau purchased from Australia in 1911. – William Eltherington and Austin Lee at CTV
       
    • Retired Dominion Sculptor Phil White designed the thrones that King Charles and Queen Camilla sat upon in the Senate this morning. Since 1936, there have been six Dominion Sculptors, responsible for supervising the carvings in Parliament.  – Omar Sachedina at CTV

    DAILY POLL

    The Poll

    Last time, we asked ‘If there was a referendum on the monarchy, how would you vote?’

    67% Keep it

    30% Become a republic

    2% Choose a Canadian Royal Family

    1% Other


    Reader Simon B writes: ‘I would vote for a republic along the lines of the Republic of Ireland with a largely ceremonial president and a democratically elected parliament’.

     

    Today’s poll: 

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    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

    TUESDAY

    • 🆓 The Ottawa Horticultural Society's Plant Auction & Sale offers the chance to bid on unusual varieties for your home and garden. It's a true auction, where you raise a paddle, just like on tv. 

    • Transform an ordinary Tuesday night into dinner and wine in a tropical setting. Aquatopia's Supper Club  will pair bold, chef-driven cuisine with wines from KIN Vineyards. 

    • If you're confident about your boy band and girl group knowledge, bring your friends to Spark Beer for trivia night

    • Just don't say it three times: Beetlejuice - The Musical runs until June 1 at National Arts Centre. 

    • The who's who of the toddler set will be packing the Canadian Tire Centre for Paw Patrol Live! A Mighty Adventure

    • Orléans Brewing Co brings Musical Bingo to the taproom. Expect fun and prizes. 

    • 🚗 Road Trip: Bring your love of true crime to Carleton Place's Dark and Deadly Café. On the final Tuesday of every month, the discussion is devoted to a different True Crime podcast, book, feature film, or documentary. 

    • ByTowne CinemaFriendship, Exhibition on Screen: Michelangelo: Love and Death

    • Mayfair TheatreArthur Erickson: Beauty Between the Lines, That They May Face the Rising Sun, Party Girl 

      Gigs

    • Daniel Romano's Outfit, Uni Boys, Loud Hands. The 27 Club

    • Trivia. Overflow Brewing Company, Manor Lounge, Pour Boy. 


    WEDNESDAY

    • The noon DOMS concert explores Love, War, and Peace. Baritone Mark Daboll and pianist Sarah Westbrook perform songs by Poulenc, Wolf, Barber, Klein, and Berg. 

    • Sample and buy Canadian wines from 20 British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Ontario producers at Savvy Company's Oh Canada event. Sala San Marco (215 Preston St). 

    • Meet and make connections with investors, tech, AI, and finance professionals and entrepreneurs at a new networking event. 

    • Beetlejuice continues. 

    • ByTowne CinemaFriendship, RAN 4K Restoration, 

    • Mayfair TheatreThat They May Face the Rising Sun, Arthur Erickson: Beauty Between the Lines, Tombs of the Blind Dead 

      Gigs

    • Arcade Zero, Hedonic, Pomelo Soda. Avant-Garde Bar

    • Jazz Nite with Sam Cousineau. Queen St. Fare

    • Aries Spears: Bronson Centre Music Theatre

    • Live standup comedy. Hintonburg Public House

    • Open Mic. Pour Boy, Brews and Blues, Anina's Café
       

    THURSDAY

    • Ottawa Improv Festival begins with Battle of the Neighbourhoods, which pits five groups of local Improvisors against one another for glory. Come and support the group from your neck of the woods. 

    • Le Grand PoutineFest - Gatineau is four days of poutine, sweets, micro brews, and music.

    • See how the student finalists of the NCC's Urban Design Challenge 2025envisioned possible futures for the Bronson Channel Lands at LeBreton Flats. 

    • Odyssey Theatre's 2nd Annual Trivia Night is more of a Trivia Extravaganza, and it's all in support of the company's 39th season of Theatre Under the Stars.

    • Don't miss your chance to bid in the Give To Get Art Auction, in support of the Ottawa Art Gallery's community programs, Permanent Collection, and public exhibitions. It's the art event of the Spring. 

    • Also at OAG tonight: as it's the final Thursday of the month, the Studio is offering an experience in observational sketching techniques, by donation. All materials are provided.

    • Urban Art Collective's Hintonburg Night Market always offers more than the specially curated group of vendors: check out the latest exhibition, listen to live music, and get something fresh and local for dinner.

    • The Ottawa premiere of the Croatia-Canada feature Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day, will be introduced by film critic Tom McSorley.

    • ByTowne Cinema: Exhibition on Screen: Michelangelo: Love and Death, Friendship, The Zone: Tetsuo: The Iron Man 

    • Mayfair Theatre: Arthur Erickson: Beauty Between the Lines, That They May Face the Rising Sun, Party Girl

      Gigs

    • Thursday Blues Sessions with Guest Host Iyono Ede. Irene's Pub

    • Jerry Leger. Motel Chelsea

    • Comedy. Pour Boy

    • Urban Tones: Djari Trio. Night Oat
       

    JUST ANNOUNCED/ NOW BOOKING

    • Ottawa Gay Mens Chorus presents Full Moon June, a concert of songs that celebrate moonlight and romance. June 7 at Gladstone Theatre. 

    • Manotick's Lume Club is holding a workshop in the delicate art of Ikebana, aka Japanese flower arranging on June 26.

    MOST CLICKED IN THE PREVIOUS OTTAWAN

    MADE IN CANADA DEALS OF THE DAY

    Heads up indy podcasters: take advantage of the Summer Sale at Pop Up Podcasting. Save 25% on every Indy session in June, July, and August.

    Use the code PAPA15 to save 15% at Hides in Hand, and spend it on something cool for your father figure or for yourself.

    BUT, ONE MORE THING ...

    The man who stole the Karsh portrait of Winston Churchill, the Roaring Lion, from the Château Laurier was sentenced in two years less a day in jail yesterday. Jeffrey Wood had admitted guilt last March.

    However, Jennifer Pagliaro in the Toronto Star has all sorts of details we didn’t know about:

    • Wood was caught because police were able to match DNA from a toothbrush that he had left in a storage locker. While police had DNA from the duct tape used to hold the fake Roaring Lion in place, they previously had nothing to compare it against.
       
    • While almost all printers and copiers these days leave a secret watermark, Ottawa Police don’t have the resources to track down a specific machine.
       
    • After Ottawa Police discovered the online listing for the Roaring Lion at Southby’s in London, it took the United Kingdom eight months to respond with the name of the seller.
       
    • Wood had legitimately worked as a self-employed art dealer, buying photographs to sell at auction houses.
       
    • Wood’s motive was to bring his brother, who was ‘struggling with homelessness and addiction’ back to Canada from the United Kingdom. Ninety minutes after the Southby’s sale was finalized, Wood discovered that his brother had died.

    The Roaring Lion is now hanging on the wall in Zoe’s Lounge at the Château Laurier.

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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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