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HELLO FRIDAY

We're energized by the responses to our reader survey yesterday. We'll talk about what you said on Monday, but one thing came through loud and clear: change the t-shirt ad. Done.

If you haven't done our survey, please do. It has only eight questions.

Back to the business at hand. It's Friday, so we're looking at weekend day trips.

Destination: Wakefield

The village of Wakefield, Quebec lies 35km northeast of Ottawa, on the western shore of the Gatineau River. We’ve concentrated mostly on the main street of Chemin Riverside, but if you’ve got a favourite local spot elsewhere in Wakefield, tell us hello@theottawan.com.

A quick note about parking: the village has encountered large numbers of weekend visitors of late, and some of these folks haven’t been parking appropriately. Please use public parking lots, which are clearly marked. And if someone’s posted “private property” across their driveway, don’t try to park there. 

Start Saturday or Sunday with an early morning hike on the trails around the village. You’ll find loads of info including maps at Sentiers Wakefield Trails, a non-profit organization that promotes and maintains the trails in the Wakefield/La Pêche area. Head out of the village and explore the Great Trail, stopping for photos at the Wakefield Covered Bridge and for a bit of Gatineau history at the Fairbairn House Heritage Centre.

While you do that, we’ll go for brunch at the Nikosi Bistro Pub at 721 Chemin Riverside, which creates rustic French dishes with local ingredients. Highlights of their brunch menu: Boar burger with onions, mushrooms, maple aioli, aged Cheddar, tomatoes, and pickles; Bannock Grilled Cheese with elk sausage, caramelised onions and mushrooms, spinach, aged Cheddar and aioli, with your choice of fries or salad; and the Nikosi salad, with greens, goat cheese, wild rice and balsamic blueberry dressing. Open today and Saturday from noon to 9:00pm, and on Sunday from noon to 8:00pm.

Up the street at 759 Chemin Riverside, Maison du Village reopens today for dining in and takeout after a COVID-19 case, and subsequent quarantine, earlier in August. Serving up “upscale comfort food” with a focus on Canadian and particularly Ontario ingredients, highlights of today and tomorrow’s menu include the divine sounding Juniper Farm Salad with maple sugar and cider pickled shaved baby fennel, summer turnip purée, radishes, baby rainbow carrots, green and yellow beans, and baby romaine; and the Maple and Herb Braised Beef Short Ribs, with mushroom duxelles, Swiss chard, new potatoes, and blue cheese. Call after 3:00pm to book or visit their Facebook page for information.

If you prefer to include a picnic in your plans, stop for provisions at the picturesque Wakefield General Store and Chamberlin’s Look-Out Bistro and Boutique (804 Chemin Riverside). The main floor grocery stocks local produce and meat, while upstairs the bistro serves breakfast and lunch daily (we’ll never turn down the opportunity to eat a baked Brie, so we might have to stop here a while). You’ll also find the boutique, which sells gifts by local artisans, greeting cards, and books by area authours.

On Saturday, the Marché Wakefield Market runs from 9:00am to 1:00pm at 38 Chemin de la Vallée de Wakefield. Due to the pandemic, only food, horticultural, and personal hygiene products will be for sale.

Time for more walking. Check out the Maclaren Cemetery, where you’ll find the grave of Lester B. Pearson, Prime Minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. The cemetery was established in the 1870s, and is also the final resting place for many Northern Irish and Scottish settlers to the area. The cemetery is located on the Mill Road.

Hall Cemetery, also established in the 19th Century, is found on Chemin Rockhurst, at the south end of the village.

Both of these burial grounds are managed by the Cemetery Board.

We'll see you Monday – Martha and Darren

#STATS

Weather: ⛈️ A few showers. High of 23°. 

Number: 200. The number of new Ontario Police Officers to be hired by Premier Doug Ford, to the amazement of teachers..  [Zoomer Radio]

Ottawan of the Day:  Diane Deans. The Gloucester-Southgate ward councillor has been off since September in a fight against ovarian cancer. She has announced that she will return to council next month. [CBC]

Quote: Can you do this … cater a party for 500 people?’ It’s like, ‘No … I don’t know how to cater.’ ‘We’ve had your caribou stew, and, if you can make caribou stew that good, you can make anything. – Chef Trudy Metcalfe-Coe, on how she started her catering business, specializing in Inuit cuisine. Metcalfe-Coe is leaving Ottawa for a one-year contract to be a a peer advocate at the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre in Iqaluit.  [Ottawa Citizen]

#CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

For up-to-date info, view the Ottawa Public Health COVID-19 dashboard

 There have been 2758 confirmed cases of COVID‌-19, an increase of 12 since yesterday, and 265 deaths in Ottawa, no new reports.

⭕ How many masks should a child bring to school? The answer is.. dunno. [CBC]

⭕ A sixth OC Transpo employee has tested positive for COVID-19  [CFRA]

⭕ An employee of the Gloucester GoodLife has tested positive for COVID-19 [CFRA]

⭕ Canada and Ontario strike deal with 3M to make N95 masks in Canada, reducing dependence on US and China imports [CFRA]


? 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 App Store]

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#WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

▪️OC Transpo will join the world of grown-up bus systems when it introduces contactless payments. The City announced that buses and trains will accept debit and credit card taps – no Presto card needed. One O-Train station will be the guinea pig at the end of this year and if everything works fine in this trouble-free transit system, it will roll out everywhere in 2021. [City of Ottawa]

▪️The Federal Government has extended CERB for one more month and announced new EI plans. CERB eligible people will automatically get four more weeks. By the time that runs out, there should be two new EI plans. People who are eligible for EI will continue; gig workers and self-employed will get a different programme. Both will receive $400 per week up to 26 weeks.People can also earn money on the programme, keeping 50 cents of each dollar up to $38,000 per year. Except for the programme for people who are eligible for EI, which the government can authorize on its own, all this needs to be passed by Parliament, which is out-of-service until September 23.  [Toronto Star]

▪️ViaRail adds new train services from Ottawa. The Ottawa-Montreal-Quebec City route increases to seven per day, up from four. The Ottawa-Kingston-Toronto route increases to six per day, up from four as well. The new services begin September 1. The cancelled Toronto-Vancouver service also returns, beginning November 1. [CBC]

▪️Ottawa is getting a new airline route to the East. Once travel restrictions are lifted in the Atlantic provinces, PAL Airlines will fly Dash 8 aircraft – those are the propeller powered ones – to St John's, Newfoundland and Moncton, New Brunswick five days per week. [PAL Airlines]

▪️Child and youth counsellors at CHEO are not eligible for pandemic pay, even though the Province has says mental health workers should get it. The Province says it is too late anyway, the programme has ended. [CBC]

▪️All CinePlex cinemas in Ottawa and Gatineau will reopen today. The Scotiabank Theatre in Gloucester, Cineplex Carling Avenue, and the Cinéma Starcité Gatineau were already open. [CFRA]

#EVENTS

▫️ Just Announced

Sunday, August 30 The Trews at Wesley Clover Park. [Tickets]

Wednesday, September 30 The Sheepdogs at Wesley Clover Park. [Tickets]

 

▫️ Drive-ins

The Drive-in at Wesley Clover Park 

Today GoldenEye

Saturday Finding Dory, Captain America: Civil War

Sunday CoCo; The Cabin In the Woods

[Drive In Ottawa]

Port Elmsley Drive-In 

Friday - Monday: The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run, The Addams Family (1991)

[Port Elmsley]

 

▫️ Classics

6pm Saturday (Plus other showings) The Empire Strikes Back on the big screen [Mayfair Theatre]

#THE INSIDER

 ?️ Food + Beer news

▫️ Faces magazine looks at four farm-to-table restaurants: Supply & Demand, Wilf & Ada's, The Albion Rooms, and Aiana Resataurant Collective. [Faces]

▫️ The Citizen liked the offerings at Parlour but just can't stop obsessing over a wobbly patio table [Ottawa Citizen]

▫️ The Citizen also has a warm profile of Wes‘ Chips founder Wesley Dodds, who died last Sunday. The Arnprior chip maven's secret: add salt to the oil and deep fry them twice, the second time in hotter oil.  [Ottawa Citizen]

▫️ Apartment 613 talks to Nita brewery owner Andy Nita about Cronk [Apt 613]

THE OTTAWAN

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