See the 8 day forecast at the ottawan weather

HELLO OTTAWA

There probably will be no ottawan tomorrow.

We’re flying to Vancouver this evening, on Porter, natch, but the late arrival and the timezone difference may make putting together Wednesday’s newsletter pointless.

As for next week, on the non-stat holiday days between Christmas and New Year’s Day, we’ll be sending out our stripped-down mini-ottawans.

Nothing much is going on during that week, but what we know, you’ll know. We just won’t know much. Regular service will resume Tuesday, January 2.

In the meantime, we’ll see you Thursday at a minimum.

– Martha and Darren

🎄the ottawan Christmas pages

•  Last minute gift ideas to pick up nearby
•  10 Gifts Under $20
•  10 Local Experiential Gifts for Hard-to-Buy-For Loved Ones
•  Our constantly revised Christmas Markets, Festivals, and Parades page
•  2023 Canadian-made advent calendar list
•  10 Made in Canada Christmas Gifts.
•  9 Locally Made Christmas Gifts. Please send your nominations for a locally made item to 'giftguide@theottawan.com'.

TODAY’S LINE UP

•  Ottawa Stats
•  City Hall Agenda
•  What Ottawa is Talking About
•  Events
•  Deals of the Day

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OTTAWA STATS

CITY HALL AGENDA

What’s going on at City Hall
 

Nothing more until the new year.

WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

🏒 The Sens

•  The Ottawa Senators have fired head coach DJ Smith. Smith had been head coach for the past four years, all of which saw the Sens out of the playoffs. He will be temporarily replaced by Jacques Martin, the winningest coach in Senators history. (Greg Wyshynski at ESPN)

⚕️ Safer Alternate Response

•  Centretown Community Health Centre and Somerset West Community Health Centre have been selected to work with Ottawa Police on the mental health response unit. Starting next summer, a new emergency line will be set up to call for people in mental health distress. Rather than uniformed police, a crisis team may be dispatched. A similar trial in Toronto found that only 4 per cent of calls to the specialized team required a follow-up by police. (Koyuki Hayashi in the Ottawa Citizen)

🗞️  Canadian Press Newsmaker of the Year

•  The Member of Parliament for Carleton, Pierre Poilievre, has been voted the Canadian Press Newsmaker of the Year. Poilievre was selected less for being an Ottawa MP and more for his other job, Leader of His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. Poilievre is the 77th person designated as the Canadian Press Newsmaker of the Year. The very first one, in 1946, was also from Ottawa. Igor Gouzenko was a cypher clerk at the Soviet embassy who defected with proof of the Soviet Union’s espionage in the West. (Stephanie Taylor in the Canadian Press)

🚌 OC Transpo

•  OC Transpo will reduce bus service during storms. Under a new plan, if 31 cm of snow is predicted – or other severe storm conditions – buses will be cut back to a reduced scheduled. O Trains and ParaTranspo will not be affected. (City of Ottawa)

🚨 Terrorism

•  The youth charged with targeting Jews Friday has new charges of being in possession or control of explosives added. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are tight lipped over the case due to the age of the suspect. The new charges came after a search warrant found materials used in explosives in the suspect’s residence. (Andrew Foote at CBC)

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MORE FROM THE OTTAWAN

• 🍺 Our Ottawa-Gatineau Craft Brewery Map

•  

• 🏆 The Best Of Ottawa Awards 2023

•  

• 🎧 Best Podcasts from Ottawa

EVENTS

Is there an event we should know about?
Please use our easy event submission form

Today

Find Ottawa’s most comprehensive list of Christmas Markets, Festivals, and Parades on our website.

•  It’s not often that you get to hear 150 young musicians play holiday tunes, classical, and jazz favourites. Hear some feel good music for free at the OrKidstra Centre Hub Holiday Concert (donations are welcome). 6:30 pm at 355 Cooper Street.

•  Settle in for the stories as Bear & Co present Dylan Thomas: A Child’s Christmas in Wales (& Carol Sing). At GCTC until December 21.

•  The Magic of Lights continues at Wesley Clover Parks.
  
  
  Gigs

•  Crisis Party, Passenger Princess, Lazy Brats, Big Now. House of TARG.

•  Open Mic Night. LIVE on Elgin

•  Open Mic. The Brass Monkey

Tomorrow

• The Magic of Lights continues at Wesley Clover Parks.

• Settle in for the stories as Bear & Co present Dylan Thomas: A Child’s Christmas in Wales (& Carol Sing). At GCTC until December 21.
  
  
  Gigs

• Laila Biali. National Arts Centre

• Trivia with DJ Geoff Paquet. Spark Beer

• Jennifer Castle. LIVE on Elgin

• Jazz Jams with the Peter Hum Trio. Montgomery Scotch Lounge

Thursday

•  The hip hop artist Justin “J Morris” Gunderson’s ninth annual Hip Hop Food Drive is raising money for food banks in Ottawa, Halifax, London, Kingston, Toronto, Gatineau, Saskatoon, Calgary, and Vancouver, but it’s also an incredible show featuring Zoo Legacy, Miss McLeod, Hevve, Cult Classicko, VSN, J.V, Concreterose Ladon, Circabeatz, and a freestyle circle from Cap City Cyphers. It’s all going down at Rainbow Bistro on Thursday night December 21. Tickets for the show are $10 with a non-perishable food donation or $15 without, and if you can’t make it to the gig, you can still donate to the cause.

•  If you haven’t had your fill of seasonal lights, visit the Holiday Fairy Lights attraction at Elmhurst Forest in the Queensway Terrace North neighbourhood. The trees will be a-twinkling from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm from tonight (December 21) to Boxing Day (December 26). Enter the park off Alpine Ave, halfway between Elmhurst and Henley Streets.

•  Farmgate Cider welcomes singers of all abilities to the barn for some carolling tonight (December 21) from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Your $15 ticket will include one mulled cider, snacks, lyric sheets, and a jolly good time.

•  Music and Beyond presents a Christmas concert with soprano Karina Gauvin, the Caelis Academy Ensemble and more than 30 performers, all of whom will mark the Winter Solstice with music from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. 

•  There’s lots of Christmas-y activity to experience at Saunders Farm’s A Country Christmas but this weekend is your final chance to do so. Choose from day or night experiences today through Sunday.

• The Magic of Lights continues at Wesley Clover Parks.
  
  
  Gigs

• Franki, Still Youth. LIVE on Elgin

•  

  Big Wreck, Texas King, Vilivant. Bronson Centre Music Theatre

•  

  Un vrai Noël en famille with Natalie Choquette. National Arts Centre Azrieli Studio

BUT, ONE MORE THING ...

A white Christmas for us may be up in the air but here is Alanis Morrissette singing Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ to put us all in the mood. Actually, she has an entire new Christmas EP out.

RAPID RESPONSE QUALITY CONTROL

THE END

the ottawan is written and edited every work day by Martha and Darren.

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

We’ll see you tomorrow.

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