HELLO OTTAWA |
→ Ottawa Carleton District School Board releases its new consolidation plan |
→ Hit tomorrow’s Joke Gym for a funny bone workout |
→ Ottawa Citizen launches advice column for Federal workers |
→ Get a deal on Montréal-made toques |
→ ❄️ High1° Low -6° and light snow |
– Martha and Darren |
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STATISTICS OTTAWA |
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20,000 |
The estimated number of skaters who took to the ice on the first day of the Rideau Canal Skateway last Saturday. | | | | Rachel Morgan at CityNews |
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OTTAWANS OF THE DAY |
Katie Dolan-Morrison and Sylvie Theriault |
The poet and illustrator, respectively, have created new children’s book, The Beautiful Blur. Dolan-Morrison says the book evolved from a poem she wrote about the desire to capture every single moment as a new mom but ‘I quickly realized that it’s impossible, even though I tried so hard’. | | | | Kimberley Lemaire in Apartment 613 |
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QUOTE |
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| | It’s heartbreaking. Nobody wants to be making these kinds of decisions. But this is the reality that we’re in |
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– Ottawa Food Bank chief executive officer Rachael Wilson on cutting supplies to partner programmes by up to 50 per cent. The Food Bank provides groceries to 98 different programmes across Ottawa but grant cutbacks and increased demand mean that the organisation will supply 20 to 50 per cent fewer items. | | | | Emma Weller at CBC Donations |
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SPORTS |
🏒 PWHL Ottawa Charge 1 – Boston Fleet 2 last Saturday |
🏒 NHL Ottawa Senators 5 – Pittsburgh Penguins 0 last Saturday |
🏒 NHL Ottawa Senators 3 – Minnesota Stars 2 last night |
🥍 NLL Ottawa Black Bears 14 – Georgia Swarm 11 last Friday |
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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 |
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Agenda |
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WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT |
🏫 Ottawa Carleton District School Board |
▪️The Ottawa Carleton District School Board has released its plan to consolidate classes in autumn 2026. The idea had been publicized before but now it is in written form. The Board plans to consolidate elementary schools into two tracks: Enhanced English and French Immersion. Middle French Immersion would be dropped as will some special education programmes. The Board says that the changes will mean that most students will be able to attend a school near to their homes. Planned to be dropped are: • General Learning Programme – Junior • Gifted – Primary • Language Learning Disabilities Programme – Primary and Junior • Learning Disabilities Semi-Integrated Programme – Junior and Intermediate • Primary Special Needs Programme | | | | Josh Pringle at CTV 2023-2027 Strategic Plan |
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🗞️ Media |
▪️Shawville’s newspaper, The Equity, has been sold to a local. The 140-year old newspaper has been owned by the Dickson family for the past 70 years. New owner Jon Stewart, a digital media specialist who built The Equity’s website, says ‘I anticipate it’s going to be around for another 140 years’. | | | | Dylan Dyson at CTV |
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➕ Related The Ottawa Citizen is launching a new advice column, Public Service Confidential, and is seeking anonymous questions from Federal workers. |
➕ Related Policy Options has an article, ‘Preparing for a Conservative government in the public service’, by former senior civil servant Andrew Griffith. |
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🚊 O Train |
▪️OC Transpo says customers made 21,000 trips on the first day of Line 2 and Line 4, three times the use of the replacement bus service. That was on Monday; on Thursday January 9, the number was 13,700. The same press release says that OC Transpo is continuing to coördinate with Canadian National Railway to allow its freight trains to cross Line 2 tracks. This is news to THE OTTAWAN: why would you spend billions on a brand new dedicated track only to skip building one viaduct that requires OC Transpo to hold trains and work with another company’s schedule, forever? Here’s an OC Transpo blog post that glosses over that question. | | | | Railfans.ca |
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✏️ ByWard Market, Sandy Hill, and Lowertown |
▪️The City is conducting a quality of life survey in ByWard Market, Sandy Hill and Lowertown by delivering pamphlets door-to-door. The survey is at the behest of the Solicitor General of Ontario to ‘acquire feedback about public perceptions of safety and security’. Usually the City puts its surveys on its website. In this case, the flyers ask the reader to text the word ‘Ottawa’ to 289 272 5553 to get a link. | | | | Dave Charbonneau at CTV |
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🗳️ Moves |
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OTTAWA HISTORIC LOGO T-SHIRTS |
 | Ottawa Valley Ale |
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| Ottawa Valley Ale T-Shirts | Long forgotten, but Ottawa’s first craft brewery was Ottawa Valley Ale, incorporated in 1985. | 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 |
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TOMORROW |
▪️ Give your funny muscles a workout at Joke Gym (Absolute Comedy, 412 Preston St.). ▪️ Mahal Tanjore celebrates the Hindu festival Pongal with a special buffet. Call 613 695 1969 for reservations and information (Tuesday January 14). ▪️ Toronto Sceptres visit Ottawa Charge as the PWHL season continues. ▪️ ByTowne Cinema: The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Small Things Like These, Detour: McCabe & Mrs. Miller Mayfair Theatre: Queer, A Real Pain, Vixen! Gigs ▪️ Trivia Night. Pour Boy, Moose McGuire’s (4025 Innes Road), ▪️ Mardi Tuesday Live Music X Jay Trépanier. Le Petit Bar À Vin (168 Old Chelsea Road, Quebec) ▪️ Jamie Douglas. Heart & Crown ByWard Market |
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WEDNESDAY |
▪️ USEFUL Quick Cranks (1089 Somerset St. W)’s series of five Pay What You Can Community Bike Repair Classes cover everything from riding through the snow to fixing a puncture. 🆓 Enjoy a program of Schubert’s Arpeggione with the Bibek Duo at today’s noon - 1:00 pm Doors Open for Music at Southminster concert. Also on livestream. ▪️ ByTowne Cinema: The Seed of the Sacred Fig, L’Amour ouf, Detour: McCabe & Mrs. Miller ▪️ Mayfair Theatre: A Real Pain, Queer, Rabid Gigs ▪️ Girls to the Front featuring Becks & Shannon Eddy. Irene’s Pub ▪️ January Game Dev Show ’n’ Chill. Avant-Garde Bar ▪️ Music Bingo. Brew Revolution ▪️ Taproom Trivia. Stray Dog Brewing Company |
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JUST ANNOUNCED / NOW BOOKING |
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DEALS OF THE DAY |
 | Simons |
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| Monochrome minimalist toques in a range of colours are on sale at Simons. #madeinmontreal |
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 | Gift Refinery |
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BUT, ONE MORE THING … |
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DAILY QUALITY CONTROL |
What did you think of today’s OTTAWAN? | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great ⭐⭐⭐ Satisfactory ⭐ Needs Improvement |
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