The Ottawan : Newsletters : The Crown is asking for 7 and 8 years in Convoy leaders sentencing hearing

Wednesday, July 23 July 2025

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☀️ High 27° Low 14° and sunny ☀️ 5:38 am 🌛 8:41 pm

Hello Ottawa

In Today’s Edition

→ The Crown is asking for 7 and 8 years in Convoy leaders sentencing hearing

→ Meet adoptable dogs at It Takes a Village Dog Rescue’s event tomorrow

→ Deals of the Day on yard games at Maker House, holiday season planters and wreaths at Flowers Talk Tivoli, and early bird tickets for Habitat for Humanity's Steel Toes & Stilettos Gala

– Martha and Darren

STATISTICS OTTAWA

NUMBER

30
The number of bunnies that the Ottawa Humane Society hopes to hop into a new home during ‘Rabbit Week’. Those who adopt one of the long-eared carrot munchers during this time will get a 20 per cent discount on the adoption fee plus a goody bag, including a $15 Farm Boy gift card for fresh veggies. Rabbit Week runs until July 26.
Rachel Morgan at CityNews

OTTAWAN OF THE DAY

Dr Trevor Arnason
The doctor is Ottawa’s new medical officer of health. He has been doing the job at Ottawa Public Health on an interim basis since February when the previous officer, Dr Vera Etches, left to become president of CHEO. Before joing Ottawa Public Health in 2019, he was Halifax’s regional medical officer of health.
CBC

QUOTE

“
We may not come to have the largest, the wealthiest or the most cosmopolitan capital in the world, but I believe that with Ottawa’s natural and picturesque setting, given stately proportions, and a little careful planning, we can have the most beautiful capital in the world.
– William Lyon Mackenzie King, to the House of Commons in the 1920s, about his love for Ottawa. It was the 75th anniversay of his death yesterday, who at 22 years, was Canada’s longest-serving prime minster.
Arthur Milnes in the Ottawa Citizen

SPORTS

⚾ frontier Ottawa Titans 2 – Down East Bird Dogs 1 yesterday

WEDNESDAY DINING + DRINKING UPDATE

🥧 3 Tarts is bringing back Mini Summer Cream Pies for an extremely limited time: this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. You'll have to choose from Lemon Cream, Coconut Cream, Vanilla Raspberry, and Raspberry Chocolate. Good luck.

🏨 The Shore Club at the Westin Hotel and Zoe’s at the Château Laurier made Open Table’s Top 50 Hotel Restaurants in Canada for 2025 list.

🥕 Farm Boy is opening two new locations in its hometown. We know where – in Kanata at 700 Terry Fox Drive and Findlay Creek at Bank Street at Skipper Drive – but we don’t know when.

🍁 Jordan Pizzuti in the Ottawa Business Journal has written a guide on ‘where to find the best flavours of Canada in Ottawa’. So sit back, take notes, and ... he only has four restos? Elmdale Oyster House & Tavernfor East Coast pub culture, Buvette Daphnée for Montréal wine bar life, Shinka Sushi Bar for west coast sushi, and Perch for local ingredients. They are all solid choices but there seem to be some holes in the premise.

🥙 At Eat The Strip, Ameya Charnalia says the falafel sandwich that he ate at Egyptian Corner ‘might be my favourite sandwich I’ve eaten on the blog so far’. Even more, ‘The whole thing is layered like a street food love letter from Cairo. At $7, it feels like I’ve gotten away with something’.

🚛 Sonia Mendes in Edible Ottawa takes a look at some of the people who run the City’s food trucks: Jimmy Lafrenière of Jimmy’s Waffle World, Mark Coronel with classic Filipino flavours at Meryenda, and Jephte Hyacinthe of JJ’s Wings Food Truck.

🥘 In the Ottawa Citizen, Peter Hum admitted that he hoped that he would not like new Indian restaurant Ek Bar much because it replaced Kathā, a restaurant he loved. Tragically for his hope, Ek Bar provided ‘big flavours and luxe flourishes, backed by confident cooking and a few dramatic reveals’.

The twist in this story is that when Kathā’s chef-owner Teegavarapu Sarath Mohan announced the closure of his restaurant, Ek Bar owner, the Toronto-based chef and restaurateur Hemant Bhagwani, invited Mohan to become his chef and partner.

🍹 Also in the Citizen, Sofia Misenheimer says a hidden Hintonburg café and dry bar ‘makes drinks like nowhere else in Ottawa’. The eight seat Booj features booze-free cocktails that hit the same sensory notes. Chai colada is the pina colada or ‘Son of a Grimace, a slushie made with cream of coconut, ube, soursop juice, lime and pineapple ginger beer’.

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WHAT’S GOING ON AT CITY HALL

No more meetings this week.

Meetings and Agendas

WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

🌉 North America’s only five-arched stone bridge is getting rehabilitated. The grand old structure in Pakenham, built in 1901 for horses and pedestrians, will get work done underwater, replacing the concrete jackets that protect the piers. The bridge will be closed during daylight hours every weekday July 28 - October 30 but remain open weekends and holidays. – Inside Ottawa Valley

↪ The story calls the Five-Span Bridge one of the Seven Wonders of Lanark County. The others are: St Peter Celestine Church in Pakenham, Mill of Kintail in Almonte, Blueberry Mountain in Lanark Highlands, Showy Lady’s Slipper Orchids in Lanark Highlands at the Purdon Conservation Area, Silver Queen Mica Mine in Tay Valley at Murphys Point Provincial Park, and Stewart Park in Perth.

↪ CBC has a short video about the 100 year-old CN rail bridge that is scheduled to be removed over Carling Avenue.

🛻 Sentencing for Convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber begins today. Lich and Barber were both found guilty of mischief for the January 2022 siege of downtown, with Barber receiving an extra count of ‘counselling others to disobey a court order’. The Crown has asked for sentences of seven and eight years respectively. – David Baxter in the Canadian Press

THE DAILY POLL

How close is Ottawa to becoming William Lyon McKenzie King’s ‘most beautiful capital in the world’?

He succeeded. Ottawa is beautiful.

It’s an ongoing process but it’s happening

An attempt was made but it has ended

No real attempt has been made

It’s a waste of time of money

Previously in ottawan polls:
We asked, ‘When is the last time you visited a cinema?’
- 2% Within the week
- 20% Within the month
- 32% Within the year
- 35% Within the last 5 years
- 11% Look ottawan, stop trying to guilt me into going ‘outside’
Commentary

▪️ “There is no other place than a theatre to see Warfare and F1!!”

▪️ “Best way to see films! Beats any and all TVs - even the 100 inch ones.”

▪️ “But I go 8 to 10 times/yr during the colder months.”

▪️ “Bytowne and Mayfair are the best! Great movies and great prices.”

▪️ “Saw the F1 Movie. Other than feigning belief that Brad Pitt could be an F1 driver, it was actually pretty good.”

▪️ “Going to a movie is the perfect mix of solo and group activity.”

▪️ “Bonus points to those who went somewhere other than cineplex.”

▪️ “I do like going to see movies but there are not always good movies to see.”

▪️ “Going tomorrow as it happens.”

HISTORIC OTTAWA LOGO T-SHIRTS

Ogilvy’s T-Shirt

Charles Ogilvy Limited began as dry goods shop on Rideau Street in 1897, and ended its reign as Ottawa's greatest department store in 1992.

Help support the ottawan by buying one of our historic logo t-shirts.

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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

WEDNESDAY

Tavern on the Island takes the fun outside. Starting tonight, sing your heart out at Karaoke Under the Stars each Wednesday evening.
Love yoga and animals? Puppy yoga: Yoga with Fuzzy Fluff Ballsis for you. You'll be guided through the moves by Ottawa Puppy Yoga founder Sabrina Steczko, and led into chaos by adorable Shih Tzu puppies. The cuddles start at 5:00 pm.
Every Wednesday afternoon this summer, kids of all ages can climb aboard the Summer Train Ride at Canada Science and Technology Museum. Members of the Bytown Railway Society will be operating a train comprised of a 1923 caboose that's pulled by a 1946 engine.
It’s a Very Peachy Wednesday at Broadhead Brewery. The beer, snacks, and tunes will be just peachy.
🆓 Tonight CA & Sonny and the Monroe Sisters perform at Vanier BIA’s Akoustik music series at St. Charles Market (135 Barrett St).
Today at Chamberfest: At 11:00 am, Chamberfest’s Rising Stars Showcase selected from a round of springtime auditions, Prime Time: Hoanna G’froerer & Michelle Gott perform at 4:00 pm; at the 4:30 pm Masterclass, pianist and Honens Laureate Illia Ovcharenko shares his professional insight with local students. At 5:30 pm the Chamber Chat features conversations with Shunske Sato and Shuann Chai; and finally at 7:00 pm Ottawa-born musicians Wallis Giunta (mezzo-soprano), Suren Barry (piano), and Carson Becke (piano) perform a concert of works anchored by a special arrangement of Gustav Holst's The Planets.
If the weather allows, A Company of Fools presents The Comedy of Errors in Tanglewood Park from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.
ByTowne Cinema: Sorry, Baby, Eddington, Detour: Opera
Mayfair Theatre: The Phoenician Scheme, To A Land Unknown, Man Bites Dog
Gigs
Jazz Nite with Woodshed. Bar Robo
Trivia. Brew Revolution
The Sunburns with Bluestone Collective. LIVE on Elgin

THURSDAY

✳️ Next Door comes alive for the Queer Roller Disco & Drag Party, featuring skate rentals, a cash bar, and big beats.
Meet your squad at Hintonburg Night Market for shopping, art, and great food. Bonus: tonight's market is also a meet-up of Vespa Club of Ottawa (unofficial), so get ready to ogle gorgeous bikes.
Ten Toes (837 Somerset St. W) launches City Limits, a new DJ series tonight. Head there at 8:00 pm for all-vinyl synth, techno, dark wave, industrial, post-punk, and New Wave vibes.
Voices of Hope Open Mic Night will spotlight emerging voices, amplify stories of healing and resistance, and raise funds for the Legacy of Hope Foundation, a national Indigenous-led charity working to educate and create awareness about the Residential School System and its ongoing impact.
Meet adoptable dogs at It Takes a Village Dog Rescue’s event. 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm at PetSmart 1750 Innes Road.
Today at Chamberfest: 10:00 am: David Marks (violist) and Max Cardilli (double bassist); Shunske Sato & Shuann Chai: Violin Sonatas with (Forte)piano (noon); Fortepiano Workshop with Shuann Chai (2:00 pm); Record Centre: Jenna Richards (5:00 pm); Pianist Illia Ovcharenko with Ironwood Quartet (7:00 pm); ᐊᐊᐧᓱᐃᐧᐣ Awasowin: Cris Derksen & Friends (9:30 pm)
LA-based comedian Leslie Liao brings her observational and matter-of-fact material to Laugh Lounge.
Tavi Weisz meditates on the intersection of humanity, memory, and reflection in a new exhibition entitled The Quiet Between. Vernissage from 5:00 pm to 8:00 on at Galerie St-Laurent + Hill.
If the weather allows, A Company of Fools presents The Comedy of Errors in Lansdowne Park from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.
ByTowne Cinema: Eddington, Sorry, Baby
Mayfair Theatre: To A Land Unknown, The Phoenician Scheme, Band of Outsiders
Gigs
Duo Joe Ray McDonald. Panorama Patio (Canadian Museum of History)
Tokoni, FAE. Songs from the Shed (Sparks St)
Shirley. LIVE on Elgin
The Lazys. 27 Club
Trivia Night. McIntosh's Cider House (Saunders Farm)

FRIDAY

Creative Mornings Ottawa will wake you up with an inspiring chat with dancer, registered nurse, and Moov Ottawa founder and artistic director Alea de Castro. Enjoy invigorating beats as you mingle and sample the coffee and treats, then settle in for the talk and Q&A with Alea, and maybe learn some new dance moves. It will all over by 10:00am, when you head out to work with a big grin on your face.
Shrug off the stresses of the week at Rahim Salsa. You'll start with a Bachata lesson and then dance the night away.
Music Bingo is back at Calabogie Brewing’s Kanata taproom.
🆓 Capital Pop-Up Cinema screens Spice World at Beechwood Cemetery.
Road Trip: Visit some of your favourite local breweries at Almonte Craft Beer Fest outside the Old Town Hall. 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm.
Today at Chamberfest: At noon: A Brahms Expedition, Vol. I: Beginnings with pianist Carson Becke, NAC Orchestra violinist Jeremy Mastrangelo, and cellist Julia MacLaine. Jenna Richardsplays again at Record Centre at 5:00 pm. Montréal Guitare Triocelebrates the release of their brand-new album at 7:00 pm and the day closes with Comedy Night with Sarah Hagen: Perk up, Pianist!
Side by Side Weekend art and music festival opens at Club SAW. Flexible ticket options including a completely FREE show on Sunday July 27.
Art House’s monthly 1920s speakeasy returns for an evening of Jazz, ragtime, and blues.
Drunken Cinema screens True Lies, a 1994 film about a spy who keeps his wife the dark about his job. TBH, Martha found the film depressingly sexist back in 1994, and she doubts it has aged well.
ByTowne Cinema: Cloud, Eddington, Sorry, Baby, Drunken Cinema: True Lies
Mayfair Theatre: Bad Shabbos, Life of Chuck, The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Gigs
Adrian Sutherland. Red Bird
QI de Abelha. Rainbow Bistro
Beervana: tribute to Nirvana. Kaffé 1870 (Wakefield)
Tribe 3. City at Night
The Keystrings. Ridge Rock Brewing
Mama Mush, Dantes Paradise, I Love You Dearly. Avant-Garde Bar
80s Dance Party. House of TARG
Cowboys From Hell: A Tribute to Pantera. Brass Monkey

JUST ANNOUNCED / NOW BOOKING

If you know any young people looking for fun part time work, set their eyeballs on this. Saunder’s Farm is already prepping for Haunting Season 2025, and they need ‘high-energy, fun-loving’ people for the Fall's big events. The farm is holding a Scare Fair (as opposed to a job fair) on July 29-31. Applicants must be at least 14 years old and legally able to work in Canada.
🚗 Road Trip: Plan something fun for the end of summer: 2025 Festival of the Wild Child at High Lonesome Nature Reserve in Pakenham (August 23) isn’t just for kids. This year’s theme is ‘See Nature Differently: as an artist, a biologist, a beaver, or simply as a curious kid’. The day is full of activities for everyone, from storytelling to exploration, and there will be food and drink on site to purchase. FREE for kids 16 and under, $10 for adults.