🍫 It’s Giveaway time. You have until this evening to enter to win one of three Purdy’s chocolate advent calendars.

Martha‘s mom will draw one name each from her choosin’ hat for the following Purdy’s chocolate advent calendars tomorrow morning.

Braille Advent Calendar 

📧 Email brailledraw@theottawan.com with the subject line "Pick me please (Braille)" for your chance to win the Braille Advent Calendar 

Vegan Advent Calendar 

📧 Email vegandraw@theottawan.com with the subject line "Pick me please (Vegan)" for your chance to win the Vegan Advent Calendar

And, for OTTAWAN Members only, an extra prize:

Holiday Reindeer Advent Calendar

📧 Email chocodraw@theottawan.com with the subject line "Pick me please (Member)" for your chance to win the Holiday Reindeer Advent Calendar. Note that only Member supporters of the Ottawan may enter this one; if you’re not already a member you can sign up here before you enter the giveaway.

(All entries are limited to Ottawa / Gatineau and environs only)

– The record number of goals for Atlético Ottawa held by midfielder Ollie Bassett, the Canadian Premier League's player of the year in 2022. After three years, Bassett is leaving the team when his contract ends at the end of the year.

- The youngest ever music director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra has been appointed as the next music director of the Pacific Orchestra in Orange County, California. Said Pacific Symphony president John Forsyte, ‘He did a work (Dvorak’s New World Symphony) that the orchestra had played many times, but they were surprised at how vital and interesting his approach to standard repertoire was. And it really was a clincher when a group of us flew to Ottawa and (saw) what he was actually accomplishing as a music director there’.

The classical music world is very familiar with side gigs. Shelley is also principal associate conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, artistic director and music director of Artis-Naples in Florida, and has a contract with the National Arts Centre until 2026.

– Invest Ottawa vice president Nick Quain argues that Ottawa start-up companies are known for ‘bootstrapping’ themselves before taking outside money, making them more entrepreneurial even if that lowers the city’s rankings in the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association’s venture capital report.

▪️More details have emerged about the increased costs to residents in the proposed City budget. (Most of these are estimates based on an average property).

• Every home will see $75 added to City wide taxes and $20 extra in police levy. For transit, urban homes will pay an additional $68, suburban homes $18, and rural homes $5. Rural areas don’t have transit access but they can still use ParaTranspo.

• Commercial properties are hit with a $361 increase, with city wide taxes of $172, $43 for police, and $147 for transit.

• The City plans to more than double the cost of a senior’s bus pass from $49 to $108. Adult passes increase by $6.25 and the transit ticket goes up 19¢.

• 11 and 12 year olds now must pay $2 for a transit fare, up from free.

• Garbage fees increase 67% to $243 for a single family home, for multi-family homes, it’s 83.5 per cent increase to $167.

• Various fees for inspecting and installing water lines and meters go up.

• Stormwater fees go up $25 for a house and $3 for a townhouse.

▪️Canada’s largest village of tiny homes is about to open in Gatineau. Village Transitiôn, located in the parking lot beside Robert Guertin Arena, is made up of 85 shipping containers, each with bed, sink, toilet, fridge, and a porch. Up to 100 people who are now homeless will be eligible for one of the tiny homes. The first container is expected in three weeks.

▪️A Gatineau high school is one of 17 placed under watch for alleged violation of Québec’s secularism law. Auditors will be monitoring École polyvalente de l'Érablière in the Côte d'Azur/Limbour quarter to ensure compliance with the law’s four principles: ‘the separation of the state and religions, religious neutrality, equality, and the freedom of conscience and religion’.

▪️VIA Rail has asked for a judicial review over Canadian National Railway’s edict that the passenger service cut its speed on the Quebec City – Ottawa – Windsor route. The Railway insisted on the slowdown as the company believes that new carriages used by VIA at speed are not triggering crossing gates on roads and are a hazard. VIA Rail uses track mostly owned by Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, however Canadian Pacific has not requested a slowdown.

▪️ We have a late entry to yesterday’s list of Grown Up Advent Calendars: Broken Stick Brewing Co’s extremely limited version is two each of 12 types of wrapped and numbered beer.

▪️ Dave Allston of the Kitchissippi Museum will speak after the Mechanicsville Annual General Meeting at the new Keith Brown Fieldhouse at Laroche Park on the ‘hidden story of the filling in of Lazy Bay (and Nepean Bay along LeBreton Flats) in the 1960s with garbage landfill’. Meeting is at 7:00 pm, history is at 8:00 pm.

▪️ Motown Soul offers up a full menu of great music by Diana Ross & The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, and many more. Tonight and tomorrow at Shenkman Arts Centre.

▪️ A new show has been installed at Art House Café, Not The Death I Was Expecting by Toni van Eeden {PARTYGIRL}. Vernissage tonight from 7:00 pm.

▪️ Get a head start on your festive decorating and make a pair of folksy gnomes.

▪️ ByTowne Cinema:  Anora, Blitz 

▪️ Mayfair Theatre. The Outrun, The Substance

Gigs

▪️ Tyler Shaw. Algonquin Commons Theatre

▪️ The Consequents, Altar of the Fuzz, Afraid of Grace. Rainbow Bistro

▪️ KJ Thomas. Irene’s Pub

▪️ Dennis Ellsworth. National Arts Centre

▪️ Loversteeth. House of TARG

🆓 At last: an opportunity to check out the building on Carling that always has fun messages on its sign. Organizers of Salon Des Bananes’ Peeking In - Art Exhibition in the Loen Design Studio say of tonight’s Vernissage “We promise there will be great art, lively conversations, and even food and drinks on Friday! And some other cool stuff too!”

▪️ The 39th European Film Festival, featuring submissions from each of the 27 member states, is an in-person event with screenings, speakers, and receptions (before or after select film showings). Single tickets, six-film passes, and a full EUFF pass are all on sale now. November 15-30 at the Alma Duncan Salon, Ottawa Art Gallery.

▪️ The Hospice Care Ottawa annual Homes for the Holidays Home Tour will fill your head with ideas for your most stylish Christmas ever. This year the tour visits seven homes across Ottawa, each styled by designers and florists. Today (November 15) through 17. $50.  

▪️ The exhibition Outside the Lines: Celebrating Women War Artists inspires the Art Battle Ottawa at Canada War Museum.

▪️ Otherworld Treasures at 1889 Baseline Road is staying open until 7:00 pm for a Holiday Jewellery Pop-Up Sale.

▪️ Divertimento Orchestra’s Fall Concert is A Tour of Europe.

▪️ The Grand Reveal Burlesque Show is a glamorous tease of a show plus a vendors market all in one. Shenkman Arts Centre in Orléans

▪️ Road Trip: The Prescott Fire Department presents the 2024 Light Up the Night Parade.

▪️ Queen St Fare hosts the monthly Queers and Beers.

▪️ The Stittsville Business Association’s Stittsville Spree is a chance to win $1000 to spend in the area. To be in with a chance for the big prize, spend at least $100 in the area between November 15 and December 31. 

▪️ The 50th anniversary season continues at GCTC with the world premier of Beowulf in Afghanistan by Laurie Fyffe.

▪️ ByTowne Cinema: Antra, Blitz, Rumours

▪️ Mayfair Theatre: Black Box Diaries, Lee, Terrifier 3

Gigs

▪️ Rick Holmstrom Trio. Red Bird

▪️ Games We Play: She’s the Girl Tour. The 27 Club

▪️ 80s Dance Party. House of TARG

▪️ Better Lovers: The Highly Irresponsible Tour. Bronson Centre

▪️ Dave Bignell. Irene’s Pub

▪️ New Wave Dance Party with The Underground. The Prescott

▪️ Outskirts - Tribute to Blue Rodeo. Overflow Brewing

▪️ The LebBreton FlatBellies. Main Street Pub

▪️ Mayfair Theatre is screening the  the 50th anniversary, 4K restoration version of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation. Bonus: see a very young Harrison Ford in an early supporting role.

▪️ Gigspace is tiny, so by the time you read this the in-person tickets to the Duncan Hopkins’ Two Guitar Hit gig might be sold out. Good thing you can purchase livestream tickets too.

▪️ Vancouver-born singer/songwriter Suzie Ungerleider, who toured and recorded as Oh Susanna in the 1990s, is playing her new album at Red Bird tonight. As of Thursday morning there aren’t many tickets left.

▪️ The Hub Market Café has been created to foster connections and resources for Black entrepreneurs. Today’s opening ceremony will feature speakers, interactive workshops, music and art performances, a fashion show, and more. 

▪️ It’s possible that you’ve never sampled fine, aged spirits from 75 feet underground. The Whisky Tasting Fundraiser at the Diefenbunker is your chance to try it.

🆓 Bobby B Productions welcomes the Ottawa DJ Festival to the stage this Saturday. Drop in anytime between 3:00 pm and 11:00 pm for half hour DJ sets, food and drink trucks, and fun for the whole family.

▪️ European Film Festival screenings: Hygge! (6:00 pm), Family Therapy (8:30 pm)

▪️ ByTowne Cinema: Antra, Restoration: The Sweet Hereafter, Blitz

▪️ Mayfair Theatre: The Substance, The Conversation, Saturday Night Sinema

Gigs

▪️ Glamour Profession (Steely Dan tribute) Queen Street Fare 

▪️ Boids, Pomegranate, All Day Breakfast.  Avant-Garde Bar

▪️ Ash Ravens, Almyr Jules. Irene’s Pub

▪️ Joe Grass. Fourth Stage (National Arts Centre)

▪️ Death Comes Riffing, Possessed Steel. House of Targ

▪️ Beyond Driven, This Disaster, Don’t Tell Sarah, UNTIL. The Rainbow Bistro 

▪️ Unsociably High, The Pudding Chomeur, Leeny Jones. Live! on Elgin

Saturday Markets, Church Bazaars, and Craft Fairs:

🌲 Candles, books, home decor, tarot cards and readings: find them all and more at the Ottawa Mystic Market (today and Sunday at Next Door)

🌲 613Flea brings more than 150 vendors to Aberdeen Pavilion.

🌲 You’ll find more than 100 vendors at the “bigger and better” 2nd Annual Robert Plante Holiday Market (today and Sunday). 

🌲 In addition to the usual crafts and delicious home baking, the Orléans United Church Christmas Bazaar will have a silent auction.

🌲 Trinity United Church Christmas Bazaar takes over 1099 Maitland Ave.

🌲 Itty Bitty 2024 Artisan & Art Show by Arts Carleton Place is back.

🌲 Grab a free hot chocolate or hot apple cider while you shop from 120 vendors at the Ritchie Feed & Seed Christmas Bazaar in Richmond.

🌲 Road Trip: Visit the town of Winchester, Ontario’s Garden Party Christmas Market and enjoy horse drawn wagon rides, crafting, a petting zoo, food, and live music.

🌲 The One & Only Arts and Crafts Fair by Action Sandy Hill will raise funds for local youth and arts organizations. You’ll also find the annual Good Book Sale, which supports literacy programs at Viscount Alexander school. 

🌲 Road Trip: It’s a busy day in Brockville, Ontario: the Christmas Market takes over Brockville Shopping Center with 30 vendors, live music and hot apple cider. Today and Sunday at 54 Centre St. Meanwhile, visit the Miracle on King Street (10:00 am to 4:00 pm today) to make an ornament in Santa’s workshop, sing carols, and enjoy live music.

🌲 The Barrhaven Winter Craft Market at the Walter Baker Sports Centre is raising funds for CHEO.

🌲 Road Trip: It might be too early for skiing but Calabogie is alive with the sounds of Christmas at the Winter Market. Please bring a donation for the Calabogie Food Bank.

🌲 Beechwood Market, which is closed for the season, is resurrected this evening for the Beechwood Night Market at Mackay Memorial Hall, featuring food, craft beer and wine, and tarot readings.