See the 8 day forecast at the ottawan weather

HELLO OTTAWA

The Extremely Last Minute Gift Shopping Strategy

Start the car or pull on your boots and visit the following stores, because shopping in real life is the fastest way to get out of the pickle you’re in.

1. Singing Pebble Books (206 Main St) has books, of course, but it also has a very good selection of Made in Canada gift ideas for all budgets. The store is open today until 8:00 pm, tomorrow until 6:00 pm, and Sunday (Christmas Eve) until 5:00 pm.
    
2. Record store Baked Goods (2561 Baseline Road) says “Music isn’t just a hobby; it’s a way of life.” Find the perfect gift for your audiophile friend: new or vintage vinyl, cassette tapes, collectibles, Lego, and equipment.
    
3. Hit Stroked Ego for gorgeous sweaters and shirts for guys (2nd floor - 131 Bank Street).
    
4. Pop by Maker House to pickup Canadian-made gifts and stocking stuffers. 987 Wellington St. West. Open until 4:00 pm on Christmas Eve.
    
5. Bottega Nicastro announced the happy news that their Take Home Wine Shop is back, so shop for a nice bottle of something at 64 George St. They’ve also got a great selection of fancy Panettones and other foodie gifts.
    
6. In Kemptville, Bubba and Bugs Coffee Bar has sweet merchandise and food gifts, and they’re open until the end of the day tomorrow (Saturday December 23). 146 Prescott Street, Kemptville.

And now we go into an end-of-year semi-hibernation. the ottawan will take the stat holidays off but on regular weekdays next week, we’ll be sending out our stripped-down mini-ottawans with what little info we know about.

Happy Christmas to all, and Mini-Martha and Mini-Darren will see you on Wednesday.

– Martha and Darren

🎄the ottawan Christmas pages

•  9 gift ideas that can be categorized as Thoughtful And They'll Never Know It Was Last Minute
•  Last minute gift ideas to pick up nearby
•  10 Gifts Under $20
•  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

Sports

• 🏒 NHL Ottawa Senators 4 – Colorado Avalanche 6 last night

CITY HALL AGENDA

What’s going on at City Hall
 

Nothing more until the new year.

WHAT OTTAWA IS TALKING ABOUT

🚌 OC Transpo

•  Scrooge ParaTranspo would like to remind you that if you want to book a trip next week, you should have done earlier. It is a new service this year by ParaTranspo, offering trips between Christmas and the first week of January  – but you must book it a week in advance. Happy holidays! 
  
  As for buses and the O Train, service will be reduced between Christmas Day and Jan 5.
  
  OC Transpo is offering 2-for-1 daypasses for use on the holiday only. So you can use it Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day but not any day in between. Rides are free on buses, O Train, and, incredibly, ParaTranspo on New Year’s Eve after 6 pm.  (OC Transpo)

🪑 Ottawa Police Services Board

•  The Ottawa Police Services Board is seeking a volunteer to join them. Criteria for candidates are: one must be a resident of Ottawa, at least 18 years old, and not an employee of the City. The vacancy on the board occured when Board chair Dr Gail Teck resigned after her son was arrested for his alleged involvement in what Ottawa Police called the City’s largest drug bust. You can probably add, not unexpectedly, having a loved one working his way through the local criminal justice system to that list of criteria. The deadline is Friday, January 19 at 4:30 pm. (City of Ottawa) (Apply)

🚨 Ottawa Police Service

•  The Ottawa Police officer who who threatened to kill his ex and wielded a knife in a 2020 domestic dispute has received his sentence: a two year demotion. Constable Yourik Brisebois was criminally convicted of knowingly uttering a threat to cause death and possessing a kitchen knife for the purpose of committing an offence last May, for which he received a conditional discharge. In October, he pleaded guilty to discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act. That sentence of a two year demotion from first-class constable to second-class constable was just announced. (Kristy Nease at CBC)

💢 Israel – Hamas

•  A University of Ottawa doctor has been suspended over social media posts opposing Israel’s conduct against Hamas. A colleague of Dr. Yipeng Ge complained last month over posts by the doctor that the colleague considered antisemetic. Ge has also resigned from the board of the Canadian Medical Association board of directors, writing that his opposition’s depictions of his posts were ‘misrepresenting them in ways I consider highly inflammatory’. (Arthur White-Crummey at CBC)

⛴️ Quyon Ferry

•  The Quyon Ferry between Fitzroy Harbour and Quyon has closed for the season. One of Ottawa’s underated joys, the little ferry – slogan: ‘The Largest Ferry on the Ottawa’ – charges $8 for a one-way carload across the Ottawa River. The Quyon Ferry has been operating since 1885, and run by the same family since 1916. (Quyon Ferry)

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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

•  You can still purchase single tickets to 9th Hour Theatre Company's production of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, playing at Meridian Theatres at Centrepointe. The remaining performances on Saturday are sold out.

•  It's the final chance to shop with the cool vendors at the 613Holiday Night Market at Aberdeen Pavilion. You're bound to find a last-minute yet totally awesome gift for someone on your list - or for yourself.

•  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 Saturday.

•  Wander the Ottawa Christmas Market for last minute gift ideas, and treat yourself to something delicious.

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

•  Amos the Transparent: Holiday Variety Show. Club SAW
   
•  Winchester Warm, Octoberman. Irene's Pub & Restaurant
   
•  Myhill presents a Holiday Hootenanny. LIVE on Elgin
   
•  Django Libre. Montgomery Scotch Lounge
   
•  Eastbound of Bytown. Brew Revolution
   

Tomorrow

•  Ottawa Famers Market is open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at Lansdowne for last minute stocking stuffers and treats.

•  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.

•  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.

•  Wander the Ottawa Christmas Market for last minute gift ideas, and treat yourself to something delicious.

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

•  Winchester Warm, Octoberman. Irene's Pub & Restaurant

•  Myhill presents a Holiday Hootenanny. LIVE on Elgin

•  Django Libre. Montgomery Scotch Lounge

•  Eastbound of Bytown. Brew Revolution
   

🎄Christmas Eve

•  Shopping Centres close at 5:00 pm today.

•  Operating hours of LCBO stores will vary. Check the website for your local store.
   

🎁 Christmas Day

•  The Kettleman’s Bagels stores at College Square, Bank St, Trainyards, and Kanata are open all day.

•  Check the CBC’s handy list of city service, public health, transit and garbage operating.

•  Open Table’s list of restaurants operating today.
   

Just Announced

•  Tickets are on sale for the Kemptville Live Music Festival (July 18-21, 2024).

BUT, ONE MORE THING ...

Bruce Deachman in the Ottawa Citizen has a collection of Ottawa Christmas Day tales: including: the 1923 Ottawa Senators beat the Montréal Canadians at The Auditorium, the Bytown & Prescott railway arrived in 1854 then changed its name a week later when Bytown itself changed its name to Ottawa, British MP Winston Churchill gave a lecture in 1900, and how Ottawa used to have huge bonfires to burn up old Christmas trees. 

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 Wednesday.

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