VIEWPOINT: Financial support needed to close gender gaps

By Cassandra Plourde Ottawa played host to a Women in Leadership conference on March 8, International Women’s Day, at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre. The all-female panel said there has never been a better time for women to get into the tech sector, but it’s up to them to grab the opportunities. And the timing …

Viewpoint: $50M budget boost for Canadian journalism a good start

By Matt Yuyitung “Canada is facing a crisis of quality journalism.” John Honderich, the chair of Toronto Star parent company Torstar, recently published a column that opened with the above eight words. Honderich went on to chastise the Trudeau government for its apathy surrounding the state of Canadian news, accusing the federal Liberals of flat-out …

Editorial: City should find way to ease Elgin’s pain

By Anita Brown, Editor-in-Chief One of Ottawa’s busiest bar and restaurant strips is in for two long years of road closures and disruptive reconstruction, and local businesses are understandably worried. Elgin Street, bustling with dozens of niche coffee shops, trendy bars and charming boutiques began its major makeover this month. Bell Canada and Hydro Ottawa …

VIEWPOINT: Survey highlights mixed reactions on wage hikes

By Cassandra Plourde Since Bill 148 came into effect in Ontario on Jan. 1, raising the general minimum wage from $11.60 to $14 per hour, there has been a vigorous public debate regarding the interests of business owners versus those of students and workers in low-skill jobs. With the Ontario general election coming this spring, …

VIEWPOINT: Not so smart — tech companies should stay out of city building

By Isaac Würmann We knew it was coming. Computers in our refrigerators. Self-driving cars. A hyper-connected environment that anticipates our movements before they even happen. Luddites beware — the smart city is here. Last month, the City of Ottawa asked residents to fill out a questionnaire that would shape a data- and technology-driven vision for …

VIEWPOINT: Cover it up naked boys, bare bodies don’t promote diversity

By Yana Fedyanova Naked Boys Reading is back for another night of guys baring their bodies while reading literature to a room-full of people at LIVE! on Elgin. NBR is an international literary salon, which features nude men reading to an audience to promote body positivity and diversity. Does watching a group of unclothed men …

VIEWPOINT: Public perception on homeless population needs to shift

By Sidney Weiss Drugs. Prostitution. Crime. A terminal “cancer” that is spreading fast. Those are just a few of the words that Patrick O’Shaughnessy, a Byward Market business owner, plastered onto the main page of his recent online petition titled “Save the Market.” The highly controversial petition called for the removal of three homeless shelters …

VIEWPOINT: Barring NHL players from Olympics paves way for new athletes

By Michael Pattison NHL players won’t be competing in the upcoming Olympics, but that doesn’t mean Canada can’t succeed. In fact, this country has just as good a chance as any nation to bring home the gold medal from South Korea. It came as a shock to Canadians when the NHL barred its players from …

VIEWPOINT: City’s picky locations about marijuana dispensaries further stigmatize low-income areas

By Jordan Omstead American newspapers have plenty of material to work with these days. So when one of the biggest newspaper chains south of the border decides to run a story about Ottawa municipal politics, it’s probably a story so daft and absurd as to offer a reprieve from news of a delusional president and …

VIEWPOINT: Smoking marijuana should be prohibited inside rental units

By Nicole Babb With the legalization of marijuana around the corner, landlords in Ontario want the ability to change existing leases to prohibit tenants from smoking pot inside rental units. Tenancy laws in the province make it illegal for landlords to change existing leases before they end, but an exception should be made for banning …