ByWard Market William Street pedestrian project delayed over fears of impacts on businesses
The plan to transform William Street into a permanent pedestrian-only street is on hold and Ottawa city councillors are questioning why that decision was made without council’s approval.
Ottawa Senators partnership to support Gatineau’s elite young players
Elite youth hockey players in Gatineau will be in contact with more people from the world of professional hockey than ever before, starting next year. The Ottawa Senators have announced a new, five-year partnership with Hockey Outaouais to rebrand its three boys’ AAA teams to the Sens’ name, logo and colours. The Senators say that one part of the partnership...
Atlético Ottawa plays historic ‘home’ Concacaf game in Hamilton, sending fans scrambling
Atlético Ottawa fans travelled to Hamilton, Ont. for the club's continental debut after it was relocated due to Lansdowne 2.0 construction.
Fitness influencers promote risky, unproven fitness products called peptides online — and health experts are ringing alarm bells
Fitness and wellness trends are nothing new to social media. Influencers promote and sell items to their audiences and their messages often convince consumers the products are safe. The latest social media buzz is around peptides being peddled online to buyers looking to build and heal muscles — and experts are warning about risks. Michael Osborn, a university student in...
As welcoming ‘third places’ decline, Rough Draft Events is building a community for young adults in Ottawa
When she started her online stationery business in 2024, Cara Loop never thought she’d become an event planner. Two years later, she’s the creative mind behind a rotating calendar of trivia nights, themed events and affordable craft workshops across Ottawa. Rough Draft Events, founded by Loop, hosts workshops at community-oriented businesses such as Arlington Five, Equator Coffee and Manor Park Brewing (formerly Small and Local Beer co.), with a focus on accessibility and low-cost participation. In a...
Creating space to move: A dancer’s mission to make dance accessible in Ottawa
A Carleton University student is bringing affordable, pay-what-you-can dance classes to Ottawa focused on accessibility and community.
Residents fear mercury contamination as Kanata golf club redevelopment begins
Kanata residents are ringing alarm bells over mercury contamination at the former Kanata Golf and Country Club, an area that will soon be redeveloped for residential housing. “It is documented – there is mercury contamination across this entire site,” said Kanata North Coun. Cathy Curry during a planning committee meeting on March 4. “The city’s response was that ‘no, the...
Beer festival a reminder of the quality of local suds as U.S. booze ban hits one year
It's been exactly one year since the Ford government pulled U.S. liquor from LCBO shelves and one local beer maker says he's worried more about American suppliers than he is about his own business.
Westboro community steps into cold in support of Cornerstone Housing for Women
Westboro-based Cornerstone Housing for Women raises funds for their emergency shelter as housing insecurity rises.
City rebuffs owner, grants heritage status to ‘rare’ Orléans farmhouse
Over the objections of the building’s owner, Ottawa city council has granted heritage status to a “rare and unusual remaining example” of a century-old farmhouse in Orléans. Located at 6654 Notre-Dame St. in the east-end suburb, Lauzon House is described by city heritage experts as an important link to the history of the early Franco-Ontarian farming community while exhibiting “a...
More than murals: Paint It Up! builds youth skills and neighbourhood pride in Ottawa
Tucked away on Wellington Street West, a vibrant peafowl fans its feathers across the side of a barbershop, a splash of colour that serves as a point of pride for area residents. Since its completion last year, “The Proudest Plumage” has drawn visitors, sparked conversations and helped community members see themselves reflected in the public space around them. The mural...
Council approves heritage study for Kanata’s Beaverbrook neighbourhood
City council has approved a comprehensive heritage study for Beaverbrook, the Kanata neighbourhood designed in the 1960s as a planned, nature-oriented community. The study could lead to Beaverbrook’s designation as a heritage conservation district, the first in Ottawa outside the Greenbelt and one of the few in Ontario recognizing a mid-20th century suburb. The proposal had earned support earlier from...
Carleton gallery fosters close-knit feeling with textile exhibit, fibre-art workshops
The Carleton University Art Gallery recently welcomed students with an interest in fibre arts – knitting, crochet, visible mending and more – to come together to create and celebrate its new exhibition, Material Journeys. The gallery held a third installment of its “Art + Friends” series Feb. 8, this time with a focus on textiles. Around 50 students sat around...
‘Don’t shut down the program:’ Students, industry fight to save Algonquin College music training
The sound of guitar solos, drums, bass lines and vocals fill room N124 at Algonquin College. The music recording lab class is covering a song with added elements of creativity to showcase their learning over the term. But next year, room N124 may be silent because the Music Industry Arts program is one of dozens that could be on the...
‘Tell the truth’: Algonquin poet urges ‘Ottawa 200’ to fully acknowledge Indigenous history before colonization
Ottawa’s former poet laureate is urging the city to acknowledge the “oppression” suffered by the Indigenous inhabitants of the region — where they have lived for thousands of years — during this year’s 200th anniversary of the founding of Bytown. Albert Dumont, the city’s English-language poet laureate from 2021 to 2023 and a spiritual guide from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg —...
Eligibility for arts awards revamped in nod to wider circle of ‘creatives’
Arts Ottawa has revamped its eligibility criteria for the capital’s annual awards, a move organizers say, widens the circle of recognition and reflects changes affecting the local arts scene. The awards also acknowledge the impact artists and arts leaders have on the community. “The Arts Ottawa Awards celebrate the artists, cultural workers, organizations and community builders who make Ottawa’s arts...
Ottawa curling stars Homan, Miskew spark change to Hall of Fame eligibility
The Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame has changed the way it welcomes active athletes to the ultimate club of excellence for local athletes. The move was sparked by the international success of Ottawa curlers Rachel Homan and Emma Miskew, three-time world champions and five-time winners of the national Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Homan and Miskew won the bronze medal game...
Ottawa set to expand community grants program to include waste diversion
A plan to expand Ottawa’s community grants program to include projects designed to reduce or reuse waste has the support of the city’s environment committee, though some councillors question whether the funding amount is adequate.
Ottawa plans to seek bird-friendly designation under Nature Canada program
The City of Ottawa is advancing an application for designation as a Bird Friendly City under a national program led by Nature Canada.
Transit group shows why official OC Transpo numbers don’t match reality for most
A new website from a volunteer transit advocacy group shows why Ottawa’s official bus reliability numbers don’t match the actual experience of most riders.
Gotta go? Stand-alone public washroom promises downtown relief — at long last
A stand-alone public washroom planned for the corner of Somerset and Bank streets in Centretown will be the first of its kind in the capital when it opens this fall. Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster said the facility will be 400 square feet and believes it will have two stalls. Troster said she was “shocked” to learn there were no stand-alone,...
Eating local: Restaurants seek the perfect mix of social media presence and influencer content
Food businesses and influencers are using social media platforms to reach new customers.
Coming to Canada: Migrants seek opportunity for a better life as doors start closing
As Canada scales back its Temporary Foreign Worker Program, Youssef Bouderbela reflects on joining before obtaining legal status.
Heritage Ottawa talk highlights Indigenous influence at Kìwekì Point
A recent Heritage Ottawa lecture on Kìwekì Point — the National Capital Commission’s reimagining of what was once called Nepean Point in downtown Ottawa — showcased the central role of reconciliation-oriented design and Indigenous collaboration in the $45-million project. Garry Meus, a senior landscape architect with the NCC, guided attendees through the vision for the landmark during his Jan. 21...
Ottawa Sport Council urges city to invest more in basketball courts
This story includes voices from OSC and OBN board members and local youth basketball coaches on why Ottawa needs to invest into indoor basketball facilities.
Natural wine tempting drinkers looking for a healthier option
Natural wine is on the rise in Ottawa offering consumers healthier alternatives.
City plants seed for Ottawa community gardens to bloom
Ottawa gardeners hopeful new City program promising increased garden space bears fruit.
How’s your New Year’s resolution? Gym owners have ideas for keeping on track
People start the new year full of plans to keep their resolutions, only to see their resolve crumble by late January.
A fowl tale: Secondhand Stories sanctuary brings chickens compassion
Liz Wheeler is the proud owner of Secondhand Stories chicken sanctuary, the home to 22 chickens. And it all started with some decluttering.
Aberdeen Pavilion vendor laments impact of ‘Cattle Castle’ repair work
The Aberdeen Pavilion, the landmark heritage building at Lansdowne Park, is to be shut down for a major roof rehabilitation as early as this spring, city officials say. The upcoming construction is raising concerns about the closure’s impact on public events held inside the building, including the popular 613Flea market, which operates inside the building twice a month, hosting up...
Ontario universities face funding crisis causing some to see tuition increase as better than program cuts
“Ontario’s post-secondary sector is on the brink of a financial meltdown,” according to a recent editorial in the Toronto Star. The crisis has one student thinking a tuition increase would be better than program cuts.
Technology and inclusive storytelling driving growth of Canadian museums
Interest in Canadian museums has grown rapidly thanks to the adoption of digital technologies and inclusive storytelling.
Coordination key to smooth renewal of Glebe Community Centre, residents, staff say
The Glebe Community Centre is undergoing renovations, but so far their programming has not faced major disruptions.
Meeting the public where they are, a fifth-generation Ottawa butcher shop thrives on social media
The Butchery in Ottawa gaining social media traction is a "big deal" says expert.
Bird flu battle: Ottawa protestors outraged over B.C. ostrich cull as experts watch danger posed by virus
Farmers are protesting the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's culling of more than 300 ostriches at a B.C. farm.
Ottawa’s ‘King of Christmas trees’ returns to parking lot of iconic Merivale Dairy Queen
Ottawa's King of the Christmas Trees is back in his kingdom at the iconic retro Dairy Queen parking lot on Merivale.
Sports car owners prepare for winter season amid early snowfall
With snow finally here, Ottawa sports car owners are deciding whether or not they are keeping or storing their cars away this winter.
The Arctic is alive and some rare extinct rhino fossils tell us how
It has four toes, rather than the usual three. It is around one metre tall, small, like a carnival pony. And it has no horn. Some 23 million years ago, the creature roamed the High Arctic, crossing between North America and Eurasia — a feat researchers previously thought impossible. “It” is a recently discovered, extinct rhino. Epiatheracerium itjilik, the Arctic...
AI and GLAM: Emerging tech is changing museums and libraries
Pressure to apply AI tools to museum and gallery work is making professionals worry about how to preserve information they’ve been entrusted to protect.
Ontario’s $7M arts funding promise ‘using scotch tape to fix a leak,’ writers say
A recent $7 million pledge from the Ontario government has left some in the literary sector divided on whether it will meaningfully address the realities facing the arts.
Experts warn of rising Xylazine-linked overdoses in Ottawa and nationwide
Experts warn the surge in Xylazine-tainted drugs is part of a wider national pattern that is threatening the lives of addicts and users on the streets
Social media and personalization drive nail art trends in Ottawa
Across Ottawa, nail art is more than beauty, it’s identity. And one student nail artist is helping define the look.
From Centretown streets to Ottawa River shorelines, “third spaces” grow in the capital
"Street Seats" pilot project and NCC shorelines revitalization work to provide Ottawa residents and tourists with more third spaces.
As Lansdowne 2.0 becomes the new reality, Beandigen Café and other affected shops left without answers
Small businesses in Lansdowne are unsure how they will cope with new construction plans and relocation.
Support for local farmers on the rise even as produce prices at grocery stores fluctuate
Produce prices at the grocery stores are in constant flux. Meanwhile, local farmers' try to keep their prices relatively constant, and seem to be gaining more community support.
The ink is drying: Ottawa’s downtown tattoo shops are fading
Oversaturation of the market and issues with operating downtown have forced some longtime tattoo businesses in Ottawa to close.
Glebe’s historic outdoor community rink makes a move to park near Lansdowne
The Mutchmor rink has regularly welcomed Glebe skaters since 1932. This winter, the rink will move across the Glebe, leaving some residents and community groups concerned.
Gas prices remain high compared with other costs, leaving Ottawa residents scrambling to cope
Despite overall inflation falling, gasoline prices are still consistently higher than all other essential goods in Ontario, putting financial strain on Ottawa residents.
Families on standby as child care costs plummet, while waitlists hit record levels
Child care is cheaper but that lower price is driving more demand leaving many families waiting for access.
Closed since 2021, Mooney’s Bay Hill could reopen for winter use, based on new city report
The city is considering a redevelopment of Mooney's Bay Hill for winter use. One option would see $3.1 million reconstruction for expanded use.