With fate of 24 Sussex unclear, experts extoll historic value of official residences
With the future of 24 Sussex Drive in doubt and Canadians two weeks away from electing a new prime minister, local heritage experts are urging protection of the historic home and turning a spotlight on the capital’s rich history of prime ministerial residences. Years of neglect have put the official residence of the prime minister at risk. In one of...
More than books: The Ottawa Trans Library is preserving and building a culture
With challenges on 2SLBGTQ+ books on the rise in Canada and American libraries, Alice Holland is one of the volunteers at the Ottawa Trans Library, protecting trans art and building community to counter transphobia and censorship.
Vanier sugar shack celebrates 40 years with syrup, music and lumberjack competition
Despite poor conditions, members of the Ottawa community gathered in droves to attend Vanier’s Sugar Festival, the 40th year of the event, which celebrates Canadian culture, particularly French-Canadian culture.
Fairy Cowboy Tours aims to preserve and celebrate Ottawa’s 2SLGBTQ+ history
Wearing a cowboy hat, a drawn-on moustache and glittery fairy wings, drag artist Morgan Mercury strolls around downtown Ottawa while sharing stories of 2SLGBTQ+ trailblazers who once called the city home.
Museum of Nature mineralogist wins major prize for photographic gems
A Canadian Museum of Nature mineralogist has been awarded one of the field’s most prestigious prizes for his striking photographs of geological specimens. Michael Bainbridge, the Canadian Museum of Nature’s assistant curator of mineralogy and a highly accomplished photographer, was recently presented with the Carnegie Mineralogical Award at the annual Tuscon Gem and Mineral Show in Arizona, the largest of...
Repair Café showcases circular economy’s role in fighting U.S. trade war
Advocacy groups are urging residents and Ottawa city hall to focus on strengthening the local circular economy — including the voluntary repair and recycling service provided by the Ottawa Tool Library — as part of the community response to the on-going U.S. trade war with Canada. The U.S. has imposed tariffs on many Canadian exports, including vehicles, steel and aluminum,...
Touch Grass is creating a community in Ottawa around queer ballroom dance
or Zineb Allaoui, being part of the queer ballroom scene has been instrumental in helping her find a sense of belonging in Ottawa. After immigrating to Canada from Morocco five years ago, Allaoui said finding the Kiki ballroom scene allowed her to express her queerness in a way she couldn’t back home.
Money museum aquires ancient Roman coin, other ‘once in a lifetime’ items
What do a 1,700 year old Roman coin and a Canadian penny worth thousands of dollars have in common? They’ve just been added to the collection of historical currency held by the Bank of Canada Museum in downtown Ottawa. Some of the museum’s most significant artifact acquisitions in 2024 were recently highlighted in a curator’s blog post detailing the latest...
Parents, students urge OCDSB to rethink planned closure of alternative schools
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board wants to eliminate the city’s five alternative schools, and some members of the public — particularly parents of the children who attend the schools — are not happy. The board has undertaken an Elementary Program Review to determine whether its current model of delivering education serves the community most effectively. A number of planned changes...
Growing food may soon be allowed alongside Ottawa roads if council approves
Ottawa residents may soon be able to grow food on city-owned property near roads, if a motion passed by the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee is adopted by full council. If the motion amending a bylaw is adopted, it would allow fixed planters placed half a metre away from the sidewalk and 1.5 meters away from the road on streets without...
More staff needed before expanding community policing, says chief
Ottawa police are confident that they will be able to expand into the city’s communities soon in response to concerns about rising levels of crime, though police staffing issues will need to be resolved first.
Ottawa Public Library says cost for new Bookmobile has doubled — thanks, in part, to Trump
The Ottawa Public Library plans to use almost all of its $1.8-million budget surplus from the past year to replace an aging Bookmobile, one of the city’s two travelling mini-libraries for underserved communities. According to a staff report, the city’s next Bookmobile will cost $1.5 million to put into service by 2026 — double the cost of the last one....