A look back at when I ran for Mayor in 2018

 October 22nd, 2020, will mark two years since the 2018 Ottawa Municipal Election was held. For those that may not be aware, I was one of the candidates that ran for Mayor. With the anniversary coming up, I figured that I would take the opportunity to talk about my experiences

CIBC Banks on New OAG Expantion

 This week the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) and longtime supporter CIBC announced a new and considerable Art Now – L’art ici Capital Campaign gift of $100,000. CIBC has become a lead sponsor for the gallery and it’s events during the past decade, including le pARTy Art Auction and the Partners in

Five Quick-Wins for Trudeau’s First Day in Office

 Photo by Jean-Marc Carisse While it takes time for a new prime minister to translate campaign rhetoric into effective policies, there are at least five quick-wins that Justin Trudeau can achieve on his very first day in office. All five can be implemented in a few minutes through simple orders-in-council

Change

 Photo courtesy of Jean-Marc Carisse. Voters Decided It Was Sunny Ways Rather Than Rainbows and Unicorns Ten years is a long time for any government to be in power. Stephen Harper led Canada through some tumultuous times. He deserves a great deal of credit for guiding Canada through the 2008

Are we finally in a health election campaign?

 Why more affordable medications for Canadians should be an all-party priority in this federal election. It's become almost a matter of faith: health and health care are perennially among the top priorities for Canadians, but are nearly invisible in election platforms and debates. This observation has led health care providers, health care

The Ottawa Art Gallery Blossoms

 Photo courtesy of Dwayne Brown. Accomplished writer and visual journalist Sara Angel presented a beautiful speech about the importance of art, kicking off the Ottawa Art Gallery’s Capital Campaign Art Now – L’art ici. The campaign looks to expand the Ottawa Art Gallery, with hopes to build a place that

What You Need to Know About the Election

 On your marks, get set, go! The race is on. The federal election to determine Canada’s 42nd parliament and leader has begun. Set to end with the October 19 election, this campaign will be the longest in over a century (since 1872), running for a full 78 days. In Canada,

Logan Guleff Wants to Get Kids Cooking!

 All images courtesy of Uncle Ben's and CNW group. Now carrying the prestigious title of MasterChef Junior, 13-year-old Logan Guleff has humble culinary roots. His introduction to the kitchen came at age two, when Guleff started spooning grounds into his mother’s coffee maker each morning. “I would take two scoops

RBC Ottawa Bluesfest Celebrates Festival Fashion in New Campaign

 Photo credit: Alexander Vlad/Captivate Creative Music festivals are all about music…and fashion! Both on the stage and on the street, artists and audience members are embracing festival fashion, from Coachella to Osheaga and now RBC Ottawa Bluesfest! For the first time, RBC Ottawa Bluesfest is launching the I Love #RBCBluesfestFashion

The Next Generation of Website Development: QuickSilk

 Have you ever tried to build a blog or a website for yourself or your company? At first the sites you’ve always heard of for “easy” website building seem like a good idea. But after 30 minutes of clicking around, you begin to understand the limitations and realize there is

How to Eliminate MRI Wait Lists in the Public Health System

 How to do all this and save Alberta millions of dollars a year in the process Value for money appears to be finally getting the attention it merits as Alberta’s new health minister, Stephen Mandel, takes the reins of the portfolio that is close to consuming 50% of the province’s

Walk His Way

 Lacing up his shoes as he heads out to hit the pavement, Gavin Lumsden is doing more than just going for another run. Lumsden is gearing up to train for his fiftieth marathon in 2015. But, that is not even the big news. Lumsden, supervising producer at Rogers TV Ottawa,

Chiu, Maas Tasked with Improving Redblacks

 Jason Maas fields questions at a press conference. Photo credit: Lucy Scholey/Metro The Ottawa Redblacks will assign the arduous task of improving their offence on the respective shoulders of Bryan Chiu and Jason Maas. Chiu, who was hired as the team’s new offensive line coach on Dec. 23, held the

Spread Some Good this New Year With FlipGive

 Just because it's January doesn't mean the giving season has to end. Why not give two gifts, with one card? FlipGive is a Canadian company founded in 2008 connecting shoppers and local fundraisers with major online retailers. The website raises money for community-based causes through gift card purchases. For each sale

Shen Yun Returns to Ottawa for Ninth Season

 In Chinese, Shen Yun means “the beauty of divine beings dancing.” Indeed that is exactly what audiences can expect from the 2015 performance of Shen Yun at the National Arts Centre. “The show will be a lasting memory and the profundity of the Chinese culture will uplift their life,” says

Where are the Accessible Toilets Ottawa? GottaGo!

 Nowadays, the most vulnerable members of our population—children, seniors and persons with disabilities—are in search for clean and safe public washrooms in Ottawa. But Rachel Canham, a Carleton University researcher, is steering the pursuit for public toilets in a whole new direction. “I feel like while the need for public

Zibanejad is a Star Ready to Explode

 Zibanejad attempts to knock a puck out of mid-air past Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer. Photo credit: Blair Gable/Reuters If you’re concerned about Mika Zibanejad ever realizing his potential after being a healthy scratch against the St. Louis Blues on November 25, don’t be. When Zibanejad was drafted sixth overall

Why I Decided to Get the Flu Vaccine for Myself and my Children

 New flu vaccine options for children and those afraid of needles It’s time again for the familiar “Get the shot, not the flu” campaign. It comes every October and we are reminded into the spring that it still isn’t too late to get the flu vaccine for those who haven’t

Industry Leaders Rally Together to Support ALS Canada

 From left to right: Sir Terry Matthews, Debbie Weinstein and Bruce Lazenby Terry Matthews, high tech mogul; Bruce Lazenby, president and CEO of Invest Ottawa; and Debbie Weinstein, founding partner of LaBarge Weinstein LLP to participate in ice bucket challenge to raise funds for ALS Canada Leaders from Ottawa’s business

Political Profile: Jeff Morrison

 Aiming to innovate, energize and engage downtown Ottawa Innovation, vibrancy, partnership and engagement—these are the key themes of Somerset ward candidate Jeff Morrison’s platform. Ottawa has not been as embracing of new approaches, new building techniques or new forms of development of green innovations, according to Morrison. He wants to

Working to Build a New Ottawa: Martin Canning

 There is a change happening in Ottawa, according to city councillor hopeful Martin Canning, and he wants to be a big part of that change. Canning’s campaign began in January with the launch of his website and vision, ‘New Ottawa’. The Somerset ward candidate defines New Ottawa as the most

Using Wine for a Good Cause

 Sommeliers rejoice! In this unique way of giving back, each bottle of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio bought in April went to a good cause. Last Thursday, Tree Canada was presented with $30,000 by Lifford Wines & Spirits, on behalf of Santa Margherita Wineries during an event at the Canadian Museum

In Memory of Naomi Baker

 The Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre’s Open Arms Campaign The Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre (OICC) , a not-for-profit organization, is dedicated to providing care complementary cancer care to as many people as possible. The Naomi Baker Memorial Counselling Fund has been established by the Panneton Family Foundation to provide subsidized counselling

Afghanistan and the Polls: Change the Question – Change the Numbers

 Quick media conclusions on polls released regarding Canadian participation in the Afghanistan mission are flawed. Part of the difficulty in interpreting the polls lies in the fact that the two principal polling firms involved with the longest databases use very different questions in their polls. Strategic Counsel, which is the

Reg Alcock navigates by an ethical compass

 By Jennifer O'Meara Treasury Board president Reg Alcock has been rocking the boat this past year, but then he always was a bit a monkey. It was a long time ago, when someone gave him a simian as a pet. Alcock needed to establish dominance, so he bit the monkey.