Did Ottawa Really Need Another Skating Rink?

 Photo by Emily Kathen 2017 in Ottawa was a year full of excitement. From the Red Bull Crashed Ice championship, to the fire-breathing La Machine, to the 150th Grey Cup Festival, Ottawa was the place to be to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary of confederation, and unsurprisingly held the number one

Book Review: Canada 150 Women

 Canada 150 Women • Conversations with Leaders, Champions, and Luminaries: Inspiring Women, Empowering Stories By Paulina Cameron 328 pages • ISBN 978-0-9959591-2-5 “I’d like Canada to have more global corporate champions. We have a wonderful country, but we need to become leaders in innovation and attract brains to build world-class

Book Review: The Good Lands • Canada Through the Eyes of Artists

 Book Review: The Good Lands • Canada Through the Eyes of Artists By Victoria Dickenson et al. 273 Pages • ISBN 978-1-77327-024-1 Photos by María Alejandra Gamboa The Good Lands book launch was held at Parliament Hill where Senators, Indigenous people, artists, curators and all the team behind this book

Grey Cup Festival Highlights

 Feature photo by Andre R. Gagne The Grey Cup has touched down in O-town and with it comes a week of events for all. You don‘t need to know what shotgun formation, two-point conversion or all-purpose yardage are to be part of this party. The Grey Cup Festival has something

Canadian History Sings with Sir John A. Macdonald: The Musical

 If the musical theatre world has taught us anything, it’s that pretty well any topic is ripe to have suddenly burst into song. We’ve had singing plants, dancing cats, shows on Mormons, the final days of Christ and even one about Spiderman. However, how would Canadian history fair if given

Shaping Hungary: Modern Hungarian Design at NCC’s International Pavilion

 Do you want to see an innovative solution to the challenge posed by the rising sea levels? Are you looking for a handy corkscrew that doubles as a piece of home decor? Do you need a new system for consolidating, processing, and controlling data? All these questions, and much more,

Steven Page to Headline Great Trail Celebration

 Photo and article by Patrick Lemieux  “On a physical, geographical level, Canada is a country that is still so defined by its wildness. The Trail is a way for a lot of people to connect with that wildness, especially for the urban community to still have that connection wherever they go.” -

Country Legend Shania Twain to headline 105th Grey Cup

 While we’ve been enjoying the capital’s extensive 150th birthday programming for the whole year, surprises are always welcome here in Ottawa, especially where local talent is concerned.  With just over three months to go until the 105th Grey Cup presented by Shaw kicks off in Ottawa, the Canadian Football League

An exclusive partnership among The Montfort Hospital Foundation and Casino Du Lac-Leamy

 Ottawa Life’s Festival City Series is back! We'll provide a unique look at some of your favourite events. We’ll go beyond the music with artist interviews, volunteer profiles, concert reviews and spotlights on the tastes, sights and sounds of the festival season.  Your city! Your festivals and events! Like a good sunscreen,

Canada’s Coming of Age Commemorated in Art Exhibition

 1867: the year of Canada’s confederation. It’s a year that has been in the forefront of the Canadian consciousness for the entirety of 2017, with the current year marking the True North Strong’s 150th birthday. But 2017 also marks the anniversary of another important year for our country, and a

Diplomacy on Ice: Canada Hockey Days in Kazakhstan

 Diplomacy, at its best, operates upon the common ground shared by two parties. When it comes to Canada and Kazakhstan, no ground is more suitable for that than that of a skating rink. From May 20-21, Canadian Hockey Day in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana took place; serving as a celebration of

Canadian Museum of Nature Brings the Arctic to Ottawa

 Photos by Kat Walcott If you've always wanted to visit the Arctic, but it’s just too far or too cold for you, fear not! Yesterday the Canadian Museum of Nature’s newest permanent exhibit, the Canada Goose Arctic Gallery, officially opened its doors to the public. This gallery was established in celebration

Feast + Revel’s Fresh Take on the New Frontier

 Photos by Ali Matthews There is no doubt that, in the upcoming months leading up to Canada’s 150th Celebration, that many Ottawa restaurants will attempt to rift on “Canadian” cuisine. However, I doubt as many will do it as successfully as Executive Chef Stephen La Salle and the staff at

Inspiration Village Opens to Celebrate Canada

 Ottawa Life’s Festival City Series is back! We'll provide a unique look at some of your favourite events. We’ll go beyond the music with artist interviews, volunteer profiles, concert reviews and spotlights on the tastes, sights and sounds of the festival season.  Your city! Your festivals! Like a good sunscreen, Ottawa Life

Classic Canadian Television Comes to Comic Con

 Ottawa Life’s Festival City Series is back! We'll provide a unique look at some of your favourite events. We’ll go beyond the music with artist interviews, volunteer profiles, concert reviews and spotlights on the tastes, sights and sounds of the festival season.  Your city! Your festivals! Like a good sunscreen, Ottawa Life

Breathing New Life Into Old Bikes

 Story by Rachel McKeen / Photo by Eric Murphy Do a mental count of all your bicycles.  Now imagine the extra space in your garage or shed if you could rid yourself of that one bike you’re still holding on to that’s in pretty good shape, but never used.  Now think

JUNO Spotlight: Heather Rankin

 Nominated for: 2017 | Adult Contemporary Album of the Year (A Fine Line)   What is it like growing up in one of Canada’s most beloved musical families? Well, if you’re Heather Rankin you sum things up nicely with the word “chaotic”. Born the eleventh child in an already musical

The Marvels of Miramichi

 Feature image by Brian Atkinson It is never too early to start planning for summer holidays and this year, there is something quite magical about the idea of traveling within Canada during Canada 150. What better place to start than Atlantic Canada and particularly in New Brunswick, a founding province

LiUNA Builds Canada

 By Joseph Manicinelli Established in 1903, the Labourers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) has been at the forefront of defending the rights of working men and women from coast to coast to coast. Through progressive leadership and exceedingly rapid growth in membership LiUNA is Canada’s largest Building Trade Union,

Paralympian Dean Mellway’s Hockey Sledge Makes its Way to the Canadian Museum of History

 Hockey permeates every area of Canadian culture and subculture, so it should be no surprise that the Canadian Museum of History is celebrating Canada 150 with an exhibition on our country’s national winter sport. Not only does it feature artifacts from some of hockey’s most storied moments and players –

Tom Petty, P!NK, Muse, 50 Cent, Melissa Etheridge and More Set for an Epic 2017 Bluesfest!

 Ottawa Life’s Festival City Series is back! We'll provide a unique look at some of your favourite events. We’ll go beyond the music with artist interviews, volunteer profiles, concert reviews and spotlights on the tastes, sights and sounds of the festival season.  Your city! Your festivals! Like a good sunscreen, Ottawa Life

Beijing and Ottawa Symphony Orchestras Unite for Canada’s 150th

 On Sunday, February 12th, a very special musical celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary will be taking place. His Worship Mayor Watson has called it a “cultural jewel!” The Beijing Symphony Orchestra will be performing in Ottawa and they will be joined by invited members of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra for

The Colony of Unrequited Dreams: A Theatrical Dream

 Photos by Victoria Wells With Canada’s  150th birthday fast approaching, it seems like a fitting time to brush up on some Canadian history in a highly creative and entertaining fashion.  While Joey Smallwood is not an uncommon name and certainly the fact that Newfoundland joined Confederation in 1949 is another

Hope is on the Programme for Thirteen Strings’ Concert for Peace

 Thirteen Strings’ “Concert for Peace” is a concert for a cause and it is happening Friday January 27th, 2017 at Dominion Chalmers United Church. This special musical event t bridges cultures, languages, musical traditions and times while ushering in the New Year on a hopeful note. Thirteen Strings, together with

Explore the Canadian Landscape in 2017

 If you’re stuck brainstorming where you should go for your next road trip, look no further. In celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, admission to all National Parks, National Historic Sites and National Marine Conservation Areas is free for all Canadians for the entire year. All you have to do is