Wiisag Corporation: A local cannabis company with a global mission

 Indigenous peoples throughout North America have long harvested, traded and smoked a wide variety of plants for recreational, medicinal and ceremonial purposes. Many Indigenous communities see the legalization of the cannabis industry in Canada as a chance for future prosperity. Wiisag Corporation, a Canadian Indigenous integrated cannabis company, is helping

Collab Space: How Community Builds Success

 Photos by Andre Gagne Emile Salem and Blair Kilrea had a dream. The two serial entrepreneurs saw a place where artists, musicians and small business owners would come together, support one another and exchange ideas with a unified goal in mind: together they could overcome any business challenge that may

Connect with your community through a love of food

 Everyone loves friendly and welcoming communities. And there are many benefits of living in a connected neighbourhood ( like feeling safe and providing a good environment for children. But a recent survey from Whirlpool Canada shows that only a third of us actually feel connected to the people closest to

African Harvest: A celebration of Food, Farmers, Radio, and Resilience

 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

Hendrick Farm: A One-of-a-Kind Community, Minutes from Downtown Ottawa

 Founded on the principle “that a vibrant community is one that listens to its cultural, historical and natural environment,” Hendrick Farm is changing the way communities are shaped with its new townhomes and single family homes in Old Chelsea. There, developers and homeowners agree that the best way to protect

Celebrating Tomlinson’s New Waste-Recovery Centre in Carp

 Tomlinson celebrated the opening of their new waste-recovery centre last Saturday on June 11. What may have seemed like just another rainy weekend to many, actually marks the opening of an important addition to Ontario's waste system. The Canadian infrastructure and environmental services organization officially opened their Carp centre in May,

#OLMExplores – Chinatown

 All photos courtesy of Arizona Lanceleve. Last week I spent the afternoon exploring Chinatown with a good friend. We walked down the streets looking at all the different shops and houses. A lot of buildings were painted with beautiful designs and animals, there was always something interesting to see. Most of

Get Happening in Hintonburg

 All photos by Andre Gagne Hintonburg is a neighbourhood that always seems to be changing and accepting of new and fresh ideas. Case in point, did you know that in 1896 it was the first place in Canada to show a newfangled idea called moving pictures when a film was

Dedication to Community and Real Food Fuels New OCCO Kitchen

 All photos courtesy of Justin Counter. Ottawa’s number one restaurant on Trip Advisor just got a big upgrade.  For the past year, Ottawa residents have been crowding a tiny takeout restaurant on St. Joseph Boulevard in Orleans called OCCO Kitchen. The restaurant is the vision of Chef Mark Steele, the former

The Fantastic Phoenix Players

 Now in their 14th season, the Phoenix Players have been thrilling audiences with their entertaining and thought-provoking productions since 2001. The Players are a community theatre group on a mission to produce quality and an accessible theatre experiences for all. The group offers the opportunity for anyone to join the

Interlangues Celebrates 40 Years in Ottawa

 Surrounded by the Canadian Museum of History’s inspiring collection, Interlangues language school will be recognizing its own history on Friday, September 16. This year marks the school’s 40th year in business. Today, Interlangues employs thousands of teachers to educate students all over the world. In 1974, two years before founder

A New Health Accord Needs to Include Better Planning

 Why a new health accord needs to include better planning for health human resources. There is growing talk of a new Health Accord between the federal government and the provinces and territories. This is such good news -- great news, in fact. If I were asked to have one thing

Why it’s time for a National Autism Strategy

 Over a year ago, I was invited to celebrate World Autism Awareness Day on Parliament Hill.  It was attended by a dozen or more Senators from both major parties, political staffers and invited guests mostly from autism non-profit organizations.  I expected a predictable ‘feel good’ event about how far we’ve

Three Things the Federal Government Can Do to Improve the Registered Disability Savings Plan

 Many of us in the disability community were pleasantly surprised when the Liberal party promised to create a National Disabilities Act that would safeguard disability rights, reduce systemic barriers and establish a foundation of opportunity for those affected by disability.  Canada is an outlier among developed nations for not having

Why Police Fear Evidence-Based Research

 While almost every sector of society in the 21st century recognizes the importance of evidence-based decision making, police organizations are caught up in outdated policing approaches that are devoid of empirical evidence.  The major reason police are so resistant to the new regulations on carding announced by the provincial government

Seniors Housing Can be Affordable

 Older adults living on low and fixed incomes need options It was recently reported that Calgary has some of the most expensive seniors’ housing in Canada, at $3,100 a month, some $1,000 over the national average. Headlines like these catch people’s attention, especially during an election. There’s no doubt that

We Need a Radical New Approach for Kids in Care

 Families seeking support services should not have to worry their children will be taken away from them Six advocates for First Nations children have gone on a symbolic hunger strike at the Manitoba Legislature to try to raise awareness across the country about Manitoba’s broken child welfare system. Why? Well, here’s one

Some of the Most Complex Needs of My Patients Stem from Poverty and not Disease Alone

 Why Canadian children need a champion. A young girl is referred to a pediatrician's office for inability to pay attention in the classroom. The child’s teacher is concerned she has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and possibly, a learning disability. I am a second year medical student working in the

Bringing the Inside Out

 All photos by Skylan Hill Since 2007, The Ottawa LGBT Film Festival has been the talk of the town. Now in its eighth year in Ottawa, the festival is among the top five LGBT film fests in Canada. Its aim is to showcase the best and most diverse films by,

Statement by the NDP on the passing of Max Keeping / Déclaration du NDP sur the Déces de Max Keeping

 NDP candidate for Ottawa Centre Paul Dewar made the following statement on the passing of Max Keeping:   “It is with great sadness that I learned today of Max Keeping's passing. Max Keeping was a trusted voice for our community and a strong advocate for the people of Ottawa, particularly youth. As

Response to Refugee Crisis Must Include Expanding Refugee Healthcare

 The haunting image of Alan Kurdi’s lifeless body lying face down on a Turkish beach, and the subsequent revelation of the Kurdi family’s intention to seek asylum in Canada, have prompted many Canadians to ask what we can do as a country to help Syrian refugees. So far, our search

Navigating Mirror Mountain with Christopher Rohde

 Photo provided by Christopher Rohde. Christopher Rohde is the Festival Director of the Mirror Mountain Film Festival. The fest is bringing independent, underground and alternative cinema to Ottawa from December 4th to the 6th. Rohde is an award-winning filmmaker and Carleton University alumni. OLM chatted with Rohde to talk about the

OPSEU Unites for Equity

 OPSEU unit steward Rhonda Ferguson. The role and responsibility of OPSEU’s Provincial Women’s Committee is to advocate for women within the union, supporting their workplace needs and rights. The committee members often take on roles as mediators, advisors and investigators under OPSEU’s Harassment and Discrimination Prevention policy. They can also help with equity language

Algonquin College is making waves and winning awards

 Cheryl Jensen is making an impact. Jensen became Algonquin College’s eighth President just over one year ago in August, 2014. She brought 31 years of experience as a professor, dean and vice president and a reputation for  creating strategies that responded to both industry trends and to the needs of students, employees,

Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame Profile: Michelle Cameron Coulter

 2015 marks the Year of Sport and the 60th anniversary of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. In recognition of these important milestones, OLM will be featuring Honoured Members of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in a weekly Profile piece. Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame aims to share the stories and