Boosting mayoral power in Ottawa is a good thing.

 The one word that best describes how most Ontario citizens view municipal politics is apathy. The 2018 elections in Toronto and Ottawa saw voter turnout rates of 40 per cent and 42 per cent, respectively. Comments on online social platforms make it apparent that many citizens who comment on municipal

Watson and Menard spar over Lansdowne during Council meeting

 Ottawa City Council began today's meeting by handing out two City Builder Awards and taking care of smaller motions but it wasn’t long before the discussion shifted to the second stage of development for Lansdowne Park. Several amendments were discussed, including the sustainability of the park expansion and the percentage of

Let’s not rinse and repeat: The city needs new leadership.

 It’s been almost a month since the occupation started, but it’s only been a few days since the police finally moved in. While I understand that Ottawa has a lack of officers, and they didn’t want the situation to escalate, to me, it’s a cop-out. No pun intended. As a

Freedom convoy highlights differences between mayoral candidates

 FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Catherine McKenney, Diane Deans and Bob Chiarelli. (Photos: ottawa.ca, @bobchiarelli) The last two weeks in Ottawa have been some of the most memorable in recent history, albeit for all the wrong reasons. The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) has received at best-irritated condemnation for its handling of

Ottawa top doctors calls for all students to get vaccinated

 ABOVE: Dr. Vera Etches appears at a January 12, 2022 virtual press conference. Jim Watson and Ottawa Public health officials held a Covid-19 pandemic update following several policy updates from the provincial government. Mayor Watson stated that teachers and students will become a priority in getting third doses as schools

Adieu Jim Watson, hello . . . Bob Chiarelli?

 Ottawa will be saying adieu to Mayor Jim Watson this fall; that much is now a certainty. Watson, the popular mayor at election time in runs previous, has been more polarizing in his last term. He leaves behind the legacy of Ottawa’s longest-serving mayor. He has been at times both progressive

Budget season is almost over.

 The municipal budget has dominated the last month of Ottawa City Council committee meetings, but this chapter will be coming to a close on December 8th. There is no triumph of a balanced budget that Mayor Jim Watson was able to proclaim in years previous. This year's budget has shown that hard times

Jim Watson at 30—the ups and downs of public service and his LRT legacy

 ABOVE: Former Ottawa Mayor Jacquelin (Jackie) Holzman, Jim Watson, and Brian McGarry after Waston’s win in 1997. (PHOTO: OLM FILE PHOTO) Jim Watson first ran for municipal office in 1991, becoming the councillor for the Capital Ward after successfully running on a platform of curbing city spending and freezing taxes. In 1997, at the

A month of free transit isn’t enough

 Everyone will be travelling fare-free on OC Transpo during the month of December. The action may appear like a well-deserved break for citizens’ pocketbooks but it is only a band-aid solution that scratches the surface of measures that city council should take to fix Ottawa’s broken transit system. The city’s transparency regarding their

New funding to provide grants for local musicians

 On February 4, 2021, the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition (OMIC) announced a $ 25,000 investment into Ottawa’s music sector with the new Ottawa Music Development Fund (OMDF). This fund seeks to address the gaps and challenges in Ottawa’s music ecosystem by providing grants to local

Ottawa Police Service — Sheep in sheep’s clothing

 The Ottawa Police Services Board (OPSB) has received multiple complaints about harassment and misogyny against female officers and employees on the force for over a decade. On July 8, 2020 Ottawa police officer Carl Keenan was found guilty in a Gatineau court of assault causing bodily harm in relation to

Atletico Ottawa becomes 8th team in the Canadian Premier League

 PICTURED ABOVE: The official Atle?tico Ottawa announcement was in Ottawa with CPL Commissioner David Clanachan, Atlético de Madrid´s CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, Atle?tico Ottawa Strategic Partner, Jeff Hunt, the Honourable Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and Ambassador of Spain to Canada Enrique Ruiz Molero.   Story by Rusel Olson Professional

Councillor Shawn Menard releases “four point immediate action plan” to deal with LRT woes

 Capital Ward Councillor Shawn Menard is demanding action  from Mayor Jim Watson  and OC Transpo and released a statement on Friday detailing the continuing LRT problems and what he sees as a lack of  city leadership in dealing with those issues. Below is Menard’s statement on the matter. We are

Ottawa’s Top News Stories of 2018

 Tornadoes Touchdown On the afternoon of September 21, 2018, a localized outbreak in the national capital region of 6 tornadoes impacted eastern Ontario and southern Quebec. The Dunrobin-Gatineau tornado was classified as a high-end EF3, with winds reaching 265 km/h. Dubbed Ottawa-Gatineau’s tornadoes, they blew down houses and blacked out

Jim Watson has done a superb job —Tierney, Fleury and Qaqish should be tossed for new blood

 Photo credit: @jimwatsonottawa (Facebook) For the past four years, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson has done an exceptional job. He has delivered on his commitment to hold taxes to an annual 2 per cent increase, overseen the successful construction of the multi-billion-dollar O-train project which is the largest infrastructure project in the

Mayor and Starbucks Serve Up Jobs For Ottawa Youth

 Photos by Maria Alejandra Starbucks Canada, in partnership with the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa, the City of Ottawa Employment Ontario Centre, the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development and the provincial government, have announced that they are committing 10 per cent of its store hires to Opportunity Youth.

Prose in the Park Festival Returns June 10

 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

Learn Laugh and Listen at Recovery Day Ottawa Benefit

 Images courtesy of Recovery Day Ottawa People with addictions are weak. They bring it on themselves. They are just lazy.  They need to grow up. These are the types of stereotypical misconceptions people like Gord Garner strive to remove every day. As the Festival Producer for Ottawa’s annual Recovery Day, Garner

Ottawa Music Scene Leveraging JUNOs to Showcase Local Talent

 Photos by Andre Gagne The 2017 JUNO Host Committee held a special event on Friday morning at the Innovation Centre at Bayview Yards, called “Ottawa as a Music City”. If you're scratching your head wondering whether there should be a question mark at the end of that, you may not

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

Long Road to Boston: an inspiring new book by Mark Sutcliffe  

 Ontario, Canada (October 25, 2016): Broadcaster, columnist and iRun Founder Mark Sutcliffe officially launched his new book Long Road to Boston to a crowd of over 200 supporters in the prestigious Mayor’s office in the nation’s capital city of Ottawa. Special guests included the mayor himself, honourable Jim Watson and

20th Annual NAC Gala Brings a New Energy to the NAC

 Gala images by Ernesto Distefano and Andre Gagne. Saturday October 22ND, 2016 marked the 20TH Annual Natioanl Arts Centre Gala, featuring performances by five-time Grammy-winning Canadian artist Diana Krall, in collaboration with Music Director Alexander Shelley and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. This year’s Gala raised almost $725,000 in support

The Undead Are Coming!

 All photos by Andre Gagne. With broken, battered bodies they walk the streets. Their hungry moans can be heard for blocks. Many are calling out for “brains” but most would probably settle for a pumpkin spice latte. They are the undead –or at least a reasonable facsimile of the undead–

Society Salon Celebrates Grand Opening

 The newest blow dry bar and salon to come to downtown Ottawa celebrated their grand opening in front of city officials, longstanding clientele and friends on Tuesday. Standing outside the Sparks Street location, Society Salon owner Stefania Capovilla unveiled the new blow dry bar featuring two blow dry chairs and

Ottawa’s Tulip Festival Kicks Off With a Bang

 All photos by Arizona Lanceleve. The 2016 Tulip Festival kicked off yesterday at Lansdowne Park in a big way. Guests were invited to come see a spectacular bout of fireworks to celebrate the 71st run of Ottawa's famous spring festival. People flocked to the opening festivities last night to see