Crafty beer makers brewing up something different in Ottawa

 Ottawa, this ain’t your grandfather’s beer. That’s the message the surging craft brewing industry in the capital is sending to beer drinkers as they turn heads and flip taste buds. The days of automatically ordering traditional beer from big brewers like Molson or Coors are gone as more local choices

Celebrating Ottawa’s Colourful Community

 Ottawa’s queer community and its allies will be coming together and celebrating at this year’s Ottawa Pride Festival. Known as Ottawa’s most colourful festival, Capital Pride will be hosting various events and activities in celebration of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community. “Once a year, our community has

The Entertainment Titans: Television vs.The Performing Arts

 Can we love both? Television continues to be one of the biggest determinants and proponents of entertainment culture in our society. With hundreds of TV channels offering too many shows to count, all for an (overpriced) monthly fee, it’s easy to become addicted to this colourful medium. However, those of

Part Two: Norway Shows Canada a Better Way

 Continued from: Norway Shows Canada a Better Way On the entire issue of environ-ment policy, the Norwegian and Canadians are polar opposites. In Norway, the Cities of the Future project is a collaboration between the government and the 13 largest cities in Norway to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make

Public Servants Series: Norway Shows Canada a Better Way

 In Canada, we have much to be thankful for. But as a society we still struggle with equality rights and, as wealthy as we are as a nation, we don’t provide a guaranteed standard of living to all our citizens, most notably many of our aboriginal people who still live

A Perfect Pairing: Artist and Writer

 Without illustrators, writers would never see their works come to life in poetry, short stories, graphic novels or children’s books. Illustrators who collaborate with writers effectively bring life to specific scenes and characters that live in a writer’s head. Through their genius, these agents of visual art are able to

The Facts About Writing Fiction

 A good writer creates a short story or novel based on what he knows - what he has experienced. Something in his past or present state of affairs affects him deeply. The story he writes may be about a person that has made some kind of impact on him - not

A New Face for Ottawa’s Fashion Scene

 Ottawa is home to a fashion week, fashion magazine and many fashion bloggers. Each member of this tight-knit community has their own niche, superior networking skills, and often works for free. Breaking into this microcosm is no small feat, but it is a challenge Rosina Mahlangu has accepted. On Aug.

Ontario Education Must Learn to Deal with Massive Spending Cuts

 The public education system in Ontario will be hit with $2.6 billion in cuts over the next three years. The education cutbacks will have an enormous impact on students and teachers across the province. Ottawa Life spoke recently with Ken Coran, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation. OTTAWA

To the Sea, a Book Review

 Beyond the Blue Horizon: How the Earliest Mariners Unlocked the Secrets of the Oceans By Brian Fagan Bloomsbury Press, 2012, 313pp. Newfoundland and Labrador 1700: in the morning dawn, boat crews are setting off the southeastern coast for another day of cod fishing. The water is calm, the skies clear. The

Putting the “Science” in “Science Fiction” – Wolverine

 Wolverine is one of Marvel's most iconic superheroes, and is one of the few widely known superhero characters who hails from Canada. Although Wolverine is famous for his claws and adamantium skeleton, his most impressive power is his ability to rapidly heal from almost any injury. Wolverine's "healing factor" goes

The “Rugby Parent” polar opposite of rink-side counterpart

 It’s a Wednesday night at South Nepean Park in Barrhaven and friendly trash talk and laughter are being thrown around along with a rugby ball. A group of parents are doing their own round of laughing and talking. They occasionally stop to watch the impromptu game of touch rugby that

Canadian Apprenticeship Forum Tackles Skilled Trades Worker Shortage

 The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum-Forum canadien sur l’apprentissage (CAF-FCA) is a national body that brings together all players in apprenticeship training. A national, not-for-profit organization working with stakeholders in all regions of Canada, CAF-FCA influences pan-Canadian apprenticeship strategies through research, discussion and collaboration, sharing insights across trades, across sectors and across

Pensions & Peace of Mind: To Pool Or Not to Pool?

 Pooled Registered Pension Plans (PRPPs) are Canada’s latest pension-planning tool. To pool or not to pool? That is the question – at least among Canada’s retirement experts. Pooled Registered Pension Plans (PRPPs) were proposed last November by the federal government and are intended to provide workers within small and medium-sized

Affordable Pharmacare: The Case for Generic Drugs

 Increased generic drug use can save Canada’s health care system money. If you are going to be sick in Ontario, it pays to get the “right” disease. Take John Colmar of Belleville, for example. In July 2010, Colmar was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer and prescribed Sorafenib. Typically,

Putting the “Science” in “Science Fiction”: Plasma

 Much like lasers, plasma weapons are a staple of modern science fiction that rarely have a description of how they work. The plasma mentioned throughout science fiction is nothing like that described in medical television shows, and is commonly considered to be the fourth state of matter, alongside gasses, liquids,

Acting: The Craft of Deceit to Get to the Truth

 Acting and poetry saved my sanity as a teen. At 13, I auditioned for the role of  Juliet – Shakespeare’s daughter. I was in grade nine, and I was up against grade 13 gals. I'd never taken an acting lesson, but I got the part. Getting up on that stage

Ode to Ottawa

 This city is one of the most beautiful to behold. As a poet, I am inspired by how our gracious capital harmonizes urban man-made structures with nature's creations. At every turn, I see vistas of green, picturesque pathways bordered by flowers and water, water everywhere. What other city can boast

Part Three: Horse Sense & Government Nonsense

 Public-Private Partnerships Are Not Subsidies The Ontario government’s decision to end the Slots at Racetracks Program has a detrimental effect for Ontario’s vibrant horseracing and equine industries. The McGuinty government’s decision to end the Slots at Racetracks Program has become a political football which has been kicked back and forth between the OLG, the

Part Two: Horse Sense & Government Nonsense

 Public-Private Partnerships Are Not Subsidies The Ontario government’s decision to end the Slots at Racetracks Program has a detrimental effect for Ontario’s vibrant horseracing and equine industries. This is a serious problem with major ramifications. Dennis Mills, the former Liberal MP whose web site Racing Future builds awareness of Ontario’s horseracing and equine industries,

Shakespeare in Ottawa’s Great Outdoors

 Every summer, local theatre enthusiasts gather in parks around the city to experience productions by A Company of Fools. As part of Torchlight Shakespeare, the company has presented an outdoor production during the summer season since 2003. Scott Florence is the artistic director of A Company of Fools, which is

Part One: Horse Sense & Government Nonsense

 Public-Private Partnerships Are Not Subsidies The Ontario government’s decision to end the Slots at Racetracks Program has a detrimental effect for Ontario’s vibrant horseracing and equine industries. THE COMEDIAN GROUCHO MARX ONCE COMMENTED that: “Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying

Putting the “Science” in “Science Fiction” – The Rocketeer

 For all of human history, mankind has been fascinated with the idea of flight. Stories that involve human beings taking to the air continue from the ancient Greek myth of Icarus to modern films and video games. Although aircraft have made flight possible and even commonplace over the last century, people

Homes: Beam Me Up

 WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT Star Trek here. Take a look up and marvel at the architectural use of beams in an interior environment. My clients had a vision. They wanted their home in Westboro to have an overall rustic organic feel of a cottage get-a-away mixed with the tailored

Get out there and explore: Coast-to-Coast-to-Coast

 By now, you may have seen the great ads that have just hit the airwaves showcasing the Trans Canada Trail (TCT) as a place for all Canadians. If you’re looking for a way to really enjoy the outdoors this summer, take in some breathtaking views, learn some Canadian history, experience