Upcoming Festival Launch for Westfest

 Ottawa’s favourite free arts festival is coming back to town! Westfest will be launching the line-up and programming for their 2015 event on Thursday, March 12, at 10 a.m. sharp. The public announcement will be made at Clocktower Brew Pub on Richmond Road. Each year more than 100,000 people attend

Ottawa Living on the Wild Side

 In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly announced March 3 as World Wildlife Day. This year, the City Of Ottawa is joining Canada in a multi-national celebration, with over 170 countries agreeing to invest in wildlife conservation and raise awareness of global issues surrounding the longevity of plants and animals. Ottawa’s wildlife

Youth on the Streets: Anything but Hopeless

 Kevin Belisle begs for money and attention. He sits on Bank Street, holding a carton that reads, “Extremely hungry. Please help.” In his backpack: high school equivalency, a criminal record and a dirty jacket. Homeless Kevin Belisle, 23, asks the government for a job, so he doesn’t have to beg

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

Not Malevolence but Massive Mind Numbing Incompetence by City Hall Civil Servants

 Kirkpatrick or the Council--One of Them or BOTH Have to Go Ottawa city Manager Kent Kirkpatrick is (over) paid at $330,000 per year. That he has no shame and has yet to submit his resignation in light of yet another complete debacle under his guidance as the top city civil

Over the Hedge: Community Gardens are Sprouting in Ottawa

 “The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.” -- Abraham Lincoln The sun is shining, the weather is sweet, and Julia Lipinska can’t wait to get her hands dirty. She is ready to dig, to weed and

Settling for a Greener Ottawa: Ecology Ottawa Puts Federal Efforts On Blast

 For the first time in 10 years the City of Ottawa has prepared a new plan to fight climate change.  The Environmental Council passed The 2014 Air Quality and Climate Change Management Plan (AQCCM) with only one member dissenting. The 160-page plan will now go on to the Full Committee

Backyard Biodiversity: The Second Session in the Wildlife Speaker Series Is On Today

 National Wildlife week has officially begun. To kick things off, the City of Ottawa is hosting the event “Backyard Biodiversity: Welcoming nature into your yard, not your home," today at 7 p.m. at Andrew Haydon Hall (Council Chambers) at City Hall. The main message in this four part series is coexistence with nature.

Dump This Dump 2 Represents Citizen Advocates Against Expanding Landfills in Ottawa

 By Laurie McCannell, Vice-president Dump This Dump For years, people driving to Ottawa have been unable to ignore the expanding landfill at Carp Road West of Kanata. The operators of the site make no effort to disguise their “mountain”, even perching a jolly Santa Claus on its peak for the

What Ottawans Want from the Federal Budget: Report Calls for a Breakthrough Year for Ottawa River

 By Ecology Ottawa A recent report released by Ecology Ottawa argues that the budget is an opportunity for the federal government to help Ottawa residents clean up the Ottawa River. The report, entitled Cut the Crap and Fund the Plan: 2014 Should be a Breakthrough Year for Ottawa’s Rivers, argues that the

Ottawa International Film Festival 72 Hour Challenge Launches Feb. 6

 This weekend – Ottawa’s rising film stars might be in your neighbourhood! The Ottawa International Film Festival 72 Hour Challenge launches on Thursday, February 6 at The Lieutenant’s Pump (361 Elgin St.) at 6:30 p.m., pinning amateur to professional filmmakers in a timed competition like no other. Using assigned wildcard

Explore Your Career Options at the YMCA-YWCA Job Fair Feb. 6

 The YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region is inviting all local job seekers and anyone considering a career change to attend its Employment Access Centre Job Fair, happening February 6 at the Taggart Family Y. This annual event matches job seekers with prospective employers from a broad range of sectors including service, trades, health

The Blue Story of the Ottawa River

 As I travel the Ottawa River, I can't help but be impressed with its magnificent diversification. Every turn in the waterway brings a rich new experience. Along the shoreline are subtle signs of those who came before us, and in the tranquility of early morning one can almost hear the

City Must Put Western LRT into Underground Tunnel: Partially Buried Trains Won’t Save Parkway Greenspace

 The City of Ottawa must ensure that the Light Rail Transit (LRT) it proposes for the Western Parkway is moved to an underground tunnel, said Lesley Taylor, president of the community group Underground Solution.  “The City of Ottawa’s proposed trenched LRT route will drastically reduce access to the parkland of

Digging into Ottawa’s Garbage

 From our kitchens and gardens to processing plants and commercial buildings, people and companies all generate one thing with increasing logistical and environmental concern: garbage. In green or blue bins, plastic bags or industrial containers, what we put at the curb is either recycled, processed into forms of energy or dumped into landfills. Understanding

Light Rail Transit Western Extension: Either Build It Right or Don’t Build It at all

 When one thinks of all the money spent on foolishness by the City of Ottawa, their efforts to keep a lid on LRT costs are baffling. To reduce costs, the City wants to build the western extension of the LRT through an area west of Tunney’s Pasture where few people

Mr. Immigration Minister, It’s Getting Heavy: An Open Letter to Jason Kenney From Lainie Towell

 Dear Honourable Jason Kenney,   I wanted to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to appear on CTV's Canada AM, to discuss immigration/marriage fraud. After I spoke on Canada AM about my fraudulent ex-husband who misrepresented himself to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA )and

The O-Train: Getting It Right the First Time

 The City of Ottawa's plan for an expanded 0-Train is being tackled in rather a piecemeal fashion. Eventually, trains will replace much of the bus service that clogs downtown streets at rush hour. Futuristic trains (aka Light Rail Transit — or LRT — vehicles) will glide from Bayview Station to

Have you no shame — The shocking expenses of our unelected city managers

 By Claire Tremblay & Dan Donovan Shocking. That’s how Auditor General Sheila Fraser described the waste of $100 million of taxpayers’ money in her February 10 report to Parliament on the Liberal government’s sponsorship fiasco in Quebec. But for jaded Canadian taxpayers, the waste of their hard-earned money is nothing