Urban VS Suburban Life in Ottawa

 Before children, I lived in Vanier and loved it. Despite my former neighbourhood being reputed as a rougher one in Ottawa, I enjoyed being close to the center of town without the expense of living in one of the more coveted neighbourhoods. But, as many couples do, once I was

Le Petit Chicago Getting Back in Style

 Walking through the old streets of the Le Vieux-Hull sometimes makes one wonder how life was at the turn of the twentieth century. Walking on the brick pathway of Aubry St. and come across the historic hotel Chez Henri in Place Aubry, where the renowned Al Capone smuggled booze, one

Adrian Wu: Canadian Born, Internationally Raised and Europe Bound

 Last year, fashion designer Adrian Wu wasn’t ready for LG Fashion Week. Wu applied to show his work at the Toronto-based fashion week’s Spring/Summer 2011 exhibition, but was turned away because his collection was “unfinished”, he said. Wu said he later met Robin Kay, LG Fashion Week’s organizer, at a

Another Promise for Change

 The hot political topic these days is the New Democratic Party.  We saw them sweep through Quebec in the federal election after which their illustrious and charismatic leader passed away, leaving most of the country in mourning.  Despite the recent events, which have raised the popularity of the party, it

Sip & Savour

 I hate to say it but summer is coming to a close. Labour Day has passed, the kids are ensconced in school and we close up the cottage for another season. For wine, it’s shoulder season, a confusing time. Do we begin to stock up on winter warmers or do

Argentina, More than just Malbec

 By now most consumers have seen the signage announcing the LCBO's Argentina promotions - the word Malbec is, after all, displayed all throughout.  The Argentineans have made a name for themselves from this French grape, which can also be found in its traditional home of Cahors, France, and is also

Counting on the Drinkers’ Vote

 A few weeks ago I sat down at my computer and opened an email  that had a link to a special interview with the leader of the Provincial Conservatives, Tim Hudak. With an election only weeks away the rhetoric and the promises are flowing like water. However, in terms of the

Ottawa, Music and Inspiration

 Music and Ottawa go wonderfully hand in hand. The city is brimming with musicians. Ottawa is blessed with excellent schools, dedicated music teachers, performance opportunities and excellent ensembles and festivals. I was recently reacquainted with the home grown contemporary music composer, Colin Mack. Ottawa born Colin continues to make the

QNX: Steering Ottawa’s Course as a High-tech Leader

 What does updating your facebook profile, flipping a light switch and visiting your doctor all have in common? You might not know it, but behind their operating systems are the ingenious minds of QNX, a local high-tech leader whose engineers have been working for thirty years in the region to

OLM Q&A: Demü leads Ottawa’s fashion scene as iconic force

 Developing an iconic brand in Ottawa may be challenging for some, but local design team Angie Fisher and Andre Bellemare of Demü are defying the city's conservative style stigma with innovative designs and high quality garments. Drawing inspiration each year from a different source, the dynamic duo prove they aren't the

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

Innovation in Canada’s Science and Technology Sector: Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s New Strategy

 Governments do not create prosperity. It's created by business and the best thing government can do is mitigate any unnecessary interference with companies as they do their business. Canada has the world's fifth-largest aerospace industry with world-beating companies, such as Bombardier and CAE, and with the workhorse of NASA —

Canadian Pharmaceutical Companies Take Innovative Approach in Response to United Nations Report to Stop AIDS in Africa

 The United Nations says that access to medicine could save 10 million lives a year globally and is recommending that drug makers support research for neglected diseases and cut prices for medicines in poorer countries. Paul Hunt, an independent UN expert on the right to health, estimates that two billion

A Midwinter’s Bite of the Big Apple

 Got the winter blues or a little cabin fever? Well here’s the cure: New York City. David Letterman is right when he calls it the greatest city in the world. It is. Put aside the fact that it is the commerce centre of the universe or that its storied history

To Veil Or Not To Veil

 Quick, what do the words "Muslim woman" bring to mind? Is it the austere beauty of a face untouched by make-up, framed by a sober headscarf? What about the fresh-faced girl celebrating the end of exams over coffee with her friends, their shining hair swinging free? Could she be a

Is this the end of the Prince of Wales Railway Bridge?

 I fear for the future of the Prince of Wales railway bridge that crosses the Ottawa River a mile upstream from Parliament Hill. You've probably seen and admired it many times, without knowing its name. Just a short walk from the new Canadian War Museum, the old railway bridge crosses

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

An interview with Russian Ambassador to Canada Georiy Mamedov

 Ottawa Life will takes you into the heart of the new Russia. We will look at the business opportunities, bilateral relations, cultural and arts scene, and tourism potential and get the pulse of a country very similar to our own. We begin our series with Russia's man in Canada, Ambassador

Are we taking too many pills?

 By Jennifer Paterson More Canadians are taking prescription medicine than ever before. Many busy people believe in the don't-think-twice, pop-it-in-your-mouth, "magic bullet" cure for all illness and disease. Total drug expenditures per Canadian were tallied at $681 in 2004 — up almost 8 per cent from 2003, according to a

Trouble in a fool’s paradise: The problems with our Canadian Forces

 By Dan Donovan and Jennifer O'Meara The HMCS Chicoutimi was only days out of port on its maiden voyage when disaster struck. An onboard fire would leave one sailor dead and an entire crew bobbing in the North Atlantic for days as they waited for a towline to take them back

A rural revolution: The farmers are revolting

 By Trevor Tucker Is cutting down a 200-year-old elm tree in the Glebe the same as felling one for firewood to heat a farmhouse in the winter? If the City of Ottawa expropriated the whole front yard of your home, wouldn't you expect some form of compensation? Would you still

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

Chain of command lets Rockcliffe military community down

 By  Colonel Alain Pellerin One of the outcomes of the recent tragedy that took the lives of two Canadian soldiers and injured three of their comrades just outside of Kabul, Afghanistan, was to witness the closeness of a military community as it quickly came to the support of the grief-stricken

Know your rights under Workers Compensation

 Peter worked for a large Ottawa development company for 10 years, doing a wide variety of jobs at a Laurier Street address — everything from painting and minor renovations to ceramic tile floor work and general maintenance. He was truly a jack-of-all-trades. In the fall of 2000, Peter's life would

Jim Watson’s mission: Reverse post-9/11 tourism slump

 Concerned about a "travel deficit" in Canada resulting from the combined impact of terrorist attacks and a stagnant economy in the United States, Jim Watson, president and CEO of the Canadian Tourism Commission, spoke to these concerns in a recent interview with Ottawa Life reporter Hank Reardon. An abridged version