World-Class Sports Complex Coming to Orleans

 Photos by Andre Gagne / Designs provided by BlackSheep Developments As talks trudge onward to bring a new sports arena from the west to a more centralized LeBreton Flats, one group has staked a claim on the East. In fact, you could say they tumbled into it. Tumblers Gymnastics, one of

Celebrate the Fall Season in Ottawa

 Despite what the warm weather will tell you, summer has officially come to an end. You might think Festival Season is over but there are a lot of fun activities and events lined up for the fall in the National Capital Region worth checking out. Local Fairs (End of September to

Ottawa Welcomes Inside Out’s 11th LGBT Film Festival

 For decades members of the LGBTQ community have struggled with representation in media, with strong heteronormativity displayed in everything from advertisements to blockbuster productions. Despite Hollywood’s increasing display of diversity in its movies, the underground, dedicated LGBTQ film scene remains just as present as before, and is here to stay.

Report: City’s Waste Diversion Performance is Garbage

 According to a recent press release from Ecology Ottawa and Waste Watch Ottawa, the Nation’s Capital is greatly lagging behind other major municipalities in the province when it comes to the amount of waste that we recycle and compost. Findings of their report “Improving the City of Ottawa’s Waste Diversion

Watson and Task Force Want Amazon Shipped to Ottawa

 Could Amazon be shipping its second headquarters to Ottawa? If Mayor Jim Watson has his way, you’re future online orders may be arriving at your front door from much closer then you think. Last Thursday, the online retail giant announced that it was their turn to shop around. They weren’t looking

REDBLACKS Cheer and Dance Week – Alumni

 Every day this week Ottawa Life will be profiling the Ottawa REDBLACKS Cheer and Dance Team. Articles will feature spotlights on team vets,captains and rookies but today we take a look at the alumni. Feature photo by Andre Gagne When a member of the REDBLACKS Cheer and Dance Team no longer performs they

YouTubers of Ottawa

 Earlier this year we shared with you some of our favourite Ottawa-based podcasts, so to showcase more local stars in the digital field, we thought we’d highlight some of the city’s most popular YouTubers! YouTube is the hottest place on the internet for content creators and many Canadian YouTubers have

Partial Eclipse of the Capital

 You can probably hear Bonnie Tyler’s 1983 hit “Total Eclipse of the Heart” on a radio station somewhere on the planet at least once a day but today’s total solar eclipse is a much rarer event (at least in our neck of the orb). It’s a fair bet that most

Window of Hopportunity: Ottawa Brewers’ Best Beer Names

 With the recent explosion of craft beers in the market, local brewers will do everything to make their specialty ale stand out from the rest of the (six) pack. Naming brews allows the maker to showcase their creativity and pun proficiency, and while some made us cringe with disabrewvement, we

Country Legend Shania Twain to headline 105th Grey Cup

 While we’ve been enjoying the capital’s extensive 150th birthday programming for the whole year, surprises are always welcome here in Ottawa, especially where local talent is concerned.  With just over three months to go until the 105th Grey Cup presented by Shaw kicks off in Ottawa, the Canadian Football League

Vineyards and Vinyasa. What’s not to love?

 Vineyards and Vinyasa. What’s not to love? Janine Hogg agrees, and has made it her mission “to cultivate an unexpected and WORLDWIDE love affair between two things that truly belong together.” It’s safe to say that most of us would be lying if we said that we don’t get stressed

Album Reviews: July 31, 2017

 Tyler, The Creator - Flower Boy (California) Pulling the hate out of his music and personal life has seemed to have had a cleansing affect on Tyler, The Creator. A much more sonically rich album than he's put out in some time, the album is much more lyrically dense as

Could China Be the Answer to Canada’s Softwood Lumber Woes?

 When it comes to Canada’s softwood lumber market, 2017 has been anything but business as usual. Canada has long been in dispute with the United States concerning the sale of softwood lumber - as our southern neighbours argue that it undercuts the ability for American producers to compete, costing them

Bluesfest’s Local Flair – Part 1

 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 and events! Like a good sunscreen,

Treaties and Land Claims

 Late last fall the Algonquins of Ontario and the governments of Ontario and Canada signed an Agreement-in-Principle (AIP) to settle a centuries-old land claim between Algonquin people in Ontario and the Crown. This agreement was in negotiations since the mid-1980s, which is when the land claim was first filed. Treaties

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

Condo Touring in Style with Blue Panda Realty

 Photos by Andre Gagne You get together with some friends and, smiling, you all file into a limo. One of you asks if any of the others would like a glass of champagne or perhaps some wine. Bubbly is poured and laughs are had as your stretched white ride heads towards downtown. If

High Fashion is in Bloom This Week at Bayshore Shopping Centre

 Photos taken by Isabel Payne. In fashion this week: rose skirts paired with calla lily sashes, bright orchid dresses, and big, beautiful hats adorned with succulents! This week only, Ottawa florists have come together to showcase a gorgeous display of flowers and pure, raw talent. At a VIP event last night, the first

Justice For Abdirahman Coalition Expresses Outrage Concerning Police Solidarity For Officer Charged With Manslaughter

 For Immediate Release by Justice for Abdirahman Coalition The Justice for Abdirahman Coalition (Coalition) is expressing outrage and disappointment concerning the solidarity campaign by members of the Ottawa police service to wear wristbands in support of the officer charged with manslaughter. On March 6, 2017, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) concluded

Get reading with Ottawa’s best indie book stores!

 I love reading! If I am stressed, bored, nostalgic, happy, cold or warm, I just read a book. In this journey of learning and entering into a new language and a new culture, reading has been my best exercise. Since I arrived in Ottawa, one of the most important things

Serving the Community One Drink at a Time

 Pubs are often a community unto themselves, but not often do they become a significant member of the exterior community as well. With that being said, Woody’s Elgin Street Urban Pub is not quite like other pubs. “Its location on Elgin Street makes it so close to so many things

Radioactive Waste Dump on Ottawa River has Citizens Furious

 A massive new radioactive waste dump located on the Ottawa River has been proposed. Residents of Chalk River, Ontario, the community closest to the facility, are voicing their anger and fear. Currently under review by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the proposed 30-hectare “Near Surface Disposal Facility” would dispose of

Music & Motherhood

 Photos by Valerie Keeler One night she reaches for a guitar, another night a bottle to feed her child. One rainy afternoon she’s composing music, another she’s writing a grocery list. She holds onto melodies in her mind while hugging her son. She sings to strangers. She sings her daughter

Church In Session for One Hell of a Night

 Photos by Kamara Morozuk Most people may not want to sit through a marathon session of Church but when Eric is giving the sermon it's a guarantee that nobody in his congregation is going to be nodding off in the pews. It was Friday night in O-town and the disciples

Now or Never for Jeff Brown’s Young 67’s

 The Ottawa 67’s are the Ontario Hockey League’s worst hockey team right now. On a seven-game losing skid (0-6-1), the youthful 67’s are 2-7-1 in their last 10 and find themselves in a dead heat with North Bay for the 8th and final playoff spot in the league’s Eastern Conference.