🚑 Ottawa mooches $1 million of ambulance services from the town next door

HELLO OTTAWA

The annual Clean Up the City registration begins tomorrow.

The idea is that you or your friends pick a site and a date – between April 15 and May 31 – that needs to be cleaned. The City will provide the cleaning supplies. You're asked to take the garbage home but if you ask, the CIty will arrange to pick up the nastiness.

Register now and you can avoid that thing you really should be doing instead.

– Martha and Darrren

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Weather

❄️ 40 per cent chance of flurries. High of 2°, low of -6°.

Number

17 months
– The new delay time of the Confederation Line’s Western extension. Contracted to open May 25, 2025, the new launch date is expected to be late 2026. (City of Ottawa via Bulldog Ottawa PDF)

Gatinois of the Day

Julien Morissette
The founder of Le Festival de la radio numérique is preparing to make the next edition of the event, April 28 to 30, the largest in its seven year history. It's a podcast festival, entirely in French. (Claudia Blais-Thompson dans Le Droit)

Quote

“
[T]he city doesn’t want to hear any of that, they’re not interested in it
– Landlord Roland Reebs who says that the City wants him to pay the Vacant Unit Tax despite his property having tenants. The previous tenants, however, had trashed the place, including spray painting the furnance filter. The resulting repairs went over 184 days, triggering the tax. (Peter Szperling at CTV)

📣 ServiceOttawa

Private information of residents who used the My ServiceOttawa between December 3, 2022 and January 4, 2023 had a possibility of being seen by the public. In that period, the City posted an internal testing website on the public MyServiceOttawa page. Residents were able to create an account, which would be visible to the next person signing up, if they did so within five minutes. The City is notifying people who it believes were affected. The problem was discovered via a complaint from the public. (City of Ottawa via Bulldog Ottawa PDF)

🚑 Ambulances

The taxpayers of our next door neighbours, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, paid $1 million over five years for ambulance service calls to Ottawa residents. Leeds and Grenville ambulance service made 2,571 visits to Ottawa residents, while Ottawa ambulance service made only 297 visits to the other side. Leeds and Grenville had invoiced Ottawa but we don't have to pay, so we haven’t. (Sabrina Bedford in the Ottawa Citizen)

🚨 Thin Blue Line

Like most police forces in Canada, the Ottawa Police Service forbids its members from displaying the Thin Blue Line patch on member’s uniforms but the Ottawa Police Association has placed it on its hockey jerseys. The symbol, a black Canadian flag with a blue line bisecting it horizontally, is considered by most people as rebuke against police reform or accountabilty. When asked, most people who wear it say it honours police officers who have died on the job. Ottawa Police Association president Matthew Cox is one of those. Meanwhile, the official symbol recognizing officers who have died on duty is the black and blue ribbon. (Cindy Tran at the Canadian Press)

💤 Zellers

Nostalgia begins March 23 when the Bay opens Zellers pop-ups inside its Rideau Centre and St Laurent Shopping Centre stores. The Gatineau location date has not yet been confirmed. (Retail Insider) (Zellers)

⛸️ Rideau Canal Skateway

The fallout continues. Now the US’s National Public Radio flagship show Morning Edition has an audio story on it.

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Today

Ottawa Art Gallery is open all week for those who are enjoying staycation type of March break. Current exhibitions include after Africa by Nichola Feldman-Kiss, running until June 11, and Le rendu: Art from the University of Ottawa Department of Visual Arts (also running until June 11). Then, on Sunday March 19, all ages are invited to take part in the Creative Sundays activities from 10:00am to 2:00pm.
Take the kids to play Art Bingo at the National Gallery of Canada. Art Bingo and other Family Art Adventures are Included with the cost of admission. Daily from 10:00am to 4:00pm at 380 Sussex Drive.
The Ottawa Music Industry Coalition has extended the deadline for nominations for the Annual Capital Music Awards to this Friday March 17 at 11:59pm.
Bring your knowledge of all things Disney to Overflow Brewing (2477 Kaladar Ave)’s Music Bingo/Trivia event.

Tomorrow

Pianist and period keyboard instrumentalist Frédéric Lacroix will be playing early piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven, as part of Doors Open for Music at Southminster (DOMS). 12 pm at Southminster United Church. Entry by donation, or watch the concert on livestream from YouTube.
Learn how to make a medicine bag at Mādahòkì Farm. Marc Forgette of Makatew Workshops will be teaching how to create a the traditional bag. $15 per person.
The Ottawa Little Theatre presents a new adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Until March 18. 400 King Edward Ave.
The Ottawa 67s play a Staycation game at The Arena at TD Place, in a special Wednesday afternoon face off vs the Oshawa Generals at 2:00pm. Tickets start at $25. Bring the fam.
The third edition of the International Film Festival of Ottawa continues with We Might As Well Be Dead and Coyote at 6:30pm, Mandabi at 8:30pm and We Will Never Belong at 9:00pm.

Thursday

Tickets have been released for Stewart Goodyear & Chineke! Orchestra at the National Arts Centre. 8:00pm in Southam Hall.
The third edition of the International Film Festival of Ottawa continues with We are Still Here at 6:30pm, Canadian Masters: Min Shum Interview at 7:00pm, Shimoni at 8:30 pm, and A Male at 9:15pm.
That Euchre Tourney we reported on last week gets underway at Nita Beer Company tonight. It’s a four week affair, and each $36 registration is for two people to take part.

Just Announced

Advance tickets are now available for the March 18th Saturday Morning All-You-Can-Eat Cereal Cartoon Party at the Mayfair Theatre. Don’t forget to wear your jammies.

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Just in time for March Break, kits by Science Art Fusion are on sale in the shop at the Ottawa Art Gallery.

Look for big savings at the I love Tyler Madison sale. Get Canadian-made summer basics at reduced prices.

The University of Ottawa’s students’ newspaper The Fulcrum has come up with a really great column idea: ‘The best course at the U of O is ...’. The inaugural edition features the truths learned by Matthew McConkey from Professor Franco Ricci’s Italian Cinema (ITA1113).

We will see you tomorrow – Martha and Darren

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