Capital Pride organizers want grace period on outdoor smoking ban
Neco Cockburn, The Ottawa Citizen
Jean Levac, The Ottawa Citizen
A proposed smoking ban on municipal properties such as City Hall could hurt attendance at the Capital Pride festival, say organizers who are calling for a grace period this summer if the new rules are approved.
Proposed bylaw amendments would see smoking prohibited on city properties such as parks, beaches, sports fields and areas outside municipal facilities, as well as bar and restaurant patios.
Events on city properties would also be smoke-free under the regulations, something that would affect the 2012 Capital Pride festival planned for Marion Dewar Plaza outside City Hall, organizers said.
Read more: Capital Pride organizers want grace period on outdoor smoking ban
Ottawa Mayor wants big bang on Canada’s 150th birthday
Postmedia News
Canada Day festivities in 2017 should be turned into a weeklong “Canadian Cultural Festival,” says Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson.
The city should work with the National Arts Centre, National Capital Commission, provincial and territorial governments and the private sector to create the event between June 25 and July 1 in the year of Canada’s 150th birthday, Watson said in prepared remarks to an Ottawa Kiwanis Club luncheon.
Full story at Canada.com Ottawa Mayor wants big bang on Canada’s 150th birthday
Savour Ottawa brings farmers, chefs and retailers together Nov. 7
Sixth annual Networking Summit builds business and celebrates successes
[Source: Savour Ottawa press release]
OTTAWA, November 1, 2011—Local farmers, chefs, retailers and organizations will gather at the sixth annual Savour Ottawa Networking Summit on Monday, November 7 starting at 1:00 p.m. at the Restaurant International at Algonquin College’s School of Hospitality and Tourism.
This free event will kick off with a one-hour meet & greet event showcasing local farm products to chefs and retailers. The goal of this culinary speed dating is for chefs and retailers to order products for late 2011 and early 2012 at the event. A similar Meet & Greet event has been held in late winter for the past 5 years—participants asked for a second yearly event.
Attendees at this business-to-business event (not open to the public) will review Savour Ottawa’s 2011 successes, including
- The integration of seven retailer members into the program
- The opening of the Savour Ottawa Field House at the Parkdale Market, a cooperative of 10 Savour Ottawa farmers
- The Savour Ottawa promotions campaign, including videos, ads and @SavourOttawa Twitter feed
- Savour Ottawa’s first-ever public event, the Harvest Table, held on August 28, 2011.
- The inclusion of Savour Ottawa programming in the upcoming Ottawa Wine and Food Festival including a farm tour
- Significant media coverage of the initiative at home and around theworld
Art festivals boost local economy
While Ottawa residents reap the cultural benefits of art festivals such as the International Writers’ Festival and the International Animation Festival, art festivals boost the city’s economy, according to studies by the City of Ottawa.
From Sept. 21-25, animators and filmmakers could be found in the Chateau Laurier lobby. Janet Perleman, a filmmaker from Montreal, says she’s been to the festival since it started in 1976.
During the festival, Perleman stays at a hotel. This year, she was at downtown Ottawa’s Novotel.
In fact, hotels are one of the biggest festival sponsors in Ottawa.
Robin Grant, Centretown News
Kimberly Wilson, Novotel sales and marketing director, says sponsoring festivals shows support for the city and helps business.
“The city needs support because it is competing with other cultural hubs like Toronto and Montreal.”
Arc Hotel sponsors the writers’ festival among other art festivals.
“Being as we are an artistic design hotel, these festivals make sense to us,” says Dean Lake, director of sales at the Arc.
Read more on the Centretown News website: Art festivals boost local economy
This harvest season try choosing local
Mayor Jim Watson and Councillor Maria McRae, Chair of the Environment Committee, together with Doug Thompson, Chair of the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee and Katherine Hobbs, Kitchissippi Ward, issued a delicious challenge to residents today: they officially launched the “$10 Local Food Challenge”, making a case for trying local food this harvest season. The launch took place at the “Harvest Table” – a three-course lunch hosted by Savour Ottawa, showcasing in-season and locally sourced ingredients, prepared on-site at the Parkdale Market.
“When it comes to food, there is no place like home,” said Mayor Watson. “Especially in Ottawa at this time of the year, when there is such a variety and abundance of locally-grown fruits and vegetables. Fresh picked, nutrition-packed, and mouth-watering.”
Read more on the OttawaStart website: This harvest season try choosing local
Ottawa Storytellers Events for July 2011
[Source: Ottawa Storytellers press release]
July 7
Ottawa StoryTellers Story Swap: Open Stage Night
7:00 – 9:30 p.m.
Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Room 156.
Free admission
Ottawa StoryTellers offers Story Swap, an open stage night, on the first Thursday of every month at Library and Archives Canada (Room 156). This is an opportunity to experience the art of storytelling for the first time or for new storytellers to practice before an audience. The evenings also include stories by experienced tellers so that new tellers can learn the art. People are welcome to come and listen, but anyone wishing to tell a story should register on arrival with the evening’s host, and s/he will be given a time slot. Stories should be no longer than ten minutes and must be told, not read. They may be traditional stories, folk tales, literary stories, or personal stories.
July 7 and July 21
Stories at the Bytown Museum
7pm-8pm
Bytown Museum, 1 Canal Lane Ottawa Ontario K1P 5P6
Ottawa has many stories to tell! The murder of Thomas D’Arcy McGee, the Stoney Monday riots and the fire at the Booth Lumberyard to name a few. The Bytown Museum hosts a Story Series by the Ottawa StoryTellers as part of their free Thursday night programming this summer.
July 7: Ruthanne Edward and Gail Anglin.
July 21: Ruth Stewart-Verger, Donna Stewart and Kim Kilpatrick
July 12
Live, Love, Laugh
Lisa Virtue, Ruthanne Edward, Katherine Hunt
Stories and Tea
The Tea Party, 119 York St.
7pm-8:45pm
Pay what you can
July 26
Summer Time! Super Tales!
Robert Collins, Christine Joyce
Stories and Tea
The Tea Party, 119 York St.
7pm-8:45pm
Pay what you can
For more information on our programming, visit www.ottawastorytellers.ca
Join the Ottawa Storytellers facebook group to get invites to our events, or follow us on Twitter @ottawastory.
OST programming is supported by the City of Ottawa, the Ontario Arts Council, Heritage Canada and Canada Council for the Arts.
Pride festival still on city property despite rink
CBC News
Ottawa’s pride festival will still be held on city hall property despite the construction of an outdoor rink, the city announced Tuesday.
Capital Pride and the City of Ottawa met on Monday to discuss the location of the festival, and people from both groups decided it would go ahead as scheduled. Pride staff had originally been told they would need to find a new location.
“We have had the chance to look at some of the construction plans for the proposed Rink of Dreams and we were able to work out an arrangement with the city where we will be able to use a portion of Marion Dewar Plaza in conjunction with Lisgar Field to host the 26th Capital Pride Festival,” Doug Saunders-Riggins, chair of Capital Pride, said in a statement.
During the past eight years, the Capital Pride parade wound its way toward city hall, finishing with a big festival on the plaza. There had been some concern that rink construction would force organizers to drop some events.
This year’s plan will be released during Capital Pride’s media launch on Tuesday, June 21.
Capital Pride loses site due to Rink of Dreams
[Source: press release]
With the City of Ottawa’s approval to build the new Rink of Dreams on City Hall grounds, Capital Pride could be left without a space to host the festival at the end of August. This comes two months before the festival opens, and with the lack of availability in central parks, there is a struggle to find a resolution as to where it will fit the 8,000 people who attend the festivities following the Parade.
City Council approved the construction of the Rink of Dreams on Wednesday, June 8 to be built at Marion Dewar Plaza beginning in July. The original plan was to begin building the rink in September, which would have allowed Capital Pride to use the grounds at City Hall without complications.
“Although Capital Pride appreciates the support we are getting from the City in helping us try to find a new location for the festival, we are concerned about the timing of the start of construction for this project. We are around two months away from our start date and with the decision to start this project now, all of the final preparations for our event are one hold until a suitable relocation is possible,” said Doug Saunders-Riggins, Capital Pride Chair.
City plans ‘Rink of Dreams’ outside Ottawa City Hall
ctvottawa.ca
The City of Ottawa plans to build a $1.25-million outdoor “Rink of Dreams” outside City Hall that would create a winter meeting place similar to Rockefeller Plaza in New York City or Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square.
The plan calls for an oval rink at Marion Dewar Plaza that would span more than 12,000 square feet, making it one of the largest outdoor rinks in the city. If council approves the project, the rink could be ready by next winter.
If approved, residents and tourists will be able to lace up their skates annually to take a skate on the rink from November to March. The area will be used as a community space during the spring and summer months.
Full story: City plans ‘Rink of Dreams’ outside Ottawa City Hall
Celebrate Asian Heritage Month – May 2011
In partnership with government institutions, cultural groups, community groups, embassies and local and national organizations, the Ottawa Asian Heritage Month Society (OAHMS) proudly presents a dynamic month-long celebration of Asian history and culture.
Asian Heritage Month (AHM) will begin with the Official Launch on May 5 in the Government Conference Centre, 2 Rideau St. Throughout the month the public is invited to enjoy fine music and dance performances, thought provoking and entertaining films, art and photo exhibitions, informative presentations, family celebrations, delectable cooking demonstrations, a hockey tournament and more. Best of all, most AHM activities are free!
The month-long celebration ends with the ever-popular, highly entertaining Gala Concert on June 3 in the Theatre of the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Numerous acts from across the pan-Asian spectrum will showcase a cultural fusion of the traditional and the contemporary, where East meets West. There will be sights to dazzle your eyes and sounds to delight your ears. The official list of events will be released in mid-April. Please visit www.asianheritagemonth.net to learn more about the OAHMS and Asian Heritage Month.
In 2002, the Government of Canada designated May as “Asian Heritage Month” to recognize the long, rich history of Asians and their contributions to Canada. AHM is supported by partners like Citizenship & Immigration Canada, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Canadian Museum of Nature, City of Ottawa, City of Gatineau, Library & Archives Canada and Ottawa Public Library, as well as numerous sponsors.
