Indholdsfortegnelse for Spring/Summer 2023 i Ottawa Magazine

You’re holding in your hands the last issue of Ottawa Magazine. The economics of print media are not what they once were. Unfortunately, this magazine is another publication that has to say farewell. It is, of course, bittersweet. For the last quarter-century, this magazine brought a deeper look at this city, its culture, and its food. At the heart of what we do were the people of this city. Along the way we’ve tried to showcase young writers looking to make their start. The look of this magazine has always been key; we’ve always prided ourselves in giving local photographers and illustrators a chance to see their work published. One of the great joys of working for this publication has been the ability to bring new voices and new eyes to…

EVERY YEAR, OTTAWA MAGAZINE SHOWCASES the work of student illustrators at Algonquin College. The magazine’s art director, Jeff Eustace, collaborates with instructor Fred Sebastian of the School of Media and Design to develop a guiding concept for the collaboration. This year, they settled on “The future of downtown.” Illustrator Kristin Smith wanted to use the magazine’s vibe, “curious, thoughtful, lively and with a sense of humour,” as she put it, as a way to peer into the future. So Smith included as much of downtown life as she could — the people, the places, and even the pets — while keeping it unmistakably Ottawa.…

Like Ottawa, which was created in the 1800s for security purposes and is situated between two of Canada’s largest cities, Canberra was chosen as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne. Canberra shares (or wrestles) authority with the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) — like our National Capital Commission (NCC). It’s a landlocked city with extensive waterfront areas; recent developments have yielded mixed results. Canberra is surrounded by mountains and natural parks, just as Ottawa is a stone’s throw from Gatineau Park and other natural areas. Both cities are “garden cities,” which describes a 19th-century movement to ring urban areas with swathes of natural spaces known as greenbelts. Greenbelts in both cities are routinely threatened by development. Ottawa continues to build its tech sector, something Canberra shares. In a recent survey, the…

For the past eight years, Steve Ball has been the president of the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association (OGHA). Before that, he was on the board of Ottawa Tourism for over a decade — and if we go back to 1998, Ball was busy founding Ottawa Magazine. When he left the publishing business in 2005, it was a no-brainer that he’d end up in tourism. “I was very connected to the hotel community,” Ball says. For Ball, hotels are a part of the fabric of major communities — and for a government city like Ottawa, they become critical infrastructure. “You’ve got iconic properties like the Château Laurier that hosts a ton of corporate travel, [and] people coming here to do business with the government,” he says, such as President Biden visiting…

A FULFILLING COUPLE OF DAYS can easily be spent wandering among masterpieces from across the centuries at the National Gallery of Canada or strolling beside the massive antique crafts at the Aviation Museum. The Canadian War Museum offers a quiet sanctum for contemplating the horrors and sorrows of conflict, while heritage and culture (not to mention a busy children’s museum) await at the Canadian Museum of History. But in only one of these august institutions will you find a decent meal — food for the body, having nourished the soul. Let’s start with the best. Food at the national gallery is being provided by My Catering Group, a local privately-owned company that has previously handled large events for thousands of people such as the U.S. Embassy Fourth of July party…

Abby’s 283 Elgin St., harmonssteakhouse.com At street level, beneath the sprawling expanse that is Harmon’s Steakhouse on Elgin, you’ll find a moody and intimate wine bar. Abby’s, the latest addition to the Whalesbone Group family, serves up something a little different. With an extensive list at a variety of price points available in three-ounce, five-ounce, or full bottle portions, the wine offerings are an exciting way to start. Expert service helps guests navigate uncharted terroir. If you’re not in the mood for wine, Abby’s can slake your thirst with one of several classic cocktails on tap or shake up something else à la minute. The wine and cocktails are accompanied by a taut menu of smaller bites, sharing plates, skewers, and three larger dishes. We started things off with the…

The 10th Anniversary Issue is very memorable for me. Working on that issue was a chance to look back over past issues and see how far we had come. The city had embraced the magazine, trusting us to cover the issues that needed to be discussed, and showcasing the best the city had to offer. We ordered a special cake from The Girl with the Most Cake, and it was spectacular! A treat for both the eyes and the palate. A large paint-by-number was made of the cake for guests to paint at the celebrations we held at the Cordon Bleu Cooking School that spring. I spent an afternoon with Amanda Forsyth in the photographer’s studio shooting the cover. She brought champagne. Not only were we celebrating a milestone in the…

Why did your family leave Kingston, Jamaica, for Kingston, Ontario? In those days, people with post-secondary aspirations went to Canada, U.S., or England. My father applied to Canada and was accepted at a couple of schools. And one of them was a school in Kingston, Ontario, called Queen’s. Maybe it was a sign. I spent my first seven years living with my brother and my paternal grandmother in Jamaica and then my brother and I moved up when my father was completing his second degree, which was in law. What lessons did your parents teach you? One of the things they always stressed is that they brought us to Canada because of the opportunities that were here, so hard work was an important value. Getting the best education that you…

DOWNTOWN OTTAWA HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PUZZLE. The needs of the city’s biggest employer don’t always result in a thriving downtown. This quandary has only become more acute with the rise of work-from-home lifestyles. In a decade or two, things could look very different because our collective perspective has changed so much in the last few years. We set out to figure out how the convergence of many factors will shape the short-term future. Housing is a key concern, but how viable is it to transform vacant office towers into bustling homes? It’s not straightforward, but there are ways to make it work. The core is home to more than just a few office towers full of public servants. It is a living, breathing community made home by thousands. WITH…

The post-Covid reality exacerbated an existing vacancy problem. Shopify, which formerly had 850 employees at its Elgin Street headquarters, went digital by default. Government employees have refused to return full-time to their offices. Plenty of other businesses and law firms have adopted flexible work strategies to keep their employees happy. Combine this with a slew of commercial leases coming to an end and you have all the ingredients for a city without a heart. While it’s all coming to a head now, this is a problem that’s been plaguing Ottawa and many other North American cities for a while. Despite occasional attempts to animate Sparks Street and bring people to the area by offering light shows on the facade of the Parliament buildings, these do nothing to address the basic issue:…

IN JANUARY, THE CANADIAN CENTRE ON Substance Abuse and Addiction (CCSA) released Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health and set the beverage world abuzz. The new guidance is the culmination of a two-year Health Canada project and takes an abstinence-first approach to alcohol consumption, indicating that zero drinks per week is the safest option. Two drinks per week is defined as a low-risk consumption level — a staggering decline from the 10 drinks per week for women and 15 for men in the previous CCSA guidance, released in 2011. The new report and the science backing it is not without its critics. Are Canadians going to put down the pinot or pop another bottle? An Abacus Data survey of 1,500 Canadians in mid-January found that 16 per cent intend to drink…

Created for Howard Fine Jewellers and True Bijoux Stephanie and Lindsay Appotive, also known as The Jewellery Sisters, are honoured to announce their collaboration with Boutique Cornerstone to support Cornerstone Housing for Women. As owners of Howard Fine Jewellers and True Bijoux, we are excited to join hands with Boutique Cornerstone to raise funds for such a worthy cause through the A Pearl of Hope Bracelet Fundraiser. It is with sincere gratitude and a deep sense of humility that we embark on this meaningful endeavour to make a positive impact in the lives of women in need. As local female entrepreneurs born and raised in Ottawa we recognize the growing demand that Cornerstone is facing to meet the needs of supportive housing and services for the more than 200 women and…

The year was 2012 and I was fed up with Ottawa. A Toronto transplant, I’d followed a path worn by countless before me: After graduating from university I joined the public service and met my future spouse. I was tethered to the city, but unhappy about it. I struggled to feel engaged with anything interesting to do after work or on the weekends. I was doing what any good mid-aughts young millennial did: scouring community listings, Facebook, meetup.com and Kijiji. But either the events I attended were sparsely attended, or struck me as provincial in their ambition. Occasionally there would be a gem, like Nuit Blanche: an event that ran for a few years starting in 2012, with eccentric street performances and interactive exhibits. Everyone knew Ottawa was a family town,…

BEFORE THE DAYS WHEN AIR FREIGHT brought mangoes, strawberries, and avocados to our stores year-round, and before a globalized food system raised our expectations to absurd heights — dark red cherries at Christmas, sushi spotted far from any ocean — we ate what was produced locally. In a limited way, those who shop at farmer’s markets and subscribe to CSA deliveries do this now, to the extent that the Canadian climate allows. However, when it comes to flour and bread, this has always been more difficult. Grains, mostly produced over thousands of acres of monoculture and plied with environmentally harmful fertilizers and pesticides, are shipped worldwide, severing the link between producer and consumer. For our daily bread, it has been nearly impossible to know your farmer. However, Gabrielle Prud’homme, the…

First, make thyme syrup by combining ½ cup sugar, ½ cup water, and ½ tbsp dried thyme in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring often, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a coffee filter into a sealable container. Set aside. • 1 oz fresh cucumber juice• 1 oz Seedlip Spice 94• ¾ oz lemon juice• ¾ oz thyme syrup• Club soda, to top• Garnish: cucumber ribbon and lemon peel • Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until well-chilled. • Strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Top with club soda. • Garnish with a cucumber ribbon rolled into a rose and skewered on a cocktail pick and a swath of lemon peel.…