Every year since 2011, Volunteer Ottawa has hosted the VOscars to recognize individuals, organizations, and businesses who have made a difference in the community. It’s thanks to the dedication of volunteers that so many organizations exist in Ottawa.

Teen drop-in - Tuesday, May 7th, 11:45 amSpend your lunch hour playing video games, board games, working on homework or hanging out with other teens! Ages 13-18.  

Over the past several years, Ottawa residents, businesses and visitors have experienced first-hand several different types of weather emergencies. In the event of an emergency, everyone should aim to be able to take care of themselves and their families for up to 3 days at least. 

This year’s Mental Health Week theme is about the healing power of compassion: a call to be kind to others (and yourself).  This week allows us to reflect on how being kind and compassionate can have positive impacts on well-being, happiness and reduces stigma while creating social connectedness and inclusivity.

Many locations across Barrhaven East to receive trees as spring planting season begins! Yesterday marked the beginning of the City’s 2024 spring tree planting season. A total of 116 trees of various native species will be planted across Barrhaven East this spring,

Starting Tuesday, April 30, you can browse programs and create a wish list of your favourite programs and activities for the summer session.

Since 2010, the City’s green bin program has been essential to divert organic waste from the landfill. From kitchen scraps to yard waste, you can easily help divert organic materials to proper composting facilities, helping to reduce methane emissions and produce nutrient-rich compost instead.

Municipal ball diamonds and sports fields are expected to open on time this year on 1 May (ball diamonds) and 15 May (other sports fields). Given the dry winter, staff are looking into the possibility of opening the other sports fields earlier than 15 May. Please don’t use the fields before they are open to avoid damaging them.

Are you looking for work? Unemployed or underemployed? Drop-in to meet one-on-one with an Employment Counsellor from the Pinecrest-Queensway Employment Services team.

On Saturday, I was joined by Councillor Hill, MPP MacLeod, MP Arya, and many others in the community to officially open The Salvation Army’s new building at 102 Bill Leathem. There’s no doubt that it will become a valuable community hub and gathering space for everybody, and I’m chuffed to have them as a new neighbour.

The Medical Priority Dispatch System launched in the Ottawa Central Ambulance Communications Centre and will improve service to more than 1.2 million residents across Eastern Ontario, including Ottawa and nearby regions.

This summer, Paint It Up! is the perfect way for young people to flex their artistic muscles, get involved in their community, and have some fun in the sun. If you’re looking for ideas for fun summer activities, look no further!

🏆 March Madness Winners: The winners have been named and now you can place holds on winners as voted by your community.  There’s something for all ages and genre lovers.

The Ontario government is fighting gridlock in south Ottawa by investing $5 million in a new interchange at Highway 416 and Barnsdale Road. The interchange will save commuters time in the rapidly growing community of Barrhaven and connect more people to housing and jobs across the region.

The Five-Year Roadmap lays out a transparent, accountable and measurable path to guide how OC Transpo will modernize and deliver high service reliability, customer satisfaction and employee engagement over the next four years.

I spent a few hours in Lancaster, Ontario (east of Cornwall) yesterday to watch the eclipse with my wife’s family. What an unforgettable experience! Other than the darkness, most striking to me was the temperature change as the darkness set in. 

Roses are red, violets are blue, if you’re planting a garden, here are some tips for you. If you love gardening then you probably love deciding which plants and flowers to buy and where to place them? When making your choices for the upcoming season, we have a few suggestions for you.

The Province of Ontario has launched a campaign to encourage COVID-19 vaccination for people at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

Relax and Craft with Happy Cat: For those looking for a quiet creative outlet to unleash their imaginations, check out this event on Friday, April 12th at 3:30 pm. All materials provided for creators ages 6-9. 

Regular readers may recall I raised the issue of weeds in the gaps and cracks of our sidewalks and curbs last year, and my general surprise about the fact there’s no formal program to maintain them.