It’s the final (election) countdown

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Good morning!

Geoff here with you today. From what I gather, Charlie caught the same bug I had last month. And if that’s the case, he’s going to need his rest for the next few days because it’s not fun. At all.

On a lighter note, one thing I’ve committed to this year is trying to read more fiction and novels. I read too many books about business and history, so it’s time to branch out. I just finished the classic Jack Kerouac On the Road, and have started Flights by Olga Tokarczuk. If you’ve got any recommendations, send them my way!

Last thing, please note that there may be a chance we don’t publish on Friday. Charlie may still be out, and I’m tied up for the last half of the week in a remote cabin skiing. But fear not, if we don’t, we’ll be back with you on Monday. These types of things happen when you’re a small publication, something that will change as we (hopefully) continue to bring on more team members.

And with that, let’s get today’s stories.

— Geoff Sharpe, Lookout founder

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WEATHER

Wednesday: -2 🌡️ -10 | 🌤️

Thursday: -1 🌡️ -14 | ❄️

Friday: -13 🌡️ -15 | ❄️

NUMBERS

👮 40: The expected number of police in the Parliamentary Precinct, though it will take two to three years before they’re fully deployed. The $50 million for the project is from the recent federal budget, and is focused on the area downtown where 35 Crown-owned buildings reside. [CTV]

$213,689: How much the mayor earned in 2024. Councillors make $119,490. There will be a 2.5 per cent pay increase for council this year. [CTV]

PROVINCIAL ELECTION

It’s the final (election) countdown

If you’re an Arrested Development fan, you’ll get the reference in the title. If not, go and watch the show, that is, after you read today’s newsletter.

What happened: Party leaders made some last stops in Ottawa this week, reflecting that some seats in the region are going to be closed, as the province hits the final 24 hours before voting day.

PCs: Ford hit on the message he’s focused on throughout the campaign in Ottawa on Tuesday, discussing Trump’s upcoming tariff threat, and saying the province needs to be ready for the next four years, according to CityNews.

• He also discussed the idea of making Americans pay more for Ontario electricity. Previously Ford has mused about cutting off electricity if tariffs were brought in.

Liberals: Ontario leader Bonnie Crombie stopped by Ottawa on Monday, focusing on healthcare and bringing in more family doctors for the province, according to the Ottawa Citizen. The party has made healthcare the main focus of its campaign, noting that 120,000 people in Ottawa don’t have a family doctor.

• Crombie promised to speed up building the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus, and expanding Queensway Carleton and Bruyère.

NDP: As we reported on Monday, leader Marit Styles was in Ottawa over the weekend, promising to address the family doctor crisis and deliver a recurring monthly grocery rebate based on household size and income. She also reiterated her plan to split the operating costs for OC Transpo, rather than upload the costs to the province like the Liberals and PCs have promised.

Advance voting: In the Ottawa ridings, advance voting numbers varied from as low as 3.13 per cent of all registered voters in Ottawa-Vanier, to 6.89 per cent in Ottawa Centre, according to the Ottawa Citizen. In total, more than 678,789 people voted in advance polls in the province, which is around 6.14 per cent of voters.

Ridings to watch: Ottawa West-Nepean is expected to be tight. NDP MLA Chandra Pasma only won by 900 votes over Progressive Conservative candidate Jeremy Roberts in 2022. The projection site 338Canada rates the seat as a toss-up between Pasma and PC candidate Husien Abu-Rayash.

Another close race is Kanata-Carleton, where Liberal MLA Karen McCrimmon won by 1,800 votes over NDP Melissa Conrad in a by-election, and she’s now up against PC candidate Scott Phelan. You can read our interview with each candidate here.

Everything you need to vote

Look, sometimes voting can be a bit confusing. Luckily our team here at the Lookout is here to help. 

Where to vote: Elections Ontario has a handy search tool to find your voting location. It includes the address and candidates. Polling locations are open on Thursday from 9 am-9 pm.

What you need: There are certain requirements when going to vote. If you have a voter information card that was mailed to you, you’ll need one piece of ID with your name on it. The full list of ID requirements is here.

• The voter information card would’ve been delivered by mail, but it may not have arrived due to the snow. If you don’t have the information card, you’ll need a piece of ID with your name and address on it. 

Who’s running: If you haven’t been reading our great series of interviews with local candidates, you can find the entire list of who’s running here. 

For students: you can vote in the electoral district of your permanent address, or where you are attending school. You cannot vote on campus unless you are a student living on campus. 

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The unit features two bedrooms and two bathrooms with around 800 square feet of living space. It’s got lots of natural light to fight those winter blues, a three-piece ensuite washroom and lots of amenities in the building, including a gym, movie theatre, a pool and hot tub.

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EVENTS

Ottawa Bluesfest lineup is out

What happened: It’s that time of year again. The snow is falling, the Skateway is (mostly) frozen and last but not least, Ottawa Bluesfest has announced its lineup for the summer.

First-timers: It’s a pretty solid list this year. First-time performers include Green Day, Hozier, Lainey Wilson and Def Leopard, according to the Ottawan Citizen. 

Other big names include Turnstile, Sean Paul, The Cat Empire, Daughtry and the Decemberists. You can read the full list here. And not to be forgotten, there will also be blues performances. 

• A personal favourite: I saw Father John Misty in Budapest, and I cannot recommend his live show enough. Go see it!

Details: The show will run from July 10-20 at LeBreton Flats Park, with three outdoor stages and one indoor.

Passes go on sale today at 10 am today, with the cost of a basic pass at $299. Single and VIP tickets go on sale Thursday at 10 am. VIP tickets start at $1,200.

• You can find all the additional information you need here. 

THE AGENDA

❌ Orléans West-Innes Coun. Laura Dudas says the City of Ottawa should no longer use X, due to the level of misinformation, and the controversies surrounding its owner Elon Musk. Dudas along with many other councillors, no longer use the platform. [CBC]

🌉 Good news for drivers, the Alexandra Bridge is back open after 18 months. The expected one year of repair work ended up taking an extra six months after much worse corrosion was discovered. [CTV]

📉 Algonquin will soon look different. The board of governors voted unanimously to cancel 10 and suspend active enrollment in 31 programs, as well as shut down their Perth campus. The university was looking at a budget deficit of $60 million in 2025-26 and $93 million the following year if nothing was done. [CTV]

👮 The Gatineau Police Department announced that a collision involving a pedestrian and a snow plow resulted in the pedestrian’s death on Monday. The victim was a traffic signaller employed by a subcontracting company through the city. [CBC]

🏒 Ryan Hatman’s 10-game suspension for driving Senators player Tim Stützle’s head into the ice will now be eight games after the suspension was appealed by the NHL Players’ Association. [CBC]

ARTS GUIDE

Performance

Ottawa Little Theatre is putting on The Shawshank Redemption until March 15. There are lots of performance times and lots of tickets available. 

The Great Canadian Theatre Company’s Vierge, is all about a coming-of-age story of a Congolese-Canadian girl. The show runs from March 18-30.

Canadian icon Jully Black is visiting the NAC. She’s been dubbed “Canada’s queen of R&B and soul” and will be performing this Friday at 7:30 pm.

Movies 

ByTowne Cinema is showing The Brutalist tomorrow, and I can confirm that after seeing it, the movie lives up to the hype, including a musical score that has still stuck with me. They’re also showing The Seed of the Sacred Fig and Conclave, both of which I can personally recommend. You can also catch the Oscars on the big screen at the cinema on Sunday. 

Not to be outdone, Mayfair has the 1984 version of Dune by the late, great David Lynch, Sugarcane and the unforgettable Inglorious Bastards. 

Art

The Nationa Art Gallery is unearthing drawings from its vault, with never-before-seen artworks on display. The exhibit is on until April 13. 

While it’s been showing for a while, The Ontario Art Gallery is featuring Chaos Bloom — Tidal Emotion, delves into the flowers and mathematics, exploring digital code and patterns. It’s on until June 6.

Music shows

Mallory Chipman | Live! On Elgin, 220 Elgin St | Feb. 27 | Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter known for blending folk, jazz, country, pop, rock, and experimental styles. Tickets $15.

Samba Touré | NAC, 1 Elgin St | Feb. 27 | Malian singer and guitarist renowned for blending traditional Songhai music with blues and rock. Tickets $35.

Lloyd Smiley Band | Irene’s, 885 Bank St | Feb. 28 | Ottawa-based musician brings his “Cottage Rawk,” combining city blues and wandering soul music. Tickets $15.

Harley Card’s Two Tomorrows | Gigspace, 953 Gladstone Ave | Mar. 1 | Creative quartet from Toronto drawing upon an eclectic range of styles and influences tracing folk, rock, ambient, and jazz music. Tickets $25.

Graven | House of Targ, 1077 Bank St | Mar. 1 | Innovative, evocative folk-rock artist showcases his ‘Nepean Ontario Twang Thunder Folk’. Tickets $15.

Listings for music shows are provided by OttawaGigs.ca, the best place to discover live music in Ottawa. Check out Ottawagigs.ca for full listings across the city.

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Grilled chicken done right at this Portuguese restaurant

We humans are funny in many ways. For example – we’re always surprised by “how time flies”. I was reminded about how long it had been since I first reviewed the Portuguese restaurant Caravela, when another Portuguese restaurant opened in nearby Blackburn Hamlet.

So I thought I would do a small side-by-side comparison. Of course, there would be similarities in the dishes offered but I also decided on these visits to take in a little of that famous Piri Piri chicken.

I began at Caravela with a few appetizers of seafood chowder, rissóis de camarão (shrimp fritters) and grilled calamari.

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OTTAWA GUESSER

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Splitsville is getting a new 10-pin bowling alley! [CTV]

• One vendor explains the challenges of running a vending stall at the Skateway. [OBJ]

• Congrats to Suzy Q Doughnuts on 13 years in business. [Ottawa Citizen]

• Ottawa Charge player Emily Clark was named as one of the three stars of the week in the Professional Women’s Hockey League. [CTV]

• Want to discover new places to eat in Ottawa? Subscribe to Capital Eats, our newsletter breaking down the best restaurants in the city, with real reviews and no clickbait