Neighbourhood stories you might have missed

Good morning! 

Is there anything better than independent journalism?

On Sunday Lookout founder Geoff Sharpe and I were at the Press Forward Future of Independent Media summit held at Carleton University. We heard from independent media publishers and editors from across the country who are changing the local media landscapes in their communities. This work has never been so important.

While the news business itself will never die, mainstream media is in decline. The way people access their content is changing, and the industry needs to change with it.

Here at the Ottawa Lookout we have grown to a distribution of 49,000 readers — an insane number when you consider the ages and demographics of those who care about the news and 2,400 of you trust us so much, you've signed up to be paid members. Besides the perks and extra stories, you are also supporting the importance of information sharing. We could not do it without you.

This month coincidentally marks my one-year anniversary since I joined the Ottawa Lookout as managing editor and it’s been a pleasure to meet so many of you in coffee shops, stores, on the street, at community events, and a few of you who have yelled hello outside your car windows.

Today we are taking a look at some of the biggest stories we have covered over the last few months as we are hard at work covering many new stories to be published in the next few week’s.

Let’s get to it!

— Charlie Senack, Ottawa Lookout managing editor, [email protected], X: @Charlie_Senack

Editor’s note: A recent story about the Lansdowne 2.0 development said 12 votes are needed for the project to pass. That is incorrect; the actual number is 13. We regret the error.

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WEATHER

Monday: 27 🌡️ 14 | 🌤️

Tuesday: 19 🌡️ 11 | 🌧️ 

Wednesday: 14 🌡️ 5 | ☀️

LOOKOUT IN REVIEW

Five stories that have shaped Ottawa neighbourhoods over the last three months

Summer often means a slow time for journalists in Ottawa, but this year has not provided any breaks in the vicious cycle of headlines.

Perhaps that is in part due to Ottawa’s massive size of over one million residents. Or maybe it’s due to the city's large geographical landmass that covers urban, suburban and rural areas.

Whatever the reason might be, here is a look at five of the biggest exclusive stories the Lookout has covered in recent months.

The city is selling off Manotick’s Dickinson House to cut costs. But its history will be preserved

There are few places you can go where history feels frozen in time. But the Village of Manotick is an exception. Located on the Rideau River, its heritage buildings can make it feel like you're walking through a town in the 1800s. 

But part of that was at risk when the city decided to sell off some of its historical assets, including the Dickinson House and carriage shed, which are located across from the famed Watson’s Stone Mill. The city is essentially broke and was unable to keep up with the expensive maintenance and costs associated with the buildings. 

Since the buildings are heritage-designated, the city had initially planned to sell the properties off to anyone who would be required to follow a strict set of rules.

Read more.

Change is coming to Pinecrest-Queensview

Currently a stretch of big-box stores and sprawling parking lots, the area around the Pinecrest Shopping Centre is poised for a dramatic transformation. 

Ottawa’s planning and housing committee has approved the Pinecrest-Queensview Secondary Plan, which could see towers as high as 40 storeys built alongside new retail and greenspace. 

The tallest buildings would be located closest to the highway, with shorter buildings built closer to neighbouring residential communities, which are primarily made up of standalone homes. 

The new development roadmap is based on the fact that light rail transit will soon be rolling through the neighbourhood next to Highway 417, as part of future transit-oriented development opportunities. 

Read more.

 A new park for City View comes with leasing challenges

There are many perks to living in an older community like City View. The side streets are quiet, the lot depths are larger, and the homes hold history and character from decades gone by. But one of the amenities the community is lacking is greenspace. 

Because the community is already built up, it's not like the city can find new land to put in a new park. So instead, the City View Community Association worked 27 years ago with the City of Nepean to lease a small patch of greenspace from Hydro Ottawa.

Read more.

Ontario education minister won’t rule out removing public board trustees indefinitely

When Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) students return to the classroom in September, it’s unlikely they will notice any major changes. But behind the scenes, decision-making will look a whole lot different after a supervisor was appointed and trustees stripped — at least for now — of their duties. 

But what if the Ontario government decided to get rid of school trustees altogether? During the recent Association of Municipalities Ontario conference held in Ottawa, Education Minister Paul Calandra said that it could be a possibility. 

Read more.

Remembering the Bells Corners fox

For years, Bella the fox crept through the suburban streets and green spaces of Bells Corners, with no fear of the modernizing landscape in what was, decades ago, farmers' fields. 

The fox with no tail was a regular sight in backyards, schoolyards, and even the local cemetery. It’s not exactly sure when Bella first started making her rounds, but some of the first sightings came during the COVID-19 pandemic — a time when neighbours found joy in her presence amidst stay-at-home orders and lockdowns. 

In early July, Bella’s body was found on Robertson Road after being hit by a vehicle. It left the community shattered. 

Read more.

THE OTTAWA NUMBER

165,362

That’s the number of Ottawa residents who don’t have a family doctor. While health care is a provincial responsibility, the city is looking to streamline the recruitment of the 270 primary care providers needed to get residents off the province’s Health Care Connect waitlist and have launched a 10-point Primary Care Action Plan to make Ottawa a more attractive place to practice family medicine. Read more. [CTV]

THE AGENDA

🚨 Some residents of the 500 block of St-Laurent Boulevard are concerned for their safety after last week, when a 55-year-old man was found outside with stab wounds. The man, who was pronounced dead in hospital, is the block’s second homicide victim of the year. Read more. [Ottawa Citizen]

👮 No arrests have been made in a Friday morning shooting in Overbrook. Read more. [Ottawa Citizen]

🏀 There’s a new pilot project underway to give city park users free access to sports equipment like basketballs, soccer balls, and fitness packs. Read more. [City of Ottawa]

🚑 The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre is reopening the urgent care clinic at its Carling Avenue Campus next year. The clinic is intended to provide an alternative to the ER for people experiencing substance use or mental health crises. Read more. [CBC]

📜 City staff will recommend against designating part of Wellington Street West as a heritage district at a meeting taking place later today. Read more. [Ottawa Citizen]

🧑‍⚖️ One of the two Ottawa teens charged with terrorism-related offences after allegedly plotting to violently attack members of the Ottawa Jewish community has been released on bail in advance of his spring 2026 trial. The other teen remains in custody. Read more. [CBC]

💉 Ottawa Public Health is urging parents to immunize eligible infants and high-risk children against RSV this fall. RSV is one of the main reasons for infant hospitalization and can cause a life-threatening infection in babies and young children. Read more. [City of Ottawa]

🚒 Several dogs were treated with oxygen and one man was taken to hospital after a fire on Beech Street. Firefighters responded to three major fires this weekend: the one on Beech, one on the corner of Osgoode and Henderson and another on Briarfield Crescent. Read more. [CTV]

🚑 Ottawa paramedics say a 47-year-old woman suffered potentially life-threatening injuries following a two-vehicle crash in Manotick Sunday afternoon. Paramedics say the woman driving the motorcycle was found in a ditch. Read more. [CTV]

EVENTS

Homes for the Holidays | Across the City | Nov 14th to 16th | Hospice Care Ottawa's signature Home Tour and Pop-Up Shop | Tickets 55$ 

Databells | Salon Des Bananes, 2207 Carling Avenue | Oct. 2–5, 2025 | Immersive bell installation responds to real-world data and invites reflection and exploration | Free

Pumpkinferno | Upper Canada Village, 13740 County Road 2, Morrisburg, Ontario | Oct. 1–5, 2025, evening hours | Walk through 9,000+ hand-carved pumpkins across historic village pathways | Tickets various prices

Songs from the Shed | The Shed on Sparks Street, 190 Sparks St. | Jun. 5–Oct. 9, Tuesdays and Thursdays | Outdoor lunchtime concerts featuring local singer-songwriters in solo and duo performances | Free

Cinq à sept: A ByWard Concert Series | 55 ByWard Market Square | Sep. 4–Oct. 9, Thursdays, 5–9 pm | Free outdoor concerts featuring touring and local musicians in the ByWard Market | Free

Live from the Booth | The Booth on Sparks Street – between Elgin St & Metcalfe St. | Oct.11, 7–9 pm | Outdoor DJ concert series turning Sparks Street into a vibrant weekly dance floor | Free

Barrhaven Farmers' Market | Nepean Woods Park & Ride – Strandherd Drive | Oct. 12, 19 | Weekly market with 20+ vendors offering local produce, baked goods, and live music | Free

Annual Biology Butterfly Show | Nesbitt Biology Building – Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa | Oct. 4–5; Oct. 11–12 | See hundreds of live butterflies in a tropical greenhouse, reservations required | Free

Angels & Demons | The Gladstone Theatre – 910 Gladstone Ave.  | Oct. 10–11 | Burlesque, pole, aerials, and high-energy Halloween performances full of bold, wicked spectacle | Tickets

World Space Week | Canada Aviation and Space Museum – 11 Aviation Pkwy.| Oct. 4–13 | Interactive demos and crafts for space lovers celebrating cosmic science and exploration | Free with museum admission

Magic at the Manor | Manor Lounge – 292-A Elgin St. | Oct. 15 | Interactive 90‑minute magic and mentalism show with audience participation and laughs | Tickets

ArohaFest Diwali Dhamaka | National Arts Centre – 1 Elgin St. | Oct. 15–18 | Bilingual festival celebrating Indian dance, music, yoga, Bollywood and more | Free

Want to see your event here? Submit them to our event calendar.

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NEW JOBS

Discover your new dream job in Ottawa:

• Director, partnerships at Algonquin College

• Consulting manager, public sector at Accenture

• Manager, strategic partnerships at City of Ottawa

• Senior PR coordinator at Scribd

• Senior marketing manager at Airbnb

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Spend and earn in Ottawa! The Neo World Mastercard® offers instant cashback on everyday purchases, with even more ways to earn with 10,000+ partners. Apply now! [Sponsored]

• For the first time since 1989, the ruins of Hintonburg Pumping Station will be open to the public. [CBC]

• FREE: Every fall, the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library hosts a series of events where you can get free native seeds and learn how to harvest and winter them, too. [Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library]

• Cici the cat has saved Beyond the Pale thousands of dollars on pest control. [Ottawa Citizen] 

• Ottawa Redditors are compiling a list of local pumpkin patches that are actually affordable. [Reddit]

• On Saturday, the first Ottawa Race to End Homelessness raised $28.5k and RBC’s Race for the Kids raised $1m for CHEO’s redevelopment.. [CTV]

OTTAWA QUIZ

ON THIS DAY

October 6, 1964: A municipal golf course was planned to be included in a 10-year recreation plan considered by city council. Mayor Charlotte Whitton said it was possible the city could annex 200 acres of land from one of the townships for such a purpose, but equivalent acreage would perhaps need to be given up. There was some thought at the time that a site at Green Creek could have been chosen for a centennial project, but due to time and other restrictions, that idea was shelved. 

• Meanwhile, Mayor Whitton was unhappy with the behaviour of councillors, and was bringing increased pressure for a federal district. “Not just here, but people all across Canada, people are saying that we should be taken over,” she said. “We can’t get our business done and we have only ourselves to blame. 

Whitton’s comments came after multiple council meetings where “major items of business” were untouched. That included planning for the Centennial in 1967, a 10-year recreation survey or participation in the Works Incentive Fund. Instead, the big discussion at council that week was about a sidewalk near the south-end school.

October 6, 1969: A burning roast was the cause of a grinding eight-vehicle crash that sent eight people to hospital, including four firemen. The accident involved a city fire truck and seven cars, and fire department personnel were dispatched to an alarm fire on Murray Street. Damages were listed at $10,000. 

October 6, 1976: Tenants in the city’s non-profit housing program were gearing up for hikes of $35 per unit for three and four-bedroom apartments in the Mooretown, Bon Logis and Lowren low-income projects. A report said the rising rents were due to growing operating costs and major renovations that totalled $255,000. To make matters worse, an $86,000 deficit was already in place. Monthly rents climbed to between $163 and $177. 

October 6, 1995: Imagine what it would be like if a part of the city ran through underground tunnels in downtown Ottawa. That was a “pipe dream” being explored in 1995 to “transform a wintry capital into a year-round destination for convention goers. 

• The idea — which never seemed realistic anyway — suggested a tunnel network from the University of Ottawa to Place de Ville could be fully in operation by 2020. One of the biggest hurdles was the cost. The study alone was somewhere between $40,000 and $60,000. 

Information is from the Ottawa Journal and Ottawa Citizen archives on newspapers.com

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Fans celebrate after the Carleton U Ravens won the annual Panda Game for the first time since before 2018. The final score in front of the 23,000 spectator crowd was 20-14. Read more. [Carleton Newsroom]