Partial eclipse sweeps past the region

Good morning!

Keep an eye on the sun today, because eclipse day is here. (Don’t, you know, actually look directly at the sun though, it’s very dangerous. But we’ve got plenty of ways you can look at the sun below.) We’re just outside of the path the moon’s shadow will trace across the region, but it will still make for quite an interesting show. 

We’ve got plenty of details on how you can watch safely, plus all the news from the weekend, and some events to fill out your week.

Let’s get to it.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

WEATHER

Monday: +16 🌡️ +5 | 🌤

Tuesday: +18 🌡️ +7 | 🌤

Wednesday: +13 🌡️ +7 | 🌧

THE SUN AND THE MOON

Partial solar eclipse arrives today

What will happen: Today starting at 2:11 pm, the moon will begin to slide across the face of the sun. By 3:25, at the height of the solar eclipse, 98.87 percent of the sun will be blocked by the moon, bringing darkness in the middle of the day. So it’s not quite a total eclipse, unless it’s one of the heart.

Ottawa sits just north of the path of totality, the swath of land where the shadow of the moon will entirely blot out the sun, turning day briefly into night.

Don’t look up (without protection): Because part of the sun will still be visible, at no point is it safe to look at the partial eclipse with your eyes. Glasses with solar protection are recommended, as long as they meet certain standards (more on that below). You can also make a pinhole camera or projector with just a few household items, according to the Canadian Space Agency.

\They’re pretty quick and easy to make. For the partial eclipse a few years ago, I made one in maybe 10 minutes, and myself and my neighbours all had a lot of fun with it.

You can also do something as simple as taking a colander with round holes outside. The sun will project through the holes and onto the ground.

The real thing? To make sure your glasses are genuine, the American Astronomical Society has put together a list of suppliers and manufacturers they know to be producing proper solar filter glasses. You can find their extensive list here.

Some glasses, even ones sold at local retailers, may not be properly rated, as one Reddit user found out. Scientific American has a guide for how to test your glasses so you can be sure. 

Travel advisory: The OPP want people to take their time tomorrow, as they’re expecting higher than normal traffic heading south toward Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence, much of which will be within the path of totality. CTV has a good list of where in the province the total eclipse will be visible. 

The weather: It may be a bit cloudy today, which could partially obscure the partial eclipse, CTV reported. The forecast is the same across Ontario in the path of the eclipse.

Schools: Across the city schools have either moved PD days to today, or in the case of the Ottawa Carleton District School Board, closed them altogether, CBC reported. Boards have cited safety as a reason to not offer classes, as the eclipse will be taking place at the end of the day when many kids will be outside.

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VIMY

Detailed 3D scans give everyone a view into the artistic creation of the Vimy Monument

With tomorrow being Vimy Ridge Day, we thought we’d bring a recent Insider story to you. It’s about a new digitizing project that’s brought the plaster casts for the statues on the Vimy Memorial in France to three-dimensional life online. You can read the full story here. A big thank you to our Insider members who help fund these stories. 

Ottawa has the good fortune to be home to many museums. The national museums contain scores of the country’s treasures, objects that connect us to our past. But that also makes some of this inaccessible, to a degree, to the rest of the country. 

At the eastern tip of the Canadian War Museum, in the Moriyama Regeneration Hall, sit 12 plaster casts, the templates for the marble of the Vimy Memorial. With names like Truth, Charity, Peace, Breaking of the Sword, and Sacrifice, they sit on display with a framed view of the Peace Tower in the distance.

The maquettes, as they’re known, are the raw forms for what would become the statues on the monument. They were cast from the original clay models by artist Walter S. Allward, originally carved between 1925 and 1930. Once completed, they were shipped to France, where stone carvers measured and reproduced them at double their size to create the final statues which now adorn the soaring Vimy Memorial at the site of the battle.

NEW LOCAL JOBS

Check out the new open positions in Ottawa.

1. Quality assurance inspector at Gastops

2. Demolition lead at Northco Services Ottawa

3. Embalmer at Hulse, Playfair & McGarry Funeral Homes

4. Inspector distribution protection III at Enbridge

5. Senior grievance & adjudication analyst at the Public Service Alliance of Canada

Local jobs are selected by the Lookout team and are not paid ads, unless specifically noted. 

THE AGENDA

💥 Ottawa police Cst. Cory Chuchryk is facing several charges after getting into a two-vehicle crash while allegedly driving drunk. Chuchryk was charged with dangerous driving, failing to stop after an accident, and impaired driving. [Ottawa Police, via email]

⚖️ After six people were killed and a seventh gravely injured in a workplace explosion more than two years ago, the owner of Eastway Tank and the company were fined a total of $850,000. Neil Greene was fined $80,000, while the company was fined $600,000, the remaining $170,000 was victim surcharges. Greene and the company pleaded guilty to three workplace violations, including allowing contaminated fuel to be used in a wet test, which likely led to the explosion. [CBC]

🇷🇼 Hundreds from the city’s Rwandan community marched through downtown to mark 30 years since the Rwandan Genocide took place. While the massacres went on for 100 days, the effects are still being felt by survivors and their families decades later. [CBC]

📱 The OCDSB and several other Ontario school boards are suing social media companies for the damage the tech companies are doing to kids. The chance of the lawsuit’s success? Pretty low. [CBC]

🔍 Ottawa Public Health needs provincial funding to hire six new food inspectors so it can keep up with inspections. The number of businesses that sell food has increased, and so has the complexity of inspections since the pandemic. [CBC]

🚨 The driver of a school bus in the Vanier area for kids with special needs was arrested for allegedly forcing a student under the age of 16 to perform a sexual act. The 52-year-old was charged with sexual assault, sexual interference, and invitation to sexual touching. [Ottawa Police]

⛳️ The owner of the Cedarhill Golf and Country Club just north of Barrhaven is hoping to get out of a contract signed when the land was purchased in 1980 for $1. The contract requires the golf club operate in perpetuity, or be handed over to the city. A judge sent the city and the course to mediation rather than void the contract. [CBC]

🦷 Fewer dentists than hoped have signed up to provide service under the new federal dental care program for seniors. While it’s not clear exactly how many have — the feds will only say “thousands” — the president of the Canadian Dental Association said there likely aren’t enough signing on to make the program a success. [CBC]

EVENTS

What to do this week

👑 First Royals of Europe, open now: A new exhibition opens today on the emergence of royalty in Europe over the course of millennia. With origins in the Neolithic Age through to the age of empires, trace the rise of royalty though hundreds of exquisite objects. At the Canadian Museum of History, 100 Laurier St., Gatineau. Tickets $22.

🧿 Turkish “Cini” Style Pottery Painting, Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:30 pm: Learn the art of Turkish pottery painting in a hands-on workshop, no materials required, just your enthusiasm. At Happy Goat Coffee Co., 35 Laurel St. Tickets $55.

🪓 Garden Tool Maintenance & Sharpening Night, Wednesday 6:30 pm: The perfect time of year to get your gardening tools back into their best shape. Inspect, clean, re-sharpen the cutting edges, and give them a light coat of oil. At the Ottawa Tool Library 887a Boyd Ave. Tickets $40.

🍔 Burger Boom - the 1950s Phenomenon that Revolutionized Fast Food, Wednesday 6:30 pm: Classic burger combos meet boozy shakes and other drinks and foods of the 1950s. With G Burger’s Matt Hinds and mixologist extraordinaire Tristan Bragaglia-Murdock. At CA Paradis, 1314 Bank St. Tickets $169.

🍷 Croatia inspired dinner and wine pairing, Thursday 6 pm: A four-course meal at Poisson Bleu, with specially chosen Croatian wine pairings through the evening. 610 Somerset St. W. Tickets $150.

🎻 Spring of Hope - Benefit Concert for Ukraine, Saturday 5 pm: The Maple Hope Foundation hosts a night of music by Ukrainian classical and contemporary composers. Featuring Ukrainian pianist Anna Sagalova and local violinist Carissa Klopoushak. At First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa, 30 Cleary Ave. Ticket prices vary.

🕸️ Meet Miles Morales at the Black Business Expo, Sunday 3:30 pm: Everyone’s favourite Spiderverse web slinger will be out at the Expo, Lilypad Princess will also be there! Take pictures, make crafts, have fun and receive a special gift. At the Shaw Centre, 55 Colonel By Dr. Early bird tickets $6.

CAPITAL EATS

This strip mall near Bank and Hunt Club is worth a visit

As, on a bitterly cold day, I made my way into Di Noodle for a warming bowl of soup, it dawned on me that this strip mall at Bank and Hunt Club has some decent little eateries. Out of this realization a new idea was born: Destination Dining. 

The goal is to find the best of where to eat within a narrow geographical area. This year will reveal a few such terrific finds I hope and we begin today with places for lunch, dinner, and dessert.

Click here to read about all three restaurants our food editor recommends and instantly subscribe to our free food newsletter covering restaurants, drinks and food in the capital region

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• The cold hard math does not lie: the Sens season will not end with playoffs after the New Jersey Devils beat them 4-2. The Devils were not shy about dunking on the team. [The Associated Press/New Jersey Devils]

• Stay ahead of the NHL action with Hockey Recap's newsletter! Get game highlights and expert insights delivered to your inbox. Sign up for free today. [Sponsored]

• In true Sens fashion, the team pulled out a 3-2 OT win in Washington on Sunday. [Ottawa Senators]

• April is here, which means the end of sugarbush season. Families flocked to the Log Farm to get one last taste of fresh maple. [CTV]

• Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to everyone who got last week’s Ottawa Wordle. The answer was STORM, as in all the snow that arrived.

For this week’s Ottawa Quiz, we want to know…