Ottawa Citizen: Ottawa-area athletes at the Olympics and when they compete

For more Olympic coverage with a local twist, visit ottawacitizen.com

The Ottawa Citizen posted a handy guide to Ottawa-area athletes competing in the Olympics: who they are and when to watch ‘em. 

For other Olympic news, visit: olympic.ca.

From Perth’s Ian Millar, Gatineau’s Stephanie Leclair and Karine Thomas, Ottawa’s Seyi Smith, Gloucester’s Segun Makinde and more: it’s all there.

Head on over the the Ottawa Citizen to get the full scoop, and let us know what you think of their performances!

Thanks for making it easy for us, OC! 

Ottawa Citizen: 2011 Census – The lure of Ottawa-Gatineau

The Ottawa Citizen caught our eye yesterday, tweeting with new(ish) residents about why they moved to the region. Today, they published a great little story that’s worth checking out.

Just look at these stats: 

• Another 102,691 people are calling Ottawa — Gatineau home, compared to five years ago
• There’s been a 9.1-per-cent growth rate in the Ottawa-Gatineau region
• The population of the Ottawa-Gatineau metropolitan area is now 1,236,324

What can we say, we think it's cool when journalists use Twitter to track down local sources.

The article reads:

Steven and Jensina Wilson were attracted to Ottawa because it’s a nice, clean and safe city.

The couple had been married less than a year when they packed up their lives in Regina, Saskatchewan and made the trek east in June 2010. They’re expecting their first child in May.

“We decided to move here to start a family. It’s a lot nicer a city than a lot of Saskatchewan,” [Steven Wilson] said. “We like the landscape — it’s so green here. And, compared to a lot of the rest of the country, Ottawa has a really low crime rate.”

To read the story (and we suggest you do!), head on over to the Ottawa Citizen. 

Did you miss the Santa Claus parade?

Did you miss Ottawa’s 42nd annual Santa Claus parade?

Fear not. As always, the Ottawa Citizen has put together a great photo gallery of all the cheer.

Click this photo, by the Citizen’s Christopher Pike, to see more:

What are you doing to get  ready for the holidays? We’d love to hear all about your Christmas in the Capital , so send a note to ltottawa@gmail.com to tell us about your traditions. 

We’re WHAT worst? Song out of tune with Ottawa fashion scene

A scene from last year's Ottawa Fashion Week (Photo credit: Charles Crosbie, via Flickr)

Jenna Farrell (blog/Twitter) is a twenty-something PR girl who recently returned to Ottawa after two years in Toronto. She currently does freelance PR work for small businesses and startups. Jenna is also an avid blog reader/writer and you can learn more about her passion for fashion and eye for vintage finds at www.navyandgold.wordpress.com.

In a recent MSN listing inspired by GQ magazine, freelance writer Vivian Song ranked Ottawa as the eighth worst-dressed city in the world. (Falling behind Vancouver, which ranked third. Ouch.) Shortly after Song’s article came out, Ottawa Citizen journalist Kristy Nease reported on the ranking with the following explanation:

“Some people call Ottawa the city that fun forgot. They walk through the downtown core after 8 pm – or Sparks Street Mall at any time of day – and wonder where the excitement, the glittering nightlife, the hip young people are hiding.”

Jenna Farrell (Photo credit: John Paille, via Flickr)

No offense to the local BIA, but Sparks is hardly Ottawa’s true heartbeat. I have lived in Ottawa a total of five years and I can count on one hand the number of times I have been to the ‘pedestrian mall.’

(Once was to get my passport photo taken and the other times were to visit local favourite Darcy McGee’s pub.)

In her ranking, Song characterizes Ottawa as a city populated by suit-and-tie civil servants. In many ways, she is right. Our downtown core is where the majority of our government buildings stand and it hosts thousands of civil servants, who make certain they’re at home before 8 pm. SHOCKER.

A scene from inside Babylon Nightclub (Photo credit: missionlessdays, via Flickr)

But where Ms. Song really loses me is when she writes that we, in Ottawa, have zero audacity to be different and we all apparently look like we’re frozen in the 1980s. She also goes on to say that Ottawa is perhaps the least sexy city in Canada.

Where she gets this from, I don’t know.

If only Song could attend Grind at Babylon Nightclub on a Saturday night. If this were the case, I doubt she would still feel this way. (Trust me, sexy practically radiates out of the small nightclub known around town for its famed hip-hop and dancehall night.)

I also wonder when Song last visited Ottawa. It may well have been the 1980s, for all we know. According to her blog, she currently resides in Paris. If her ranking of Ottawa was a direct comparison to her  European home, I might even agree with her conclusions. But the article unfortunately ranked Ottawans alongside those living in such cities as the Jersey Shore.

I by no means am saying that Ottawa is a New York or a Paris or a Milan. But I will say that we weren’t placed in proper company in that ranking.

Victoire describes itself as a rock 'n' roll tea party (Photo credit: fieldtripp, via Flickr)

Speaking as someone who has recently returned to Ottawa after two years spent in Toronto, I feel that I have come back to a city vibrant in fashion, style and the overall vibe.

I love strolling along Dalhousie and stopping by Victoire, Workshop and Young Jane’s. Vintage lovers can score great finds at placed like Aunt Olive’s, Ragtime and Hand Down Your Pants. Or tuck into the Market to find Roadtrip, Schad or Trustfund for more trendy styles. And I am eagerly looking forward to the upcoming seventh season of Ottawa Fashion Week. If only Ms. Song could join me.

What I often tell newcomers to Ottawa who have ill things to say about our city is this: The difference between living in Ottawa vs. living in other large Canadian cities is that  the excitement, the glittering nightlife, and the hip young people won’t come to you. The glittering nightlife is here – but it’s not next door to our government buildings, nor can the young, hip people be found reading poetry along the Sparks Street Mall.

However, if you venture into LowerTown, Hintonburg or along Elgin, you will find the glitter you are looking for. (And if you make your a little further, all the way to ChinaTown or Little Italy, it’s likely that you will find the young hip people that are supposedly hiding.)

In sum, I find the photo Song used to symbolize Ottawa’s fashion to be quite emblematic of her characterization of Ottawa: Stereotypical and shallow.

Typically, when one makes a judgement of a city’s fashion scene, they don’t use a stock image of some idiot with an oversized red briefcase.  They go to the streets, and see what people are really wearing. If Song did this, she might have found fashion bloggers walking down Laurier after 20 York Street‘s #LifeofStyle event at ARC the Hotel last week, or trendy hipsters enjoying Karaoke at Shanghai restaurant on Somerset. What about the awesome ambiance at The Moonroom?

Instead, a lazy stereotype was used to characterize our entire city’s fashion scene.  Which makes me wonder … should any of us actually care about her ranking in the first place? (Just so you know, the No. 1 worst-dressed city was Orlando, filled with mini-van driving families heading to the ‘Happiest Place on Earth’ at Disneyworld.)

On Sept. 16, Song tweeted:

We don’t hate you, Ms. Song, but I think we here in Ottawa can all agree that you are terribly misinformed.

Thanks, Jenna! Sounds like Ottawa has a lot of style to celebrate! Let us know what places others should be checking out by leaving a comment below!

Curious about what happened in your Ottawa riding?

Wondering how Ottawa's ridings turned out in last night's federal election? Click the image (photo credit: Ottawa Citizen).

Q&A with award-winning photographer Paul Couvrette

Paul Couvrette, of Couvrette Studio

Paul Couvrette is an Ottawa-born, award-winning photographer whose been practicing his craft for 35 years. Shooting everything from portraits of prime ministers to weddings to advertisements, his downtown Ottawa space, Couvrette Studio, is a hopping place. Named Canadian Photographer of the Year in 1994, Paul has shot more than 300 magazine covers, his work gracing the front of Time, Reader’s Digest and Ottawa Life.

When did your passion for photography begin?

I did a Journalism degree at Carleton University and freelanced as a writer for two years, primarily as an art critic for a number of magazines and the Ottawa Citizen. During that time, every time I was asked to do photojournalism to accompany the articles — editors praised the photography as much as the writing. Frankly, I was paid as much to write as the shoot … and I simply liked shooting better.

You’ve shot some big Canadian names, from Rick Mercer to former Olympians, even Prime Minister Stephen Harper. What’s been the most memorable shoot in recent years? Any funny stories?

Rick Mercer, taken by Paul Couvrette

There are literally hundreds of memorable shoots from my time covering Trudeau to my assignments in the Arctic.

Funny stories … Well, just before I did Rick Mercer’s portrait he asked me to make certain I did not make him look like a comic. And he was serious!

Photographing Trudeau on Canada Day once I saw Justin Trudeau pop a balloon on a hot video light. The “POP” resulted in two RCMP undercover men pulling weapons and pointing them right at me since I was a foot from Trudeau. I asked him about the scare a bit later and he said the he wasn’t worried “since they were good shots.” I think he meant the RCMP.

How do you put those in front of the lens at ease? Any secrets?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital Style cover of Amanda Forsyth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are a lot of different techniques, but primarily I tell them that I sympathize … since I, too, hate being in front of a camera.

In your opinion, what makes a photograph sing?

Expression, composition, tonality and storytelling are the key elements of a good photo. I respect any artist who has a strong command of their medium as it still stands out amongst the digital onslaught of our time.

You also seem to be a photographer of many hats, shooting weddings, portraits, architecture and ads. Do the same basic principles apply to each style? How do they differ?

Yes, I am a bit of a rarity in that not only do I shoot all these styles, but I have won major awards in each area. Yes, the same basic principles apply, except of course that in photographing people you have both the challenge and the benefit of using expression to tell the tale.

Photo by Paul Couvrette

Any favourite shooting locations in Ottawa? (Besides your studio, that is.)

I love my large studio since it lets me shoot things most people can only dream of. If I was to choose another location it would have to be on the Ottawa River in one of the beautiful spots in Beachburg (about an hour’s drive west of the city.)

Ottawa's skyline by Paul Couvrette

For those photo junkies out there, what gear do you use?

My main camera is a Canon 5D Mark II … Though I wish film was still around.

Beyond the camera, how else do you enjoy exploring Ottawa?

I have two children aged 11 and 15 who have forced me to have a second childhood. On Sunday night, I was sliding at Winterlude.

What do you think about the state of the photography industry?

Digital impacted the public quite negatively in that many have a lower expectation of end product than they did only a decade ago. Sadly, the bulk of people are so overworked that they can barely make time for a family portrait and settle for a WalMart snap. I am certain that many people will regret their choice of poor quality images to remember the key times of their lives. Everything comes back around and I’ll be here waiting.

Christmas Portrait taken in Couvrette Studio

Thank for the chat, Paul! Check out more of his amazing work on both his portrait and commercial sites, and on his blog.

The Festival of Chocolate – a delicious event for a great cause

The Festival of Chocolate: Thursday February 10, 2011 at Lago

 

Katherine Carter has lived in Ottawa for five years, and is the Community Relations Coordinator for the city’s Distress Centre. She is also the head of  this year’s Festival of Chocolate. This week, Local Tourist Ottawa was lucky enough to have a short Q&A with her to learn a bit about this fundraiser.

The Festival of Chocolate sounds like a delicious event! Who will be competing and how will the chocolatiers be judged?

We have such wonderful competitors this year that I’m really excited about. This year, Roch Fournier (Rochef Chocolatier), who was our winner from last year’s competition, will be returning for his second year. We are also fortunate to have the lovely Amanda Lunan, (Auntie Loo’s Treats)  who is a vegan baker, and Joe Collabro (Paticceria Gelatteria Italiana), an accomplished baker/chocolatier who has worked in the industry for more than 30 years. Roch, Amanda and Joe are three very talented individuals who come from different backgrounds and styles – a combination that is sure to add more to this year’s competition.

Each chef will have about 10 to 15 minutes to present their piece to a panel of judges, an amazing group including Ron Eade (Ottawa Citizen food critic), Chef Herve Chabert (Le Cordon Bleu) and Heinrich Stubbe (Stubbe’s Chocolates). The competitors will talk about what they used for ingredients, their inspirations and what they are hoping the guest and judges will experience. The judges will then have the opportunity to give their feedback, ask questions, and will score each competitor based on such things as use of chocolate, taste and creativity.

One thing to keep in mind is that this is an event that is meant to, above all, be fun.

The culinary network in Ottawa is so vibrant and passionate that it’s great to get everyone together where there’s no pressure of a formal competition, but we figured that because our competitors take their work to heart, we would make sure that the judges we had were able to speak from a similar perspective so that if they so desired, they could use that feedback to put directly back into their businesses and grow their inventory.

So what does this mean for the people who attend?

When the people arrive at the event, there will be the opportunity sample lots of chocolate from a variety of vendors, some who will be on-site to talk about their products. Kathleen’s Kitchen is one who has been a big supporter of ours and both Jack and Kathleen will be there to present their wonderful truffles. Guests will also be treated to a complimentary beverage of their choice. Throughout the night we there will also be a silent auction with some amazing items up for bid like Bluesfest passes, spa gift certificates, and much more.

Around eight o’clock our lovely master of ceremonies for the evening, Jen Traplin (LiVE 88.5) will start the chef competition… and then we’re off for another round of chocolate delights!

What’s this I hear about firefighters?

Ha! It’s true, we’ve been really fortunate to have the help of the Ottawa Professional Firefighter’s Association, they’ve been amazing. This year, they will be serving chocolate throughout the evening and are also helping us to raise money by raffling off some awesome prizes like Sens box seats and a Netbook. Again, it was just a natural evolution of the event through the contacts we had in the community and these guys are simply the best.

The Festival of Chocolate is a fundraiser for the Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region. Tell us about the Distress Centre and the services you provide.

The Distress Centre provides 24/7 confidential telephone call in services for individuals of all ages to connect with when they are in distress or feel they are deteriorating further into crisis. People can call for any reason: emotional support, stress, bullying, mental illness or even if they are thinking about suicide or are worried about someone at risk of suicide. Our volunteers receive the best training, currently we provide the most training hours of any Distress Centre in Canada (59) which includes the LivingWorks ASIST Suicide Intervention Certification, a course which is given to many professionals including community health care workers, psychiatric nurses and police officers.

We are volunteer based and an access point into the mental health system, since 2003 we’ve operated the Ottawa Hospital’s Mental Health Crisis Line so that should a person’s situation require an extra level of care we can actually transfer them directly to a crisis team worker. It’s a wonderful marriage of community grassroots working with professional care.

We are an important service for Ottawa, Champlain District and West Quebec because mental health affects us all, and we should all play a role in maintaining our own and our communities wellbeing. The Distress Centre exists so that anyone at anytime can always have someone to reach out to for help and support.

Tickets for the Festival of Chocolate are $50 per person and must be purchased in advance. Please call 613-238-1089 x 222 to buy your tickets, and support the Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region.

Thanks for chatting with us Katherine!

Surprise in the mail: Capital Dining by Anne DesBrisay!

I love mail!

When I arrived home from work today, I had a mysterious package waiting for me from a good friend and business colleague: a signed copy of Capital Dining by Anne DesBrisay, third edition.

I’m not sure there is a better way to say happy new year than to encourage friends to get out and enjoy the delicious food and wonderful dining atmospheres this city has to offer – so a big thanks to Derek!

The book serves as Ottawa’s 2011 restaurant guide, featuring more than “200 top restaurants, casual eats, and gourmet stops in Ottawa, Gatineau and the Valley.” DesBrisay has been sampling restaurants and chronicling her experiences in a weekly Ottawa Citizen column since 1993, and is the senior culinary judge for the Gold Medal Plates in Ottawa-Gatineau.

I’m excited! What do you think – just flip the book open to a random page every weekend and see where it takes me?

If you want to join me on my culinary adventure you can pick up the book in area book stores and specialty food shops , as well as through General Store Publishing House.

Cheers!

Ottawa Citizen: Winterlude needs private funds to continue, NCC chief warns

The Ottawa Citizen’s Kristy Nease has a story today about the future of Winterlude.

She writes:

National Capital Commission CEO Marie Lemay warned Friday morning that the popular Winterlude festival is no longer sustainable — unless private business moves in to take part.

Lemay made the announcement in front of a sold-out crowd of businesspeople at the Sheraton Hotel, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce for its Eggs ‘N Icons breakfast lecture series.

“We know that if we don’t change, really, fundamentally, the way we look at our business, the only thing we’ll end up doing at one point is having to cut an arm,” Lemay said. “That’s the only result at the end of the day if you’re not able to reinvent yourself and make really good use of your funds.”

From now until about 2013, Winterlude will transition to the new approach, becoming a testing ground for how to involve the private sector in future NCC events and plans, Lemay said in an interview following her talk.

Traditionally, the NCC takes on the role of sole producer, but in order for 32 years of Winterlude tradition to move forward, that has to end.” Click here to read the full article …