This is Ottawa

Great news! One of our - and your - favourite episodes has been nominated for an international podcast award! It’s the one where Robyn spends all night at the Elgin Street Diner. What transpired was a very Ottawa slice of life. If you love this episode, please vote for it in the Signal Awards. Deadline is October 9th.

A beloved yoga and spin studio in Nepean is shutting down after 15 years in business due to a big rent increase. The owners say they bent over backwards to try to find a solution - but the landlord wouldn’t budge. Robyn Bresnahan hears why commercial rents are through the roof and talks to a small business owner who worries this will change the fabric of Ottawa - for the worse.

Le Hibou is a place of near mythical status in the Ottawa music community. A tiny coffee house on Sussex Drive where the likes of Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen played. Robyn Bresnahan hears memories from those who were there in its heyday and explores whether Le Hibou could ever rise again.

When the “Mole Mobile” came to Ottawa over four days, it was overrun with people. Robyn Bresnahan spoke to people who waited hours to see a dermatologist.

Time for some trash talk. The city’s main dump is filling up. And one of the options councillors are considering for the future is burning Ottawa’s garbage. Robyn Bresnahan dives into the debate with a politician in favour of incineration and a waste expert who thinks the idea is rubbish.

From the best of This is Ottawa: She was told to try hairdressing. Instead, she picked up a wrench. Despite a shortage of skilled trade workers, women are still under-represented. Robyn Bresnahan visits a Manotick automotive garage to hear what life is like for the only woman who works there.(Originally published June 10, 2024)

From the best of This is Ottawa: A young girl was kicked in the chest by a horse -- causing a rupture to her heart. The child was airlifted to hospital by a specialized team from CHEO. Robyn Bresnahan hears the story and gets a chopper ride with the crew responsible for emergency care in the air. (Originally published February 2024)

From the best of This is Ottawa: From its opening in 1982, the Yangtze restaurant on Somerset Street became a destination for lovers of dim sum. But in the fall of 2024, the family-run business closed and the building was sold. The woman who grew up at the Yangtze tells Robyn Bresnahan about the bitter sweet good-bye.(Originally published October 2024)

From the best of This is Ottawa: In 2018 a boutique hotel called The O’Brien opened to great fanfare in Gatineau Park. The derelict mansion overlooking Meech Lake had been given a multi-million dollar facelift - funded by taxpayers. But the following year, it closed. Robyn Bresnahan investigates.(Originally published September 16, 2024)

From the best of This is Ottawa: They come up through toilets. They dangle from birdfeeders. Sometimes rats make your home THEIR home. Some residents proclaim rodent birth control is the answer. Others say it’s keeping rats out in the first place. Robyn Bresnahan talks to an Ottawa resident who dealt with a backyard overtaken by rats.(Originally published January 27, 2025)

The black horses ridden by Canadian Mounties are recognized the world over. But their lives begin just outside of Ottawa. Robyn Bresnahan visits the local breeding farm to discover what it takes for a foal to become a Musical Ride horse – and what happens to those that don’t make the cut.

If you hate mosquitoes, Kanata North might be for you. It’s the only ward in the city that has a mosquito control program. But why? How safe are the pesticides? And is it realistic to expect neighbourhoods to be mosquito-free? Robyn Bresnahan casts a wide net in search of answers.

Roller derby has a reputation for being loud and rough. It’s definitely that. But it’s also one of the warmest, most joyful sporting communities you’ll find in the city. Robyn Bresnahan hits up a practice to meet players who joined for very different reasons - but stayed on for the same one.

Once upon a time, Ottawa was dubbed ‘Silicon Valley North’. But what’s it like to start-up a tech company here these days? Robyn Bresnahan attends a pitch-a-thon for budding entrepreneurs and hears why they think Ottawa’s still got it.

This city is much more than tulips and politicians. A million people now call Ottawa home. Each week, host Robyn Bresnahan seeks the answer to one question about the city we love. She finds the characters at the heart of the story - whether it's in the burbs, along the Greenbelt or right in the core of the capital.

Imagine that you’re an artistic dancer. But your ‘studio’ is a sauna. And you have to perform in 85C heat. Welcome to the world of ‘aufguss’ - a communal ritual involving music, theatre, dance and SWEAT. Robyn Bresnahan meets the local sauna aficionados mixing artistry with athleticism.

On a hot summer’s day, what feels better than a cool dip? And if you’ve ever looked longingly at Dow’s Lake, wishing you could dive in - good news! Now you can. But how’s the water quality? Robyn Bresnahan dips into the data. 

A 14-storey office tower at the corner of O’Connor and Slater streets is about to be destroyed. But how do you bring down a building in such a densely packed area? Robyn Bresnahan learns about the painstaking preparation that goes into flattening a high-rise and finds out what’s set to replace it.

Libraries are known as quiet and calm places. But in recent years, there’s been an uptick in cases of harassment, suspected drug overdoses and thefts. Robyn Bresnahan sat down with three library workers, including Ottawa’s chief librarian, to find out how they’re coping.

You might scoff at the thought of catching your dinner from the canal. But how edible are the fish that swim between Dow’s Lake and downtown? Robyn Bresnahan goes boating with a fish expert to find out what comes out at the end of a rod - and what people do with the fish they catch in the canal. 

There’s a new breed of run club exploding in the capital. It attracts social-media loving millennials and Gen Zs who combine workouts with hangouts over coffee and craft beer. Robyn Bresnahan laces up to meet some of the fast and the curious.

For the past 32 years, the Elgin Street Diner has never locked its doors. Not once. In fact the day the owner bought it, he threw the key down the drain. Considering it’s one of Ottawa’s last remaining 24/7 diners, Robyn Bresnahan decided to pull an all-nighter to find out what it’s like in the wee small hours.

For the past 32 years, the Elgin Street Diner has never locked its doors. Not once. In fact the day the owner bought it, he threw the key down the drain. Considering it’s one of Ottawa’s last remaining 24/7 diners, Robyn Bresnahan decided to pull an all-nighter to find out what it’s like in the wee small hours.

Jokes about public servants = yes. Jokes about politics = hard no. A crew of Ottawa comedians tells Robyn Bresnahan what material works on audiences. And why they feel the city’s comedy scene is vastly underrated.

Even if you don’t give a hoot about baseball, this episode will surprise you. Did you know the original Ottawa Senators were NOT a hockey team? And that the uniforms of Ottawa’s first professional team became an international mockery? Robyn Bresnahan hears about the hits and misses of baseball in the city – and how once upon a time, the best team on the planet played here.

Ottawa’s alternative schools are facing the chopping block. The board says they’re under-enrolled and under performing. But kids and parents say they’ve been life changing. Robyn Bresnahan hears from both sides.

We have an update to one of our favourite episodes. The one about where to find love in Ottawa when you’ve given up on online dating. Robyn Bresnahan reconnects with a woman who’d tried everything from Bumble to badminton - but found a partner in the most unexpected of places. 

Dr. Tracy thinks it’s okay to go to bed angry. She’s also got advice for when your partner feels more like a roommate. The couples therapist has hundreds of thousands of followers. And few of them know she’s based in Ottawa. Robyn Bresnahan books an appointment on the therapist’s sofa to find out who she is and what her idea of a perfect date night in Ottawa looks like.Thanks to Cloud10 for the use of clips from the podcast 'Dear Dr. Tracy'.

This episode is going to suck. Because it’s about leeches - and how the Ottawa Hospital uses them on patients. Robyn Bresnahan checks out the “hotel” where the leeches stay and meets the nurse who has to convince people that sticking a leech on their skin is actually a good thing. 

From noisy neighbours to potholes to illegally parked cars, Ottawa’s 3-1-1 operators take hundreds of calls a day. What’s the job like? Robyn Bresnahan meets three operators to hear how they deal with complex questions, angry callers and some downright odd situations.

The Dominion Observatory at the Experimental Farm is most famous for astronomy. But that’s not all. Robyn Bresnahan hears about the fascinating history of parties, underground tunnels, earthquakes and a woman’s fight to wear pants in the workplace.

The Governor General's husband shares a story at our live show.

Two more stories from our live show at Red Bird. One involves an unexpected encounter with a childhood bully. And the other pokes fun at a very Ottawa obsession. If you hate smiling, this episode is not for you.

It’s our 50th episode!!! To celebrate - we did it live on stage at Red Bird. Five Ottawans got up in front of a packed audience and told stories about when this city surprised them. This week we’re airing the first two stories, starting at a bygone beloved local diner. Pull up a stool and enjoy.

Young Addy Myers was kicked in the chest by a horse, causing a rupture to her heart. She was airlifted to hospital by a specialized team from the children's hospital, CHEO. Robyn Bresnahan hears the story and gets a chopper ride with the crew responsible for emergency care in the air.

Rates of HIV are rising in Ottawa. But a diagnosis today is not the death sentence it once was. Robyn Bresnahan goes for tea with someone who tested positive shortly after arriving in Canada. They talk about finding love, keeping secrets from family and what happened when they decided to disclose their HIV status to their boss.

Rats coming up through toilet bowls. Rats hanging from bird feeders. What can be done once rats decide to make your home THEIR home? One city councillor has suggested rodent birth control. Another says education and prevention is the answer. Robyn Bresnahan meets a woman whose backyard was overtaken by rats - and rings up Alberta’s ‘rat czar’ to hear how that province stays (mostly) rat-free.

Some of Ottawa’s corner stores have been around for decades. But their numbers are shrinking. Robyn Bresnahan goes behind the counter to find out what life is like, how booze is changing the game and what would be lost if independent corner shops continue to close.

Lice lice baby. After a COVID siesta, lice are back. And so too is a strain referred to as “super lice”. Robyn Bresnahan combs through how to spot the difference and hears why one pharmacist says the current Canadian guidelines on treating lice need to be updated.

Fasten your seatbelts and hear what happens when host Robyn Bresnahan gets a lift from Manotick to City Hall with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. When they hit gridlock, Robyn surprises the Mayor with questions from Ottawans between the ages of 12 and 73. And when the Mayor boasts he can sing - she challenges him to prove it. It’s Carpool Mayor-aoke! Kind of.

The made-for-TV movie industry is booming. Particularly when it comes to holiday rom-coms. Robyn Bresnahan hears why producers love Ottawa as a location for these schmaltzy flicks - and what it takes to make the city look like Christmas in the middle of summer.

In the last decade, the number of vehicles stolen in Ottawa has shot up by nearly 250 per cent. Now some residents are fighting back. Robyn Bresnahan meets two victims of vehicle theft who’ve taken measures to thwart thieves. She finds out which Ottawa neighbourhoods and types of cars are targeted most often.

If you round a corner at the Canadian War Museum, you’ll come across an imposing black armoured car. It belonged to none other than Adolf Hitler. How on earth did one of Hitler’s cars end up in Ottawa? And how does the museum balance public interest with critics who say it “glamourizes Nazism”?

It can now take years for someone who has escaped domestic violence to find an affordable place to live in Ottawa. Robyn Bresnahan visits a shelter that is supposed to be a temporary refuge – but has become much more permanent for one woman and her family.

When it comes to trees, not all neighbourhoods are equal. Robyn Bresnahan takes a stroll from a “have” into a “have not” community with two tree experts to learn about why tree equity matters and what the City is doing to achieve it. 

For one week only we’re calling ourselves 'This is Ottawa, Illinois'. Robyn Bresnahan reaches out to the city south of the border to talk to fellow Ottawans about life there, how they’ve been thinking about the US Presidential election and what comes next.

Since 1982, Yangtze restaurant on Somerset Street has been a destination for lovers of dim sum. But the family behind it has decided it’s time to move on. Robyn Bresnahan meets its manager to find out why, what’s next and what its closure means to the families who’ve been eating there through the generations.

Depending on who you ask, roundabouts are either Ottawa’s answer to keep traffic flowing -- or 'pedestrian death traps'. Robyn Bresnahan heads to Ottawa’s newest roundabout in Orleans to hear why the City is in favour of building more roundabouts and how an engineer navigates criticism from those who feel they’re a dangerous waste of space.

Podcast listener Matt Bell has always been curious about something. Given that a central part of the city is surrounded by two rivers and the canal - is it technically an island? We took his question to a geology expert who initially guffawed and then dug into her stash of city maps to come up with an answer.

They’re read at sporting events, music festivals, school assemblies, corporate conferences and city hall meetings. But have they become more performative than meaningful? Robyn Bresnahan meets two women from different First Nations who share similar views on what land acknowledgements ought to include to make them more than “white noise”.