This is Ottawa

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”.

There are nearly 9000 students living in college and university dorm rooms in Ottawa. So what’s dorm life like? And how much has changed in the nearly three decades since host Robyn Bresnahan lived in residence? She takes a trip down memory lane to find out.

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 was closed. What happened? Robyn Bresnahan investigates.  

Mathieu Grondin says he’s been in “listening mode” all summer since being appointed Ottawa’s new nightlife commissioner. So what did he hear? Robyn Bresnahan meets him for an evening stroll – ending up at an Ottawa speakeasy – where he gets a grilling from three night owls.

There’s a community garden at the corner of Somerset and Preston streets. But if Can Le’s dream comes to fruition, shovels will soon be in the ground for a brand new museum to commemorate the Vietnamese “boat people”. Robyn Bresnahan digs into the story of how Ottawans opened their homes and hearts to thousands of refugees in what became known as Project 4000.

Between the Ottawa River, the Rideau Canal and the Rideau River, Ottawa has some prime waterfront space. So why aren’t there more cafes and restaurants along it? Robyn Bresnahan goes for a bike ride with a chef who sees so much potential along Ottawa’s waterways. Plus, an urban planner weighs in with a bird’s eye view.

Clubs, bars, internet dating — so much of queer culture is focused on spaces for young people. So where does one go to find connection in their senior years? Robyn Bresnahan meets two longtime friends determined to create a safe community for Ottawa’s 2SLGBTQ+ community as they age. NOTE: This episode has been corrected. The original version misgendered one guest.

Ottawa’s Glenroy Gilbert was part of the relay team which famously defeated the Americans in the 1996 Summer Olympics, bringing home gold for Canada in the 4x100m. Although it was the highlight of his sporting career, he confesses to Robyn Bresnahan he wishes he’d done things differently.

Life after an Olympic medal isn’t always easy. When the extreme training, intense discipline, physical pain and world travel suddenly ends, some athletes can end up in a dark place. Robyn Bresnahan talks to a decorated Ottawa paddler who’s now helping fellow Olympians transition from one stage of life into another. Please note that this episode discusses mental health with a brief mention of suici...

You can rent an e-scooter in Ottawa with the scan of a QR code - but not a bike. While Montreal and other cities have had great success with bike-sharing, why did Ottawa’s past attempts deflate? Robyn Bresnahan hears about the wheels in motion to bring bike sharing back.

Residents in and around Calgary were asked to restrict their water use after a massive water main rupture. A local state of emergency was declared and infrastructure experts said the crisis should be a wake-up call for other cities too. Robyn Bresnahan wades into Ottawa’s system and hears about the work that's been going on since a local scare in 2011.

At 150 years old, Mechanicsville is proud of its blue-collar history. But like many other Ottawa neighbourhoods, old buildings are being replaced with new condos. Robyn Bresnahan takes a look under Mechanicsville’s ‘hood with a long-time resident who doesn’t want to see gentrification replace its gritty roots.

“The Pond” in Rockcliffe Park is a bucolic swimming hole in the city. But the lake right next to it is off limits to the public. Only residents who have homes backing on to the lake can swim or boat in it. How did this come to be? Robyn Bresnahan dives into the history of McKay Lake and hears how it’s more complicated than a tale of posh versus plebe.

"A lot of people laughed in my face and told me I should try hairdressing": tradeswomen in Ottawa have heard that - and worse. Despite a shortage of skilled workers, women are still under-represented. Robyn Bresnahan visits a garage in Manotick to hear what life is like for the only woman working there.

He’s a successful Ottawa musician. But Jim Bryson says he wishes he’d also trained in the trades. Robyn Bresnahan visits his home studio in Stittsville to hear why he thinks people ought to sing a different tune about the trades -- and he says Ottawa’s “classism” does nothing to help.

There’s a place in Ottawa where tens of thousands of foreign flags live. Robyn Bresnahan gets a tour from the woman in charge and finds herself feeling lucky she brought a secret weapon when an impromptu quiz on world flags breaks out. 

People have done some pretty weird things during the past 50 years of the Ottawa Race Weekend. But Hugh Neilson’s stunt might take the cake. Robyn joins the theatre director to hear why he intends to run 42 kilometres whilst singing and playing a ukulele. Plus a short history of other oddities.

If you shop at a farmers market or get a local veggie delivery, you may have noticed something. Those behind the stalls are fairly young. Robyn Bresnahan digs into why organic farming is an attractive career for a new crop of first generation farmers.