This is Ottawa

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Latest episodes

• Is the Byward Market safe? A cop and a former addict weigh in

  October 5, 2026 · 20 min

  The historic heart of Ottawa has a problem. Many voters have told us they feel the Byward Market has become less safe. There are fears about open drug use, crime and homelessness. So what can be done? In part two of our “blind date”…

• The sexual offender being tracked by Ottawa neighbourhood groups

  September 28, 2026 · 20 min

  In late August, police issued a warning about high-risk violent sexual offender Aaron Gilpin now living in the Ottawa area. The release included a photo of a man with facial tattoos whose criminal history included a brutal child-related…

• Is there too much sprawl in Ottawa?

  September 21, 2026 · 22 min

  In part one of our “blind date” municipal series, we pair up a home builder with a green space advocate to talk about urban sprawl. Because if provincial projections are correct, Ottawa’s population will reach 1.68 million by 2051. So…

• The untold history of how Ottawa was founded 200 years ago

  September 14, 2026 · 19 min

  Ottawa is marking its bicentennial on September 26, 2026. But what actually happened on the day the city was born 200 years ago? Longtime journalist and history buff Randy Boswell takes host Robyn Bresnahan to the spot where Bytown began…

• "I did almost no teaching": an Ottawa teacher on why he’s quitting

  September 7, 2026 · 15 min

  When Nick Paul started his teaching career, he loved it. But just a decade in - he quit. Nick tells Robyn Bresnahan about what led to his breaking point - and why he thinks Ottawa’s teacher “shortage” is actually a retention crisis.

• What I wish I'd known before running for mayor

  August 31, 2026 · 18 min

  After eight years as an Ottawa city councillor, Catherine McKenney decided to run for mayor. They lost to Mark Sutcliffe. In the final part of our series In Hindsight, McKenney reflects on the campaign, bridging the city’s urban/rural…

• What I wish I’d known before leaving journalism for politics

  August 24, 2026 · 19 min

  Carol Anne Meehan spent one term as an Ottawa city councillor after a career in journalism. In Part 3 of our series In Hindsight, she spills the tea on life inside city hall, the advice she received from the late councillor Diane Deans and…

• What I wish I’d known before becoming a school trustee

  August 17, 2026 · 20 min

  Long hours, little pay and limited power — or on some school boards under provincial supervision, none at all. In Part 2 of our series In Hindsight, Robyn Bresnahan speaks to Justine Bell, a former English public board school trustee for…