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What would it take to make the Rideau Canal swimmable? Where do you go to find love in Ottawa when you've given up on online dating? Every week, host Robyn Bresnahan seeks out people to answer one question about the city we love. New episodes every Monday.

CBC


    • Jun 2, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 17m AVG DURATION
    • 65 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from This is Ottawa

    Hooked on urban fishing in the Rideau Canal

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2025 24:40


    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. 

    The rise of the run club

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2025 18:09


    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.

    ICYMI: What happens during an all-nighter at the Elgin Street Diner?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2025 33:18


    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.

    What happens during an all-nighter at the Elgin Street Diner?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2025 33:18


    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.

    Stand-up city: why comedians love Ottawa

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2025 17:30


    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.

    Has Ottawa ever been a baseball town?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2025 17:37


    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.

    “Our child no longer dreads going to school” - the fight to save alternative schools

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2025 24:57


    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.

    child longer ottawa dreads alternative schools
    UPDATE: And the bride wore…a barbarian warlord dress?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2025 15:09


    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. 

    An Ottawa couples therapist is hot on social media. Who is she?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2025 16:58


    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'.

    Why does the Ottawa Hospital use leeches on patients?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2025 14:02


    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. 

    What's a day in the life of a 3-1-1 operator like?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2025 17:32


    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.

    What went on inside Ottawa's Dominion Observatory?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2025 14:23


    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.

    BONUS EPISODE: When did Ottawa surprise you?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 11:14


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

    LIVE SHOW - PART TWO: When did Ottawa surprise you?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2025 22:11


    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.

    LIVE SHOW - PART ONE: When did Ottawa surprise you?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2025 22:20


    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.

    What does a day in the life of CHEO's critical care response team look like?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2025 17:32


    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.

    What's it like to live with HIV today?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2025 21:29


    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.

    What can be done about Ottawa's rat problem?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2025 18:12


    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.

    Can Ottawa's independent corner stores survive?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2025 16:40


    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.

    What are “super lice” and how should we treat them?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2025 15:05


    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.

    What happens on a morning commute with the Mayor?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2025 23:29


    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.

    How did Ottawa become a hotspot for holiday movies?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2024 18:26


    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.

    How are Ottawans fighting back against car thieves?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2024 18:22


    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.

    How did Hitler's car end up in Ottawa?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2024 16:01


    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”?

    How is Ottawa's housing crisis putting people fleeing violence in even more danger?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2024 20:49


    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.

    Why do Ottawa's racialized and low-income neighbourhoods tend to have fewer trees and what's being done about it?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2024 14:22


    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. 

    There's another Ottawa out there. In Illinois. We head across the border to ask: how are those other Ottawans feeling about the US election?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2024 22:09


    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.

    Why is one of Chinatown's most iconic restaurants closing?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2024 25:38


    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.

    What's with Ottawa's love-hate relationship with roundabouts?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2024 16:25


    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.

    Is Ottawa an island?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2024 14:31


    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.

    Have land acknowledgements become “white noise”?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2024 16:37


    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 who grew up on different First Nations but share similar views on what land acknowledgements ought to include to make them more than “white noise”.

    What happens when Robyn knocks on the door of her former Carleton University residence room - 27 years later?!

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2024 20:39


    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.

    What happened to the O'Brien Hotel in Gatineau Park?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2024 14:27


    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.  

    What's the new Night Mayor's plan to revitalize Ottawa's social scene from sundown to sunrise?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2024 32:40


    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.

    How will a new museum tell the story of the Vietnamese “boat people” who sought freedom in Ottawa?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2024 12:50


    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.

    Why aren't there more places to eat and drink along Ottawa's waterfronts?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2024 19:08


    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.

    Where do queer seniors find community in Ottawa?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2024 13:55


    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.

    How did Glenroy Gilbert's Olympic gold change the advice he now gives as head coach for Athletics Canada?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2024 19:07


    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.

    From podium high to life low: What inspired an Ottawa Olympian to help elite athletes find meaning in life after sports?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2024 19:30


    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 suicide.

    Why did Ottawa backpedal on bike sharing?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2024 14:54


    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.

    Could Calgary's water crisis happen in Ottawa?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2024 15:03


    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.

    How is Mechanicsville balancing gentrification with the preservation of its working-class history?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2024 12:47


    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.

    Why is there a ‘private' lake in Rockcliffe that's off limits to public swimmers?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2024 15:41


    “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.

    Catcalls, eyerolls and butt slaps: What's it like to be a woman in the trades?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2024 19:26


    "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.

    Why does Ottawa musician Jim Bryson wish he'd trained as an electrician?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2024 10:41


    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.

    Ottawa flies hundreds of flags when foreign dignitaries come to town. Where are they all kept - and what happens when there's a diplomatic flap over flags?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2024 15:47


    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. 

    Wait, is that a ukulele?! The strange things people do while running the Ottawa marathon

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2024 14:35


    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.

    Why is a new generation behind Ottawa's organic farms choosing a life in the fields?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2024 23:39


    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.

    What's it like for an American Olympic hockey star to become Ottawa's hometown hero?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2024 14:34


    When Ottawa hosted its first PWHL game, it broke an attendance record for a women's professional hockey game. It's a night Hayley Scamurra won't forget - not least because she scored the first goal for Ottawa. Robyn Bresnahan recruits a young player with the Nepean Wildcats to interview Hayley about that goal, living in Ottawa and having to switch her Ottawa jersey for her Team USA jersey to face-off against her teammates. 

    Who was Thad Johnson and why is there a road named after him?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2024 15:06


    As you drive to the Ottawa airport, there's a sign for Thad Johnson Private. It's a small road with an incredible story. Robyn Bresnahan dives in with an amateur historian who began researching after seeing a particular photo of one of the world's most famous aviators' visit to Ottawa.

    What would it take to make the Rideau Canal a destination for swimmers?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2024 13:03


    It's a popular travel route for pleasure boaters…But not many people dare to dip a toe into the canal, let alone swim. Should they? An 80-year-old triathlete shares how he swam in the canal and lived to tell the tale, and a biologist tells Robyn what's REALLY in that water. 

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