The Lunch Out Loud podcast looks to promote the amazing talent, food, events and music Ottawa has to offer. Every week we will introduce you to new things about Ottawa you never knew existed. ** This week: ** We meet up with Ilona Smyth who runs Smyth Casting in Ottawa. ...

March 14 was a big day for Craft Ontario, as it marked the official launch of the non-for-profit’s “Citizens of Craft” movement which is aimed at reclaiming the word “Craft”. The push for the movement came after Craft Ontario, in partnership with Canadian Crafts Federation and all provincial and territorial craft councils in Canada, started to become concerned that the ‘craft’ designation was becoming synonymous with large corporations pushing the idea of handmade. ...

OTTAWA, ONTARIO. The Down Syndrome Association, National Capital Region (DSA NCR) invites everyone in the city to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day on March 21, 2015. World Down Syndrome Day is an annual opportunity to recognize and celebrate the contributions made by people with Down syndrome every day in our schools, communities, workplaces and families. ...

_ Our crowdsourced list of the best events in Ottawa this week. You can find even more events on our Ottawa Event Calendar . _ ** Thursday, March 19: Senators Gameday Skate and Open Practice ** Ever wondered what it takes to make it to the NHL and stay there? ...

Beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, March 23, seasonal load restrictions are in effect. Commercial vehicles or trailers with a gross vehicle weight in excess of five tonnes or 11,000 lbs. per axle are prohibited on roads where restriction signage is posted, and on all truck routes identified as restricted on the Truck Route Maps ( Urban Truck Routes and Rural Truck Routes ). ...

** AOE Arts Council offers a new gallery season of opportunities ** (Ottawa, Ontario) Ten local artists will share their work with the public as part of AOE Arts Council’s 2015-16 gallery season. Since its arrival at the Shenkman Arts Centre in 2009, the Arts Council continues to offer its suite as a unique exhibiting space for artists. ...

_ ** Editor’s note: ** This article was originally published at The Kitchissippi Museum. _ A pub like Whispers is exactly what makes Westboro so great. While I’m not a big drinker, I can’t appreciate enough that a place like Whispers has been able to survive for so long. ...

The Ottawa-Gatineau International Auto Show happens from March 19-22 at the Shaw Centre (Ottawa Convention Centre) and we have a ** family pass ** (2 adults and 2 kids ages 6-12) to give away courtesy of ** Ford of Canada ** . ...

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) launched a new interactive web portal today to help parents access relevant, reliable and local parenting information online.  The Parenting in Ottawa portal was developed in response to the increasing use of the web to find information, support and community resources. ...

Now in its fourth edition, _ Free School _ is a free lecture and workshop series geared toward professional visual and media artists working in the Ottawa and Gatineau regions. Providing an exceptional opportunity to delve into a curriculum that few learning institutions deliver, _ Free School _ features leaders in various fields related to the arts, who will speak to artists in practical terms on a wide range of subjects. ...