_ (Via National Capital Commission) _ To welcome thousands of young hockey players to CIBC’s Shinny Hockey Day, the National Capital Commission will temporarily close all 7.8 kilometres of the Rideau Canal Skateway, from downtown to Hartwells Locks, on Saturday, February 18, from 7 am to 9:15 am. ...

This year’s RBC Bluesfest runs from July 6-16, 2017 at Lebreton Flats. Here’s our small list of unconfirmed rumours and plausible speculation about possible acts this summer. You can add to this list by posting in the comments below. ...

_ (Via City of Ottawa) _ ** Ottawa ** – The City of Ottawa is seeking art professionals to design and create two original murals, one on each wall of the Main Street underpass, under Highway 417. The murals will reflect the surrounding area and create a distinct gateway into the neighbourhood. ...

It seems somebody has peed in council’s corn flakes. Over the past couple of weeks the behavior of city politicians has taken a cantankerous turn. What used to be healthy discussion and dissent has become outright angry and mean-spirited on more than a few occasions. ...

_ _ Hundreds bustled in and around Confederation Park Saturday afternoon as the second weekend of Winterlude festivities were underway. Joining them were a group of musicians and buskers. _ ** OttawaStart.com ** _ stopped by to snap some photos. _ Photos by Devyn Barrie _ ...

_ (Via OPP) _ (Ottawa, ON) –The Ottawa Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police investigated a motor vehicle collision on Highway 417. The driver of the van, who died as a result of the collision, has been identified as Gennadi BRIANSKI ( 50 yrs old) from Carleton Place, ON. ...

The CEO of Ottawa e-commerce company Shopify, Tobias Lütke, defended his company’s support of U.S.-based conservative news site Breitbart in an open letter on Wednesday. The company had faced backlash in recent days for hosting Breitbart’s online store, which critics said was condoning the so-called “alt-right” website. ...

_ (Via City of Ottawa) _ ** Ottawa ** – The City of Ottawa welcomes Anthony Di Monte as the General Manager of Emergency and Protective Services. Mr. Di Monte previously served as Acting General Manager of this department, and as Chief of the Ottawa Paramedic Service. ...

_ (Via City of Ottawa) _ ** Ottawa ** – The Ottawa Public Library (OPL) today received City Council approval to develop a new 216,000 square-foot Ottawa Central Library joint facility with Library and Archives Canada (LAC) at 557 Wellington Street. ...

[caption id=“attachment_62141” align=“alignright” width=“520”] Al Connors is the new theatre manager of the Gladstone Theatre (Photo courtesy Gladstone Theatre)[/caption] _ (Via Gladstone Theatre) _ The Board of Directors of The Gladstone Theatre is delighted to announce Ottawa’s own AL Connors will take the helm of the historic venue at 910 Gladstone Avenue. ...