/ #obsessed 

What Ottawa was obsessed with in 2020 (a year-end list)

Photo: A sign asks for social distancing at Rideau Centre. The year 2020 in Ottawa was marked by countless signs such as this. Although COVID-19 got the most attention this year for obvious reasons, it also led rise to some more subtle obsessions among Ottawans.

Toilet Paper

Back in the dark days of March, panic buying resulted in a brief shortage of toilet paper in most Ottawa stores. Luckily, with this second lockdown, Ottawa seems to have a better handle on the TP supply.

Tangentially related, sewage monitoring has meant a second bathroom-related obsession for Ottawa, as everyone wants to know what the poop report has to say about infection trends.

Wu-Tang Clan

In a surprising twist, Ottawa got some attention from the well-known U.S. hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, who rallied support for the Ottawa Food Bank in the spring. The group’s efforts resulted in donations of $280,000 shortly after, CBC reported.

Face Masks

Just because they’re mandatory, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear a mask you like. You don’t have to look far to see a fellow resident repping a locally-made or locally-branded mask. There are definitely a lot of options!

Vaccine

This month, both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines were approved for use in Canada, prompting a lot of optimism for an end to the pandemic someday soon. Vaccinations are happening in our city now for select people, but the general public will have to wait until winter and spring 2021 for their turn. Ottawa Public Health has more details on the vaccines here.

Transit

Not a year goes by without OC Transpo being on the mind for numerous reasons. Line 1 finally became reliable, when hardly anybody was using it. Eyebrows were also raised when it was revealed that the trains had suffered from cracks in their wheels, prompting a Transportation Safety Board investigation. Finally, construction of stage 2 light rail continued this year.

Professional Sports

Ottawa’s pro sports scene made some news this year. The Sens got a new (old) logo, a new baseball team was announced (The Titans) and city councillors threw their weight behind making Lansdowne Park work.

2021

Ottawa was obsessed with 2021, because we just want this damn year to be OVER ALREADY!

Some other obsessions worth mentioning:

  • Official plan
  • New ward boundaries
  • Snowfall (or lack thereof) in December
  • Ottawa Public Health’s twitter account

Anything else we missed?

Here’s to things improving in 2021… wishing you and your family a happy and healthy year!

And for our annual New Year prediction…. we predict that, in 2021, Kettleman’s will partner with SuzyQ to create the world’s first donut/bagel hybrid.