Ottawa Public Library - Join us for the 2022 One eRead digital book club!

Don’t miss this shared reading experience! More than 1000 public libraries across Canada are participating in this year’s national bilingual eBook club. Starting April 1 (and that's no April Fools Day joke!), and for the entire month, you can download the eBook of The Break by Katherena Vermette for free from your local library website – no waitlist and no limit to how many people can borrow at the same time!

The Break has won awards and great reviews since it was published in 2016, and it’s a story no one should miss out on reading for the drama, the characters, the intrigue and the chance to discover other lives, other places, other people, as only reading great fiction can do the novel has been called a powerful intergenerational family saga… and a window on to the lives of people in Winnipeg’s North End. Readers have been moved by the engrossing, tender and realistic story beautifully told through the perspectives of unforgettable characters.

This is a rare opportunity to read a recent and popular Canadian eBook simultaneously with thousands of others across Canada. Books are an important means of connecting and understanding the world around us and the importance of being able access to digital content has never been so evident as it has been during the pandemic.

Treat yourself to a national shared reading experience! Through One eRead Canada, libraries from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland and Labrador to the Yukon are facilitating bringing people together to read or listen to a single title, at the same time to engage with each other over their thoughts and feelings about the book and how it impacted them.

Mark your calendars to tune in to two live interactive conversations on Facebook and Twitter  with the author Katherena Vermette speaking to CBC`s Shelagh Rogers, host of  The Next Chapter on April 20 in English, and with the translator Mélissa Verreault speaking with Radio-Canada`s Marie-Louise Arsenault, host of Plus on est de fous, plus on lit! on April 21, in French. We invite you to download The Break and engage with others reading the book online through One eRead’s Twitter as well as on Facebook.

For more information please visit OPL's website.

If you have questions, please contact us at 613-580-2940 or InfoService@BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca.

Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association (FOPLA) Mammoth Book Sale

For all of you book lovers, the FOPLA's mammoth book sale is back!

Mammoth Book Sale / Vente gigantesque de livres

Saturday, March 26 / Samedi le 26 mars

Hours: 10 a.m. - 2p.m. / Heure: 10h - 14h

Location: 100 Tallwood / Addresse: 100, promenade Tallwood

Cash, debit and credit accepted / Argent comptant, débit et crédit acceptés

 

 

City of Ottawa - Cleaning the Capital registration starts March 15!

 

Registration starts March 15th. Let's get cleaning!

Join the thousands of community volunteers to help keep Ottawa clean and green in 2022!   Register your cleanup project for the 2022 Cleaning the Capital spring campaign by April 30th. Then, get cleaning between April 15 – May 31!  Cleanup kits will be made available for pick up at seven City of Ottawa facilities. Tips: If you can, please set out all collected waste/litter at your home on your regularly scheduled waste collection day. Remember to respect the six item limit. Visit Recycling and Garbage for more information. If you can't take it home, or if you anticipate collecting large quantities of waste/litter, please notify the Cleaning the Capital team PRIOR to your cleanup date so that we can arrange for on-site pickup (cleaning@ottawa.ca/ 613-580-2424, ext. 13458). Save your registration code to submit the online Cleanup Report for each project you completed by June 15, 2022. For more information on the Cleaning the Capital campaign, please visit ottawa.ca/clean. Thanks for keeping Ottawa clean and green! Spring Cleaning the Capital - Important dates: March 15, 2022                  Registration begins  April 15 - May 31, 2022      Spring Cleaning the Capital campaign  April 30, 2022                     Deadline to register  June 15, 2022                    Deadline to submit your online cleanup report

City of Ottawa - Masking policy changes for City of Ottawa facilities and OC Transpo

On Wednesday, March 9, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, announced that the province is removing its mandatory mask requirement for many indoor settings starting Monday, March 21. This next step in reopening is possible because the peak of the Omicron wave has passed and because of Ontario’s high vaccination rate.

The following City settings will no longer require the public to wear masks as of Monday, March 21:

• Indoor sports and recreational facilities
• Theatres, concert venues, meeting and event spaces
• Public libraries
• City art galleries
• Client Service Centres and other counter services

Residents who prefer wearing masks at these facilities are welcome to do so. We must all continue to show kindness and compassion to one another and respect individual tolerance for risk when together in public settings.

Settings still requiring masks

As determined by the Province of Ontario, masks continue to be required on OC Transpo buses and trains and in stations, and on Para Transpo minibuses and taxis.

Mask wearing will also continue to be required for all individuals in the City’s high-risk and congregate settings. This includes:

• Carleton Lodge, Centre d’accueil Champlain, Garry J. Armstrong, and Peter D. Clark long-term care homes
• Physical distancing and respite centres
• Ottawa Public Health’s vaccination clinics, dental clinics, sexual health clinics and supervised consumptions services.

There are several types of effective masks. The key is to ensure they fit you properly. However, long-term care homes require a medical-type mask, which they provide to staff and visitors.

Ottawa Public Health continues to recommend mask use for people at risk of severe illness and for all indoors when physical distancing is difficult.

For more information on learning to live with COVID-19, visit Ottawa Public Health’s new Reducing the risks from COVID-19 webpage.

Stay up to date on the latest transit information by visiting OC Transpo’s Alerts webpage or following OC Transpo’s Twitter accounts.

For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service. You can also connect with us through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Ottawa Public Library Service Update

Starting Monday, March 21, Ottawa Public Library (OPL) will offer enhanced in-person services in branches.  
 
These enhanced services include: 
 

• Chromebook loan periods and public computer bookings increased to two hours  
• Meeting rooms available at select locations 

Bookings can be made on the OPL website under “Make a booking” at the top right of the home page.  
 
Please note that masks will no longer be required for the public as the province is lifting its mandatory mask requirement for many indoor settings, including public libraries, starting Monday, March 21. OPL employees will continue to wear masks and physical distance until further notice.  
 
Online services are always available on OPL's websiteforbrowsing the catalogue, requesting library items, managing your account, virtual programs, accessing OPL’s digital collections, and more.  

City of Ottawa Special advisory: daytime winter weather parking ban in effect on Saturday, March 12 from 10 am to 7 pm

Due to weather conditions, a daytime winter weather parking ban will be in effect on Saturday, March 12 between 10 am and 7 pm across Ottawa. These hours might be extended if additional time is needed to complete winter road operations.

During a winter weather parking ban, parking is prohibited on city streets so crews can plow easily and effectively. Vehicles parked on the street during a ban may be ticketed and towed. On-street monthly parking permit holders are exempt from this restriction when they are parked in residential parking permit zones.

Available parking

During winter weather parking bans, residents will have access to select OC Transpo park and rides as well as certain recreation centres. Visit ottawa.ca/winter for more information about which City facilities are available during winter weather parking bans.

Commercial main streets

To help residents shop local, some commercial main streets are exempt from winter parking bans. When a parking ban is called during winter weather events, residents can park in the identified areas (view maps), while observing all posted signage and pay and display requirements.

Be in the know about snow

• Subscribe to our electronic email alerts. If you subscribe to e-Alerts, you will receive notification each time a winter weather parking ban is put in place, extended or lifted. There is no charge for this service, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
• Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to receive updates
• Residents can also download the City of Ottawa app on their Android or Apple device to receive up-to-date information on winter parking bans and other City news.

For more winter parking information, please visit ottawa.ca/winter.

For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service. You can also connect with us through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

City of Ottawa Recreation - Spring programs, art exhibitions and updated regulations

 

Spring eGuides are online

In-person and virtual spring programming can now be viewed online. We are excited to offer an array of programs for every interest. Registration opens at 9 pm on March 7 for swim and March 9 for all other programs. For more information go to Ottawa.ca/recreation.

Proof of vaccination lifted

Following the Province of Ontario’s next phase of its reopening plan, the City has removed the proof of vaccination requirements for its recreation and cultural facilities, effective Tuesday, March 1. Mandatory masking requirements remain, in accordance with the provincial public health measures.

Summer Camps

If you are working on booking your summer, then the City of Ottawa has you covered. We will be offering summer camps once again this year. Please follow our social media and this newsletter for further updates in the coming weeks.   If you are looking for March Break camps, you can register today!

2022 Karsh Continuum

Take a stroll around the Karsh-Masson Gallery at City Hall and admire the 2022 Karsh Continuum exhibit from March 3 to April 1. The exhibit features the work of Stéphane Alexis, Shelby Lisk and Neeko Paluzzi, and is curated by 2019 Karsh Award recipient Andrew Wright. Take a moment to explore the amazing art on display in our City.