Siobhan Kirkland

Person struck by a driver inflicting serious injury, the first tragedy of 2026. We expect this person, their family and community, have a life-changing road to recovery. We know that Ottawa has a road safety policy of accepting tragedy as inevitable. This tragedy is an outcome, not an accident.

Tragedy exposes weak standards. Canada lags the EU on vehicle size and pedestrian impact safety, and people are dying because of it. Rapid change means opportunity—align our vehicle rules with Europe now

I used to be in favour of Lansdowne 2.0. I've changed my mind I used to be in favour of the Lansdowne 2.0 development. I changed my mind because I don’t trust this deal. | Opinion

This is a great piece from Bruce Deachman, on Lansdowne 2.0 and responsibility. ottawacitizen.com/news/local-n...

I used to be in favour of the Lansdowne 2.0. I've changed my mind I used to be in favour of the Lansdowne 2.0 development. I changed my mind because I don’t trust this deal. | Opinion

"Every million dollars spent at Lansdowne is a million dollars not being spent elsewhere. The city likes to (favourably) compare the cost of Lansdowne 2.0 to the cost of doing nothing. What it should compare are the costs of Lansdowne 2.0 against everything else." ottawacitizen.com/news/local-n...

Photo of a car that is partly on the street and angled partly on the sidewalk, with its side door panels smashed in and some debris on the street.

Welcome to the war on cars, cars! (Just your totally normal 10pm hit-and-run with a parked car. Whoever switched off the alarm without looking out the window first is going to have a bad morning.)

I feel like I say this every year but I really need people to hear it. Halloween is the best American holiday. Just kids outside welcomed into their world, marching around together, showing off their costumes to the elderly, parents meeting parents, neighbors catching up with neighbors.

We are one of the geographically largest cities in Canada; we pay the price for this with ageing and decrepit infrastructure and are sitting on billions of dollars and under resourced assets; these continue to crumble due to decades of austerity budgets and poor planning.

'Do they want us all on the street?': Eviction can mean homelessness for Ottawa seniors Seniors are becoming the new face of the renovicted. And if they lose their homes, many can't afford a new place to rent.

Most of the renovictions that my office hears about involve seniors — long-term tenants who have paid their rent for decades and then are evicted so the landlord can jack up the rent. Glad that the @ottawacitizen.com delved deeper into to this issue.

ottawacitizen.com/news/local-n...

The same has been experienced in #OttCity by a similarly ideologically motivated premier. Safe consumption sites work and save lives, are better for communities. @arieltroster.com @catmckenney.bsky.social

Photo-radar tickets make you feel like you have been snookered. They provide you a date and a location, and an attached photo, and says you were clocked at an excessive rate of speed – in this case, 54 kilometres an hour in a 40 km/h zone, which isn’t even particularly excessive. You read the letter, try to think back on the day in question, and have no recollection of doing anything out of the ordinary. You were just driving along, at a normal rate of speed. And now, you’re looking at a fine of almost $100.

We fail to respect or enforce traffic laws to the point that people don’t actually perceive ignoring them to be breaking the rules. It’s just normal driving.

www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

I pulled over and stepped out into the road to take a few pictures. There is no disguising how ugly this parking garage is or will be.

Covid is rising. New vaccines may not be ready until mid-September. Updated coronavirus vaccines may not be available until mid-September, and people who are not considered high risk may not be able to access them.

No one could have foreseen this.

www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

Warming tray?

RAIC needs to better advocate for design, culture, and the future of our profession Canada needs a strong Royal Architecture Institute of Canada (RAIC) to advocate for architects and architecture and to create the Canada we aspire to be. And if the RAIC of today isn’t up to the task,...

For the morning read: I’ve long argued Canada needs an active and engaged, vibrant and focussed advocate for architecture, one that engages with Canadians to realize better #PlacesForPeople; see my article in The Architects Newspaper www.archpaper.com/2025/08/roya...

#OttCity spends over $100m annually on new/widened roads (plus reg maintenance); this is many times more than is spent on cycling/pedestrian infrastructure; these are choices. It’s just a matter of political will. @neilsara.bsky.social @jleiper.bsky.social @tkavanaghbayward.bsky.social

A classic from the @newyorker.com

Detail of a screenshot of a fire smoke map showing a wave of smoke covering Ontario and heading towards Ottawa.

Here it comes again, mask up with a fitted respirator if you're going outdoors and get some HEPA filters or CR boxes running indoors.

This

Important conclusion from the ICJ here that "under international law, the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is essential for the enjoyment of other human rights"

Doctor describes 'total carnage' as 27 reported killed by Israeli fire at Gaza aid centre - live updates For the second time in three days Palestinians have been killed while collecting aid - the IDF confirms it fired shots and is investigating.

So they let some aid to enter and then bomb the centre

Doctor describes 'total carnage' as 27 reported killed by Israeli fire at Gaza aid centre (about 90 injured)

www.bbc.com/news/live/cv...

Scotty is a sweet soul I know from years ago when I was staff at a family camp in Quebec. Please, #ottawa: keep a lookout for him if you are on or near transit or anywhere downtown. He is vulnerable and loved.
And please share widely.

missingpeople.ca/missing-man-...

Large digital screen on a city street with Bicycles deliver the freedom that auto ads promise in white type on black

Happy World Bicycle Day.

Good morning and Happy Wednesday!

The dogs and I enjoyed the beautiful snowy sunrise this morning. A lovely way to start the day.

Have a great day!

#Ottawa #OttawaWanders

Good morning and Happy snowy Monday Ottawa!

My northern dogs had a great time dragging me through the snow banks this morning and it was nice to enjoy the quiet of our beautiful city transformed after the snowstorm.

Have a great start to the week!

#Ottawa #OttawaWanders

💯

Ottawa folks I highly recommend skating or walking/running along the @NCC_Skateway to work this morning it’s in way better shape snow wise than the impassable sidewalks.

#Ottawa #OttawaWanders

Sidewalks who needs them when they can just be snow storage for the roads. I know there was a lot of snow but yesterday the sidewalks were passable and now they’re massive snowbanks while the roads are clear. #Autowa as usual showing that it prioritizes cars and not people.

#Ottawa

Very snowy Sunday in Ottawa.

My Northern dogs have been enjoying the snowy weather lately and having lots of fun playing and sniffing in the snow.

#OttawaWanders #Ottawa

Happy Gotcha day to the best girl!

I can’t believe it was a year ago that Ocean arrived from Nunavut. It’s been a wild year and I could never have imagined all the ups and downs of our journey together and unexpected puppies but it’s been the best adventure with my sweet girl.

Monday mood!