Skip to content
PodcastsNewsThis is Ottawa

This is Ottawa

CBC
This is Ottawa
Latest episode

127 episodes

  • This is Ottawa

    The Ottawa music venue that attracted some of the world’s hottest bands

    2026-08-03 | 21 mins.
    Le Hibou is a place of near mythical status in the Ottawa music community. A tiny coffee house on Sussex Drive where the likes of Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen played. In this encore episode, Robyn Bresnahan hears memories from those who were there in its heyday and explores whether Le Hibou could ever rise again.
  • This is Ottawa

    Ottawa’s weirdest auction site

    2026-07-27 | 16 mins.
    It’s like eBay - but run by the Canadian government. The GC Surplus site sells everything from ATVs used by the military to Air Jordan sneakers confiscated at the border. In this encore episode, Robyn Bresnahan gets a tour of the Ottawa warehouse - where she discovers the most gobsmacking item of all.
  • This is Ottawa

    Guardians of graffiti: the effort to protect Ottawa’s vanishing street art

    2026-07-20 | 17 mins.
    You can learn a lot about Ottawa through its street art - from protest movements to the histories of neighbourhoods. But graffiti and murals are often temporary. So a local software developer created a digital map - to archive the art. Robyn Bresnahan bikes the city with him, meeting street artists along the way.
  • This is Ottawa

    Should the new 24 Sussex be open to the public and closed to traffic?

    2026-07-13 | 20 mins.
    Now that it’s been decided that 24 Sussex Drive will be restored rather than torn down - what else should change in the area? The authors of a new book on the Prime Minister’s official residence say this is a golden opportunity to not just reno the house - but the entire area around it.
  • This is Ottawa

    Confessions of a former street racer

    2026-07-06 | 16 mins.
    Street racing is dangerous and illegal. Yet the roar of revving engines and screeching tires can be heard across the city all summer. In this encore episode, Robyn Bresnahan speaks to a former street racer who drove “without any concerns or worries of others” - and to a police officer who explains why these speedsters are so hard to nab.
More News podcasts
About This is Ottawa
How are high rents impacting Ottawa businesses? What happens during an all-nighter at the Elgin Street Diner? Every week, host Robyn Bresnahan does a deep dive into a story you're curious about and the issues you want to understand in the city we call home. New episodes every Monday. Have an idea for an episode? Email: thisisottawa@cbc.ca
Podcast website

Listen to This is Ottawa, The Daily and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app

  • Stations and podcasts to bookmark
  • Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Supports Carplay & Android Auto
  • Many other app features
This is Ottawa: Podcasts in Family