This is Ottawa

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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.

1D AGO

What it’s like for women inside Ottawa’s jail

There’s a big increase in the number of women incarcerated in Ontario. The CBC’s Julie Ireton dug into why - and spoke with two women who were in and out of the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre – and never want to go back.

24 min
12/29/2025

I did a podcast about stolen cars. And then my car got stolen.

Sometimes art imitates life. And sometimes life imitates podcast. That was the case for Robyn Bresnahan when she stepped outside one morning to discover her car was gone. In that moment, this episode from December 2024 flashed through her mind.

21 min
12/22/2025

How Ottawa became the capital of Christmas movies

According to Ottawa Tourism, more Christmas movies have been filmed in Ottawa than anywhere else. In this encore episode, Robyn Bresnahan hears why producers love the city for cheesy holiday rom-coms – and what it takes to make the city look like Christmas in the middle of the summer.

19 min
12/15/2025

Will the Mayor take the blame if the Ottawa Charge leaves town?

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe steps up to the plate for a year-end interview. On the roster: Lansdowne 2.0, unreliable transit, civility at City Council and being called “anti-women” after a spat with the PWHL. And, if you want to hear the one where Robyn joins the Mayor on a morning commute from Manotick, it's here.

20 min
12/08/2025

“Tinder for moms" How Ottawa women are using apps to find their 'village'

Making new friends in early parenthood can be trickier than you think. Because - beyond the baby - what else do you have in common? Robyn Bresnahan goes for brunch with a group of women who met on a matchmaking app for moms.

17 min
12/01/2025

Could Quebec’s doctor drain be Ottawa’s gain?

Hundreds of doctors are looking to leave Quebec -- angry at a new law. What will it mean in the Outaouais where doctors are already in short-supply? Could the discontent be a boon for Ontario?

17 min
11/24/2025

Math anxiety in Ottawa schools – why psychologists are worried

Fear and apprehension around math can start in elementary school. Recently, hundreds of school psychologists gathered in Ottawa to hear how math anxiety is impacting kids - and what can be done to overcome it.

15 min
11/17/2025

5-star filter: why Ottawa’s ‘food-stagrammers’ don’t post bad reviews

They’re not trained food critics. But tens of thousands follow their social media posts to find out where to eat. We go for lunch with four of the city’s top “food-stagrammers”.

18 min

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New to This is Ottawa? Start here

This city is much more than tulips and politicians. A million people now call Ottawa home. Each week, host Robyn Bresnahan seeks the answer to one question about the city we love. She finds the characters at the heart of the story - whether it's in the burbs, along the Greenbelt or right in the core of the capital.

07/04/2025

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2 min

5

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2 Ratings

Delicious taste of Ottawa

03/23/2024

Pansy Wife

So great to hear our beloved morning show host Robyn Bresnahan dig into some of the hidden gems inside this living breathing city. I look forward to each episode on my Monday walk to work! Keep going CBC!

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.