Explore every episode of the podcast OttaTalk
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What happens behind the ballot box? | 31 Aug 2026 | 00:19:16 | |
When most people think about elections, they think about candidates, campaigns and Voting Day. But have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes to make an election possible? On the latest episode of OttaTalk, Ottawa City Clerk Caitlin Salter-MacDonald takes us behind the ballot box to explore the planning, people and processes that help make our Municipal elections happen. From recruiting more than 5,000 election workers and setting up hundreds of voting places across the city to ensuring voting is accessible, secure and fair, you'll learn what it takes to run one of the largest civic operations in Ottawa. Whether you're planning to vote, curious about how elections work, or interested in becoming an election worker, this episode takes you behind the ballot box to see how our municipal elections come together. Our hosts are Nathalie and Tom. Listen now: · YouTube Links for this episode: · Election worker job opportunities OttaTalk is the official City of Ottawa podcast, where City staff talk about programs, projects and initiatives that affect your everyday life. How can I prevent fires in my home? What are we doing to solve homelessness? How can we party safely? We have the questions and the answers on OttaTalk. Feedback Tell us what you think about this podcast and share your ideas for future episodes. Comment on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca. | |||
| How can we Party Safer, Ottawa? | 30 Jul 2026 | 00:24:55 | |
Today, we sit down with Ottawa Public Health to talk about partying safely – and why it’s so important. Whether you’re dancing at the club or grilling at a backyard bash, look out for yourself and others. On the latest episode of OttaTalk, Public Health Nurses Élisabeth Bélanger Hardy and Megan Francoeur share the tips that everyone should know before, during, and after a night out, party or event. Listen now to learn more about partying safer and the supports available for you, your friends and family: Links for this episode are:
OttaTalk is the official City of Ottawa podcast, where City staff talk about programs, projects and initiatives that affect your everyday life. How can I prevent fires in my home? What are we doing to solve homelessness? How are movies filmed in Ottawa? We have the questions and the answers on OttaTalk. Feedback Tell us what you think about this podcast and share your ideas for future episodes. Comment on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca. | |||
| How are you protecting your family from fire? | 26 Jun 2026 | 00:15:36 | |
Today, we are going on a home inspection with Ottawa Fire Services. Together, we’ll go from room to room looking for fire hazards and sharing safety tips. Today’s host is Shirley. On the latest episode of OttaTalk, we speak with Fire Prevention Officers Leanne Labbee and Andrew Watson about how we can prevent fires in our homes – and what to do if there is one. Listen now and follow along in your home:
Links for this episode are:
OttaTalk is the official City of Ottawa podcast, where City staff talk about programs, projects and initiatives that affect your everyday life. How are movies filmed in Ottawa? What are we doing to solve homelessness? What does By-law do all day? We have the questions and the answers on OttaTalk. Feedback Tell us what you think about this podcast and share your ideas for future episodes. Comment on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca. | |||
| What are we watching tonight, Ottawa? | 19 May 2026 | 00:24:31 | |
Today, we are going to the movies. Or, more specifically, the movies are coming to Ottawa – along with television, commercials and other productions filmed right here in our city. Today’s hosts are Mike and Erin. On the latest episode of OttaTalk, we speak with Ottawa’s Film Commissioner, Sandrine Pechels de Saint Sardos, about why Ottawa is a world class location for on-screen productions. Listen now to learn how Ottawa’s $90-million film industry supports local jobs, businesses and the city’s economy. Links for this episode are: OttaTalk is the official City of Ottawa podcast, where City staff talk about programs, projects and initiatives that affect your everyday life. How can we prevent basement flooding? What does By-law do all day? What are we doing to solve homelessness? We have the questions and the answers on OttaTalk. Feedback Tell us what you think about this podcast and share your ideas for future episodes. Comment on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca. | |||
| Is there going to be a flood this spring? | 31 Mar 2026 | 00:26:25 | |
It's time to launch Season 2 of the City of Ottawa’s official podcast and we OttaTalk about the City’s Spring Freshet Taskforce. What’s a freshet? It’s the annual spring snowmelt and rainfall that flows into rivers and creeks, raising water levels and increasing flood risk. Listen now to find out how the City works to monitor, prepare, inform and respond during the spring freshet. Today, we’ll talk with Jim Lethbridge, Area Manager for Emergency Planning and Response with the Public Works department. He will discuss how this multi-departmental team helps inform and support residents, how they work with local conservation authorities and the timeframe for peak water levels in the Rideau River watershed and the Ottawa River. Today's hosts are Tom and Shirley. Links for this episode are: This is OttaTalk, the official City of Ottawa podcast series where City staff discuss City programs, projects and initiatives. We’ll cover topics that affect your everyday life. How can we prevent basement flooding? What does By-law do all day? What are we doing to fix homelessness? We have the questions and the answers on OttaTalk. For now, look forward to a new episode from us each month. Feedback Tell us what you think about this podcast. We’re always looking for ideas for future episodes. Comment here, on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca. | |||
| Was Ottawa in 1826 just like the Wild West? | 27 Feb 2026 | 00:17:17 | |
In case you haven’t heard, Ottawa is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. This got us to thinking that we OttaTalk about what Ottawa was like in 1826 when it was founded as Bytown. City Archivist Paul Henry will tell us stories that make Ottawa in its infancy sound more like the wild west than the cosmopolitan world class capital it is today. What was the Stony Monday Riot all about and what else can we learn with a simple trip to the Ottawa Archives? A transcript of this podcast is available on the podcasts page of the City website. Links for this episode are: · City of Ottawa Archives | City of Ottawa · About OttaTalk - Podcasts | City of Ottawa This is OttaTalk, the official City of Ottawa podcast series where City staff discuss City programs, projects and initiatives. We’ll cover topics that affect your everyday life. How can we prevent basement flooding? What does By-law do all day? What are we doing to fix homelessness? We have the questions and the answers on OttaTalk. For now, look forward to a new episode from us each month. Feedback Tell us what you think about this podcast. We’re always looking for ideas for future episodes. Comment here, on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca.
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| What's new at my recreation centre? | 19 Jan 2026 | 00:25:42 | |
Looking to stay or get fit with activities that are affordable within your budget? On the newest episode of the City’s official podcast, we OttaTalk about the City’s new My Rec Pass. Listen now: Today, we’ll talk with Chantal Laporte, Program Manager with Recreation, Culture and Facility Services. She will discuss how the new My Rec Pass makes it easier than ever to stick to your New Year’s fitness goals and makes it affordable enough to allow you and your family to stay active and have fun. Today's hosts are Tom and Alexandra Links for this episode are:
This is OttaTalk, the official City of Ottawa podcast series where City staff discuss City programs, projects and initiatives. We’ll cover topics that affect your everyday life. How can we prevent basement flooding? What does By-law do all day? What are we doing to fix homelessness? We have the questions and the answers on OttaTalk. For now, look forward to a new episode from us each month. Feedback Tell us what you think about this podcast. We’re always looking for ideas for future episodes. Comment here, on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca. | |||
| When is my bus coming? | 19 Dec 2025 | 00:41:55 | |
Attention all transit nerds! In the latest episode of the City’s official podcast series, we OttaTalk about the Transit Operations Control Centre (TOCC). This is the communications nerve centre between rail and bus operations, Para Transpo operations, the Special Constables Unit, City operations and more. If you ever wonder how the City’s transit system runs behind the scenes 24/7, the TOCC is the room where it happens and this is the episode for you. Today's hosts are Mike and Shirley. Links for this episode are:
This is OttaTalk, the official City of Ottawa podcast series where City staff discuss City programs, projects and initiatives. We’ll cover topics that affect your everyday life. How can we prevent basement flooding? What does By-law do all day? What are we doing to fix homelessness? We have the questions and the answers on OttaTalk. For now, look forward to a new episode from us each month. Feedback Tell us what you think about this podcast. We’re always looking for ideas for future episodes. Comment here, on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca. | |||
| When is my plow coming? | 28 Nov 2025 | 00:23:03 | |
If you have ever looked out your window and wondered, “when is my plow coming?” you’re not alone. On the newest episode of the City’s official podcast, we OttaTalk about how the City responds when the snow starts to fall. Today’s guest is Richard Leight, a Zone Supervisor with the Public Works Department. Join our hosts as they get an inside look at the City’s winter operations, including all the different ways we monitor road conditions, why we have winter parking bans and how long it takes for a plow to come down your street. Today's hosts are Tom and Valérie. Links for this episode are: This is OttaTalk, the official City of Ottawa podcast series where City staff discuss City programs, projects and initiatives. We’ll cover topics that affect your everyday life. How can we prevent basement flooding? What does By-law do all day? What are we doing to fix homelessness? We have the questions and the answers on OttaTalk. For now, look forward to a new episode from us each month. Feedback Tell us what you think about this podcast. We’re always looking for ideas for future episodes. Comment here, on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca. | |||
| How much is all this going to cost? | 15 Oct 2025 | 00:39:34 | |
It’s budget season at the City of Ottawa. Actually, it’s always budget season. To find out what we mean, tune in to the eighth episode of the City’s official podcast series where we OttaTalk about the budget process. How is it created? How can your feedback influence the bottom line? Today’s guest is Cyril Rogers, the City’s Chief Financial Officer and General Manager of the Finance and Corporate Services Department. Join our hosts as we learn about when Cyril and his team start working on the budget, how they decide where to allocate funds and what pressures they need to think about when planning for the future. Today's hosts are Mike and Shirley. Links for this episode are: · Engage Ottawa - Draft Budget 2026
This is OttaTalk, the official City of Ottawa podcast series where City staff discuss City programs, projects and initiatives. We’ll cover topics that affect your everyday life. How can we prevent basement flooding? What does By-law do all day? What are we doing to fix homelessness? We have the questions and the answers on OttaTalk. For now, look forward to a new episode from us each month. Feedback Tell us what you think about this podcast. We’re always looking for ideas for future episodes. Comment here, on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca. | |||
| What has the Zoning By-law ever done for me, anyway? | 23 Sep 2025 | 00:22:00 | |
Welcome to the seventh episode of OttaTalk, the City of Ottawa’s official podcast. Today, we OttaTalk about the new Zoning By-law, what it is, how it works, and how it will lead to more affordable housing choices in Ottawa. Today’s hosts are Mike and Chloé. We talk with Carol Ruddy, Program Manager, Zoning & Intensification with the City’s Planning Development and Building Department. We’ll hear how her team wrestled 600 zoning provisions down to a tame list of 26, making it easier to figure out how to build everything from a four-unit row house to a backyard sundeck. Links for this episode are: · New Zoning By-law | Engage Ottawa · Official Plan | City of Ottawa This is OttaTalk, the official City of Ottawa podcast series where City staff discuss City programs, projects and initiatives. We’ll cover topics that affect your everyday life. How can we prevent basement flooding? What does By-law do all day? What are we doing to fix homelessness? We have the questions and the answers on OttaTalk. For now, look forward to a new episode from us each month. Feedback Tell us what you think about this podcast. We’re always looking for ideas for future episodes. Comment here, on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca.
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| How can we resolve homelessness? | 21 Aug 2025 | 00:28:18 | |
Welcome to our sixth episode, where today we OttaTalk about about people experiencing homelessness. Who are they and what is being done to help them? We’ll talk with Kale Brown, Director of Housing and Homelessness at the City of Ottawa, to find out more about housing and homelessness and how it affects residents in Ottawa. Today’s hosts are Sébastien and Shirley. Links for this episode are:
This is OttaTalk, the official City of Ottawa podcast series where City staff and residents discuss City programs, projects and initiatives. We’ll cover topics that affect your everyday life. Things like emergency services, garbage collection and nightlife in Ottawa. Why do we have a three-item garbage limit? What’s a typical day like for a By-law Enforcement Officer? What does a Nightlife Commissioner do? We have the questions and the answers on OttaTalk. For now, look forward to a new episode from us each month. Feedback Tell us what you think about this podcast. We’re always looking for ideas for future episodes. Comment here, on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca.
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| Why is By-law knocking on my door? | 15 Jul 2025 | 00:19:16 | |
Welcome to our fifth episode, where today we OttaTalk about why By-law Officers may be knocking on your door – and no, it’s not always about a parking ticket. We’ll talk with Jonathan Walden, Public Information Officer with By-law and Regulatory Services, and ask about what a day in the life of a By-law Enforcement Officer is like and how their roles help protect Ottawa’s residents. Today’s hosts are Valérie and Tom! Links for this episode are:
This is OttaTalk, the official City of Ottawa podcast series where City staff and residents discuss City programs, projects and initiatives. We’ll cover topics that affect your everyday life. Things like emergency services, garbage collection and nightlife in Ottawa. Why do we have a three-item garbage limit? What’s a typical day like for an Ottawa Paramedic? What does a Nightlife Commissioner do? We have the questions and the answers on OttaTalk. For now, look forward to a new episode from us each month. Feedback Tell us what you think about this podcast. We’re always looking for ideas for future episodes. Comment here, on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca.
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| What do we do with all the rainwater? | 10 Jun 2025 | 00:16:56 | |
In our latest podcast episode we OttaTalk about rain and how to manage it on your property so it doesn’t get into your basement. We chat with Connor Renouf, Outreach and Communications Coordinator from the Climate Change and Resiliency team. We’ll learn more about the actions you can take both inside and outside your home to reduce the risk of basement flooding, find out what rebate programs are available to help and hear an overview of what the City is doing to manage rain. Today’s hosts are Marlene and Aziz! Links for this episode are: · Residential Protective Plumbing program
Tell us what you think about this podcast. We’re always looking for ideas for future episodes. Comment here, on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca About This is OttaTalk, the official City of Ottawa podcast series where City staff and residents discuss City programs, projects and initiatives. We’ll cover topics that affect your everyday life. Things like emergency services, garbage collection and nightlife in Ottawa. Why do we have a three-item garbage limit? What’s a typical day like for an Ottawa Paramedic? What does a Nightlife Commissioner do? We have the questions and the answers on OttaTalk. For now, you can look for us to post a new episode each month. | |||
| Who ya gonna call? Paramedics! | 13 May 2025 | 00:27:36 | |
In today’s episode, we OttaTalk about Ottawa’s paramedics and what they’re up to in our community. We’ll talk with Pierre Poirier, Chief of the Ottawa Paramedic Service. We’ll take a closer look at the specialized paramedic units working in our community and discover the positive impact of the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS), which arrived in Ottawa about a year ago. Today’s hosts are Marlene and Tom! Links for this episode are: · About the Ottawa Paramedic Service · Jobs in the paramedic service · Paramedic discovery camp for youths Feedback Tell us what you think about this podcast. We’re always looking for ideas for future episodes. Comment here, on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca. About This is OttaTalk, the official City of Ottawa podcast series where City staff discuss City programs, projects and initiatives. We’ll cover topics that affect your everyday life. How can we prevent basement flooding? Why do we have a three-item garbage limit? What does a Nightlife Commissioner do? We have the questions and the answers on OttaTalk. For now, look forward to a new episode from us each month. | |||
| Why do we have a three-item garbage limit? | 08 Apr 2025 | 00:15:11 | |
In our latest podcast episode we OttaTalk about garbage and recycling. That’s right, we’re only two episodes into our first season, and we’re already talking trash. We’ll discuss the City’s three-item garbage limit with Rachael Jones, Program Manager for Long Term Planning with Solid Waste Services. We’ll get an update on illegal dumping, learn what’s coming up next for garbage and recycling in Ottawa, and answer the question: “what’s the deal with common pads?” Today’s hosts are Aziz and Valérie! Links for this episode are: Feedback Tell us what you think about this podcast. We’re always looking for ideas for future episodes. Comment here, on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca About This is OttaTalk, the official City of Ottawa podcast series where City staff and residents discuss City programs, projects and initiatives. We’ll cover topics that affect your everyday life. Things like emergency services, garbage collection and nightlife in Ottawa. Why do we have a three-item garbage limit? What’s a typical day like for an Ottawa Paramedic? What does a Nightlife Commissioner do? We have the questions and the answers on OttaTalk. For now, you can look for us to post a new episode each month. | |||
| Where are we going tonight, Ottawa? | 11 Mar 2025 | 00:26:29 | |
Today, in our historic, first-ever episode, we OttaTalk about the City’s Nightlife Economy Action Plan. We’ll talk with Mathieu Grondin, Ottawa’s Nightlife Commissioner and ask him about the plan, the Nightlife Council and find out what, exactly does a Nightlife Commissioner do? Today’s hosts are Mike and Valérie! Links for this episode are: Feedback Tell us what you think about this podcast. We’re always looking for ideas for future episodes. Comment here, on your favourite social media platform or write to us directly at podcast-balado@ottawa.ca | |||