Want to have some summer fun, but are pinching your pennies to feed your daily gelato habit? The following list of free or very cheap outdoor activities is a work in progress by Fiona Marshall. Fiona is working on the list for the Money Skills workshops offered by the Canadian Mental Health Association to people with severe and persistent mental health issues, a program sponsored by the TD Financial Literacy Fund. Help out Fiona (and your fellow cheapskates) by suggesting free or cheap recreational activities that we may have missed in... | Continue reading article

Ottawa soccer enthusiasts eagerly await the 2012 UEFA Euro Football Championship, but maybe not as much as Ukrainians and Poles. “This is the biggest stage Poland has been on since entering the EU in 2004 and Poles are excited to show off their country,” said Charles Leury whose been studying in Warsaw for the past two years. “There is, however, a sense of nervousness about how it will all unfold.” Starting June 8, 2012 soccer fans will also be anxious as they watch their favourite national team compete for the... | Continue reading article

Ottawa Race Weekend brought more than 42,000 runners to the streets of Ottawa over the past couple of days. No big surprises on the results, with twenty-eight-year old Kenyan Laban Moiben winning for the second straight year. He broke the Ottawa Marathon record with a time of 2:09:12, shaving 19 seconds off the previous time set in 2009. On the women’s side, Ethiopia’s Yeshi Esayias made it first to the finish line. Winners of the Canadian National Championships were Toronto-based 28-year-old Rejean Chiasson with a finish of 2:19:54 and Lisa... | Continue reading article

Full disclaimer: an Apt613 editor just might be involved in coordinating Bike to Work So it’s Bike to Work Month here in O-town and you want to join the ranks of smiling cyclists zipping around the city on their way to work. Cycling to work is a fantastic way to get some exercise, tread more lightly on the environment, and take in the sights and smells that Ottawa has to offer, all while bonding with your fellow commuters. Take a minute to show your cycling cred by pledging to cycle... | Continue reading article

You love your bike. It helps keep you fit, it’s never runs  late, and paying for parking is a non-issue. Sometimes though, you forget to show your velocipede the love it deserves. You leave it locked outside, subject to the weather, and let it gather rust. You lock it to lamp posts or sign posts, scraping up the top tube. You’re embarrassed to ride it because green was so 2003. Is a new paint job in order? Whoa, hold on, back away from the spray paint! Do your frame a... | Continue reading article

Playoff hockey is alive and well in the National Capital Region with three teams competing in their respective leagues. When the Ottawa Senators clinched a playoff spot Sunday April 1 after a 5-1 victory over the New York Islanders, they became the third team in Ottawato entertain its fans with exciting playoff hockey. The Ottawa 67’s are already in the playoffs and will remain in the race after winning the sixth game against Malcolm Subban’s squad, (P.K. Subban’s younger brother), the Belleville Bulls by ascore of 2-1. They will now... | Continue reading article

This won’t be news to the over 1,000 Facebook fans this event has already garnered, but for everyone else: Ottawa’s getting its very own ComicCon. Get ready to geek out May 12-13, 2012 at the CE Centre with DC Comics Marco Rudy, legendary comic artist Neal Adams, the Capital City Garrison – 501st Legion and many, many more. OH! And I recently learned Captain Jean-Luc Picard will be there himself! In the last three years since Apt613 inception, we’ve been seeing Ottawa’s foodie scene growing by leaps and bounds. Another... | Continue reading article

There’s a change of guard at OC Transpo as Alain Mercier’s reign as GM came to an abrupt end this week. It may not have come as a total surprise as negative  perceptions about the transit service have been accumulating ever since the 2010 winter strike. Taking over from Mercier is Public Works’ General Manager John Manconi, a man well respected in the city bureaucracy. Hear what Manconi had to say his first day on the job. On a related note, no one ever said OC Transpo drivers had an... | Continue reading article

Post by Sabrina Bowman I’m not really a team player. Oh sure, I work well enough with others, but when it comes to team sports, I’m inept and get sulky when I can’t play well (which is pretty much always). But like many of you out there, I like to stay in shape. While Ottawa has lots of conventional fitness options such as going to the gym, running, and pumping iron, I’ve come to realize that our fine city offers many more, uh, alternative fitness options. Below are some options... | Continue reading article

With a weekend forecast calling for snow, snow, and more snow, what better way to spend your time than by digging out the old krazy karpet, trudging up the nearest tobogganing hill, and letting gravity do the rest? Here’s a handy guide to some of the most popular Ottawa-area hills that are guaranteed to bring out that inner daredevil. Trust me: whether it’s hot chocolate or carefully-hidden whisky you’re toting up the hill with you, you’ll need some courage to tackle these sledding hot spots. Carlington Park Ski Hill –... | Continue reading article