Ottawa: A triumph of mediocrity?

Despite the downturn in temperatures this week, the favourite flower of the nation's capital has begun to bloom all over the city. This is the first one to appear in our garden (though by the time I took this photo, he had become a bit camera shy), but the green stalks standing nearby are a dead giveaway that more will follow.

And not a moment too soon, what with the launch this weekend of the annual Canadian Tulip Festival. The festival will run until the long weekend and, in addition to the city-wide tulip viewings, this year organizers are building on a component added last year - Celebridée: A Celebration of Ideas.

Basically, it's a thinking person's speakers series with the likes of Salman Rushdie, Jared Diamond and Richard Florida, among others. There's also an international pavilion in Major's Hill Park, a performance by "ABBAMANIA!" and a noticeable focus on chamber music. The latter shouldn't come as a total surprise considering the former boss of the city's famed chamber music festival is now working for the tulip festival.

I'm sure lots of people will enjoy themselves at this year's festival and I imagine it is a sign of things to come for future tulip festivals. But frankly, it sounds to me like a total borefest. And that's a shame because the festival at one time incorporated larger outdoor concerts and other activities. Sarah Harmer, Hawksley Workman, Kathleen Edwards and others have all played evening shows during the festival, but for some reason, they've been replaced by chamber musicians.

This piece from Profit Magazine attempts to explain the reasons behind the changes to the festival's format. And I agree that change could very well have been necessary. I'm just disappointed that the change was in the direction of something safe, something so typical of Ottawa, instead of something more original and exciting.

The Capital got somewhat of a back-handed compliment earlier this week when MoneySense Magazine released its annual list of Canada's Best Places to Live. Ottawa topped the list, even though it did not make it into the top ten of any of the categories, which included weather, crime, income levels, the number of doctors, and the affordability of homes. Basically, because we were above average in all categories, we beat out cities like Victoria (2), Vancouver (10), Toronto (51), and Montreal (82). I know, it left me scratching my head, too.

In the week's most stinging soundbite, MoneySense editor Ian McGugan called Ottawa's first-place finish a "triumph of mediocrity." My only hope is some feisty entrepreneur turns that into a sticker for bikes and bumpers and decals for all City of Ottawa vehicles. Oh, and maybe some t-shirts, too.

Frisbee, food & future plans

One of the greatest joys of life in Ottawa, particularly on a lazy Sunday afternoon, can be found on the front lawn of Parliament Hill. Tourists flock to the Hill every day of the week to snap each other's photo in front of the Peace Tower or get high on the fumes of the eternal flame.

But on weekends, locals descend on the Hill, if only to spread out a blanket, read, toss a frisbee, take a nap, or - in the case of some friends and I today - play a game of pick-up soccer. Considering how fortified other houses of government around the world are (or have become post-9/11), we should consider ourselves lucky that Parliament Hill remains a place where people can gather and play freely.

Ok, enough quasi-hippie babble. I promise there will be no group hug or choruses of Kumbaya. Instead, just a lot of foodie talk.

For whatever reason - call it the charity of others, if you'd like - I've enjoyed a number of local restaurants as of late and felt it was time to report back on three of them. Considering patio season is in full swing, it seems many are putting their best foot forward.

Tucked in the basement of one of the city's prime pieces of urban real estate is the Metropolitan Brasserie (700 Sussex Drive). I've been to Metropolitan numerous times and am continually impressed by both the food and the service. I suppose it doesn't hurt that the restaurant's decor also makes one feel as though they are dining inside the upscale eatery equivalent of Moulin Rouge.

Though I have never been disappointed by the food at Metropolitan, I am particularly enthused about their French fries. Slim, fresh and abundant even as a side, I would go so far as to say they're the best fries I've had here in the Capital.

Up in the Glebe, Flipper's Restaurant (819 Bank Street) caters to the Maritime cravings in all of us. On a recent lunch, I gleefully devoured the Shrimp and Chevre Salad; a summery mix of veggies tossed with a light dressing and topped with a slab of roasted chevre and half a dozen jumbo shrimp. Paired with a glass of dry white wine, the meal made me feel as though I had become one of those Ladies Who Lunch so commonplace in the neighbourhood.

Flipper's also has a fantastic array of desserts and its second floor location at the corner of Bank and 4th boasts several great window seats.

But, if you're more in the mood for brunch, there's always Jak's Kitchen (479 Bronson Avenue). I loved this tiny neighbourhood bistro when it was ground zero of the Stoneface Dolly's empire, and have remained loyal and interested in it since it became Jak's Kitchen. Who doesn't want a happening breakfast spot on their street? It's a whole new plane of brunch convenience.

Recently, the local alternative press heaped some praise on Jak's, which could explain the long line that formed shortly after 10 a.m. this morning.

Sadly, today was not a banner day for Jak's. We arrived early (i.e. - before 10 a.m.) and waited until 11 a.m. to get our food (and I had only ordered a bowl of granola and yogourt!). The restaurant was packed and the new patio seemed to add stress to the entire operation, which they must work out in the coming weeks.

Admittedly, you can't knock the fine service at Jak's. The staff is warm and friendly and very generous with coffee refills, as noted in the Xpress review. But coffee refills on an empty stomach only go so far.

Finally, an honourable mention to the Elmdale House Tavern (1084 Wellington Street) in Wellington Village. I didn't eat a meal there (I'm not even sure if that's possible, though it is the kind of bar with pickled hard-boiled eggs in a huge glass jar on the counter), but I did spend a Saturday night there and enjoyed the unique blend of Mechanicsville/Hintonburg locals and young and funky hipsters.

I should confess here that I have Wellington Village Envy. That, perhaps, deserves some further exploration and a post all its own. Stay tuned.

Further considerations

Not surprising, the story of Nadia Kajouji and the responsibility of Carleton University to inform - or not inform - her family isn't going away quickly. This morning's Globe and Mail had two separate pieces on the subject - Judith Timson's column and a story by Tralee Pearce.

In yesterday's post, I was clear in my assertion that the university had a responsibility to inform the family, but I may be convinced otherwise. In the Pearce article, she quotes a mental health legal expert who suggests that high privacy standards are particularly important in mental health cases because of the social stigma surrounding mental health issues. It's an interesting perspective and one I'll have to give more consideration to in the coming days.

Now, I would be re-miss if I didn't make a mention of the weather as of late. After such a long winter, Ottawa has been blessed recently with a string or warm, sunny days. It's enough to melt away any memory of all that shovelling.

A sad confirmation

My previous post talked about Nadia Kajouji, a Carleton University student who has been missing since March 9. Well, the results of the autopsy were released today and they confirm that it was Nadia's body. You can read the story here.

Bluesfest, Baltovich and a sad story from Carleton

If the flip-flops and short-shorts cropping up on patios across the city aren't signs enough that summer is here - or at least nearby - perhaps the launch earlier this morning of the 2008 Bluesfest lineup is.

Now I admit, last year's festival was one for the memory books, what with Van Morrison and Bob Dylan opening the event on the grounds of the Canadian War Museum and Sharon Jones and the Dapp Kings shutting it down it ten days later. Squished in between were the likes of Final Fantasy, Femi Kuti, Cat Power, Metric, Kanye West, and Ottawa's own Jim Bryson and Jetplanes of Abraham.

This year, Dylan's star quality may be gone, but it's been replaced by something far, far sweeter. FEIST! My long-lost prayers to the universe to bring her back to Ottawa after last May's one-night only, sold-out show at the Bronson Centre (which, sadly, I did not attend) are finally being answered. She plays the horribly-named Bank of America mainstage on Friday July 4th.

Other notable acts this year include: the Tragically Hip, Corb Lund, the Black Crowes, Jose Gonzales, Christine Fellows, the Weakerthans, Tokyo Police Club, Jakob Dylan, Jim Bryson, Plants and Animals, The Acorn, Bettye LaVette, Calexico, Martha Wainwright, Don McLean, Jason Collett, Stars, Jetplanes of Abraham, Lucinda Williams and Kathleen Edwards. There are, of course, tonnes more but theses are ones that caught my eye. You can check out the full schedules by stage here.

Kathleen Edwards, by the way, was on the David Letterman Show last night. Jim Bryson played keyboards. If you missed it, I'm sure it's all over YouTube. Okay, I just checked and there are no videos posted from Letterman, but there are a bunch of videos by random people doing covers.

In other news, it was a welcome sight to see Robert Baltovich walk out of a Toronto court yesterday a free man. Baltovich was convicted of second-degree murder in 1992 following the disappearance of his girlfriend, Elizabeth Bain. He sat in prison until 2000, when he was released pending a review of the case. In 2004, a new trial was ordered.

Bain's body has never been found and Baltovich's conviction was based wholly on circumstantial evidence. The prosecution said as much yesterday in court when, instead of launching headlong into its opening statement, it admitted there was "no reasonable prospect of a conviction." Derek Finkle is a journalist who has covered the case and his piece on the Globe and Mail's site is an excellent primer.

The case first caught my attention in 1996, when I was taking OAC Law in my final year of high school. Even then, the popular theory was that Bain had actually been a victim of Paul Bernardo, the serial rapist and killer convicted in the murders of Kristin French and Leslie Mahaffy. I can't help but think about all of the things I've done since I sat in that dusty classroom in Woodstock, Ontario, and all of the things Robert Baltovich could have done with his life if he hadn't been wrongly convicted.

I do hope there is further justice for him, though his lawyer, James Lockyer, was quoted in the Globe and Mail as saying that Baltovich will not seek compensation. In my mind, it's not something he should have to fight for; it's something he should just be given.

While justice may have prevailed in Toronto yesterday, the same cannot be said for Mexico it seems, where the Canadian woman Brenda Martin was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison. From the sounds of it, steps are already underway to bring Martin back to Canada, but it remains to be seen whether she will serve more time in prison once she's back on Canadian soil.

It's been a hard story to follow and new facts or elements seem to continually come out. For instance, yesterday on As It Happens, I heard for the first time that she received a full year's salary as severance when she was fired from her job as a cook, and that's what caught the attention of the Mexican authorities because the money likely came from her employer's improprieties. Even still, it does sound like Martin's case was not given the due process it deserves.

Closer to home, the discovery Sunday afternoon of a body in the Rideau River in Ottawa has many convinced it belongs to Nadia Kajouji, an 18-year-old Carleton University student who's been missing since March 9th. Her family has been frantically searching for her, but I think most people figured the worst when it was revealed a few weeks ago that she had been taking anti-depressants, was depressed, and had even discussed suicide in an online chatroom with a woman from the United States. Sadly, her father has said publicly that the family was unaware of her struggles.

Carleton and the Kajouji family have both been quick to announce that the body belongs to the young woman, and it very likely could, but the autopsy results have yet to confirm that once and for all. Carleton has also been under pressure to re-consider how it deals with similar situations and the Kajouji family has asked why they were not informed of their daughter's condition. Carleton says it's matter of privacy and that the school has no right to contact a student's family.

While I agree a person's right to privacy is important, I often wonder if it's used too frequently as a reason for inaction. Nadia Kajouji needed help and her family needed to know that. Hopefully, Carleton will now find a way to balance the needs of both.