At 150 years old, Mechanicsville is proud of its blue-collar history. But like many other Ottawa neighbourhoods, old buildings are being replaced with new condos. Robyn Bresnahan takes a look under Mechanicsville’s ‘hood with a long-time resident who doesn’t want to see gentrification replace its gritty roots.

“The Pond” in Rockcliffe Park is a bucolic swimming hole in the city. But the lake right next to it is off limits to the public. Only residents who have homes backing on to the lake can swim or boat in it. How did this come to be? Robyn Bresnahan dives into the history of McKay Lake and hears how it’s more complicated than a tale of posh versus plebe.

"A lot of people laughed in my face and told me I should try hairdressing": tradeswomen in Ottawa have heard that - and worse. Despite a shortage of skilled workers, women are still under-represented. Robyn Bresnahan visits a garage in Manotick to hear what life is like for the only woman working there.

He’s a successful Ottawa musician. But Jim Bryson says he wishes he’d also trained in the trades. Robyn Bresnahan visits his home studio in Stittsville to hear why he thinks people ought to sing a different tune about the trades -- and he says Ottawa’s “classism” does nothing to help.

There’s a place in Ottawa where tens of thousands of foreign flags live. Robyn Bresnahan gets a tour from the woman in charge and finds herself feeling lucky she brought a secret weapon when an impromptu quiz on world flags breaks out. 

People have done some pretty weird things during the past 50 years of the Ottawa Race Weekend. But Hugh Neilson’s stunt might take the cake. Robyn joins the theatre director to hear why he intends to run 42 kilometres whilst singing and playing a ukulele. Plus a short history of other oddities.

If you shop at a farmers market or get a local veggie delivery, you may have noticed something. Those behind the stalls are fairly young. Robyn Bresnahan digs into why organic farming is an attractive career for a new crop of first generation farmers.

When Ottawa hosted its first PWHL game, it broke an attendance record for a women’s professional hockey game. It’s a night Hayley Scamurra won’t forget - not least because she scored the first goal for Ottawa. Robyn Bresnahan recruits a young player with the Nepean Wildcats to interview Hayley about that goal, living in Ottawa and having to switch her Ottawa jersey for her Team USA jersey to face-off against her teammates. 

As you drive to the Ottawa airport, there’s a sign for Thad Johnson Private. It’s a small road with an incredible story. Robyn Bresnahan dives in with an amateur historian who began researching after seeing a particular photo of one of the world’s most famous aviators' visit to Ottawa.

It’s a popular travel route for pleasure boaters…But not many people dare to dip a toe into the canal, let alone swim. Should they? An 80-year-old triathlete shares how he swam in the canal and lived to tell the tale, and a biologist tells Robyn what’s REALLY in that water.