Moonlighting MPs: Where to draw the line on earning extra?

OTTAWA – Fifty years ago, a talented athlete named “Red” Kelly played professional hockey for the Toronto Maple Leafs – while holding down a job as a member of Parliament for the riding of York West. An MP from 1962 to 1965, he also helped the Leafs win Stanley Cups. In Kelly’s era, the job…

Bar closes early on anniversary of young mother’s death

OTTAWA – The Point Dining Lounge in Constance Bay closed early on St. Patrick’s Day in light of a tragedy that resulted in a young woman’s death one year ago. Owners Mary and Rick Charlebois said they were taking extra precautions this year because they were concerned about liabilities involved with serving alcohol on the…

‘I thought I was going to die’; Abductee suggests revenge a motive in kidnapping

A man kidnapped from his Maniwaki-area cottage this month believes his abduction might have been motivated by revenge. Les Patrois, a 65-year-old retired business owner from Ottawa, told the Citizen that just after 2 a.m. on Feb. 16, he and a 70-year-old hearing impaired female friend with whom he was visiting the cottage were bound,…

Winter cyclists ride on despite freezing temperatures

OTTAWA – A group of cyclists dressed in balaclavas, mittens, winter jackets and helmets met Sunday to brave the cold for the Ottawa’s second annual Family Winter Bike Parade. The ride, a seven-kilometre trek through downtown and along the Rideau Canal that ended with warm drinks at City Hall, was organized by Citizens for Safe…

Gender, music and musings

Rae Spoon translates life experiences into songs, storytelling Canadian singer-songwriter and author Rae Spoon has decided to hang up the hat on an issue that has plagued the artist since childhood: fitting into gender norms. For the past year, Spoon, a transgendered person, has asked to be referred to as neither “he” nor “she.” Growing…