Lowertown’s Community Newspaper / Journal communautaire de la Basse-Ville
A non-profit newspaper sharing news and highlighting the voices of Ottawa’s Lowertown & Byward Market communities.
Un journal à but non lucratif qui partage des nouvelles et met en valeur les voix des communautés de la Basse-Ville et du marché By d’Ottawa.
Feature
- Read the latest issue of The Echo! (16-2, May 2025)
Download the full PDF version here. - Farewell to the ByWard Fruit Market, and hello to Hard 2 Find, Hard 2 Get!
By Nadia Stuewer Owners Isaac and Miriam Farbiasz are sad to be closing the ByWard Fruit Market this spring, after…
In the Latest Issue
New heritage plaque: Union of Canada
By Allen Brown On March 24, city councillor Stéphanie Plante, municipal heritage planner Taylor Quibell and Lowertown Community Association president Sylvie Bigras unveiled a new plaque commemorating the Union of Canada and its demolished building, located at the corner of York and Dalhousie streets, the current site of the Andaz Hotel. Ms. Quibell recalled that…
Residents of Lowertown can soon opt for reusable containers for takeaway meals
By Circular Innovation Council The Circular Innovation Council, a national environmental not-for-profit organization, is excited to announce the launch of Reuse Ottawa. It’s an innovative opportunity for Ottawans to help reduce single-use plastic waste by choosing reusable containers for their takeaway food at participating grocery stores and restaurants. Participating in Reuse is easy! Reuse Ottawa’s…
Niche fraud online
By Malcolm and John Harding of Compu-Home Everyone who uses the internet is vulnerable to online fraud but certain groups are increasingly targeted by criminals who focus on their specific vulnerabilities. We all would do well to become aware of the ways in which friends and relatives (and we ourselves) are in groups that are…
Beyond the plaque: 163-165 Bolton Street
By Nancy Miller Chenier This is the first in a new series that tells the stories of some of the 50+ individually designated heritage buildings in our community. The Ontario Heritage Act, first enacted fifty years ago in March 1975, allowed our municipality to designate individual properties for their architectural and historical value. When the…
Books by or about Lowertowners: A review of 1 Sussex Drive by Gabrielle D’Emilio-Lappa, Friesen Press, 2021
By Nancy Miller-Chenier Lowertowners know that our community already has a link with Rideau Hall through Adrienne Clarkson (née Poy), the 26th Governor General, who started her life in Canada at 277 Sussex Drive and decades later moved to 1 Sussex. This book shares the memories of Richard Legrand, amongst others, who moved from Rideau…
BAMM’s Snack Shack: A little family restaurant with a big heart
By Liz MacKenzie BAMM’s owners, Matt and Ashley Atton, are escapees from the dreary routines and pressures of office work. In Matt’s case, it offered a return to being a chef, far away from the mania of five-star hotel fine-dining management. Their breakaway plan took shape when Tugal, the Portuguese soccer hangout at the corner…
A message from our Member of Parliament, the Honourable Mona Fortier / Un message de notre députée, l’honorable Mona Fortier
As we celebrate Black History Month this February, we recognize the invaluable contributions of Black and Afro-descendant communities in Lowertown and across the National Capital Region. Their cultural richness, dedication, and resilience are integral to our shared history and collective future. Together, we continue to promote equality, diversity, and inclusion in our community, and I…
Letting Lowertown grow: a future rooted in strength
By Josiah Frith I grew up understanding that the best things in life take time. My father, a municipal politician on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast in the 1980s, worked to preserve old-growth forests. He taught me that these forests were not just collections of trees, but thriving, self-sustaining ecosystems. Their strength came from their history,…
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