The OTTAWA sign as snow falls in downtown Ottawa. (Natalie van Rooy/CTV News Ottawa)
While the cost of groceries, property taxes and home ownership keeps rising, there are things you can do in Ottawa this winter without breaking the bank.
You can visit Winterlude in Ottawa and Gatineau, go cross-country skiing for free at several trails in Ottawa or tour the Parliament buildings.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at nine things you can do for free in Ottawa this winter.
Experience the best of Canadian winter at Winterlude.
The popular winter festival in Ottawa and Gatineau includes a number of free events on Sparks Street, the Snowflake Kingdom at Jacques-Cartier Park in Gatineau and in the ByWard Market.
Winter Pride is set for the weekend of Feb. 10 to 12.
Winterlude runs until Feb. 20. For information, visit www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/winterlude
The Winterlude National Ice-Carving Championship kicked off on Sparks Street Saturday morning. The competition was delayed one day due to the cold temperatures. (Josh Pringle/CTV News Ottawa)
The public is invited to Rideau Hall on Feb. 11 for the Winter Celebration.
Activities include:
All activities are free of charge.
For more information, visit gg.ca.
Celebrate Valentine's Day with a free horse-drawn wagon ride in the ByWard Market.
The ByWard Market BIA is offering complimentary horse-drawn wagon rides on Feb. 14 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
For more information, visit byward-market.com
Get ready for the ultimate musical adventure on Feb. 18 and 19 at the National Arts Centre.
The Big Bang Festival is back with a burst of colourful activities, including several free events.
For information on the free and ticketed events, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/bigbang.
You can skate for free at Ottawa's four refrigerated outdoor skating rinks.
You can cross-country ski for free at the following areas, but donations are encouraged.
You can take a free tour of the Senate of Canada Building and the House of Commons in the newly restored West Block.
Senate Guided Tours last 30 minutes, while tours of the House of Commons take approximately 40 minutes.
For tickets, visit https://rts.parl.ca/
You can visit the following museums for free during the following periods.
Children can eat for free at several restaurants in Ottawa.
Zak's Diner – Kids 10 and under eat free Sunday to Thursday (holidays excluded) from 4 p.m. to close, with the purchase of one adult meal and beverage. Offer available at the Zak's Diner locations in the ByWard Market, on Elgin Street and in Kanata. Visit the restaurant's website for details.
Jonny Canuck's – Kids eat free on Sundays between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. For more information, visit the restaurant's website.
Mandarin Restaurant – Kids aged 4 and under eat free from the buffet (up to two kids per paid adult)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the vote later today on the Conservative motion calling for a new study into foreign interference will not be a confidence vote.
The annual pace of inflation cooled in February as it posted its largest deceleration since April 2020.
Was your 2022 tax refund larger than you expected it to be?
While the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the issues surrounding Credit Suisse have shaken investor confidence, a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis appears to be unlikely, one analyst says.
Nordstrom is expected to begin liquidating its stores across Canada today.
Gwyneth Paltrow is scheduled to stand trial on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who said that the actress-turned-lifestyle influencer violently crashed into him in 2016 while skiing in Utah at one of the most upscale ski resorts in the United States.
March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day and to mark the occasion a Canadian organization launched a campaign showcasing older people living with the condition.
Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, about 25,000 people lived in the city of Avdiivka. Despite the shelling, about 2,000 civilians remain there.
Front-line nurses who are working for publicly-funded employers in Nova Scotia will receive a bonus of up to $10,000, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston announced Monday.
New Brunswick's finance minister is scheduled to table a provincial budget Tuesday as the government grapples with problems in health care and housing and the effects of a population surge.
Two staff members and a student -- who is also the suspect -- have been injured in a stabbing at a high school in Bedford, N.S., according to the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE).
The president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) is weighing in after two staff members and a student, who is also the suspect, were injured in a stabbing at Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
Doug Ford will be in Vaughan, Ont. on Tuesday to make what the premier’s office is calling a 'pre-budget announcement.'
Coun. Josh Matlow will enter the race for mayor of Toronto, a spokesperson for his campaign announced Tuesday.
Police are responding to a Hamilton school Tuesday morning after a bomb threat was made against the facility.
A 31-year-old neuroscientist is believed to be among the six people missing after a massive fire in Old Montreal last week. An Wu was staying at the heritage building on Place d'Youville to attend a conference, according to friends and family.
Rescuers have yet to recover any additional bodies from the wreck of a fire in Old Montreal last week. As of Tuesday morning, there were still six people missing. The body of one victim, a woman, was extracted on Sunday.
Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard is scheduled to table the first budget of the Coalition Avenir Québec's second mandate this afternoon. Girard broke with tradition on Monday — instead of buying new shoes ahead of the budget, he announced a $5,000 donation to a Quebec City community centre.
Another southern Ontario resident in their 30s has died following a snowmobile crash in the northern region.
Elliot Lake has cancelled the Northern Shore Drag Race, which has been going on for the past two decades and typically draws hundreds of vehicles and a thousand people.
A young driver from Espanola has been charged with stunt driving following a recent incident in the early morning hours in Sudbury.
About 10 people have been displaced and damage is estimated at $1-million after a fire in Aylmer on Monday. John Street in Aylmer, Ont. has reopened in both directions following a fire on Monday night.
An 81-year old property owner tells CTV News he’ll do the work himself without machinery, if that’s the method directed by city council. Three years after John McLeod demolished the historic barn on Halls Mill Road without a permit, a plan to remove the pile of wooden debris is taking shape.
The Old South Community Organization (OSCO) is expressing concern about city staff’s failure to consult with stakeholders before recommending that Thames Pool be decommissioned.
The rural municipality posted a notice on its website Monday announcing it will be developing a strategy to regulate short-term rentals.
The annual pace of inflation cooled in February as it posted its largest deceleration since April 2020.
The surprise closure of an Exchange District street has business owners looking for answers on why they weren't given any notice.
A controversial plan to demolish homes to expand a funeral home has been given the green light by the City of Kitchener.
A new youth binge-drinking trend was on display in the streets of Waterloo’s university district Friday.
Several parents are questioning the filtering process of eBooks available to students at the Waterloo Regional District School Board (WRDSB) after they say their children were able to access eBooks that are not age appropriate.
Students and community members will gather in protest outside the Calgary Board of Education Centre Tuesday morning, calling for the removal of the Sir John A. Macdonald name from a northwest junior high school.
A Wheatland County sanctuary that cares for abandoned and surrendered farm animals faces an uncertain future after having a permit application to keep operating denied.
The annual pace of inflation cooled in February as it posted its largest deceleration since April 2020.
SaskTel Centre staff are still recuperating from Sunday’s sold-out game between the Regina Pats and Saskatoon Blades.
Prince Albert police say the largest-ever drug bust in the city occurred after a major investigation.
A fraud scheme involving fake documents used to qualify for a mortgage has been linked to two Saskatoon real estate agents.
A woman who lives across from the apartment where a 16-year-old shot and killed two Edmonton police constables has multiple bullet holes in her door, with a couple piercing her doorframe.
The annual pace of inflation cooled in February as it posted its largest deceleration since April 2020.
The Spring Equinox was early Monday afternoon and so we're into our first full day of the new season today.
After a large fire spread from tents to a shuttered theatre on the city’s Downtown Eastside, Vancouver’s fire chief told reporters she was “incredibly frustrated” that more isn’t being done to prevent daily fires breaking out in the area.
Vancouver council will soon vote on a policy that could slow development in the Broadway Plan, one of the most significant long-term projects underway in the city.
Weeks after an off-duty officer died at a Langley, B.C., business, a watchdog has cleared police at the scene of wrongdoing.
Mixed reviews continue to roll in days after Experience Regina delivered new campaign slogans that lean into the double entendre of the capital city’s name.
TikTok creator Ethan Craft said feedback has generally been positive about his concept for a reimagined Saskatchewan licence plate.
The coming 2023 federal budget will 'exercise fiscal restraint' while also making 'significant' investments in health and building Canada's clean economy, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Monday.
