Local issues examined in depth through interviews and with our municipal panel.
https://betterottawa.ca/panel/
the613.substack.com (https://the613.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)
It was a surprisingly busy week in Ottawa city politics.
The Panel covers:
* Orleans-East Cumberland Councillor Matt Luloff’s trail on charges of driving under the influence (1:10)
* a new candidate, Barbara Daniela Gandolfo (https://barbaradanielagandolfo.ca), has come forward to contest the Orleans-East Cumberland Council seat. Meet Barbara at the Better Ottawa Town Hall (https://betterottawa.ca/townhall/) on Wednesday, 28 January — see poster below (6:05)
* a new candidate, Alex Lawson, is running for Mayor with some high profile conservatives behind him (11:00)
* Public consultations in Ottawa on high speed rail (17:54)
* More LRT woes ( 26:34)
On a programming note, we’ve stopped adding captions to the video footage as some platforms insert those captions automatically.
Let us know what you think. Leave a comment here or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can also watch this podcast on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@betterottawa).
Or listen to an audio version on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-ottawa/id1795947302) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3NZasBfDCxkkAnsL0NXfyX?si=84301b6a856547a4).
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the613.substack.com/subscribe (https://the613.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
19 Jan 2026
Our 2026 Outlook
The Municipal Panel is back to talk about the year ahead. RogersTV hosted us in their studios for this special episode.
2026 is a municipal election year, and we talked about:
* Who on Council is planning to run again, and who else has put their name forward,
* What we see as the main issues for the election, and what could be the surprise sleeper issues that get attention,
* How candidates will manage the multi-billion dollar infrastructure deficit facing the City.
Links to some of what we mention in the show:
* Gio Petti’s documentaries Train to Nowhere (https://youtu.be/wLD0L63QgxU?si=T1Sdo1yiGDSEY2i-) and Dude, Where’s My Bus? (https://youtu.be/cPaOPAguLxg?si=aCxjBicr0dk5vmPp)
* Alto’s 21-22 January Open House (https://www.altotrain.ca/en/public-consultation) on High Speed Rail
* Theresa Kavanaugh’s questioning at City Council regarding the absence of funding to deal with end-of-life assets (https://www.youtube.com/live/P5hhIVET9WE?si=w-gy0CwEi8VYi8Ck&t=13728)
* Better Ottawa’s community town hall on 28 January on Getting Ottawa Moving Again (https://betterottawa.ca/townhall/)
Finally, there is one minor correction to the pod discussion. We refer to a survey presented at OREB — which is the Ottawa Real Estate Board, not Ontario.
Let us know what you think. Leave a comment here or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can also watch this podcast on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@betterottawa).
Or listen to an audio version on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-ottawa/id1795947302) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3NZasBfDCxkkAnsL0NXfyX?si=84301b6a856547a4).
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit the613.substack.com/subscribe (https://the613.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
15 Jan 2026
Train to Somewhere
Local filmmaker Gio Petti discusses with the host the history and issues surrounding Ottawa's OC Transpo, including the O-Train and Line 2, in this interview episode.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
5,922
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Spotify
4.9 / 5
11 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 28 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
14
Social presence
0
YouTube
74
Engagement
32
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