CFRA Live! - Sound Bites

Would you like to play a game? A 150-year-old Heritage building on Waller Street – located within striking distance of Ottawa’s ByWard Market – has countless ways to test your brain and fuel the fun. To be more specific, over 2,000 board games and roughly 1,000 video games. Events are also held throughout the week and, to top it all off, it’s also a pub. CFRA’s Andrew Pinsent chats with Mike Hopkins, t...

OC Transpo has unveiled its Fall schedule, with a few hiccups spoiling what many were hoping to be a spotless Opening Week. Meantime, we remain without a firm update on when Ottawa’s LRT could be uploaded to the Ontario government. And as the municipal campaign trail heats up, this is turning into a top-of-mind debate, especially after the Canada Day downpour put a significant dent into another stage of Ottawa’s light-r...

If you find yourself in a fiddling war, you might want to befriend our next guests. Jane Cory is a Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion, while Kyle Burghout is a North American Irish Fiddle Champion. Together, they are Jane and Kyle, serving as board members of the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association. But they are also an award-winning duo that can fiddle with the best of them! You can see for yourself this Thursday, as t...

Over the past few years, wildfires have been a common occurrence during Canada’s Spring and Summer months. Meanwhile, right here in Canada’s Capital, we’ve dealt with a trio of serious rainstorms in a 6-week span. And as we near the end of 2026, we should probably take the hint that Mother Nature will have plenty of unpleasant surprises left up her sleeve. That serves as perfect timing for this message of urgency ...

The future of an Ottawa staple is a little bit cloudy right now. Last week, word got out that The Prescott – an iconic restaurant and sports bar on Preston Street – has been put up for sale. And when you look beyond its exterior, there’s more to this slice of Little Italy than its legendary meatball subs. Back in 1934, the establishment was originally opened by Giuseppe Costantini and Antonio Disipio as The Presco...

The blackout period is officially over. The application deadline has passed. And over the course of the next 2 months, every single moment in time could be the difference between a seat at City Hall or a seat in the political bleachers. Joining Andrew Pinsent for the inaugural edition of the City Issues Panel are Ottawa Citizen columnist Brigitte Pellerin and veteran City Hall reporter Jon Willing.

On today's edition:

1. If elect...

The departures of Kevin Gausman, Daulton Varsho, and Jeff Hoffman were tough ones to digest for the underperforming Toronto Blue Jays. However, that doesn't mean the team's ownership has completely given up on 2026, acquiring starting pitcher Jose Soriano and outfielder Brett Bateman to aid in both the short-term vision and the long-term vision of the club. All of a sudden, Toronto has scored series victories against some of the Am...

November, January, and March proved to be pivotal months for the Ottawa Senators last season. Some moments didn’t bend their way, but they were able to secure victory when it mattered most. Perhaps the biggest game on the team’s schedule this year is the return of Brady Tkachuk, who ditched his Senators’ allegiances and the ‘C’ on his jersey to join the Florida Panthers. Which portions are shaping up t...

If many Blue Jays' fans reflect on 2025 as a magical campaign, 2026 is quickly turning into a waking nightmare. After dropping 3 of 4 against the Tampa Bay Rays, this year’s Toronto Blue Jays had an Expected Win-Loss of 45-58, worse than their actual record of 47-56. April 3rd was the last time they were above .500 this season, while June 22nd was the last time they were playing .500 baseball. And while their offense has been...

In 2019, the Toronto Raptors made NBA history and took an entire nation on a crazy journey. Led by defensive specialist and playoff assassin Kawhi Leonard, Canada's Team won their first NBA title, a feat that no other Canadian NBA franchise had previously achieved. For many sports fans in this country, that Dinos' playoff run sparked their love of basketball. After that season, however, the dark ages began to emerge after Leonard j...

Hundreds of residents are dealing with the aftermath of the Canada Day floods. Rising prices at every turn are causing stress levels to rise. Personal hardships arise. And yes, maybe your favourite hockey player recently wanted a ticket out of town. Whether the problems you are going through are big or small, everyone is carrying a bag of rocks, and we all need a proper vessel to let it all out. Perhaps, a room to ‘break stuf...

Residents in Highgate Park are concerned about the city’s stormwater infrastructure in the wake of the Canada Day floods, and they are calling on City Hall to provide answers. Some properties in the area have been damaged by flooding before, and all of the neighbourhood’s homeowners are concerned about the possibility of a repeat event later this Summer, not to mention how it could impact their compromised homes. Jennif...

The Canadian Red Cross has hit the ground running to aid in flood relief efforts across Canada’s Capital. CFRA’s Andrew Pinsent checks in with Amy Avis, the Head of Humanitarian Operations at the Canadian Red Cross. She offers a quick update on the initial impressions, as well as the amounts of short-term and long-term relief that is being provided to affected residents. The organization has also launched a fundraising ...

The 2026 FIFA World Cup was a positive step forward for Team Canada. The Men's National roster won their first World Cup game, reached the Knockout Stage, won their first Knockout Stage match, and put forth decent efforts against a pair of Elite Eight programs. It's definitely something for the World Cup co-host to build on, especially for a country that has been typically known as a hockey nation for countless decades. The next st...

The 2026 edition of Bluesfest is already underway, with headline acts such as Cody Johnson and Limp Bizkit already taking the stage. Country music sensation Ella Langley will follow suit later this week. But it’s even more special for the local artists and songwriters who have dreamed about playing at Lebreton Flats for years. One of them is Kaiday, a 21-year-old bilingual songwriter who was born and raised in Canada’s ...

As the iconic rock band KISS once said: ‘I wanna rock and roll all night – and party every day’! Well, today’s emerging trend might be a suppertime dance and hitting the hay early. According to a recent article in the Ottawa Citizen, when attendance started to dwindle at Distortion dance parties, they moved up the start time by a few hours. Nowadays, under the 6PM timeslot, bar sales have increased significa...