New CBC podcast 'This is Ottawa' launches as part of cross-Canada series

New CBC podcasts spotlight and celebrate the diverse stories of your communities and answer listeners' questions from coast to coast.

Our local communities always have a new story to share. Whether it's the background on a mundane landmark you pass by every day, or an intriguing question about the place you've lived in for years, there's bound to be something new to learn.

Join journalists and hosts on an adventure to uncover the hidden gems and highlight the authentic local stories in the heart of your community.

This is Ottawa

Here in Ottawa, CBC's Robyn Bresnahan hosts This is Ottawa.Join Robyn each week as she seeks the answer to one question about the city we love.She finds the characters at the heart of the story whether it's in the burbs, along the Greenbelt or right in the core of the capital.

Episode 1:How can Ottawa make snow removal better for everyone?

Snow. We trudge through it, get stuck in it and shovel too much of it. But some question whether the city has its priorities backwards when it comes to what gets plowed first. Host Robyn Bresnahan digs into Ottawa's snowplow plan. Listen now.

Episode 2:What's it like to live above the stadium at Lansdowne Park?

If you've ever been to a sports event at the stadium at Lansdowne Park, you've likely noticed the gleaming condo overlooking the field. Who lives there? And what's it like when 20,000 strangers converge on your "front yard" on game days? Robyn heads up to the ninth floor to find out.Listen now.

Episode 3:Was it right to move Ottawa's main train station out of the downtown core?

Ottawa used to have a grand main train station right downtown. That building is now the temporary home of the Senate. The city's current train terminal sits five kilometres away in the east-end. Robyn Bresnahan hops on the train with a self-described 'railhead' to talk about whether that move was the right one.Listen now.

Episode 4: Where do you find love when you've given up on online dating?

If you've ever tried online dating you'll know it's a world of hit and miss. This week Robyn Bresnahan meets a woman who had more misses than matches and decided to seek love the old fashioned way.Listen now.

Episode 5: What's Ottawa's next quintessential food?

Move over Beavertails, poutine and shawarma. Robyn Bresnahan goes for a meal with the couple behind the hugely popular Eat the Strip blog to find out what they think Ottawa's new quintessential food is and the story it tells about our city.Listen now.

Episode 6: Why does Ottawa's tap water look, smell and taste different depending on the season?

Sometimes it's cloudy. Sometimes it's bubbly. And depending on the time of year you drink it, Ottawa's water tastes different. Robyn Bresnahan heads to the source of it all and taps into the expertise of an engineer who's spent his life thinking about drinking water.Listen now.

Episode 7: Is it necessary to close Ottawa schools for the solar eclipse?

A rare solar eclipse is taking place on Monday, April 8. Schools will be closed because it's deemed unsafe for students to be outside without proper eye protection. But some parents and school trustees question whether that's the right move - and if it will actually lead to the opposite outcome. Listen now.

Tune into This is Ottawa on CBC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes released Mondays.

More local podcasts

CBC is thrilled to showcase these podcasts that prioritize unique, diverse stories from communities across the country. The public broadcaster is proud to meet Canadians where they are and when they need them while staying relevant in an evolving and contemporary Canada.

These local podcasts around the country are organized into two formats:

This is: Meet the people behind the essential, sometimes randomand occasionally infuriating stories shaping your community every week.

• This is Vancouver Island
• This is Calgary
• This is Edmonton
• This is Ottawa

Good Question: Every week, this podcast will answer your questions about your community. Nothing too big, too smallor too weird.

• Good Question Saskatchewan
• Good Question Montreal
• Good Question P.E.I

Find your local podcast on CBC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.