Justin Campbell

Justin was born in Ottawa and grew up in Parkwood Hills, Nepean.

He comes from a family with military and diplomatic backgrounds, exposing him to well-travelled relatives from a young age. He has always been creative with few limits, whether visually, musically, or with the written word. His chief passion is research and interpretation of the world and being able to convey it to a general audience, taking things apart and understanding where they came from, how and why. Distilling from the theory, getting back to basics of what is meant or implied, and perceiving where people come from to create a mutual understanding is a significant tenet to his approach to journalism.

Justin has college diplomas in Professional Writing and in Photography from Algonquin College, and he has worked as a writing coach at Carleton where he has developed an approach of 'seeing' his clients to cultivate a negotiating, suggestions-based, relationship-rich approach to tutoring.

In his spare time, he enjoys reading, shooting/documenting using film photography, and learning from others. He also participates in a weekly social language exchange to practice French and meet others from different cultural groups.

My Recent Work

Capital Current •

Mayoral candidates push for affordable transit and more trees at forum - Capital Current

Seven candidates for Mayor of Ottawa offered their views on how to make the city more resilient, inclusive and “greener” on a panel at the Nepean Sportsplex on Aug. 26.


These included Ali Shayvard, an instructor at OC Transpo and self-described democratic socialist, Jeff Leiper, the three-term councillor for Kitchissippi Ward, economist Neil Saravanamuttoo, Zed Chebib, a former limo driver and former candidate for mayor, Josh Rachlis, a copywriter and student comedian, Suraj Harish, a senior...
Capital Current •

Something in the water: The capital is quickly becoming a ‘River City’ - Capital Current

On a hazy August afternoon, a lineup of families with children filled the entrance to the swimming area adjacent to the River House on the Ottawa River.


An attendant sat under an umbrella administering bands to people intending to swim. A wraparound dock enclosed an area in which two rafts were anchored in the middle. Children climbed on and jumped from the rafts, while adults did laps in two lanes running along the dock. Music could be heard from a speaker in one corner, while many people e...
Capital Current •

La dolce vita: Despite ups and downs, Ottawa's Italian community still treasures its roots on Preston Street - Capital Current

Along Preston Street from Carling Avenue north to Somerset Street gives one a taste of Italy in Ottawa.


The thoroughfare is dotted with signs, plaques, monuments, a mural under the Queensway bridge and a large all hailing the heritage of the area.


Even though Preston Street BIA runs an Italian Festival every June in Italian Heritage month, a federally recognized designation, there is a growing concern the connection to its Italian roots is fading in the present.


“I think the Italian c...
Capital Current •

'MIST' trial success legitimizes minimally invasive heart bypass surgery, surgeon says - Capital Current

Despite an active lifestyle, genetics caught up with Diana Wilkinson when she underwent a triple heart bypass, something her brother and father had done before her. While that introduced her to the surgery, unlike her relatives, hers was performed by an innovative, minimally invasive technique.


“They didn’t have to cut me open,” Wilkinson said, who says she’s grateful for the procedure she underwent.


The most common major surgery, coronary artery bypass need not be so invasive, says Dr. Ma...
Capital Current •

'Truer than True:' Tanglewood celebrates new splash pad in the style of Dr. Seuss stories - Capital Current

A new neighbourhood splash pad in Knoxdale-Merivale Ward was celebrated recently with a little magic for the children who will enjoy the cooling water starting next spring and for years to come.


The splash pad will feature water spray infrastructure inspired by the shapes and colours found in Dr. Seuss stories.


“We look forward to having everybody back in spring of next year to jump in there,” said Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine.


In consultations beforehand, area residents chose a...
Capital Current •

Infrastructure upgrades needed for wards seeing intensification, councillor says - Capital Current

Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine is pushing for infrastructure upgrades to established wards such as his that are seeing intensification while struggling with flooding from extreme weather events.


“We’re not so good (at) improving conditions for areas where there’s no (new) growth to improve the conditions of assets and quality of life,” Devine said, referring to the pattern of outlying developments being prioritized for infrastructure.


In a recent Facebook post, Devine warned that a la...
Capital Current •

Councillor calls for 'holistic' urban planning amid province's housing push - Capital Current

College Coun. Laine Johnson is advocating for the province to stop undermining municipal governments and let city planners do their work to help create as much new housing as possible in liveable neighbourhoods.


Citing 53 recommendations that the city has made to accelerate housing development, Johnson said the provincial government is ‘punching down’ on the city’s ability to build housing.


“I think that there are certain aspects of local planning that are worthy of preserving,” Johnson sa...
Capital Current •

Residents of fast-growing Barrhaven critique planned civic centre, library - Capital Current

An Aug. 10 open house for a sprawling new civic centre and library branch in Barrhaven gave local residents a chance to see plans for the community complex and give feedback directly to municipal staff and city councillors.The open house for the civic complex was held at the Minto Recreation Centre with Barrhaven East and West councillors Wilson Lo and David Hill in attendance. The new facility would be located about one kilometre north of the Minto centre on Riocan Avenue.


A joint venture be...
Capital Current •

Citing popularity of River House, Dow's Lake, NCC opens two more swim sites - Capital Current

Two new swimming docks opened in July on both shores of the Ottawa River, giving visitors additional places to cool off in the water.


One is located on the shoreline at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, while the other is directly across the river at East Wharf, near the Rideau Canal locks at the foot of Major’s Hill Park.


“We had very strong and positive public feedback for River House, for Westboro Beach, for Dow’s Lake,” said Jen Halsall, the National Capital Commission’s chie...
Capital Current •

Riverkeeper panelists say 'swimmability' emerging as key quality-of-life indicator in major cities around the world - Capital Current

The head of the Ottawa Riverkeeper advocacy group says it’s time to change the public’s longstanding perception that the Ottawa River isn’t clean enough to swim in.


Riverkeeper CEO Laura Reinsborough — who also holds the title “Riverkeeper” — hosted a recent panel discussion at the NCC River House that highlighted how a city’s “swimmability” is emerging as a key quality-of-life indicator in major urban centres around the world.


And Reinsborough cited Abacus/Riverkeeper polling data from 2...
Capital Current •

Nighttime river boat cruises highlight tourism funding for after-dark Ottawa - Capital Current

Ottawa has gained a nightlife boat cruise series this summer, partly thanks to an Ottawa Tourism funding initiative to support after-dark activities in the capital.


Th Ottawa Boat Cruise’s “Sunset Party Cruise” series brings Ottawa in line with other Canadian locales, such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, that offer evening party events on the water. Nightlife cruises are being hosted weekly aboard the Ottawa River Queen, an electric vessel, Thursday evenings from 8 to 11 p.m.


In May, O...
Capital Current •

Strike careful balance when using AI, urge panelists at annual conference of Canadian Association of Journalists - Capital Current

A plenary discussion of the role of artificial intelligence in journalism kicked off the annual conference of the Canadian Association of Journalists June 12-13 at Carleton University.


The event’s opening panel featured four speakers and was moderated by Nikita Roy, a journalist and Harvard-trained AI futurist. Themed as the “battle for information sovereignty,” the panel consisted of Lisa Hepfner, Liberal MP for Hamilton-Mountain and a former television news journalist; Grant Ellis, executiv...
Capital Current •

Poet's 'Forest Teachings' workshop brings Indigenous ways of knowing to forefront of Ottawa's 200th anniversary - Capital Current

Ottawa’s former English poet laureate and Indigenous cultural leader Albert Dumont hosted a film screening and art-making workshop on July 14 at the Diane Deans Community Centre in Greenboro.


The event was facilitated by the School of Never-Ending Learning, a local intergenerational education initiative that secured grant money from the city’s 200th anniversary fund. The workshop series — titled Forest Teachings by the Pazaman (Smudging Fire) Circle Collective — runs at various community cen...
Capital Current •

Advocates cheer bird-friendly status for city, push for stronger embrace of nature - Capital Current

Nature advocates behind a four-year effort to make Ottawa an officially “Bird Friendly City” are celebrating the achievement this spring, but also pushing for more ways to protect wildlife habitat and promote environmental sustainability.


Nature Canada announced May 5 that Ottawa and four other Canadian municipalities had earned certification as Bird Friendly Cities, becoming part of a network of 41 communities across the country that have qualified for the designation under criteria establis...
Capital Current •

NCC gathers public feedback on updated master plan for Greenbelt lands - Capital Current

The National Capital Commission has hosted a series of open houses and conducted an online survey to gather initial public input into its new draft master plan for managing the region’s extensive Greenbelt lands.


An open house at the Nepean Sportsplex on May 20 offered members of the public an opportunity to look at display panels detailing various planned updates to the commission’s Greenbelt Master Plan.


The original plan dates to 2013, and the NCC runs an amendment cycle roughly every d...
Capital Current •

Industry shines light on city’s music talent with 2026 award nominations - Capital Current

Dozens of nominees were honoured last week as the finalists for this year’s Capital Music Awards were announced during a ceremony at the National Arts Centre.


The awards, organized by the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition, will cap the annual Capital Music Week celebration in October.


The 2026 nominees, unveiled May 20 at the NAC’s Peter A. Herrndorf Place, recognize the achievements of local performers, producers, promoters, educators and others across 12 categories.


OMIC executive direc...