Tonight we decided to get some of our volunteers to meet our community, door-to-door the old-fashioned way. Although the possibilities of a Fall election are now very slim, it is never too early to introduce the campaign to the voters.

Picking a poll where we did well last time ensured we would see some friendly faces, and the relatively mild weather and lack of rain made tonight a perfect canvassing evening.

I had the opportunity to sit down with a supporter for two hours today and discuss the issues that affect her and her community. We hope to continue this discussion over coffee with a few of her friends in the next few weeks.

Ottawa-Vanier is a riding with huge diversity. From civil servants to small business owners to students, from first-generation Canadians to Inuit, from francophones to anglophones to allophones, this region is rich in history, culture and community.

I was disappointed to learn on Friday afternoon that Karma Wear in the Market was forced to close earlier this year, joining many local business owners who were affected first by a transit strike, then by the recent recession.

So we set out on a mini-tour of the market, talking to local businesses about the recent economic climate.

Caroline Rioux is a proud Franco-Ontarian who was born and raised in Carson Grove, in the heart of Ottawa Vanier. She obtained her bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics from the University of Waterloo, and then went on to work in British Columbia and England. It was her desire to live and work in French that drove her to return to her hometown. She now works as a professional Software Designer for a large high tech firm.