Bus shortage could hinder OC Transpo’s massive route makeover
OC Transpo is 19 buses short ahead of a slew of route changes planned under the New Ways to Bus, which comes into effect April 27. A minimum of 540 buses a day are needed while OC Transpo has an average of 521 buses available, city staff told transit committee April 10. While incoming route changes require fewer buses, with...
Ottawa Police Service predicts large budget increase amid staff additions, body cameras
The budget for the Ottawa Police Service may see a significant increase next year, driven in part by additional hiring, salary increases and a plan to equip officers with body cameras.
Gallery’s ‘Into Nature’s Knowing’ exhibit contrasts AI, plant intelligence
Bursts of colour, whimsy and chatter blended at the Wall Space Gallery in Old Ottawa South on April 3 as local artist Nicole Allen’s latest exhibition — “Into Nature’s Knowing” — made its debut. Allen described her collection of colourful floral creations as an exploration of the power and beauty of plant intelligence in age of human obsession with artificial...
With fate of 24 Sussex unclear, experts extoll historic value of official residences
With the future of 24 Sussex Drive in doubt and Canadians two weeks away from electing a new prime minister, local heritage experts are urging protection of the historic home and turning a spotlight on the capital’s rich history of prime ministerial residences. Years of neglect have put the official residence of the prime minister at risk. In one of...
More than books: The Ottawa Trans Library is preserving and building a culture
With challenges on 2SLBGTQ+ books on the rise in Canada and American libraries, Alice Holland is one of the volunteers at the Ottawa Trans Library, protecting trans art and building community to counter transphobia and censorship.
Vanier sugar shack celebrates 40 years with syrup, music and lumberjack competition
Despite poor conditions, members of the Ottawa community gathered in droves to attend Vanier’s Sugar Festival, the 40th year of the event, which celebrates Canadian culture, particularly French-Canadian culture.
Ottawa Centre pits Liberal Yasir Naqvi and NDP’s Joel Harden in election re-match
Along the streets of Ottawa’s trendy Glebe neighbourhood, election signs are out in an Ottawa Centre rematch between incumbent Liberal Yasir Naqvi and NDP Joel Harden.
Trump tariffs add uncertainty as hospital finalizes build plan for new Civic campus
As The Ottawa Hospital continues finalizing costs and construction plans for its new Civic campus near Dow’s Lake, the task has been complicated by the uncertain impact of the ongoing controversy around Canada-U.S. tariffs, which began after the January return to the White House of U.S. President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, though, early-stage preparation of the 50-acre building site — including...
Fairy Cowboy Tours aims to preserve and celebrate Ottawa’s 2SLGBTQ+ history
Wearing a cowboy hat, a drawn-on moustache and glittery fairy wings, drag artist Morgan Mercury strolls around downtown Ottawa while sharing stories of 2SLGBTQ+ trailblazers who once called the city home.
Museum of Nature mineralogist wins major prize for photographic gems
A Canadian Museum of Nature mineralogist has been awarded one of the field’s most prestigious prizes for his striking photographs of geological specimens. Michael Bainbridge, the Canadian Museum of Nature’s assistant curator of mineralogy and a highly accomplished photographer, was recently presented with the Carnegie Mineralogical Award at the annual Tuscon Gem and Mineral Show in Arizona, the largest of...
Outraged by Donald Trump, demonstrators in Ottawa join global protest against U.S.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Ottawa April 5 as part of the global Hands Off! Demonstrations, publicly expressing their outrage at many policies coming from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
NCC envisions 9,000 homes as Tunney’s Pasture aims to cut federal office space
On a bright winter day, the wind howls across Tunney’s Pasture, the federal government campus envisioned seven decades ago as a way to move federal government buildings some distance from the downtown of the National Capital. In Tunney’s Pasture, the roads are narrow and the campus buildings are far apart. Government employees huddle for a smoke against buildings, while others...
Ottawa police preparing plan in wake of inquest into death of Abdirahman Abdi
The Ottawa Police Service says it is working on a plan to address the recommendations a coroner’s inquest into the death of Abdirahman Abdi, who died in 2016 following a violent police interaction.
Trade war tactics: Outdoor markets highlight value of buying local
Ottawa Street Markets founder shares why buying Canadian is important during the U.S.- Canada trade war.
Return to rail: The ‘Gréber Plan’ ended streetcar transit in Ottawa nearly 100 years ago
With a sense of deja vu, OC Transpo’s LRT expansion today is a return to an idea of mass transit that was shelved nearly 100 years ago.
Ontario young adults still struggling from COVID effects on the industry, latest labour force survey results found
Simerdeep Dhaliwal looked for a summer co-op placement in his field for a long time before he finally found a spot. The 20 year old Algonquin College information and technology student says he was lucky in another some aspect of his overall job search, such as finding a part-time job at a MacEwen gas station fairly quickly. But with the...
‘Stage, not age’: Ontarians over 65 challenge outdated retirement norms
Dave Williams had only just retired from his job in sales when he turned the key on a new career behind the wheel. At 67, he laced up his shoes, combed his silver hair and fastened his seatbelt as a school bus driver. What was meant to be a part-time job evolved into five years of driving buses, trucks, limousines,...
Repair Café showcases circular economy’s role in fighting U.S. trade war
Advocacy groups are urging residents and Ottawa city hall to focus on strengthening the local circular economy — including the voluntary repair and recycling service provided by the Ottawa Tool Library — as part of the community response to the on-going U.S. trade war with Canada. The U.S. has imposed tariffs on many Canadian exports, including vehicles, steel and aluminum,...
Touch Grass is creating a community in Ottawa around queer ballroom dance
or Zineb Allaoui, being part of the queer ballroom scene has been instrumental in helping her find a sense of belonging in Ottawa. After immigrating to Canada from Morocco five years ago, Allaoui said finding the Kiki ballroom scene allowed her to express her queerness in a way she couldn’t back home.
Staying on X a mistake for the City of Ottawa, says social media researcher
Some researchers say that it is a mistake for the City of Ottawa to continue using X, pointing to the toxicity that has thrived on the social media platform in recent years.
Baseline transitway hailed as potential ‘game changer’ for east-west cycling
The City of Ottawa is moving forward a 14-kilometre rapid bus transit corridor designed to revolutionize sustainable transportation between Bayshore and Heron stations. The first of three phases in the Baseline Transitway Project is to begin construction in spring 2025. This first stage will focus on the reconstruction of the Greenbank Road and Baseline Road intersection, introducing bus priority lanes,...
Money museum aquires ancient Roman coin, other ‘once in a lifetime’ items
What do a 1,700 year old Roman coin and a Canadian penny worth thousands of dollars have in common? They’ve just been added to the collection of historical currency held by the Bank of Canada Museum in downtown Ottawa. Some of the museum’s most significant artifact acquisitions in 2024 were recently highlighted in a curator’s blog post detailing the latest...
Pothole loophole: Why the city almost never pays for car damage from craters
Almost every day, 21 year old Pearl Monk takes Hog’s Back Road and turns onto Colonel By Drive to get to Carleton University for classes. But when pothole season comes, she says she spends most of her drive swerving to miss holes in the road. One day, she thought she had passed them all when — bang! — her car jolted,...
Parents, students urge OCDSB to rethink planned closure of alternative schools
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board wants to eliminate the city’s five alternative schools, and some members of the public — particularly parents of the children who attend the schools — are not happy. The board has undertaken an Elementary Program Review to determine whether its current model of delivering education serves the community most effectively. A number of planned changes...
The searchers: Young Ontarians struggle to find work in current economy
Young men and women are having a challenging time searching for jobs- here's why.
Choice, no choice: More young women finding themselves in part-time jobs, data shows
Last fall, Carleton University student Kate Yoshida was juggling her studies with a part-time job. The 20-year-old media production and design student was working in the communications department of the Canadian Forces Housing Agency. “I took the job just because it was my first full-time summer job that was related to my field of study,” she said. Yoshida began working...
Growing food may soon be allowed alongside Ottawa roads if council approves
Ottawa residents may soon be able to grow food on city-owned property near roads, if a motion passed by the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee is adopted by full council. If the motion amending a bylaw is adopted, it would allow fixed planters placed half a metre away from the sidewalk and 1.5 meters away from the road on streets without...
‘It’s been anxiety-inducing:’ Ontario youth unemployment rate among the highest in Canada
In February 2025, 15 to 24 year olds in Ontario experienced the third-highest rate of unemployment in the country, according to a Capital Current analysis of Statistics Canada's labour force survey.
More staff needed before expanding community policing, says chief
Ottawa police are confident that they will be able to expand into the city’s communities soon in response to concerns about rising levels of crime, though police staffing issues will need to be resolved first.
Ottawa Public Library says cost for new Bookmobile has doubled — thanks, in part, to Trump
The Ottawa Public Library plans to use almost all of its $1.8-million budget surplus from the past year to replace an aging Bookmobile, one of the city’s two travelling mini-libraries for underserved communities. According to a staff report, the city’s next Bookmobile will cost $1.5 million to put into service by 2026 — double the cost of the last one....
Music Week to boost capital’s bid to be ‘Nashville North’ nighttime hotspot
Ottawa band Whiskey River played a live show at the Lowertown Brewery in the Byward Market on March 8. . [Photo © Gavin Ramnauth
Canadians are cutting back on car travel to the U.S., data shows
The number of Canadian residents visiting the U.S by vehicle dropped by about 25 per cent in February compared with a year earlier, a sign that Canadians are cutting back on U.S. travel in response to threats of tariffs and annexation from American President Donald Trump.
Fake $100 bills circulating in Ottawa, police warn retailers, consumers
The Ottawa Police Service is warning residents about a rash of counterfeit $100 bills hitting retailers across the city. The fraud unit has received reports of fake currency being used December 2024. These bills are often used without retailers noticing, only to be identified as counterfeit later. In a recent press release, police were “asking Ottawa residents to be on...
No matter the weather, the City of Ottawa urges vigilance behind the wheel to limit collisions
With Ottawa’s weather constantly fluctuating and the new daylight hours in effect, city officials are urging commuters to be careful on the roads. On March 7, Ottawa Police responded to 36 vehicle collisions over four hours following a thaw-freeze weather event. Heidi Cousineau, the Manager of Traffic and Mobility at the City of Ottawa, says many factors contribute to the cause of...
The Beaver turns 50 as a Canadian symbol: Why we should give a ‘dam’
Before Canada became analogous with our beloved beer, hockey, and maple syrup, there was another emblem that captured the nation's heart and spirit 50 years ago: the beaver.
Watershed watchers issue flood alerts along swelling Rideau, Ottawa rivers
Flood season has arrived in the Ottawa Valley and conservation officials are warning local residents to prepare for the springtime swelling of the national capital’s waterways. After record-breaking mild weather — including a high of 16.3 C on March 16, the highest temperature for that date in Ottawa — heavy snowmelt and rain are rushing over frozen ground and gushing...
Cozy reads and romantasy: Ottawa library users increasingly turning to fiction
Ottawa public library users are increasingly turning to fiction, according to data from the Ottawa Public Library.
One in four struggle to afford food: How Ottawa’s Parkdale Food Centre is managing demand
The Parkdale Food Centre is barely able to keep up with the demand as amid rising food prices.
One person, two votes? What would the Ontario election look like with a different voting system?
The vote also exposed some of the oddities in our electoral system, as the Progressive Conservative majority came despite the party winning only 43 per cent of the popular vote. In an election where only 45 per cent of eligible voters showed up to the polls, the party won a strong majority with only 19 per cent of eligible voters....
Canadian voters prioritizing economic stability, incumbency amid Trump tariff threats
A perceived ability to protect Canada’s economic interests against U.S. President Donald Trump is one of the primary ballot questions uniting Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative success and Mark Carney’s popular rise with the federal Liberal party, according to one pollster.
OC Transpo readies publicity plan to alert Ottawans of major changes to bus routes
With the O-Train lines 2 and 4 now running seven days a week, OC Transpo will begin its latest publicity campaign, telling transit riders about the many changes coming to Ottawa’s bus network. City councillors heard the details of this plan during the Mar. 17 Transit Committee meeting.
Ottawa police data shows ‘consistent increase’ in intimate partner violence
The Ottawa Police Service responded to more than 6,600 intimate partner violence incidents in 2024 and has warned of an upward trend in such calls.
Carleton Ravens starts USports women’s basketball championship with a big win over Bishop’s
The Carleton Women's Basketball team scored their first victory in the USports National Championship tournament against Bishop's University March 13.
Perth laments Algonquin’s uprooting of heritage building program ‘that’s going to save the planet’
Algonquin College will shutter its satellite campus in the historic town of Perth at the end of August 2026 because of severe financial challenges facing many Canadian colleges and universities following the federal imposition of new international student cap. The Perth campus has been home for more than a half-century to the Algonquin College Heritage Institute, which offers a flagship...
Intersectional art exhibits showcased resilience in Black History, Winter Pride
Black and queer communities flooded Arts Court in downtown Ottawa last month to celebrate intersectionality with two multidisciplinary art exhibits. The early February vernissage, an ode to Black History Month and Ottawa’s Winter Pride festivities, spearheaded the undercurrents theatre festival organized by the Ottawa Fringe Festival. In one room, Capital Pride and the Ottawa Trans Library curated a colourful display...
Ottawa parents fight against school board boundary and grade configuration changes
Laura D’Angelo woke up to a troubling email from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) on Feb. 28. The mother of two saw a proposal, impacting thousands of K-12 students, outlining new boundary and grade configuration changes that would take effect as early as September 2026.
Pavilion to memorialize damaging tornado, Trend Arlington’s resilience
A new 20- x 13-metre outdoor pavilion is currently under construction in Trend Arlington Park in the west-end Knox-Merivale ward. The pavilion project began in 2018, after the Nepean-area neighbourhood was hit by a tornado. In an effort to rebuild community infrastructure, the Trend Arlington Community Association proposed erecting a pavilion for residents to “memorialize” the tornado and “build community...
Neighbourhood health hubs playing key role in city immunization efforts
Any Ottawa parent with a child who’s missing immunizations should be expecting mail soon — if they haven’t already received it. Since December, Ottawa Public Health has mailed about 11,000 incomplete immunization advisory letters to families with children missing one or more vaccines on their health record. Soon, the agency will send school suspension notices to those who have not...
Can I Skate? Ottawa couple develops app tracking Rideau Canal ice conditions
Skating on the Rideau Canal Skateway was always a family affair for the Owens. Every February, Stephen and Leslie Owens would drive more than four hours from Caledon, Ont. to visit their son Tyler in Ottawa. The couple, their sister and their two sons would spend Family Day on the Canal. “That’s been a tradition since I arrived (in Ottawa),”...
Somerset West health centre transitioning to HART hub
The Somerset West Health Community Centre will transition from a drug consumption site into a Homelessness Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub. This is part of the Ontario government's new rule to close all drug consumption sites within 200-metre proximity of schools and child-care centres.