Mayoral candidates push for affordable transit and more trees at forum
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...
Election Ottawa 2026: As Stittsville grows, residents want roads and transit infrastructure to keep pace
Stittsville is growing quickly, but residents say the roads and transit needed to support that growth aren’t always keeping pace.
Election Ottawa 2026: Riverside South-Findlay Creek residents want more ‘third spaces’
The area has one main park, Diamond Jubilee Park, and a hockey arena, Fred Barrett Arena. The winter months limit park gatherings, making booking the arena competitive.
Election Ottawa 2026: Crowded routes 75 and 74 in political spotlight in Barrhaven East
Barrhaven transit users say Routes 74 and 75 can become crowded during peak travel times, as transit connections emerge as an issue in the Ward 24 municipal election. Candidates and commenters are weighing how service could better connect Barrhaven to the rest of Ottawa.
Election Ottawa 2026: Safety concerns grow in Somerset Ward as homelessness, public drug use more visible
A Somerset Ward mother is concerned about public safety in the community associated with homelessness and public drug use.
Election Ottawa 2026: O-Train rolling into Orléans East-Cumberland but voters wary transit will improve
The O-Train Line 1 extension to Orléans is set to begin pre-trial running in October, but residents say better connections and local transit service are still needed.
Election Ottawa 2026: The debate over Lansdowne 2.0 is still echoing in the mayoral race
The majority of Ottawa voters now view the Lansdowne 2.0 redevelopment plan negatively, according to polls,along with three out of four of the leading mayoral candidates behind Mark Sutcliffe. Will the opposition overturn Sutcliffe’s re-election bid?
Election Ottawa 2026: Two recent, serious collisions have residents in Osgoode Ward talking about road safety
A new four-way stop was unanimously approved and installed on Nixon Drive and Dalmeny Road after two serious collisions this summer, raising questions about Ward 20's road safety.
Election Ottawa 2026: Relentless flooding, crumbling roads top of mind for Bay Ward voters
Bay Ward residents have been left with unmanageable potholes due to poor road construction and lack of proper drainage systems. This challenge has moved residents to reconsider who will end up on their ballots on Oct. 26.
Election Ottawa 2026: Community-building in Barrhaven West needs to focus more on older residents, seniors’ council says
Seniors in Barrhaven lack community spaces - and say they want more recognition from the local government.
Election Ottawa 2026: Kitchissippi voters face the pressures of ‘a growing city’ this election
As Ottawa Coun. Jeff Leiper leaves his Kitchissippi seat to run for mayor, four fresh candidates are focused on the ever-growing ward.
Election Ottawa 2026: Road access and transportation big concerns for West Carleton-March
Road safety, growth and rural services are all key issues facing voters in Ward 5 ahead of Ottawa’s Oct. 26 municipal election. As this community continue to grow, residents want to know whether the next councillor can keep up.
Election Ottawa 2026: Route 24 riders call for better-timed connections in Beacon Hill-Cyrville
Some Beacon Hill-Cyrville residents say poorly timed connections at Blair station can lead to longer waits between buses. [Photo © Eileen Hyun]
Election Ottawa 2026: Orléans South-Navan residents say current plans for high-speed train off track
Some residents in the Orléans South-Navan ward of Ottawa have expressed concerns over how Canada's first high-speed rail network will affect the area.
Election Ottawa 2026: ‘Flood fatigue and rainfall anxiety’: Stormwater infrastructure a top priority in College Ward
After Canada Day’s record-breaking rainfall where thousands of west-end buildings flooded, College Ward residents are looking towards the city for answers on what future extreme weather events will look like for them.
Infrastructure upgrades needed for wards seeing intensification, councillor says
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...
Election Ottawa 2026: Homelessness, addiction major concerns in Rideau-Vanier
Homelessness in Rideau-Vanier Ward could impact voting in October municipal election.
Canada’s next GG has been a Supreme Court judge, war-crimes prosecutor, inquiry leader — and film subject
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s pick for Canada’s next governor general, former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour, has a very accomplished backstory — including one phase of her life that was even dramatized in film. Arbour was appointed chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda at The Hague, Netherlands, in 1996, and she set...
Increased density coming to Ottawa as council passes major zoning changes
Ottawa city council has signed off on a new zoning bylaw, marking the city’s first major overhaul of its planning rules since 2008. The newly approved bylaw is intended to boost housing supply, reduce the city’s dependence on cars, limit urban sprawl and promote intensification.
Budget prioritizes defence, but Canadians may not support huge long-term investment, experts say
While Canadians appear to support the significant investment in defence the Canadian government is planning, one security expert doubts that this support will be maintained in the longer term.
Uncertainty about federal funding cuts raising concern for women and 2SLGBTQIA+ Ottawa programs
As the federal budget fast approaches, women and 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations demand funding levels for Women and Gender Equality Canada be maintained.
‘Turn the heat up on ICE’: Protest slams crackdown by U.S immigration agency
In the shadow of the U.S embassy, a small group of demonstrators lined the sidewalk on July 17 to condemn the Trump administration’s ongoing crackdown against undocumented immigrants and others — including some Canadians travelling south of the border. The protesters held signs with slogans calling for the “ICE to melt” while others were plastered with the faces of Canadians...
‘Influencers’ a major source of election information for young people, report says
A new report from researchers at the University of Ottawa finds that social media influencers are becoming a central source of political information for young voters.
Election 2025: Observers say high stakes could offset voter fatigue
For Bella Arsenault, one word defines her feelings about the upcoming federal election: exhaustion. “It’s so sad to see how much the news and election in the United States are affecting our election,” the Ottawa resident and Dalhousie University student told Capital Current. “Everything is focused around the States, and that’s annoying and frustrating to see.” She has other grievances...
Liberal incumbent aims to hold Ottawa Centre against high-profile NDP challenger
Yasir Naqvi said he is “feeling the same sense of support” as he attempts to hold onto the riding of Ottawa Centre in the April 28 federal election. He does face a serious challenge from former NDP MPP Joel Harden, who has already defeated Naqvi once in the 2018 provincial vote in Ottawa Centre. The riding, which encompasses much of...
Battles in Ottawa Centre, Carleton highlight quest for local seats in federal vote
Campaigns are in full swing across the nation’s capital as federal election day — April 28 — is now just two weeks away. The parties’ local machines are humming across Ottawa’s nine ridings meaning signs are in the ground, boots are on the pavement and faces are at the doorstep. Some riding boundaries have been changed and a few ridings...
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.
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,...
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.
Liberals keep firm hold on Ottawa-Vanier as 60 per cent of voters stay away
The Liberal party is hanging on tight to Ottawa-Vanier once again after the recent provincial election, marking more than a half-century of electoral domination going back to 1971 under the former Ottawa East configuration of the constituency. But voter participation in last week’s election was lower in Ottawa-Vanier than in any of the nine Ottawa-area ridings. Only 39.83 per...
Osgoode councillor Darouze takes Carleton riding for PCs amid low turnout
Longtime Ottawa city councillor George Darouze will now serve the residents of Carleton in a different capacity — this time, as their MPP. Elected in 2014, Darouze was a three-term councillor for Osgoode Ward. Previously he was the president of the Osgoode Carleton Snowmobile Trail Club and a telecommunications manager. Darzouze became the Progressive Conservative party’s nominee in December following...
‘The only wrong vote is a no vote’: Citizens have their say on casting a ballot in the Ontario election
Fewer than half of all eligible voters across Ontario — and in each of Ottawa’s nine electoral districts — turned out to vote in the recent provincial election. A team of Capital Current reporters captured the views of local residents about why they did or didn’t cast a ballot in the 2025 Ontario election. Some — ultimately representing the minority...
Voter turnout drops as Liberal wins tight race in Kanata-Carleton
Despite seeing the second-highest voter participation in the city, Ottawa’s Kanata-Carleton riding still showed a lower voter turnout in the recent Ontario election than in the previous provincial vote in 2022. Only 48.56 per cent of eligible voters showed up to the polls, lower turnout for the west-end Ottawa riding than in the 2022 election, when 45,695 voters or...
Liberal flips Nepean as voter turnout matches provincial average
In the recent Ontario election, voter turnout in Nepean was 45.49 per cent, with just 46,741 of the 102,744 eligible voters casting a ballot. While this figure is slightly higher than Ontario’s record-low turnout of 44.06 per cent in 2022, it reflects a broader trend of low voter engagement as in this election, Ontario only saw a 45.40 per cent voter turnout. Across Ottawa, turnout...
Tories hold Glengarry-Prescott-Russell as voter turnout stays below 50 per cent
Voter turnout in Glengarry-Prescott-Russell was up slightly in last week’s election compared with the previous provincial vote in 2022. But for the second straight time, fewer than half the eligible voters in the riding cast their ballots — a significant drop from the 2018 Ontario election. Even with an election called in response to Ontario and Canada’s high-profile clash over...
Liberal keeps hold on Ottawa South in Ontario election that generated low voter interest
It’s no shock Ottawa South stayed red in the recent Ontario election. Liberals have held the riding steadily since 1987, with this vote marking the fifth consecutive win for John Fraser. What is shocking, however, is, despite Fraser taking half the ballots cast, only 22.6 per cent of eligible voters in Ottawa South put an X next to his name....
NDP keeps Ottawa West-Nepean as turnout matches provincial average
With a voter turnout of 45.02 per cent, the riding of Ottawa West-Nepean closely mirrored province-wide participation rates of 45.4 per cent in the recent Ontario election. Ottawa West-Nepean’s NDP incumbent Chandra Pasma dramatically expanded her support across the riding in last week’s vote, taking 49.33 per cent of the ballots — an 11.79-point increase from the last provincial election...
Liberal Blais wins again in Orléans as turnout remains 15 percentage points below 2018
Faced with the decision to brave Thursday’s wintry conditions to vote or stay home, most Orléans residents chose the latter. Just 47.74 per cent of Orléans’ eligible voters cast their ballots in the recent provincial election. The turnout is a minute uptick from the 2022 election, when just 46.59 per cent of voters showed up. However, it’s a substantial...
After strong push to get out the vote, student group laments PC victory
After making a strong push to get young people to the polls on Feb. 27, the federation representing 350,000 college and university students in Ontario is lamenting the re-election of a Progressive Conservative government that it believes “will not prioritize post-secondary education and students.” The Ontario branch of the Canadian Federation of Students worked hard to motivate and mobilize postsecondary...
Tories renew mandate in election that majority of eligible voters sat out
Ontario Premier Doug Ford secured a historic third straight majority government after winning a snap election on Feb. 27. In a vote that saw the second-lowest voter turnout in provincial history, Ford’s Progressive Conservatives won 80 of 124 seats in the legislature, the NDP captured 27, the Liberals 14 and the Green Party two. One independent MPP was elected. Ford...
AI interference, misinformation raise concerns ahead of Ontario election
Earlier this month, uOttawa’s AI + Society Initiative and research group IVADO released “AI in the Ballot Box,” a policy brief outlining recommendations for global governments to “safeguard election integrity and uphold democracy.”
It might be more politics than economics, still one small business owner welcomes sales tax ‘holiday’
The GST ‘holiday’ that is about to kick in might not be solid economic policy and it may be too late for those who do their holiday shopping early, but one local business owner says she welcomes the move, mostly.
Members of Nightlife Council eager for a community approach to promoting Ottawa’s culture
Recently-announced volunteer members of Ottawa’s Nightlife Council say they are looking to highlight and promote the city’s cultural and artistic diversity, as well as safety, in their inaugural term.
Poll shows Canadians fancy Kamala Harris
A new poll from non-profit Angus Reid Institute shows that a sizeable majority of Canadians approve of U.S. presidential candidate Kamala Harris. The current vice president will be confirmed in her candidacy for president of the United States next week at the Democratic National Convention. Two thirds of the 1,605 Canadians polled responded they hold favourable views of Harris compared...
Letter demands removal of Liberal MP as point person on Jewish community and antisemitism
A letter signed by hundreds of Canadians is demanding the prime minister replace Anthony Housefather as the federal government’s special advisor on Jewish community relations and antisemitism. The letter accuses the Montreal MP of pushing “anti-Palestinian racist and Islamophobic narratives” for months. Addressed to MPs and Senators, the letter asks for a full re-assessment and evaluation of the appointment. and...
The “Bratification” of Kamala Harris: Gen Z at the intersection of internet culture and politics
Bright lime green, simple font, Charli XCX’s hit album “Brat” is everywhere these days. It’s even put its stamp on Democratic presidential candidate and current U.S. vice president Kamala Harris’ social media accounts. “Brat” is a dance-pop album defined by a gritty authenticity, capturing the vulnerability of the cool-girl aesthetic. But it’s more than the music. Charli herself says Brat...
Call for noise bylaw change echoes again at Ottawa city hall
Protesters were back at city hall to demand an amendment to the city's noise bylaw which limits the use of megaphones and speakers in public.
Impact of toxic politics may deter women from running for office, say experts
Concerns surrounding diversity in elections are rising because of psychological harassment and toxicity rising in municipal governments.
Protesters rally for trans youth as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith visits Ottawa
Hundreds packed Parliament Hill on Monday to protest the arrival of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in town, after she announced proposed restrictions on transgender youth. Smith was in Ottawa to mark the opening of a provincial office in the city that will be used to make Alberta’s case to the federal government and to participate in at an event near...