Here are five developments shaping Ottawa and the National Capital Region today, with context on why they matter.
Ottawa home sales hold steady in September as new listings surge
Ottawa home sales were nearly flat in September, with 1,010 homes sold, up 0.8 per cent from August but down 6.6 per cent from a year earlier, according to the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB). Year-to-date sales stand at 10,288, down 6.9 per cent from 2025, a slowdown CTV News Ottawa also reported. New listings jumped 38.1 per cent from August to 2,927, raising inventory to 4.8 months, while the benchmark price slipped 2.2 per cent over the month to $623,500. Apartments were the weakest segment, with sales down 24.8 per cent from a year ago and the apartment benchmark price down 6.1 per cent to $380,800; OREB president Tami Eades said suburban areas accounted for nearly three-quarters of September sales. For buyers, more listings and softer prices mean more choice heading into winter, while apartment sellers face a noticeably slower market. Sources: Ottawa Real Estate Board and CTV News Ottawa.
Thousands of Alberta referendum mail-in ballots returned with errors
More than 3,000 mail-in ballots for Alberta’s October 19 referendum have come back with errors that make them invalid, including missing declaration forms and problems with identification, Elections Alberta says, according to The Canadian Press. Officials have verified about a third of the more than 652,000 ballot packages sent to eligible voters, and say affected voters still have time to submit the correct information by email. Elections Alberta has also hired more than two-thirds of the 60,000 workers it needs for the vote. The referendum includes a question on whether Alberta should stay in Canada or begin the process toward a second, binding referendum on leaving Confederation. With a vote of national consequence less than two weeks away, a smooth and accurate count matters for the legitimacy of the result in Alberta and across the country. Sources: The Canadian Press via CJME and Global News.
Canada’s foreign influence registry off to a slow start
Canada’s new foreign influence transparency registry had received only about 30 submissions, and just two names appeared on its public list, as of early Tuesday, The Canadian Press and Global News report. The deadline for people with arrangements made before August 4 to register was Saturday, October 3, according to the Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner’s office, and new arrangements must be registered within 14 days. Commissioner Anton Boegman said “this is a brand new registry” and that he expects numbers to rise as people learn about the requirements. Conservative MP Michael Cooper highlighted the low numbers, according to Global News. The registry is meant to bring efforts by foreign governments to influence Canadian politics into the open, so a slow start raises questions about awareness and enforcement. Sources: The Canadian Press via Narcity, Global News and Office of the Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner.
Exports to the U.S. spike as buyers race ahead of 50% tariffs
Canadian exports to the United States jumped 8.1 per cent in August as U.S. buyers moved orders ahead of new 50 per cent tariffs that took effect on August 22, according to Statistics Canada data reported by Reuters and Global News. Canada’s overall merchandise trade surplus widened to $4.2 billion from a revised $787 million in July, and the surplus with the U.S. reached $11.2 billion. Imports fell 2 per cent, led by motor vehicles and parts, while exports to countries other than the U.S. fell 8.5 per cent. CIBC senior economist Katherine Judge said the strength was tied largely to front-running of the tariffs. Because the surge reflects orders pulled forward, it is unlikely to signal lasting strength, and with non-U.S. shipments falling, the U.S. now takes nearly 70 per cent of Canada’s exports, deepening reliance on the market now hitting Canadian goods with tariffs. Sources: Reuters via BNN Bloomberg and Global News.
Ottawa gives Stelco’s U.S. owner five days to protect Hamilton jobs
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly has given Cleveland-Cliffs, the U.S. owner of Hamilton steelmaker Stelco, five days to present a plan to honour the job commitments it made when Canada approved its 2024 takeover, The Canadian Press reports. The demand follows the company’s decision to lay off 500 workers at Hamilton Works, which it has linked to trade disruptions. If the company does not comply, Ottawa could take legal action in superior court, which could lead to penalties or a forced sale of the business, according to CP. United Steelworkers Local 1005 president Ron Wells said he hopes the company reverses the layoffs but is “not holding my breath.” The case tests whether conditions attached to approving a foreign takeover can protect Canadian jobs as U.S. tariffs squeeze the steel sector. Sources: The Canadian Press via Global News and Steel Market Update.
About The Author
