Here are five developments shaping Ottawa and the National Capital Region today, with context on why they matter.
Ottawa voters split on city’s direction, put homelessness first for downtown
Nearly half of Ottawa residents (48 per cent) hold a neutral view of the direction the city is heading, while 34 per cent say it is on the right track and 15 per cent say it is headed the wrong way, according to a Nanos Research survey for CTV News Ottawa. In a second release from the same poll, 48 per cent of residents said helping people experiencing homelessness should be the top priority for improving downtown, well ahead of public safety at 30 per cent. The survey of 762 Ottawa residents was conducted October 4 to 8 and is considered accurate within plus or minus 3.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. With the municipal election set for October 26, the large neutral bloc suggests many voters have not reached a firm verdict on City Hall. The downtown results also signal that candidates’ plans on homelessness and safety will weigh heavily on how voters judge the core’s future. Sources: Nanos Research, Nanos Research and CTV News Ottawa.
Former rivals Kenney and Notley unite as Alberta referendum enters final week
Former Alberta premiers Jason Kenney and Rachel Notley, whose parties faced off in 2019 when Kenney’s United Conservatives defeated Notley’s NDP government, are scheduled to speak together in Edmonton today at an event hosted by the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, The Canadian Press reports. The pair are making the case for Alberta to stay in Canada ahead of the October 19 referendum, which asks 10 questions, the last on whether the province should remain in Canada or hold a second, binding vote on leaving. Advance voting stations open today, and Elections Alberta will count the separation question first, with results expected early the next morning. Pierre Poilievre and Premier Danielle Smith are scheduled to speak in Calgary on Friday, both urging Albertans to stay, while duelling rallies are planned at the Edmonton legislature grounds on the weekend. Polls have consistently shown Albertans favour remaining in Confederation, and Smith has said a simple majority either way will carry the day, so the final week is about turning that support into votes. Sources: The Canadian Press via CP24 and The Canadian Press via CKOM.
Canada sends its largest trade mission to India in over 30 years
International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu is leading nearly 300 Canadian business representatives on a trade mission to India from October 12 to 17, with stops including Mumbai and Bengaluru, according to Global Affairs Canada. The department calls it the largest Canadian trade delegation to India in more than 30 years, with companies in aerospace, clean technology, information and communication technology, life sciences and agri-food. The Canadian Press reports Sidhu plans to meet India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal as the two countries work toward a free-trade agreement by the end of 2026. Two-way trade in goods and services was $30.4 billion in 2025, and Ottawa aims to more than double that to $70 billion a year by 2030. The mission is a key test of the federal push to diversify exports away from the United States, and of a relationship whose trade talks were shut down in 2023 after Canada accused New Delhi of a role in the killing of a Sikh activist in Surrey, B.C. Sources: Global Affairs Canada and The Canadian Press via Penticton Herald.
France says it won’t issue crab licence off Newfoundland without talking to Canada
France’s new ambassador to Canada, Hélène Farnaud-Defromont, says France has not issued a snow crab fishing licence off Newfoundland and would not take that step without consulting Canada, The Canadian Press reports. French President Emmanuel Macron had reportedly promised an exploratory licence to a fishing company in St-Pierre-et-Miquelon in September, a day after meeting Prime Minister Mark Carney on the French islands. Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson has said Canada affirms its claim to the extended continental shelf in the area, including all of its snow crab, and does not agree with any foreign snow crab fishing there. The area in question lies beyond Canada’s 200-nautical-mile limit but within its extended continental shelf claim, and France’s 2014 claim before a United Nations commission overlaps with Canada’s. The ambassador’s assurance lowers the temperature, but the underlying dispute over who controls seabed resources off Atlantic Canada remains unresolved. Sources: The Canadian Press via iNFOnews and The Canadian Press via CP24.
Canada joins 28 countries condemning Iran after U.K. air base plot
Canada has signed a joint statement with 28 other countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, condemning Iran’s lethal plotting, arson, sabotage, cyber-attacks and other hostile activities against them and their partners, according to Global Affairs Canada. The statement backs the U.K.’s finding that Iran was involved in a September 27 incident at RAF Fairford, a U.S.-run air base in England, which U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said was “almost certainly” directed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, The Canadian Press reports. Police arrested seven men, who have all been released on bail, and no one has been charged; Iran denies involvement. The statement also points to a recent wave of attacks across Europe targeting Jewish communities, Iranian journalists and U.S. interests. The signatories pledged to identify, investigate, disrupt and prosecute anyone acting on behalf of Iran or another state, committing Canada to closer co-ordination with allies against foreign state threats. Sources: Global Affairs Canada and The Canadian Press via Chronicle Journal.
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