Here are five developments shaping Ottawa and the National Capital Region today, with context on why they matter.
Ottawa police seek $44M more from taxpayers for 2027
The Ottawa Police Service is asking for an additional $44 million from taxpayers next year, an 11 per cent increase in tax dollars, according to its 2027 draft budget, CTV News Ottawa reports. The service says the money would pay for 50 new officers, body cameras for all officers and salary increases. The figures are a draft request and still have to go through the budget approval process before they take effect. Because police funding comes from the property tax levy, the size of the increase will shape what Ottawa homeowners pay next year and how much room is left for other city priorities. Source: CTV News Ottawa.
Canada lost 4,700 jobs in October as unemployment rises to 6.7%
Canada shed a net 4,700 jobs in October and the unemployment rate rose to 6.7 per cent from 6.5 per cent, Statistics Canada said Friday. That is the highest rate since April’s 6.9 per cent, and it follows losses of 68,000 jobs in September and 42,000 in August. Private-sector employment fell by about 52,500, Reuters reports, while economists it polled had expected a gain of 13,600 jobs. Youth unemployment climbed 0.7 points to 13.7 per cent, and Ontario’s rate rose to 7.3 per cent, above the national average. Average hourly wages grew 2.2 per cent from a year earlier, a slightly slower pace than in September. Released a day after the federal budget, the figures point to a job market that is still losing momentum. Sources: Statistics Canada and Reuters via BNN Bloomberg.
Feds plan law to speed up Alto high-speed rail, including expropriation
Budget 2026 commits the federal government to introducing legislation to speed construction of the Alto high-speed rail project, including measures to streamline expropriation and enable early pre-construction work, CTV News Ottawa reports. Alto is studying the Ottawa-Montreal leg first and has said some land will need to be expropriated under the federal Expropriation Act. In October, the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated the project could cost $75 billion to $113 billion, above the government’s estimate of $60 billion to $90 billion. Alto expects to submit a detailed business case in 2027, and if construction starts in 2029, the Ottawa-Montreal section is expected to take about eight years. The project faces opposition from some residents, farmers and politicians in Ontario and Quebec, and the United Counties of Prescott-Russell council voted in June to refuse Alto access to county land for studies. For landowners east of Ottawa, faster expropriation powers could bring the project much closer to home. Source: CTV News Ottawa via BNN Bloomberg.
Veterans’ security employer loses CRA contract to U.S.-owned firm
A Conservative motion asking the federal government to cancel a Canada Revenue Agency security contract awarded to a Canadian subsidiary of an American company was defeated this week, CTV News reports. The CRA awarded the $12-million contract in June to Universal Protection Service of Canada Corp., a subsidiary of Allied Universal, over the Commissionaires, a not-for-profit with a mandate to hire veterans. The Commissionaires say the two bids differed by about $80,000, or 0.8 per cent, and that they have been told they will no longer have right of first refusal on most federal contracts. The group says about 8,000 of its workers serve the federal government, roughly 2,000 of them veterans. Wayne Long, Secretary of State for the CRA, has called the process independent, saying “this company is Canadian,” and his office says the CRA’s new policy prioritizes Canadian suppliers and weighs factors beyond cost. The dispute raises questions about how the government defines Canadian suppliers and about future federal work for veterans. Sources: CTV News via BNN Bloomberg and The Hub.
Stamp price set to jump to $2 in 2027 under budget plan
Budget 2026 proposes raising the price of a single domestic stamp from $1.44 to $2 in 2027, with increases of about 7 per cent a year after that, CTV News Ottawa reports. The budget estimates the change will cost consumers about $6 a year and small businesses about $9 a year, and says it will bring Canada Post’s pricing closer to other OECD countries. It also proposes $1.4 billion over two years to support Canada Post’s operations and $1.2 billion over seven years to help convert urban door-to-door delivery to community mailboxes. Canada Post delivered about 2 billion domestic letters in 2025, down from 5.5 billion in 2006, and the National Post notes it reported a $1.57-billion loss last year. The measures show Ottawa intends to keep supporting the Crown corporation while pushing it toward a cheaper delivery model. Sources: CTV News Ottawa via BNN Bloomberg and National Post via Yahoo News Canada.
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