Here are five developments shaping Ottawa and the National Capital Region today, with context on why they matter.
Ottawa council holds final meeting of term before new council sworn in
Ottawa city council is scheduled to hold its last meeting of the 2022–2026 term today, its 87th together, CBC News reports. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and 19 councillors were re-elected last month and two more were acclaimed, while newcomers Erin Coffin (Kanata South), Joanne Chianello (Kitchissippi) and Chelsea Walton (Stittsville) join when the new council is sworn in Monday. Councillors are expected to receive audits on garbage collection and OC Transpo overtime, plus a report on how the next term will run that is being tabled for the new council rather than voted on. The overtime audit by Auditor General Nathalie Gougeon found OC Transpo spent $44.4 million on overtime in 2024 and 2025, largely to cover staff shortages and an aging fleet, and warned that this reliance can’t last, according to the Ottawa Citizen. Also on the agenda are a major high-rise on the former Scouts Canada site on Baseline Road and a motion from outgoing Stittsville councillor Glen Gower to help bring a health hub to his ward. For residents, the transit and waste files handed over today set the starting point for the next four years at City Hall. Sources: CBC News via Yahoo News Canada, CTV News Ottawa and Ottawa Citizen via Yahoo News Canada.
Joly meets Stellantis and Unifor after Brampton plant sale
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly is set to hold a four-way meeting in Toronto today with Stellantis, Unifor and representatives of the Ontario government, The Canadian Press reports. The talks follow Stellantis’s announcement that it is selling its idled Brampton, Ont., assembly plant to Canadian armoured vehicle maker Roshel for an undisclosed amount. More than 2,000 workers have been laid off since the plant was idled in 2023, and Unifor national president Lana Payne called the sale a “worst-case scenario.” Late Wednesday, Joly’s office denied reports that she was involved in the negotiations behind the deal and said the minister never met with Roshel. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has also written to the prime minister urging that Chinese-made EV kits not be assembled at the plant, CTV News reports. The meeting will show how much leverage governments still have to protect auto jobs once a manufacturer decides to walk away from a plant. Sources: The Canadian Press via National Newswatch, The Canadian Press via 980 CJME and CTV News.
Carney joins European leaders in Dublin, eyes closer EU ties
Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Dublin today for the European Political Community summit, an informal gathering that European leaders have held about every six months since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, The Canadian Press reports. Canada is the only non-European country at the table, as it was at the previous summit. Carney is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with the leaders of Greece and Cyprus, two EU members that have not ratified a decade-old trade deal with Europe. Since the last summit, Carney and EU leaders have floated the idea of Canada becoming an “associate member” of the bloc, a status that has not yet been defined. Carney spends one day in Ireland before flying to Manila for a regional summit in the Philippines. For Canadians, the stop shows Ottawa pushing to deepen ties with Europe, both by closing out an old trade deal and by exploring a new kind of relationship with the EU. Sources: The Canadian Press via National Newswatch and The Canadian Press via 980 CJME.
Russia and Ukraine agree to large prisoner swap as talks end
Russia and Ukraine agreed in principle to a large prisoner-of-war exchange as two days of U.S.-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi ended Wednesday without a major breakthrough on ending the war, The Associated Press reports. U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said final numbers would be set Thursday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said negotiators had discussed swapping 1,000 prisoners from each side, possibly rising to 1,500, according to Euronews. A Russian military official said the exchange could happen within two to three weeks. Kushner and Steve Witkoff planned to travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet Vladimir Putin, then fly to Dublin to meet Zelenskyy. The main sticking points remain security guarantees, the fate of Russian-occupied territory and Europe’s role, with Zelenskyy saying a deal without Europe would be both unjust and impossible. For Canada and other Western allies, Kyiv’s insistence on involving Europe signals that allies want a say in any final settlement. Sources: The Associated Press via PBS NewsHour and Euronews.
B.C. storms force evacuations in Pemberton area
Heavy rain on British Columbia’s south coast has led to evacuation orders and alerts, flood warnings and the shutdown of a water treatment plant, The Canadian Press reports. The Village of Pemberton issued an evacuation order for properties on Airport Road, including the airport and a wastewater facility, and later placed the entire village on evacuation alert, meaning residents should be ready to leave on short notice, according to EmergencyInfoBC. The Lil’wat Nation also issued an evacuation order and alert along the Lillooet River corridor. Environment and Climate Change Canada warned that more than 250 millimetres of rain was possible for parts of western and inland Vancouver Island, and B.C. Hydro said some areas could be without power for days after more than 400,000 customers lost power between Friday and Monday, CBC News reports. The Sea-to-Sky Highway, Highway 1 through the Fraser Valley and Fraser Canyon, and the Malahat are among the most affected routes. Disruptions on Highway 1 and through the Fraser Canyon matter well beyond B.C., since those corridors link the Lower Mainland to the rest of the country. Sources: The Canadian Press via 980 CJME, EmergencyInfoBC and CBC News via Yahoo News Canada.
About The Author
