Here are five developments shaping Ottawa and the National Capital Region today, with context on why they matter.
NAC Orchestra musicians back strike mandate ahead of October 15 talks
Musicians in the National Arts Centre Orchestra have voted unanimously in favour of a strike mandate, according to their union, the Musicians’ Association of Ottawa-Gatineau. Robin Moir, secretary-treasurer of the local, told the Ottawa Citizen that pay is the main issue, as musicians believe their wages have fallen behind those of other Canadian orchestras since the pandemic, with work schedules a smaller concern. No strike date has been set, and a bargaining session with NAC management is scheduled for October 15. Moir said the union hopes a strike can be avoided, and any offer the musicians find acceptable would go to a ratification vote. The talks come as the orchestra begins a new season under a new music director, making next week’s session important for one of the capital’s flagship cultural institutions. Sources: Ottawa Citizen via Yahoo News and CTV News Ottawa.
Advance voting opens Tuesday in Alberta’s referendum on its future in Canada
Advance polls open Tuesday, October 13, and run through October 17 ahead of Alberta’s referendum on October 19, according to Elections Alberta. The ballot has 10 questions: five on immigration and on whether temporary workers and residents should pay fees for services such as health care and education, four on the Constitution, and a tenth asking whether Albertans want to remain in Canada or hold a second, binding vote on leaving Confederation, The Canadian Press reports. Elections Alberta is preparing for a record turnout of about 85 per cent, ballots will be counted by hand, and results likely won’t be known until early October 20; spokesperson Maia Hanrahan said, “We are ready to deliver.” The agency has also had to fix problems, including about 300 mail-in packages missing some questions and roughly 3,000 returned mail-in ballots with missing ID or declaration issues. The outcome will be watched closely across the country, since a vote for the second option would set up a binding vote on Alberta leaving Canada. Sources: Elections Alberta and The Canadian Press via Kelowna Daily Courier.
Carney says U.S.-Russia diesel deal undercuts the push for peace in Ukraine
Prime Minister Mark Carney told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday that a new agreement for Russia to supply millions of tonnes of diesel to the United States is “in direct opposition” to efforts by Ukraine, Canada and their allies to bring peace to Europe, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. Carney said the deal would give Russia more revenue to fund its war, and pledged that Canada will maintain its more than 3,500 sanctions on Russia and tighten them where effective. The Canadian Press reports that Carney also thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for pursuing an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, which Trump announced Sunday without immediate details. In Washington, Republican Senator Thom Tillis suggested the diesel deal could be illegal under a 2022 ban on Russian energy imports, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration would proceed using its legal authorities. The dispute puts Canada publicly at odds with Washington over pressure on Russia, even as Ottawa welcomes U.S. efforts toward a ceasefire. Sources: Prime Minister’s Office and The Canadian Press via Penticton Herald.
Canada warns against travel to Riyadh airport after deadly Houthi strikes
Canada is advising against all travel to King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and all non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia after a missile attack on the airport’s passenger terminal on Saturday killed 12 people, The Canadian Press reports. Saudi aviation authorities said at least 309 people were wounded, and Saudi Arabia attributed the attack to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, according to Al Jazeera. The Saudi-led coalition said another projectile hit the same terminal on Sunday, and the airport remained closed. Canada’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Jean-Philippe Linteau, said the embassy in Riyadh remains open for Canadians who need consular help, while Prime Minister Mark Carney called the strikes “abhorrent.” The escalation matters for Canadian travellers and business ties: a Canada-Saudi business group says Canadian firms are monitoring the situation, and Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne is expected to lead a delegation of Canadian pension funds to Saudi Arabia in the coming months. Sources: The Canadian Press via Global News and Al Jazeera.
Ontario cancer patient denied drug funding as province narrows out-of-country coverage
Holly Wardlow, a University of Toronto professor with a rare form of liver cancer, has been denied provincial funding for Bizengri, a drug that costs about $78,000 a month and has markedly shrunk her tumour, CTV News reports. The drug is available in Canada only through Health Canada’s Special Access Program, and Wardlow says she has spent close to $500,000 and used up her savings to pay for it. Her case follows Health Minister Sylvia Jones’s announcement last week that Ontario will fund drugs out of country only if they are already funded in the province but temporarily unavailable or delayed, a change made after a melanoma patient won a court ruling against OHIP, The Canadian Press reports. Jones said the province is protecting patients and taxpayers from “price-gouging,” and the ministry says keeping the old rules could cost OHIP $5.2 billion a year, though CTV notes it is unclear how that figure was calculated. The policy raises hard questions about access to treatment for patients with rare cancers when a drug maker has no near-term plans to seek wider Canadian approval. Sources: CTV News via CP24 and The Canadian Press via Barrie 360.
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