Here are five developments shaping Ottawa and the National Capital Region today, with context on why they matter.
Ottawa’s four leading mayoral candidates face off in CTV debate today
The four leading candidates for mayor of Ottawa, Alex Lawson, Jeff Leiper, Neil Saravanamuttoo and incumbent Mark Sutcliffe, are scheduled to debate at 10 a.m. today on CTV News Ottawa, with the event streamed on CTVNewsOttawa.ca and the Newstalk 580 CFRA YouTube channel and carried on CFRA radio. Fourteen people are on the mayoral ballot for the October 26 election. A Nanos Research survey for CTV News Ottawa found 55 per cent of residents rank transit as the city service most in need of improvement, well ahead of roads and sidewalks at 27 per cent; the poll of 762 residents was conducted October 4 to 8 and is accurate within plus or minus 3.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. A separate CTV/Nanos poll gives Sutcliffe a sizeable lead, making today’s debate one of the challengers’ last high-profile chances to shift the race. Transit is likely to be front and centre after reduced O-Train Line 1 service and hundreds of cancelled bus trips this year. Sources: CTV News Ottawa and CTV News Ottawa via CP24.
Carney to join ‘Forever Canadian’ rallies in Alberta ahead of Monday’s referendum
Prime Minister Mark Carney will attend two “Forever Canadian” rallies in Alberta this week, in Calgary on October 15 and Edmonton on October 16, the Prime Minister’s Office has confirmed, according to The Canadian Press. The campaign, launched by former Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk, urges Albertans to vote to stay in Canada in the October 19 referendum, which also includes nine other questions on constitutional and immigration issues. Carney, who grew up in Alberta, released a Thanksgiving video filmed at his former Edmonton high school, saying “You can’t build big things on fault lines” and pointing to federal plans for a new pipeline to the West Coast. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is scheduled to speak in Calgary on October 16, with Premier Danielle Smith expected to follow. The prime minister’s appearances put the federal government directly into the final days of a vote on whether one of Canada’s provinces should stay in the country. Source: The Canadian Press via National Newswatch.
Ottawa firm Dominion Dynamics to build Ukrainian ground drones in Canada
Ottawa-based defence company Dominion Dynamics and Ukrainian robotics firm Tencore have signed a memorandum of understanding to produce Tencore’s ground drones in Canada, The Canadian Press reports. The agreement, signed at a defence conference in Washington, D.C., on October 13, calls for building Tencore’s Termit, a tread-driven vehicle used on Ukraine’s front lines for resupply and mine-laying, in Canada with Dominion’s software installed. Production could begin as early as next year. The deal follows a joint declaration on defence production signed by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Calgary in September, and Ottawa has been encouraging joint drone production between Canadian firms and Ukraine’s defence industry. It is an early sign that the federal push is producing partnerships for capital-region companies, though a memorandum of understanding is a first step rather than a production contract. Source: The Canadian Press via National Newswatch.
Northwestern Ontario to stop changing clocks, staying in step with Manitoba
Ontario plans to move parts of its northwest to permanent daylight time to match Manitoba, Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford said, according to The Canadian Press. The province intends to make a regulatory change under the Time Act on November 1 that would let regions west of the 90th meridian align with Manitoba, which announced last month it would stop twice-yearly clock changes and stay on daylight time year-round. Rickford said the region unanimously preferred ending clock changes over switching to eastern time or falling out of step with Manitoba, and that surveys of municipalities, businesses and First Nations showed 90 to 94 per cent support. British Columbia announced in March it is moving to permanent Pacific daylight time, and Alberta switched to permanent daylight time this year. The change applies only west of the 90th meridian, so Ottawa is not affected for now, but the move adds to a growing patchwork of provincial time rules across the country. Source: The Canadian Press via National Newswatch.
Canada and allies express ‘regret’ as Palestinian elections are delayed to 2027
Canada, France, the United Kingdom and Australia have issued a joint statement expressing “regret” after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas postponed presidential and legislative elections that had been set for next month, according to The Canadian Press. Abbas has delayed the votes until September 2027. The four countries urged the Palestinian Authority to reconsider and hold both elections without further delay, while the PLO executive committee said conditions were not right for a vote. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Canadian aid to the Palestinian Authority. The delay puts Ottawa’s Middle East policy under fresh scrutiny at home, with the opposition using it to question support for the Palestinian Authority. Source: The Canadian Press via National Newswatch.
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