Here are five developments shaping Ottawa and the National Capital Region today, with context on why they matter.
Nearly half of Ottawa’s mail-in ballots missed the deadline before Monday’s vote
The City of Ottawa says nearly half of the more than 5,000 special mail-in ballots issued for the Oct. 26 municipal election were not received by the Oct. 16 deadline, CTV News Ottawa reports. Residents had to apply for a mail-in ballot between Sept. 1 and Sept. 15, according to the Ottawa Citizen. For anyone who has not yet voted, polls open Monday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the voting place listed on each voter’s notification letter. Voters need one piece of identification showing their name and address, and photo ID is not required. For residents choosing a mayor, councillors and school trustees, the late ballots are a reminder that voting in person remains the surest way to make sure a ballot counts. Sources: CTV News Ottawa and Ottawa Citizen via Yahoo News.
PSAC calls strike votes for 120,000 federal workers as Parks Canada issues 2,917 job notices
The Public Service Alliance of Canada says about 120,000 federal workers in the PA, TC and EB bargaining groups will vote on whether to strike between Nov. 16 and Jan. 22. The union says Treasury Board offered average raises of under one per cent a year and has refused to negotiate on remote work, job security and protections against artificial intelligence. PSAC national president Sharon DeSousa said the government “has left us no other choice,” while calling a strike a last resort, The Canadian Press reports. Separately, Parks Canada told CTV News Ottawa that 2,917 employees will receive notices that their positions are affected by workforce adjustment, the start of a second round at the agency. The federal budget aims to shrink the public service by 10 per cent by 2028-29, so federal workers, many of them in the National Capital Region, face both job cuts and a possible strike in the months ahead. Sources: PSAC, The Canadian Press via Global News and CTV News Ottawa.
Carney and Erdoğan launch Canada-Türkiye strategic partnership, with trade talks next month
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan launched a Canada-Türkiye strategic partnership in Ankara, backed by a three-year action plan covering trade and investment, defence and security, energy, and people-to-people ties, Al Jazeera reports. The first round of free trade negotiations is set for Ankara next month, and energy ministers will work together on liquefied natural gas, nuclear power and critical minerals. Carney said the aim is “collective resilience,” not self-sufficiency. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, two-way merchandise trade reached $4.3 billion in 2025, and this is the first bilateral visit to Türkiye by a Canadian prime minister. Carney is scheduled to meet business leaders in Istanbul as Ottawa works to reduce its reliance on the U.S. market amid the ongoing tariff fight. Sources: Al Jazeera and Prime Minister’s Office.
Military plans 47 Arctic sensor stations to strengthen Norad surveillance
National Defence plans to install 47 sensor stations across Canada’s North, starting as early as next summer, to improve Norad surveillance and early warning, The Canadian Press reports, citing recently published regulatory filings. Under Project Crossbow, Hercules aircraft and Chinook helicopters would airlift container-sized passive sensors to sites from Yukon near the Alaska border, along the Arctic coast, to Alert, Nunavut. The solar- and wind-powered stations would be unstaffed year-round apart from setup and annual maintenance, with initial operating capability expected in 2029 and completion by 2032. Planned sites include two in Quttinirpaaq National Park and four in a migratory bird sanctuary on Banks Island, though the documents say wildlife impacts should be minimal. It is part of a multibillion-dollar federal effort to modernize Norad, putting new surveillance infrastructure across a region central to Canada’s Arctic sovereignty. Source: The Canadian Press via CP24.
Canadian trips to the U.S. still 23% below 2024 levels, Statistics Canada says
Canadian residents made about 3.2 million return trips from the United States in August, up 9.3 per cent from a year earlier but still 23.2 per cent below August 2024, according to Statistics Canada data released Thursday. Return trips from overseas destinations fell 2.0 per cent to 1.2 million. Travel in the other direction grew, with U.S. residents making 3.3 million trips to Canada, up 4.3 per cent, and overseas visitors rising 5.6 per cent to 935,300. In total, Canadian residents returned from abroad about 4.4 million times in August, up 6.0 per cent from last year. The numbers suggest Canadians’ cross-border travel has only partly recovered from last year’s steep drop, while visitor traffic into Canada continues to climb. Source: Statistics Canada.
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