Here are five developments shaping Ottawa and the National Capital Region today, with context on why they matter.
Speeding persists at Ottawa’s former photo radar school sites
Drivers at former photo radar sites in Ottawa school zones are going an average of 5 to 11 km/h faster this fall than a year ago, according to new City of Ottawa statistics reported by CTV News Ottawa. At some of those sites fewer than 30 per cent of drivers are obeying the limit, and outside Vincent Massey School on Smyth Road, where a camera ran until November 2025, only 58 per cent complied in October. The Ontario government shut off municipal speed cameras last November, with Premier Doug Ford calling them a cash grab. Before the ban, compliance at Ottawa’s original pilot sites had climbed from 16 per cent to 87 per cent over four years, CBC News reported in April, and the cameras brought in roughly $15 million a year for city road safety work, according to Global News. The latest figures show school-zone speeds remain well above where they were when the cameras were running, a key test for the province’s promised replacement measures. Sources: CTV News Ottawa, CBC News via Yahoo News Canada and Global News.
Supreme Court hears final day of challenge to federal gun ban
The Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa is scheduled to hear the second and final day of arguments today on the federal ban on what the government calls assault-style firearms, The Canadian Press reports. The ban, introduced in May 2020, covered 1,500 models and variants, including the AR-15 and Ruger Mini-14, and has since grown to more than 2,500 varieties. The appellants, including the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights, gun owners, businesses and sport shooters, argue cabinet broke a legal limit on banning guns it considers reasonable for hunting or sport, while the federal government says it used its discretion reasonably on public safety grounds. The Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal have both upheld the ban. An amnesty that was set to end Oct. 30 has been extended to 90 days after the Supreme Court rules, with a decision expected no later than 2027. The ruling will decide how far cabinet can go in banning firearms by regulation, and when owners must give up guns they still hold. Sources: The Canadian Press via Lethbridge Herald and The Canadian Press via CFJC Today.
Ottawa wrote off $4.5B in COVID benefit repayments last year
The federal government wrote off $4.5 billion in COVID-19 benefit repayments in the last fiscal year, up from $26 million the year before, The Canadian Press reports, citing the Office of the Auditor General. The figures come from the auditor’s review of the government’s consolidated financial statements. Ottawa tries to recover pandemic benefits when it finds someone was overpaid or ineligible, and writes the debt off once it no longer expects to be repaid. The auditor’s office also noted that the allowance for possible losses on Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loans rose to $5.6 billion, out of $7.2 billion in loans still outstanding. For taxpayers, the numbers put a clearer price on pandemic-era support that the government no longer expects to get back. Sources: The Canadian Press via CP24 and The Canadian Press via 650 CKOM.
Anand at G7 talks in Paris as allies gauge U.S. after midterms
Foreign Minister Anita Anand is in Paris for two days of G7 foreign ministers’ talks that began Monday, the first overseas trip for U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio since the midterm elections cost Republicans control of Congress, The Associated Press reports. The agenda includes Russia’s war on Ukraine, the Iran war, the International Criminal Court, energy security and artificial intelligence, and Global Affairs Canada says Anand will also discuss Haiti and hybrid threats against North America and Europe. Anand said Washington’s approach is an open question, pointing to new leadership in the House and Senate while the president keeps his executive powers. On Iran, Rubio said the sides are not close to a breakthrough on an interim deal proposed by Qatar and other mediators, as the conflict continues to disrupt shipping and push up fuel prices. For Canada, which has faced harsh criticism from President Donald Trump, the talks are an early look at whether the shift in Congress changes how Washington deals with its allies. Sources: The Associated Press via CP24 and Global Affairs Canada.
$6.5B forestry plan welcomed, but money won’t flow until 2027-28
Ottawa’s new $6.5-billion, six-year plan to help the forestry sector is drawing praise from industry, but the money is not expected to flow until 2027-28, The Canadian Press reports. The funding, announced last week, is meant to modernize aging mills, improve productivity and develop new products. Derek Nighbor of the Forest Products Association of Canada called the commitment “precedent setting,” but expects 2027 to be another difficult year because of weak housing starts and continuing U.S. tariffs. Ken Farr of the Canadian Institute of Forestry warned the funding may arrive too late for some mills. In recent weeks, AV Group NB idled its pulp mill in Nackawic, N.B., affecting about 350 workers, and Rayonier Advanced Materials halted production in Témiscaming, Que., affecting more than 300 unionized jobs. For mill towns already losing work, the wait before the money arrives may matter as much as the size of the plan. Source: The Canadian Press via CFJC Today.
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