Capital Current

As Ottawa's animation festival turns 50, recent grads face a shrinking industry, layoffs and questions about AI.

In an era of soaring grocery costs and multiple financial pressures, grassroots organizations in Ottawa are trying to empower communities and create safety nets for those left behind. Rather than relying on traditional charity models, organizations such as Hidden Harvest, Good Harvest and tool-lending libraries are reclaiming urban food systems, sharing costly equipment and reimagining what accessible, sustainable living looks like. Central to the movement are people such as Guinevere Dickson.

On a hazy August afternoon, a lineup of families with children filled the entrance to the swimming area adjacent to the River House on the Ottawa River. An attendant sat under an umbrella administering bands to people intending to swim. A wraparound dock enclosed an area in which two rafts were anchored in the middle. Children climbed on and jumped from the rafts, while adults did laps in two lanes running along the dock.

Ottawa police say they don’t have the resources to enforce traffic safety across the city despite concerns by some residents about speeding and unsafe driving. Riverside South-Findlay Coun. Steve Desroches said, during the Sept. 28 Police Services Board meeting, that residents of his ward raise the issue regularly. “I’ve been talking to a lot of residents of late,” he said. “The feedback I get — the No. 1 topic — is just traffic.

Capital Current is looking at the concerns of residents in wards across the city as they prepare to vote for a new Mayor and Council on Oct. 26. As you drive into Stittsville from downtown Ottawa, construction sites flash by your window. The suburb is one of the fastest-growing in Ottawa but some residents worry the city is not building enough transportation infrastructure to keep up. It has become the top issue for some voters in the Oct. 26 municipal election.

Capital Current is looking at the concerns of residents in wards across the city as they prepare to vote for a new Mayor and Council on Oct. 26. Southwest of the Ottawa International Airport sits the suburban ward of Riverside South-Findlay Creek. Much of it is dominated by multi-lane roads with shopping plazas and big-box stores on either side, but few green spaces. Findlay Creek resident Anissia Nasr says that’s an issue in this municipal election.

Capital Current is looking at the concerns of residents in wards across the city as they prepare to vote for a new Mayor and Council on Oct. 26. With Ottawa’s municipal election day looming, traffic on Bank Street continues to be a key focus in Capital Ward. Capital Ward stretches from Dow’s Lake east to the Rideau River, north to the Queensway and south to Lansdowne. It is home to more than 44,000 residents, according to the City of Ottawa.

Capital Current is looking at the concerns of residents in wards across the city as they prepare to vote for a new Mayor and Council on Oct. 26. When Jessica Lalonde travels from Algonquin College to her home in Manotick, getting on a Route 74 or 75 bus can can mean squeezing into a crowded ride. Lalonde regularly travels through Fallowfield Station. Her commute varies depending on her class schedule, but she says the trip home can be particularly busy. “It’s insane.

Knoxdale-Merivale residents say this past summer’s flooding, and the sewer and infrastructure problems it revealed, are top concerns in the municipal election. On Oct. 26, Ottawa residents will have the opportunity to vote in for a mayor and ward councillor. Knoxdale-Merivale, known as Ward 9, has three candidates running for city council. They are Sean Devine, seeking re-election, and challengers Anna Ielo-Tal and Cole Fraser Jones.

Capital Current is looking at the concerns of residents in wards across the city as they prepare to vote for a new Mayor and Council on Oct. 26. For Karen Gonzalez, walking down Somerset Street West with her daughter has become an uncomfortable journey. Gonzalez, 35, who lives in Somerset Ward, said she has noticed more people experiencing homelessness and more visible drug use since moving to Ottawa two years ago.