Capital Current

The final phase of Baxter Conservation Area’s accessible boardwalk is set to be completed this summer, marking the last step in a nearly decade-long effort to transform the site into Eastern Ontario’s most accessible park. “We’re trying to move past that point of what you normally do, versus what you can do,” said Diane Downey, director of communications and outreach with the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.

Despite a gloomy first weekend of June, Ottawa residents came out in force for Doors Open Ottawa to explore buildings and institutions that are not always open to the public. The annual event, held June 6 and 7 this year, gave visitors free access to 65 sites across the city, including government institutions, arts organizations, heritage buildings and cultural spaces. For many attendees, the event offered a chance to go behind the scenes at places they might otherwise never visit.

“The biggest worry that I have is an increase in toxic drug deaths,” Boyd said. “But I think the more likely thing that’s going to happen is an increase in injuries related to overdose.” He said delayed intervention during an overdose can lead to acquired brain injuries because “minutes count.” Boyd also fears more cases of HIV, hepatitis C and serious infections as access to sterile supplies decreases. Advocates say the effects will be felt beyond people who use drugs.

Nature advocates behind a four-year effort to make Ottawa an officially “Bird Friendly City” are celebrating the achievement this spring, but also pushing for more ways to protect wildlife habitat and promote environmental sustainability.

The National Capital Commission has hosted a series of open houses and conducted an online survey to gather initial public input into its new draft master plan for managing the region’s extensive Greenbelt lands. An open house at the Nepean Sportsplex on May 20 drew a few dozen members of the public over several hours to look at display panels detailing planned updates to the commission’s Greenbelt Master Plan.

“Ottawaisms” began as a collection of complaints sitting in Mira’s notes app. “I initially just started noting down silly, little funny things, and I was going to make a zine about how much I hated Ottawa,” said Mira, one of three anonymous creators of the @ottawaisms X and Instagram accounts. She designed the zine and kept noting observations about the city, but that project was put on hold for a while. Complaining about Ottawa, however, remained a topic of discussion among her friends.

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup prepares to start across host nations Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, the nation’s capital will play no official role in the tournament, a void that local soccer fans say is a missed opportunity for the city. The City of Ottawa confirmed it will not stage any official World Cup programming during the tournament, which runs from June 11 to July 19. Canada plays its first World Cup game against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto.

Activists who took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza shared accounts of detention, mistreatment and their calls for stronger Canadian action to protect human rights during a panel discussion in Ottawa on Wednesday. The event, organized by the Ottawa chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement, featured five Canadian flotilla participants. They were among hundreds of activists involved in a maritime mission aimed at challenging Israel’s siege of Gaza.

3 min read By Marjan Massoom The ByWard Market’s new Vendor Village is meant to bring more local makers into the retail district, but some vendors say its early success depends on whether shoppers can find it. The village, launched in mid-May, was created by the ByWard Market District Authority as a curated outdoor vendor area featuring local goods, including crafts, clothing, food, flowers and gifts.

3 min read In this limited series, journalism students in a course about the Supreme Court of Canada look back a quarter of a century to a banner year, when the judges handed down many monumental rulings that continue to impact society today. Leading cases of 2001 covered the death penalty, mercy killing (as it was then called), religious freedom, custody of mixed-race children, child pornography and the right to collective bargaining.