Articles for category: Ottawa

December 30, 2025

jatin

Snow Squall Warning: Ottawa Faces Dangerous Winter Storm Conditions

December 30, 2025 — Ottawa residents are facing treacherous winter conditions as a powerful storm system continues to impact the region through Tuesday evening, bringing a dangerous mix of freezing rain, high winds, and the threat of snow squalls. Current Conditions in the Capital The National Capital Region has been hit with severe freezing rain since Monday, with Environment Canada warning that up to 15 millimetres of ice accretion is expected by Tuesday evening. This significant ice buildup is creating hazardous conditions on roads, sidewalks, and power infrastructure throughout Ottawa and surrounding areas. Strong southwesterly winds reaching up to 70

December 24, 2025

Kritika

Ottawa Hospitals Overwhelmed as Flu Season Hits Harder, Earlier This Holiday Week

Children under five face second-highest hospitalization rates as flu cases surge to 28% positivity nationwide OTTAWA — With Christmas just two days away, Ottawa hospitals are buckling under an unusually severe flu season that has arrived earlier and struck harder than any post-pandemic year, leaving families scrambling and emergency departments overflowing. The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario is treating more than 200 patients daily in its emergency department, with numbers spiking to 261 on a single day last week. The surge reflects a broader crisis across Ottawa’s hospital network as influenza cases overwhelm medical facilities. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen some deaths

December 24, 2025

Kritika

Why Are Ottawa Recycling Bins Changing Hands This New Year’s Day?

Coffee cups, grocery bags, and toothpaste tubes can finally go in your blue and black bins as Miller Waste takes over collection OTTAWA — Starting New Year’s Day, Ottawa residents will notice a significant change in who picks up their recycling bins, even as the familiar blue and black containers remain on their curbs. Who’s Taking Over and Why? Miller Waste Services will assume responsibility for collecting recyclables from Ottawa households on January 1, replacing city workers who have handled the task for decades. The contractor is working under Circular Materials, a national non-profit organization that will administer the program.

December 23, 2025

jatin

Ottawa’s LRT Expansion and Public Transit Updates: Progress, Delays, and What’s Next in 2025-2027

Ottawa’s light rail transit system is undergoing its largest transformation since the Confederation Line opened in 2019. The ambitious Stage 2 expansion project promises to extend rail service to 77 percent of Ottawa residents within five kilometers of a station, fundamentally changing how the city moves. But the journey has been anything but smooth, with delays, cost overruns, and ongoing service challenges testing the patience of commuters and taxpayers alike. As 2025 unfolds, Ottawa stands at a critical juncture. Lines 2 and 4 have finally launched after years of delays, the East Extension nears completion, and the massive West Extension

December 23, 2025

jatin

Ottawa’s Housing Crisis and Affordability Solutions: A Comprehensive Look at 2024-2025

Ottawa is facing one of the most significant housing crises in its history. Between 2014 and 2024, median monthly rent surged by over 60 percent, climbing from $992 to $1,600, while household incomes rose by only 46 percent over a 15-year span. As the city’s population continues to grow and housing supply struggles to keep pace, thousands of Ottawa residents are finding themselves priced out of the market. However, city officials, developers, and housing advocates are working together on ambitious plans to address this crisis. The State of Ottawa’s Housing Crisis The numbers paint a stark picture of Ottawa’s housing

December 23, 2025

jatin

Why Ottawa Families Are Switching to Dollarama as Cost of Living Soars

As inflation continues to squeeze household budgets across Canada, Ottawa residents are increasingly turning to an unlikely grocery ally: Dollarama. What was once considered a place for party supplies and craft materials has become a strategic shopping destination for families trying to make ends meet. The Numbers Tell the Story Dollarama’s sales and profits surged in 2024 as more Canadians shopped for affordable groceries and essentials. The discount retailer reported remarkable growth, with comparable store sales increasing 8.7% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, reflecting a fundamental shift in Canadian shopping habits. For Ottawa families, this trend isn’t surprising.

December 4, 2025

jatin

Ottawa Invests $1M in Private Security for ByWard Market: Will It Work?

As the city pushes for National Historic Site status by 2027, the controversial plan sparks debate about safety, tourism, and who’s responsible for Canada’s capital December 4, 2025 Mayor Mark Sutcliffe stood before cameras today flanked by police brass and emergency service chiefs to announce a solution Ottawa businesses have been demanding for years: private security guards patrolling the ByWard Market. The price tag? One million dollars over two years from the city’s new Public Safety Action Plan. The timing? Strategic. Ottawa is racing to secure National Historic Site designation for the Market by its 200th birthday in 2027, and

December 4, 2025

jatin

Ottawa’s $2.14 Billion Problem: How the Federal Government Is Reshaping Downtown

The capital’s office market faces unprecedented uncertainty as the feds plan to shed millions of square feet—and nobody knows which buildings will survive December 4, 2025 Walk through downtown Ottawa on a Wednesday afternoon and you’ll see something unsettling: empty streets, darkened storefronts, and gleaming office towers filled with vacant floors. It’s not just a post-pandemic hangover. This is the new reality of a capital city wrestling with an identity crisis, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. The federal government, Ottawa’s economic anchor and largest employer with 154,000 workers in the National Capital Region, is planning to slash its office

December 4, 2025

jatin

From Guest Bedroom to $1 Billion: How Ottawa’s Fullscript Built a Health-Tech Empire

Local entrepreneur Kyle Braatz turned a simple idea into one of Canada’s most valuable tech companies—without the typical Silicon Valley playbook December 3, 2025 While Silicon Valley startups burn through venture capital chasing unicorn status, an Ottawa entrepreneur quietly built something extraordinary from his guest bedroom. Fullscript, the health-tech platform founded by Kyle Braatz in 2011, has achieved what many consider the ultimate validation: $1 billion USD in annual revenue. Even more impressive? They did it the Ottawa way—methodically, profitably, and without sacrificing control. The Billion-Dollar Milestone That Almost Didn’t Happen Braatz’s approach paid off after years of consistent growth,

December 4, 2025

jatin

Ottawa Parents Alert: CHEO Reports Alarming 800% Surge in Child Flu Cases

Breaking health crisis affects thousands of Ottawa families as flu season peaks early If you’re an Ottawa parent, you need to read this right now. CHEO (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario) has just issued an urgent warning about a dramatic spike in pediatric flu cases that’s overwhelming the emergency department—and we’re not even at peak flu season yet. The Numbers Are Staggering CHEO revealed on December 3rd that eight times more children tested positive for influenza in November 2025 compared to the same month last year. Even more concerning: hospitalizations have doubled during the same period. Here’s what makes this