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Ottawa mayoral candidate Alex Lawson’s campaign office sits steps away from a community health centre that provides services for people who struggle with substance use – a location he says was chosen deliberately.

Instead of talking about homelessness, addiction and public safety from afar, Lawson said he wanted to see the challenges facing the city firsthand.

He is running for mayor on a simple premise: city hall has become disconnected from the realities of everyday life in Ottawa.

“You can’t solve a problem if you’re looking at it from a high level,” Lawson said in an interview with iPolitics. 

Lawson argues Ottawa’s response to homelessness and addiction has become too focused on managing crises. Instead, he said there’s a need for the city to shift its focus on expanding a “pathway to recovery.”

He said that includes examining the safety of Ottawa’s shelter system and investing in community spaces.

“We need to make sure that we’re actually helping people, just not making ourselves feel a little bit better today,” he said. 

Currently, the City of Ottawa manages and funds municipal emergency shelters and transitional housing through local social services.

Housing

Housing is where Lawson’s identity as a builder comes through most clearly. Drawing on his experience running a house framing company, he argues Ottawa’s affordability crisis is a result of city hall getting in its own way through rising development charges and regulatory barriers.

“If you talk to the builders, you talk to the developers, and you talk to them about why houses are so expensive… they’re going to point to development charges,” he said.

Lawson points to the recent federal announcement on eliminating harmonized tax on newly built homes and slashing development charges.

These programs require municipalities to “opt in,” he said.

“The rise in development charges has priced a lot of the smaller to medium sized builders out of the market,” he said, adding that this results in only bigger firms taking on the building projects.

To build up more housing availability, Lawson proposed to cut development charges in half in the first year, and give the private sector the opportunity to build more family-sized housing.

But Lawson also departs from the strictly free-market approach, adding that if builders fail to deliver within a year, the city should step in directly using public land and financing to build the housing Ottawa needs.

“I do believe in a smaller government, I don’t think the government should be taking over more… but when it comes to housing, if we’ve given the private sector every opportunity and every tool that they need to do something, and they haven’t, then I think it’s time for the government to step in,” he said.

Transit 

On tackling transit, Lawson has a 12-point plan that focuses on bringing reliability back to public transport.

“It’s not hard to figure out what’s going on – buses aren’t showing up,” he said.

Lawson says OC Transpo’s problem stem less from a lack of funding than from poor management and unrealistic planning, based on his conversations with average commuters, bus drivers, and unions.

Rather than focusing on fare reductions or new subsidies, Lawson said the city should prioritize rebuilding through route redesigns, more realistic scheduling, and a review of management practices.

Part of his plan includes gathering more accurate information on ridership.

He says the current approach of looking at fares paid does not paint the full picture.

“We don’t actually know how much ridership we have,” he said, adding that he believes there is a certain level of fare evasion because of faulty equipment on buses.

Lawson says the idea isn’t to create more barriers for people who can’t afford a four dollar transit ride, but to look within the system and see what’s not working.

“We need to actually look at what we’re losing in that capacity.”

While other candidates have proposed investing more on transit, Lawson emphasized that the city should focus on bringing back reliability before introducing ideas like fare reductions.

“If you pour more water into a leaking bucket… the water’s not going to get where you need it to go,” he said.

When asked what sets him apart from the other candidates, Lawson said he would bring a “full” perspective to the mayor’s office.

“I’ve walked a lot of different roads in this city, and I’ve done it wearing a lot of different pairs of shoes,” he said.

Lawson gained traction in a recent polling done by Liaison Strategies, commissioned by iPolitics and Ottawa Compass, at 21 per cent – a seven per cent increase from last month.

READ MORE: Lawson gains ground as Sutcliffe maintains lead in Ottawa mayoral race: poll

Lawson said many voters feel politicians have lost touch with the realities of everyday life, and argued his experiences growing up in Ottawa and later running a construction business give him a broader understanding of the challenge residents face.

“People generally think that politicians don’t understand them. I’m somebody that’s doing my best to understand,” he said.

*This article was published on iPolitics on June 30th, 2026. 

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Marquis-Bissonnette, who lead the Action Gatineau municipal party, won with just over 51 per cent of the vote, narrowly eclipsing Mario Aubé of the Équipe Mario Aubé, who drew the support of 47 per cent of voters.

Rémi Bergeron finished a distant third with just under 2 per cent.

The vote was held concurrently with elections in all of Quebec’s municipalities.

Former federal Liberal cabinet minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada was elected mayor of Montreal, succeeding Valerie Plante, who opted against running for a third term.

Further east, Bruno Marchand won re-election as mayor of Quebec City.

Marquis-Bissonnette was first elected mayor of Gatineau in a June 2024 byelection, replacing France Bélisle, who resigned earlier that year citing a toxic political environment and death threats.

Quebec holds municipal elections every four years in the fall.

Voters in Ottawa and across Ontario will vote in municipal elections in 2026.

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The announcement came Tuesday morning outside the Barrie courthouse on Mulcaster Street, where tents and makeshift shelters have lined the sidewalks. Nuttall was joined by local MPs John Brassard and Doug Shipley, Deputy Mayor Robert Thomson, and councillors Clare Riepma, Craig Nixon, Nigussie Nigussie and Bryn Hamilton.

“Barrie residents have had enough,” Nuttall said.

“Since day one I have been clear that encampments are not acceptable in the City of Barrie. We are here to help those who want help and there are resources available today. If you refuse that help you cannot stay in these encampments.”

The declaration gives the city expanded authority under Ontario’s Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act to clear camps, hire contractors, and coordinate with outside agencies.

A task force, chaired by city CAO Michael Prowse or his designate, will be formed to coordinate the response to encampments, drug use and social services.

The city is also asking the County of Simcoe to open more shelter beds and review existing supports, including the option of returning unhoused individuals to their home communities.

Barrie will also press Ontario for more funding to expand shelter and social services.

READ MORE: Affordable housing coming to new Barrie rental building

The move follows a series of high-profile incidents tied to encampments, including a double homicide off Victoria Street and Anne Street South and high E. coli contamination levels in Dyments Creek which connects to Kempenfelt Bay. Cleanup is expected to take months and cost several million dollars. Other problems cited by the mayor include arson, overdoses, theft, trespassing, open drug use, assaults and discarded needles in parks.

“While I support council’s plan to deliver new space in the HART Hub, we have simply run out of time,” Nuttall said.

“The City of Barrie did not have control over this emergency until now.”

The HART Hub (Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment) supports the treatment and recovery of individuals who experience homelessness and addiction issues.

Coun. Nixon, who represents the downtown area, said the state of emergency is a needed step.

“I support the actions of Mayor Nuttall, who I believe is taking the necessary steps to assist those in need and to restore safe neighbourhoods for those hardworking, taxpaying citizens who deserve better – this is not simply putting a label on a problem,” Nixon said.

Since 2023, Barrie has tried a mix of shuttle services, housing support programs and partnerships with the county and province. Earlier this year, the city and county cleared the Berczy Park encampment, with 75 per cent of those displaced later finding housing or entering services.

Before becoming Barrie’s mayor, Nuttall raised concerns about the opioid crisis during his time as a federal MP.

In December 2018, as the MP for Barrie–Springwater–Oro-Medonte, he called for an emergency debate in the House of Commons, urging the elimination of barriers to recovery services.

In March 2019, Nuttall appeared before Barrie council to request a series of actions aimed at tackling the opioid crisis locally.

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Dr. Tim Aubry is a professor in the university’s school of psychology and senior researcher at the ​​Centre for Research on Educational and Community Services. He’s been studying homelessness, its causes and the possible solutions for decades, and he says transitional housing facilities that provide long-term housing options on a temporary basis could be perpetuating the problems, despite receiving support from the community and City.

Aubry was part of the research group that studied the Housing First (HF) approach over a decade ago and conducted a report based on engagement with 2,000 people. According to this research, Aubry says the most effective approach is to house people — permanently — and follow up with support and resources. Unlike transitional housing, which has been advertised across the country as a necessary in-between step, HF does not have a time limit for how long people can stay.

To address the ongoing homelessness crisis, the City of Ottawa has opened a new transitional housing facility that will provide temporary housing for up to 140 people. The city has leased the building at 230 Queen St. for a 10-year term to establish a transitional housing facility that will provide “temporary” accommodation for people experiencing homelessness and connect them with employment and housing resources.

“This is technically considered a shelter. It’s not permanent housing, so it sits within the shelter system,” said Kale Brown, director of housing with the city. “The way our system works in terms of who ends up going to this building is you’re assessed by your needs and then we determine a placement, working with our various shelter partners.”

The Queen Street facility will focus on newcomers to Canada but can serve anyone who meets the criteria, Brown said, and will offer supportive temporary accommodations, the building includes kitchens, dining areas, washrooms, showers, laundry facilities, lounge areas, and dedicated rooms for meetings and workshops.

Clients will also have access to settlement and employment support, housing search case management, short-term mental health crisis workers, and weekly life skills workshops

This is the second transitional housing facility for single adults in Ottawa — the other, St-Joseph Transitional Housing Program in the east end, exclusively serves newcomers seeking asylum in Canada who are experiencing homelessness.

While emergency shelters like the Ottawa Mission and Shepherds of Good Hope aim to shelter people for only 30 days, they can stay in transitional housing for up to a year until they “get on their feet”, said Brown.

The “Housing First” program and research followed 2,000 individuals as well as hundreds of service providers across Canada over two years. Across all cities, HF participants obtained housing and retained their housing at a much higher rate than the treatment as usual (TAU) group.

In the last six months of the study, 62 per cent of HF participants were housed all of the time, 22 per cent some of the time, and 16 per cent none of the time. In comparison, 31 per cent of TAU participants were housed all of the time, 23 per cent some of the time, and 46 per cent none of the time.

“The idea is to rehouse people without condition, so they don’t have to go through any kind of transitional process,” Aubry told Ottawa Compass. “This approach targets people with histories of chronic homelessness, particularly histories of mental health problems and often with addiction.”

Transitional models have been useful in the past, he said, and have been used for decades to help people transition from living in psychiatric hospitals, for example, to living independently. 

The Queen Street housing consists of sleeping “pods” with shared living spaces, allowing some independence with plenty of support and resources. But there isn’t a lot of privacy — due to the layout of the building, the pods don’t have floor-to-ceiling walls.

“What we’re seeing here in the city, I think it’s really just more emergency shelter space, just with sort of a different model,” Aubry said.

The Queen Street facility is geared towards newcomers to Canada, as is a facility on St. Joseph Boulevard, and in these cases, Aubry said transitional housing could help as people get on their feet.

But in the context of chronic homelessness, it might be a different conversation.

“Housing First involved housing and support in line with people’s needs. So it can be quite intensive, but the actual rental housing is a big problem,” said Aubry. “Many people who are homeless are on social benefits here in Ontario, and they don’t have enough money to pay the rent in the private market.”

Through Housing First programs, people can receive a housing supplement that Aubry said would “ideally” pay more than 30 per cent of rent. The problem is exacerbated by the lack of affordable housing in Ontario and extremely low vacancy rates.

The report found that HF approaches resulted in savings over time, with the most significant for the participants with highest costs at entry.

For this group, the intervention cost was $19,582 per person per year on average, and over the two-year period following study entry, every $10 invested in HF services resulted in an average savings of $21.72, the report stated.

When the report was first released, the federal government mandated communities across the country to invest in Housing First initiatives. However, in 2017, the Liberals released a new national housing strategy that placed the focus on social housing.

“There was nothing about Housing First in the strategy, so things have stalled,” said Aubry.

“If you look at the last six or seven years, we’ve grown some of the HF programs, but we really haven’t seen any kind of scaling up of them, despite the fact that we know that chronic homelessness has increased significantly,” he continued.

“We have a lot more visible homelessness, a lot more people unsheltered — they’re living in encampments, and they’re really not tied to any kind of system. And this is the kind of approach that could address that.”

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In addition to lengthy prison sentences, the Crown wants to seize Barber’s truck, which was used in the protest.

A forfeiture hearing on that matter is scheduled for Sept. 12.

Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey said Thursday she wants to rule on the mischief sentence and truck forfeiture at the same time so that she does not deliver “piecemeal” decisions.

Lich and Barber were both found guilty of mischief in April for their roles in the convoy protest, which saw activists fill much of downtown Ottawa for three weeks beginning in late January 2022 to protest vaccine mandates and other pandemic measures.

The Crown is seeking a prison sentence of seven years for Lich and eight years for Barber, who was also found guilty of counselling others to disobey a court order.

The lawyers for both Lich and Barber are seeking absolute discharges for their clients, which would mean neither receives a criminal record.

On Thursday, Lich’s lawyer Lawrence Greenspon told the court that Lich has already spent 49 days in jail and has been under strict bail conditions for the last three-and-a-half years.

Greenspon argued that his client and Barber took “unprecedented” steps by working with police and city officials throughout the protest to limit the protest’s impact.

“This is an individual who came to this city with the best of intentions, as recognized by the judge. She has been under strict bail conditions for three-and-a-half years. She spent 49 days in jail for the offence of mischief,” Greenspon said during the hearing’s lunch break.

“And if one looks at the positive impact that she’s had on the lives of many Canadians and the community service that she has continued to do, there’s absolutely no reason for her to not receive an absolute discharge.”

Greenspon read a brief statement on Lich’s behalf that simply said “freedom is not free.” Accused are given a chance to address the court during sentencing submissions.

Barber’s lawyer Diane Magas said Wednesday that she is seeking an absolute discharge for her client because he has been on bail for the last three-and-a-half years without incident.

Greenspon became emotional at times while reading from dozens of support letters submitted on behalf of his client. He read out messages from people who said the convoy protest gave them hope after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures they saw as government overreach.

“Tamara Lich, Chris Barber stood up for what they believed in and what many, many people — thousands of people across the country were not capable of standing up (for). And those people were inspired,” he said.

Crown prosecutor Siobhain Wetscher said during her sentencing submissions Wednesday that she is seeking stiff sentences for Lich and Barber because of the broad community harm caused by the three-week 2022 protest in Ottawa’s downtown core.

She said that she is seeking long sentences not because of Lich and Barber’s political beliefs but because of their actions during the protest.

Wetscher said that while Lich and Barber may have come to Ottawa with noble intentions, they continued to encourage people to take part in the protests even when it became impossible for them to ignore the effect it was having on downtown residents and businesses.

Greenspon said Thursday that it’s “facile and inaccurate” to say the Crown’s sentencing proposal sentence is not motivated by his client’s politics. He said Lich continually called for protesters to remain peaceful and can’t be held responsible for the actions of individuals at the demonstration.

Wetscher replied that while some people are fans of the convoy protest, it does not change the fact that it caused harm to people living and working in downtown Ottawa.

The defence raised issues with victim and community impact statements submitted by Wetscher. One of the statements came from fellow “Freedom Convoy” organizer Pat King’s case and others were sworn affidavits derived from a separate $300 million class action lawsuit filed against convoy organizers by downtown Ottawa residents.

Wetscher said that the statements are meant to capture the broad scope of the convoy’s impact.

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A lawyer for one of two leaders of the “Freedom Convoy” facing sentencing told an Ottawa court Wednesday her client should not be left with a criminal record.

Crown prosecutor Siobhain Wetscher said Wednesday she is seeking stiff sentences for convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber because of the broad community harm caused by the three-week 2022 protest in Ottawa’s downtown core.

Outside the courthouse, a few demonstrators gathered with signs that protested vaccine mandates, called COVID-19 a “hoax”, and advocated, “free Tamara”. Among them was a billboard truck owned by far-right media website Rebel News touting an LED sign of Lich, accompanied by the words, “Tamara Lich stood up for democracy. Trudeau threw her in jail.”

The focus on Wednesday was on Barber, with Lich’s attorney set to present Thursday. Inside, the large courtroom was nearly full. Some of the observers gathered carried paper Canadian flags.

Diane Magas, Barber’s lawyer, told the court she wants an absolute discharge for her client because he’s been out on bail without incident for the last 3 1/2 years. That decision would mean Barber would not receive a criminal record.

While Barber did not address the court himself, Magas said “his intention was not to harm the people of Ottawa. It was an unfortunate consequence of what occurred in the protest.”

Magas said that if Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey decides a criminal record is necessary, she wants to see Barber receive a suspended or conditional sentence to be served in his home community.

Lich and Barber were both found guilty of mischief in April for their key roles in the convoy protest, which filled downtown Ottawa for three weeks beginning in late January 2022 to protest vaccine mandates and other pandemic measures.

The Crown is seeking a prison sentence of seven years for Lich and eight years for Barber, who was also found guilty of counselling others to disobey a court order.

Lich’s lawyer Lawrence Greenspon is set to present his submissions Thursday.

Magas called the Crown’s sentencing proposal “cruel and unusual,” adding that Barber has no criminal record and is a respected member of his community.

“Considering all of the circumstances of the offence, given the fact there was no violence, the fact my client was advocating no violence whatsoever,” Magas said outside the courthouse Wednesday.

During her submissions, Magas referred the judge to several mischief sentences emerging from the massive protests that attended the 2010 Toronto G20 Summit — including one six-month sentence for a person who pleaded guilty to smashing windows in two police vehicles.

Perkins-McVey said it’s hard to draw comparisons between the G20 protests and the convoy protest because the crimes in Toronto were “old-fashioned mischief.”

She said that if someone smashes a $400 window, the damage has a tangible cost, while the damage from the convoy protest is less tangible. She said this makes for a difficult sentencing decision, one that she does not take lightly.

The convoy protest ended after the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time ever. The convoy was cleared out of Ottawa’s downtown core in a three-day police operation that began on Feb. 18, 2022.

The Crown is calling for a longer sentence for Barber because he was also found guilty of counselling others to disobey a court order related to an injunction against protesters honking truck horns. Lich was not charged with that offence.

Perkins-McVey said in her April decision that she found Lich and Barber guilty of mischief because they routinely encouraged people to join or remain at the protest, despite knowing the adverse effects it was having on downtown residents and businesses.

Wetscher said she is seeking these sentences because of what Lich and Barber did, not because of their political beliefs.

Wetscher said that while Lich and Barber may have come to Ottawa with noble intentions, they continued to encourage people to take part in the protests even when it became impossible for them to ignore the effect it was having on downtown residents and businesses.

The prosecutor said that while there are mitigating sentencing factors for both Barber and Lich, the overall effect of the protest outweighs them.

Magas also referred to the sentencing of fellow “Freedom Convoy” organizer Pat King for mischief and disobeying a court order in February.

The Crown sought a sentence of 10 years in prison for King but he was sentenced to three months of house arrest, 100 hours of community service at a food bank or men’s shelter and a year of probation.

He received nine months’ credit for time served before his conviction.

Wetscher said that while the protest was not violent, it was not peaceful. She read a summary of victim impact statements that include one from an employee of a downtown Ottawa church who talked about still feeling ill at the sight of large trucks with Canadian flags.

That drew some chuckles from the gallery.

The Crown also emphasized that although Lich and Barber may have had “innocent intentions” when coming to Ottawa, that was not how the demonstration ended.

Wetscher added that the Ottawa Police Service has reported policing the protest cost $55 million, while the City of Ottawa pegged its own convoy-related costs at over $7 million.

The prosecutor said that while Lich and Barber aren’t responsible for every dollar spent because of the protest, those cost figures give the judge a sense of the protest’s impact.

Barber attended court virtually Wednesday, while Lich attended in person.

Both Lich and Barber were found not guilty on charges of intimidation, counselling to commit intimidation, obstructing police and counselling others to obstruct police.

Perkins-McVey said intimidation carries a sense of menace or violence. She said that both Lich and Barber repeatedly called for protesters to remain peaceful throughout the protest.

As for obstructing police, Perkins-McVey said both were arrested without incident and were in custody before the main police operation began to clear downtown Ottawa.

Charges for counselling others to commit mischief were stayed at the request of the Crown.

with files from The Canadian Press

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The city has leased the building at 230 Queen St. for a 10-year term to establish a transitional housing facility that will provide “temporary” accommodation for people experiencing homelessness and connect them with employment and housing resources.

“This is technically considered a shelter. It’s not permanent housing, so it sits within the shelter system,” said Kale Brown, director of housing with the city. “The way our system works in terms of who ends up going to this building is you’re assessed by your needs and then we determine a placement, working with our various shelter partners.”

The Queen Street facility will focus on newcomers to Canada but can serve anyone who meets the criteria, Brown said, and will offer supportive temporary accommodations, the building includes kitchens, dining areas, washrooms, showers, laundry facilities, lounge areas, and dedicated rooms for meetings and workshops.

“It’s much more like permanent housing… You have an occupancy agreement where you’re there and you’re expected to be contributing towards your stay,” said Brown. “Again, this is for people who are actively, independently looking for their housing and just need a temporary place to reside.”

People well-suited to the transitional facility will require less support with addressing chronic, complex and mental health conditions or substance use. There will also be approximately 35 staff members and security, with staff on-site at all times. The facility will be managed and staffed by Catholic Centre for Immigrants (CCI) Ottawa, a local social services organization.

Clients will also have access to settlement and employment support, housing search case management, short-term mental health crisis workers, and weekly life skills workshops.

This is the second transitional housing facility for single adults in Ottawa — the other, St-Joseph Transitional Housing Program in the east end, exclusively serves newcomers seeking asylum in Canada who are experiencing homelessness.

While emergency shelters like the Ottawa Mission and Shepherds of Good Hope aim to shelter people for only 30 days, they can stay in transitional housing for up to a year until they “get on their feet”, said Brown.

There is an occupancy agreement and a “contribution fee” that clients pay in order to access the facility, because transitional housing facilities “must have a source of income,” said Brown.

The conversion project is the first of its kind in Ottawa, one that many community organizations and advocates have been working towards as the downtown core grapples with still-vacant buildings and a lack of affordable or transitional housing.

Office-to-housing conversions have largely been the talk of the town since the pandemic emptied the downtown streets and offices, but Brown said the Queen Street facility is a “unicorn” that will be difficult to reproduce.

“One of the reasons that we have pods instead of actual rooms is because once you put floors to ceiling, walls, around something, it triggers a whole set of additional Building Code things you need to do…” he continued. “So I think there’s a lot of excitement around office-to-housing conversion, but there are a lot of challenges when you’re doing really full conversion to actual residential where someone would have a lease.”

Ottawa Compass has previously spoken with JBPA Developments Inc., an Ottawa-based developer that has been working on several projects converting vacant office buildings into market housing.

While conversion to housing may seem like a no-brainer, Kevin Morris, chief financial officer at JBPA said not every building is suitable for conversion. 

Factors like layout, floor plans and the surrounding infrastructure and community all weigh in, and in some cases, it can be “easier” to just start from scratch.

“I think it’s a really promising model, and there’s a lot of interest around this, but we want folks to understand this was kind of a unicorn site in terms of having the right systems, HVAC, that kind of thing, to be able to do it,” Brown explained. “Not all office buildings are this easy to convert to some type of housing.”

Kaite Burkholder Harris is the executive director at the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa, member-based organization representing 75 agencies in Ottawa, including CCI and providing a “backbone” and “coordinated effort” to ending homelessness.

“We’re really trying to make navigating the system a better experience for the person who’s homeless or in a housing crisis,” she told Ottawa Compass. “And increasingly, we’re trying to really drive and focus on prevention and diversion to reduce the flow into shelter and into the shelter system.”

While she said the conversion of vacant buildings into transitional housing is an “awesome idea”, she echoed Brown’s concerns that it can be a very difficult process.

“Office conversions seem like a really good idea, and then when you dig into it, oftentimes, they just won’t work,” said Burkholder Harris. “And so I think it’s telling that this isn’t actually permanent housing, but that they converted it into transitional housing and a bit of a different model, because that’s what was actually doable with the building.”

In the broader conversation of ending homelessness, she said facilities like shelters and Queen Street are vital when addressing the crisis, but she points to countries like Finland where homelessness has been “functionally ended” by focusing on supportive but permanent housing.

“The next step in our community, and more broadly in the city, is certainly looking towards how we move more and more of our shelter system towards a permanent model, knowing that that is the best model,” she explained. “We’re always going to need emergency shelter to some degree, but how do we both reduce the number of shelter beds that we need in this city, increase our permanent housing, and then look at actually changing the design of shelter?”

She said research has shown that permanent housing — where people can access support but live without a time limit on their stay — is most productive in reducing homelessness by using the “housing first” approach.

“Ultimately, it would be fantastic if we’re able to make that transitional model where you can access those very specific, necessary supports at a shelter level, but it’s a more dignified context where you have a lock and key,” she continued. “So that you get that level of expertise and support to be able to move to permanent housing as quickly as possible.”

The Queen Street facility is substantially complete and is now awaiting “soft items” like dishes and linens, he said, and the City is hoping that people will move in by the end of the summer.

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“We’ve decided not to pull apart and fight, but to come together and to build. Because that’s the Canadian way,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said to thousands of Canadians gathered in Ottawa.

This year’s festivities at Ottawa’s LeBreton Flats Park got the royal treatment, with Prince Edward praising Canada’s unity and accomplishments.

“Seeing this sea of red and white, there is only one sense that I have here,” the Duke of Edinburgh said. “Today is truly a celebration of you, and your home and your land, strong and free.”

Leaders gave speeches interlaced with musical performances, Indigenous cultural demonstrations and multiple flypasts of Snowbirds military jets. The federal Heritage Department counted 8,000 people attending the afternoon ceremony.

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon told the crowd that the country is on a journey of reconciliation that began by listening to each other, by honouring the past and “holding space for the pain and resilience” of Indigenous Peoples.

“Kindness is the thread that weaves our communities together,” she said.

Canadian Heritage said more than 500 volunteers made the event in Ottawa a reality, with 80 artists performing and an estimated 58,000 people in attendance. Everyone braved high temperatures, too, Canadian Heritage added, with weather that felt like 39 degrees Celsius.

In Carney’s first national holiday since taking office in March, the prime minister touched on moments in Canada’s history of coming together, from the Battle of Vimy Ridge to the role of Gander, N.L., in supporting people whose flights were grounded after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

“Our economy is being attacked by a trade war we didn’t start,” he said, alluding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s series of tariffs on Canada.

“Our values are being tested by attacks on democracy and freedoms — attacks that we must resist. And once again, as the world is becoming more divided and dangerous, Canadians are uniting.”

Carney used his speech to tout legislation his government passed to speed up the permitting of major projects, despite Bill C-5 attracting controversy from environmentalists, Indigenous groups and democracy advocates.

He called on Canadians to show the same industrious spirit that got the St. Lawrence Seaway built and 1967 Expo in Montreal, and to “build, baby, build” in the face of U.S. economic threats.

Jerome Miousse, director of public affairs at Ottawa Tourism, told Ottawa Compass that while Canada Day is always a major event for tourism in the nation’s capital, the current “geopolitical context” suggests that this year will be a “special” occasion.

“This context brings us together, and it’s conducive to a little bit more of Canadian unity, Canadian pride, and people want to celebrate that this year, I would say, more than other years, possibly,” he said. “So we’re expecting something bigger than the past few years that will bring people together.”

OC Transpo offered free ridership and extended service all day, with the LRT expected to bring a number of attendees into the events from around the city, including the various fireworks shows that were on display in nearly every neighbourhood in Ottawa.

At Ottawa Tourism, Miousse said the goal has been to encourage visitors to extend their Canada Day trips and see everything else Ottawa has to offer. Namely, the organization has been promoting the Ottawa Visitor Pass and the Canada Strong Pass, which allow families to tour Ottawa’s biggest attractions at better prices, allowing people to “curate” their experience, Miousse said.

Canada Day this year coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Canadian flag and the 45th anniversary of the official adoption of “O Canada” as the national anthem.

The ceremony also marked the 45th anniversary of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope. Federal Canadian Identity Minister Steven Guilbeault noted that Terry’s younger brother Darrell was present, as part of a team of cyclists biking 7,000 kilometres from Vancouver to St. John’s.

He also noted the passing of “remarkable Canadians and Indigenous Peoples we lost” over the past year, including actor Donald Sutherland and the former head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Murray Sinclair.

“Their legacies live on, in the people they inspired, the change they sparked, and the Canada they helped build,” Guilbeault said.

Simon invested five individuals into the Order of Canada during the Ottawa ceremony, including actor Ryan Reynolds and musician Heather Rankin.

An evening show was set to feature artists like Sarah McLachlan, Coeur de Pirate, Brenda Montana, Dear Rogue and Alex Wells.

In Alberta, where talk of separation from Canada has dominated much of the political discussion following the Liberals win in April’s federal election, hundreds soaked up the sun on the legislature grounds in Edmonton.

“I’m proud to be Canadian and standing strong for Canada,” said Alice Rutto, who noted talk of separation is what prompted her to come out for the celebrations.

But Jack O’Brien had mixed views. While he said Canada Day is a day for “everyone to come together” and isn’t the time for independence talk, his views about Canada will be different on July 2.

“This is the time for us to celebrate Canada, correct? But if you ask me tomorrow about separation, it’s a whole different story,” said O’Brien, who lives in a rural community.

“I’m not a fan of the Liberal government and I would think a majority of Albertans are not, and to be honest, if they wanted to separate and wanted my vote, they would get it.”

In Vancouver, hundreds gathered to take in live music on Granville Island, where local shop owner Jaskiran Kaur said she was proud to see the community marking the holiday, after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the announced discovery of graves at B.C. residential schools.

“I think Granville Island was really consciously trying to be mindful when it came to residential school survivors and the recognition of Indigenous culture,” Kaur said as she waited in line for her children to get their faces painted.

“I think that was why it’s been very toned down the past few years. And I think it coming back, across the board in the country, is very much to do with the 51st state rhetoric,” she said, a reference to Trump’s aspirations to make Canada an American state.

In front of Toronto City Hall, hundreds gathered at Nathan Phillips Square to take pictures in front of the three-dimensional Toronto sign, while enjoying live music and dance performances.

Phoenix Deluca said she drove in from Peterborough, Ont., with her friends visiting from Scotland so they could join the celebrations.

“It’s nice to show off Canada,” she said. “I’m very proud to be Canadian.”

Carlos Gama immigrated to Canada three years ago from Brazil, and said he’s spent every Canada Day since then in downtown Toronto. He said he’ll be celebrating with “poutine and other Canadian foods.”

A few blocks away at Queen’s Park, hundreds protested at an Idle No More rally, opposing Ontario’s own major-projects legislation that has drawn loud opposition from Indigenous groups.

“We have to come together. The Great Lakes are going to be dead within 10 years,” Melanie vanDam, a member of Cutler First Nation, said to the crowd through tears.

In an interview with Ottawa Compass, Guilbeault said recent months have “rejuvenated” a “Canadian sense of belonging and pride in who we are as a people and as a nation.”

“There’s a number of indicators that we’ve seen in the past few weeks and months that are certainly pointing in that direction, [including] polling numbers,” he said. “Anecdotally, the sale of Canadian flags in Quebec… is up by like 75 per cent. That’s saying something.”

During the federal election, he said “hundreds” of voters told him they would be voting Liberal, and that many who would normally vote for Quebec separatism “were saying, ‘not this time’.”

“That’s how transformational what we’ve seen in the past few weeks has been for many, many Canadians, from coast to coast to coast.”

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