Despite a busy and unpredictable week on Parliament Hill, City Hall has been pretty quiet since council passed the 2025 budget last week. But that’s just council chambers; the city still has lots happening.
The O-Train South Extension, lines 2 and 4, will opening to the public on Jan. 6, just in time for post-secondary students to return to school.
After nearly five years of construction and several months of testing, the O-Train south extension will be opening for public use as part of a phased opening approach, City of Ottawa and OC Transpo staff told media at a technical briefing.
During the first phase, the train will operate run on weekdays. When the system meets performance standards, service will be extended to include Saturdays after a minimum of two weeks. Parallel bus service will continue to run seven days a week, and OC Transpo outreach staff will be on site throughout the process.
Once the system is extended to seven-day service, bus service will be gradually phased out.
The 2024 Fall Economic Statement (FES) was tabled at the House of Commons on Monday just hours after the resignation of Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. The FES included some funding for the National Capital Region, including $31.7 million in studies on the proposed tramway route between Ottawa and Gatineau.
The FES also confirmed the first interprovincial bridge in Eastern Gatineau, Steven MacKinnon, MP for Gatineau, announced on Monday.
“The ‘Pont de l’Est’ embodies a forward-looking vision for regional mobility, economic development, reducing traffic congestion, and strengthening socio-economic ties among Francophones in the National Capital Region,” MacKinnon said in the statement.
Also in the news: Canada Post workers are back on the job after a nearly four-week long strike after Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon intervened, asking the federal labour board to temporarily end the strike and ordering an inquiry to understand the obstacles in reaching a new deal.
Canada Post was fully operational as of Wednesday afternoon, and facilities would start accepting new international mail on Dec. 23.
“With a large, integrated network of processing plants, depots and post offices across the country, the postal workers returned on stabilizing operations will take time,” Canada Post said in a press release Wednesday.
The statement also said parcels will be mailed on “first-in, first-out basis”, meaning the items in the network the longest are processed first. On-time service guarantees are still expended, and customers are told to expect delays through December and into January.
Even if City Hall has quieted down, there’s still tons to do in the city to celebrate the holiday season, especially when it comes to Christmas farmer’s markets for outdoor gatherings, food and drink and gift shopping.
The Ottawa Christmas Market at Lansdowne is extending its usual offerings until Jan. 5 and is open at the Aberdeen Pavilion Fridays through Sundays, and then every day from Dec. 26-31 and Jan. 1-5.
The ByWard Winter Market is also in full swing, featuring carriage rides, a synthetic skating rink and weekly choir performances in addition to local artisans and vendors. It’s also open until Jan. 5, but events will continue until Jan. 30, leading up to Winterlude.
And if you’re looking for a holiday read, the Ottawa Public Library has published the most popular books of this year:
- The Women by Kristen Hannah
- The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny
- Funny Story by Emily Henry
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
- This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
- The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
- The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
In other news:
- Nearly third of ODSCB schools below ‘state of good repair,’ watchdog says (Ottawa Citizen)
- Will the Amazon strike impact Canadian deliveries? (CTV)
- Number of casual federal public servants plummets by 25 per cent (Ottawa Citizen)
- Over 100-year-old church designated heritage in Lowertown (CityNews)
- Inside the Shepherds of Good Hope’s supportive housing on Merivale Road (CTV)
- Ottawa Public Health asking customers of south Ottawa Tim Hortons to monitor for hep A symptoms (CTV)
- Two blazes in less than 6 hours quickly put out by firefighters (CityNews)
- How cold case DNA technique came to Ottawa from California — and where it’s headed nex (CBC)
