City in Review - Sounds Bites

City In Review - Getting to know mayoral candidate Josh Rachlis

Sat, 19 Sep 2026 10:55:16 +0000

14 candidates are running for Mayor of Ottawa, and CFRA’s Andrew Pinsent is profiling as many as possible ahead of October 26th. Invitations are being made in alphabetical order. This week, mayoral candidate Josh Rachlis dropped by the CFRA studios to talk about why he entered the race, and the biggest issues that he wants to address.

City In Review - Ottawa Board of Trade unveils municipal election priorities

Sat, 19 Sep 2026 10:45:54 +0000

As we inch closer to October 26th, the Ottawa Board of Trade has entered the chat, releasing a series of municipal election priorities earlier this week. The ‘More Ottawa’ campaign boils down to 3 key items – building for Ottawa’s continued growth, competing to attract investment talent, and continuing to create a vibrant Downtown Core as the Downtown Revitalization Plan pushes forward. Ottawa Board of Trade CEO Sueling Ching catches up with CFRA’s Andrew Pinsent.

City In Review - OCH completes historic purchase, acquiring 503 rental homes for affordable housing purposes

Sat, 19 Sep 2026 10:35:19 +0000

Ottawa Community Housing has acquired 503 rental homes for affordable housing in Canada’s Capital, marking the largest acquisition in its history at $159.2 million. These now-former Minto units are located on Craig Henry Drive – consisting of 73 townhouse blocks and 2 apartment buildings. OCH says residents will be able to stay in their homes, adding that it's committed to service continuity throughout the transition. CFRA’s Andrew Pinsent checks in with Cliff Youdale, who is Ottawa Community Housing’s Chief Development Officer.

City In Review - Getting to know mayoral candidate Alex Lawson

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 10:55:32 +0000

14 candidates are running for Mayor of Ottawa, and CFRA’s Andrew Pinsent is profiling as many as possible ahead of October 26th. Invitations are being made in alphabetical order. This week, mayoral candidate Alex Lawson spoke about why he joined the race, and outlines what he sees as the biggest issues facing Ottawa right now.

City In Review - Pre-testing for LRT East Extension expected to begin next month

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 10:45:38 +0000

Transit was, once again, a focal point at City Hall this week – including a slew of updates at what was the final planned Transit Committee meeting of this term of council. The most optimistic news: Pre-testing for the LRT East Extension is slated to begin in early-October. Several city councillors are taking this dose of news with cautious optimism. Ottawa Citizen columnist Brigitte Pellerin and former City Hall reporter Jon Willing join Andrew Pinsent for this week’s City Issues Panel.

City In Review - I.B.C. says $60 billion water infrastructure gap needs to be addressed to curb flood damage

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 10:35:45 +0000

After surviving the wettest July in Ottawa’s history, it’s only natural that the people of Canada’s Capital had to survive the wettest August that our city has faced to date. It’s a reality that has led to a lot of sleepless nights for Ottawa’s flood victims, a troubling trend that began after a devastating flood on Canada’s birthday. To this day, the Insurance Bureau of Canada continues to sort through the total insurable damages from those early-July storms, and the early estimates are pointing towards $438 million across Ontario and Quebec. Today, they are calling on all levels of government to adapt to this new normal, and to address the present-day municipal water infrastructures across the country. Their data pegs the present-day deficit at $60 billion – adding that damages from floods have jumped 300 percent over the past 20 years. CFRA’s Andrew Pinsent checks in with Amanda Dean, the IBC’s Vice-President for Ontario and Atlantic Canada.