Welcome to this week’s edition of City In Review – a Saturday subsection of CFRA Weekends. CFRA’s Andrew Pinsent is steering the ship. And here is what we are following!

The Week In Review

1. OC Transpo, Ottawa's largest transportation network, unveils a brand-new Fall Schedule and survives its first big test.
2. There's still no timeline on when Ottawa's LRT system will be uploaded to the province.
3. The City of Ottawa's Q2 Finance Update highlights the present-day transit budget pressures.
4. Eight months into 2026, we are facing more suspected overdose deaths than all 12 months of 2025.
5. Election Campaign: A promise from mayoral candidate Alex Lawson to do away with paid on-street parking.
6. Voter cards are being sent out, while candidates are preparing to put up law signs ahead of next Friday.
7. A re-zoning request for development at The Carleton Tavern site heads to City Council. Once 38 stories, the latest proposal has been trimmed down to 32 stories.
8. A proposed Palladium waterpark complex clears its latest hurdle at City Committee, as that re-zoning debate heads to City Council.

Public Safety

A pair of Ottawa mayoral candidates released public safety plans on the campaign trail this week – the same week that Ottawa Public Health noted an increase in overdoses last year. CFRA's Kristy Cameron chats with Andrew Pinsent about what each candidate has proposed on the matter, the situation the City of Ottawa is currently in, and how the issue will resonate on the campaign trail.

City Issues Panel

Transit was a top-of-mind issue this week, as the transit system was put to its first test of increased Fall demand. OC Transpo's new schedules and buses rolled out with a few minor hiccups, though the looming return of post-secondary students will add a new dimension to this daily formula. Meanwhile, we still don’t have a clear timeline as to when Ottawa's LRT system will be uploaded to the province, if that reality happens at all. Laura Shantz from Ottawa Transit Riders and Stephon Farrow from Better Transit Ottawa offer their two cents on all-things public transit.

Candidate Corner

Fourteen candidates have signed up to run for Mayor of Ottawa, and CFRA’s Andrew Pinsent will speak to as many as possible ahead of October’s election. Invitations are being made in alphabetical order. Today’s contestant: Suraj Harish.