2025 year in review in Ottawa

CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks back at what happened in Ottawa in 2025. Test your knowledge on the events of 2025 at the bottom of the article.

January

• Ottawa’s new north-south rail line opened to the public on Jan. 6. Line 2 runs between Bayview Station and Limebank Station, while Line 4 runs between South Keys and the Ottawa Airport.
• Blue Cactus closed its doors in Ottawa’s ByWard Market in January, after serving customers for more than 35 years. St. Louis Bar and Grill on Elgin Street also closed during the first month of the year.
• On January 10, Wilson Sabarros, 58, of Ottawa was found dead inside a home on Pondhollow Way. Three people were charged with first-degree murder.
• Ottawa’s Hillcrest High School was locked down for several hours on Jan. 13 after a student was stabbed during an altercation.
• Woman critically injured in explosive crash on St. Laurent Boulevard caught on camera

February

• Ottawa Senators fans booed The Star-Spangled Banner during a game at Canadian Tire Centre on Feb. 1, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced his plan to impose tariffs on Canadian goods.

• Police in Gatineau, Que. made headlines this year after asking residents to snitch on residents with non-Quebec licence plates. As of mid-November, 94 tickets worth $336 had been issued for driving with a non-Quebec licence plate.
• Ontarians went to the polls on Feb. 27 in the Ontario general election. In Ottawa, five Liberal MPPs, two NDP MPPs and a Progressive Conservative MPP were elected.
• Dozens of vehicles were trapped in a downtown Ottawa parking garage for several days after a section of the top level collapsed on Feb. 25. Slabs of concrete, piles of snow and debris crashed down three levels at the Indigo lot that spans Laurier Avenue West and Slater Street.

• Algonquin College approved a plan to cut 37 academic programs, cancel four dormant programs and close its campus in Perth, as it deals with a multi-million-dollar deficit. The programs shut down include Broadcasting – Radio and Podcasting, Interior Decorating, Performing Arts, and several programs in the schools of business and hospitality.
• On Feb. 9, 40-year-old Amr Sohair of Ottawa died after being assaulted at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre.
• On Feb. 15, Omar Jonathan Grant, 25, of Ottawa died after a disturbance on St. Laurent Boulevard.
• On Feb. 19, Robert Vides, 36, of Ottawa died following a fatal stabbing in Overbrook.

March

• The Rideau Canal Skateway officially closed in March after 52 days of skating in 2025. The season began Jan. 11 when a four-kilometre stretch of the world’s largest skating rink opened. By the next week, the entire length of the Skateway was available for the first time since 2022.
• The Canada Metal Processing Group (MPG), part of The Heico Companies, announced a workforce reduction of 140 employees across its three manufacturing facilities, including Ivaco Rolling Mills in L’Orignal, east of Ottawa.
• Jeffrey Wood pleaded guilty in March to stealing an iconic portrait of former British prime minister Winston Churchill from Ottawa’s Chateau Laurier hotel.

• On March 14, Kole Warren Watanabe died in a stabbing on Longfields Drive in Barrhaven.
• On March 29, 63-year-old Paul Scott Landymore died after an incident on Primrose Avenue East.

April

• Voters in the Ottawa riding of Carleton had 91 candidates to choose from in April’s federal election. The 91 registered candidates tied the record for the greatest number of candidates in an election. The majority of the candidates in the Carleton riding were associated with the electoral reform group “The Longest Ballot Committee.”
• Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre lost his seat in Carleton in April’s federal election. The Liberals won all nine ridings in Ottawa.
• The Ottawa Senators played playoff hockey for the first time since 2017. The Senators clinched a playoff spot and faced the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the NHL playoffs. The Maple Leafs beat the Senators 4 games to 2.

• Ottawa’s children’s hospital reminded staff to follow “best practices” when travelling to the United States and leave their work cellphones and laptops at home. CHEO said the memo was issued due to increased border scrutiny and evolving data security risks.
• On April 1, Renee Descary, 51, died in a fatal stabbing on Henry Street in Lowertown.
• On April 4, 42-year-old Trevor Howard Needham died on Provender Avenue.
• On April 5, 60-year-old Brenda Rus died in an incident at a home in Barrhaven.
• On April 6, Mahad Elmi, 20, of Ottawa died in a shooting on Craig Henry Drive.
• An Ottawa man who was fined for dumping motor oil into the ground at a local park took shovel in hand to replace the contaminated soil.
• A multi-unit residential building under construction in Bells Corners was destroyed by a massive fire in April.

May

• King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited Ottawa in May, the first visit to Canada as King. While in Ottawa, Charles and Camilla visited Lansdowne Park, Rideau Hall, the National War Memorial and travelled by Canada’s State Landau, drawn by horses, down Wellington Street. Charles also delivered the speech from the throne to open the new session of Parliament.

• The Privy Council Office said Prime Minister Mark Carney would continue to live at Rideau Cottage, as debate continued on what to do with 24 Sussex Drive.
• The number of federal public servants dropped by nearly 10,000 people this spring, the first time the size of the federal government shrunk in 10 years.
• Data showed thousands of “obstructed” licence plates were captured by Ottawa’s red light and photo radar cameras, allowing drivers to escape without a fine.
• In May, Ottawa police said a man was charged with second-degree murder in connection to the alleged homicide of Rachelle Desrochers, who was last seen in March.
• On May 27, Ottawa Police said two people found dead at a home in Barrhaven in May were the victims of a murder-suicide.
• The Ottawa Charge advanced to the PWHL’s Walter Cup Final before losing to the Minnesota Frost in the finals. Charge goalie Gwyneth Philips was awarded the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP award.

June

• In June, red paint was discovered on the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa. Iain Aspenlieder pleaded guilty in July to a charge of mischief to a war memorial in connection with the vandalism.

• The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board said commencement ceremonies were not an “appropriate forum” for discussions on issues that impact the community, after the valedictorian made a pro-Palestinian remark in her speech at Bell High School.
• An Ottawa landlord said she was on the hook for hundreds of dollars in interest on a tenant’s unpaid water bill, seven years after she said she was told the account was clear.
• The federal government announced it was moving forward with implementing the new Dayforce system for payroll tasks, replacing the Phoenix pay system.
• On June 2, Tracy Duncan, 54, of Ottawa, was found dead inside her home on Carousel Crescent.
• An Ottawa man was killed after a tree fell on a tent in Mallorytown during a severe thunderstorm.
• A nine-year-old boy died after being struck by a school bus in Almonte, Ont.

July

• A 17-year-old was charged with attempted murder in connection with an attack that seriously injured a young girl in the Ottawa Valley on June 23. Police had initially responded to a call for a missing child in the community.

• The federal government began dialing back work cellphones for public servants as part of a shift to computer-based softphones.
• Ontario Provincial Police say a driver who thought they could drive home after receiving a court-order suspension was charged for driving while suspended on Highway 417 in July.
• A man says he tackled and restrained a robbery suspect using a dog leash after recognizing him outside a Pet Valu on River Road in Ottawa’s south end in July.
• Ottawa area businesses reported a surge in sales amid the buy Canadian push.
• The new Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Ottawa opened in Ottawa’s south end.

August

• Mayor Mark Sutcliffe refused to apologize to Queers for Palestine – Ottawa in August, after the group blocked the Capital Pride Parade. Ottawa’s annual Pride parade was cancelled shortly after it began on August 24, when protesters blocked the route on Wellington Street outside Parliament Hill.

• In August, a class-action lawsuit was filed against le Nordik Spa, alleging visitors were victims of sexual assault at the Chelsea, Que. business.
• A 71-year-old man has been charged after a woman in her 70s was stabbed inside a grocery store at Ottawa’s College Square. The Ottawa Police Service said the attack was hate-motivated.
• The City of Ottawa announced in August that all employees would be required to be in the office five days a week starting on Jan. 1, ending hybrid work arrangements for municipal employees.
• The pilot of a small plane died after it crashed into a wooded area west of the Ottawa International Airport.

• A dump truck caused severe damage to several vehicles parked in front of homes in Barrhaven in August.

• An Ottawa transit bus became stuck after colliding with an overhead sign at Bayshore Shopping Mall.

September

• An Orléans man who was killed in a funicular crash in Lisbon in September was remembered as “one of the sweetest human beings ever.”

• VIA Rail halted plans to offer nonstop service between Montreal and Toronto on select trains, after politicians and the public raised concerns stops in eastern Ontario would be skipped.
• An Ottawa police constable was demoted for 12 months for picking up a woman in a marked police vehicle while on duty, driving her home and engaging in sexual activity.
• Starbucks closed several locations across Ottawa in September, as part of a plan to shutter locations across North America.
• A man died in a workplace incident involving a forklift in Ottawa’s east end.
• INVISTA announced it was closing its plant in Maitland, Ont. in the coming months, leaving 100 people out of work.

October

• Westgate Shopping Centre closed its doors in October ahead of demolition. The mall in Ottawa’s west end first opened in 1955 and is considered the first shopping mall in the capital.

• Big brother started keeping an eye on federal public servants in one department in 2025 to monitor whether they’re meeting the three-day in-office mandate. On-site attendance monitoring started on Oct. 1 at Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. The system works using IP information, meaning every time that an employee logs on at the office, it’s tracked and counted as a day working on-site, but the new program faced pushback.
• Ontario Provincial Police said officers have seized more than 72,000 cannabis plants — valued at around $122 million — as part of a major operation into an alleged cannabis production network on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in eastern Ontario, linked to organized crime.
• A No Tyrants protest was held in Ottawa in October, as part of an international day of protest to push back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
• On Oct. 2, 55-year-old Justin James Weir of Ottawa died in a stabbing on St. Laurent Boulevard.
• On Oct. 18, Raphael Atende, 21, of Ottawa died in a stabbing on Russell Road.
• On Oct. 22, Joshua Qiyuk, 21, was found with stab wounds in the area of Meadow Park Place.
• On Oct. 24, 38-year-old Nelson Getson died following a shooting on Somerset Street West.
• On Oct. 30, a man died in hospital after being found with stab wounds on King Edward Avenue two weeks earlier.
• Kelly’s Landing restaurant along the Rideau River closed.
• The Ottawa Food Bank received a record $2.5 million donation from Franklin Holtforster and his family, the largest donation in the history of the organization.
• The Book Market on Merivale Road announced it was closing after 40 years.
• Mike Dean Local Grocer in eastern Ontario announced new measures to crack down on theft in stores.

November

• Ottawa City Council approved the $418.8 million Lansdowne 2.0 project. The plan includes a new 6,600-person-capacity arena, a new north-side stands for TD Place and two residential towers. The Professional Women’s Hockey League has said the team will not play in the new event centre at Lansdowne.

• The Ontario government ordered the City of Ottawa and all municipalities to turn off photo radar cameras. Ottawa had 60 photo radar cameras, and work was underway to activate 24 new cameras.
• The federal government announced in November it would cut another 28,000 positions from the federal public service as part of the plan to find $60 billion in savings over the next five years. Also in November, the Defence Department said it was hiring public servants from other departments.
• An international student was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for at least 25 years after pleading guilty to killing a mother, her four children and a family acquaintance at a home in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven in March 2024.
• On Nov. 17, Jeffrey Wilson, 43, of Spencerville, Ont. died following a stabbing on Penny Drive in Ottawa.
• Miller’s Farm and Market in Manotick warned it may have to shut down operations after Council voted to deny a bylaw amendment to the property.
• Shelley Eckford, of Fitzroy Harbour, Ont., became a multimillionaire in an instant in November. She won $2.45 million after playing the Catch the Ace lottery held by the Kin Club of Russell.

December

• The federal government began notifying employees if they would be impacted by workforce adjustments, as the government looks to cut 28,000 public service positions by 2028-29.
• Ottawa’s largest high-rise will be built overlooking Dow’s Lake. The planning committee approved an amendment to the Official Plan to allow a 50-storey, mixed-use high-rise building with 503 residential units at 829 Carling Avenue at Preston Street.
• Farm Boy said a shopper’s experience “did not live up to Farm Boy’s standards," after he said an accusation of shoplifting compelled him to lift his shirt and reveal the bulge under his clothing was a massive hernia.
• Ottawa City Council approved the 2026 City of Ottawa budget on Dec. 10, which included a 3.75 per cent tax increase and a 2.5 per cent hike in transit fares.
• More than 100 Via Rail passengers spent a night stuck on a train in eastern Ontario after two trains stopped to help a train that suffered a mechanical issue. The transport minister said he was “not happy” with Via Rail for allowing passengers to be stranded.
• Federal departments will begin notifying public servants of possible job cuts in January

Pop Quiz: Year in Review

Time to test your knowledge on the events of 2025 with 20 questions in this year’s pop quiz and see how you stack up against your fellow competitors.