The most annoying stories in Ottawa from 2025 | Opinion

In a lot of ways, 2025 has been an unusual year, what with threats of annexation, Alberta separatism and — gah, what’s that happening in Quebec? Fortunately, we in Ottawa have many local irritants to keep us distracted from brewing nightmares on all those other fronts, so I am here, scrooge hat securely affixed to my noggin, to present you the Top 5 Most Annoying Ottawa Stories of 2025.

5. The proper size and placement of hockey arenas. I am beside myself with horror at just how much ink has been spilled debating this one sport in the context of two humongous developments — Lansdowne 2.0 and LeBreton Flats. I know Ottawans like their hockey, but golly. You’d think, listening to this “debate,” that it was the only problem left to solve in this city. The fact that I get rotten tomatoes thrown at me every time I slag the sportspuck makes me think you won’t agree with me on that, but I’m still right.

4. Bus routes changed for no good reason. OC Transpo’s largest bus service change in the city’s history had a disproportionate impact on high schoolers, including some who dwell in my house, and Stage 2 LRT East extension paralysis-by-endless-and-badly-communicated-construction-delays added up to one giant mess of transit unreliability and general inability to get anywhere in this town, no matter what mode of transportation we use. Meanwhile, the person who might have been held accountable for this nightmare has conveniently skipped town. Argh!

3. Back to your cubicles: Both the city and the federal government are insisting on playing the world’s stupidest game and frog-marching everyone back to their downtown Ottawa office, whether it makes any sense or not. If we had a magnificent and reliable transit system worthy of the name, it would still be stupid, but not apocalyptically so. But we don’t, and endless highway construction delays aren’t conducive to happiness for those who prefer (if that’s the word) commuting by car.

2. The sidewalk that made locals lawyer up. In a city that’s famous for dangerously cracked sidewalks where tall weeds sprout indiscriminately, making our city look and feel like an ugly death trap, the most talked-about sidewalk story of the year was the one where the city insisted on imposing one in a Manor Park neighbourhood where a majority of residents say they neither need nor want it. After what felt like 10 years of back-and-forthing over the course of the 2025 summer, the local councillor, Rawlson King, announced in his newsletter that the proposed forced sidewalk would be “deferred,” and that decision itself caused some (different) residents to lawyer up and demand the deferral be overturned, and this legal request is now under review. If you’re feeling both lost and confused, and somewhat angry at the gobs of public resources devoted to this incredibly small and localized issue, you are not alone. I am myself in dire need of a wall to bang my head against.

1. The nightmare of the Night Mayor. My most annoying story of the year award goes to the generally invisible (but pointless!) Night Mayor Mathieu Grondin’s ridiculous, inane, and ineffective Night Ambassadors program, featuring overly keen young persons hired to help party-goers walk back to their cars or find their lost earrings or what have you. I know other cities have similar programs, but like you, I was raised not to jump off the bridge just because my friends did. Nothing, not even Grondin’s slightly less offensive idea to streamline the paperwork for licensed establishments that wish to sell booze until 5 am during special events, makes up for the affront of making Ottawa look to the world like it has no sweet clue how to behave when it’s dark outside.

My wish for you and yours this holiday season is that the news next year be less annoying.

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