CBC Ottawa's top online stories of 2024
The most-read stories include tragic deaths, a big bill and a project put on hold
2024 brought late-night emergencies, in-depth investigations and a very popular call-in show.
Here in descending order is a look back at the most-read stories of the year on cbc.ca/ottawa.
1. Mass killing at Barrhaven family home
Five members of a family that had recently moved to Canada from Sri Lanka were killed in a south Ottawa townhome the night of March 6, along with a family acquaintance.
It's considered the worst mass killing in Ottawa's recent history, and made international headlines.
Febrio De-Zoysa, who turns 20 in February, was charged with six counts of first-degree murder and for the attempted murder of Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, the family's father.
His trial is scheduled to begin in November 2025.
This was one of the most-read stories of 2024 across all of CBC News.
2. Mistaken ID in hospital
About a year ago, Heather Insley got a text from her son the same day they thought they were cremating him.
It turned out the hospital had misidentified a different dying patient as her son.
CBC heard from the families again this autumn about a lack of communication from the hospital.
The video story was also one of the year's most-viewed videos by our team.
3. The decline of cash
This write-up based on an Ontario Today show about protecting the ability to pay with cash seemed to strike a serious nerve.
4. A giant Kanata condo repair
Paying to cover some repairs is part of the deal when buying a condo, but some residents of a 40-unit complex in west Ottawa said they were shocked by a $600,000 bill to fix leaky glass and railings.
It gave them only a few months to come up with several thousand dollars, and some didn't know how they'd pay it.
5. Battery factory on hold
In October 2023, global sustainable technology company Umicore broke ground on a $2.76-billion facility just west of Kingston that would produce battery components for electric vehicles and employ about 600 people
In July 2024, Umicore halted construction on the plant, citing a "significant worsening of the EV market context."
According to the last update from the company in November, construction was still "paused" and a strategic review of its battery materials operations was still underway.
6. Chloe Guan-Branch
A girl whose birth on an Air Canada flight made international headlines died five years later in pain and neglect in the early, isolating months of the pandemic, an Ontario Superior courtroom heard in March.
The details of her mother's ex-boyfriend's crimes were kept from the public due to a publication ban, as was information around the charges against her mother.
7. Changing plates
The City of Gatineau is moving ahead with a licence plate fee to fund public transit, and residents won't be allowed to keep their Ontario licence plates to avoid paying.
That $60 tax starts in January.
8. A late-night verdict
Late on Nov. 15, in a darkened Ottawa courthouse, a jury found Jean-Bruno Fenelon guilty of first-degree murder for killing Marie Gabriel in a jealous rage as she was trying to kick him out of her house in March 2022.
Fenelon got the automatic first-degree murder sentence of life in prison without parole for 25 years.
9. Recovery down south
A 16-year-old northern Ontario girl was airlifted to Ottawa's children's hospital in November after her ex-boyfriend allegedly hit her with his vehicle and then attacked her with a sword.
Kaylie Smith was stabilized at CHEO as her family stayed by her hospital bed.
Her ex Phillipe Gagnon faces several charges including attempted murder and aggravated assault.
Court records show he assaulted Smith's stepfather in May and received a conditional sentence and probation in October — just days before he allegedly attacked Smith.
10. Long weekend lake tragedy
Kaila Bearman, 21, Juliette Côté, 22, and Riley Orr, 23, were killed in a collision between a speedboat and what police called a fishing-style boat on Bobs Lake north of Kingston on May 18. Five others were injured.
A witness told CBC they heard the roar of a speedboat and the crunch of a crash, then took a boat out to try to help.
Coté's family agreed to speak to CBC later that month and described her as a "force" — equal parts strong-willed and sincerely loving.
Matthew Splinter, 44, faces 12 charges around dangerous operation and impaired operation of a vessel.
11. Doctor discharge
Here's one more top story with the provincial border as a key piece.
Many people work and live in different provinces. Sometimes they get medical care in the other province, too.
An Ottawa family medical clinic said as of August it would no longer accept out-of-province patients because it was too challenging logistically.
A Gatineau family that had moved to Quebec from Ontario and had been using the clinic for eight years told CBC that spring they were being discharged.
