Ottawa commuters have felt it every time they pull up to the pump this year — filling the tank just doesn't stretch the way it used to. A new survey from CAA South Central Ontario confirms what a lot of local drivers already suspected: gas prices are quietly reshaping everyday life across the province, and Ottawa is no exception.
The numbers behind the squeeze
According to the survey, seven in 10 Ontarians aged 35 to 54 say gas prices are affecting their day-to-day activities. That's a big chunk of the workforce — parents doing the school run, commuters heading downtown or out to Kanata's tech corridor, and anyone driving across the city for errands, appointments, or weekend plans.
For a city like Ottawa, where public transit doesn't always cover every neighbourhood as conveniently as a car does, that number hits close to home. Suburbs like Barrhaven, Orleans, and Stittsville still rely heavily on vehicles for daily life, and a rise at the pump translates almost immediately into a tighter household budget.
What it means for Ottawa summer plans
Summer is prime road-trip season for Ottawa residents — whether it's a quick jaunt to a cottage in the Gatineau Hills, a weekend in Prince Edward County, or just more frequent drives to festivals and patios around the city. With gas prices weighing on people's minds, some Ottawa families may be scaling back those plans, opting for closer-to-home outings instead of longer highway trips.
Local businesses that depend on tourism traffic — think Wakefield, Merrickville, or the Ottawa Valley more broadly — could feel a ripple effect if visitors decide to drive less this season. At the same time, Ottawa's own summer festival lineup and green spaces like Gatineau Park may see a boost as residents choose to stay closer to the capital rather than burn extra fuel on longer getaways.
Adjusting the daily routine
Beyond vacation plans, the survey point speaks to something more immediate: the daily grind. Ottawa's sprawling geography means many residents commute across town for work, school drop-offs, or appointments, and those costs add up fast when prices climb. Some drivers may lean more on OC Transpo's O-Train and bus network, carpool with coworkers, or consolidate errands into fewer trips to save on fuel.
For households already juggling rising costs elsewhere — groceries, rent, utilities — an unpredictable gas bill is one more variable to plan around. It's a reminder that even routine decisions, like which route to take to work or whether to drive to a friend's place across town, are increasingly shaped by what's happening at the pump.
The bigger picture
The CAA survey underscores a trend playing out across Ontario, but for Ottawa residents it lands with a particularly local flavour — a city built around driving distances between suburbs, a downtown core, and everything in between. Whether prices ease up before peak summer travel season remains to be seen, but for now, many in the capital region are keeping a closer eye on the pump than they'd like.
Source: Global News Ottawa
