Hour 2 of Ottawa Now for Fri. March 21st, 2025

After holding out hope for a last-minute lifeline, Hudson’s Bay has managed to keep 6 stores open, thereby avoiding a Canada-wide extinction. The decision was finalized earlier today inside an Ontario courthouse. A pair of Toronto locations, including the flagship store on Yonge Street, have been spared from the liquidation sale. So have locations in Richmond Hill, Montreal, Laval, and Pointe-Clare. But as for Ottawa’s Rideau Centre destination, doomsday appears to be inevitable. Today, Canada’s oldest retailer employs 9,364 people across 80 store locations, numbers that will certainly shrink once the liquidation sale begins on Monday. Kristy Cameron digs deeper with David Ian Gray, a Canadian retail advisor and the founder of DIG 360. Meantime, if you’re hoping to escape another mentally-draining news week, perhaps a trip to the local cinema will help soothe the soul. Matt Demers has got you covered in Hour 2 with his Weekly Movie Picks!