Hour 1 of Ottawa Now for Thurs. June 12th, 2025

Last month, in a memo to City Council, Ottawa Public Health said it would no longer do daily water testing updates at a quartet of Ottawa’s city-run beaches. Instead, water samples would be collected on a weekly basis, which would be enough to meet provincial standards. This is done to detect the presence of E. coli bacteria at municipal beaches, and determine how safe it is for public swimming. However, the Ottawa Riverkeeper is not onside with this objective, arguing that it’s a major step back by the City of Ottawa. And now, CEO Laura Reinsborough is launching a petition to reverse these policy changes. She joins Kristy Cameron in Hour 1. Shifting gears to summer job searches, we have been zooming in on job opportunities that currently exist, as Kristy’s Summer Job Centre winds down operations. But what about starting up your own business? The Chnge Mker Innovation Hub is doing exactly that, launching their YES-Tech 2025 Youth Entrepreneurship Summer Program. It empowers today’s youth from Black and underrepresented communities by equipping them with the entrepreneurial skills, tech knowledge, and necessary funds to launch their own vision. Founder and CEO Mona Abow makes the elevator pitch.