Hour 3 of Ottawa Now for Thurs. June 12th, 2025

The City of Ottawa says that, effective this year, water testing updates at four city-run beaches would be shifting to a weekly checkup. For the longest time, daily checkups would be the unquestioned normal, as crews would eagerly search for the smallest speck of E. coli bacteria. If there was enough to cause fear, these beaches would be off-limits until the water quality improved. And while these alterations are significant, they would still meet provincial standards. However, the Ottawa Riverkeeper wants City Staff to reverse course and switch back to the old normal. In your view, what is the best path forward? Kristy Cameron sifts through the textboard and tackles today’s Question of the Day. Plus, it’s a Thursday afternoon, which means it’s time to hit the garden with gardening expert Carson Arthur! If you have any green-thumb questions, toss it into the textboard or send it to our email address.