Hour 3 of Ottawa Now for Thurs. April 24th, 2025

The Ford government is planning to crack down on financial mismanagement at a handful of provincial school boards. Two of them are based in Toronto. Another is Ottawa’s largest. And if the results don’t go well, the province could seize control. Is this the right move from the Ministry of Education? Kristy Cameron sifts through the textboard and tackles today’s Question of the Day. Meantime, patio season is finally starting to warm up, but some of the city’s restaurant owners don’t consider it as good news for their bottom line. That’s because the City of Ottawa is raising patio fees by 40 percent, turning the clock back to pre-pandemic levels. John Borsten joins the program to outline his concerns in Hour 3. He runs a handful of Ottawa’s best-known eateries, including The Grand Pizzeria and Starling Restaurant. Plus, businesses along Dalhousie Street are hopping mad after catching wind of an incoming parking inconvenience. In the near future, on-street parking spots in the area could be removed so that OC Transpo bus drivers can park their buses. CTV’s Natalie Van Rooy has more on that.