Hour 1 of Ottawa Now for Thurs. September 11th, 2025

On Wednesday, Ottawa City Council officially approved the Budget Direction for 2026. And as they try to keep next year’s property tax hike at 3.75 percent, coupled with a transit fare increase of up to 7.5 percent, City Council is also attempting to cap the size of the municipal public service. Rideau-Jock councillor David Brown put forward a motion to set that magic cap at 17,105 employees, which was supported in a 14 to 10 vote. This rule exempts paramedics, firefighters, bylaw services, and potentially other critical city services. Councillor Brown joins Kristy Cameron to outline his reasoning in Hour 1. Sticking with municipal matters, over 4,000 people have been fined for not paying OC Transpo bus fares or O-Train transit tickets. If anyone has any bright ideas, a singular fine is $260. CTV's Josh Pringle does some rough mathematics. But first, we bring you up to speed on today’s top headlines.