Hour 1 of Ottawa Now for Thurs. December 4th, 2025

In July of 2024, Ottawa Police inserted an operations facility in the Rideau Centre, a key part of a multi-leveled strategy to address crime and safety in the ByWard Market. Earlier today, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe announced a plan to spend $1 million in new funding over 2 years to hire private security guards for The Market. It’s a portion of what he calls a ‘Public Safety Action Plan’, a city-wide approach that aims to improve safety all across Canada’s Capital. But are security guards the answer to this lingering and complicated problem? Charles Bordeleau, a former Ottawa Police Chief, joins Kristy Cameron in Hour 1. Shifting gears to next year’s events, the 2nd annual Guitars and Gasoline lineup has been unveiled, and it features a lot of big-name Canadian artists. Local promoter Ken Craig tells us who is on the bill for 2026. But first, we bring you up to speed on today’s top headlines.