Hour 1 of Ottawa Now for Wed. March 25th, 2026

The Manitoba government is planning to scrap the PST on all groceries, impacting items such as rotisserie chickens and junk food. Most basic groceries are already exempt from Ontario’s HST but, beyond raw ingredients, food is taxed in our province. Should they be? Kristy Cameron poses that question to Mike Von Massow, a Food Economist with the University of Guelph. Meantime, firefighters were successful in containing a ByWard Market blaze on Monday night, which came dangerously close to spreading to other buildings. Joining us in Hour 1 is Nick DeFazio, a Public Information Officer with Ottawa Fire Services. But first, we bring you up to speed on today’s top headlines.