Hour 3 of Ottawa Now for Fri. May 15th, 2026

For the first time in provincial history, Ontario retailers can now legally open for business on Victoria Day Monday. This operational shift follows recent amendments passed by the Ford government to the Retail Business Holidays Act, granting stores the flexibility to open on both Family Day and Victoria Day. However, the province insists that employee scheduling remains voluntary. Good idea or bad idea? Would you take advantage of it? Kristy Cameron sifts through the CFRA textboard and tackles today’s Question of the Day. Meantime, the Victoria Day Weekend is starting off on a very grim note for the residents of Russell Road. A townhouse fire has left one person dead, while 10 others have been displaced from their homes. We get the details from CTV’s Natalie Van Rooy.