Hour 1 of Ottawa Now for Thurs. June 18th, 2026

Ontario Provincial Police say a driver in Ottawa was so distracted behind the wheel that he didn’t even notice the cop car beside him. Police stopped the driver on Highway 417 at around 5PM on Tuesday. And to make matters worse for the guilty party, the driver was observed using both his laptop and cellphone during peak rush-hour traffic. He now faces a $615 fine, 3 demerit points, and a 3-day driving suspension upon conviction. But he is not the only one who police have nabbed in a distracted state behind the wheel, and that brings us to today’s Question of the Day. Are you seeing more cellphone usage on Ottawa’s roads? OPP East Region Sergeant Erin Cranton talks about the dangers of texting and driving in Hour 1. Meantime, the Ottawa Police Service says Black and Middle Eastern residents were ‘over-represented’ in police use-of-force incidents compared to the general population in 2025. CTV’s Natalie Van Rooy has more on that. Plus, Canada is hosting Qatar in a matter of hours, and the team’s second match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has significant implications for the rest of their tournament. We bring you up to speed on today’s top headlines.