Hour 1 of Ottawa Now for Fri. July 17th, 2026

Are your governments doing enough to prevent annual wildfires? Speaking to reporters this morning, Ontario Premier Doug Ford says there are 191 active wildfires across the province. He says 81 of those blazes are out of control, adding that it’s a miracle no one has died. At the moment, over 150 crews are in place to fight them, with helicopters and water bombers not far behind. Some of those crews are coming in from Alberta and the Yukon Territories, while the feds are also preparing to deploy their own resources. At the same time, we can’t help but notice that this sight is becoming more of a regular occurrence, especially as temperatures really warm up. Have we entered a new normal? And regardless of the answer to that question, how can we adapt? Kristy Cameron chats with Lori D. Daniels, a Professor in the Forestry and Environmental Stewardship Department at the University of British Columbia. Turning to a different section of Queen’s Park, Ontario’s Minister of Tourism has resigned from Doug Ford’s Cabinet after the price tag of his expensive Toronto hotel bills came to light. CTV’s Siobhan Morris has more on the ‘mistake’ that led to Stan Cho’s exit. But first, we bring you up to speed on today’s top headlines.