Hour 2 of Ottawa Now for Mon. July 20th, 2026

The City of Ottawa is asking the Ford government to intervene and preserve the 40 percent greenspace agreement at the Kanata Golf and Country Club, and stop the development of 1,500 homes on the property. Guest host Andrew Pinsent checks in with Barbara Ramsay, the Chair of the Kanata Greenspace Protection Coalition. Meantime, Ottawa City Council has approved the city’s transportation plan to deal with an expected influx in federal civil servants in September and beyond. And while transit changes were the most notable, many have raised concerns about its capacity. This comes as the municipality also launches a string of new ad campaigns to encourage public servants to spend more time in the Downtown Core, an effort to spur economic activity. We dig deeper with Ruth Lau Macdonald, PSAC’s Regional Executive Vice-President for the National Capital Region. Plus, Canadian social media platforms are putting patriotism first in a fight against U.S. tech powerhouses. New platforms are being launched, including Gander Social, by a local Ottawa entrepreneur. Ben Waldman pays us a visit in Hour 2.