Hour 1 of Ottawa Now for Thurs. July 23rd, 2026

This time last year, free parking was aplenty in sections of Hintonburg, Wellington Village, and Westboro. But not anymore. Last September, nearly 700 parking metres were installed, as the City of Ottawa hoped to spark an honest uptick in business. Instead, these parking metres might have done the opposite. Kristy Cameron starts the conversation with Terry Fitzpatrick, the co-owner of Petit Bill’s Bistro on Wellington Street. Meantime, Ottawa Public Health is reminding people to take steps to minimize exposure to blacklegged ticks while outdoors this Summer. The warning comes amid the highest rates of Lyme Disease that Ottawa’s West End has ever seen. We check in with Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, the CEO and Medical Officer of Health for the Eastern Ontario Health Unit. But first, we bring you up to speed on today’s top headlines.