Hour 3 of Ottawa Now for Mon. July 13th, 2026

Ontario is expected to activate its Disaster Recovery Program sometime this week, saying it will happen within days and not weeks. However, no clear timeline has been given. Here in Ottawa, the number of flooded homes has risen to nearly 6,000 following the historic Canada Day downpour. For any homeowners and businesses who are eligible to qualify for DRAO, they can claim up to $250,000. Repairs and reimbursements for cleanup is also on the table. But after nearly 2 weeks of headaches, affected residents are exhausted and remain frustrated. Kristy Cameron does a vibe check of the CFRA textboard and tackles today’s Question of the Day. Meantime, Canada has finally acquired the amount of American political approval to finally cut the ribbon on the Gordie Howe Bridge. On Friday, after weeks of delays, the feds announced that the bridge connecting Windsor to Detroit would officially open on July 27th. The handshake agreement sees Canada gaining 50% of the bridge’s toll profits in the first 15 years, while the other 50% is transferred into an economic development fund. But if Canada wants to increase the bridge tolls by a certain percentage, America has to sign off on it. Fair compromise? Not according to Canada’s Conservatives. We dig deeper in Hour 3 with our Political Heat Panel.