Hour 2 of Ottawa Now for Thurs. May 22nd, 2025

City of Ottawa committees were hard at work today, and on-street parking was among the list of items up for debate. In parts of Little Italy, as well as The Glebe and the ByWard Market, paid parking hours will be extended to 7:30pm on weeknights, as opposed to the original 9pm extension. The original proposal also pondered the idea of paid parking during weekend hours. As it stands currently, you don't have to pay for parking beyond 5:30pm on weekdays, while parking on weekends is free. The City of Ottawa insists they are trying to encourage turnover, and that these new measures will actually help businesses. Some business owners beg to differ. We dig deeper with La Bottega owner Pat Nicastro and Ottawa Venues managing partner Alex Sirois. Meantime, the Royal Family is planning to visit Canada’s Capital in the coming days, as King Charles prepares to deliver the Throne Speech on Tuesday. And as you might be able to tell, preparations are well underway for this important visit. We hear from Philippe Chartrand, who is the Chairman for the Monarchist League of Canada’s Ottawa branch. Plus, Finance Ministers from G7 countries have emerged from a pivotal summit in Banff, Alberta. CFRA's Andrew Pinsent delivers the latest developments.