Hundreds of students and staff members at Algonquin College are in a state of shock this afternoon, as the campus plans to cut 37 academic programs. These cutbacks are scheduled to begin in September. It follows devastating news from Perth last month, as the College plans to shut down operations there. Teri Lorretto is the Program Coordinator for Algonquin’s Scriptwriting and Performing Arts programs, which are currently listed on the chopping block. She joins Kristy Cameron on Ottawa Now.

Hundreds of students and staff members at Algonquin College are in a state of shock this afternoon, as the campus plans to cut 37 academic programs. These cutbacks are scheduled to begin in September. It follows devastating news from Perth last month, as the College plans to shut down operations there. Teri Lorretto is the Program Coordinator for Algonquin&rsquo;s Scriptwriting and Performing Arts programs, which are currently listed on the chopping block. She joins Kristy Cameron on Ottawa Now.

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Ottawa Now - Dozens of Algonquin College programs blindsided over looming cutbacks

A new survey says that Canadians are growing tired of tipping. In fact, some want the practice to be abolished altogether. Where do you stand on that debate? Kristy Cameron sifts through the CFRA textboard and tackles today's Question of the Day. Meantime, the Bank of Canada has held its principal interest rate at 2.25 percent. However, BOC Governor Tiff Macklem is warning that an uptick in oil and natural gas prices will push up inflation in the short-term, a reality that we continue to see as the Iran War drags on. We dig deeper with Pedro Antunes, a Principal Economist for Signal 49 Research. Plus, as online regulators grapple with how to handle A.I. chatbots, Britain is hatching a plan to protect consumers from disinformation and deepfakes. How, you may ask? By slapping mandatory labels on A.I. generated content. Shruti Shekar, the editor-in-chief of Android Central, pays us a visit in Hour 3.

A new survey says that Canadians are growing tired of tipping. In fact, some want the practice to be abolished altogether. Where do you stand on that debate?&nbsp;Kristy Cameron sifts through the CFRA textboard and tackles today's Question of the Day. Meantime, the Bank of Canada has held its principal interest rate at 2.25 percent. However, BOC Governor Tiff Macklem is warning that an uptick in oil and natural gas prices will push up inflation in the short-term, a reality that we continue to see as the Iran War drags on. We dig deeper with Pedro Antunes, a Principal Economist for Signal 49 Research. Plus, as online regulators grapple with how to handle A.I. chatbots, Britain is hatching a plan to protect consumers from disinformation and deepfakes. How, you may ask? By slapping mandatory labels on A.I. generated content. Shruti Shekar, the editor-in-chief of Android Central, pays us a visit in Hour 3.

Hour 3 of Ottawa Now for Wed. March 18th, 2026

As of right now, only two supervised consumption sites remain in Canada’s Capital. But as of June 13th, there will be none. Earlier this week, the Ford government announced that funding for Ottawa Inner City Health and the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre would be cut off within the next 90 days. In fact, both sites could shutter their doors before the deadline has passed. Kristy Cameron checks in with Ian Culbert, the Executive Director of the Canadian Public Health Association. But first, we take a gander at what’s been happening in Cuba over the past few days. On Monday, the country’s electrical grid collapsed, plunging 11 million residents into darkness. On Tuesday, Cuban officials reported that the country had been reconnected. But for Cuban Canadians, the mission to connect with relatives has been very challenging. We dig deeper with Ottawa resident Eugenio Landeiro Reyes, who is a member of the Cuban Canadians Coalition.

As of right now, only two supervised consumption sites remain in Canada&rsquo;s Capital. But as of June 13th, there will be none. Earlier this week, the Ford government announced that funding for Ottawa Inner City Health and the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre would be cut off within the next 90 days. In fact, both sites could shutter their doors before the deadline has passed. Kristy Cameron checks in with Ian Culbert, the Executive Director of the Canadian Public Health Association. But first, we take a gander at what&rsquo;s been happening in Cuba over the past few days. On Monday, the country&rsquo;s electrical grid collapsed, plunging 11 million residents into darkness. On Tuesday, Cuban officials reported that the country had been reconnected. But for Cuban Canadians, the mission to connect with relatives has been very challenging. We dig deeper with Ottawa resident Eugenio Landeiro Reyes, who is a member of the Cuban Canadians Coalition.

Hour 2 of Ottawa Now for Wed. March 18th, 2026

We are revisiting a story from Tuesday’s show, and a topic we have occasionally tackled on Ottawa Now. That debate surrounds today’s tipping policies. A new survey from H&R Block Canada suggests that Canadians may have reached their breaking point. To be more precise, 67 percent of surveyed Canadians believe it's time to abolish the practice, with a staggering 93 percent acknowledging that the practice has gotten out of control. Toronto Metropolitan University professor Wayne Smith says we got really generous with tipping during COVID times, and that never really stopped. But because it’s so heavily engrained into our culture, it would take a lot for tipping to be abolished. Kristy Cameron tries to make sense of it all with Kelly Higginson, the President of Restaurants Canada. Meantime, the Canadian government is appealing a recent ruling by the country’s Court of Appeal. The appeal found that the use of the Emergencies Act to shut down the 2022 Freedom Convoy was illegal. And now, the feds are taking that fight to the Supreme Court of Canada. CFRA’s Andrew Pinsent delivers the details in Hour 1. But first, we bring you up to speed on today’s top headlines.

We are revisiting a story from Tuesday&rsquo;s show, and a topic we have occasionally tackled on Ottawa Now. That debate surrounds today&rsquo;s tipping policies. A new survey from H&amp;R Block Canada suggests that Canadians may have reached their breaking point. To be more precise, 67 percent of surveyed Canadians believe it's time to abolish the practice, with a staggering 93 percent acknowledging that the practice has gotten out of control. Toronto Metropolitan University professor Wayne Smith says we got really generous with tipping during COVID times, and that never really stopped. But because it&rsquo;s so heavily engrained into our culture, it would take a lot for tipping to be abolished. Kristy Cameron tries to make sense of it all with Kelly Higginson, the President of Restaurants Canada. Meantime, the Canadian government is appealing a recent ruling by the country&rsquo;s Court of Appeal. The appeal found that the use of the Emergencies Act to shut down the 2022 Freedom Convoy was illegal. And now, the feds are taking that fight to the Supreme Court of Canada. CFRA&rsquo;s Andrew Pinsent delivers the details in Hour 1. But first, we bring you up to speed on today&rsquo;s top headlines.

Ottawa Now - Dozens of Algonquin College programs blindsided over looming cutbacks

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