Hour 3 of Ottawa Now for Tues. May 13th, 2025

Here in Ontario, for better or worse, parking fees at hospitals have become the norm. Some hospitals have discounted fares, while most hospitals charge their patients for parking. It probably explains why so many OGH patients love to visit Lynda Lane. Today, an NDP MPP is looking to change this reality, as he brings the fight to Queen’s Park on June 3rd. Niagara-Centre representative Jeff Burch is calling on the Ford government to remove parking fees at every single hospital. If his idea is approved, today’s patients won’t be saddled with any parking bills, and their families won’t have to pay them. And yes, hospital workers would be exempt as well. Burch joins Kristy Cameron in Hour 3 with his reasoning. Then, we react to your feedback on the CFRA textboard, as we tackle today’s Question of the Day. Shifting gears to Canada’s tourism dollars, our tourist towns are seeing a reduction in American visitors this year. Is that decline being off-set by an uptick in Canadian travelers? Shedding some light on those stats is Eric Ferguson, the GM of Kingston-based One-Thousand Islands Cruises. Plus, the City of Ottawa is mulling over a potential extension of paid on-street parking in select neighbourhoods, which would move into the late-evening hours and weekend hours. Several local shops and restaurants say it’s wrong, while others say it’s a ‘cash grab’. Chiming in with his views is David Mangano, the co-owner of The Grand Pizzeria on George Street.