Starting next month, if you call to book an appointment with your family doctor, you will be asked a series of triage questions, generated by new software powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

“The idea is that this is a mandatory tool to be placed in all GMFs [clinics], and the goal is to improve patient access by determining where patients should be seen,” said Dr. Michael Kalin, director of the Kildare Family Medicine Group.

The program is called Navig. Santé Québec is spending $20.6 million over four years to license and roll it out across the province.

As of April 1, medical receptionists will be required to consult the software by inputting the reason the patient wants an appointment. The software will then generate follow-up questions to try to determine whether the patient might be better served elsewhere in the health-care network.

“Between 13 and 18 per cent of doctor appointment requests are redirected to another health professional,” said Bertrand Bolduc, general manager of Vitr.ai, the company behind the Navig software.

“It’s a noble idea,” said Dr. Kalin, after several days of testing the software. “But what we have here is an AI tool that, in my opinion, is neither artificial nor intelligent.”

His receptionists report taking longer on each call since having to consult the tool and he does not always agree with the software’s recommendations.

“A patient called in with a headache the other day,” he said. “Through the course of questioning, the AI said you better go to the emergency room. I read the transcript. This patient doesn’t need to go to the emergency room.”

That kind of mistake could lead to less efficiency and a worse experience overall, Dr. Kalin said. He believes the software should not be mandatory, at least until the issues he has with the program have been resolved.

“Of course, patients can refuse the recommendation,” said Bolduc, who is the former head of the Quebec Order of Pharmacists. Doctors can also customize the software, so it produces recommendations that make sense for their specific clinics.

“Each GMF retains its clinical autonomy,” said Marianne Paquette, a spokesperson with Santé Québec. “It is the physicians and their teams who determine the recommendations and services offered, based on the needs of their patients.”

In recent years, different health-care professionals like pharmacists, nurse practitioners, physiotherapists, and psychologists, have been empowered to take on new responsibilities, easing pressure on doctors.

“Nobody can know what everybody is able to do,” said Bolduc. “This software, through a questionnaire — it takes a bit of time, obviously — can basically check all the details and criteria and can provide the patient with another type of appointment.”

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Travelers at Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport faced mounting disruption on Friday as at least nine Air Canada and Porter Airlines flights were grounded, triggering knock-on delays across key routes to Toronto, Fredericton, Halifax, Quebec City, Sudbury and other destinations.

Wave of Cancellations Hits Key Domestic Routes

Publicly available flight-status boards and traveler reports on Friday indicated that a cluster of morning and mid-day departures from Ottawa were cancelled or significantly delayed, affecting a mix of Air Canada mainline, Air Canada Express and Porter Airlines services. The heaviest impact appeared on short-haul links that funnel passengers into larger hubs, including Toronto Pearson and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, as well as regional routes into Atlantic Canada and northeastern Ontario.

The grounded services included multiple rotations normally operating between Ottawa and Toronto, which serve as vital feeder flights for connections across Canada, the United States and Europe. Disruptions on this corridor quickly spilled over to regional routes, with cancellations and long delays reported on flights to Fredericton, Halifax, Quebec City and Sudbury. Travelers attempting to rebook faced squeezed seat availability as remaining departures filled up.

Information published by the airport and airline trackers showed a patchwork of causes, ranging from knock-on effects of earlier weather systems to operational and crew-related limitations. While the scale of disruption at Ottawa was modest compared with major winter storm events that have affected Toronto Pearson and other Canadian hubs earlier in 2026, the concentration of cancellations on thinly served regional routes left some passengers with limited same-day alternatives.

Regional Travelers Face Long Delays and Rerouting

The impact was especially acute for passengers booked on routes where Ottawa functions as a primary connection point. Public traveler accounts described itineraries between Fredericton and other Canadian cities being pushed back by many hours or shifted to next-day departures when Ottawa legs were removed from schedules. Similar experiences were reported for passengers flying between Halifax and interior points such as Sudbury and northern Ontario communities, with Ottawa acting as a key intermediate stop.

In some cases, publicly shared rebooking confirmations showed travelers being moved onto multi-stop routings through larger hubs such as Toronto Pearson or Montreal, adding significant travel time to journeys that are typically completed in a few hours. On lightly served routes like Ottawa–Sudbury or Ottawa–Fredericton, the cancellation of a single rotation substantially reduced same-day options, pushing some travelers to consider rail or long-distance driving as alternatives.

Historic disruptions in Canada, including previous winter storms and labor actions, have demonstrated how quickly regional connectivity can fray when a mid-sized hub experiences concentrated cancellations. Ottawa’s role as both a destination and a connecting point for government, academic and business travel means that even a small set of grounded flights can generate outsized ripple effects across multiple provinces.

Operational Strains Add to a Year of Aviation Volatility

The latest disruptions at Ottawa come during a period of heightened volatility for Canadian air travel. Earlier in 2026, severe winter systems and a major blizzard in central Canada and the Great Lakes region led to thousands of cancellations over several days, particularly at Toronto Pearson and other large hubs. Those events strained crew and aircraft positioning, with airlines taking days to fully restore normal schedules.

Air Canada has also been recovering from broader operational pressures linked to high demand, weather volatility and a complex regulatory environment governing passenger protection. Recent analyses of national air transportation performance from Transport Canada have highlighted ongoing variability in on-time performance and cancellation rates at major airports, including Ottawa, Halifax and Toronto, even as overall volumes recover.

Porter Airlines, which has been expanding its jet network from Ottawa and other eastern Canadian cities, has faced its own operational challenges as it juggles new routes, fleet growth and shifting demand patterns in Atlantic Canada and Quebec. Public discussion among frequent flyers has pointed to schedule adjustments and reduced frequencies on some routes, particularly in and out of Halifax, making ad hoc recovery from day-of disruption more difficult when flights are removed from the timetable.

Knock-On Effects for Connections in Toronto and Beyond

The grounding of several Ottawa departures to Toronto created further complications for passengers with onward connections to Western Canada, the United States, Europe and sun destinations. Flight-status tools showed delayed arrivals from Ottawa cascading into missed connections at Toronto Pearson, with some travelers forced onto later departures or rebooked for the following day when long-haul services were fully booked.

On the Toronto city-center corridor, disruptions to Porter’s Ottawa–Billy Bishop flights had an outsized impact on business and government travelers who rely on the short hop for same-day meetings. Published schedules already show that some frequencies on this route are tightly timed to align with morning and evening peaks; when one or two of these departures are removed, the remaining flights can quickly reach capacity.

These knock-on effects extended along the network to Quebec City, Sudbury and other spoke destinations. Publicly available data from previous months illustrate how cancellations on feeder routes can depress overall on-time performance metrics for entire regions, as late-arriving passengers and aircraft cascade through the system. Friday’s concentrated disruption in Ottawa followed this familiar pattern, with small schedule changes triggering widespread itinerary reshuffling.

Passengers Navigate Rights, Refunds and Limited Options

As the day progressed, affected travelers turned to airline apps, call centers and social media to share experiences and seek alternatives. Some reported automatic rebookings onto later flights from Ottawa, while others described being offered itineraries a day or more after their original departure time, particularly on routes to smaller destinations with limited frequency.

Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations set out compensation and assistance requirements when flights are cancelled or significantly delayed for reasons within an airline’s control, though weather and certain safety-related issues are excluded. Publicly available guidance from regulators and consumer advocates emphasizes that passengers may be entitled to rebooking on another carrier or to refunds when schedules change significantly. In practice, travelers often face long wait times to reach customer-service agents, especially during periods of widespread disruption.

Reports from earlier mass-disruption events involving Canadian carriers suggest that accommodation, meal vouchers and ground transportation are not always provided consistently, particularly for domestic passengers on short-haul routes. With Ottawa’s latest wave of cancellations affecting many regional travelers, consumer groups are likely to scrutinize how airlines apply the rules and support stranded passengers at a time when confidence in the reliability of air travel remains fragile.

"Working in the worst place ever," said François Marquis, head of intensive care at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, adding that Quebec's new budget doesn't go far enough to support hospitals. Zachary Cheung reports.

Many Quebec hospitals are working with old technology in what many staff members describe as decrepit buildings.

While the province has announced an investment of $3.6 billion for healthcare over the next ten years in its new budget, some say the plan doesn’t go far enough to modernize the province’s facilities.

“We have experienced leaks, insects. I mean, it’s terrible,” said Jean-Pierre Pelage, head of radiology at Montreal General Hospital. “We were supposed to receive ministry funding for these rooms, but the funding has been reduced or cancelled.”

Pelage says the hospital’s decades-old angiography rooms consistently cause disruptions.

“One is from 2004. The other one is from 2011. So 15 and 25 years respectively,” Pelage explained.

Those machines, which used to image blood vessels and organs, are so old that one shuts down every month.

Replacements have already been purchased, but installing them comes with a $15 million price tag, which is funding that the hospital is still waiting on.

But after Quebec’s newest budget was passed on Wednesday, they say they’re out of luck.

“It seems that MGH is not included,” said Pelage.

Even hospitals included in the budget say progress isn’t guaranteed. It’s the case for Montreal’s Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, which still hasn’t been given the green light for long-promised renovations.

“They have like a graveyard zone where you are actually included in the plan, but you still can be modified, adapted, changed, you know, put it the way you want, but usually it means being cut,” said Dr. François Marquis, the head of intensive care at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital.

The hospital’s officials say every month of delay adds roughly $10 million due to the cost due to inflation, with past projects already pushed back by last-minute government changes.

“Obviously, it’s a way to make sure you’re not going to make it to the finish line in time,” said Dr. Marquis.

The same also goes for the Douglas Mental Health Institute, whose aging infrastructure forced a research wing to shut down due to asbestos concerns following burst pipes.

“This is very, very important for us because, as I said, you know, we have been 20 years planning for a new infrastructure,” said Gustavo Turecki, the scientific director at Douglas Mental Health University Institute.

Opposition critics say the issue isn’t just funding — but a pattern of projects getting stuck in planning, driving up costs.

“It doesn’t mean that they will move to another step. And that’s why we have so many problems,” said Monsef Derraji, the official opposition critic for health with the Quebec Liberal Party.

As delays continue, staff say they’re making it work as best they can, despite the conditions.

“MGH is actually number one in Quebec because of the expertise of the humans,” said Pelage. “But where we work is really obsolete.”

Marquis added, “We have those really incredible expertise, but at the same time, working in the worst place ever.”

With a provincial election looming this year, the government of Quebec Premier Franҫois Legault tabled a budget Thursday that highlights its economic priorities while maintaining a measure of fiscal prudence. The budget commits $391.9 million over five years to higher education and research, positioning universities as strategic players in innovation and development in key sectors.

“This budget is good news for Quebec universities, notably because it foresees an increase in the institutions’ core funding, which is essential,” said Christian Blanchette, chair of the Bureau de coopération interuniversitaire (BCI), which represents Quebec universities. He also acknowledged the work by Martine Biron, the minister for higher education, and her team, in “consolidating the funding of the [university] network.”

In a press release, the BCI stated that these investments are a step in the right direction, but emphasized the necessity of continued investment to address structural needs and to fully support universities’ contributions to the development of Quebec.

The budget earmarked an additional $560 million for university infrastructure. “This won’t completely cover our built-up needs, but it gives universities a bit of breathing room to manage renovations and maintenance,” says Dr. Blanchette.

Quebec universities remain underfunded compared to other provinces, to the tune of about a billion dollars. Dr. Blanchette said the new budget helps to close, but does not entirely eliminate, this gap.

The budget also commits $54.8 million to public research and to the commercialization of discoveries resulting from this research. Part of this funding will go to the Fonds de recherche du Québec (Quebec Research Fund—FRQ). Another portion will be invested in improving access to research data, as well as protecting and commercializing intellectual property through the support of Axelys, the agency mandated with handling the IP from publicly funded research discoveries. A further $42.4 million has been set aside to strengthen Quebec’s digital sovereignty, mainly by developing shared, secure platforms for the public sector.

“I was pleasantly surprised to see the investments in the FRQ, with approximately $10 million of additional funds per year,” said Yves Gingras, a science historian at Université du Québec à Montréal and the scientific director of the Observatoire des sciences et des technologies.

“It’s an improvement, but we don’t really know what programs will benefit,” commented Vincent Larivière, a professor in the school of information and library sciences at Université de Montréal (UdeM) and the UNESCO Chair on Open Science.

“The budget allocates $20 million over two years to support the FRQ’s mission. That’s a one-time measure, not an increase in the base budget. So it’s not huge, but it’s a positive step.”

Money has also been allocated to Quebec’s statistical agency, Institut de la statistique du Quebec, to improve access to data — a key priority for researchers. “An allocation of $17.8 million to the Institut de la statistique is good news, since the institute had suffered from cuts that made some of its data inaccessible to scientists,” said Dr. Larivière. “This increase means that researchers will now have renewed access to this data.”

Over five years, $100 million in additional funds will be split between the FRQ, the Institut de la statistique, and direct investments in targeted organizations and initiatives.

“Some money is being directed to strategic sectors, such as artificial intelligence, photonics and quantum technologies,” said Dr. Larivière. “This funding is not passing through the usual peer-reviewed channels. Rather, it’s being distributed directly to certain organizations deemed useful to the economy. The focus is more on economic development than fundamental research.”

“The problem with these targeted investments is that they favour places that are already well-resourced,” said Dr. Gingras. “Universities as a whole are still running at a deficit. Funding a professor’s salary, without guaranteeing the [associated] infrastructure, creates a deficit situation.”

“We’re also seeing additional investments in innovation, notably in quantum optics and artificial intelligence, like the $24 million over three years for innovation centres in Sherbrooke, or the $600,000 per year going toward a joint research unit in quantum photonics.”

He said the 2026-27 budget is encouraging for research and for certain strategic sectors, but it doesn’t address the structural fiscal imbalances universities face. To Dr. Larivière, these investments reflect the vision of the current government, which sees research as, above all, a driver of economic growth, to the detriment of structural support for fundamental research.

Budget 2026-27 by the numbers

Overview$391.9 million→ Higher education and research (distributed over 5 years)

$167 billion→ Quebec Infrastructure Plan (includes universities)

Research and data access$20 million→ Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ)

$17.8 million→ Institut de la statistique du Québec

Targeted investments$17 million→ To commercially leverage research and intellectual property

$45.8 million over four years→ Innovation zones (strategic sectors)

Community groups and political figures are calling on Quebec to maintain access to subsidized daycare for asylum seekers, warning against the use of the notwithstanding clause to limit eligibility.

During a joint press conference Friday, organizations including the Welcome Collective and the Comité accès garderie, alongside current and former politicians, urged the government to respect a recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling on the issue.

“We were together to say no, don’t apply the notwithstanding clause because it would be a mistake because those women need to work and they need to contribute to Quebec society and for kids it’s very important for their integration,” said Christine St-Pierre, former Liberal MNA.

The appeal comes after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on March 6 that excluding refugee claimants from subsidized childcare services discriminates against women, who disproportionately shoulder caregiving responsibilities.

Maryse Poisson, director of social intervention at Collectif Bienvenue, which works to provide assistance to asylum seekers, asserted that this decision in favour of women’s rights will facilitate their financial independence and help children access basic education. For this reason, she urges the Quebec government not to invoke the notwithstanding clause.

“For us, the notwithstanding clause should not be used in response to emotional or populist reactions. The notwithstanding clause should only be used in exceptional circumstances,” Poisson stated. “Using the notwithstanding clause against a case won before the Supreme Court of Canada would be unprecedented. It would truly be a step backward in terms of democracy and checks and balances.”

Despite the decision, some Quebec politicians have indicated they would consider invoking the notwithstanding clause to override the ruling.

Advocates say that would be a step backward, calling on all parties to commit to upholding access.

“If you want to struggle for women’s rights, you have to struggle for all women’s rights and for all women who stay in quebec,” said David Françoise, co-spokesperson and former Québec solidaire MNA.

The concept of “non-citizen”, a dangerous idea

In the March 6 decision, the only dissent was recorded by Quebec judge Suzanne Côté, who sided with the Quebec government’s arguments, saying she did not see any discrimination that would violate the Canadian Charter of Rights.

Louise Harel, former MNA and minister of the Parti Québécois, revisited this dissent which she considers “very worrying”, and recalled the words of the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms: “every human being possesses intrinsic rights and freedoms”.

Harel drew a parallel between this dissent and the actions of the United States Immigration and Customs Service in recent months, which are based in particular on notions of “non-citizen” and “national preference”.

“National preference is the foundation of the French far right. It is the foundation of the National Rally program of (Marine) Le Pen,” she emphasized. “So, for all these reasons, it is absolutely essential to understand that these successive judgments—High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court—are those that must be respected because they are those that respect us as a society.”

An obstacle to the rights of mothers and asylum seekers

Bijou Cibuabua Kanyinda, the applicant in the appeal to the Supreme Court, also testified about her story and called on politicians not to use the notwithstanding clause to counter the Supreme Court’s decision.

Having arrived in Quebec in 2018, MNA Cibuabua Kanyinda, a mother of two with a work permit, was denied access to childcare services. She then had to pay for private daycare for one of her children ($45 an hour) while the other stayed home. This cost was far too high for her salary at the time.

The decision rendered on March 6 delighted Cibuabua Kanyinda, who was very concerned about mothers who did not have access to childcare services but had to work, and children who could not socialize or deepen their Quebec culture.

“It was a great joy for me, because I wasn’t able to take advantage of this service, but the mothers who come after me will benefit from it,” she commented. In March, we celebrate International Women’s Day, and the Supreme Court ruled in favor of all the women who were unable to access subsidized daycare.

“We want politicians to be unable to use this clause because it hinders our rights as mothers and as asylum seekers,” she explained.

Claudia Beaudin, the general manager of the early childhood centre (CPE) “l’Attrait mignon” in Longueuil, told The Canadian Press that she would find it regrettable if the Quebec government resorted to the notwithstanding clause.

“I would find it unfortunate if Quebec, which is a distinct society, a welcoming society, were to tell our 35 children, ‘Well, no, you no longer have a place in Quebec.’ I would find it really unfortunate if this were made into a political issue,” she stated.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews