First-year students in the Veterinary Technology program at Northwestern Polytechnic (NWP) Fairview campus got an eleventh-hour reprieve in time for Christmas.  “With the benefit of time and further discussion with local partners” NWP has developed another option for its first-year vet tech students who, like the rest of the campus and faculty, were shocked to […]

The original Picton Terminals site is divided into two parcels, one zoned MX-Industrial, and the other zoned RU1, or Rural. That portion also happens to sit in Sophiasburgh, while the first parcel is in Hallowell. In 2018, Ontario Superior Court Judge Wolf Tausendfreund ruled that the only legal non-conforming use permitted on the Sophiasburgh property […]

Doug Ford’s plan to turn Niagara into a global tourism powerhouse could have some major effects on Niagara-on-the-Lake, though it’s unclear at this time what’s in store for the small town neighbouring Niagara Falls, the region’s biggest tourism draw at the moment. The province’s new “Destination Niagara” strategy aims to generate an extra $3 billion […]

Significant changes to how council meetings are conducted and organized were the topic of major discussion during the Village of Kaslo’s December 9 council meeting.  CAO Robert Baker presented the key updates appearing in the revised Council Procedures Bylaw, which council gave first and second reading.  The bylaw sets out rules for how meetings are […]

Travel documents, including receipts and itineraries, obtained by The Pointer under freedom of information requests have exposed a troubling pattern at the City of Brampton under Mayor Patrick Brown. Expensive flights and hotels, questionable spending on food, drinks and transportation, all in the name of so-called economic development, have become the norm in Brampton.  The […]

A staff member working for the provincial environment minister appears to be responsible for blocking critical information about the toxic former General Motors property in St. Catharines from being released to the public, including details about a filtration system meant to prevent toxic chemicals from leaking off the site. Documents obtained by The Pointer under […]

Neil Johnson came home from a conference on artificial intelligence with dollar signs in his eyes. At a council meeting in his home of Newell County a few weeks later, Johnson set about convincing everyone else of the riches he’d caught a glimpse of. “We’ve got an opportunity here that, when you start adding up […]

Canada is injecting tens of billions of dollars into defence as it looks to ramp up spending to levels not seen since the Cold War — both to meet its NATO commitments and to juice the domestic economy. But it remains to be seen whether National Defence — a department which the opposition Conservatives point […]

Canada’s food safety agency doubts it could adequately protect the food supply in the next two years if the country is hit with several concurrent emergencies, such as animal disease outbreaks or food safety recalls. The problem is exacerbated by climate change, with the agency warning the crisis could impact its infrastructure while boosting the […]

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González signed a polemic bill on Sunday that critics say is a blow to democracy and will make it more difficult to access public information in a U.S. territory long known for its lack of government transparency. González said the bill amends an existing law […]

The first segment of the federal government’s proposed high-speed rail project will connect Montreal and Ottawa, acting as a test case for a multibillion-dollar infrastructure project intended to transform rail travel in Canada’s most densely populated region. Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said Friday that connecting Ontario and Quebec was the “logical” first step for the […]

Ottawa plans to embed 50 corporate leaders in key government roles after adopting a business group’s proposal — even naming the program after them, a briefing note reveals. Build Canada, funded by major Canadian tech and industry players, proposed changes to a federal program that would quickly embed 50 business executives in the federal public […]