As the October 26 municipal election campaigns heat up, questions are emerging about whether some incumbent politicians are playing by the rules that govern campaign activity, and whether municipal governments are up to the task of enforcing those rules consistently. In St. Catharines, the issues range from the use of a mayoral social-media presence by […]

Ontario’s colleges and universities minister has barred three career colleges from being able to offer publicly funded student financial assistance until at least 2030, after previously blocking them from the program just for this year. An order in May from Nolan Quinn meant that six schools, including four Academy of Learning locations, could not access […]

WINCHESTER – Infrastructure, responsible growth, and financial sustainability are central issues identified by three of the candidates seeking seats on North Dundas council later this month.   Three candidates, Jordan Hodge, Matthew Uhrig, and Cory Houle, responded to election questions from The Leader. Four candidates: Michael Erickson, Peter Guy, Edgar Ramirez Aguilar, and Gerald Jaquemet, did […]

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — More than a dozen human rights groups urged social media platforms, including X, on Monday to resist Turkish court orders blocking hundreds of accounts belonging to journalists and activists. The 21 organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Article 19, also called on the Turkish government to stop issuing the blocking orders, […]

October 10 marks three years since the RCMP launched a criminal investigation into the Doug Ford PC government’s decision to swap thousands of acres of protected Greenbelt land to spur new housing development. It’s not the only consequence of the scandal that has yet to be resolved. It makes Greenbelt architect and former Ontario planner […]

Oka has ordered water tests after it was named as one of seven cities with elevated levels of a byproduct of s-metolachlor, a common herbicide, in a sample of its drinking water, according to a study published by Vigilance OGM. “Our water is safe to drink,” emphasized Oka mayor Patrick Hardy, despite the study’s finding. […]

Now that September has passed, the new visitor centre at the Drayton Valley Museum has also wound up for the season. As this was the first year the visitor centre was in place, Sandra Blades, the chair of the Drayton Valley Historical Society, and Ryan Fynn, the chair of the Drayton Valley Hospitality and Tourism […]

The Town of Witless Bay is calling attention to what it calls the growing gap between municipal administrative responsibilities and the capacity to meet them and is taking the issue to Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador (MNL) for support.   Witless Bay council approved a resolution supporting ‘sustainable municipal administrative capacity’ for consideration by MNL at its […]

It was Friday the 13th when Andrea Johnson heard the news from a friend over a muffled telephone receiver from the county jail in Cascade, Idaho. After 16 months behind bars, Johnson had been granted parole. “I was anxious, but I was hopeful,” Johnson, 46, said. “I was excited. Why wouldn’t they let me out?” […]

BERLIN (AP) — A former head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service who is charged with passing state secrets to a foreign intelligence service was ordered held in pretrial detention after a judge issued an arrest warrant on Wednesday. August Hanning, 80, who is “strongly suspected of treasonous espionage, spying out state secrets, attempted treason, and […]

Career Colleges Ontario is urging the provincial government to reinstate student financial aid for career college students who were already approved for funds and are actively attending in-person classes. Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn announced Tuesday that the government has paused Ontario Student Assistance Program payments for all career college students while an audit […]

Ontario has asked provincial police to look into student financial assistance payments at private career colleges after auditors identified “serious concerns” about possible criminal activity and “egregious” use of public money, the government said Tuesday. Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn said the ministry launched targeted inspections of career colleges last year in response to […]