Thousands of patients and health care workers were infected during COVID-19 outbreaks in acute care facilities in Alberta in the last year, raising questions about why more isn’t being done to prevent in-hospital transmission. Between Sept. 1, 2023, and Aug. 31, 2024, more than 300 COVID-19 outbreaks were declared at Alberta Health Services and Covenant […]

MIDDLESEX COUNTY – On November 26, county council approved a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy aimed at guiding the ethical and effective use of AI technologies across its operations. The policy sets a framework to maximize the potential of AI tools while ensuring compliance with privacy and data security regulations such as Ontario’s Municipal Freedom […]

Teachers, students and support staff in the Pembina Trails School Division remain without Wi-Fi more than a week after a cyberattack resulted in a network-wide outage. Among many disruptions in recent days, phone lines temporarily went down, laptops were declared “corrupted” and educators have been asked to put files onto USB sticks in order to […]

After a tumultuous couple of months, the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board (BHNCDSB) has elected a new chair. A small group of public observers applauded as Carol Luciani was named new chair at a board meeting on Tuesday night. “I deeply appreciate the trust you have placed in me and I am committed […]

Recognizing the central role of accountability and transparency at City Hall, Ontario’s Municipal Act grants municipalities powers to ensure good governance.  Councils have the responsibility to ensure the operations of the municipality, run by senior management, are conducted openly and subject to public scrutiny. According to the City’s website, St. Catharines is committed to organizational […]

The Town of Mattawa’s former Chief Administrative Officer is suing the town for $1.2 million dollars. Earlier this fall, former CAO Francine Desormeau filed a civil claim against the town alleging wrongful dismissal, breaching an employment contract and damages for the town’s “breach of privacy, including compensations for injury to dignity, feelings and self-respect,” detailed […]

— Monday through Saturday, a growing number of people have joined ongoing protests outside Bluewater Health, calling for accountability from the Sarnia hospital for allegedly failing to properly treat 24-year-old Kayla Fillion during a mental health crisis. Three days after her death on November 9, her father Matthew Jacklin started organizing the protests.  In an […]

Service fees charged by the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service are set to increase for the first time since 2011, following the approval of a proposal initially introduced last month. The fee hikes aim to offset rising labor costs. In alignment with an annual inflation rate of approximately 2 per cent, the police board approved […]

As Peterborough’s downtown ward gets ready for a public meeting to discuss community safety, correspondence from the DBIA indicates that  the organization raised concerns with the idea of holding a similar  meeting earlier this year. The message was prompted by a  motion brought to city council by Coun. Alex Bierk, which proposed “a  moderated public […]

Crime Stoppers of Halton has launched a new community watch program to collaborate with Oakville residents, volunteers, and law enforcement to foster a safer neighbourhood. Supported by the Halton Police Board and Halton Police Service, the initiative is being implemented in Oakville’s Ward 3. While Crime Stoppers emphasizes anonymous tip lines, the community watch program […]

The RCMP have begun rolling out body-worn cameras to be used by frontline officers when responding to a call. Staff Sergeant Ryan Hoetmer says there was a pilot project for the cameras in the Parkland detachment, and those officers have had their cameras for six months. Now that the RCMP are beginning the deployment, the […]

A Catholic school board chair who went on a contentious art procurement trip to Italy says he won’t step down — but won’t run again. “I have made a decision to complete the balance of my term and not run in 2026,” Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board chair Rick Petrella told The Spectator […]