ontario

ontario


Ontario NDP, Liberals focus on health care as tariffs threaten to draw attention away

Ontario’s NDP and Liberal leaders tried to keep voters focused on health care Monday, even as actions by the U.S. president threatened to once again draw attention elsewhere in the provincial election campaign. Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford has tried to make dealing with President Donald Trump the ballot question in the snap Feb. 27 […]

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St. Catharines officials mislead public after protecting GM’s reputation—concealed documents that show alarming levels of toxic chemicals

Twenty-two days after being compelled by Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner to release environmental reports related to the former General Motors site in the core of the city, St. Catharines officials addressed the matter publicly, admitting they have had the disturbing reports that show dangerous contaminants at levels thousands of times above set limits, since […]

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Perth County increases meal reimbursement to $85 per day

PERTH COUNTY – Perth County councillors might have been mistaken for a group of epicures with a refined taste in food, as they unanimously voted to increase the meal reimbursement policy to $85 per day.  The amount represented an increase from a staff recommendation of $70 per day.  While presenting the changes to the reimbursement […]

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The fight to look inside the shrouded folder St. Catharines council makes it hard for you to see

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 […]

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Brant Catholic school board chair has no plans to step down, but won’t run again after Italy trip

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 […]

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Ontario missed interim target for providing hands-on care to long-term care residents

Ontario failed to meet its own legislated target this past year for the average number of hands-on hours of care that long-term care residents receive, a newly updated document shows. The province says it has since reached its goal for the 2023-24 fiscal year, but that happened outside of the timeframe the Progressive Conservative government […]

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Milton Public Library expands reciprocal borrowing program to include Guelph Public Library

Milton Public Library (MPL) has announced expanding its reciprocal borrowing program to include Guelph Public Library. This new partnership allows library cardholders from both systems to borrow materials at any participating location without paying the non-resident fee. “This initiative underscores our commitment to enhancing resource accessibility and supporting our community’s educational and recreational needs, especially […]

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Eastern Ontario farmers lament lack of progress in solving abattoir capacity crisis

“Where’s the beef?” an iconic little old lady demanded to know in a 1984 commercial. According to local farmers, the questions many of us need to consider 40 years later are “Where did the beef come from? How did the beef get here? What’s in the beef?” and “Will the beef still be available tomorrow?” […]

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Hurontario LRT fails to meet fall 2024 completion—major problems with already laid track as construction group’s credit rating downgraded

Mississauga’s already late Hurontario LRT project is now “incurring concurrent delays on multiple other fronts,” according to a recent credit rating report that highlights some of those “multiple” problems. The “project has discovered issues with track tolerances for already installed sections that are out of compliance with specifications.” The credit downgrade report by S&P (Standard […]

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City’s respectful workplace policy is split, but remains in place

After multiple cancelled council meetings and three residents were suspended from city property over the summer – all because of alleged infractions to a respectful workplace policy – the policy is remaining in place, albeit altered. At the Oct. 28 Stratford city council meeting, council voted to separate Policy H.1.36, otherwise known as the respectful […]

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More Ontario school boards in deficit, using reserves: ministry documents

An increasing number of Ontario school boards are reporting deficits and are using or even depleting their reserves, according to internal Ministry of Education briefing documents. The association representing school boards in the province says while the Progressive Conservative government has boosted the education budget, increases have not kept pace with inflation, forcing boards to […]

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Beware email scam demanding bitcoin over search-history threat: London police

London police are warning the public about an email scam that’s been reported here and across Canada. The scam involves a person receiving an email that includes their name, phone number, address and potentially even a photo of the individual’s address, London police said on Wednesday. The email advises the recipient that they’ve had their […]

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