Two more beluga whales have died at Marineland, bringing the total number of whale deaths since 2019 to 17.  Ontario’s Animal Welfare Services has been investigating the Niagara Falls tourist attraction since 2020. “The ministry has been made aware that two beluga whales at Marineland have passed away this March,” said Brent Ross, a spokesman […]

Hospitals and long-term care homes spent nearly $1 billion last year to fill shifts with nurses and personal support workers from private staffing agencies, a Ministry of Health document estimates. A November 2023 staffing agency update obtained by The Canadian Press through a freedom-of-information request shows that agency use increased from 2021-22 to 2022-23 by […]

Aurora will soon explore the feasibility of developing a Digital Data charter that would protect residents’ privacy in an increasingly digital world. Sitting at Council’s inaugural Committee of the Whole meeting, Council approved a motion from Ward 2 Councillor Rachel Gilliland tasking staff to come back with a report on just such a framework “centred […]

The cost of insurance for local municipalities continues to rise. Springwater Township received its annual insurance renewal notice last Friday at a cost of $625,709.52. That’s almost $42,000 more than last year, or slightly more than seven per cent.  According to a report prepared by Renée Ainsworth, Springwater’s clerk and director of corporate services, which […]

After a damning report from the Ontario Health Coalition accusing the PC government of purposely underfunding public health systems to finance the private sector, the organization’s local chapter has announced April 22 will be a day of protest at Brampton Civic Hospital to demand “Truly Universal Healthcare”.  The demonstration is currently scheduled to take place […]

A national organization that advocates for the rights of tenants is calling for all municipalities to require a building permit and engineering report to verify residents have to be vacated in order to do renovation work which is often just a guise to remove renters so that prices can be significantly increased. On February 28th, […]

Integrity commissioner Peggy Lovelace of E4m municipal advisors, which is retained by Cobalt council, attended a special meeting of Cobalt council Thursday, March 7 where she strongly advised council to stop bringing in resolutions at the last minute. By doing so, the staff is not given enough time to prepare background information, she pointed out. […]

A town in Ontario’s Muskoka region has become the latest municipality to be hit by a cyberattack.  The Town of Huntsville said its municipal office would remain closed for a second day Tuesday and some municipal meetings were being rescheduled as specialists investigate a “cybersecurity issue” that came to light over the weekend.  The town […]

Opposition to York1’s plan to create a regenerative recycling facility near Dresden is expected to reach the Ontario Legislature this week. According to Stefan Premdas, chair of the newly formed Dresden Citizens Against Reckless Environmental Disposal (C.A.R.E.D), Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie and provincial NDP environment critic Sandy Shaw have agreed to bring the matter […]

A recent ransomware attack that knocked out several online services in one of Ontario’s largest cities has brought into sharp focus the need for municipalities to have a plan to respond to what’s become an unavoidable – and increasingly sophisticated – threat, a top cybersecurity expert said. The breach in Hamilton is the latest example […]

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government will build as many jails as needed to keep criminals behind bars “for a long time.” Ford was asked about overcrowding in Ontario jails during a news conference on an unrelated announcement in Milton, Ont., this morning. Data obtained by The Canadian Press through freedom-of-information laws shows the […]

Ontario’s jails have seen a dramatic increase in the number of inmates over the past year with the majority of the facilities well over capacity, new data obtained by The Canadian Press shows. Meanwhile, an overwhelming number of inmates held – 81 per cent, the government said – are awaiting trial and presumptively innocent.  The […]