The Pointer

The Pointer


David Barrick gone after less than 3 months in latest municipal CAO role, weeks after banning Pointer reporter

Less than three months after starting the job, despite his scandal-plagued past and lack of proper experience, David Barrick is no longer the Chief Administrative Officer for the Township of South Stormont.  His abrupt departure from the small eastern Ontario township, quietly announced Tuesday, March 24, has left residents, municipal officials and media outlets familiar […]

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Records reveal murky ownership of former GM site after years of failed rehabilitation

As emails to the City, provincial ministries and the property’s owner go unanswered, residents concerned about the former General Motors property in St. Catharines say they are growing increasingly frustrated about the derelict, contaminated site next to the heart of the city.  The giant 55 acre former GM plant has been decommissioned and out of […]

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‘The RCMP has a number of ongoing investigations pertaining to this type of activity’: Mounties confirm government of India linked to criminal probes

After claims by a senior federal government official last week that the Indian government is no longer involved in criminal activities on Canadian soil, the RCMP has informed The Pointer of ongoing investigations involving New Delhi’s links to criminal networks here. “The RCMP has a number of ongoing investigations pertaining to this type of activity,” […]

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After guilty plea in Indian plot to kill Sikh activist, Ottawa condemned for push to withhold ‘sensitive’ information in Nijjar murder trial

The man who U.S. prosecutors allege conspired with an employee of the Indian government to kill the leader of a Sikh separatist movement in New York pleaded guilty on February 13 to his role in a foiled assassination plot that Canadian government officials say is part of a wider, transnational effort by the Hindu nationalist […]

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Five heroes celebrated for defending nature against unchecked development in Caledon

Hat on. Glasses lowered. Notes in hand. Ian Sinclair moves toward the podium with the deliberate steps of a man who has come prepared, not just to speak, but to challenge. Conversations hush and heads turn, intently. In Caledon’s council chamber, his confident walk and heavy voice are a familiar sight, and a comforting one […]

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Patrick Brown can’t explain how his pared down shell-game budget will be funded; 4.36% tax increase almost double the inflation rate

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, who has left a trail of controversy on each stop of his tumultuous political career, just pushed through a now approved 2026 financial blueprint that delays critical infrastructure work, lacks spending on major city building projects like the downtown flood plan, leans heavily on new debt and relies on unsecured grant […]

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Brampton residents in the dark about taxpayer-funded trip to Taiwan: airfare for one councillor cost $5,600

In a city strapped for cash, where vital infrastructure projects have been cancelled or stalled for years under Mayor Patrick Brown, whose own spending has skyrocketed despite claims of fiscal belt tightening, the globetrotting by council members and staff continues to frustrate Brampton taxpayers forced to pay for these lavish trips. There is little public […]

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Updated testing finds no PCBs in stormwater pond on former St. Catharines GM site, but it might not be a ‘risk-free facility’

Amid intense public scrutiny of the contaminated former General Motors site in St. Catharines, including concerns about an offline filtration system meant to eliminate toxic chemicals from stormwater runoff, the property owner has ordered further lab testing on the northern portion of the 55-acre property, the City has shared.  In a post on the City […]

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REDACTED: City of Brampton’s $4-billion electric bus deal leaves taxpayers completely in the dark

$245 for 1,799 pages: 1,622 completely redacted—words covered by large blocks of black to hide them from the public. The Pointer is trying to uncover the details behind a $4-billion deal, the largest of its kind in the municipality’s history, between the City of Brampton and a foreign company that not many in Ontario have […]

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‘There’s no heat, no hot water’: Tense exchange between Brampton councillor and corporate landlord underscores the plight of city’s renters

On December 10, Brampton Councillor Pat Fortini walked into the apartment building at 507 Balmoral Drive. He was disgusted by what he saw. He shared his experience with his fellow councillors during a meeting the next day, and confronted the representative of the building owner standing before him in the council chamber. “I was there […]

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Caledon residents furious after FOI documents uncover gaps in Town record-keeping around opposition to mega-blasting quarry proposal

Caledon resident Tony Sevelka’s days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and now years since he started digging into the details of a proposed blasting mega-quarry steps away from his home.  His quest led him to file a freedom of information request this summer, seeking access to all public objections to the contentious project.  […]

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Unreadable receipts, missing itineraries: Why did Brampton taxpayers pay more than $20K to send Councillor Rowena Santos and staff to Tokyo & Manila?

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 […]

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