Premier Doug Ford has proposed to dig a tunnel beneath Highway 401 to help solve the GTA’s congestion woes. It’s a plan that would cost tens of billions; would do nothing to solve congestion issues, according to experts; and most concerning, highlights the PC government's disconnect from the climate reality facing a world that needs to reduce its reliance on single occupancy vehicles.
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Heading into the final week of Food Banks Mississauga’s annual Thanksgiving drive the organization reported ahead of the holiday weekend that it was at 72 percent of this year’s $800,000 target. With 8 percent of Mississauga’s population now using the food bank system, the challenge to draw donations reflects the reality that more residents are struggling to help, as many are now forced to become clients.
Hurricane Milton has unleashed devastation across parts of Florida, just days after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc across six states, marking one of the deadliest hurricane seasons in recent history.
More than 4 million Canadians visit Florida each year and they account for almost $100 billion in economic activity there; for those who invest in real estate, concerns mount about the safety and viability of these properties in the face of climate-driven natural disasters.
Brown's claims about the benefits of placing individuals involuntarily into treatment programs to address opioid addiction and mental health problems were challenged for the lack of details. The approach’s effectiveness is unproven, he has failed to address the potential strain on emergency services, while long wait times for existing voluntary treatments in Peel left councillors wondering how Brown would manage his plan.
St. Catharines council members have asked for a staff report about the potential for setting up a lobbyist registry in the City to offer residents more transparency on what is happening behind the scenes at City Hall. If the Niagara Region’s history is any example, it could be a bumpy road getting there.
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The latest agreement between the City of Mississauga and the development consortium behind Lakeview Village indicates only 5 percent of the housing units beyond the 8,050 approved prior to the Province’s zoning order that doubled the scale of the development to 16,000, will be deemed fully affordable. The latest agreement leaves the 10 percent commitment that was previously promised by the developers — a number that already falls dramatically short from the 30 percent recommended by the Region of Peel to address the worsening housing crisis — unclear.
Caledon is at a critical juncture—community members gathered with town council on October 7th to discuss proposed policy changes aimed at safeguarding vital resources like clean air and water, and habitat.
While some view these recommendations as a positive step, others urge for even stronger protections amid concerns about proposed new mega blasting quarries that would destroy more greenspace.
A Niagara-on-the-Lake resident is demanding an investigation into the board of the public library following the firing of the municipality’s chief librarian. In a complaint filed with the Town’s integrity commissioner, it is alleged Board members and Chair Daryl Novak violated a number of library policies and the Code of Conduct.
Renters in apartment buildings across Brampton describe alarming conditions inside: pictures of caved in ceilings, mold on walls, broken doors and other shocking signs of neglect.
Slum landlords, meanwhile, know they can increase rent above guidelines as tenants have few options in a city whose housing stock continues to fail its residents and where bylaw enforcement is an afterthought.
In his latest role leading a staff of thousands in Canada’s seventh largest city, Geoff Wright takes over at a pivotal time in the municipality’s history. The city is booming, spurred by its first commuter rail line which will run the entire length of Mississauga along its major north-south corridor. A number of other massive projects will reshape entire precincts as part of an urban big-city agenda in the rapidly transforming former suburb.
Vertical growth is happening alongside an ongoing housing crisis while financial pressures mount due to infrastructure needs and the consequences of climate change. With a new mayor beside him, how will Wright balance what’s best for Mississauga with the political will of council?
The evidence is clearer than ever—the PC government’s Highway 413 project will cause irreversible environmental destruction to Peel’s watersheds. A new report paints a grim picture of the future for three key GTA water courses should the controversial highway be built.
Ontario schools for the deaf and blind have faced allegations of abuse and mismanagement for years. The PC government has refused to acknowledge the evidence, or investigate problems that have led to $23 million in payouts for legal settlements with little transparency to the taxpayers forced to cover the negligence.
Will the new person in charge of the ministry finally take action?
After a failed 2022 effort to increase wages for councillors in line with municipalities of a comparable size, a citizen task force proposes a hike of more than 35 percent for the next council term; councillors will receive a long promised operational report on forestry services that were almost eliminated after the Mayor’s 2024 budget proposal; and staff comes up with an “innovative” incentive program to deal with flooding.
A new report highlights a $21 million gap in the ability of Ontario’s largest school boards to provide critical outdoor education for young learners.
The cost amounts to less than a tenth of a percent of the PC’s education budget, but the government refuses to answer questions about whether it will protect funding to strengthen the relationship between young people and the environment that surrounds them.
A five-year test phase for e-scooters is nearing its end, leaving it in the hands of the PC government to determine the future of these micro-mobility machines in Ontario. Disability advocates are hoping the government will finally listen to their warnings about the risks—many of them played out across Brampton, where a pilot program has come under fire.
Controversial programs that have come under fire for providing taxpayer dollars to fund luxury condo developments in Niagara Region have been extended for another 18 months.
A previous audit found these grants and “incentives” provide little benefit to the Niagara taxpayers forced to pay for them.
Two rebate programs worth as much as $7,800 for impacted households were part of the moves made by Mississauga’s local elected officials last week after more and more residents are growing frustrated by inaction in the face of our changing climate. Several major stormwater projects to strengthen Mississauga’s resilience were also approved, as City Hall continues to deal with the fallout from two catastrophic storms this summer.
The elimination of funding by the City of St. Catharines for a critical homelessness outreach organization will have devastating impacts on one of the city’s most vulnerable populations.
Nominations closed in West Lincoln with five candidates certified for the November 4th by-election; Chris Dabrowski to be sworn in at October 1st Niagara Falls Council meeting.
A report delivered to council earlier this year made it clear the impact of a transition process that mishandles the downloading of key regional portfolios like land use; water and wastewater infrastructure and roads could have drastic consequences across Peel. With the resignation of the chair of the provincially-appointed Transition Board, questions are being asked about the timeline and value of any final recommendations to the provincial government.
The litany of policy changes made by the PC government have stripped environmental protections to the bone. In their place, policies that favour sprawl and ignore smart growth strategies of the past have been enacted. The Ontario Headwaters Institute wants municipalities to support a new Charter for Watershed Security to try and safeguard our valuable natural assets.
As cold weather nears, The Pointer has tried for weeks to get answers regarding a reception facility for asylum claimants that is supposed to open by November 1st under terms given by the federal government, which provided $22 million in upfront funding for the centre.
Despite the desperate need for the facility after the death of two asylum seekers in Mississauga, the Region of Peel has failed to answer key questions and continues to change its story about meeting the deadline to open the centre by the start of November.
After a startling staff report landed before council earlier this month, outlining the dire state of Niagara Region’s critical infrastructure, councillors had little choice but to approve necessary investments to keep things running smoothly.
Also, what’s the truth behind the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award recognition the Region has received 12 years running?
A recent survey conducted by the City of Mississauga shows rider satisfaction with the MiWay transit system has increased even as demand rises.
Investments are now being made to capitalize on the good news trend, in a city that hopes to shed its identity as a car-dominated suburb.
Despite recently receiving $22 million in federal funding for a welcome centre and shelter to help asylum seekers arriving in Peel, the regional government says the reception facility will not proceed unless more money for other long-term costs to support the surge of asylum claimants is handed over.
The confusing demand has some councillors concerned about the future of a desperately needed service ahead of winter.
Controversial incentives for developers funded by taxpayers are back on the regional agenda. While some councillors are pushing to extend the programs, without justification through an informed staff report, others have expressed concern about the burden these programs place on taxpayers, often without delivering what developers promise in return.
The leak of a thick black toxin continues into the Welland River despite repeated complaints from the public and ongoing investigations from both the City of Niagara Falls and the provincial environment ministry.
While the leak causes known and unknown harms to the environment, the two levels of government are starting to squabble over who is responsible for cleaning it up.
The federal government says it has given the Region of Peel $22 million for a new reception centre to help asylum seekers. The Region, which has been demanding financial aid from upper levels of government for nearly a year and a half since the asylum crisis began, says the funding is contingent on the centre being operational by November 1 — a timeline up in the air as the Region says it’s still waiting for money from higher levels of government.
It’s an unprecedented time in Niagara Region politics as three area municipalities deal with council vacancies. West Lincoln has called a byelection for November; Niagara Falls quickly chose to appoint a new member behind closed doors.
The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake has yet to decide how to fill the empty council seat left by the departure of Nick Ruller.
For nearly four years, Cassandra Harvey was trafficked by three different men. They beat her, sexually assaulted her, took the money she earned and racked up debt in her name.
She’s now fighting back and sharing her story, to help other survivors like her, while educating government agencies working to eradicate this devastating crime.
Food banks across the country fear they are becoming de facto grocery stores. The surge in demand has forced some locations to either cut back or even halt services, as more and more people in cities such as Mississauga have become dependent on support.
Eight percent of the city’s residents are now turning to food banks.
As 2025 budget deliberations commence, a recent written warning from the Federal Department of Environment and Climate Change and a blunt presentation on the state of Niagara Region’s water and wastewater infrastructure, will have Regional Councillors considering mistakes of the past.
The ongoing failure to adequately invest in critical, aging assets now leaves taxpayers on the hook for the tens of millions needed to keep pumping stations operating and pipes flowing.
As students and teachers settle into the 2024-25 academic year, the Peel District School Board’s latest budget has drawn criticism for cutting back on funding in the very areas the troubled board has been directed to focus on by the provincial government.
Equity advocates whose tireless work led to the provincial takeover of PDSB, after decades of systemic racism carried out by teachers, administrators and trustees, have questioned if the board’s commitment to eradicating internal discrimination was nothing more than lip service.
Two extreme weather events in July and August have forced the Region of Peel to immediately mitigate the impact of climate change. The July flood alone, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, caused $940 million in insured damage.
The City of Mississauga and the Region of Peel, where areas were swamped twice over the summer, are now rushing to protect against the next catastrophic storm, as residents grow frustrated over the lack of effective plans for more than a decade.
In Niagara Region and across the rest of the province, residents will have to cope with a deteriorating health care system under the PC government. The disturbing findings of an extensive study by some of the largest public sector unions in the country add to concerns about widespread burnout among healthcare professionals, unprecedented closures of emergency rooms and wait times far beyond provincial targets.
From birth to around the age of four, the building blocks for a healthy emotional life are established. Parents, along with other immediate caregivers, are the key to establishing a comforting, supportive environment for babies, toddlers and young children, whose brain chemistry is being constructed. How this architecture is shaped in the first few years greatly influences the future life of adolescents and young adults, many of whom are struggling with unprecedented rates of anxiety and depression.
An increasing number of children and youth suffering from trauma, addiction and violence are not getting the help they desperately need from the system designed to help them. This has led to a growing number of complaints about Ontario’s children’s aid societies, which have exposed a fractured system whose underfunding is putting more young people at risk.
After City staff recommended reducing Welland Council from 12 councillors to 6, elected officials have hit the pause button to find out if residents want to shrink the size of their local governing body.
Other comparable municipalities have two to five times more constituents per councillor.
Freedom of Information.
What exactly does that mean in St. Catharines? The City has reports detailing the extent of the toxic stew underneath the GM site on Ontario Street; why has it refused to make those reports public?
Last week Ontario’s biennial mental health and well-being survey of 10,000 students in grades seven to twelve was released by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
Its findings are not surprising, but they are disturbing. Many young people are struggling with anxiety, depression and other signs of poor mental health. What are the root causes, and how can we collectively help a generation that often feels helpless?
With “the sole objective to reduce the cost on the taxpayer”, Welland City Council will consider whether to reduce its council size from 12 councillors to 6 and the mayor for the 2026 election.
The City of Niagara Falls launches a collaborative budgeting initiative for Parks and Recreation projects to gain citizen input. However, if service cuts are to come in 2025, this department could be first to see reductions.
Elaine and Randy Moore are the key to electric vehicle takeup. They do not describe themselves as keen environmentalists, the early adopters who bought into the electric vehicle market years ago; or innovators, those that have to have the latest technology and gadgets as soon as they come out.
They are part of the roughly 85 percent of Canadians who will enter the green vehicle market only when it makes sense to them. Their recent trip to Florida in their new mid-size electric SUV was the first test of the decision they made to go green.
The Professor Emerita and author has studied mammalian parenting during her acclaimed career at the University of Notre Dame. Since retiring four years ago from lecturing on developmental psychology and neurobiology, Narvaez has focused her energy on public education.
The Pointer speaks with her about the challenges young people face, and how a return to earlier developmental upbringing could help stem the forces pushing in on children and youth today.
Despite years of complaints over the treatment of its animals, Marineland has never been found guilty of animal cruelty. But now the theme park has been fined for failing to fix significant issues with the enclosures for their black bears.
The Pointer conducted a Q&A with the Executive Director of Animal Justice, who addressed the implications of the convictions, what may lay ahead for Marineland and animal welfare legislation in Ontario.
During the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa last week, local elected officials echoed a report by Peel’s Metamorphosis Network showing the region’s 1.5 million residents are being drastically underserved, with a gap of $868 million annually in social service funding.
The response from provincial officials did not inspire confidence that help is on the way.
A crucial piece of the Region of Peel’s harm reduction response to the growing opioid crisis has been left in limbo following the PC government’s decision last week to close more than half of its Consumption and Treatment Services sites across Ontario, a decision advocates have labelled a “deadly mistake”.
The announcement leaves the future of Peel’s SCS and additional sites planned for Brampton and Mississauga unclear.
Six weeks after local environmental advocates reported a toxic spill into the Welland River, it appears the substance is still leaching into the environment.
Despite efforts from City and Ministry officials, a source has yet to be identified, although tracking has led back to nearby industrial business parks.
Council members in St. Catharines will once again be discussing proposed changes to the city’s Community Improvement Plan (CIP) which provides taxpayer dollars to developers to assist with getting projects off the ground.
Welland is moving quickly to open an emergency shelter for next year, while in West Lincoln it’s been over a week since a by-election was declared, but not a single candidate has stepped forward to register.
Ten supervised consumption sites have been ordered to close after Minister of Health Sylvia Jones announced during the 2024 Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa the Province will be banning sites within 200 metres of schools and childcare centres.
Despite clear evidence of the positive impacts of these sites, the PCs also said they will be introducing legislation in the fall that will prevent any future sites from opening, raising questions about two such locations Peel Region planned to open in Mississauga and Brampton.
The August 17th deluge which led to widespread flooding in many of the same areas that were underwater following heavy rainfall during July’s “once-in-a-century” downpour, has put further pressure on the municipality.
Flooding has plagued certain neighborhoods repeatedly, as taxpayers grow increasingly frustrated with the lack of urgency to address the realities of climate change.
The PC government claims Highway 413 will begin construction next year. It’s an unlikely timeline based on an examination of studies that must be done and the fact that basic design of the 59-kilometre highway has yet to be completed.
A recently released recovery strategy from the federal government for an endangered species could put another serious hurdle in the path of the PC government’s controversial pet project.
