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.
The City’s MiWay transit system is carrying out a plan for a four percent increase in service hours for 2024 after ridership exceeded pre-pandemic levels. To capitalize on the gradual shift to active transportation in Canada’s seventh largest city, critical projects must take advantage of the multibillion dollar Hurontario light rail transit system set to open in the next year or so.
The tree canopy target, critical to many of the city’s environmental goals and the health of its residents, has been reduced.
Municipal staff estimate the 260,000 trees needed to meet the new target is achievable, but will the numbers add up to a similar impact as the original plan, with serious consequences for St. Catharines if it fails to maintain a protective natural canopy.
As the number of unhoused people in municipalities across the province continues to rise, Ontario’s Big City Mayors have launched a campaign called ‘Solve the Crisis’.
The growing problem in their backyard needs a coordinated effort by upper levels of government, mayors say. A new provincial ministry with designated funding specifically to tackle homelessness, is a starting point.
The development of Mississauga’s eastern lakefront is critical to the municipality’s vision for the future. If done in a world class way, marrying the surrounding waterfront’s sublime natural beauty with human scale urban features, the massive undertaking could be the envy of the GTA.
But after the PC government intervened in the local planning process for Lakeview Village, allowing the development consortium to double the number of residential units in the luxury project, more developers along the waterfront are pushing for the type of hyper-growth that has turned Toronto’s lakeshore into a wall of concrete and glass.
The premature approval of zoned land for 35,000 homes in Caledon will have devastating impacts on the habitat for nearly 25 species at risk, an analysis by The Pointer has found. The disregard for environmental protection is being facilitated by a PC government that refuses to fix the department responsible for protecting the habitat of vulnerable wildlife.
During a rare summer parliamentary committee meeting, members of the House of Commons status of women committee left sexual assault survivor and advocate Cait Alexander in tears after she shared the intimate details of her story with MPs, only to be sidelined by a chaotic display of political sparring after Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld railroaded the discussion on Alexander’s horrific experience to debate an abortion rights motion.
It has been projected that ten thousand new students, mostly from abroad, will enroll at the University of Niagara Falls over the next 5 years.
No detailed housing strategy has been developed by the post-secondary institution or the City, raising concerns about where the international student body is going to live in Niagara Falls in the midst of a housing crisis.
A by-election to replace West Lincoln councillor Terry Bell is to be held November 4th.
A critical piece of land in Niagara Falls is moving closer to development, despite hesitation from council and residents.
A council priority since 2011, the municipality has seen modest improvements to its urban tree canopy, a critical asset in the fight against climate change. But recent projections from staff suggest the council-approved goal of planting 100,000 trees may not be achievable.
Rental rates in Mississauga are out of reach for a large proportion of residents. To combat this, the City of Mississauga has approved a new grant program to provide financial assistance to developers who will build affordable rental units.
The multi-million dollar plan is anticipated to bring a minimum of 300 units online over the next three years.
A licensing system currently in the pilot phase at the City of Brampton is trying to identify the city’s small landlords to ensure they are keeping their properties safe and clean—and penalize those who are not doing so. The initiative has inflamed pre-existing tensions over alternative forms of housing in Brampton.
A newly formed association of landlords has criticized the program for hitching struggling business owners with new fees and blaming them for issues they can’t fix.
A large contingent of citizens, upset with the decision-making of their local councillors in Niagara-on-the Lake, have taken to the streets.
Many are upset with the "hidden agendas" of their elected officials, who have approved controversial development projects that they say will change the character of the small town.
Organizations working to eradicate human trafficking are urging the federal government to begin consultations on a renewed approach to ensure vital services for vulnerable survivors are not disrupted.
With the rise of sophisticated criminal networks operating online and around the world in the rapidly growing human trafficking market, experts are calling for preventative measures and more supports for those victimized by these horrific crimes.
Unless quick action is taken to make Brampton more sustainable, the City risks missing its 2030 emissions reduction targets.
The revelation comes after years of Mayor Patrick Brown and councillors only paying lip service to the climate crisis and ignoring the investments that are desperately needed.
The lack of adequate federal and provincial funding has left Peel’s social services unable to help everyone in need with everything from mental health and addiction services, to affordable housing, to emergency shelter support.
Metamorphosis Network, a group of over 100 local organizations, are demanding change after a report showed the gap in funding amounts to millions of dollars annually. In a recent meeting with the Premier, Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish called on the PCs to establish a new funding deal for Peel.
With a task force of five City Council members in place, a review of the municipality's Community Improvement Plan (CIP) is now moving forward.
Development pressures are forcing elected officials to rethink the timeframes for financial incentives meant to spark development in underutilized areas of the city.
A new law touted as the solution to shutting down puppy mills across Ontario is nothing but window dressing, advocates state.
The government currently has no idea how many puppy mills operate in the province, and without a licensing regime to identify them and set detailed standards of care for these animals—which the new legislation lacks—little will change for animals in desperate need of aid.
After years of uncertainty, Premier Doug Ford has indicated during a one-on-one meeting with Mayor Carolyn Parrish that the downtown loop portion of the City’s Hurontario LRT will become a reality.
The pledge follows a financial promise earlier this year from the Province’s 2024 budget that committed to the loop extension, which included beginning the planning and design phase.
After removing a parcel of land with sensitive Greenbelt features from a collection of areas rezoned for development, Caledon council members, led by the mayor, approved the rezoning of the land for residential construction last week. Critical environmental studies have yet to be completed for the lands.
Some experts say the entire plan is dead in the water due to the numerous violations of provincial and federal policies.
It has been over a decade since the 2013 flood decimated Mississauga, Brampton and many other communities in the Greater Toronto Area, causing nearly $1 billion in damage. On July 16th, a downpour of similar proportions hit the GTA, submerging major roadways and sending water cascading into basements across several municipalities.
The City of Mississauga is already investing millions into its stormwater system, so what more needs to be done?