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?
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
For the third time, Town staff have revamped their timeline for a critical study to create new rules to govern the aggregate industry within Caledon’s borders.
The current timeline has the new regulations being finalized just over three weeks before an interim control bylaw expires and the Town will once again be able to approve new aggregate operations.
The economic cost of the recent flooding across the GTA was as much as $4 billion.
Human nature is hardwired for survival, but we have never been good at the long game.
If the existential threat of the climate crisis is too distant, too disconnected or too inconvenient to change our daily routines, its rapidly increasing cost to each of us might be the key to dramatically shifting our habits.
On Thursday, Niagara Regional Council will consider amendments to its Procedural By-law and Code of Conduct as a result of the “exceptionally challenging” meeting of January 25th that saw members of Niagara’s Palestinian community blocked from speaking, leading to outrage across the region.
A voluminous report from the Provincial Auditor General, an inefficient laboratory system under Public Health Ontario and a long gestating plan that would see the end of free private drinking water testing in Ontario.
With shades of Walkerton, how the keen eye of a Source Protection employee averted what critics describe as a move that would put communities at risk.
Visual Arts Mississauga is failing to provide the basic needs for one of its deaf students, an application before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario alleges. The case exposes the decades-long failure of the PC government to adequately assist Ontarians with disabilities and its unwillingness to enforce its own laws designed to provide equal treatment to disabled individuals.
The PC government and Association of Municipalities of Ontario do not always see eye-to-eye, but they agree on one thing: many municipalities cannot find enough childcare providers to implement Ottawa’s $10-a-day mandate. A recent letter criticizes the federal government’s child care program for limiting for-profit providers’ participation in the program. Peel was held up as the example of a childcare desert, where non-profit organizations simply cannot meet the demand for affordable care.
After the PC government set the annual rental increase guideline at 2.5 percent for the third consecutive year, local housing advocacy group Peel ACORN is condemning the decision. It creates more incentive for landlords to “renovict” tenants, the group says. It wants Queen’s Park to introduce a sweeping policy of rent control that applies to all residential buildings.
Environmental groups and councillors are battling a proposal to expand an incineration facility in Brampton that would more than quadruple the amount of waste burned each year. Questions are swirling about the impacts on Brampton neighbourhoods and surrounding ones in Mississuaga’s Malton burrough.
After hearing from several delegates during Thursday’s regional council meeting, elected officials referred their remarks to Peel Public Health to report back to Brampton council in the fall on the potential health implications.
The tragic lessons of the past, such as the Walkerton E. coli outbreak, should serve as warnings about what not to do when managing our water supply and ecosystems across Ontario, says one of the province’s most respected watershed scientists.
The PC government has instead reverted back to the days of poor planning and oversight, putting all of us at risk, to benefit developers who want to strip away critical regulations.
Cathy Simpson dared to challenge libraries. The now former head of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s library system called out an emerging trend within her profession, the repudiation of texts not aligned with progressive views on subjects such as equity.
She argued that reflexive rejection of ideas from the right side of the political spectrum only serves to bolster those waging a culture war to ban books, limit free speech and push authoritarian ideas. For her efforts, she was fired by the board that oversees the community’s main institution of shared learning.
A seemingly innocuous report to provide Thorold Planning staff with the tools to help calculate greenhouse gas emissions, turns into an 18-month odyssey marked by numerous climate change debates, dubious claims from opponents and a lack of municipal staff resources. In the end, staff give Council an easy out.
A recent report presented to the Region revealed “forever chemicals”, found in everyday consumer products, are turning up in Peel’s water and wastewater systems, with no solution to remove them.
While the Region has limited authority to reduce the presence of these chemicals, Health Canada is developing guidelines to mitigate the risk.
Despite the Region of Peel’s own refusal to send waste to the Emerald incinerator located in the Bramalea neighbourhood of Brampton, the company has submitted a proposal to the provincial government to more than quadruple its size, enabling it to burn up to one-third of the waste produced in Ontario.
Research shows producing energy from waste is an extremely carbon intensive process.
As electric vehicle sales stagnate, governments are working with manufacturers to create a greener system for cars. The NDP's transportation critic Jennifer French tells The Pointer the biggest barrier is the lack of charging infrastructure, something that requires a government-led solution, instead of the roadblocks Doug Ford keeps putting up.
Mississauga Council recently voted to extend the City’s agreement for its Automated Speed Enforcement program which uses photo radar to help achieve the City’s Vision Zero goal of dramatically reducing accidents with pedestrians and cyclists.
In a place designed to move residents on high-speed thoroughfares connected to a network of surrounding highways, will citizens and local leaders be open to sacrifices that might be inconvenient for many? The status quo, meanwhile, is putting more residents in harm’s way as the rapidly urbanizing city wrestles with a suburban identity built around the car.
