Questionable contracts. Hirings and firings with zero accountability. Strong mayor powers that shut the public out. Disturbing deal making behind the scenes. And skyrocketing budgets that have left property taxpayers in shock.
Efforts to bring accountability back to City Hall through the passage of bill 9 seem doomed to fail, according to those who are trying to restore trust in the province’s badly broken municipal sector.
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In Caledon, where developers and multinational aggregate giants have openly influenced local government, efforts to silence the public are wearing thin. The right to speak inside council chambers about many of the most controversial topics recently became a lightning rod.
When the Town’s integrity commissioner called public delegations around his work a “political circus” and recommended silencing them to avoid their scrutiny, residents pushed back fiercely, told him and his supporters—including Mayor Annette Groves—who the Town’s democracy belongs to, then won the day.
The future of Ontario’s environment could be shaped by the unchecked "opinion" of the provincial cabinet. The draft regulations for Bill 5’s Special Economic Zones show just how much power ministers might have over project approvals, shutting out traditional oversight that has protected the province’s water, farmland, greenspaces and most sensitive ecosystems for decades.
Stellantis promised the work stoppage at its Brampton auto assembly would last only eight weeks. It’s now been nearly eight months and workers still have no idea when they could be back on the job. Unifor members rallied outside the facility over the weekend, demanding the automaker finally provide some answers.
Prime Minister Mark Carney was at the White House Tuesday to lobby for the end of tariffs that are crippling sectors including Canada’s auto industry.
In Mississauga’s flood-prone Lisgar neighbourhood, residents are frustrated with years of delays and unfulfilled promises. Despite major flooding, a critical stormwater pumping station won’t be ready until 2027, leaving families at risk.
The lack of funding from Ottawa and Queen’s Park has left residents wondering how they will cope the next time a “once-in-a-century” storm hits.
Two decades after Ontario drew a line around its farmland and forests with the creation of the Greenbelt, The Pointer spoke with Victor Doyle, the plan’s chief architect, about how the landmark policy first came together to protect the province’s most fertile farmland and fragile watersheds.
Why is it still one of the province’s most important safeguards? Doyle fears the Ford government’s stalling on the Greenbelt’s long-overdue second review might be part of a plan to weaken Ontario’s most critical piece of environmental legislation.
Data show Automated Speed Enforcement cameras significantly reduce speeding in school and community safety zones across Brampton. The effort by officials to curb the city’s infamous dangerous driving is now at risk as Premier Doug Ford is determined to scrap the cameras, calling them a “cash grab”.
Brampton drivers already struggle with the highest auto insurance rates in Ontario, which could get even worse if the calming effect of speed cameras is removed.
Caledon residents are accusing Town officials of viewing an ‘informed public’ as a threat.
Dozens were alarmed this week by the presence of police at an open house held to address a bylaw that would allow the dumping of construction waste in local bodies of water, a move by Mayor Annette Groves that has prompted angry opponents of the rushed plan to use next year’s election to remove her.
Following high-profile security talks in New Delhi, the Canadian government listed the Bishnoi group, led by crime boss Lawrence Bishnoi, as a terrorist organization, with Sikh advocates calling for stricter sanctions against India’s BJP-led government, which has been connected to the criminal network and accused of orchestrating state-sponsored violence against Sikhs in North America.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has for years been closely linked to his good friend, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, who has remained silent about India’s targeting of Sikhs in Canada, including his own residents.
Leaving the final decision to remove a councillor found guilty of harassment or other bad behaviour in the hands of their fellow elected officials was widely criticized during a set of roundtables hosted by the provincial government this summer.
For experts, it represents a critical flaw in the proposed bill 9, which aims to tighten accountability of municipal officials, ensuring any new legislation will rarely be used. So far, the Ford PCs have refused to make any changes.
Thousands gathered last weekend at Queen’s Park, uniting their voices against government moves that threaten the environment, Indigenous rights and democratic values.
Why, they ask, are the country’s two most powerful politicians sabotaging the future of younger Canadians?
After OPSEU Local 685 warned Algoma officials two years ago about the unsustainable growth on the backs of foreign students recruited to its Brampton campus, the post-secondary institution is now in financial turmoil.
Algoma plans to lay off 50 to 75 employees to manage a sudden, steep deficit, a move the union’s leaders say blindsided them.
Several months ago, the City of St. Catharines promised to release details about the expenses of Mayor Mat Siscoe. What has been shared in recent weeks offers taxpayers a vague look at how the mayor uses their money, and falls well short of what is disclosed in the name of transparency by other Ontario municipalities. The opacity allows violations of the expense policy to go unchecked, The Pointer has found.
The Ford PC government wants to force the controversial School Resource Officer program back into boards, potentially returning officers into Peel schools. The practice was halted because of the harm it caused Black and other visible minority students.
Parents and advocates are speaking out against the proposed legislation, to protect student well-being.
The Carden Alvar is recognized as a globally rare ecosystem. One of the last remaining strongholds for many threatened and endangered bird and plant species, naturalists and advocates have worked for decades to preserve it.
Now, a Quebec company wants to construct a massive renewable energy project on the alvar.
After men preyed on Cassandra Harvey, trapping her in their criminal sex trafficking ring, they piled thousands of dollars of debt onto the young woman, forcibly taking control of her assets. Despite clear evidence, testimony and the recognition of financial institutions that confirmed the debts were fraudulent, subsequently erasing them, the Canada Revenue Agency has failed to follow suit, causing ongoing trauma to Harvey and preventing her from moving on with her life.
When Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled his bold new Major Projects Office on September 11, he promised to make Canada “the strongest economy in the G7” and shield Canada from escalating trade wars and tariffs with plans to double LNG exports and build a carbon capture project, moves critics say risk locking in more emissions, not less.
Algoma’s Brampton plan was doomed from the beginning. Following years of financial mismanagement, the university seized on international student tuition, opening the floodgates and driving enrolment far beyond sustainable levels, with a staggering 900 percent increase at its Brampton campus in just three years. Hundreds of millions of dollars poured in and the school’s leadership boasted about the turnaround, which was achieved on the backs of Indian students who began to question the education they received.
A scathing provincial investigation and Ottawa’s dramatic move to reset runaway international student numbers across the country have left Algoma’s decision makers scrambling to figure out the school’s future in Brampton, after the architect of the failed plan quietly departed earlier this year.
Canada’s housing crisis has reached a breaking point, and the federal government is finally stepping in. On September 14, Prime Minister Mark Carney launched Build Canada Homes, a new federal agency aiming to deliver 500,000 new homes annually and restore affordability to a housing market increasingly out of reach for Canadians.
Climate leaders, builders and advocates are urging the government to build smarter and greener by prioritizing factory-built, all-electric homes powered by technologies like heat pumps and designed to last a century without major retrofits.
As global EV adoption races ahead, Canada is pumping the brakes. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s 60-day pause on the country’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales mandate has sparked fierce debate, leaving consumers confused, automakers divided and climate advocates alarmed.
Inderjeet Singh Gosal, a Brampton resident and Sikh activist demanding the Indian government recognize the autonomy of his faith, has received a fresh wave of dire warnings from the RCMP.
He was recently told his life is in imminent danger, part of the Indian government’s alleged transnational campaign that has targeted Sikh advocates in Canada and the U.S..
Canada Building Materials is a subsidiary of the Brazilian aggregate giant Votorantim Cimentos. The company recently sponsored a community golf event which advocates are criticizing as a blatant attempt to buy good will in the community in order to push through a mega blasting quarry proposal that threatens Caledon’s natural landscape and headwaters.
The PCs’ move to eliminate school trustees and centralize authority over public education in Ontario continues to spur more backlash.
Parents, politicians and disability advocates fear the move will remove stakeholders from their traditional decision making roles, with no mechanisms to hold the government accountable.
Residents of the Lisgar neighbourhood in Mississauga are calling on council to fast-track the construction of a new pumping station, citing decades of flooding that has caused millions in damages.
On September 10, members of the Lisgar Residents’ Association spoke at council and submitted a letter warning that ongoing delays, lack of transparency and new high-density development continue to strain stormwater infrastructure, leaving the community vulnerable.
As Canada’s pension system boasts record-breaking assets and promises of long-term stability, climate change is quietly testing those assurances.
Environmental groups Shift and Ecojustice have written to the Office of the Chief Actuary, warning that its reports dangerously underplay the financial risks global warming poses to the Canada Pension Plan and other public funds, putting the retirement security of millions at risk.
A nightmare is playing out in Welland following a deeply disturbing sexual assault of a child.
The incident has inflamed concerns about how the justice system handles repeat offenders and comes as Niagara Police are grappling with a startling rise in many types of sexual crimes across Niagara.
Truck horns blared and STOPTHE413 signs lined the roadsides as Premier Doug Ford and Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria declared the “beginning” of Highway 413 construction in Caledon on August 27.
Despite the fanfare, what’s actually underway isn’t the highway itself — just a few “early works”.
After the 26-minute press conference, The Pointer fact-checked statements made by Ford, Sarkaria and Caledon Mayor Annette Groves, uncovering repeated exaggerations and misleading claims.
As climate pressures mount and urban landscapes expand, Ontario’s cities are starting to see nature not just as green spaces but as critical infrastructure.
The Greenbelt Foundation’s new report on Natural Asset Management urges municipalities to recognize and manage natural ecosystems like forests and wetlands alongside traditional infrastructure.
The number of Brampton home owners unable to cover their tax bill exploded under the current term of council, according to a new report by City staff. While Bramptonians grapple with a cost-of-living crisis, the recent numbers show the financial strategy forced by Mayor Patrick Brown has not worked. Despite freezing the budget—which has gutted City accounts and delayed major infrastructure projects—it appears his politically motivated plan (Brown styles himself as a cost-cutting politician) has not had the intended effect of easing the financial burden on ratepayers.
The controversy surrounding Donald Trump and the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein has made it clear that the unchecked abuse of women, and politicians who don’t seem to care has the ability to galvanize public opposition. If Prime Minister Mark Carney makes an 81 percent cut to the department responsible for ending gender-based violence in Canada, which is what’s being projected, frontline service providers are already preparing a similar backlash.
The firing of a CAO in Haldimand County has drawn widespread criticism against the municipality's mayor. Shelley Ann Bentley first refused to accept the provincial powers, then did so behind her council’s back, two months after an independent investigation launched by the CAO implicated her in the leaking of confidential information. Shortly after the popular CAO’s actions to ensure accountability, she was fired.
The fiasco has ignited debate about the PCs’ strong mayor legislation that has been criticized as undemocratic. A recent report has revealed it’s not achieving its goal of helping facilitate housing development.
During the recent Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa, Premier Doug Ford announced a funding increase to help the province’s cities and towns build new housing. But stakeholders say the amount falls far short of what is needed in Peel, and hundreds of other municipalities across Ontario.
Comments by Education Minister Paul Calandra, threatening to eliminate school board trustees entirely after stripping some (including Peel’s Catholic trustees) of their powers, have sparked fierce backlash from labour unions, calling it a threat to local democracy.
They are blaming the Ford government for neglecting Ontario’s public education system, and claim the move to strip elected trustees of their governance role is just a distraction.
Construction for the new Mississauga Hospital is officially underway. While residents look forward to the expanded care the historic project will bring, the 24/7 building schedule has some concerned they could be staring down years of traffic congestion and disruption without proper guardrails in place to control noise and construction activity.
As Ottawa prepares for fiscal belt tightening under Prime Minister Mark Carney, leaked internal messages reveal the newly minted Canada Water Agency may be next on the chopping block, just months after it was established to protect Canada’s lakes and rivers.
With freshwater ecosystems already under siege from development and GHGs, experts and advocates warn that slashing the agency’s funding could unravel years of progress and repeat the environmental austerity mistakes of the past.
As concerns over Canada’s poorly managed immigration system continue to spread, Brampton-based Gandhi Immigration Limited serves as an example of abuse that has plagued the sector.
The director of the firm was, according to Ontario’s Attorney General, responsible for wrongdoing that led to a $40,000 fine for wilfully misrepresenting two immigration files by adding fake work experience to the applications of clients hoping to settle in Canada. The PCs have tabled tough new legislation to combat chronic problems in the immigration consulting sector.
After approving a controversial plan to dump construction fill into Swan Lake, a protected Greenbelt water body, Caledon Council is now pushing a new Site Alteration Bylaw that could make such decisions more common in the future.
Residents and environmental advocates fear the bylaw will open the door to widespread dumping below the water table across rural Caledon, putting groundwater and the Credit River watershed at risk. The legality of the highly controversial move under existing federal environmental law has not yet been tested.
With a severe shortage of purpose-built rentals across Peel, the units that do exist are often unhygienic and unsuitable for quality living.
One-third of survey respondents painted a grim picture, reporting they live with mold, pest infestations, broken elevators and extreme heat during the summer, all while paying hefty sums for poor-quality housing.
Infrastructure failures have drastic consequences for communities big and small. They require rapid, coordinated action from local elected officials.
But what happens when this responsibility is ignored? Where do residents turn?
Community advocates in one northern Ontario municipality are desperate for answers after a bridge closure has been drawn out for months, with no end in sight.
Some of Ontario’s favourite camping spots, nestled near habitats home to many endangered and at-risk species, are facing development pressures under plans by the provincial government. The PC move to transfer parts of Wasaga Beach to municipal control for tourism development has raised red flags; the risk of commercialization could forever alter the park’s delicate ecosystem.
A few hours north, the government's proposal to widen Highway 69 threatens portions of Grundy Lake and French River provincial parks, where even small land removals for development could disrupt fragile habitats and wildlife corridors.
A developer, two social service agencies and the Region of Peel have joined together to provide critical rental housing for those living with developmental disabilities in Brampton.
The initiative comes as the provincial government has shunned disability advocates and ignored its own pledge to make Ontario fully accessible.
With the rapid erosion of accountability in the municipal government sector, sped up by Doug Ford’s determination to hand even more power to mayors, proposed provincial legislation to protect residents from abusive municipal elected officials is needed now more than ever.
Ontario’s municipal taxpayers also desperately need updated legislation to overhaul woefully inadequate accountability mechanisms meant to keep local elected representatives in check. The current system has created a dire situation for residents whose tax dollars are open to widespread abuse in the province’s municipal government sector.
As the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference begins, nearly half of Ontario’s municipalities have already signed onto the cause promoted by The Women of Ontario Say No. Founder Emily McIntosh is determined to make Bill 9 stronger—so local elected officials who behave abusively are held accountable.
The unit responsible for catching the criminals who are exploiting children online is increasingly being asked to do more with the same. The small contingent of officers handles a disturbing number of cases every day. They are growing more complex as legal rules change and technology evolves.
Once thought of as a distant danger, wildfires are now igniting in southern Ontario’s backyard, fuelled by record heat, drought and a changing climate. Fire seasons are stretching longer across the country with increasingly volatile conditions and open-fire bans across much of Southern Ontario due to extremely hot, dry conditions.
In Kawartha Lakes, known for its serene cottages, August brought multiple blazes that spread through parched forests. Experts warn that more Ontario communities, like other parts of the country that have been forced to evacuate, will face increased risks in the future.
After a year of stalled negotiations with the Region of Peel over pay disparity, mental health support and chronic underfunding, Peel Paramedics reached a tentative deal late July, achieving key gains in some areas including wages, while other issues are still unresolved.
The cost of the new South Niagara Hospital is not the only issue many residents have drawn attention to. Outside Niagara Falls, where the facility is being constructed, many are voicing anger over the loss of community-based healthcare in favour of more regional coverage out of the new hospital. Across Niagara, residents are rallying to save local services including facilities slated for closure.
Following controversy over recent years around taxpayer subsidies to developers, who expect the public to cover a range of costs to maximize their own profits, Welland is now facing a similar demand. And Mayor Frank Campion has gotten behind the request, which could see taxpayers cover a total of $80 million so the builder in question can avoid paying various costs to get its project to market.
With the failure to spend $1.2 billion collected from taxpayers for capital funding covered by residents who work tirelessly to make both ends meet, fiscal mismanagement under Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown has reached new lows. Dozens of critical projects remain stalled—despite the City collecting all the necessary funds from taxpayers who are not getting what they paid for.
As Canada stands at a critical point between fossil-fuel dependence and a clean energy future, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first few months in office have revealed a balancing act between climate ambition and industry appeasement. From scrapping the federal consumer carbon tax to hinting at new oil pipelines— while touting renewable growth—his policies have sparked debate over whether Canada will help lead the global energy transition or cling to a carbon-based future.
As Ontario faces another extreme heat warning once again this weekend, the difference between those who can stay cool and those who can’t is becoming a life-threatening crisis. Seniors and renters, especially in aging buildings across southern Ontario, are trapped without reliable air conditioning as heatwaves grow more intense. A recent UN report warns extreme heat disproportionately harms the elderly and low-income groups worldwide. Yet in Ontario, outdated laws and lack of enforcement leave many vulnerable to dangerous conditions. Advocates argue that access to cooling must be treated as an essential human right, not a luxury.
