Ontario’s push to accelerate road and mining development in the Ring of Fire has been framed through a series of negotiations with First Nations, including the recent Community Partnership Agreement with Webequie First Nation.
The Doug Ford government portrays these deals as pathways to economic growth and jobs; Indigenous leaders warn that consultation remains incomplete, and critical environmental and cultural concerns have been sidelined.
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New data from Peel Police show officers used force in 2024 at more than double the rate compared to the previous year—and they continue to disproportionately use it against the region’s Black communities. Instead of promising swift action to address the ongoing harm, Peel police leaders have instead suggested the blame does not fall to them and their culture of anti-Black racism that has permeated the force for decades.
A new analysis, which has been criticized by experts and advocates as blatantly racist, shifts the focus to social problems in the community as the reason why Peel police use so much force against Peel’s Black population, not the discriminatory behaviour of officers.
Residents asked questions and St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe did his best to sidestep them. They demanded to know what the City is doing to protect community members and their surrounding environment from possible contamination at the former GM site near downtown.
A town hall this week was the latest attempt by residents to get answers about a potential public health risk that has worried some for more than a decade. The Pointer recently reported that the filtration system meant to prevent dangerous chemicals from entering surrounding waterways and subsurface areas, was disconnected because the contractor had not been paid by the property owner.
After being pressed by MPs at the Standing Committee of Industry and Technology meeting Wednesday, Stellantis's Canadian head says the automaker is committed to maintaining operations in Canada, and laid-off Brampton workers will be given priority placement at the Windsor plant.
The solution has sparked frustration among the 3,200 Brampton employees who feel betrayed, and are rallying every day, demanding the company keep their jobs in the city.
In a landmark legal challenge, Ecojustice is supporting four young Canadians in a lawsuit against the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), alleging the fund is failing to protect contributors’ pensions from climate-related financial risks.
The case argues that CPPIB’s continued investments in fossil fuels breach its legal duty of impartiality, exposing younger generations to “undue risk of loss” and seeks a court declaration requiring the fund to properly assess, manage and disclose climate risks.
Starting Wednesday, “up until further notice”, Brampton autoworkers will rally outside the Stellantis auto assembly, in an attempt to preserve thousands of jobs in the city.
Unifor is demanding Stellantis reverse course on a plan to shift production of the electric Jeep Compass from Brampton to the United States, a stunning decision which has left more than 3,000 workers fearing their jobs will soon be gone.
The Region of Peel wants to take a “human-rights based” approach to assist those living in encampments. The new compassionate protocols have been in development for the last year and are set to roll out as the cold weather approaches. But legal threats by the City of Brampton against those helping vulnerable residents, and legislation by the PC government that criminalizes homelessness, have put Peel’s compassion-based strategy at risk.
As the planet edges into a “danger zone” of cascading climate tipping points from collapsing warm-water coral reefs to dying kelp forests and melting polar ice sheets, the 2025 Global Tipping Points report shows that hope isn’t lost.
Canada is home to only two known live coral reefs. Though they are far from Ontarians, their health directly affects the air we breathe, the food we eat and the climate we live in.
Peel Police are once again looking for a budget increase well above the rate of inflation—seeking a 9.9 percent hike in 2026, which would add up to more than 33 percent in two years.
The proposal was approved Friday by the police services board, despite the full budget not being made public. Peel Council will vote next month on its final approval.
The provincial Legislature is back in session this week.
After an extended summer recess, MPPs inside Queen’s Park face an ongoing housing crisis, rising unemployment and inflation, a dangerous shortage of doctors, transportation infrastructure that has become an international embarrassment and universities, colleges and schools that are woefully underfunded. Despite Doug Ford’s frequent promises to turbocharge Ontario’s economy, the province is foundering badly while residents continue to sink financially.
The handing over of 11 Greenbelt parcels owned by developers who stand to make a large fortune thanks to Caledon Mayor Annette Groves, is being called “greenwashing”.
Residents were outraged last year when Groves forced through sweeping bylaw changes that paved the way for 35,000 new homes in the vast rural municipality, where builders had submitted applications to construct houses on lands that were not zoned for it. Now, those same developers are “gifting” some of the lands located in the Greenbelt back to the Town.
Premier Doug Ford claims his government cares about protecting animals. The evidence suggests otherwise as Ontario grapples with mounting cases of cruelty and neglect.
Many look to animals for support in their darkest times, but too many of these companions are being abandoned by a system Queen’s Park is supposed to hold accountable.
In the latest episode of humans vs. the wild in Ontario, one of the planet’s most iconic and imperilled species, polar bears, is teetering on the edge of extinction in the province’s far north.
Far from the melting ice of Hudson Bay, at Queen’s Park the Doug Ford PC government has accelerated the decline of Canada’s once mighty polar bears. Bill 5, a sweeping rollback of environmental protections, has stripped away critical safeguards that have never been needed more.
The chaos for Brampton’s Stellantis employees took a dire turn this week. Despite repeated assurances from the automaker that it was committed to manufacturing vehicles in Brampton, the giant global conglomerate based in the Netherlands left more than 3,000 local workers in limbo Tuesday evening when, through a robocall, they were told production was being moved south of the border. Union officials are furious and the federal government is threatening legal action.
Earlier this year, local councillors raised their elbows and pushed a letter onto the national stage, urging Ottawa to back climate-focused nation-building projects. By October, nearly 300 municipal officials had signed on, warning that Canada’s future depends on investing in clean energy, housing, and resilience.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has come under fire for prioritizing “nation-building projects” that do not align with sustainable initiatives Canadians have been promised for a decade under Liberal rule.
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.
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.
