Following several months of delays as more evidence was uncovered, the case against former Peel CAS director of finance Marino Cader, who was charged in November 2022 with defrauding the organization of more than a quarter million dollars, is finally heading to trial in January.
Charges against Andre Paul, a former maintenance coordinator with Peel CAS and the co-accused alongside Cader, have been withdrawn, the Crown Attorney revealed on Monday.
In light of the possible reconsideration to dissolve the Region of Peel, The Pointer is republishing a 2019 freedom of information investigation into the behind the scenes effort of senior staff at the Region of Peel, at the time, to undermine Mississauga's position.
The FOI documents revealed that a report by Deloitte was heavily influenced by Peel Region staff who did not want to see their government dissolved to make way for Mississauga to become a single-tier, independent municipality.
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown is now using previously discredited work to push back against any decision to grant Mississauga its independence.
Two Mississauga councillors have confirmed with The Pointer their intention to seek the mayor’s seat, now that Bonnie Crombie will be moving on to provincial politics.
Others are not ruling it out, while some big names in the city’s political scene have not made any announcement, yet.
Welland Mayor Frank Campion proposed a 2.69 percent increase to the City’s operating budget. A special meeting related to possible amendments, the first of two to be held, allowed Council members to add to and subtract from the Mayor’s budget.
Following a legal challenge by a group of plastic producers, backed by the governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan and the American plastic industry, Canada’s federal court handed down a decision that could impact the country’s single-use plastic ban.
An international treaty to end plastic pollution could provide a roadmap for advocates here to eliminate waste.
A new reception centre next to Pearson International Airport, which straddles Peel and Toronto, will provide support to asylum claimants as shelter systems face increasing strain.
The announcement follows a list of requests from Acting Mississauga Mayor Chris Fonseca to the federal government so Peel’s overwhelmed shelter system can better respond to unprecedented demand. All three levels of government have been blaming each other for the emergency housing crisis.
CBM—the company behind a controversial mega-blasting quarry proposed in Caledon—has let the Town know it will appeal council’s effort to rein in the gravel industry.
The move signals the company’s disregard for concerns about widespread environmental damage, a pattern of the multinational corporation that owns CBM and has a deeply troubled track record.
The figure is not a combined increase, but a proposal to expand the Region’s tax-supported budget by 10.6 percent and its charge for utilities by 6.8 percent. It would result in a property tax increase of at least 4.5 percent, to cover Peel Region’s share, before each of Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon add their own share to the 2024 tax bill.
For those already struggling to pay their bills, such steep increases raise questions about why regional staff are asking taxpayers to fund such a huge budget expansion in the last year before the Region of Peel is dissolved.
After two years of lower emissions due to the global slowdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, greenhouse gas emissions have rebounded, in a big way.
Global data from the United Nations Environment Programme and local data from The Atmospheric Fund show Earth’s major weather systems are undergoing profound changes as increased levels of carbon in our air alter the way we live.
As disturbing levels of harm continue to shatter communities across Ontario, municipalities and advocacy groups have officially declared that gender-based violence has reached epidemic levels.
Despite increasing numbers of women killed at the hands of men all across the province, the PC government refuses to make the same declaration.
A report from Ontario’s Protected Areas Working Group — which sat dormant for two years — encourages the PC government to invest $400 million for the protection of vital lands across the province.
The goal is for 30 percent of the overall geographic area to be included, compared to the 11 percent that is currently protected.
A recent death at an encampment outside Mississauga’s Dundas Shelter has sparked outrage over Peel’s dangerously underfunded shelter system which is currently 321 percent over-capacity.
While Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown is claiming it’s the fault of upper levels of government, he failed to mention his refusal to expand municipal budgets, his recent eviction of those living in an encampment and the failure of regional councillors, including himself, who have refused to adequately fund affordable housing and Peel’s shelter system for years.
Justin Trudeau’s woes continue, as voters who support the Prime Minister for his stated commitment to address climate change question contradictions between his words and his actions. Canada’s Commissioner of the Environment recently released three audit reports that paint a bleak picture of the country’s 2030 emissions reductions targets. Under Trudeau’s leadership, the plan is falling far short of its goals.
Complex changes in the work of Peel Regional Police are placing increased pressure on officers.
The global black market driving auto thefts has deep roots in Peel; incidents of intimate partner violence and human trafficking continue; while a growing range of cyber crimes pose unique challenges, all while mental health calls stretch the force’s resources. Peel’s police boss says he needs more staff in the growing region, but is a historic request for an additional 135 officers in line with the progressive vision trumpeted by Chief Nishan Duraiappah?
A report heading to Mississauga’s general committee meeting today states the first level of recommendations from the provincially appointed transition board are expected to be completed by January.
A spokesperson from the City says while staff have consulted with council on preferred recommendations to facilitate Mississauga’s long-awaited independence, it remains unclear whether those recommendations will be made public.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford joined other Canadian premiers in voicing opposition to the federal government’s housing accelerator fund which grants funding to municipalities that pursue smart growth.
While Ford bashes the Liberals for supposedly overstepping their jurisdiction, recent scandals have exposed his alarmingly irresponsible approach to housing.
The 2024 budget will not be an easy one for councillors in the City of Mississauga.
Ongoing challenges driven by record inflation, the lingering financial repercussions of COVID-19, and the City’s startling infrastructure bill are all weighing on a municipality that is trying to figure out how to accommodate the urban growth on its horizon.
The PC government has drastically altered the way conservation authorities do business under Doug Ford’s commitment to developers.
As the largest CA in Ontario (which includes parts of Peel in its jurisdiction) prepares its 2024 budget, impacts to its programs and services due to the provincial government’s developer-driven agenda are becoming clearer.
Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship recently announced the federal government will verify letters of admission for international students to screen for fake documents commonly handed out abroad.
A local advocate says the root causes of fraudulence that makes life difficult for foreign students go much deeper.
A series of draft plans presented to Mississauga’s general committee on November 1 demonstrated the challenges facing municipalities as they work to build better futures while repeatedly being veered off track by new obstacles from the PC government.
Mississauga staff highlighted how the City must now shift plans already underway to accommodate the anticipated growth stemming from provincial legislation like Bill 23, all while preparing for an independent Mississauga.
The Interim Control Bylaw for new aggregate operations across the Town of Caledon has been extended for an additional year, but Town staff continue to fall behind on critical studies to update policies meant to regulate the controversial gravel industry. Residents continue to advocate against any new, environmentally destructive quarries.
A leaked letter from Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra to Ontario municipalities, shared by Environmental Defence, calls on mayors to unilaterally endorse planning blueprints that will support the Doug Ford PC government’s ambitious housing policy.
The letter circumvents council and regional authority, where decision making for future land use planning lies.
While the Mississauga Food Bank fell short of its overall goal for the Thanksgiving Food Drive, the organization, which is seeing an unprecedented number of clients each month, still managed to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for those in need.
The 9th annual drive wrapped up as Food Banks Canada released its 2023 Hunger Count Report, revealing the need for food bank services—higher than ever before—continues to worsen across the country.
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled portions of the federal Impact Assessment Act — the Liberal government’s rigid environmental assessment scheme — to be unconstitutional.
The decision was celebrated by the PC government as potentially opening the door for its controversial Highway 413, which is currently designated under the Act. When the PC government learned it was mistaken, it is now taking further legal steps to approve the mega-highway that would cause serious environmental harm in Southern Ontario.
Last week, the PCs announced the reversal of forced municipal boundary expansions in Ontario, including in Peel which willingly expanded its boundary by 11,000 acres in 2022 following pressures from the provincial government.
Documents that have since become public reveal developers were favoured by the PCs in the urban expansion decisions which ignored local planning goals that tried to limit future growth to already developed areas. Despite this revelation, it remains unclear whether Peel councillors will reverse their previous decision.
The OPP, in conjunction with five municipal police forces, including Peel Regional Police, announced charges from a proactive online child sexual exploitation investigation which led to the arrest of ten individuals, including a high school teacher who has been with the York Region District School Board for the last 22 years.
Peel’s emergency housing system is falling further behind demand for shelter space, with an unprecedented number of houseless individuals and low-income families being pushed to the brink by runaway cost of living expenses.
A spike in asylum claimants has added to the dangerous dynamic as the Region can no longer meet its policy to never turn anyone away. Temporary solutions to keep people safe as winter nears will cost millions of dollars, while permanent emergency housing in one of Canada’s largest regions is nowhere close to where it needs to be.
Brampton councillors are set to approve the Official Plan that will guide local growth for the next three decades as the city attempts to break its addiction to sprawl.
In Mississauga, a number of departments will share strategies with councillors for new infrastructure and services to meet the coming population boom.
Thousands of documents received by Environmental Defence through an FOI request reveal PC government staff were working directly with developers to expand municipal urban boundaries, using a series of backroom deals similar to those in the Greenbelt scandal.
The new information reveals a pattern of behaviour by the PCs to give sprawl developers exactly what they want, and opens the door for cities and regions to retake control over their own planning, after alarming interference by Doug Ford’s government and land speculators with ties to its leader.
As staff move away from the idea of implementing temporary modular housing to address the Region’s housing and homeless crisis, Peel is instead considering higher quality, non-cabin style units, along with new proposals for affordable housing and shelter expansion ahead of the winter months, including more rental assistance programs.
Despite the Ontario government’s promise not to open any new natural gas plants, it is expanding capacity at existing facilities.
While the federal government drafts Clean Energy Regulations to achieve a net zero electricity grid by 2035, loopholes allow provinces to keep polluting the air in the name of energy production.
Environmental Defence, represented by Ecojustice, has filed a court case against the Ontario government for failing to respond to a freedom of information request submitted last November that sought documents related to the Greenbelt Plan which removed 15 parcels of land from the protected greenspace.
Despite Doug Ford’s recent acknowledgements of irresponsible behaviour and apologies to the public, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has yet to comply with the FOI request.
Jane went through hell at E.C. Drury School for the Deaf. But she is not alone.
Ontario has paid out $23 million in taxpayer money to children harmed at schools under the mandate of the Provincial and Demonstration School Branch (PDSB). Yet, no systemic review of allegations or problems plaguing its broken culture has been conducted by the Ministry of Education. Minister Stephen Lecce has refused to do so.
One family is taking the Board and government to court, hoping to finally end the abuse.
The Region of Peel has a series of reports coming forward this week all with proposals to address the housing crisis that has caused the number of houseless residents to skyrocket.
Bill 23 and the lack of public health funding also continue to create significant problems for Peel; while Brampton considers a pilot program to help the hiring of those with disabilities.
During last week's public meeting, Regional councillors heard from public health staff worried about their jobs and the services provided to residents.
Delegations led to the admission of "structural" issues within the organization amid the departure of hundreds of staff, as employees call on council and senior leadership to advocate for more transparency from Queen’s Park while the provincial transition board works to dissolve the Region of Peel by 2025.
A recent Supreme Court decision ruled that parts of the Impact Assessment Act are unconstitutional. But while the decision is being celebrated across provinces whose conservative governments rail against interference by Ottawa, the federal government has vowed to review the process, and, while doing so, certain projects, including Doug Ford’s Highway 413, remain under its microscope.
The City of Mississauga has announced it will be moving forward with permitting four-plexes city-wide after Mayor Bonnie Crombie issued a Mayoral Directive on Friday to reverse a decision made last week by council when members held off on allowing the multiplex housing model, citing the need for public consultations.
Facing an affordable housing crisis, Crombie has instead decided to take the matter into her own hands, avoiding any chance of NIMBYism influencing weak councillors.
Housing Minister Paul Calandra introduced legislation Monday designed to protect the Greenbelt from future incursions. But questions remain regarding how strong the new Bill really is, as the PCs continue to chip away at protected greenspaces through a variety of other legislation and projects.
After years of disagreement and finger-pointing between the school board, City and province, money has finally started to flow to update the sports facilities at Anaka Park to provide for students in one of Mississauga's most underserved neighbourhoods.
While the City of Mississauga has been ready and waiting with its share of funding, the Province only recently released its share for the long-awaited project, which will see the construction of a new recreational facility for students at Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Secondary School in Malton.
Four proposals open on the Environmental Registry of Ontario call for the removal of licensing requirements for a range of activities that could severely impact the management of increased storm activity across the province and the protection of our most sensitive water systems.
Legislation put forward by the PC government to expedite commercial activity would make it easier to ignore critical hydrological conditions.
The City of Mississauga has been a leader in Peel and across much of the GTA for some of its climate actions, but needs to catch up in other areas.
The City is looking at Toronto’s building standards to help reach its emissions reductions targets and adapt infrastructure to the increasing unpredictability of climate change.
On Wednesday, councillors debated a motion to allow residents to convert their properties into fourplexes “as of right”, to increase density while offering affordable housing options.
The motion was defeated, leaving advocates dismayed and wondering how Mississauga plans to address its dire affordability crisis. Councillor Dipika Damerla has since been heavily criticized for pandering to NIMBY interests.
Peel Regional Police celebrated the groundbreaking for a new operations facility last week that will house 700 staff.
While some taxpayers want to see resources allocated toward traditional policing, others want their taxes spent on upstream solutions that prevent social decline and crime, before they happen.
Public gatherings in support of Israel and Palestinians have taken place in cities across the globe since the horrifying attacks on innocent civilians by Hamas last Saturday.
In Mississauga, an impromptu celebration at a plaza parking lot shortly after news of the violence was first reported raises questions about our commitment to condemn behaviour that is anti-Canadian, while simultaneously supporting citizens seeking justice through peaceful means.
Assurances by Premier Doug Ford of no wrongdoing in the process to remove 15 parcels of land from the Greenbelt, creating $8.3 billion of value for preferred developers, have failed to stop the RCMP from investigating the controversial land swaps.
While the national police force begins its formal probe, the province’s Auditor General has launched its own investigation to examine the Ontario government’s use of MZOs to benefit private companies.
A Community Satisfaction Survey completed for the City of Brampton has found nearly half of residents reported feeling unhappier now than three years ago, with public safety and housing affordability listed as top concerns.
In Mississauga, council members are set to vote on a motion that will make it easier for residents to convert their properties to denser forms of housing. A long list of delegates are set to speak on the matter.
For the first time since 2020, MiWay is experiencing user demand above levels recorded prior to the pandemic. As the City focuses on meeting service levels and reaching its goal to electrify the fleet, the increased demand has prompted the need for more funding. A recent report to council members calls for a $6.7 million increase in the 2024 budget.
While the Greenbelt scandal has been exposed and the developer-driven plan is set to be scrapped, the PC government has shifted gears to push the Highway 413 and Bradford Bypass projects, with more Greenbelt land and valuable agricultural properties at risk.
Last week, Caledon council voted against a staff recommendation not to fight back against a development permit for 75 rural mansions in Belfountain. The project would double the size and population of the historic hamlet, and cause potential impacts on the wells of residents who have lived in the area for generations.
Should the development impact water quality and quantity, the Town could be on the hook for close to $20 million.
While Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie seeks a political upgrade, her city has been left in a precarious position as it wrestles with its emerging independence, significant growth, some of the biggest projects in its history and the pressures of budget season around the corner.
In her absence, Council will be maintaining the mayor’s role on a rotational basis—a temporary solution that cannot continue indefinitely, City staff have cautioned. Without a stable leader, it remains unclear how the City of Mississauga will navigate this period of uncertainty.
