Environmental studies of the former GM property in St. Catharines are slated to be made public in the coming days. The release of this vital information follows a more than two-year fight by The Pointer to obtain documents members of the public have wanted for years. The City and GM fought the release of the information, despite concerns about building homes on a former industrial site where toxic chemicals have been detected.
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Last week, Niagara Regional Council approved a hefty increase to the budget for its police force—following a trend observed in many municipalities across Ontario, while some including Toronto’s police force have kept increases to a minimum during the prolonged cost of living crisis across the province.
The approval followed lengthy debate with some councillors pushing back against the double-digit hike hoping to shave it down to ease the burden on local taxpayers.
A system known as SugarSync is used by the City of St. Catharines to share documents and information between staff and councillors.
An efficient tool in the digital age, it is now under scrutiny for preventing public access to information so voters can hold their elected officials accountable.
The Brampton Mayor admitted on Thursday in front of MPs investigating India’s interference in Canadian elections that he was given an order by the foreign government, which he promptly acted on.
For more than a decade, Brown, who desperately wants to become prime minister, has recklessly opened himself to foreign interference by India and China, ignoring the potentially dangerous consequences to Canadian security and our economic interests.
Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault is facing increased pressure to initiate a federal impact assessment for Ontario's Highway 413. In an open letter scientists warn the plan threatens critical ecosystems, endangering dozens of protected species, including the Red-Headed Woodpecker and Redside Dace. A federal assessment is not just an environmental necessity, they argue it’s a safeguard to ensure decisions are driven by scientific evidence, rather than political deal making.
In stunning testimony Thursday, the controversial Brampton mayor admitted to a Parliamentary committee investigating Indian interference in Canadian elections that he was given an order by the Indian government, which he followed during the 2022 Conservative leadership campaign.
His disturbing behind-the-scenes conduct comes after more than two dozen trips to India, where he was given “state status” by Narendra Modi, the country’s Prime Minister. He travelled for free on occasion thanks to Indian organizations tied to the ruling party. Now, he’s admitted to being repeatedly pressured and making decisions based on what the Indian government directed him to do.
The PC government’s Bill 212 is the latest example of its authoritarian nature, writes Victor Doyle who was one of Ontario’s key planners for decades.
The legislation eliminates critical studies for Highway 413 and cuts the public almost entirely out of the process to further a project that will destroy Ontario’s most sensitive environmental areas for a road that will do nothing to solve Ontario’s congestion problem.
In 2022, when the Brampton mayor ran for the leadership of the federal Conservative Party, he travelled to Vancouver as part of a plan to win over groups and individuals tied to the Chinese government.
Brown has been summoned to testify before the Parliamentary committee probing foreign interference, but it’s unclear if members will go beyond questions about his more publicized connections to India.
In October, the controversial Brampton Mayor was requested to appear before the parliamentary committee investigating foreign interference but failed to show up. Late last week, Members of Parliament on the committee ordered him, through a summons, to come testify about his knowledge of India’s interference in Canada.
Brown has a long friendship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and in 2016 credited the PM’s ruling BJP Party for signing up members across Ontario to win the PC leadership race the year before.
On a bitterly cold day, former international students with post-graduation work permits continued their encampment protest calling on the federal government to revisit a recent decision to change the rules around staying in Canada.
Advocates warn that some 200,000 workers, many in fields critical to the nation’s economy, could face deportation or other hardships that would have devastating consequences on a range of industries.
Post-secondary institutions across Ontario that abused the international student system for years are now cutting programs and laying off staff.
Almost two decades ago, the provincial government stopped increasing funding to the sector and colleges and universities began relying heavily on tuition fees. But with caps/freezes for in-province students, their counterparts from other countries became the only source of revenue for many institutions to keep programs afloat. It was a recipe for disaster.
Human trafficking continues to increase across Canada. In Ontario, one of the hotspots in the country, the rising number of survivors is not being matched by investments to help them escape or assist with the complex needs that result from this heinous crime.
In 2020, Laila Mickelwait launched the TraffickingHub campaign to raise awareness about the rampant child sexual abuse material on Pornhub, the world’s largest porn site (launched by Canadians) and to hold those responsible behind the scenes to account.
In an interview with The Pointer, she talks about her new book, which details her experience taking on Pornhub and the shady businessmen who operate in dark corners.
In a clothing world increasingly dominated by fast fashion, a Peel-based entrepreneur is leading the charge for sustainable shopping through her stores—Plato’s Closet—in Brampton, Vaughan, and Mississauga. Growing up in a single-parent household, Lauren Rosso turned to thrifting as a way to express her creativity without the high price tag of new clothes. Now, one of her most “absolute goals” is to help people find their style while promoting sustainability.
The Alliance for a Liveable Ontario and Environmental Defence are calling for a major shift in Ontario's housing strategy as the province’s current approach under Premier Doug Ford continues to fall short in addressing both the housing crisis and long-term environmental goals. While the government focuses on expanding suburban sprawl and building single-family homes, both groups argue that mid-rise, infill housing and repurposing underutilized public lands are more sustainable and affordable solutions.
The City has been ordered to release documents detailing the toxins that have been found beneath the GM site planned for residential development.
For two years, the City fought The Pointer at the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario in an attempt to keep the documents from public view. Ultimately, an arbitrator sided with The Pointer and ordered the information to be released.
After a challenge from Premier Doug Ford, a number of Ontario Mayors, including the leaders of Niagara’s largest lower-tier municipalities, have called for use of the Notwithstanding Clause to override the rights of the homeless. Critics say it is criminalizing the vulnerable.
A look at the political posturing that is obscuring real solutions to assisting Niagara’s most vulnerable.
Husband and wife duo Willy Waterton and Audrey Armstrong have spent the last five years documenting and photographing orchids and ferns along the Bruce Peninsula.
Their valuable work is a symbol of how a passion for nature and citizen science can be incredible avenues for saving the planet.
The move comes after similar controversial efforts in St. Catharines that appeared to be driven by the powerful hotel industry, which views short-term rentals and companies like VRBO as a big threat.
Now, another Niagara municipality seems determined to stamp out a business space that has given consumers and rental owners a significant leg up in the market, with much cheaper options than traditional hotels.
2024 will likely be the hottest year on record as the climate crisis advances faster than we can adapt. Canada’s first national climate adaptation strategy, launched during the country’s worst wildfire season in 2023, came as municipalities like Mississauga and Brampton were already facing the impacts of extreme flooding and other dangerous weather. Despite some progress, the gap in funding remains wide, leaving cities and towns struggling to cope.
Advocates are questioning why the school system responsible for students who are deaf and blind, which has been the subject of allegations of abuse and mismanagement for decades, is getting a pass, while Education Minister Jill Dunlop launches inquiries into fiscal mismanagement at other Ontario school boards.
In its latest “emissions gap” report, the UNEP reminds us of what the greatest threat to our way of life really is. Too many jurisdictions around the world are going backward, as more and more government policies, including many in Alberta and Ontario, plunge us toward a bleak future, where day-to-day life will be rendered unrecognizable due to the effects of climate change.
The election of Donald Trump likely won’t help.
The federal government has finally made a long-awaited bold step to curb emissions with its draft Oil and Gas Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cap Regulations.
Oil and gas companies are warning of economic fallout, while environmental advocates are calling for stronger, faster action.
Aamjiwnaang First Nation has suffered from the effects of environmental racism for decades. The failure by consecutive governments to address the harm from industrial encroachment into their territory has led to chronic illness and widespread contamination.
Despite repeated requests for assistance and demands for change, the PC government has failed to act in any meaningful way. Meanwhile, levels of extremely toxic chemicals are routinely far beyond allowable limits.
Bill 212, designed to fast-track Highway 413 and exempt it from federal environmental assessments, has motivated advocates who are not about to give up their fight against the project.
Lessons learned from the way Doug Ford’s PCs pushed the Bradford Bypass forward might help stop, or at least slow down the 413 plan, until the next election.
In line with what was approved last year as part of a three-year budget, St. Catharines taxpayers are set to see a 3.66 percent tax increase for the coming year. In West Lincoln, first-time candidate Greg Maychak eked out a byelection win over former mayor Doug Joyner to fill the vacant seat in Ward 3 - Smithville.
Also this week, Pelham Council will receive a presentation on the natural assets in the community and how protecting them can save the municipality millions of dollars.
With red and blue lights flashing, police cruisers were stationed outside the Hindu Sabha Temple in Brampton as hundreds of protestors gathered, filling the night air with chants against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Peel Police.
The climate across parts of Peel where diverse South Asian-Canadian communities have lived for years in an often tense dynamic with one another, has boiled over since news that India’s Hindu-Nationalist BJP government is allegedly behind a disturbingly violent plot against Sikh Canadians.
With the significant infrastructure project listed as a priority for fast-tracking by the PC government’s controversial Bill 212, the Garden City Skyway twinning could see elements of the project expedited. Residents of the Facer Street community where the bridge will have its most significant impact, are looking for commitment from the government that the infrastructure investment will result in positive outcomes for the area.
Carolynn Ioannoni had her own traumatic experience with a pregnancy that could not come to term. But she writes that the U.S. election for women is not only about their right to agency over their own body, it’s about their right to agency over everything. And she’s confident that, as usual, they will save the day.
The latest twist in Doug Ford's push to build Highway 413 saw Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria unveil Bill 212, a new piece of legislation aimed at fast-tracking the controversial project.
Dubbed the "Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act," it seeks to exempt the highway from a critical environmental assessment process, igniting fierce criticism from environmental groups.
After a 50-minute meeting held behind closed doors, Niagara-on-the-Lake elected officials appointed the Chair of the Chamber of Commerce, Andrew Niven, to fill a vacant position around the council table.
The move, which has been defended by Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa, has been labelled as undemocratic by residents.
Financial difficulties, social isolation, and cultural influences make international students—particularly young women—vulnerable to sex trafficking in Peel Region. Many people are caught in abusive cycles with little assistance from post-secondary institutions that see them as little more than a cash cow. They are then taken advantage of by employers and landlords through force and extortion.
Despite government efforts there are still gaps in survivor-focused programs, affordable housing, and mental health care. Advocates warn that the exploitation of young students will continue to spread unchecked in the absence of structural changes and improved preventative measures.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer has reignited the ongoing debate surrounding Canada’s carbon pricing policy. In a clumsy recent report, the PBO outlines the projected financial costs and benefits to the average family, but critics warn it overcounts theoretical burdens and fails to account for direct impacts on households and the economy generally.
Climate change is already inflicting significant economic damage on individuals and could cost Canadians annual GDP losses of $35 billion by 2030.
In a landmark ruling, the Ontario Court of Appeal has ordered the reevaluation of a legal challenge brought by seven young environmentalists regarding the PC government’s carbon emissions policies.
They argue Doug Ford has infringed upon their Charter rights, posing serious risks to the health and future of Ontarians.
New charges have been brought by the U.S. Justice Department, against an Indian government agent who allegedly planned the assassination of a Canadian-American citizen and orchestrated last year’s murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar who was gunned down in British Columbia.
The latest indictment adds to American media reports linking India’s BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to startling covert operations in North America aimed at destabilizing the Sikh community, including those advocating for more autonomy in India.
In a 9-4 vote Council approved the recommendation of a citizen’s task force to increase the wages for elected officials by nearly $10,000, starting next term, to bring them closer to other similar sized municipalities.
While council members argued the increased pay could attract a more diverse range of potential candidates, the claim is not borne out in the data.
The loss of these trees is a blow to the mental health of a region already grappling with stress and isolation.
Across the GTA greenspaces are giving way to the rapid development altering neighbourhoods from Burlington to Oshawa.
Credit Valley Conservation and the Greenbelt Foundation are joining forces to bridge funding gaps left by the Doug Ford government. Through a new partnership, they aim to enhance local ecosystems over the next 18 months, and engage 200 volunteers in planting native trees, removing invasive species and restoring habitats within the Credit River watershed, fostering a deeper connection between the next generation and the natural world.
Despite community efforts to save one of the few recreational facilities in St. Catharines, a new agreement between the municipality and a developer signals the end of the Walker Family YMCA.
A 15-foot Trojan Horse will be taken to over 60 hospitals across the province as a symbol of the deceptive transfer of control from Ontario’s beloved universal healthcare system to the private clinics proliferating and prospering under Doug Ford.
Unions in Ontario’s healthcare sector are calling on the PC government to halt payments to private clinics and redirect the funds back into the public system.
For the first time since it launched a cull of the double crested cormorant in 2020, the PC government has provided basic statistics on the number of birds killed—but only for a single season, and without explaining how the data was gathered.
By the PCs own admission, interest in killing this native species is waning, so why is the Ontario government still allowing hunters to kill 15 of them a day without any science to back up such a hunt?
On Monday the RCMP released bombshell information about the danger Canadian Sikhs face at the hands of the Indian government, which the Mounties described as “criminal activity orchestrated by agents of the Government of India, and consequential threats to the safety and security of Canadians and individuals living in Canada.”
Brampton’s large Sikh community has been on edge for more than a year as members who support religious and cultural autonomy in India now face the possibility of being targeted, just like community advocate Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down outside a Surrey, B.C. Gurdwara last year. American evidence suggests the Indian government ordered his killing.
Niagara Region councillors were warned just over a month ago that without further investment into the municipal water and wastewater system, infrastructure failure was all but inevitable.
That fear has become a reality. With budget discussions ongoing, an equipment failure at the decades-old Fort Erie pumping station led to the spill of over 5,000 litres of raw sewage into the Niagara River.
Premier Doug Ford has proposed to dig a tunnel beneath Highway 401 to help solve the GTA’s congestion woes. It’s a plan that would cost tens of billions; would do nothing to solve congestion issues, according to experts; and most concerning, highlights the PC government's disconnect from the climate reality facing a world that needs to reduce its reliance on single occupancy vehicles.
Hurricane Milton has unleashed devastation across parts of Florida, just days after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc across six states, marking one of the deadliest hurricane seasons in recent history.
More than 4 million Canadians visit Florida each year and they account for almost $100 billion in economic activity there; for those who invest in real estate, concerns mount about the safety and viability of these properties in the face of climate-driven natural disasters.
St. Catharines council members have asked for a staff report about the potential for setting up a lobbyist registry in the City to offer residents more transparency on what is happening behind the scenes at City Hall. If the Niagara Region’s history is any example, it could be a bumpy road getting there.
A Niagara-on-the-Lake resident is demanding an investigation into the board of the public library following the firing of the municipality’s chief librarian. In a complaint filed with the Town’s integrity commissioner, it is alleged Board members and Chair Daryl Novak violated a number of library policies and the Code of Conduct.
The evidence is clearer than ever—the PC government’s Highway 413 project will cause irreversible environmental destruction to Peel’s watersheds. A new report paints a grim picture of the future for three key GTA water courses should the controversial highway be built.
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?
After a failed 2022 effort to increase wages for councillors in line with municipalities of a comparable size, a citizen task force proposes a hike of more than 35 percent for the next council term; councillors will receive a long promised operational report on forestry services that were almost eliminated after the Mayor’s 2024 budget proposal; and staff comes up with an “innovative” incentive program to deal with flooding.
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.
