Since Doug Ford’s 2018 campaign, when he promised to tackle Ontario's housing crisis, his governments have systematically weakened planning laws and stripped conservation authorities of their power in favour of builders.
A scandal involving backroom dealing with powerful developers, including Greenbelt land swaps and questionable approval processes, exposed Ford’s secretive plans to do what he promised: open up Ontario’s protected greenspace for sprawl development that makes housing even less affordable.
The former buildings that housed the industrial operations of GM on Ontario Street in St. Catharines are crumbling. The site is pockmarked with industrial hatches and holes that threaten to swallow anyone who is unaware and wanders into the easily accessible site.
Why is the City refusing to take action as the “active demolition” has not seen significant progress for a number of years?
The Liberal leader is vowing to fix a broken healthcare system, restore confidence in public education and make Canada’s largest province affordable once again.
The former Mississauga mayor, who helped transform her city from a sleepy suburb into an economic engine, sat down with The Pointer to talk about her plan to defeat Doug Ford and lead Ontario back to prosperity.
Pietrangelo has taken part in several discussions and votes surrounding the South Niagara Falls hospital project, despite owning land with his family directly across the street. The land’s value certainly increased with the launch of the hospital project, raising questions about why the councillor has not routinely declared a conflict and steered clear of decision making that could possibly benefit him personally.
The councillor’s situation shines a light on a widespread issue in Ontario about the ineffectiveness of laws meant to protect against conflicts of interest, and the ability of residents to hold elected officials accountable for transgressions.
In Peel, where the largest South Asian-Canadian community in the country thrives, the unique cultural and demographic landscape has created a perfect storm of conditions for human traffickers. Canada is currently without a national strategy to guide anti-human trafficking efforts. A review of the previous five-year plan showed mixed results, and a significant lack of investment.
Advocates are urging Ottawa to prioritize the approval of a new strategy that addresses the rapidly changing dynamics of human trafficking.
Mayors in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland have all publicly endorsed Doug Ford to be Ontario’s next premier. The boldly partisan move is being questioned by opposition politicians and local residents who wonder if ethics rules around how a mayor uses the influence of their office are being ignored.
It also raises concerns about the loyalty of municipal leaders to the provincial premier, rather than their constituents.
The slate of candidates across Niagara Region’s four provincial ridings is nearly full less than 48 hours after Doug Ford officially called a snap election.
In the coming days The Pointer will be gathering information about those looking to represent Niagara residents at Queen’s Park.
With limited financial details, Niagara Falls councillors have approved millions of dollars for the Niagara Falls Innovation Hub, an incubator meant to help small businesses and trigger revitalization—that has yet to arrive—to the city’s downtown core. Despite the multi-million dollar investment, The Hub has never had to provide a detailed financial breakdown of where this money is going, or what taxpayers are getting back for their investment.
Questions are now being raised about who The Hub is benefiting, and why companies outside of Niagara Region are receiving assistance while locals struggle.
After watching other large police forces across Ontario implement body-worn cameras, the Niagara Police are finally getting onboard.
The costly plan is viewed as essential for improving evidence-gathering and police accountability, but advocacy organizations urge it must not be seen as the lone solution to address disproportionate use of force against Black communities—a particular problem in Niagara.
While EV sales explode in some parts of the world, the number of Ontarians transitioning to electric vehicles has slowed considerably under Doug Ford, whose government has repeatedly rolled back key incentives that once supported a growing market. From rebates to public charging infrastructure, the cuts have stymied EV growth, leaving the province behind others like British Columbia and Quebec, where key policies and incentives have driven adoption.
Ontario still has an opportunity to catch up by investing in rebates, expanding charging infrastructure and supporting used EV incentives, but experts are wary of a government that makes “evidence-free” decisions.
Human Rights issues were raised at a recent council meeting, where a proposal to avoid using the Notwithstanding Clause to clear homeless encampments was brought forward.
In the end, with the mayors of Niagara’s largest cities firmly behind Doug Ford’s plan to forcibly remove those staying in encampments, efforts to act with compassion were defeated.
In Part 2 of Traffick Stop The Pointer looks at the dedicated service providers helping survivors heal and move on from one of the most devastating forms of exploitation.
These organizations operate in a space that is underfunded, as politicians all too often are more concerned with offering empty words than taking real action to fix a flawed system.
In a 9-1 vote, trustees at the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board recently held up a long-standing ban of the Pride flag. The decision has laid bare a significant disconnect between many local parents and the students whose schools do not feel welcoming to them.
That is not stopping them from advocating for representation and recognition in the spaces built for young people to learn in a supportive environment. Obstacles posed by older generations continue to drown out the experiences of students across the board.
Industrial contamination across Ontario is a reminder of the negligence that was commonplace for decades.
The abandoned site of a former General Motors heavy industrial plant in St. Catharines is a stark remnant of this legacy. Decades of toxic waste, including carcinogenic PCBs, have been detected in the soil and water, while local residents grapple with the potential impacts long after the company left.
Ahead of Ontario’s February 27 election, the Doug Ford government is facing more backlash for its controversial Bill 212, which aims to dismantle bike lanes, a move critics argue puts cyclists and the province’s climate goals at risk. On January 25, Brampton residents and cycling advocates rallied outside Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria’s office.
In the first of a four-part series, The Pointer looks at the rising rates of human trafficking in Peel and across the province.
Service providers are grappling with an increasing number of survivors with complex needs, while they are under-resourced and struggling to help survivors.
False promises made by Doug Ford's PC government have undermined environmental laws, favouring developers and expanding the aggregate industry at the cost of Ontario’s natural spaces.
In Caledon, Milton, Burlington and other communities the threat of quarry expansions looms as Ford pushes sprawling developments and highways that need aggregate. Local leaders and activists gathered in Milton last week to rally against these destructive practices.
As Ontarians prepare for the February 27th election, the PC government has once again made bold nuclear energy announcements. The proposed nuclear plant near Port Hope could become the province's largest, yet crucial details are scarce.
Critics are questioning if the vague plans being trumpeted are a calculated political play designed to energize voters while leaving out complexities of the nuclear strategy.
After five years of legislative violations, shelved reports and blatant discrimination, a 2023 review concluded Ontario was in the midst of an “accessibility crisis”. Instead of acknowledging his alarming conduct, Premier Doug Ford—following a pattern of behaviour since being elected in 2018—refuses to prioritize the needs of those living with disabilities.
Advocates are demanding change as the province enters a historically short provincial election campaign.
The health of the Great Lakes is increasingly at risk as Premier Doug Ford's PC government advances two contentious projects: the redevelopment of Ontario Place and the construction of Highway 413. They threaten to exacerbate the strain on an already fragile ecosystem. The Ontario Place project, which aims to reroute sewage into the West Channel, could pollute vital water bodies, while Highway 413 threatens to undermine critical watersheds. The Great Lakes are already struggling from climate-induced pressures.
Despite a ruling by Ontario’s Information Privacy Commissioner, that City of St. Catharines officials argued against releasing documents detailing alarmingly high levels of dangerous toxic chemicals at the former GM site in the middle of the municipality, officials are now claiming they did not try to prevent the release of the disturbing information.
Infrastructure meant to clean municipal wastewater in Niagara Region is decades old and lacking hundreds of millions of dollars in necessary upgrades.
Recent toxic effluent tests at a Niagara Falls facility—a plant that has struggled to pull pollutants from its wastewater for over a year—is the latest sign of the risk posed by the degraded safety system and a reminder to councillors of the need to prioritize spending on these critical assets.
In an effort to fill the gaps in a food insecurity crisis advocates have warned will only worsen without sufficient policy change and government spending, Bill Graham and his wife Shirley have been providing free food tables for Mississauga residents since March 2020, an initiative that now serves more than 2,000 people monthly.
As Premier Doug Ford’s pre-election cheques get ready for delivery, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario warns the province’s homelessness crisis is at a ”tipping point”.
As Ontario faces mounting pressures from climate change, the push for sustainable, resilient and affordable housing has become more urgent than ever. But in the midst of rising costs and regulatory hurdles, some are questioning whether green building standards are worth the investment.
RESCON, the group representing Ontario's home builders, is challenging Toronto’s Green Standard, claiming it's slowing down development. Experts like The Atmospheric Fund argue that far from hindering growth, green standards not only protect the planet and homeowners, they also lower long-term costs.
With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation, Canada faces uncertainty about its environmental future. While Trudeau framed climate action as a cornerstone of his governments and delivered key early policy wins, critics have pointed to a series of controversial decisions over recent years, accusing him of prioritizing political points over climate progress.
As the country heads toward an election, advocates warn that without strong leadership committed to climate action, key initiatives like the Oil and Gas Sector Emissions Cap Regulations and the Clean Electricity Regulation could be sidelined, jeopardizing the nation’s environmental future.
The Ontario government has paid out $23 million in lawsuits to sweep aside allegations of sexual and physical abuse within schools for the deaf and blind.
There has never been a review of the board responsible for these schools, despite piles of evidence of mismanagement and harm. It’s time for the Auditor General to step in.
The federal government’s decision not to designate Highway 413 for a full impact assessment has drawn sharp criticism for its reliance on provincial legislative mechanisms to address environmental and Indigenous concerns.
Ottawa claims the Highway 413 Act and Ontario's Endangered Species Act offer adequate oversight—Premier Doug Ford’s government has been condemned for systematically weakening environmental protections and ignoring safeguards set out in these laws.
False reports in major Indian media outlets claim suspects in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the slain Sikh-Canadian activist, have been freed. The disinformation campaign has attempted to cast doubts about Canada’s judicial process, despite claims by federal Indian officials that their government will do everything to cooperate with Canadian authorities investigating a murder allegedly orchestrated by India’s ruling BJP government. The RCMP debunked the Indian reporting, confirming all suspects remain charged.
Councillors in the City of Welland will return to the concept of changing the size of their council, with staff presenting three options for consideration.
In Niagara Falls, councillors are facing questions about the lack of information surrounding development plans on City-owned land, and the City’s Integrity Commissioner has delivered a $77K bill for services; a $500 fee for residents to file a complaint has been heavily criticized by Ontario’s Ombudsman.
Regions like Niagara are emerging as leaders in innovative alternatives to traditional energy systems. Adoption of heat pumps and geothermal energy demonstrate the region's commitment to reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The provincial government, however, has introduced Bill 165 to override the Ontario Energy Board's decision to end subsidies for new natural gas connections.
Life continues to be increasingly unaffordable for Canadians struggling with the cost of telecommunications, groceries, housing and transportation; even air travel has become out of reach for more and more Canadians.
Unlike markets around the world where competition in the cellular phone sector, travel industry, among grocers and other areas helps keep costs more affordable, one large Canadian company says consumers here continue to be abused by governments that protect certain companies and prevent competition that would dramatically reduce the cost of living.
The newest healthcare facility planned for Niagara Region has a budget pegged at nearly $4 billion. Details of who is paying for parts of the bill and why remain unknown, even a year after construction on the project began. Niagara Falls Councillor Lori Lococo is worried her local residents may be covering more of the cost than those from other municipalities who will also use the hospital.
Liberal MPs across the country have a tough decision to make in the coming weeks: stay on and run in an uphill race; or bow out and start another chapter. One of the two well known Liberal MPs in Niagara has decided he will seek re-election.
Nestled within Ontario's Greenbelt, a town in the Niagara region is taking bold steps to protect the area's invaluable natural resources and help fight climate change.
The Town of Pelham has recognized the Greenbelt's crucial role, as the world's largest protected greenspace; a new study shows how nature offsets more than $585 million in stormwater management services.
The Pointer continues to sift through documents obtained after a two-and-half-year effort to obtain information on the former site of a GM plant in the city.
What they revealed has raised questions about the risks residents have been exposed to after deadly chemicals and heavy metals were detected just over a decade ago, without any disclosure by local officials.
With right-wing populism gaining traction globally, climate change is increasingly weaponized against the left. In countries like the U.S. and Canada, right-wing leaders like Donald Trump, Pierre Poilievre and Danielle Smith are rolling back climate policies while promoting the oil and gas industry as part of the solution to bring the cost of living back down to more affordable levels.
The rightward shift is fueled by conservative voices, amplifying climate denial and silencing those who push for change, using economic claims to counter them.
Around the world, young activists are taking their governments to court to demand urgent climate action. In Canada, 15 youth recently secured the right to take their case to trial in 2026, building on a similar victory in Ontario just months earlier.
Both cases argue that government inaction on climate change is a violation of their fundamental rights. But it has taken five years for groups to make meaningful progress in the courts — while the impacts of climate change have rapidly intensified. Are the courts moving too slowly to address a crisis that puts the entire planet at risk?
A recent audit of Ontario’s opioid strategy confirmed the Premier and Minister of Health did not conduct any studies or reviews to support the decision to close supervised consumption sites. Among several findings, the audit also showed the PCs were aware of the impacts of closing several of these sites, including increased risk of deaths from overdoses and emergency department visits, before the decision was made.
Over 50 environmental organizations in Ontario recently sent an open letter to the provincial government, urging stronger protections for vital ecosystems in the face of escalating biodiversity loss.
A new global report highlights the dire need to preserve critical parts of the planet for food security, water quality, human health and climate stability. Meanwhile, Canada’s environmental commitment is under scrutiny with the federal government’s recent update to its emissions target falling short of expectations.
After repeatedly dodging requests to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic, instead claiming more research would be conducted, the PC government has now cut short the study intended to gather more information.
Advocates continue to ask why Doug Ford, who regularly talks about being tough on crime, has failed to take violence against women seriously.
The director of the Ontario Headwaters Institute wants towns and cities to adopt a comprehensive set of rules to protect critical watersheds, as development pressures continue to threaten these central features of our ecosystems.
St. Catharines residents are feeling betrayed and scared after newly released documents reveal disturbing levels of contamination were present in 2012 at the former GM site that sits near the heart of the city.
The current state of the property is not known, as officials have failed to conduct proper testing, despite a council decision in 2020 to rezone the lands for a residential development aggressively pushed by former mayor Walter Sendzik. Municipal officials had these documents when the decision was made, but it remains unclear why the public was never notified.
Despite repeated demands from environmental groups and warnings from scientists, the federal government has refused to step in and conduct a comprehensive review of Highway 413, the controversial project being championed by the PC government that threatens Ontario’s Greenbelt and endangered species.
The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) dismissed requests to intervene, despite strong evidence that the highway will disrupt critical habitats and generate millions of tonnes of additional carbon emissions in the midst of a climate crisis.
Seven young climate activists are ready to keep fighting. The group, represented by Ecojustice, are challenging the Ontario government’s weak climate emissions targets, claiming they violate their Charter rights to life, liberty, and security.
After a historic victory for the youth at Ontario’s Court of Appeal, the PC government, which has fought the case since the beginning, is now appealing to the Supreme Court of Canada.
A two-year investigation into the former GM factory in the heart of the city has uncovered disturbing information through an access request.
City officials and GM fought to prevent the release of documents that show dangerous chemicals were found at alarming levels in the soil and groundwater. Despite plans to develop the property for residential use, the potential risks to public health have never been disclosed.
Ontario's environmental future hangs in the balance as the PC government under Premier Doug Ford continues to rush through controversial policies without meaningful public input or environmental studies. From the rushed Highway 413 approval to the secretive clearing of trees at Ontario Place, Ontarians are left in the dark, their voices ignored by a government determined to fast-track projects that pose a range of risks.
The latest Ontario Auditor General’s report paints a damning picture of a government that does not care about its own obligations under the Environmental Bill of Rights.
The current Regional Council has approved nearly 25 percent in budget increases over the last three years. Are future tax hikes sustainable?
Lower-tier municipalities such as St. Catharines have also recently raised property taxes well beyond amounts seen over the rest of the previous decade, putting even more pressure on homeowners, especially those on a fixed income.
Carlos Garcia, a city councillor in St. Catharines for the last decade, passed away suddenly earlier this month. Pointer journalist Ed Smith reflects on Garcia’s legacy, what it means to be a politician today and how this loss impacts all of St. Catharines.
The PC government under Premier Doug Ford continues to mislead the public about the benefits of a highway through one of Ontario’s most significant wetlands.
Opposition is growing as advocates look for ways to stop the harm to hundreds of plant and animal species. Will the federal government follow its own laws and step in to review the ill-conceived project?
Despite the decision of organizers to cancel a vigil for former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, there have been suggestions the controversial event might be rescheduled. Jewish advocacy groups have called on the City of Mississauga to take a more proactive approach to ensure community harmony in one of Canada’s most diverse municipalities.
