Ontario NDP Education Critic Chandra Pasma is calling on the provincial auditor general to investigate the systemic issues plaguing Ontario’s provincial schools for the deaf and blind.
The request follows years of sustained advocacy from parents, teachers and union officials who have sounded the alarm about underfunding, understaffing, abuse and neglect within the board which has led to two class action lawsuits settled by the Ontario government at a cost of over $20 million.
In Fort Erie, Council will consider a new “private” tree by-law that will prevent egregious clear cutting and deal with the possible protection of individual trees within the urban boundary.
Residents of Niagara Falls are disappointed after elected officials passed off the chance to join 20 other municipalities and 41 community organizations in calling on the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to implement a moratorium on new pits and quarries in light of the findings of a scathing Auditor General's report in December.
That report found aggregate operators have very little oversight and are seldom held to account for breaking the law. Council was reluctant to accommodate the request after the City’s CAO warned that making a political decision when staff have a pit application in front of them could trigger an appeal.
As oil companies and plastic producers stand strong on their challenge of the federal government’s listing of plastic as a toxic substance — the basis for the single-use plastic ban that began to unroll in 2022, individual municipalities are considering their own single-use-plastic bylaws within their own borders that support the federal bans.
The electoral landscape in Pelham could shift ahead of the next municipal election as councillors consider ward boundary and composition changes. Pelham residents will finally get a schedule for resolving long-standing odour issues from local cannabis operations.
A contentious quarry expansion in Wainfleet will be under the microscope at a public meeting hosted by Niagara Region.
When planning for luxury lakeside condos, a giant wastewater plant next door, radiating putrid smells across the area, is not an ideal scenario for future residents. The Region of Peel, City of Mississauga and development consortium Lakeview Community Partners are working together to upgrade the G.E. Booth wastewater treatment facility, to make it more sustainable and far less stinky.
Last week, the federal government announced $362.4 million in funding for provinces and municipalities struggling to meet demand as asylum seekers rely on overburdened shelter systems across the country. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marc Miller told reporters more details on the funding will be released in the coming days, but it remains unclear how much Peel’s overcrowded shelters will get.
In a recent 26-2 vote, Niagara Regional councillors prevented any debate on a proposed motion—which never got to the floor—calling to support a ceasefire in Gaza. Local elected officials blatantly contradicted themselves, claiming regional government is not the place to deal with geopolitical issues, after doing exactly that when they previously passed a resolution in support of Ukraine. How will they overcome charges of discrimination and rebuild broken relationships in their communities?
A month after announcing the procurement of new renewable energy contracts, the PC government announced it would be financing the refurbishment of the Pickering nuclear facility in its efforts to ensure Ontario’s energy grid can keep up with future demand.
Nuclear currently provides about 60 percent of the province’s energy supply, as experts encourage the transition to alternative sources such as wind and solar, while warning that the PC government’s investments in natural gas are moving us in the wrong direction.
At its most recent meeting, the overwhelming majority of Regional Council members refused to consider a motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
While the subject was clearly outside the Region’s jurisdiction, that hasn’t stopped councillors from wading into geopolitical issues before. A previous show of support for Ukraine was not met with the same response. Frustrated community members are now demanding answers from their local elected officials.
As the region, like much of the country, continues to see demographic shifts, the new chief’s past comments on police culture raised concerns.
Chief Fordy, a 35-year law enforcement veteran, who worked with the RCMP in B.C., in charge of one of Canada’s most diverse areas, has recognized the need to root out discrimination in policing.
Amid more resignations and newly surfaced emails, Premier Doug Ford is still struggling to regain support from much of his political base, after his PCs schemed to remove 7,400 acres from the protected Greenbelt. While the land has since been returned to its previous status, new information continues to emerge about the backroom deals and unethical process that caused the scandal.
With the new strong mayor legislation, municipal councils only need to vote on possible amendments to a mayor’s proposed budget. The new powers are meant to expedite home construction, while ensuring taxpayers are still fully involved in decisions about how their money is spent. That didn’t stop Niagara Falls City Council from adopting the lion’s share of the 2024 budget with next to no public input.
Mayor Mat Siscoe faced significant pushback from his council colleagues, following a public backlash over his proposal to use private contractors to take care of St. Catharines’ tree canopy, instead of the in-house forestry services department, which he wants to cut as part of the 2024 budget approval process.
While all levels of government grapple with increasing pressure to adopt low and zero emission technologies rapidly, more homeowners are choosing heat pumps for their home’s heating and cooling systems.
Provinces in the east have seen incredible success through a series of rebates and other commitments to energy efficiency. But Ontario, which currently has a low rate of heat pump take-up, is falling behind as the province’s own rebate program is set to expire in March.
A spotlight on Algoma University’s Brampton satellite campus, after student protests over marks, exposes the egregious strategy of admitting thousands of foreign applicants to turn around the school’s flagging finances. It is now flush with money, but the students from India who bailed out the school are now asking why they are not getting the education or resources expected for the exorbitant fees they are paying, at least three times more than what their Canadian and American counterparts at the university are charged. Algoma has no housing in Brampton and almost 5,400 students (there were 540 in 2021) are forced to share 38 classrooms.
A recent letter from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is redirecting the provincially appointed Transition Board, previously meant to facilitate the dissolution of the Region of Peel, to conduct a review of major services currently handled by the Region, to hand them over to Peel’s lower-tier municipalities. Is this the beginning of the breakup Mississauga has been waiting for? Hundreds of staff could be impacted.
Two members of Caledon's Aggregate Resources Community Working Group stood before the Town’s planning and development committee last week and demanded local officials reaffirm their commitment to strengthen weak policies for the aggregate industry. The plea came after work to create better accountability over gravel companies has faltered.
An altercation in November involving students at Cardinal Leger Secondary School in Brampton and a plain-clothed police officer has generated two different narratives about what happened that day. The incident has inflamed tensions between Peel’s Black communities and Peel Police while shining a light on the region’s Catholic school board which is now facing disturbing allegations of systemic anti-Black racism.
With councillors announcing their bid to replace Bonnie Crombie, a recent poll from Liaison Strategies revealed well known Mississauga political leader Carolyn Parrish would win an election held now. It shows she has a double-digit lead over her nearest potential competitor. A by-election to replace Crombie will likely be held late spring or early summer.
A report from Ontario’s Acting Auditor General Nick Stavropoulos, published last month, picks apart the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry which has essentially handed the reins to the aggregate industry, failing to enforce regulations. Community advocates across Caledon have long fought the approval of new pits and quarries, with little oversight of these operations after they are allowed by the Province.
After five years of stalling new renewable energy production, prioritizing natural gas instead, the Doug Ford government has announced the procurement of additional renewable energy that will nearly double capacity by 2035. But following the renewable energy pledge that came out of COP 28 in December, which Canada signed onto, Ontario is still out of step with the national and international policies the country is obligated to fulfill.
After Mayor Mat Siscoe brought forward his 2024 budget under new powers granted by the Province, which give him broad authority over the financial planning for the city, St. Catharines council reconvenes on Monday to consider proposed amendments to the blueprint put forward by the mayor. The proposed termination of in-house forestry services and a request to pass a budget with no tax increase, after last year’s controversial 10.5 percent hike, will be debated by council members and the public.
While St. Catharines and Niagara Falls are still in the midst of their 2024 budget deliberations, will Regional Council follow the lead of municipalities like Mississauga and Brampton by supporting a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Seven Ontario youth are refusing to back down in their fight against the Ontario government for its harmful policies which have increased emissions across the province. They were in court Monday before a panel of appeal judges who will decide whether the case can proceed after an earlier decision dismissed the youth’s claim that the PCs should be held legally responsible for harm they are causing by failing to act on climate change.
A recent presentation from the Ministry of Transportation on Highway 413 — a highly criticized project that will cause significant environmental harm — was met with frustration by Mississauga councillors. Local officials requested details on the project timeline and costs, but their questions went unanswered after PC government representatives tried to trumpet the controversial transportation plan.
After proposing to eliminate the city’s cherished forestry services department to cut costs as part of St. Catharines’ 2024 budget deliberations, Mayor Mat Siscoe was confronted by residents last week. He could not answer many of the questions they peppered him with, including how his financial assumptions about cost savings were calculated.
Bonnie Crombie has officially moved on after nearly a decade in the Mississauga mayor’s seat. The mark she left on her city serves as a template for how she might pull Ontario into the future, with a bold, fearless style of leadership unafraid of change. She ushered in an era of municipal politics that finally allowed Mississauga’s government to catch up to the cosmopolitan swagger that had replaced decades of sleepy, homogenous suburban life.
Everyone seems to have an opinion on Canada’s carbon pricing scheme. When compared to nations like Sweden the Liberal government’s policy approach has failed to yield the same results. Trying to appease Canadians—and corporations—across the spectrum has limited the effectiveness of carbon pricing here. For the policy to succeed a line in the sand needs to be drawn, otherwise emissions will continue to rise in a country that has become a laughing stock for our woeful action on climate change.
With the last day as Mississauga Mayor upon her, Bonnie Crombie reflects on her transformational leadership. She shifted Mississauga’s suburban mindset—a way of life increasingly out of step with modern city building—after decades of sprawling growth. She spoke with The Pointer about her municipal work on cleaner, greener growth ahead of her departure to helm the Ontario Liberal Party.
Brampton’s Residential Rental Licensing Pilot Program has launched across half the city, requiring landlords with four or less units to obtain a licence and be subject to random inspections for compliance. The two-year pilot aims to protect tenants from abuse, but advocates including Peel ACORN are demanding that corporate landlords, currently excluded from the oversight measure, also be included, citing poor maintenance conditions and a lack of compliance with fire and building codes in their properties.
As councillors line up to be Mississauga’s next mayor, residents could see more than one by-election in the year ahead depending on how the eleven remaining members decide to move forward. Councillor Carolyn Parrish has already confirmed her plan to resign from her Ward 5 seat as she contends for the mayor’s chair, and wants to only see one by-election, for the mayor's job and to replace any councillor who decides to run for it. But it remains unclear if other council members who plan to run will do the same, or if they will force a second by-election later in the year if a councillor has to be replaced.
On Wednesday, St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe will present his budget, which does not differentiate much from the one presented by staff in November but does reduce the proposed operating increase to 1.49 percent. Provincial officials will also be in the city to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of Niagara’s two-tier system of municipal government.
In a controversial move, to reduce the proposed budget increase for 2024, St. Catharines’ mayor is proposing to eliminate the department that provides services such as tree pruning, maintenance of plants and monitoring of the city’s flora. Private alternatives could see taxpayers on the hook for huge cost escalations, as was the case in the past when municipal services were offloaded.
During the recent COP28 conference in Dubai, the federal government presented a framework for a cap on emissions by the oil and gas industry, an announcement that has been long awaited by environmental groups across Canada. But the lack of urgency in implementing draft regulations as well as lackluster penalties for exceeding thresholds have organizations worried that government efforts to limit climate change will once again be unsuccessful.
As snowy, frigid winters of the past give way to rain and fluctuating temperatures, Canada’s winter tourism sector is balancing the challenges of adapting to a shorter, warmer season. Technology, according to tourism and sustainability expert Michelle Rutty, will help Canadians enjoy their beloved winter activities—we just have to learn to adapt.
Council is expected to ratify the 2024 budget at a meeting next week, following amendments by members to the first financial blueprint presented by the mayor under new powers designated to the head of council. After 2023’s divisive process, which resulted in a mismanaged increase of 10.5 percent that was implemented long after the usual public approval procedure, this year’s budget decision could be just as controversial, with a proposal to freeze the 2024 budget with no increase.
A groundbreaking approach being adopted by municipalities across North America will be implemented in St. Catharines. “Social Procurement” is the use of public funds—tax dollars provided by the residents of an area—to procure products, services and human resources that directly create social and economic benefits for the community.
The City of Brampton and Sheridan College, along with local social service groups, government bodies and other post-secondary institutions, signed the Guiding Principles of the Brampton Charter for Improving the International Student Experience on December 18. The City has failed to provide adequate affordable student housing for years, while colleges have targeted international students, who pay much higher fees, without creating a safe learning and living environment for them.
After almost three decades of climate negotiations, for the first time at COP28, nations agreed that fossil fuel production is limiting global ability to keep within temperature targets set in Paris in 2015. But once the initial joy over the novel agreement wore off, groups began to identify loopholes that would allow bad actors profiting from oil & gas to continue harming our planet.
Repeated incidents of tree-cutting in the area of Martindale Pond, a crucial habitat for a number of endangered and other species at risk, and inconsistent enforcement to punish violations by homeowners raise questions about how serious St. Catharines is about protecting its limited remaining tree canopy.
Fifteen young Canadians from across the country, brought together by their climate activism to safeguard a sustainable future, are tweaking their arguments after a recent decision by the federal court of appeal allowed the case against the Liberal government, alleging its failure to ensure their safety, to proceed to trial. The decision comes at the end of a year that saw major progress in climate litigation across North America.
Canada has rolled out its standards for adoption of electric vehicles across the country.
While the policy provides ambitious targets for EV takeup, industry experts say costs need to come down, charging infrastructure has to be ramped up and the domestic supply chain won’t be able to compete with foreign players if the market grows too fast for our fledgling EV industry.
This article highlighting the ongoing struggles of international students was originally published in September: The Region of Peel had issued a letter to the federal and provincial government requesting stronger support systems for international students in Peel. Ongoing issues continue to put young people at risk with little action for more than a decade. A lack of housing, falling prey to sex traffickers and the absence of support from colleges and governments that gladly accept money from families, has created an ongoing crisis that often leads to tragic consequences.
People like St. Catharines’ Gertrud Liho are not looking forward to opening their municipal tax bill in 2024. The City passed an alarming 10.5 percent property levy increase late this year, with hardly any consultation and long after the usual public approval process. In an economic climate that is putting pressure on residents from every direction, with costs rising well above salaries, those like Liho, who lives on a fixed income, want municipal leaders to be extra cautious when spending the taxpayers’ money.
Black leaders have for generations warned others about the often crippling price they continue to pay just to protect their communities from harm. Former Brampton Citizen of the Year Danielle Dowdy has worked tirelessly for years and says focussing on her well-being will allow her to rejuvinate, with so much work still to be done.
With a recent history of having to fill vacancies, St. Catharines City Council contemplates a revised policy considered un-democratic by some, while others see it as an opportunity to improve equity and diversity in municipal representation.
The federal government announced on Monday the City of Mississauga will receive $112.9 million through its Housing Accelerator Fund—an incentive that aims to help deliver more homes and improve affordability. The funding deal comes less than two weeks after council approved Mayor Bonnie Crombie’s Mayoral Directive, through her strong mayor powers granted by the province, to permit four-plexes “as of right” city-wide to increase Mississauga’s dense housing supply.
Despite the best efforts of local members, St. Catharines’ beloved Walker Family YMCA has been closed, and years of community advocacy is being abandoned. Local residents feel betrayed, after their donations were used to open the facility decades ago. The YMCA board chose to sell the building to a developer, and despite paying some of the highest property taxes in Ontario, the City’s Mayor, Mat Siscoe, says a partnership with the municipality would be too costly. Residents warn it will be far more expensive to open a brand new City recreation centre, when the perfect space already exists.
Premier Doug Ford is refusing to release a review of provincial work on implementation of Ontario’s landmark accessibility legislation, despite a legal obligation to do so.
Previous investigations have detailed widespread failures by successive governments to improve accessibility across Ontario, leaving nearly 3 million residents living with disabilities to navigate “soul-crushing barriers” on a daily basis.
