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.
After approving a controversial plan to dump construction fill into Swan Lake, a protected Greenbelt water body, Caledon Council is now pushing a new Site Alteration Bylaw that could make such decisions more common in the future.
Residents and environmental advocates fear the bylaw will open the door to widespread dumping below the water table across rural Caledon, putting groundwater and the Credit River watershed at risk. The legality of the highly controversial move under existing federal environmental law has not yet been tested.
In a surprise move, Niagara regional councillors have rejected a $40 million grant request for luxury homes in Welland. While the vote sends a message to the supporters of these questionable grant programs which have provided millions of Niagara taxpayer dollars to developers, another vote on the matter will return to council on August 28 for a final decision.
With a severe shortage of purpose-built rentals across Peel, the units that do exist are often unhygienic and unsuitable for quality living.
One-third of survey respondents painted a grim picture, reporting they live with mold, pest infestations, broken elevators and extreme heat during the summer, all while paying hefty sums for poor-quality housing.
Infrastructure failures have drastic consequences for communities big and small. They require rapid, coordinated action from local elected officials.
But what happens when this responsibility is ignored? Where do residents turn?
Community advocates in one northern Ontario municipality are desperate for answers after a bridge closure has been drawn out for months, with no end in sight.
Some of Ontario’s favourite camping spots, nestled near habitats home to many endangered and at-risk species, are facing development pressures under plans by the provincial government. The PC move to transfer parts of Wasaga Beach to municipal control for tourism development has raised red flags; the risk of commercialization could forever alter the park’s delicate ecosystem.
A few hours north, the government's proposal to widen Highway 69 threatens portions of Grundy Lake and French River provincial parks, where even small land removals for development could disrupt fragile habitats and wildlife corridors.
In a city where rapid population growth is outpacing the housing supply, Brampton’s construction industry is facing supply chain disruptions and delays in housing projects as prices for building materials skyrocket.
U.S. tariffs are starting to impact the sector, which was already facing internal challenges across Ontario, slowing housing starts at a time when Brampton desperately needs a supply of homes residents are clamouring for.
Amid a barrage of complaints filed by residents over land gobbling truck and trailer storage operations—many of them illegal—Brampton councillors ignored the recommendation of expert planning staff and extended zoning permissions for two sites that hold hundreds of trucks.
Despite Patrick Brown’s claims of attracting major employers to the struggling city and a staff report strongly advising that the truck storage operations in question are hindering the type of growth the city needs, the mayor and his council followers ignored the advice.
When Niagara Falls Councillor Mike Strange attempted to rally members of the Falls View Hose Brigade to block “that women’s group” from sitting in the council chambers, the scheme drew widespread condemnation.
Now, the actions of the embattled politician, who is also facing a criminal intimate partner violence charge, are being investigated by the City’s integrity commissioner.
A developer, two social service agencies and the Region of Peel have joined together to provide critical rental housing for those living with developmental disabilities in Brampton.
The initiative comes as the provincial government has shunned disability advocates and ignored its own pledge to make Ontario fully accessible.
Data released by the City of Niagara Falls has exposed a disturbing trend. As property taxes have increased under the current council led by Mayor Jim Diodati, the number of properties in tax arrears has spiked.
The trend reveals the troubling impact of council decision making disconnected from the needs of residents facing significant affordability pressures.
With the rapid erosion of accountability in the municipal government sector, sped up by Doug Ford’s determination to hand even more power to mayors, proposed provincial legislation to protect residents from abusive municipal elected officials is needed now more than ever.
Ontario’s municipal taxpayers also desperately need updated legislation to overhaul woefully inadequate accountability mechanisms meant to keep local elected representatives in check. The current system has created a dire situation for residents whose tax dollars are open to widespread abuse in the province’s municipal government sector.
As the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference begins, nearly half of Ontario’s municipalities have already signed onto the cause promoted by The Women of Ontario Say No. Founder Emily McIntosh is determined to make Bill 9 stronger—so local elected officials who behave abusively are held accountable.
The unit responsible for catching the criminals who are exploiting children online is increasingly being asked to do more with the same. The small contingent of officers handles a disturbing number of cases every day. They are growing more complex as legal rules change and technology evolves.
Once thought of as a distant danger, wildfires are now igniting in southern Ontario’s backyard, fuelled by record heat, drought and a changing climate. Fire seasons are stretching longer across the country with increasingly volatile conditions and open-fire bans across much of Southern Ontario due to extremely hot, dry conditions.
In Kawartha Lakes, known for its serene cottages, August brought multiple blazes that spread through parched forests. Experts warn that more Ontario communities, like other parts of the country that have been forced to evacuate, will face increased risks in the future.
After a year of stalled negotiations with the Region of Peel over pay disparity, mental health support and chronic underfunding, Peel Paramedics reached a tentative deal late July, achieving key gains in some areas including wages, while other issues are still unresolved.
The cost of the new South Niagara Hospital is not the only issue many residents have drawn attention to. Outside Niagara Falls, where the facility is being constructed, many are voicing anger over the loss of community-based healthcare in favour of more regional coverage out of the new hospital. Across Niagara, residents are rallying to save local services including facilities slated for closure.
Following controversy over recent years around taxpayer subsidies to developers, who expect the public to cover a range of costs to maximize their own profits, Welland is now facing a similar demand. And Mayor Frank Campion has gotten behind the request, which could see taxpayers cover a total of $80 million so the builder in question can avoid paying various costs to get its project to market.
With the failure to spend $1.2 billion collected from taxpayers for capital funding covered by residents who work tirelessly to make both ends meet, fiscal mismanagement under Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown has reached new lows. Dozens of critical projects remain stalled—despite the City collecting all the necessary funds from taxpayers who are not getting what they paid for.
As Canada stands at a critical point between fossil-fuel dependence and a clean energy future, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first few months in office have revealed a balancing act between climate ambition and industry appeasement. From scrapping the federal consumer carbon tax to hinting at new oil pipelines— while touting renewable growth—his policies have sparked debate over whether Canada will help lead the global energy transition or cling to a carbon-based future.
As Ontario faces another extreme heat warning once again this weekend, the difference between those who can stay cool and those who can’t is becoming a life-threatening crisis. Seniors and renters, especially in aging buildings across southern Ontario, are trapped without reliable air conditioning as heatwaves grow more intense. A recent UN report warns extreme heat disproportionately harms the elderly and low-income groups worldwide. Yet in Ontario, outdated laws and lack of enforcement leave many vulnerable to dangerous conditions. Advocates argue that access to cooling must be treated as an essential human right, not a luxury.
Brampton residents are being kept in the dark about the future of a project that Mayor Brown and his council followers have for years claimed will transform the decaying downtown core. It was recently announced that the Nelson Square Parking Garage will be torn down to make way for the Centre for Innovation, but a contractor has yet to be chosen for the long delayed project which City Hall still doesn’t have a timeline for.
Despite her failure to show up for two scheduled court dates, the charges against Carly Young in relation to the tragic death of Dakota, her German shepherd, will go to trial on September 18.
Animal advocates worry the ongoing reluctance by the police and justice system to file criminal charges for animal cruelty allows abusers to avoid accountability.
The Lake Ontario shoreline, once protected against erosion by concrete barriers, is now grappling with the intensified impacts of climate change. Rather than relying on more concrete, a groundbreaking initiative is looking to nature for answers.
The Lake Ontario Coastal Resilience Pilot Project, launched by three conservation authorities, is exploring innovative, nature-based solutions to tackle rising waters and shifting landscapes. With a science-driven, collaborative approach, the project unites conservationists, municipalities, and communities to reshape the future of the coastline, offering a sustainable and resilient path forward for both the environment and the people who rely on it.
Inconsistencies in provincial grant funding are putting pressure on critical investigative work carried out by the Niagara Police.
At the same time, the police services board is signalling it simply can not meet the demand by regional council to cut back next year’s budget request, which a report from the Chief is equating to “defunding the police”.
Frustrated by unanswered questions, ignored public objections and what he sees as a breach of public trust in handling the proposed blasting quarry, Tony Sevelka has filed formal complaints with both the Ontario Ombudsman and the Information and Privacy Commissioner, calling for a thorough investigation into possible procedural failures and abuse of power, demanding that the voices of local residents be heard and respected.
As home insurance premiums soar across Ontario, an advocacy group is raising concerns over the lack of transparency in the insurance industry regarding the financial impacts of climate change. They fear governments are failing to protect homeowners by allowing insurance companies to quietly hike premiums as a result of an increasingly unpredictable climate, without disclosing exactly how they are determining the final numbers handed to customers on their bills.
The concern is that these hidden costs could push premiums beyond what many can afford, all while keeping the public in the dark about the real risks involved.
Brampton councillors have threatened legal action against Regeneration Outreach over issues they claim are linked to the services provided to unhoused and other vulnerable individuals in downtown Brampton.
The legal letter was sent without any consultation with the organization.
After weeks of controversy inside City Hall, including the arrest of three peaceful demonstrators, procedural barriers are preventing residents from filing complaints against what they see as biased and unethical conduct by their elected officials.
Startling drops in revenue and further projected losses from U.S. tariffs have workers at Brampton’s Stellantis auto assembly scared for the future.
While industry analysts warn the ongoing 25 percent tariffs will force Stellantis to make some difficult decisions about its North
American operations union officials are scrambling to reassure 3,000 employees in Brampton that their careers are secure.
In a groundbreaking decision years in the making, the International Court of Justice has declared that climate inaction isn’t just reckless, it’s illegal. For the first time, the world’s highest court has confirmed that states have binding legal obligations to curb greenhouse gas emissions, including from fossil fuel production, or risk violating international law and facing consequences. The ruling could transform climate lawsuits from long-shot battles to powerful tools for justice.
The decision comes as the Ontario government has unveiled its latest energy plan which is continuing to push the province away from renewable energy, compromising vital emission reduction targets.
SafeHope Home in Durham Region is one of the few residential programs for human trafficking survivors in the country, and the only one to offer a long-term, wraparound support system. Thankfully, nobody was hurt in the fire, but now the organization must work tirelessly to find a new space and limit the disruption to these women who are trying to rebuild their lives after escaping one of the most heinous forms of exploitation.
The organization is currently fundraising to help support the purchase of a new location.
As fossil fuel giants flood screens with misleading net-zero claims, a UN special rapporteur is calling for urgent legal action to ban false advertising, end fossil fuel subsidies and phase out oil, gas and coal by 2030 after the industry’s six-decade campaign of climate denial and delay.
Canada’s federal government recently made changes to the Competition Act to fight greenwashing but relentless lobbying and resistance from the oil and gas sector have set Ottawa behind as the push to criminalize fossil fuel misinformation takes off elsewhere.
The municipal storm sewer south of Chippawa Parkway has intermittently spewed an unknown chemical substance into the Welland River since July of last year.
Despite efforts from City and provincial officials, the origin of the black, oily substance has not been identified. Frustrated residents fear there simply is not enough political will to track down the source—which appears to be somewhere inside the Stanley Business Park.
Jean-François and Jennifer Casu-Morin came to Caledon to raise their children surrounded by nature. They hoped to build a life on their farm in what was once celebrated as Ontario’s greenest town. They vividly remember Mayor Annette Groves personally assuring them during her 2022 election campaign that she would protect the environment and listen to local voices—promises that earned their trust.
That trust is in shambles after councillors, at the behest of Groves, fast-tracked a controversial plan to fill Swan Lake, which sits behind their home, with construction waste. The plan from the mayor, a favour to a powerful developer pushed through with no public consultation, has sparked a fierce fight over clean water, wildlife habitat and Caledon’s slowly vanishing identity as a green oasis.
Patrick Brown is pushing for the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to be added to Canada’s terror watch list. But the Brampton Mayor, who is constantly in the media speaking on issues outside his municipal jurisdiction, has remained silent on a key piece of the narrative surrounding the gang and its implication in Peel’s troubling organized crime landscape. Various sources have publicly stated that the Bishnoi gang is used as a “proxy” by the Indian government to target Sikhs in Canada.
Despite his close connections to India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brown continues to ignore the connection between Modi’s government and the harassment of Sikhs in Canada.
The Canadian Constitution Foundation is taking the City of Niagara Falls to court over its doubling down on a controversial “decorum” policy that bans the holding of signs inside the council chambers. The organization, which is launching a new initiative aimed directly at rogue municipalities, says legal precedent and the Constitution protect this type of expression. It criticizes the City’s senior staff for what appears to be a fundamental misunderstanding of the Constitution.
Women’s rights activists were recently arrested for trying to draw attention to a proposed new provincial law aimed at holding municipal politicians accountable for harassment and assault.
Near the anniversary of two devastating “100-year storms” that turned Mississauga streets into rivers and homes into disaster zones last summer, the city is still digging out physically, financially and emotionally.
Despite pouring hundreds of millions into stormwater infrastructure and rolling out new relief programs, many residents remain flooded with frustration as local, provincial and federal support lags behind.
After his son was attacked at school, Anwar Knight says the Peel District School Board lied to him and attempted to cover up the incident. The experience led him to launch Hold Schools Accountable, an effort to reform the Education Act and ensure no parents are forced to deal with what he and his family had to go through.
A coalition of nine First Nations is taking Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Mark Carney to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, challenging Bills 5 and C-5 on constitutional grounds. They argue these laws concentrate sweeping powers in the Cabinet, bypass Indigenous consultation and weaken environmental protections on traditional lands, infringing on their rights and sovereignty.
Participating First Nations seek to halt enforcement of the new laws until the courts review their constitutionality.
With shrinking reserves, growing deficits and declining enrolment the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board has been placed under provincial supervision after an independent review found without ministry assistance, the board was at “significant risk” of defaulting on its financial obligations.
The Opposition NDP say the supervision order will not solve the root cause of the issue—PC underfunding of the public education system.
Mayor Annette Groves is once again under fire from the very residents who helped elect her on promises to protect Caledon’s environment and give the community a voice in local development. This time, outrage has erupted over a motion she introduced to allow construction fill to be dumped into a rehabilitated gravel pit, now a groundwater-fed lake teeming with wildlife.
The proposal, pushed forward without public consultation, drew a crowd of furious residents who packed council chambers on July 8, mirroring the backlash from 2024 when Groves faced widespread criticism over sweeping planning changes she made without proper public input.
Kathy McDonald, who has fought for years to reform the Peel District School Board, raised concerns during the board’s budget meeting early this month, highlighting what she sees as a failure to adequately invest in initiatives, mandated by the province, to end systemic anti-Black racism still plaguing the PDSB.
She also blasted the lack of transparency and staffing cuts impacting the entire public education community.
Peel Region urgently requires smart, sustainable growth to address its housing needs, but progress is repeatedly being stalled by chaotic PC legislation and political maneuvering among local leaders.
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and Caledon Mayor Annette Groves walked out of an earlier regional council meeting in protest.
Egregious cases of animal cruelty continue to be exposed across Ontario.
Advocates say the entire animal welfare system is broken, and next Saturday they will take to the streets in Niagara Falls to confront the increasingly disturbing treatment of animals across the province.
Tenants protested outside City Hall Monday, demanding council members pass a rental replacement bylaw with strict provisions that ensures developers respect tenant rights and preserve existing affordable rental units if they plan any renovations or demolition.
After years of delay, Bramptonians still don’t have a timeline for the expansion of Peel Memorial. A critical second hospital has been needed in the city for decades. Despite an RFP for the project closing in April, no proponent has been named to carry out the construction and the PC government refuses to answer any questions, while the mayor and other officials continue to mislead residents about the status of the long-delayed project.
After claiming that an ongoing criminal case against Councillor Mike Strange could not be addressed or even remotely tied to any council conversation—justification for blocking a women’s rights group—Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati gave Strange the floor at Tuesday’s public meeting to do just that.
While the man charged with intimate partner violence was allowed to use his position and the council chamber to crusade for himself, women seeking to address proposed provincial legislation aimed at tightening accountability of municipal elected officials were again denied the privilege afforded to Strange.
The PC government is taking its proposed new municipal accountability legislation on the road this month to gather feedback from elected officials, stakeholders and the public across Ontario.
During the first two hearings last week, committee members heard disturbing stories of a municipal government system that resembles the wild west.
In a message to the Falls View Hose Brigade, Niagara Falls Councillor Mike Strange asked the group’s members to fill council chambers “so there is no space for the women’s group to sit” at Tuesday’s council meeting, in exchange for free drinks after.
He wants to drown out The Women of Ontario Say No after the mayor and City officials denied the group an opportunity to address the lack of accountability over municipal elected officials accused of assault. Strange was charged with intimate partner violence in May after police responded to a domestic incident and found a woman who was injured at the scene. He told the Hose Brigade that he plans to defend himself Tuesday and asked the group’s members to clap for him.