As COP15 came to a close, nearly 200 nations signed onto the Kunming—Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework which lays out four broad goals and 23 specific targets to achieve worldwide by 2030.
While the 30 by 30 goal — 30 percent of the Earth’s land, oceans, coastal areas and inland waters protected by 2030 — is being celebrated, many remain skeptical about the political and corporate will to achieve the targets.
As public uproar continues in opposition to Bill 23 and changes to Greenbelt legislation, the head of Ontario’s government agency responsible for protecting species at risk has resigned.
It is the latest message aimed at Doug Ford and his PC government, which continues to push aside environmental safeguards to make way for sprawl-style development.
Brampton residents will no longer be allowed to display outdoor election signs, an unprecedented move by Council, led by Rowena Santos, who tried a similar move in 2019, but after failing to do her homework the decision was widely criticized as an underhanded attempt to stifle future candidates.
The councillor, who received less than ten percent of the eligible vote in October, had her outdoor election sign ban passed recently, but the by-law is now being challenged.
Bill 23 has upended urban planning in Ontario, forcing municipalities to take action against legislation aimed at usurping their authority over local land use.
Environmental organizations and other advocates are trying to fill the knowledge gap so local officials can make the best decisions to protect the province’s remaining greenspaces.
Just weeks before the holidays, 15 CUPE emergency dispatchers employed by the City of Mississauga were told they were immediately being laid off as a private company has been given a contract that replaces them.
The ex-dispatchers are reeling from the news and questioning how it will impact the City’s response to emergency calls.
One of the key themes of COP 15 in Montreal is the role that cities can play in protecting biodiversity. Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante formed the Montreal Pledge encouraging cities to take action to protect the natural environment instead of waiting for direction from higher levels of government.
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Every day, the human trafficking unit of the Niagara Police tries to find a needle in a haystack. Traffickers, bringing their victims to Niagara to cash in on the transient, bustling tourist scene, are easily able to blend in with the crowd, using one of the region’s hundreds of hotels or motels to conduct their illegal business.
It will take buy-in from across the region and its many tourism sector stakeholders to stop the scourge.
After two years of internal strife and damning allegations about the mismanagement of Peel’s child welfare organization, the Peel Children’s Aid Society board of directors has discreetly announced Rav Bains is retiring from his role as CEO.
The move comes over a year after the former CEO was placed on administrative leave following a provincial review that revealed a toxic work environment and financial mismanagement.
While some residents have framed their opposition to the proposed addition of the new Brampton and Regional Islamic Centre as a safety issue—citing concerns about traffic and noise—Muslim residents say they just want a peaceful place for families to practice their faith, free from the intolerance being expressed mostly by residents with the same background.
The Province has confirmed to The Pointer that no Record of Site Condition report was submitted by the developer prior to the residential zoning switch last year. The report is required before land-use is changed for a former industrial property, and is supposed to ensure contaminants are identified as part of work to remediate the land to keep the public safe. The Ministry of Environment has confirmed earlier findings of high levels of toxic PCBs leaking from what was formerly a 50-acre manufacturing site.
After the land was bought in 2014, the property owner is finally proposing to mitigate the contamination and limit further leakage from the former GM site, but no official record of the property’s condition has been submitted to the Province.
The Liberals held onto their seat in Mississauga—Lakeshore following Monday’s byelection.
Former MPP Charles Sousa, who served as Ontario’s finance minister and is widely known in the South Mississauga community, will now join the federal government. As is the case in many byelections, voter turnout was low.
It has been an inspiring December for sports devotees in Brampton, with the Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League moving to the CAA Centre, and Council launching an expression of interest for a world class cricket stadium on the same property to host professional tournaments and matches.
As The Mississauga Food Bank hits the halfway mark of its annual holiday food drive, CEO Meghan Nicholls says the demand for assistance to feed families is starting to outpace the organization’s ability to meet increasing needs.
Recent reports reveal skyrocketing food bank use not only in Mississauga but across the country. People here might be turned away or given less food this holiday season.
A report released by Environmental Defence shows Canada will not meet its goal of zero plastic waste by 2030.
Plastic plays a major role in our lives; it’s the responsibility of all levels of government to find creative solutions.
A recent study commissioned by The Atmospheric Fund has exposed the impacts of the PC government’s actions.
While it buys up new environmentally harmful natural gas resources as part of its energy plan, the report shows clean solutions are viable, affordable and reliable alternatives, and the time to act is now.
Closing remarks by the Premier following a transportation announcement in Brampton Wednesday morning strayed from the topic as Doug Ford launched into an attack on Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, described as misogynistic by many on social media.
She has criticized the PC government's housing plan under Bill 23, which could force the construction of 120,000 new homes in Mississauga by 2031, with property taxpayers on the hook to cover certain infrastructure related costs previously paid by developers. Crombie has decried Ford’s loyalty to powerful builders while ignoring property taxpayers.
Through its three phases, Brampton’s ambitious Riverwalk urban development master plan will address flood prevention along the Etobicoke Creek corridor, connect parts of the city and provide a showpiece that promises to animate the withering downtown core.
Regional councillors will appoint an individual to the Peel Police Services Board on Thursday.
Members of Peel’s Black communities are calling for representation around the table as they continue to face disproportionate harm at the hands of police.
Ontario’s Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk has published a stinging audit that determined the Doug Ford PC government is doing very little to fund stormwater infrastructure and provide necessary data for flood mapping, both of which are critical to protecting the province’s 444 municipalities from the increasing risk of flooding due to climate change—a risk that will be exacerbated by the PCs’ misguided housing strategy which will make it easier to destroy wetlands and build subdivisions in floodplains.
Bill 7, The More Beds, Better Care Act, is being constitutionally challenged by the Ontario Health Coalition and the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, who argue the purpose of the legislation is to intimidate and coerce older adults into giving up their hospital bed.
The Ford government’s plan to carve out certain parcels of land from the Greenbelt is facing scrutiny from a range of stakeholders.
Two MPPs have asked for an investigation by both the Auditor General and the Integrity Commissioner into lobbying actions by developers who bought up land in the Greenbelt, then saw the PCs identify those properties for future subdivisions.
After what she describes as “Feeling frightened, concerned for her safety and entirely unsupported by City Management,” former councillor Karen Ras has filed a damning lawsuit against the City of Mississauga and former council member Ron Starr. She alleges City Manager Paul Mitcham and Mayor Bonnie Crombie ignored her requests for support while she was allegedly being repeatedly harassed by Starr, who has denied the allegations against him.
Voters are once again heading to the polls to select their MP for the Mississauga—Lakeshore riding, a position that’s been vacant for several months since the resignation of former Liberal representative Sven Spengemann.
Now, 40 candidates—the largest number to run in any single electoral district in a federal election or byelection—are vying for the vacant position to represent Mississauga on Parliament Hill.
An environmentally significant forest in Welland is at risk of being destroyed by a developer, after the municipality broke its commitment to preserve the land for future generations. The proposal for a three-storey condominium is the latest threat to the area's oasis of greenery and wildlife.
Neighbourhood residents are now fighting back.
Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act is yet another example of the Ford government violating Indigenous and Treaty rights with destructive legislation that has been reported to benefit the developers or land owners involved. Countless First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples have come forward in the last few years alone making statements citing disrespect and lack of consultation by the PC government, leading to legal battles.
The Chiefs of Ontario and the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation are the latest to speak out against Bill 23, citing clear violations and blatant disregard for rights over their ancestral and traditional territories.
The PC’s controversial housing legislation has passed at Queen’s Park, mandating urban sprawl onto Ontario’s largest municipalities, compromising climate change goals and threatening vital greenspace.
It also opens the PCs to significant liability, following a lack of consultation, and the possibility of legal challenges.
Peel Regional Police is looking for a significant expansion to its budget for 2023, a funding boost the chief has described as absolutely critical to address increased workloads across the hyper-growth region.
The ask comes as municipal finances across Ontario are stretched thin by two years of a pandemic and the looming revenue cuts that could deplete coffers if Premier Doug Ford’s developer-friendly housing legislation is passed.
The 2022 Emissions Gap Report shows targets set in the Paris Agreement are not supported by policies around the world. In Canada, governments on all levels have a responsibility to take swift climate action to prevent further harm to the planet.
While the Region of Peel has a climate action plan in place, its recent decisions have pushed it further from its goals. Ottawa and Queen’s Park have also pursued policies contrary to their climate commitments.
Elected officials representing Ontario’s third and fourth largest cities are warning that if Bill 23 passes in its current form, forcing 1.5 million new homes across the province in just eight years, it will have devastating impacts on property tax rates, critical infrastructure and affordable housing.
The Region of Peel is moving forward with a proposal for supervised consumption sites in the region following council approval in July.
The Pointer canvassed the streets of Cooksville, one of the potential locations, to hear how businesses feel about the proposal. Misguided stigmas often create negative views about supervised drug consumption sites, which can dramatically improve neighbourhoods.
The Toronto MPP tells The Pointer her PC counterparts in Brampton are not representing the priorities of their constituents. She warns local residents that Doug Ford’s radical housing plan would destroy City Hall’s finances. Brampton taxpayers will be left to pick up the pieces.
A massive collection of stakeholders across the province has mobilized to fight the Doug Ford PC government and its development industry backers. Their proposed Bill 23 would push the construction of 1.5 million new homes, mostly in the GTHA, in just eight years.
From destroying Southern Ontario’s protected ecosystems and crippling municipalities with unmanageable costs for infrastructure to leaving future residents without services such as healthcare and education, the Bill is being described as the height of reckless decision making.
Crown attorneys are a pillar of the justice system, yet they work with a startling lack of oversight.
Mississauga rapper Avalanche the Architect says the Crown involved in his 2014 trial for uttering threats in connection to his music lost a key piece of evidence that could have swung the ruling in his favour.
The provincial government does not track complaints against Crown attorneys, despite repeated recommendations from the auditor general and professional bodies to do so.
A warming world is a breeding ground for sickness and a playground for vector borne diseases.
As the climate warms at an increasing rate, there may be no stopping these threats to our health from arriving. From our drinking water to impacts on air quality that affect our breathing to mental health, and the cascading risks caused by natural hazards, one particular question researchers in our warming world are asking is fundamental to our future well being: is our healthcare system prepared for the fight?
After she was fired earlier this year, Muneeza Sheikh, whose initial hiring was the focus of a forensic investigation cancelled by Patrick Brown in August, has been offered her old job as the integrity commissioner by the City of Brampton.
Her previous ties to Brown led to criticism for taking the position despite the possibility of a conflict of interest. She was let go when councillors opposed to Brown last term expressed concern over the amount she had billed taxpayers. Sheikh then filed a lawsuit against them and the City.
Brampton’s new Council will be responsible for passing a budget with an array of challenges, from aging infrastructure and the new provincial housing targets to a growing list of neglected projects.
Mississauga is in the middle of a significant transition. New investments and urban growth are pushing it out from the domineering shadow of Toronto. Its sleepy suburban past is being replaced by a buzzing cosmopolitan vibe, with North America’s largest waterfront transformation and a massive reimaging of its once tired downtown.
With a new slate of elected officials sworn in Tuesday evening, does the new council have what it takes to make Mississauga not just look like a big city, but feel like one too?
Premier Doug Ford is backtracking on a promise to not touch Ontario’s protected Greenbelt. A proposed plan could remove 7,400 acres within the lungs that pump fresh air across Southern Ontario.
Ecologically, the PC pledge to “expand” the Greenbelt elsewhere makes no sense, experts say. Meanwhile, the headwaters that arc above the GTA will be devastated if developers are allowed to erase the Greenbelt, one piece at a time.
The PC government’s decision to increase natural gas use for electricity production comes as emissions across most of Southern Ontario make climate targets virtually impossible.
A new report by The Atmospheric Fund shows the province and its municipalities need to dramatically reduce emissions in order to avoid catastrophic impacts.
A long-time resident of Caledon, Kathleen Wilson, decided to create and widely circulate a report card detailing the votes taken by Caledon council members prior to the October 24 municipal election. Her work drew widespread attention across the town with some fully supporting her, and others going out of their way to discredit everything she has done. Wilson is an anomaly, a citizen who believes one person can take a stand to protect the values held by many.
The architect of Ontario’s Greenbelt Plan, Victor Doyle, writes that sweeping changes to the management of Southern Ontario’s growth under Bill 23 were never mentioned during Doug Ford’s provincial election campaign. Despite its profound impact on climate change, the way we move and work and the financial burden shifted to home buyers and property taxpayers, the PC government has neglected to mention the numerous negative consequences its proposed legislation will have on all Ontarians.
Following an internal investigation leading to the termination of two Peel Children’s Aid Society employees and a subsequent investigation conducted by Peel Regional Police, they have been charged with several offences in relation to an alleged purchase and reimbursement scheme, part of allegations that they defrauded the troubled organization of more than $250,000. The leadership of Peel CAS has faced fierce criticism for mismanagement over the past two years.
The destruction of critical greenspace, higher property taxes and the reduction of future affordable housing were issues of concern raised by key stakeholders in Peel Thursday. They told the provincial government that if left unchanged its proposed Bill 23 will create widespread problems across Ontario.
The CUPE strike has ended and schools have reopened but the Doug Ford government is still at an impasse over how the Canadian Union of Public Employees’ 55,000 education workers should be treated. The PCs have repeatedly cited their motive to protect the well being of students, but residents want to know why this government seems to care so little about the well being of employees who look after those students.
To tackle the illegal practice of trucking companies misclassifying drivers as independent contractors to get out of giving employees benefits, the federal Ministry of Labour is investing $26.3 million over five years. Across Peel, truck drivers for years have raised concerns about wage theft, poor working conditions and other systemic problems in the industry.
Announced by the PC government, under the recently proposed Bill 23, the new provincial housing target for Brampton is 113,000 units by 2031, a stark increase to the City’s own Draft Official Plan which forecasts 102,000 housing units by 2051. If passed, the legislation would diminish affordable housing goals; and there is no indication of how provincial services and infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools and GO Trains, would be funded to support the massive build-out.
Doug Ford’s PC government is about to gut environmental regulations and the province’s conservation authorities, stripping away safeguards meant to protect the most important natural spaces in Ontario.
The public has been shut out of the process, but the head of the Ontario Headwaters Institute writes that far too much is at stake. Citizens, he says, have to stand up against profit-seeking developers; otherwise the environmental agenda will be destroyed.
The PC government’s new housing Bill is receiving major backlash from politicians, environmental and housing activists alike.
It cuts environmental roadblocks meant to govern development, more proof that Doug Ford and his party do not prioritize the preservation of our natural surroundings.
A study released by Environmental Defence has found, at minimum, close to 30 at-risk species will face dire consequences if Highway 413 is constructed—confirming the results of an investigation completed by The Pointer in 2021.
With the PC government under Premier Doug Ford continuing to show its unwillingness to prioritize environmental action, the advocacy group is turning to the federal government, demanding the project be designated for a full impact assessment, something that could see the project cancelled for good.
Patrick Brown denied any involvement in the firing of his election opponent, Nikki Kaur, whose employment with the City of Brampton was terminated a day after the October 24 municipal election.
Despite statements by the City that no comments would be made regarding Kaur’s firing, Brown conducted media interviews last week simultaneously claiming he had nothing to do with the decision while repeatedly disparaging Kaur’s work with the City, even lying about a report. Her lawyer says litigation is a possibility after what he described as a “retaliatory firing”.
