The next government will have to address a housing crisis now more than a decade old. In Mississauga, a city facing immense growth pressure, status quo planning to create large single-family homes will no longer cut it.
Missing middle housing, density and complete communities are what younger generations are asking for, with a reasonable price tag that won’t leave them house poor for the rest of their life. But the three major parties have failed to offer a detailed plan, and realistic ideas to deliver what voters in Canada’s seventh largest city desperately need.
The carbon tax, once a cornerstone of Canada’s climate strategy, has become a political bargaining chip in the 2025 election.
Recently, Prime Minister Mark Carney made the controversial move to eliminate the consumer carbon tax, a decision that experts warn could undo progress to address climate change and set Canada back in the race to a new clean energy economy.
Critical workers who help some of Peel’s most vulnerable residents recently voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike after years or dealing with compensation that has not kept pace with their increasing workload.
A well-crafted public relations event days before the start of the federal election campaign had many Brampton residents convinced the multi-billion-dollar tunnelled LRT into downtown was a done deal. But that’s far from the case.
As Canadians prepare to vote on April 28, with Brampton's six seats up for grabs, the city’s transit future remains unclear without a federal commitment, despite the pre-election claims, while the controversial mayor has failed to budget any money for the LRT plan he pitched as the answer to local transportation needs.
Ahead of the April 28th election, more and more questions are being raised about what exactly the major parties are promising to ensure our natural world—with all the economic and personal consequences tied to its safety—is protected.
Recent Ontario elections, when voters were given little warning about the consequences of Doug Ford’s eventual policies, serve as a reminder that constituents risk their own wellbeing when forced to make a decision without much meaningful information from those asking for their support.
While U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum and the auto sector sparked more anxiety across Canada’s freight sector, some truckers hauling food loads and consumer goods, which will not face border taxes, breathed a sigh of relief this week. For many others, a shrinking and saturated market is tightening the squeeze.
Latest Episode
A shadowy nexus of political insiders, fundraising operatives and party gatekeepers is at the heart of explosive allegations made by Keshav Mandadi, a would-be Conservative Party candidate in Mississauga, who claims he was systematically misled, financially drained and ultimately disqualified without explanation from a local nomination race that never happened.
Nine supervised consumption sites across the province transitioned away from harm reduction services on Tuesday in response to the PCs’ Community Care and Recovery Act, even though a court decision last week placed an injunction on their closure until a final decision.
Peel’s site, meanwhile, must cease operations due to the provincial government’s move.
As U.S. President Donald Trump officially puts 25 percent tariffs on the auto sector at midnight, and applies sweeping taxes on almost all other goods for much of the rest of the world, the impacts on Mississauga will be significant.
The City of Mississauga has launched a campaign outlining several requests to federal leaders vying to become prime minister, with trade tensions top of mind for Canada’s seventh largest municipality.
The U.S. is set to introduce sweeping international tariffs today. In late February, with the threatened U.S. tariffs looming, automotive giant Stellantis announced an eight-week pause on its retooling plans to transform the Brampton assembly plant to manufacture electric vehicles.
Thousands of employees, including the head of the local union at the facility, are growing increasingly concerned, as the shutdown comes amid mounting uncertainty across the North American auto sector with the spectre of 25 percent tariffs threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump.
From the recent flood of international students who settled in Brampton to the rise in asylum claimants and the decades-long wave of newcomers putting down roots in the city, there is perhaps no place in Canada that has felt the impact of immigration more acutely.
Ahead of the federal election, residents across Brampton want to know what lies in store for the city that attracts an outsized number of newcomers every year, stretching resources thin and raising questions about what is working…and what’s not.
Misperceptions of this increasingly common crime, including the false idea that it only happens across borders, contribute to the risks people face in their own community.
Victims are often targeted close to home by people well schooled in identifying and exploiting vulnerable situations others find themselves in.
Local leaders and activists, in both the Niagara Region and Western New York, are encouraging a resumption of the relations and travel patterns that have intrinsically linked the Canadian and U.S. border communities along the Niagara River for decades.
Amid the growing challenges of food insecurity and mental health struggles, many Mississauga residents are finding refuge in gardening, using it for nourishment in many ways. The city's annual Seed Library event is part of this gardening revival, offering free seeds to locals eager to grow their own food and reconnect with nature.
Participants showed that planting seeds goes beyond growing food—it’s about cultivating hope for the future.
Somewhat encouraging words by Mark Carney and Donald Trump following their Friday phone call still create a sense of uncertainty around the escalating trade war triggered by the American President’s chaotic leadership.
Mississauga businesses tell The Pointer that not knowing if Trump actually has a plan at all, leaves them in a state of limbo, freezing many operations while paralyzing efforts to look elsewhere for partners, in hopes that relationships with America will normalize. Carney, meanwhile, is making one thing clear: Canadian businesses, and the country as a whole, need to start thinking beyond the U.S. as a fundamentally different economy of the future takes shape.
St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe used his most senior staff at the City of St. Catharines for his plans to attend a campaign event for Doug Ford where he endorsed the PC leader for premier, FOI documents show.
The use of City resources for such purposes is strictly prohibited by Council’s Code of Conduct.
With tariffs on both sides of the border, the organization, which relies heavily on donations from individuals and corporations (many tied to the U.S.) is already feeling the impact.
Prices at the grocery store are being felt, while the budgets of both those who are relied on for donations and those who are on the brink of food insecurity are being stretched.
While different steps are being taken to fill each position, questions are being raised about how to attract a new generation of engaged municipal leaders to represent increasingly complex issues at the local level of government.
Despite a harrowing plea from Peel’s only sexual assault crisis centre, Brampton Council made no substantial funding commitment—Mayor Patrick Brown and Councillor Rowena Santos, who have made various claims of supporting advocacy against gender-based violence, have failed to ensure the facility does not close next month.
In the heart of St. Catharines, a group of seniors known as the 'Raging Grannies' is using humour and heart to speak out on issues that matter most.
Born from a rich tradition of activism, the group’s playful protests are packed with powerful messages, addressing everything from the sell off of Ontario Place to climate change.
For five years, Mississauga resident Wolf Ruck has fought to keep his garden. The thriving habitat for pollinators is a haven of biodiversity, and according to City bylaws, it’s illegal. Each time it was mowed down, he replanted, determined to challenge a system that prioritizes aesthetics over ecological health.
Across Canada, environmental advocates and organizations like the David Suzuki Foundation and the Canadian Wildlife Federation have issued an open letter, urging municipalities to reform outdated bylaws that restrict habitat gardens, and adopt new policies that support biodiversity, environmental well-being and climate action.
Information obtained by The Pointer shows environmental officials with the province downplayed the significance of ongoing testing and analysis to determine the long-term health impacts posed by the contaminated former GM site.
The revelation follows a pattern from bureaucrats and elected officials who have consistently attempted to shrug off the health risks to surrounding residents despite documentation, which we now know about, that showed alarming levels of toxic chemicals at the site when the last proper testing was done.
Officials with the Metamorphosis Network, a collective of social service agencies in Peel, are hopeful that following the recent provincial election the PCs will address the longstanding funding shortfall that is harming vulnerable individuals and families across the region.
The Pointer contacted the Premier’s office and each of the provincial representatives in Brampton and Mississauga, but they have continued to remain silent on the issue.
With the spring migration underway, health officials are concerned about their ability to limit the spread of a deadly strain of avian flu after Peel Public Health received several reports of dead birds in Caledon and Brampton over the past month.
The Region is now monitoring any suspected cases of Avian Influenza or ‘bird flu’ in response to the “large number” of dead birds being reported.
Residents across Peel and Niagara, like many across the country, are feeling anxious about the possible impacts of the ongoing trade tensions with the U.S..
The Pointer offers an explainer to show just how connected the two countries are, and the leverage Canada has (and does not have) as we take on an American administration committed to destabilizing our economy to benefit its own.
MiWay ridership increased 14 percent last year and estimates suggest the trend will continue in 2025. Mississauga recently received $112 million from the federal government to be allocated over the next decade to advance key improvements to the city’s transit system as the booming city’s transit service continues to see increased demand.
Stellantis' abrupt pause on the $1.3 billion retooling of its Brampton Assembly Plant comes as U.S. President Donald Trump ramps up threats to impose 25 percent levies on the Canadian industry, sending shockwaves through the auto sector. With the turbulence surrounding North America’s automakers deepening, experts are now warning that Trump’s aggressive trade stance could dismantle Canada’s supply chains, drive up costs and lead to mass layoffs.
Across Canada, the fossil fuel industry has long influenced what children learn about the climate crisis, despite being some of the country’s largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. In Ontario, schools facing underfunding and shrinking resources become more susceptible to corporate-backed educational materials that downplay the industry’s impact and push false solutions. The recent passage of Bill C-59 aims to hold companies accountable for unproven environmental claims, but stronger action is needed to protect students from industry influence.
With Peel’s reception centre officially operational at Spectrum Way in Mississauga, staff are now working to redirect asylum claimants from the Region’s temporary facility at Leanne Boulevard. But with new revisions to Ottawa’s Interim Housing Assistance Program to support surges of refugees, staff warn the amendments could have “significant financial implications for Peel.”
In response to the changes to the federal government’s funding program and current asylum claimant numbers, the Region is now scaling back service levels and working to acquire a dedicated family site in an effort to reduce reliance on temporary accommodations.
Brampton’s downtown lacks a clear physical boundary, blurring its identity and fragmenting its representation.
A review of the political map of the city could change this, finally creating a true sense of what the city-centre is all about, and where it extends to.
A startling number of teenages of died by suicide after falling victim to sextortion scams. Tricked into sending sensitive images, the scammer threatens to spread it to their family and friends if they don’t send cash.
This crime is exploding across the globe, law enforcement and advocacy groups are clamouring for changes to social media security to put up roadblocks in front of these scammers who are often connected to organized crime groups. Why are government officials moving at a glacial pace as teens continue to die?
Almost a year into operations of its supervised consumption site, a staff report to regional council revealed Peel’s site must now close. The decision was made after Health Canada said it would not be extending the Region’s exemption to operate the site, aligning with the PCs’ recently passed legislation, which ordered the closure of several safe consumption facilities across the province.
The Ministry of Health says any funding or hosting of an SCS on municipal property is deemed “municipal support” under the legislation and that the Region must cease operations by the end of the month.
The crumbling of our long-standing tariff-free relationship with the U.S. is a reminder of the need to leave carbon behind, as much of the world rushes toward a new energy economy.
Donald Trump wants to plunge his country into the past but his leadership represents an opportunity for Canada to accelerate its shift to the energy economy that will shape the future.
Despite Donald Trump’s latest change of heart, claiming his tariffs on Canadian goods will be postponed till April, empty truckloads are becoming the new reality for thousands of Brampton truckers as cross-border trade is disrupted by the erratic behaviour of the U.S. President.
The economic fallout across the city has begun, as many drivers, mechanics and others who support the commercial trucking industry wonder how they will stay afloat while Trump tries to destabilize the Canadian economy.
At Wednesday’s council meeting, the city’s local elected officials adopted policies to provide a measure of support for the local economy while pushing back in a small but symbolic way against U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods.
One councillor had some pointed words for the American leader.
With 25 percent U.S. tariffs hitting Canadian goods, Brampton’s massive trucking industry braces for mass layoffs and financial turmoil. Industry leaders warn that rising costs and declining demand could push businesses to the brink.
With U.S. President Donald Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods and 10 percent on energy, businesses across Canada are fearing what is to come. As an economic hub for several industries, manufacturing top among them, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce says Mississauga could see labour disruptions, increased costs and potential downsizing of businesses across the city.
In January, two men were put behind bars for accessing, viewing or sharing child sexual abuse material in Peel. The two cases are a victory for Peel’s Internet Child Exploitation unit which is dealing with an influx of reports. This increasingly common crime is difficult to prosecute with offenders often escaping justice.
In the peaceful village of Cataract in northwest Caledon, Tony Sevelka and his wife, Eileen Markell, imagined spending their retirement years in the serene haven where they chose to settle down in 1999. But their dreams took an unexpected turn in 2019 when they learned of a proposed blasting quarry just down the road proposed by one of the world’s largest aggregate consortium’s.
The couple has since taken up a fight against the disruptive impacts of the powerful gravel industry in a community known as one of the "greenest towns in Ontario”.
In Peel Region, a quiet green revolution is unfolding, driven by the efforts of students, educators, and administrators committed to sustainability. Amid growing environmental concerns and the reality of climate change, the Peel District School Board (PDSB) is charting a course toward a more sustainable future through a climate action plan in development, a shift to innovative solutions and preparing students for flooding events.
And one Brampton teacher—who doesn’t identify as a "green thumb"—is proving that environmental sustainability doesn’t have to be a chore.
Despite a return to Party status for the Ontario Liberal Party, leader Bonnie Crombie fell short of securing a seat at Queen’s Park. PC candidate Silvia Gualtieri, the mother-in-law of Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, triumphed in the Mississauga East—Cooksville race, besting the former mayor by just over 1,200 votes.
Gualtieri will join the five incumbent PCs who all were successful in holding onto their Mississauga seats, securing the city for the PCs over the upcoming term.
Voters in Brampton have helped Doug Ford on his way to another majority government at Queen’s Park, returning all five PC incumbents to the Legislature.
The early election saw abysmal voter turnout in the city with not a single Brampton riding recording more than 39 percent of voters casting a ballot.
Niagara voters were happy to keep things the same Thursday as all four incumbent MPPs were returned to the Legislature.
With repeated visits to the region during the campaign, it was clear Doug Ford was hoping for a breakthrough in Niagara, but the NDP maintained a grip on three of the region's four ridings.
On Friday, the City of Brampton plans to evict Friends of Historic Bovaird House, locking the beloved local volunteer group out from the agricultural museum that its members have cared for over the years.
What appears to be nothing more than a political vendetta by the mayor and one of his closest council allies against a former progressive councillor, has led to the likely end of a deeply respected community organization.
Prior to 2018 Ontario’s electricity grid was 96 percent non-emitting. Under the leadership of Doug Ford, with natural gas now supplying a significant portion of the province’s electricity, the grid has become far dirtier.
As more companies and individuals move to reduce their carbon footprint, Ford is creating more of the required electricity from the worst possible source.
Aura Freedom International hosted its “Disrupting the Tides” symposium on February 20th to raise awareness about human sex trafficking.
A theme of the event was the disturbing lack of interest among governments to confront this rapidly increasing crime.
Since 2018, the PCs under the leadership of Doug Ford have cut billions of dollars from Ontario’s education system.
With infrastructure crumbling, test scores falling and more students struggling, the province’s big teachers’ unions are demanding change.
Days away from the provincial election Thursday, Ontario’s opposition leaders are criticizing Doug Ford for his encroachment on municipal authority, and they would consider taking back the provincial responsibilities that have been downloaded onto towns and cities.
Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie and Green Party leader Mike Schreiner also said they would take a serious look at doing away with strong mayor powers.
A recent report by Niagara regional staff highlighted the gaps between the housing reality across the area and the types of homes Doug Ford’s aggressive policies aim to create.
Shortly after the last provincial election, St. Catharines released a stinging criticism of the PC plan, which places unsustainable financial burden on municipal taxpayers now expected to pay for infrastructure to support thousands of new homes, while failing to provide the type of housing local residents need.
Staffing shortages, hospitals running deficits, ER wait times that can be measured in days instead of hours–this has become the norm of Ontario’s healthcare system under Doug Ford and the PC government.
Despite two visits to the region to stump for local candidates, Ford did not address how underfunding is currently putting immense pressure on Niagara’s healthcare infrastructure.
