Author: Sophie Mitchell

Cambridge residents will have an opportunity to celebrate German heritage and one of Waterloo Region’s best-known fall traditions when the city hosts its annual free Oktoberfest Lunch at City Hall on Wednesday, October 14. The community event will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Civic Square, bringing together residents, municipal leaders, volunteers and local organizations for an afternoon featuring traditional food, live music and Oktoberfest activities. Mayor Jan Liggett and members of Cambridge City Council are scheduled to attend the celebration, which forms part of the broader Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest festivities. The regional festival draws tens of thousands of…

Loud As Hell Open Air Festival is preparing to mark its 15th edition in Alberta’s Badlands, with organizers opening band submissions for the 2027 event throughout October. The three-day heavy metal festival is scheduled to run from July 30 to Aug. 1, 2027, in Drumheller, Alberta, bringing extreme music, camping and live entertainment back to one of Western Canada’s most distinctive festival settings. Bands seeking a place on the 2027 lineup can submit applications from Oct. 1 through Oct. 31. Organizers are inviting artists interested in performing alongside Canadian and international heavy music acts, continuing the festival’s focus on both…

Ontario marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day on September 30, honoring survivors of Canada’s residential school system and remembering the Indigenous children who never returned home. Premier Doug Ford and Greg Rickford, Ontario’s Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation, issued a joint statement recognizing the day and emphasizing the importance of remembrance, education and community-led healing. Ontario Honors Residential School Survivors The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is observed annually across Canada on September 30. The day provides an opportunity to recognize the experiences of First Nations, Inuit and Métis…

The City of Cambridge and the developer behind a proposed residential redevelopment on Grand Avenue have reached a settlement that would reduce the project’s height and introduce additional measures aimed at addressing heritage, streetscape and neighbourhood concerns. The proposed development at 32, 36 and 38 Grand Avenue has been before the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) since September 2025. The City said the settlement, reached between the two parties involved in the hearing, replaces elements of the original 28-storey proposal with a revised 22-storey plan. The OLT is scheduled to consider the settlement proposal on October 27, 2026. Even if the…

Ontario is investing $101 million to fund 5,260 additional seats at York University, expanding student access to programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, health and education as the province seeks to address labour shortages and strengthen its workforce. The new York University spaces form part of Ontario’s broader $1.7 billion investment to create more than 70,000 additional postsecondary seats in high-demand fields. Students will begin accessing some of the newly funded spaces as early as the fall 2026 academic year. York University Receives $101 Million for Seat Expansion The provincial funding will support 3,814 additional seats in STEM programs,…

Ontario is investing $5.2 million in Indigenous-led sport, recreation and cultural programming, extending initiatives that the province says have connected nearly 180,000 participants with recreational and high-performance sport opportunities since 2018. Announced Sept. 29, the funding will support programs serving First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities across Ontario. The initiatives include multi-sport camps, athlete and coach development, community recreation, cultural activities and leadership programming, while also supporting local employment. “Sport and recreation should be accessible to everyone at every level, and today’s announcement is another step in the province’s plan to ensure every child in Ontario gets the opportunity to…

Ontario’s Office of the Chief Coroner has scheduled an inquest into the death of Matthew Di Giovanni, a 34-year-old man who died in September 2019 following an interaction with Peel Regional Police officers. The inquest is set to begin at 10 a.m. on Monday, October 19, 2026, and is expected to run for 10 days. Approximately 12 witnesses are anticipated to provide evidence during the proceedings, according to an announcement from Ontario’s Ministry of the Solicitor General on September 29. Inquest to Examine Circumstances Surrounding 2019 Death Dr. Richard Wells, Regional Supervising Coroner for the Central Region’s Toronto West Office,…

Ontario and Webequie First Nation have awarded a construction management contract for the Webequie Supply Road, advancing a major transportation project designed to provide year-round access to the Ring of Fire mineral region and support economic development in Northern Ontario. Sigfusson Northern LTD has been selected as construction manager for the 107-kilometre all-season road, according to the Ontario government. The project is expected to connect Webequie First Nation with the Ring of Fire and form a key part of a broader road network intended to improve access for northern communities and mineral development. Webequie Supply Road Targeted for 2030 Opening…

Wisconsin heavy rock veterans Carbellion have released a new music video and single, “This Is Our Style,” offering the latest preview of the band’s forthcoming full-length album of the same name. The 11-track This Is Our Style is scheduled for release on Nov. 13, 2026, through Eclipse Records. The project follows the band’s 2023 album Weapons of Choice and continues its combination of heavy rock, desert rock and stoner influences. The title track is the second of three planned music videos connected to the new record. Directed by Kenny Boufadene of Studio Meltdown, the video was filmed during the Violators…

A coalition of environmental, animal welfare and community organizations has filed an opening brief in a California lawsuit challenging changes to the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, arguing that incentives for factory farm biogas production impose environmental and health costs on rural communities. The brief, filed in Fresno Superior Court, targets amendments adopted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in 2024. The petitioners contend that the changes strengthened financial incentives for producing biogas from livestock manure without adequately addressing the resulting environmental impacts. The groups involved are Defensores del Valle Central para el Aire y Agua Limpio, Food &…