Author: Sophie Mitchell

VANCOUVER — Community organizations in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and Chinatown are raising concerns about potential human rights impacts tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, warning that the city’s draft Human Rights Action Plan falls short of protecting vulnerable residents as preparations accelerate. An informal coalition of neighbourhood groups says the plan, released Feb. 19 by Vancouver’s FIFA Host City Committee, relies too heavily on existing laws and lacks concrete measures to prevent harm, particularly for people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. “On behalf of an informal coalition of organizations and collectives in the DTES and Chinatown communities (“the Coalition”),…

PETERBOROUGH, Ont. — Peterborough Musicfest has been named one of Ontario’s Top 100 Festivals and Events, a designation that underscores the free concert series’ growing cultural and economic impact and reinforces its position as a major tourism draw in the region. The recognition, awarded by Festivals & Events Ontario (FEO), places the long-running summer concert series among the province’s most influential and well-executed cultural events. The honour comes as organizers prepare for the festival’s 39th season, set to begin June 27 at Del Crary Park. For Peterborough Musicfest, which has spent nearly four decades transforming the city’s waterfront into a…

OZAMIZ CITY, Philippines — Students and teachers in Ozamiz City are taking a more direct role in shaping how health and safety information is delivered to young people, co-creating a new generation of educational materials designed to be more relevant, accessible, and effective for adolescents. The initiative, led by Jhpiego Philippines under its BRAVE Project and funded by Olivia Rodrigo’s Fund 4 Good, brought together 35 participants for a two-day workshop on Feb. 25 and 26 at Bethany Gardens Resort. The effort reflects a growing emphasis among educators and development organizations on participatory approaches that involve end-users — in this…

TORONTO — Canadian alternative rock musician Melissa Auf der Maur will return to Toronto next month for an encore launch of her memoir, after an earlier event sold out quickly, underscoring continued audience demand for artists reflecting on the influential 1990s rock era. The Montreal-born bassist, best known for her work with Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins, will appear March 22 at The Garrison as part of the Wavelength Music Festival + Conference 2026. The event, presented with Sonic Boom in partnership with TO Live, will centre on her new book, Even the Good Girls Will Cry: A ’90s Rock…

KITCHENER, Ont. — The Ontario government is supporting $5.8 million in investments by two Kitchener-based medical technology companies, marking the first round of funding under its new Life Sciences Scale-Up Fund and aiming to strengthen the province’s competitiveness in the fast-growing global health sciences sector. The provincial funding will help Intellijoint Surgical Inc. and Vena Medical expand manufacturing, adopt advanced technologies and scale their products for domestic and international markets. The projects are expected to support 59 jobs, including new high-skilled positions, while reinforcing Ontario’s position as a hub for life sciences innovation. “Ontario has a long and proud history…

OTTAWA — Ontario’s Office of the Chief Coroner has scheduled a new date for the long-anticipated inquest into the death of Raymond Alliman, with proceedings set to begin March 23, 2026, nearly nine years after his death following an interaction with police. Dr. Louise McNaughton-Filion, regional supervising coroner for the East Region in Ottawa, announced that the inquest will open at 9:30 a.m. and is expected to run for six days. The hearing will be conducted virtually, allowing members of the public to observe the proceedings online. The inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding the death of Alliman, who was…

Construction milestones at hospitals in British Columbia and Ontario are advancing major health-care infrastructure investments aimed at expanding capacity, modernizing facilities and supporting growing populations, as provincial governments collectively commit billions to upgrades and new builds. In Mission, B.C., construction has begun on an $18-million expansion of the emergency department at Fraser Health’s Mission Memorial Hospital, a project that will increase treatment space and replace facilities damaged by flooding in early 2024. “We’re thrilled to announce that construction has started for the Mission Memorial Hospital Emergency Department,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure. “This expansion represents a significant investment in…

NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. — Ontario has reached a key milestone in the construction of the new South Niagara Hospital, as the province continues a multibillion-dollar push to expand health infrastructure and add capacity to its strained hospital system. The provincial government announced Wednesday that the final structural beam has been raised on the $3.2-billion hospital project in Niagara Falls, marking a major step toward completion of the 12-storey, 1.3-million-square-foot facility. The hospital is scheduled to open in summer 2028 and will add 156 beds to the region’s existing capacity, part of a broader provincial plan to invest nearly $60 billion…

TORONTO — The Ontario government is overhauling a long-standing veterinary subsidy program to expand access, increase compensation and reduce administrative barriers, as part of a broader effort to support livestock producers and strengthen the province’s $51.4-billion agri-food industry. The changes to the Veterinary Assistance Program (VAP), announced Feb. 25 by the Ministry of Northern Economic Development and Growth, will take effect April 1, 2026. The updates are designed to help veterinarians continue serving remote and underserved communities while ensuring farmers have reliable access to animal care. “In the face of economic uncertainty, our government is protecting Northern and rural Ontario’s…

NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. — The Ontario government has reached a key construction milestone on the new South Niagara Hospital, raising the final structural beam on a project aimed at expanding acute care capacity and modernizing health infrastructure in one of the province’s fastest-growing regions. The 12-storey, 1.3-million-square-foot facility, backed by a provincial investment of $3.2 billion, is expected to open in summer 2028 and will add 156 more beds than the combined capacity of three existing local hospital sites it will replace or consolidate. Premier Doug Ford said the new hospital is part of Ontario’s broader strategy to expand health…