Author: Sam Allcock

The Ontario government says its fiscal position continues to strengthen, even as global economic uncertainty weighs on growth prospects, according to the province’s 2025–26 Third Quarter Finances released Tuesday. The update, issued by the Ministry of Finance, provides a snapshot of Ontario’s economic and fiscal outlook since the release of the 2025 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review, also known as the Fall Economic Statement. It points to improving revenues, a declining net debt burden relative to the size of the economy and what the government characterizes as continued progress on a “responsible path to balance.” “Despite global economic uncertainty,…

CORTINA, Italy — Canadian luger Embyr-Lee Susko delivered a composed and resilient performance at her Olympic debut, finishing 15th overall in women’s singles competition Tuesday at the Cortina Sliding Centre, while teammate Trinity Ellis placed 17th after a challenging four-run event. Susko, the youngest member of Canada’s Olympic luge squad, emerged as the top Canadian in the field, posting a combined time of 3:33.802 across four runs held over two days on the demanding Italian track. Competing in her first Olympic Games, the 20-year-old showed flashes of top-tier potential while navigating the pressures of the sport’s biggest stage. “I had…

Construction has begun on a significant long-term care redevelopment project in Barrie that will add 130 modern beds and expand capacity at the IOOF Seniors home, marking another step in Ontario’s multi-billion-dollar push to modernize the sector and address growing demand from an aging population. The project, located on Brooks Street, will redevelop the existing IOOF Seniors home through a combination of renovations and a new addition, ultimately creating a 226-bed facility. The expansion includes 64 new beds and the upgrade of 66 existing beds, replacing older infrastructure with a modern design intended to improve residents’ quality of life while…

Novexco Inc. has significantly expanded its national footprint with the addition of members from Canadian Workplace Solutions Inc. (CWS) and Guild Stationers Ltd., a move that positions the company as Canada’s largest industry network of independent office products and services dealers. Announced February 5, 2026, in the Maritimes, the expansion brings 90 new dealers into the Novexco network and strengthens its standing as a Canadian-owned, pan-national distributor at a time when the sector faces growing competition from large international players. With the additions, Novexco now represents close to 140 independent members operating 220 locations across every province, employing more than…

The Ontario government is committing an additional $30 million to expand and strengthen the province’s primary care workforce, a move it says will help connect more residents to family doctors and primary care teams while easing pressure across the health-care system. Announced in Brampton, the investment forms part of Ontario’s $2.1 billion Primary Care Action Plan and is expected to add nearly 1,800 health-care workers to primary care teams. The funding will support the upskilling of more than 1,400 registered nurses, the creation of 170 new primary care nurse practitioner education seats, and up to 150 new physician assistant education…

Arts Orillia is set to present Umsamo, a powerful and immersive performance by award-winning performance-maker Mafa Makhubalo, in a one-night-only staging at the Orillia Opera House on February 27, 2026. The production blends song, drum and dance into a deeply spiritual expression rooted in South African cultural traditions and contemporary storytelling. Scheduled for 7:00 p.m., Umsamo draws inspiration from Makhubalo’s South African ancestry and his lived experience growing up during Apartheid. The work explores memory, identity and unity through movement and sound, offering audiences both an artistic and cultural experience that reflects on history while emphasizing connection and self-awareness. “I…

Ontario is moving to accelerate construction of a major electricity transmission project linking Barrie and Sudbury, positioning the line as a cornerstone of its long-term strategy to meet surging power demand in northern Ontario while expanding Indigenous participation in energy infrastructure. The province has formally designated the Barrie–Sudbury transmission line as a priority project and named Hydro One as developer and constructor. The single-circuit, 500-kilovolt line will span roughly 290 kilometres from the Essa Transformer Station near Barrie to the Hanmer Transformer Station in Sudbury, creating new capacity to move up to 1,500 megawatts northbound and 1,000 megawatts southbound. The…

Global electricity demand is poised for sustained and rapid growth through the end of the decade, reinforcing the urgency of investment in power grids, system flexibility and energy security, according to new analysis from the International Energy Agency (IEA). In its latest annual outlook, Electricity 2026, the IEA projects global power demand will increase by more than 3.5% per year on average for the rest of the 2020s. That pace is more than 2.5 times faster than growth in overall energy demand, underscoring what the agency describes as the accelerating “Age of Electricity.” The surge is being driven by multiple…

A temporary overnight interruption of emergency department services at Mission Memorial Hospital is set to take place this weekend, underscoring the ongoing physician staffing challenges facing hospitals across British Columbia and the broader Fraser Valley region. Fraser Health said the emergency department at Mission Memorial Hospital will be unavailable to new emergency patients beginning Sunday, February 8 at 5:00 p.m., with services scheduled to resume at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, February 9. The interruption applies only to the emergency department and does not affect other hospital services. The health authority said the early evening start time is designed to ensure…

ANTHOLZ-ANTERSELVA, Italy — Canada’s biathlon team opened its Olympic Winter Games campaign Sunday with a 17th-place finish in the mixed relay, a performance highlighted by a strong opening leg from veteran Adam Runnalls and valuable Olympic debuts for three first-time competitors. Racing in front of tens of thousands of spectators at the scenic Antholz-Anterselva biathlon venue, the Canadian quartet posted a combined time of 1:08:37.1 in the 4 x 6-kilometre mixed relay. The event marked the first Olympic appearance for Jasper Fleming of Squamish, B.C., Pascale Paradis of Calgary, and Nadia Moser of Whitehorse, all competing alongside Runnalls, the lone…