Author: Sam Allcock

OTTAWA — Ontario is moving ahead with a modular housing project in the capital, partnering with the City of Ottawa and Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa on a 33-unit townhome development that provincial officials say will test new approaches to boosting homeownership in the province. The homes, to be built at 40 Beechcliffe Street in the city’s west end, are the first major construction initiative announced under the Ontario-Ottawa New Deal — a multi-year agreement that commits the city to deploying surplus land for attainable housing while the province provides operating and capital support. Ground preparation at the Beechcliffe site…

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is placing renewed emphasis on energy security, market reform and workforce readiness as geopolitical tensions and rapid clean-energy transitions reshape global energy systems. A series of high-level meetings, new analyses and international training initiatives underscored the agency’s expanding role across Europe, North America and emerging economies in recent weeks. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol joined European Commission leaders in Brussels to praise the European Union’s newly approved plan to end all natural gas imports from Russia by 2027. Calling the agreement a defining geopolitical milestone, Dr. Birol said it marked the close of a half-century…

Ontario will invest $20 million in new safety measures for community-based child-care centres as part of a provincial initiative announced Monday, creating a fund named in honour of Liam Riazati, a young child killed in a vehicle collision at a Richmond Hill child-care facility earlier this year. The Liam Riazati Memorial Fund, unveiled by the Ministry of Education, is designed to help licensed operators install concrete barriers intended to shield children from the risk of vehicular impact. The move follows a September 2025 incident that prompted widespread concern about the safety of child-care locations situated near parking areas or sites…

Fraser Health is advising expectant parents in two Metro Vancouver communities to prepare for possible changes to their planned birth locations over the holiday season, citing a temporary shortage of obstetrician-gynecologists at Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock and Ridge Meadows Hospital in Maple Ridge. The health authority says gaps in physician coverage on select dates mean some patients in labour may be redirected to other maternity sites to ensure consistent, safe care. The update, issued this week, affects people who had been planning to deliver at either facility. According to Fraser Health, all patients currently registered to give birth…

TORONTO — Ontario officials used the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women on Friday to restate the province’s commitment to addressing gender-based violence, invoking the memory of the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre and emphasizing ongoing efforts to strengthen prevention and support services. The day, observed annually on Dec. 6, commemorates the murder of 14 women and the injuring of 13 others at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal. The event has become a national symbol of the urgent need to confront misogyny, protect survivors, and prevent violence before it occurs. Governments, community organizations and advocacy groups across Canada…

VANCOUVER — A major ruling from the British Columbia Court of Appeal (BCCA) is being hailed as a watershed moment for Indigenous rights in the province, with First Nations leadership and civil liberties advocates calling it a decisive affirmation of the legal authority of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Declaration Act). The BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) and the First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) are celebrating the outcome, which they say clarifies the provincial government’s obligations under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration). The organizations jointly intervened in the case,…

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — A prominent Prince Albert family has stepped forward with a major philanthropic contribution to the city’s newest recreational development, reinforcing long-standing ties to community building and volunteer leadership in the region. The City of Prince Albert has announced a $100,000 donation from the Dutchak family to the Play It Forward campaign, the fundraising effort backing the Lake Country Co-op Leisure Centre. The contribution will sponsor both the facility’s multipurpose room and boardroom—spaces expected to serve as year-round venues for meetings, celebrations, public programs, and community gatherings. City officials say the gift represents a meaningful investment in…

SUDBURY — Ontario’s advanced manufacturing and critical minerals sectors received a major boost this week as global engineering firm Sandvik confirmed plans to invest more than $85 million in a new maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Greater Sudbury. The project, announced Friday, is expected to sustain 400 existing jobs and create more than 60 new positions, reinforcing Northern Ontario’s growing role in supplying next-generation technology for mining and other strategic industries. The announcement caps a week in which the province reported more than $1 billion in new investments across multiple sectors, totaling over 770 new jobs. For the…

TORONTO — After years of construction delays and mounting public scrutiny, Ontario has declared the Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit line “substantially complete,” transferring control of the long-awaited transit corridor to the Toronto Transit Commission ahead of its planned opening in early 2026. The province announced Friday that independent engineers have verified the 19-kilometre Line 5 Eglinton is ready for service, marking the first time the full system has met all contractual requirements for safe and reliable operation. With the handoff to the TTC now underway, officials said the transit agency will finalize an opening date in the new year,…

SMITHS FALLS — Ontario has opened a new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub in Smiths Falls, marking the latest step in the province’s push to expand community-based mental-health and addictions services while addressing housing instability. The facility is one of 28 HART Hubs being rolled out across the province as part of a nearly $550-million investment announced earlier this year. The new hub, which begins delivering services on December 8, is designed as an integrated point of care for people experiencing homelessness, addiction, and mental-health challenges in Lanark County and surrounding regions. Operated in collaboration with Lanark, Leeds…