Author: Sam Allcock

The Ontario government is moving to overhaul its approach to student assessment and academic supports after newly released standardized test results showed limited gains in reading, writing and math across multiple grade levels. The province announced Wednesday it will appoint a two-member expert advisory body to conduct a comprehensive review of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) testing program and the broader factors influencing student outcomes. The decision comes in response to EQAO results released earlier in the day, which indicated that student achievement in Grades 3, 6 and 9 continues to lag despite the province’s back-to-basics curriculum and…

The Ontario government has finished construction of the new Grand River bridges on Highway 401 in Kitchener, a milestone officials say will ease congestion along one of the province’s busiest trade corridors and prepare the route for a major expansion. The project, which also includes rehabilitation of the King Street overpass between Kitchener and Cambridge, forms part of a nearly $30-billion provincial plan to upgrade highways, roads and bridges amid ongoing economic uncertainty. In a statement announcing the completion, Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said the work will improve travel times and bolster the movement of goods across southwestern Ontario. “Our…

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is preparing to release fresh data on the state of the global energy workforce at a launch webinar on Friday, 5 December, offering new insight into how labour markets are responding to accelerating worldwide demand for energy infrastructure. The event, which begins at 11 a.m. Paris time, will also highlight emerging skills shortages that could hamper the pace of the energy transition. The webinar marks the debut of World Energy Employment 2025, the fourth edition of the IEA’s annual assessment of employment trends across the global energy sector. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol will open…

Cambridge City Council has formally adopted the municipality’s 2026 budget, approving a 2.44 per cent property tax increase as the city works to balance rising costs, infrastructure needs and community growth. The decision, made under Ontario’s budget legislation, finalizes months of public engagement, council deliberations and staff analysis. The increase includes a 1 per cent infrastructure renewal levy along with initial phased-in costs for the city’s new recreation complex totalling 2.04 per cent. According to the city, the final figure aligns with Mayor Jan Liggett’s earlier directive to keep any base budget increase to 2 per cent or less, roughly…

TORONTO — Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall are marking Giving Tuesday with a holiday fundraising and membership campaign aimed at supporting their year-round education, community, and artist development programs. The initiative, announced Tuesday, pairs seasonal gift ideas with incentives designed to encourage music fans to back two of Canada’s best-known cultural institutions. Running from now until December 31 at 11:59 p.m., the centres are offering a 2-for-1 Platinum Friend Membership, which they describe as an opportunity to “experience unforgettable live music while giving back.” The organization says the offer is part of a broader push to strengthen charitable programming…

Ontario’s Office of the Chief Coroner has set a date for the inquest into the 2021 death of Darren Keillor, a case that will be examined publicly as part of the province’s oversight process aimed at strengthening systems related to public safety, health care and custodial environments. Dr. Jennifer M. Dmetrichuk, Regional Supervising Coroner for the Central Region (Toronto East Office), announced Tuesday that the inquest will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, December 8, 2025. Dr. John Carlisle has been appointed as the presiding officer, and Peter Napier will serve as inquest counsel. Keillor, 39, died in hospital on…

TORONTO — Massey Hall is bringing acclaimed roots-rock artist Adrian Sutherland to the Allied Music Centre Theatre next spring, marking a high-profile addition to the venue’s 2026 concert lineup. Sutherland, a celebrated singer-songwriter from Attawapiskat in northern Ontario, will perform on March 20, 2026, with tickets set to go on sale Friday, December 5 at 10 a.m. ET. Massey Hall announced the show on Tuesday, positioning Sutherland as a standout voice in contemporary Canadian roots and rock music. The performance follows a year of mounting momentum for the artist, whose work has increasingly reached national and international audiences. “Adrian Sutherland…

Ontario has secured a significant foothold in Europe’s fast-growing nuclear sector with a new agreement to provide technical expertise for Bulgaria’s ambitious expansion of its Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant. The deal, announced Tuesday in Sofia by Ontario Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce and Bulgarian Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov, calls for a Canadian consortium to support the planned construction of two Westinghouse AP1000 reactor units. The agreement marks one of Ontario’s largest international nuclear partnerships to date and extends the province’s decades-long track record in large-scale reactor development and refurbishment into the light-water reactor market for the first time. Lecce…

MORRISBURG, Ont. — Ontario’s agri-food sector is set for a significant boost as Alinova Canada Inc. invests nearly $24 million to build the country’s first non-GMO soymilk powder processing plant, a project expected to create 15 jobs and strengthen the province’s export capacity. The provincial government announced the investment Monday, positioning it as a strategic move that will expand domestic processing capacity and reinforce Ontario’s reputation as a global supplier of soy-based ingredients. “Alinova Canada’s investment is a vote of confidence in our province’s manufacturing capabilities and in our world-class workers,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation…

Ontario is moving to tighten its economic relationship with the State of Maryland through an expanded Memorandum of Understanding aimed at boosting collaboration in life sciences, information technology and clean energy—three sectors both governments say are key to long-term competitiveness. The agreement, announced Monday, marks a renewed push by the province to broaden its network of U.S. trade partners as it seeks to position itself as the most “resilient, self-reliant and competitive economy in the G7.” The updated MOU builds on an earlier accord signed in 2020 and is structured to reduce trade barriers, encourage investment flows and support joint…