Author: Sam Allcock

SARNIA — The Ontario government is rewarding the City of Sarnia with $400,000 for exceeding its provincially set housing targets, the latest distribution from the province’s $1.2-billion Building Faster Fund. The announcement, made Thursday, recognizes municipalities that achieve at least 80 per cent of their annual housing targets. Sarnia broke ground on 164 new homes in 2024, achieving nearly double its assigned goal — 198 per cent of its target. “This funding will help the City of Sarnia build more homes and community infrastructure while advancing the province’s plan to protect Ontario by investing in infrastructure to support economic growth…

KITCHENER, ON — Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic and City Councillors have returned from Ottawa after a week of meetings with provincial leaders at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference, pressing for stronger provincial partnerships on housing, infrastructure, and economic growth. The delegation from Kitchener met with Cabinet Ministers, Parliamentary Assistants, and Opposition Leaders, advocating for investments that would help sustain growth in one of Ontario’s fastest-growing communities. The city’s leadership also joined broader discussions with the Ontario Big City Mayors (OBCM) and the Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario (MARCO), emphasizing housing affordability, transportation, and energy needs. “AMO…

CALGARY — Canada’s top bobsleigh athletes are set to launch their Olympic season with explosive starts at the Canadian Push Championships, an annual test of speed, timing and power that kicks off Thursday at Winsport’s Ice House. The event, scheduled for August 21, is widely regarded as the first major step on the road to the Winter Games. With only fractions of a second often determining who stands on the podium, athletes and coaches alike stress the importance of raw acceleration and coordination at the push start — the critical opening phase that can set the tone for an entire…

Sudbury, ON – The Office of the Chief Coroner has announced that a public inquest will be held this fall into the death of a northern Ontario mine worker who suffered fatal injuries on the job six years ago. Dr. Harry Mikael Voogjarv, Regional Supervising Coroner for the North Region (Sudbury Office), confirmed that the inquest into the death of Mark Paul Joseph Beskorowany will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, September 15, 2025. The proceedings will be conducted virtually and are expected to last five days. Bonnie Goldberg will preside as inquest officer, while Alessandra Hollands has been appointed…

Ottawa,The Ontario government is moving forward with what it describes as “historic investments” to build stronger communities, accelerate housing construction, and expand health care services, with Premier Doug Ford pledging billions in new funding at the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference. Housing and Infrastructure Expansion At the centre of the announcement is a major boost to the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program (MHIP). Premier Doug Ford confirmed an additional $1.6 billion, bringing the program’s total investment to $4 billion. The program is aimed at helping municipalities deliver the infrastructure needed to unlock more housing projects. Kinga Surma, Minister…

Hamilton, ON — Ontario is investing $70 million to help workers threatened by U.S. tariffs retrain, upskill and re-enter the workforce in what Premier Doug Ford is calling a proactive defence of the province’s economy and jobs. The investment, announced Wednesday in Hamilton, will expand training and employment services through two major initiatives: the Protect Ontario Workers Employment Response (POWER) Centres and enhancements to the Better Jobs Ontario (BJO) program. Officials said the funding aims to blunt the impact of U.S. trade policies that have put manufacturing-heavy regions of Ontario at risk. “Ontario has the best workers in the world. When…

MAXVILLE, Ont. — The Ontario government is rolling out a new funding program aimed at making it easier and faster to build long-term care homes across the province, as demand for seniors’ care continues to grow. The new Capital Funding Program (CFP), announced Tuesday, introduces a more flexible funding model designed to address labour shortages, rising construction costs and regional challenges that have slowed development in areas such as the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and northern Ontario. “As Ontario ages, we need to protect our province by building long-term care homes faster, smarter and in the places that…

BRANTFORD, ON – Hundreds of Brantford students will head back to school this September with new backpacks and supplies, thanks to a donation from Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall. On Friday, August 22, Mayor Nuttall will travel to Brantford City Hall to deliver 750 backpacks filled with school essentials, an initiative aimed at helping children and families prepare for the upcoming school year. The donation, coordinated in partnership with Brantford’s Community Services and Social Development staff, will be distributed to selected local families. Mayor Nuttall will be joined at the event by Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis, along with municipal officials and…

Toronto, Ontario, is strengthening its position as a global leader in nuclear innovation and medical research, with a new $500,000 donation from Laurentis Energy Partners to help establish the Silber Family Theranostics Centre at Toronto’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. The contribution, announced Wednesday, will support the creation of a world-class facility that aims to deliver faster cancer diagnoses and more targeted treatments to thousands of patients. The new centre, expected to open in 2027, will be part of the University Health Network’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, one of the top-ranked cancer research facilities in the world. Using made-in-Ontario nuclear isotopes,…

Ottawa — Ontario is reinforcing its standing in North America’s semiconductor industry with a major expansion by Ottawa-based Ranovus Inc., which announced a more than $100 million investment to grow its optical semiconductor manufacturing operations. The project is expected to generate 125 new high-paying jobs in the province’s capital, bolstering both local employment and Ontario’s global technology profile. The announcement comes as geopolitical and trade tensions, including U.S. tariffs targeting Canadian industries, heighten the importance of domestic production. Ranovus’ expansion will focus on increasing capacity for advanced chips used in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, while reshoring elements of…