Author: Sam Allcock

TORONTO — Massey Hall is preparing to welcome the new year with laughter as it brings back the New Year’s Eve Comedy Extravaganza for its 21st edition on Wednesday, December 31, 2025. The annual tradition, widely considered one of Toronto’s marquee holiday events, will be hosted by celebrated comedian Colin Mochrie and will feature award-winning Toronto comic Mike Rita. The show, curated by YukYuks founder Mark Breslin, has become a fixture on the city’s entertainment calendar, drawing audiences eager for a lively countdown to midnight. Additional acts are expected to be announced in the weeks leading up to the event.…

MAPLE, Ont. — The Ontario government has expanded its network of Youth Wellness Hubs with the official opening of a new centre in Maple, aimed at making mental health and addictions services more accessible to young people in York Region. The Maple Youth Wellness Hub is one of 10 new locations being added to the provincial network, bringing the total to 32 hubs across Ontario. The expansion is part of the province’s broader effort to strengthen mental health and addictions care and ensure services are delivered closer to home. “Our government is continuing to take action to build a connected…

TORONTO — September 29, 2025 — Ontario will raise its minimum wage to $17.60 per hour on October 1, a move the provincial government says will protect workers from inflation and strengthen competitiveness as trade pressures intensify. The 40-cent increase, up from $17.20, represents a 2.4 per cent annual adjustment tied to the Ontario Consumer Price Index (CPI). The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development estimates that more than 800,000 workers will benefit directly from the change. “At a time when many families are feeling the pressure of global economic uncertainty, our government will protect Ontario workers with…

Electricity demand in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is set to continue its steep climb as soaring populations, rising incomes, and an intensifying need for air conditioning and water desalination reshape the region’s energy landscape, according to new analysis from the International Energy Agency (IEA). In a report released Monday, The Future of Electricity in the Middle East and North Africa, the Paris-based agency said electricity consumption in the region has tripled since 2000, trailing only China and India in global growth. By 2035, demand is projected to increase by another 50 per cent under current policy settings,…

The Ministry of the Solicitor General has announced that a public inquest into the death of 28-year-old Amanda Bolt will begin this fall, nearly six years after she died in hospital while in the custody of London Police Service. Dr. Elizabeth Urbantke, Regional Supervising Coroner for Ontario’s West Region, London Office, confirmed Friday that the inquest is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 27, 2025. The proceedings will be presided over by Dr. John Carlisle, with Kate Forget and Indira Stewart appointed as inquest counsel. Bolt died on November 13, 2019, while in hospital under police custody.…

Prince Albert is preparing to join communities across Canada in marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, an occasion that also coincides with Orange Shirt Day. The day honours the children who survived residential schools, remembers those who did not, and encourages reflection on the ongoing impacts of the residential school system. The City of Prince Albert is encouraging residents to wear orange shirts as a visible sign of solidarity. “September 30 is also an opportunity to come together in the spirit of truth and reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come,” the City…

Thunder Bay — Ontario is injecting an additional $30 million into its forestry sector to protect jobs, sustain northern communities, and help sawmills adapt to shifting markets in the face of U.S. trade duties and tariff threats. The province said the investment will build and maintain forestry access roads and provide targeted support to sawmills as they seek new markets for woodchips. Officials framed the announcement as part of a broader strategy to make Ontario’s forestry sector more competitive and resilient while calling on the federal government to match provincial commitments. Expanding Road Access and Market Support “Forestry is a…

Cornwall — Ontario is expanding its police training capacity with the launch of a temporary Basic Constable Training (BCT) program site in Cornwall this fall. The initiative will allow an additional 121 recruits to begin training, bringing the total fall intake to as many as 641, the largest class in the province’s history. The move is part of the government’s broader plan to bolster public safety and support police services facing rising recruitment demands. For the first time, BCT will run simultaneously at two sites — the Ontario Police College in Aylmer and a temporary facility at Cornwall’s DEV Hotel…

Toronto — Ontario has posted a deficit of $1.1 billion for the 2024-25 fiscal year, far lower than the $9.8 billion shortfall projected in the province’s 2024 Budget. The final audited financial results, released Thursday in the 2024-25 Public Accounts, highlight stronger-than-anticipated revenues and record levels of investment across health care, education, infrastructure, and workforce training. The Treasury Board Secretariat said the smaller deficit was largely driven by higher-than-forecast economic growth, which boosted tax revenues, along with increased income from the broader public sector. Total revenues reached $226.2 billion, up 8.2 per cent from the previous year. Deficit Narrower Than…

Toronto — The Ontario government is imposing a hiring freeze across provincial agencies, boards, and commission public bodies starting September 27, 2025, in what officials describe as a move to rein in growth and direct resources to frontline services. The measure, announced Thursday by Caroline Mulroney, President of the Treasury Board, is part of a broader effort to ensure fiscal discipline and operational efficiency across the provincial public sector. A Move to Rein in Growth “Effective September 27, 2025, our government is implementing a hiring freeze across Ontario’s provincial agencies, boards and commission public bodies,” Mulroney said in a statement.…