#ontario-government

#ontario-government

Residents of Minden, Ont. are speaking out over the upcoming closure of their community's emergency department in June and are calling on the province to delay the closure until the public has had its say.The residents submitted a petition to the Ontario government at Queen's Park on Thursday, asking the provincial health ministry to delay the permanent closure of the Minden emergency department for at least one year.

Ontario is set to end a program that gave workers access to three paid sick days, and lift some COVID-19 measures in long-term care homes.In an emailed statement to CBC Toronto on Wednesday, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development confirmed reporting by The Canadian Press that the temporary paid sick days program will wrap up by the end of this month.

An Ontario cabinet minister called Russia a "terrorist state" this week, saying more than 39,000 Ukrainians displaced by the Russian war with Ukraine have come to Ontario to settle.Monte McNaughton, Ontario's minister responsible for Ukraine, made the comment in an email to CBC Toronto on Monday that outlined the support that the provincial government is providing to Ukrainians in Ontario who have fled the conflict.

The Toronto District School Board is asking the Ontario government to repay costs it incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it needs "adequate, stable and predictable" funding from the education ministry to avoid cuts to programs and services.In a letter to Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce on Wednesday, TDSB chair Rachel Chernos Lin and Director Colleen Russell-Rawlins say the board incurred $70.1 million in pandemic-related costs that resulted when it followed COVID-19 directives from the province and Toronto Public Health.

A public library north of Toronto is refusing to display an exhibition by a local artist unless it excludes pictures and statements protesting elected officials Doug Ford and Donald Trump.Photographer and poet Yafang Shi is the creator of Fire II, an exhibition of photographs documenting women's rights marches over several years, set to be displayed on a gallery wall at the Aurora Public Library from March 6 to April 15.

Andrew Kavchak's decision to retire was less about taking time for himself, and more about taking care of his 22-year-old son, Steven, who has severe autism.Three days a week, Kavhak drives Steven to take part in a day program for adults with disabilities.He says the cost is high, though an Ontario government program called Passport does provide some financial assistance.

Toronto singer The Weeknd now has the second-most Juno awards of all time, after winning album of the year during Monday night's ceremony hosted by Shang Chi actor Simu Liu.The Canadian music awards show handed out five prizes throughout the evening: the TikTok Juno fan choice award, album of the year, breakthrough artist of the year, rap album/EP of the year and contemporary R&B recording of the year.

The Ontario government says Kiska, the last captive killer whale in Canada, has died.A spokesperson for the solicitor general says Marineland the Niagara Falls, Ont., theme park where Kiska lived told the province she died on Thursday.Brent Ross says the province's Animal Welfare Services officers were on-site as Marineland performed a necropsy.

Mississauga city council approved a plan on Wednesday to increase the supply of housing, streamline development and approvals, and improve affordability.Mayor Bonnie Crombie told reporters the plan will enable the city to meet a provincial target of 120,000 new homes in Mississauga over the next decade.

Former Toronto police chief Mark Saunders says he has decided to run for mayor of Toronto because the city needs a leader who will make the city safe again.In an opinion piece, Saunders said Toronto is at a "tipping point' and he has never seen "this level of fear" in the city.He said he is the person for the top job because he can set priorities, get the city working again, fight crime and its roots causes, restore public trust and bring back community safety.

Recent news stories have highlighted the dangers of real-estate title fraud, which take place when fraudsters or scam artists steal ownership of a home in order to benefit from its value.Yesterday, CBC News reported on a Toronto family that was able to thwart an attempted scam where someone used fake identification to pose as the 95-year-old homeowner and convinced real estate agents to list the home for sale without the family's knowledge or permission.

The Ontario government is appealing a court decision that struck down a law limiting wages for public-sector workers.In the notice of appeal filed in Ontario's top court on Thursday, the province argues the judge erred in ruling that Bill 124 infringes on the applicants' rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

Toronto resident Zlata Pavlova says she has mixed feelings being in Canada for the holidays while Russia's war on her home country continues to rage on.On one hand, she's happy she gets to safely celebrate with her boyfriend and cousin, the latter of which helped relocate her to Toronto in April.But on the other, it's hard to muster up feelings of joy and cheer when she knows many back home don't have the same luxury.

Ontario's tourism industry is not expected to fully recover from the pandemic until 2025, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and the industry say in a joint report, with recommendations including tax incentives, cannabis tourism and affordable housing to support staff recruitment.Tourism businesses in the province are generating 64 per cent of the revenues they saw in 2019, on average, and seven in 10 report they have taken on debt to stay afloat, according to the OCC and Tourism Industry Association of Ontario report set to be released Tuesday.

Parents and health-care experts are speaking out after learning an online pediatric service that's helped keep sick children out of overflowing Ontario hospitals will no longer be free starting next week due to provincial fee cuts.KixCare, a clinic that offers on-demand, round-the-clock pediatric care, is making the move as the province is set to cut the fees it pays doctors for virtual visits from $37 to $15 per patient on Dec. 1.

CBC Toronto's 2022 news quiz gives you the chance to test what you remember about Ontario and local politics this year.(Yan Theoret/CBC/Radio-Canada) Another pandemic year is coming to a close, filled with political promises and multiple elections keeping politicians on their toes.But how much of the last 12 months' worth of news do you remember?

Now that Ontario education workers have voted in favour of a new contract with the Ontario government, the focus shifts to the province's other major education unions.Contracts expired at the end of the summer for the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO), the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF), the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA), and the French-language union Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO).