Restaurant owners cautiously optimistic about summer as patios open to customers
Restaurant owners in Ontario are expressing cautious optimism the province reopens after a difficult third wave of the pandemic.
Zip line auction raises $27,000 for local charities
Once provincial border crossing is allowed, Valérie and Charles-Armand Turpin will take the first official ride on Interzip Rogers.
Ontario puts a priority on hotspots for second doses as evidence shows Delta variant more transmissible, less susceptible to vaccines
Experts speak as to why it's important to prioritize provincial hot spots for second doses of the vaccine - especially in light of the new Delta variant's presence.
“We want to be safe here”: Hundreds gather in Ottawa for a vigil to honour victims of London attack
Hundreds of people of all backgrounds gathered to pay tribute to four members of a London, ON, family slain when they were struck by a truck driven by a 20 year old white man. London police are saying the attack was planned and targeted the Muslim family as they waited to cross the street. A nine year old boy is...
Grassroots group helps people navigate Ontario’s complex vaccination appointment system
An organization in Toronto is trying to get vulnerable people in the community vaccinated by helping them overcome the confusion many are facing while booking appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Concern over conservation rising as number of visitors to Ontario parks soars
There is greater concern over the protection of wildlife habitats within Ontario provincial parks as the government makes parks more accessible to a greater number of visitors.
COVID consequences: Ontario arts organizations rally against “unfair” reopening restrictions
Arts groups across Ontario are expressing concern about the province's reopening plan and the limitations it places on performance.
UPDATE: Hamilton school board votes to rename Ryerson Elementary School because of connection with residential school system founder
A trustee for the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board is pushing for local Ryerson Elementary School to be renamed.
Graduation but no classes: Ontario schools won’t reopen before September, Ford says
Ontario students won't be returning to school this year, Premier Doug Ford says.
The displacement effect: Ontario’s ‘disconnected’ online school system pushing educators to breaking point
When asked about teaching during the pandemic, Meaghan Beatty’s shoulders sink and her fingers fidget with the edges of her cup. Beatty, who has taught kindergarten north of Toronto for 16 years, is a victim of what psychologists are describing as an epidemic of “educator burnout.” “I felt guilty not being the teacher I used to be,” she said in...
Plans for new provincial jail near Kemptville sparks community backlash
The new Eastern Ontario Correctional Complex to be built by 2027 continues to be controversial in Kemptville.
Kindergarten faces new challenges in the age of COVID
Parents, educators and the children are all experiencing the upheavals caused by the pandemic on kindergarten.
Let the games begin: Carleton team creates esports league for Ontario post-secondary students
Carleton University has created an esports league specifically for post-secondary students to flex their competitive gaming skills.
‘Here we go again’: Students saddened, angered by recent outbreaks in university residences
Now over a year into the pandemic, there are still outbreaks reported on university residences, and some students have accepted this reality.
Groups decry lack of ‘targeted supports’ for post-secondary students in Ontario’s COVID-recovery budget
As the COVID-19 crisis continues to create financial distress for millions of Ontario residents, some groups say post-secondary students have been left to fend for themselves financially despite the recent provincial budget promises to provide support in the post-pandemic recovery. Ontario’s Action Plan: Protecting People’s Health and Our Economy outlines a plan to defeat the coronavirus and help Ontarians overcome the financial suffering...
COVID consequences: No barks, all financial bites for pet boarding businesses in Ottawa Valley
Pet boarding services in the Ottawa Valley have fewer pets and more difficult decisions to make during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ontario’s frontline health-care workers seek support amid epidemic of anxiety, burnout
Frontline health-care workers in Ontario say they feel abandoned by government as they struggle with increased stress and workloads during the pandemic
Urban and rural real estate prices soar as COVID shrinks supply and work moves online
“The Canadian dream is still there,” says Pauline Aunger. The Canadian dream to which the Rideau Lakes-area real estate agent is referring is that of owning a cottage — a woodsy, lakeside getaway from the stresses of urban living. But it’s a dream that may be harder to realize this year for many Ottawa-area cottage-seekers, with Royal LePage predicting an...
Time for a rethink: Springing forward has health effects on Canadians, experts say
Every time we “spring forward” or “fall back” and reset our clocks, how much does losing or gaining an hour of sleep really affect us?
Around the Bay road race celebrates its 127th birthday — with a virtual version
North America's oldest running race is going online this year, allowing runners to run the race anywhere in the world, between March 25 and April 25.
Olympic dreams: Ottawa cyclist has found her ride on the road to the Summer Games in 2024
When Lucy Hempstead was a kid, she drew the Olympic rings on her body as the physical mark of a lifelong dream. Today the 20 year old Ottawa area cyclist has her sights firmly set on racing in the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. But along the way, she recently broke the Guinness World Record for the longest distance covered...
Ontario government OKs new multi-service healthcare hub at CHEO
CHEO is set to build new hub, combining services from seven different clinics and offices across Ottawa.
“It’s been good for us to learn how to adapt:” Religious leaders reflect on the second Holy Week under lockdown
Religious leaders find silver linings and deep meaning as they celebrated holy days during the lockdown.
OPP finds missing toddler alive and well
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say Jude Walter Leyton, who has been missing since 11 a.m. Sunday, has been found alive and well and has been reunited with his happy family. OPP East Region tweeted the good news at 3:37 p.m. Wednesday afternoon saying the three-year-old had been found by four members of the OPP Emergency Response Team. The toddler was...
Vaccinating Ottawa’s homeless population poses unique problems
As the vaccine rollout proceeds in the city, Ottawa Inner City Health is leading the charge to get vaccines into the arms of the homeless population. This group was initially scheduled for shots in the second phase of vaccination but city officials moved them up the queue after outbreaks spread through six shelters earlier this year. The challenge now is...
Party time: Event planners adapting to the changes caused by COVID-19
With a pandemic, physical distancing restrictions, and most of life moving online, event planning and entertainment businesses have made some big changes this year.
Peel Region celebrates first ever virtual Black History Month concert
The Peel Region's 20th Black History month concert celebrated the community and highlighted the need to address anti-Black racism.
COVID crisis adds new challenges for mother coping with child’s sickle cell disease
One family with a child with sickle cell disease shares challenges of living with serious illness, and how COVID has affected their situation.
Supreme Court declares federal carbon pricing constitutional and climate change a national concern
The Trudeau government is moving ahead with a national regime to ensure every province and territory has legislation in place to impose minimum carbon pricing standards to limit greenhouse gas emissions after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that a federal law is constitutional. In its decision, the 6-3 majority concluded climate change “poses an existential threat to human life...
Toronto school board creates guidebook to combat anti-Asian racism as pandemic fuels bigotry
The cover illustration for Addressing Anti-Asian Racism:A Resource for Educators. Artwork created by Meera Sethi. She explains in the package that "Sethi wished to show a sense of connectedness between humans and everything else in the world: the wind, the oceans, the waterways, the fish and the trees. To invoke diverse Asian identities, she has used patterns, motifs from Asian...
Student groups hope to win appeal of Ontario’s university fee ‘opt out’ measure
As the Doug Ford government prepares to appeal the Student Choice Initiative this month, student advocacy organizations are better prepared.
Increased demand for puppies is leading to rise in dog thefts
Dog thefts are rising as some try to capitalize off the increased demand for puppies.
Some universities turn to compassionate grading to measure student performance during pandemic
What does the introduction of compassionate grading mean for Canadian higher education and students? Learn more here.
Group pushes for overhaul of Parks Canada’s draft management plan for Rideau Canal
In the midst of public consultations for the Rideau Canal’s new management plan, the Friends of the Rideau group is expressing disappointment in Parks Canada’s blueprint of its plans for the nearly 200-year-old, 200-kilometre-long transportation route between Kingston and Ottawa.
Ottawa environmental advocates take aim at single-use plastics as they mark World Water Day
One Ottawa environmental advocacy group hosted an online event to celebrate world water day and encouraged community members to reduce their use of single-use plastics in the city.
Some light in dark times: Photographer’s body-shaped candles promote positivity
Charlie Baze is a boudoir photographer from Kitchener Waterloo, Ont., recently launched an online business selling body-shaped candles to compensate for the lost income caused by the pandemic lockdown.
Gentrification is robbing Hamilton renters of affordable places to live
Hamilton, like many cities in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton area, is seeing housing prices rise and that is pushing pressure on affordable and available rental units.
Pandemic compounding mental health concerns on both sides of the psychologists’ table
Many people's mental health has worsened due to COVID-19, but how are mental health workers fairing?
David Suzuki Foundation enlisting communities to create ‘Butterflyways’ for pollinators to feed, breed, migrate
The David Suzuki Foundation has created the Butterflyway Project to help preserve pollinators across the country.
Cannabis consumption skyrockets during pandemic, study concludes
Scientists are seeing an increase in Canadians consumption habits of cannabis throughout the course of the pandemic.
Black parents in Peel urging schools to include Afro-Centric books in libraries
A group of Black parents is pushing a Toronto-area school board to combat systemic racism in the selection of library books available to students.
Girl Guides ‘shine spotlight’ on gender equality as Canada marks International Women’s Day
March 8 marks International Women's Day. The Girl Guides of Canada have chosen to focus on the theme of "Choose to Challenge" while the Government of Canada has chosen #FeministRecovery.
Too many Black children are in Ontario’s child welfare system because of systemic racism, critics say
There is an overrepresentation of Black children and youth in the Ontario child welfare system.
Pandemic challenges charity and the families with sick children it helps
Children's charity volunteers discuss empathy amidst the challenges of COVID-19
Picton developing a plan to protect residents and preserve tourism after crush of summer visitors in 2020
A tourism management plan developed after Prince Edward County experienced a sharp increase in the number of Lake Ontario beachgoers last summer has drawn criticism from Picton-area residents who want more done to control the impact of visitors. After the huge influx of summer tourists to the county — especially at Sandbanks Provincial Park near Picton – county councillors asked...
University students and faculty call on Ontario government for adequate funding and support
Both students and faculty of universities in Ontario are concerned with the quality of their education during the pandemic
Why are young adults reporting more COVID-19 cases? It’s complicated
Although reported COVID-19 cases in the young adult population are the highest in all age groups, experts say this can be explained by socioeconomic factors.
Teaching Black history and culture needs to be a mandatory part of the Ontario curriculum, advocates say
Experts say education about Black history and culture is an essential part of combating racism both inside and outside of the classroom.
Children’s mental health in Ontario deteriorating amid pandemic: report
The pandemic has caused a rise of mental health issues among children and youth.