Southwestern Ontario will benefit from province's new budget
Southwestern Ontario will benefit from province's new budget
The Ontario legislature's front entrance at Queen's Park is seen in Toronto, Friday, June 18, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
The new provincial budget features items specific to southwestern Ontario, including a new English public elementary school in London, Ont. that will serve 556 students and include 88 licensed childcare spaces.
The budget mentioned upgrades to Eastwood Park for new accessible pathway systems, a new multi-use court, playground equipment, and a large shade structure in the Municipality of Central Elgin.
Reconstruction of a portion of Plank Road in Sarnia has been budgeted, including the replacement of the existing water main, ditches, and asphalt on city streets.
There was no mention of a GO Train service to London. However, Mayor Josh Morgan said the province is committed to improving the frequency and speed of the service to London.
“These are not short-term investments, so the province and the city of London have discussed them, we know they are committed to it, but it will take time for those to come to fruition,” said Morgan.
A new Volkswagen EV battery plant in St. Thomas will require supports for an increase in workers coming to the region. Morgan said he's been in talks with the province to make sure there is new needed infrastructure to support the transportation to that facility.
Morgan said the biggest investment for London might be an additional $200 million meant to address homelessness province-wide, for prevention and supportive housing programs.
"What I see in the budget today, is them listening. Them listening to the crisis, the details of the crisis that we have in our city, and making significant investments in mental health and addictions - in supportive housing and in homelessness prevention,” said Morgan. “This is a good sign of partnerships between municipalities and the provincial government when you see investments in spaces that we have been advocating so hard to see."
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is pushing for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside' from his role examining the issue of foreign interference before he embarks on public hearings.
Public Services and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek says the Liberal government expects to have a plan for the future of 24 Sussex Drive by the fall.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has failed to persuade the House of Commons to condemn the Liberal government's approach to fighting drug addiction.
New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan said Monday that Canada's spy agency has confirmed her long-held belief she is being targeted by the Chinese government, as the prime minister granted the NDP's wish to allow more party members to review top-secret intelligence.
Canadian political leaders and parliamentarians are denouncing a new law passed in Uganda that imposes harsh penalties, including the death penalty, for certain cases involving homosexuality.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
With the summer swimming season fast approaching, the Canada Safety Council is reminding people to be careful and take measures to prevent drowning, especially after three children died just days apart.
The rural Oxford County intersection where an OPP officer and a school bus driver were killed Monday was less than a month away from becoming a four-way stop when the deadly crash happened.
It was a night of indecision at Waterloo region's catholic school board as trustees went back and forth trying to find the best approach to fill a vacant seat.
Windsor city council voted Monday in favour of adopting a master plan with high hopes for City Hall Square and a so-called civic esplanade stretching down to the river
A united front was on full display Monday as community leaders, politicians, business people, unions and educators gathered together at Windsor City Hall to ensure the NextStar Energy battery plant deal gets closed.
Doctors in their final year of training, called residency, can choose to do a one-month rotation at the Shelter Health Initiative (SHI) caring for Windsor’s homeless population.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
It's the end of an era for one sporting goods store at Bank Street and Laurier Avenue. The owner says a lack of foot traffic downtown is behind the decision to close a store that's been operating for 41 years.
The Sandy Hill Child Care Centre has an extra two weeks to get its new home up to code months after a fire destroyed its original site on Wilbrod Street.
Carla White is the only remaining tenant in her building, which is slated to be demolished to make room for a 176-unit condo project. But in order to move forward, the developer must reach an agreement with White -- and she says she won't leave until she's provided with a home that offers the long-term stability she needs to ensure she won't end up back on the streets.
The union representing the majority of Quebec's daycare workers is criticizing the government's decision to launch a skimpy 90-hour training program for people who want to be daycare workers but have no prior experience.
Approximately 200 homes or structures have been damaged by the wildfire that began burning Sunday in the Upper Tanatallon, N.S., area, according to preliminary estimates.
A Winnipeg family is asking for help to find their missing teenage son whom they haven't seen since he left for school in the Fort Richmond area last Wednesday morning.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
One long-time electoral tradition came to an end on election day, when Postmedia announced there would be no printed newspaper announcing the winner in Calgary.
Over 170,000 elementary and high school students weighed in on the Alberta election and the NDP had to hope the real voters were listening, because they won the kids' vote.
On Monday, Fraser Health provided two senior leaders to address the latest letter outlining risks to patients, allegations of muzzling, and pleas for help from emergency physicians in the health authority's hospitals.
The president of the BC Trucking Association is issuing renewed calls for safety after a trailer truck smashed into an overhead pass Monday morning in Langley.
The Ontario legislature's front entrance at Queen's Park is seen in Toronto, Friday, June 18, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
