
Another Barrie councillor will not seek re-election
Ward 1 Coun. Clare Riepma has announced he will not seek a third term at Barrie City Hall, becoming the second councillor to make the decision ahead of the 2026 municipal election.





With only a limited number of sitting days remaining before the legislature rises for the summer, and municipal campaigns already beginning to ramp up, it remains unclear whether the government will move the legislation forward before voters go to the polls in October.

A bitter dispute has erupted inside the Ontario Liberals after Nate Erskine-Smith challenged the results of the Scarborough Southwest nomination contest. Competing claims of procedural failures, ballot discrepancies and political damage are at the centre of the Ontario Liberals’ Scarborough Southwest nomination fight.


She says that while ministry funding for special education has increased by 15 per cent between 2019-20 and 2023-24, on pace with inflation, total school board special education spending increased by 19 per cent.

Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver are all competing to host the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, which is set to provide financing for defence projects by NATO members and allies.


In a notice of appeal filed with the Ontario Liberal Party’s arbitration board, Erskine-Smith argued the May 9 nomination was marred by what he described as “serious irregularities.”




Erskine-Smith failed to build enough support to survive the ranked-ballot process despite entering the race as the highest-profile candidate.