Government Archives - Page 2 of 38

Environment minister, Chatham-Kent mayor point fingers over tainted water near wind farm

Cloudy drinking water from farmers' wells near construction site of North Kent Wind project prompted protests. ...

Province pledges $657 million for green upgrades to social housing, half to Toronto

The relationship between Toronto's mayor and Queen's Park is also showing signs of repair. ...

Province to school trustees on equity in new classes

Ministry puts out request for bids to get "equity and ethics" on the blackboard following a scathing report. ...

Real estate agents want harsher penalties – against themselves

Ethical violations need more deterrents, says lobby group that only months ago advised against regulatory overreach. ...

PC nomination race “shenanigans” push some experts to mull Elections Ontario oversight

Nomination votes are semi-private affairs, free from oversight by Elections Ontario. QP Briefing takes a deep dive on the issue ...

Judge tosses CUPE lawsuit against government sale of Hydro One

Ruling says privatization was not done in "bad faith" or "to reward investors." ...

Seen: Province to consult with public on auto insurance after repeated rate hikes

Consultations come after government's special adviser warned that Ontario drivers are paying highest premiums in Canada. ...

Liberals walk the budget tightrope, but Tories say it’s all a circus act

Budget projections appear to be playing out as planned, but Tory finance critic Vic Fedeli calls it an "attempt to pull the wool over Ontarians' eyes when it comes to the real state of our finances." ...

Half of Ontario public service lack confidence in leadership, survey says

The full results of the OPS employee survey have been posted publicly for the first time. ...

New housing minister dives right into funding fight with Toronto mayor

Peter Milczyn was promoted to cabinet Monday. ...

Happening: Francophone Affairs becomes stand-alone ministry

The change follows a move to make women's issues and seniors' affairs into full-fledged ministries. ...

Condo owners to pay out of pocket for justice

New tribunal system will be funded via fees levied on condo boards – still likely much cheaper than the courts. ...

Heard: On the hunt for Ontario’s first-ever chief scientist

The scientist-in-chief would helm the nerve centre behind evidence-based decision-making and "strategic research." ...

Oldest MPP in Ontario history to step down

Monte Kwinter (left), now 86, who first won a seat in 1985 as a North York MPP, will not seek re-election in 2018. ...

Labour and management square off over Liberals’ labour law reforms

Workers and owners in three industries battled it out in committee hearings over proposed changes to 30-year-old labour laws. ...

Ontario auto insurance rates rise again, as Liberals plan consultations

Approved premiums increased by an average of 0.76 per cent in the second quarter of 2017, following a 1.24-per-cent increase in the first quarter. ...

Most Ontario voters want a change in government — even some Liberals: poll

The Campaign Research poll found the Tories had the support of 38 per cent of those surveyed, the Liberals had 31 per cent and the NDP had 23 per cent. ...

Brown ramps up dry run for 2018 election

The PC leader's mini-tour of the province foreshadows the political jousting that likely awaits next spring's election. ...

Hutton: Should we give our politicians a best-before date?

Columnist Deb Hutton muses about whether it’s time to look at term limits in Ontario. ...

Budget watchdog aims to embolden MPPs to better scrutinize fiscal policy

Stephen LeClair renews a call to have ministers speak to legislation at committee to boost financial accountability and understanding. ...

PC MPP charges ex-Tory Jack MacLaren may have broken political fundraising rules [Updated]

MacLaren says his annual barn dance was not a political fundraiser. ...

Human rights watchdog says celebrations like Canada 150 must be ‘more inclusive and meaningful’

Chief Commissioner Renu Mandhane wants Ontario to reconcile with Indigenous communities and push to end discrimination seen behind bars, in the classroom and at the workplace. ...

Khan: Don’t allow our quest for transparency to hinder good governance

Columnist Omar Khan takes issue with too much transparency when it comes to communications between political staff and cabinet ministers. ...

AMAPCEO the latest public-sector union to agree to deal with Liberal government

The AMAPCEO deal ensures there will be no contract scuffles on the campaign trail ahead of the June 7, 2018 Ontario election. ...

Deadline nixed for Ontario public sector employers to post new executive pay packages

The reforms came after a spate of bad press over pay hikes for execs at OPG and Metrolinx, as well as proposed compensation for college management that were deemed too excessive by the government ...

Milloy: What Queen’s Park can teach British Columbia about minority governments

In a minority situation, columnist John Milloy says the opposition is usually focused on one thing: destabilizing the government. ...

Toronto mayor and province (briefly) kiss and make up over $2-billion GO Bus terminal and office complex

John Tory and the province buried their grievances – for now – at a ground-breaking ceremony for the new station. ...

New centre will polish lawyers’ French to improve justice access

The $100,000 pilot project is the latest step in the long march toward equal access for Franco-Ontarians. ...

Stephen Harper’s consulting firm aims to lobby Kathleen Wynne’s office

According to the province’s registry, Ray Novak, who served as Harper’s chief of staff and is now a director of Harper & Associates Consulting Inc., has signed up to lobby the Ontario government. ...

Government offers AMAPCEO four-year contract ‘roll-over’ with 7.5% pay bump

The contract extensions are being announced less than a year away from the next provincial election, and their terms would go a long way to keeping the labour peace while the Liberals and the other parties are out on the ...

ServiceOntario, health and education top chief digital officer’s action plan

Hillary Hartley mission is to bring government into the digital age with a mandate aimed at easing public access to online government services. ...

Queen’s Park is swarming with lobbyists who want a piece of Patrick Brown, report suggests

Integrity commissioner notes “dramatic” rise in government whistleblowers, on top of spike in registered lobbyists. ...

Wynne boasts better question period attendance record than McGuinty

The Premier showed up to more than 75 per cent of question periods since being elected. ...

‘It’s not so bad’: A day in the legislative life of Jack MacLaren

Now sitting as an independent, the former Tory will have to wait his turn at question period but expects he'll still have more freedom than when he was forced to play by PC caucus rules. ...

French language commissioner says Ontario’s francophone services still lacking

In a 95-page report released Tuesday, French Language Services Commissioner François Boileau highlighted major improvements in the 10 years since he took on the newly created role, but also laid out major gaps facing fra ...

Tories call on chief electoral officer to probe government budget ads

Another watchdog of the legislature, the auditor general, has already said the ad could suggest that the ridings named in it “were targeted” because they belong to the Tories and NDP. ...

Following Canada Goose flap, government looking for ‘a more versatile jacket’

The Conservatives have attacked the Liberal government for spending nearly $54,000 on Canada Goose parkas - but the Liberals counter that the Conservatives also procured winter outerwear for public service staff when the ...

Wynne vows to fight back against ‘Buy American’ bill in Texas

Wynne also pointed out that her cabinet has already given itself permission to bring forward legislation that would allow Ontario to get some payback against Buy American measures. ...

Yet another Liberal government ad panned by province’s auditor general

The ad in question, touting the benefits of the Liberal government's recently balanced budget, would not have been approved by the province's auditor general prior to changes made to the legislative officer's oversight p ...

Hundreds of Ontario public-sector workers report they’ve experienced violence on the job

A government spokesperson said that 47.1 per cent of those who said they faced violence said it was "from an individual for whom the employee had a custodial responsibility – for instance, an inmate, offender, detainee o ...

NDP candidate calls into committee hearing to air hydro complaints

Committee hearings on the Liberal government's hydro legislation included an appearance from an NDP byelection candidate. ...

Liberal government could spend $56.7 million on ad buys this year, estimates show

The province’s expenditure estimates for 2017-18 show that spending on the Treasury Board Secretariat’s bulk media buy program will increase to nearly $56.7 million in 2017-18, up from $25 million in 2016-17. ...

Seen (again): Speaker rules Liberal hydro plan ads not in contempt of parliament

"The advertising...is conditional in nature and explicitly recognizes the need for the bill to first pass in the Legislature," Speaker Dave Levac said Monday. ...

Budget, hydro, housing bills chug through house after procedural maneuvering

There is much on the order paper the Liberals want to pass before the house breaks for summer June 1. ...

MPPs prepare for midnight debates before summer break

The government is hoping to pass legislation to enshrine the budget as well as housing and hydro affordability plans before the house rises June 1. ...

Hydro One privatization could cost more than $150 million

The government’s last share sale was announced Monday, and it could reduce the province’s share of the company to 47.8 per cent. ...

Whither Ontario? Voters divided over direction of province, poll shows

“Almost twice as many people feel that Ontario is moving in the wrong direction than in the right direction," said Forum Research President Dr. Lorne Bozinoff. ...

Beer in grocery stores: A political map of Ontario

The company with the most grocery stores selling beer in Ontario is Walmart, with 32 stores, including 27 locations that were announced this week. Second is Sobeys, with 28 supermarkets selling suds. ...

Opposition accuses Liberals of ‘just jamming’ bills through legislature

“Clearly the government has rushed this legislation,” said another critic. ...

NDP vows to pay a third of Toronto’s social-housing repair costs

Housing Minister Chris Ballard said the province is spending $2 billion on affordable housing and supports over the next three years — and blasted the NDP’s math. ...

Category: Government