Ontario Archives - National Times

18 Mar

Ontario Strengthens Judiciary With Appointment of Six New Judges

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsCanada, Ontario, TrendingOntario

Ontario (Rajeev Sharma): The government of Ontario has announced the appointment of six new judges to the Ontario Court of Justice, with their roles set to take effect from March 26, 2026. The move, confirmed by Attorney General Doug Downey, is aimed at enhancing the efficiency and capacity of the province’s justice system. The newly appointed judges bring decades of legal experience across criminal, civil, and administrative law. Among them is Serge Hamel, who has served both in private practice and as an assistant Crown attorney, and will now take up his position in the Kirkland Lake/Haileybury region. S. Rochelle…

31 Jan

Ontario Judge Steps Down After Misconduct Finding, Avoids Disciplinary Sanctions

nishuthapar10 CommentsCanada, Ontario, TrendingOntario

Ontario (Rajeev Sharma): An Ontario judge found to have committed judicial misconduct in connection with allegations of sexual assault has retired from the bench, bringing disciplinary proceedings against him to an abrupt end. The Ontario Judicial Council confirmed on its website that Justice Paul Currie has officially retired from the Ontario Court of Justice, effective Friday. As a result, the council said it no longer has the authority to continue proceedings related to the complaint against him. Earlier this month, on January 13, a hearing panel of the council ruled that the majority of allegations raised in a formal complaint…

25 Jan

U.S. hunters penalized $27,500 for unlawful moose kills in remote Ontario wilderness

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsCanada, Ontario, TrendingOntario

Ontario (Rajeev Sharma): Three American hunters have been handed significant fines and long-term hunting prohibitions in Ontario after conservation officers uncovered multiple illegal moose hunting incidents in a remote region of northwestern Ontario. According to Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources, the violations came to light following a targeted aerial patrol over the Skinner Lake area, located north of Pickle Lake, in late September 2023. The surveillance operation was launched amid growing concerns about unlawful activity at isolated hunting outposts. Investigators found that on September 29, two of the men — Zach Droessler and Ben Droessler — fatally shot a bull…

25 Jan

Ontario launches fast-track program to shorten waits for critical cancer treatments

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsCanada, Ontario, TrendingOntario

Ontario (Rajeev Sharma): Cancer patients in Ontario are beginning to benefit from quicker access to advanced drug therapies as the provincial government rolls out a new initiative aimed at cutting lengthy approval delays for publicly funded medications. The Funding Accelerated for Specific Treatments (FAST) program, introduced last year, is now being implemented across the province. Health officials say it is already helping patients obtain life-prolonging cancer drugs months earlier than the conventional approval pathway, which can stretch close to three years. Under the new system, six innovative treatments covering a range of cancers — including lung, prostate, leukemia, lymphoma, colorectal…

18 Jan

Canadian Sikh Youth Federation Urges Ontario Government to Avoid Political Use of Gurdwaras Amid OINP Protest

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsBritish Columbia, CanadaOntario

Toronto (Gaganjot): The Canadian Sikh Youth Federation (CSYF) has formally urged the Ontario government to refrain from using Sikh religious stages for political engagement until the ongoing Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) protest is resolved in a fair and transparent manner. In a letter addressed to Premier Doug Ford, Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development Minister David Piccini, Transportation Minister Prabhmeet Sarkaria, and MPP Hardeep Grewal and MPP Amarjot Sandhu, the organization expressed deep concern over what it described as prolonged inaction and unfulfilled assurances regarding the OINP issue. The federation emphasized that Sikh Gurdwaras are sacred and apolitical institutions,…

12 Jan

Ontario Woman Charged After In-Flight Assault Forces Plane to Return

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsCanada, Ontario, TrendingOntario

Northwest Ontario (Rajeev Sharma): Police have laid charges against a 44-year-old woman following an alleged assault aboard a small aircraft in northwest Ontario on Friday evening. According to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), the incident occurred shortly after the plane departed Sioux Lookout Municipal Airport, en route to the remote community of Kasabonika Lake, approximately 440 kilometres northeast. Authorities say the situation prompted the pilot to return the aircraft to Sioux Lookout for the safety of passengers and crew. The accused faces multiple charges, including assault, assault in an aircraft in flight, and possession of cocaine for the purpose of…

10 Jan

Ontario Sues Keel Digital Solutions for Over $25 Million, Alleges Fraud in Skills Development Fund

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsCanada, Ontario, TrendingOntario

Ontario (Rajeev Sharma): The Ontario government has launched a lawsuit against Keel Digital Solutions and its subsidiary Get A-Head Inc., accusing the company of inflating student counselling figures and seeking to recover more than $25 million in public funds. The legal action, filed Wednesday in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, claims that between 2022 and 2025, the company submitted misleading reports that resulted in substantial overpayments under a student mental health program. According to the lawsuit, Keel reported far higher numbers of counselling sessions than were actually delivered. The province alleges that the company counted sessions with non-students, mock…

09 Jan

Ontario Premier Ties Any China Trade Flexibility to Local EV Manufacturing

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsCanada, Ontario, TrendingOntario

Ontario (Rajeev Sharma): Ontario Premier Doug Ford has drawn a firm line on Canada’s electric vehicle policy toward China, saying the only scenario in which tariffs should be reconsidered is if Chinese automakers commit to building vehicles in Ontario and employing unionised Canadian workers. Ford made the remarks Thursday while speaking at a separate news event, days before Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to travel to Beijing for high-level talks with Chinese leadership. The upcoming visit will mark the first time a Canadian prime minister has travelled to China since 2017 and comes at a moment when Ottawa is…

08 Jan

Ontario announces underwater electricity transmission line expansion for Toronto

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsCanada, OntarioOntario

Ontario (Rajeev Sharma): Ontario is looking to the future and has approved a plan to expand Toronto’s electricity transmission line, according to an announcement made on Wednesday. The estimated $1.5-billion project will build a new underwater transmission line — the first of its kind in Ontario — to deliver 900 megawatts of clean energy from the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station to Toronto’s downtown and eastern sectors. Energy Minister Stephen Lecce said the city’s current electricity system is expected to reach capacity in the 2030s and that the province needs to act now to meet future demand. “If we do not…

02 Jan

Ontario Police Investigate Fatal Shooting on Walpole Island First Nation

Rajeev Sharma0 CommentsCanada, Ontario, TrendingOntario

Ontario (Rajeev Sharma): Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) reported that a 29-year-old was found dead from gunshot wounds on the Walpole Island First Nation near the Canada-U.S. border on New Year’s Day. Authorities said they were called to a disturbance shortly after 8 a.m. at the First Nation community, located approximately 120 kilometres east of Windsor, Ontario, near Michigan. Upon arrival, officers confirmed the individual had died at the scene. One person has been taken into custody in connection with the incident. The Walpole Island Police Service is assisting the OPP with the investigation. No further information about the circumstances of…