"When we see fear in the market, we see people go to safe havens," one gold dealer says.

The parking garage on Slater Street has been off limits since February. The company says a plan to get the vehicles out has been approved by the Ministry of Labour and will be done in phases.

Pathways Employment Help Centre is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and helps 2,300 people every year.

Crown attorneys are appealing a three-month conditional sentence for Pat King, a key organizer of the 2022 convoy protests in downtown Ottawa.

Researchers say the Ontario Provincial Police may have secretly used controversial Israeli spyware technology, raising concerns about potential spying on citizens. Citizen Lab, which investigates digital espionage against civil society, released a report Wednesday identifying “possible links” between the OPP and Paragon Solutions, a company that sells military-grade spyware to government clients.

Scores of George Brown College students marched in protest on Wednesday against a school decision to scale back some of its jewelry and gemmology programs this fall.

Police have upgraded charges against a man connected with a fatal stabbing in Scarborough last October to first-degree murder and attempted murder.

Nine Canadians who suffered 'extreme' injuries in last month’s fiery crash at Toronto Pearson airport are blaming Delta Air Lines and its flight crew and seeking unspecified damages, according to U.S. court filings. All plaintiffs are listed as Canadian passengers on Delta flight 4819.

Hamilton General Issues Committee has voted 13-0 to ask the province to drop strong mayor powers for Hamilton. The surprise vote came as council was considering a motion by Councillor Spadafora to have the strong mayor powers removed from the budget process only. A two-hour debate ensued at which several councillors made reference that the use of the strong mayor powers was originally intended to support the province’s mission to see 1.5 million new houses constructed, but that they did not see the power being used as broadly as it has. Once council was assured that the strong mayor powers would not affect housing bonus money the city stands to receive for meeting its housing targets, it became clearer that few councillors actually were in favour of the strong mayor policy overall. Mayor Horwath suggested  that the motion be presented as a resolution by council, rather than having her make the pitch to the province.

More on this story to come.

A woman is dead and a man is critically injured in hospital following a fire in a highrise residential building in North York on Wednesday, Toronto police say.

The London region's largest hospital is seeing more young people being admitted to hospital for mental health care as suicide attempts, self harm and drug use increases, particularly among young teenage girls.

As spring begins, Gatineau is implementing tight new restrictions on when residents can use sprinklers to water their lawns. City council adopted the changes Tuesday evening as part of a provincewide effort to reduce potable water use by 20 per cent.

A vehicle fire in a north London parking lot that saw a Tesla engulfed in flames on Monday night is being investigated as suspicious, London Police announced Wednesday afternoon.

What started out as an agreement to sell a cell phone to a buyer using a popular buy and sell website, ended up with the victim bear-sprayed and robbed of their phone.

The victim and the purchaser made arrangements to meet in a parking lot near Upper Gage Avenue and Stone Church Road. Upon arrival, the victim noticed that the suspect had arrived with another male. After a brief discussion, the victim gave the phone to the suspects to inspect, however they proceeded to run away on foot with it. The victim gave chase, but was halted when one of the suspects sprayed him with bear spray.

The suspects were described as the following:

Suspect 1: male youth, black complexion, medium build, brown curly hair, wearing a white and black hoodie, black pants and a black backpack.

Suspect 2: male youth, 18-20yrs, black hoodie, black pants, thin build.

Buy and Sell Exchange Zone

The robbery and assault took place less than a five-minute drive to a safe exchange zone established by Hamilton Police. In 2021, Hamilton Police created a “Buy and Sell Exchange Zone” for the public to utilize for safe transactions. It is located in the visitor’s parking area of the Hamilton Police Mountain Station located at 400 Rymal Road East and it is monitored by cameras.

Anyone with any information that could assist officers with this investigation are asked to contact the on-duty Division 3 Staff Sergeant at 905-546-3886. Additionally, to provide information anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit anonymous tips online at http://www.crimestoppershamilton.com

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has named a new cabinet with many familiar faces, though he has shuffled his housing and education ministers. Paul Calandra moves from housing to become the education minister, taking over from Jill Dunlop who moves to emergency preparedness.

Once again, another high seas mystery is playing out in the West End of Hamilton Harbour. Since July 2024 a sailboat has been anchored in the area of the West Harbour visible from the High-Level Bridge on York Boulevard. It remained there through the the fall when boats are normally pulled out of the water before the winter freeze. This boat in the high winds of early December started to drag its anchor and drift. After several days a power boat arrived with two men on it and they re-anchored the boat after a struggle and then left.

  Now after being encased in ice last month the sailboat is floating free as the ice covering the harbour thaws. There are no visible anchor lines on it, and it has floated beyond a spit of land called Caroll’s Point, still visible from the High Level Bridge.

  Across Canada there are thousands of abandoned boats like this because no one wants them. If a boat is towed to shore where do you put it while trying to find the owner? A dock is needed and eventually dry land storage. None of that is free.

  So far no owner has been found of this sailboat.  A boat may be sold several times with out it being registered by the new owner, so dead ends abound.

  The Hamilton Police Marine Unit has checked on it, but did not board it. The investigation really starts with the Canadian Coast Guard.

  “This case has been assessed as low-hazard and has been transferred to Transport Canada Navigation Protection Program (NPP). They will continue to monitor and reassess if this needs to return to CCG.” 

  For the CCG to consider a boat a hazard it needs to be deemed a hazard to navigation, harmful to the environment, or to infrastructure. They noted that the hatch was closed on the boat which mitigates some damage to the vessel.

    While abandoned boats are rare on Hamilton Harbour, there are over 40 reported along the west end of Lake Ontario. In some cases the CCG says people walk away from them because they can’t afford the costs of docking, winter storage, fuel and upkeep.

The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) has made an arrest after a sexual assault in Burlington.

Monday at approximately 6:30 am an adult female was sexually assaulted by a male as she boarded a bus on Fairview Street near Walkers Line. The male suspect was exiting the bus at the same time the female was attempting to board. After the assault the male fled the scene on foot.

Police were contacted and conducted an investigation which led to the identification of the accused. The female and accused are not known to one another.

34-year-old Bryan Pillon has been charged with one count of Sexual Assault and two counts of Fail to Comply with Probation Order. Pillon was held in custody pending a bail hearing in Milton.

Investigators believe there may be additional victims and are asking anyone with information, or anyone who has been victimized by him to contact the Child Abuse and Sexual Assault Unit at 905-825-4777 ext. 8970.

A photo of the accused has been attached to this media release.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers. “See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.

Sexual assault is any touching of another person without their consent where the touching is of a sexual nature, or where the sexual integrity of the victim is violated.  A sexual assault can range from unwanted touching to sexual assault involving penetration.

Halton Police remind residents that there is no statute of limitation when it comes to reporting a sexual assault.  This means that no matter how long ago the sexual assault happened, it can still be reported to police for investigation.

Victims of violence and/or sexual assault can contact the Halton Regional Police Service Victim Services Unit at 905-825-4777 for support.

Hamilton’s Red Hill Business Parks welcomed the latest addition with the groundbreaking ceremony for IKEA Canada’s future Customer Distribution Centre (CDC) and Collection point. The new 483,285-square-foot facility at 212 Glover Road is part of IKEA’s ambitious $400 million investment to make accessing IKEA products more affordable and convenient for consumers.

The new Hamilton CDC will play a crucial role in IKEA’s fulfilment network, ensuring products are readily available and delivery times are short. The facility will feature a collection point where customers can pick up their IKEA orders, catering to the needs of those living in the Greater Hamilton Area. While immediate takeaway of IKEA products or food won’t be available, the CDC will make it convenient for customers to pick up their purchases.

“This expansion is a testament to our commitment to becoming more accessible, affordable, and sustainable for our customers,” said Selwyn Crittendon, CEO & Chief Sustainability Officer at IKEA Canada. “The groundbreaking of our new Customer Distribution Centre and Collection point in Hamilton marks a major milestone in our journey to enhance the omnichannel shopping experience and better serve the needs and dreams of Canadians. We are grateful for the exceptional support of the City of Hamilton and the local community in bringing this vision to life.”

Job Creation and Community Support

The IKEA Hamilton CDC is expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, including roles in warehouse operations, delivery, kitchen installation, design services, B2B, and third-party assembly. IKEA has HR programs that support individuals from racialized, Indigenous, and 2SLGBTQ+ communities and promote gender balance in the workforce.

Sustainability

The Hamilton CDC will strive for Net Zero Carbon national certification, LEED Gold certification, and net positive energy annually, contributing to IKEA’s zero emission transportation targets. Globally, IKEA is accelerating its climate actions with goals to halve emissions across its value chain by 2030, achieve net zero emissions by 2050, and ensure over 90 per cent of home deliveries are made by zero-emissions vehicles by 2028.

“I would like to thank IKEA for their commitment to Hamilton and its residents,” said Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath. “When this net-zero distribution facility is completed, it will be built to some of the Canada Green Building Council’s highest environmental standards. And in offering an additional pick-up point for merchandise, this site will further reduce the distance that Hamiltonians need to travel to access goods from IKEA.”

The new IKEA Hamilton CDC and Collection point is anticipated to open in the summer of 2027.

When Western University engineering student Jeffrey Martinovic isn't studying or playing intramural sports, you can find him crafting complex word puzzles.

As she battles Stage 4 appendiceal cancer, William Osler Health System's chief clinical officer spoke on Metro Morning about her experience as a patient in Brampton's health-care system — and her "fight" to create a dedicated cancer centre.

Canada will play Ukraine and the Ivory Coast in June at Toronto's BMO Field in a new four-team men's soccer tournament called the Canadian Shield. New Zealand is the other team taking part in the event, which consists of doubleheaders June 7 and June 10.

The routine consideration of a report from the Light Rail Subcommittee triggered a long-overdue string of questions about the federal contribution of $1.7 billion, without which the Hamilton LRT project would have remained dead after it was cancelled by the Ford Government in December 2019. The conversation was triggered by a line in the LRT report that noted the committee was going to insist that Metrolinx start attending the meetings of the subcommittee. At that same meeting members were getting a report on street furniture and other streetscape amenities that might be incorporated in the LRT design.

Earlier in the meeting members heard a presentation from Karl Andrus, who is a member of the LRT subcommittee, in his Capacity as Chair of the Hamilton Community Benefits Network. It was Andrus, once an advocate for LRT, who told council last November that Hamilton had lost 16,000 units of “market-affordable” housing, in part due to a tenfold increase in property values along the proposed LRT route, and that there appeared to be no concrete plan to do anything about it.

In response to questions from Councillor Clark, staff said they were working on a strategy that would see Metrolinx return some of the property they had expropriated, and where, in many cases had demolished existing structures, for use as affordable housing.  The city already has several former city parking lots earmarked for affordable housing that at present have no funding in place for construction—this would add more to the list of unfunded sites. The other question this raises is why is Metrolinx expropriating property and demolishing structures that contained either total or partially, affordable housing that it ends up not needing? In other words, why is Hamilton relying on what are essentially mistakes by Metrolinx to address its affordable housing crisis?

Clark hit on another key issue—who says Metrolinx would turn the properties back for free? They are in the transit business, with their own budgetary accountability– not the affordable housing business. In 2022, Metrolinx sold a parking lot in Port Credit — located next to a GO station, right at the start of the Hurontario LRT line — to a private developer for $64.5 million, with no requirement for any affordable housing.

Community benefits, including affordable housing, were promised by former Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna when she announced the Federal government’s decision to fund the project with half of the $3.4 Million. She referred to community benefits as “conditions” for the funding, leading some to believe that there was going to be explicit senior government funding to support such initiatives. As it turns out there is no special funding beyond existing programs for affordable housing that all municipalities can access. She’s not running in the upcoming election but Hamilton’s representative on the Trudeau Cabinet, Filomena Tassi has twice stated that the federal share is contingent on a business plan from the province that includes affordable housing.

Also appearing as a delegate was Andrew Selman who chastised council for the botched procurement process for the Barton-Tiffany shelter ranging from cost overruns, public consultation failure and the key shortcoming–failure to get the project up and running until winter was nearly over. As bad as that example may be, the city is staring at what is becoming a generational failure by successive councils—continued blind support of a project whose only accomplishment so far is the displacement of thousands of low-income renters, and which has half of its funding in limbo. This at a time when, with an unknown real cost, definitely not $3.4 billion, senior governments might be persuaded to repurpose the funding to Hamilton’s real transit and infrastructure needs. Our leaders are either stubbornly unwilling or afraid to broach the subject.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says it will release a preliminary report Thursday on a crash landing at Toronto's Pearson airport that sent 21 people to hospital last month.

THE GREEN LINE
DOCUMENTERS NOTES

A tower in Wellington Place might grow taller — here’s how you can weigh in

City staff held a community consultation on March 13 to share an update on the mixed-use tower development on Spadina Avenue and Adelaide Street. Locals in attendance expressed concerns over its impact on traffic, parking and the neighbouring community.

The intersection of Spadina Avenue and Adelaide Street West where the proposed mixed-used development is set to take place.
: Google Maps Street View.

Karen Chan

A Chinatown-based artist, graduate of University of British Columbia and a bunny mom. She is interested in storytelling to build community.

March 19, 2025

These city meeting notes are part of Documenters Canada. Learn more about our program here. 

City staff held a community consultation in Wellington Place on March 13 to update residents on a planned development in the neighbourhood.

The site on 101-105 Spadina Ave. and 363 Adelaide St. W. currently houses a recording studio and several shops that are permanently closed. In May 2023, the city approved the construction of a 39-storey mixed-use building by the developer Devron.

In January 2025, Devron submitted a proposal to increase the height to 50 storeys, adding 77 residential units for a total of 452 units, and decreasing the size of retail units from 185 sq. metres to 66 sq. metres. 

Shaylyn Costello, community planner with the City of Toronto, moderated the community consultation which was attended by city staff and Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik. Costello said the city plans to take issues and questions voiced in the meeting back to the developer.

Costello said the property is in a designated regeneration area, which means it is a “vacant land and/or buildings…in need of revitalization as a means of fostering growth and physical change. [The goal is] to fill the buildings and bring new life to the streets.” The area is also designated as a priority retail street. 

Peter Pantalone, professional planner and member of the Preservation Board, and David Gafni, senior development manager at Devron, spoke about the development's features. 

• The site will be close to a future subway stop of the Ontario Line at Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue. 
• The units will be supportive of more housing for families and larger households, with a 1000 sq. metres park immediately east of the site. There are also 70 proposed underground parking spaces. 
• The architecture will pay homage to the historic Garment District.
• Pantalone also stated that as part of the development, some funding will go towards community initiatives. 

Several community members had questions and concerns about the proposal. 

• A community member in attendance shared that they are disappointed in the proposal. They asked whether the developers have taken issues like homelessness — citing the encampment in Clarence Square Park nearby — into account. They said that they were upset by “the city shirking responsibility” and saying “our hands are tied by provincial funding.” They stated that Toronto isn’t doing enough to keep residents in the city and “really needs to make a statement to address the needs of children [and] seniors.” They also voiced the need for the area to have a community centre.
• Another community member, who lives nearby on Oxley Street, expressed concern about the increase in traffic in the area.

Costello responded by saying the development is in its early stages and there will be more opportunities for community consultation to build a “safe and desirable” site. Pantalone stated that the developer will pay the city for local community projects. Coun. Malik also stated that the city is anticipating a new YMCA on 505 Richmond St.

What’s next for this project?

Costello said that more community consultations will be held after questions from this meeting are brought to the developer. She encouraged attendees to contact her if they have more questions or opinions at [email protected] or by calling her at 416-392-6061. 

Fact-Check Yourself

Sources and
further reading

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check our sources for yourself.

City of Toronto

101 - 105 SPADINA AVE. & 363 ADELAIDE ST. W.

Devron

Devron Residences

City of Toronto

Toronto Official Plan Office Consultation

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The post A tower in Wellington Place might grow taller — here’s how you can weigh in appeared first on The Green Line.

Shannon Quinn, who earlier this year pleaded guilty to having sex with two 17-year-old students and had not yet been sentenced, has died in custody.

The federal government says it will offer billions in low-cost, long-term financing to help build thousands of rental units in Toronto, including more than a thousand affordable homes.