smg_provincial

Enbridge to raise natural gas prices by as much as 23 per cent July 1

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Enbridge to raise natural gas prices by as much as 23 per cent July 1

Just in time for BBQ season, Enbridge is set to raise natural gas prices in Ontario — and the province’s oversight body is warning there could be more increases to come. A decision from the Ontario Energy Board released Thursday approved Enbridge Gas Inc.’s June application for an increase, after the utility company outlined North … Read more

Ontario has killed the license sticker, but drivers must renew

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Ontario has killed the license sticker, but drivers must renew

Ontario drivers may find themselves stuck with a ticket for not renewing their license plates. Even though sticker fees have been scrapped by the province, motorists can still be fined by police if they don’t renew their vehicle plates. Fine range from $60 to $1,000. At the same time, the government has also scrapped mail-out … Read more

Ontario Liberals lick their wounds and wonder what comes next

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Ontario Liberals lick their wounds and wonder what comes next

This is going to be harder than they thought. That’s what Ontario Liberals are realizing following their second drubbing in four years, putting the party in uncharted waters — another term without official party status and without a leader following the resignation of Steven Del Duca on election night. Facing another rebuild, stalwarts are examining … Read more

18% of Ontario voters handed Doug Ford a majority government. Whether that’s a bad thing depends who you ask

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18% of Ontario voters handed Doug Ford a majority government. Whether that’s a bad thing depends who you ask

In conventional political terms, Doug Ford won a landslide victory Thursday night, earning a second straight majority government. But the 83 seats won by Ford’s Progressive Conservative party came from just 41 per cent of ballots cast. The Liberals, meanwhile, were held to just eight seats compared to the NDP’s 31, even though each received … Read more

New Democrats, Liberals on the hunt for new leaders

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New Democrats, Liberals on the hunt for new leaders

Take me to your leader—once you select one. In the wake of Thursday’s landslide victory of Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives, both the official opposition New Democrats and the third-party Liberals are on the hunt for new leaders. Andrea Horwath, who had led the NDP since 2009 through four elections and elevated them to official … Read more

Ford signals wage hike looms for nurses

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Ontario Liberals lick their wounds and wonder what comes next

Premier Doug Ford is signaling he will lift wage caps for nurses and some other public servants in the wake of the Progressive Conservatives’ landslide re-election. A conciliatory Ford, whose appeal to unionized private-sector workers was key to his election triumph, said he was open to raising the pay for many front-line workers whose increases … Read more

Leaders sprint to the finish as Ontario election campaign draws to a close

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New Democrats, Liberals on the hunt for new leaders

The fate of Ontario is now in the hands of more than 10 million eligible voters. After polls close at 9 pm on Thursday, Ontarians will learn who will govern Canada’s largest province in a time of rising inflation and as the economy emerges from a two-year COVID-19 pandemic that left 13,300 people dead. Doug … Read more

The Ontario election campaign is almost over. Are Andrea Horwath and Steven Del Duca finished too?

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Ontario Liberals lick their wounds and wonder what comes next

With polls signaling Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives are on the brink of re-election Thursday, the opposition leaders jockeying for second place are calculating their odds of political survival. Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca was bullish Tuesday, insisting things feel different from the last provincial election in 2018, when he lost his own seat in Vaughan-Woodbridge. … Read more

Doug Ford campaigns in storm-damaged Ottawa amid questions about what took him so long to get there

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Ontario Liberals lick their wounds and wonder what comes next

Doug Ford is on the defensive after being accused of the capital offense of avoiding Ottawa until the end of the provincial election campaign. In his first visit of the 29-day campaign to the nation’s capital, the Progressive Conservative leader was asked why he didn’t show up in Ontario’s second-largest city until more than a … Read more

Could Parry Sound—Muskoka go Green in Ont. election?

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Could Parry Sound—Muskoka go Green in Ont. election?

PARRY SOUND, Ont. — Something Green is growing in the backyard of Doug Ford’s Muskoka cottage. Four years ago, the Ontario Green Party in Guelph earned itself a historic first-ever seat in the provincial legislature. Now, it’s looking to double its number on election night June 2 with a potential second seat in Parry Sound—Muskoka … Read more