Sign in Join now, it's FREE! The province’s police watchdog has determined a Collingwood OPP officer did not commit a crime after a man was injured during an arrest this past summer police attended a forested vacant lot on High Street in Collingwood to respond to a complaint about a man who had set up a tent and was living there the responding officer instructed the 27-year-old male that he had 15 minutes to pack up his belongings and move along However, according to the province’s Special Investigation’s Unit’s (SIU) report released on May 4 “He verbally taunted the officer and asked for some additional time to pack up his belongings,” wrote SIU director Joseph Martino in his findings “The (officer) agreed but then decided to arrest the complainant for trespassing when it appeared to him that the complainant was delaying his departure.” Evidence considered included in-car camera footage cell-phone video taken with the complainant’s own phone as well as cell phone video from a civilian witness notes from multiple officers who were on the scene photographs of injuries and a medical report from Collingwood General and Marine Hospital The person who called in the complaint characterized the man as being "verbally aggressive." Martino found the officer took hold of the complainant and a physical altercation followed The officer struck the man by punching him multiple times the officer extricated himself from the fight and drew his conducted energy weapon Another officer arrived at the scene and assisted in taking the man into custody He was taken to hospital following the arrest and was diagnosed with multiple facial fractures “The complainant was seriously injured in the course of his arrest by OPP officers in Collingwood,” wrote Martino Martino notes in his findings the complainant was unlawfully on private property had been asked to leave and failed to do so within a reasonable time frame “I am satisfied that the (officer) was within his rights in deciding to arrest him,” wrote Martino I am unable to reasonably conclude it was more than was warranted.” He notes the evidence indicates the complainant resisted the officers' efforts to secure him in handcuffs the upwards of a half-dozen strikes by the officer to the complainant’s head and torso would not necessarily seem disproportionate occurring in the heat of the battle,” wrote Martino The SIU is civilian law enforcement agency that investigates incidents involving an official where there has been death the discharge of a firearm at a person or an allegation of sexual assault More Spotlight > two-volume publication was produced to describe Canada’s scenery and people stretching from the Maritimes to British Columbia Picturesque Canada: The Country As It Was and Is was distributed to Canadian and American readers with much success It's unknown if any Collingwood residents owned a copy of this publication Perhaps it was available in the collection of the subscription-based Mechanics Institute the forerunner of the Collingwood Public Library residents must have been excited when they learned that a full-page engraving of Collingwood was included alongside smaller illustrations from neighbouring Georgian Bay communities The Collingwood Museum cares for three original Collingwood Harbour engravings that appeared on page 584 of Picturesque Canada Each of the three was removed from the larger publication prior to donation and offered individually as single pages two of the illustrations are colourized while the other appears black and white The illustration is the work of artists Schell & Hogan Today’s featured depiction of Collingwood captures a unique perspective of the activity that surrounded Collingwood’s second wooden grain elevator The building’s north and east sides are rarely the focus of the many photographs that document the structure throughout its 66-year history a rarely captured building at the elevator’s base is visible This smaller structure is believed to have housed the boiler used in the elevator’s operation Many styles of sailing craft appear in the water and smoke is visible above smokestacks in the distance on the left side and stove factory are all documented to have been in the years leading to 1882 complete with a sunburst directed at the elevator is a description of Collingwood written from the perspective of someone not connected to the burgeoning community The description mixes historic fact with description despite the latter being rather unfavourable which derives its name from the great admiral It is situated on Hen and Chickens Harbour from a group of small islands of that name a short distance from shore The position of the town is not attractive and any importance it has is due to the fact that it is the terminus of the Northern branch of the Grand Trunk and an old port of departure for the steamers on the Upper Lakes.” “Its principal local trade is in fish and lumber During the summer season, the wharves present a busy spectacle of the various craft engaged in passenger and carrying trade of the North-west Lofty elevators and capacious warehouses give facility for handling and dispatch of this through trade; while an extensive harbour affords accommodation for the mooring and transhipment of the great rafts of timber that come down from the Algoma and Parry Sound inlets.” “The port statistics in grain of a single season would surprise ‘the uncommercial traveller’ and open his mind to the wealth of the [West] The tonnage of the iron ore from Lake Superior that passes this port in transit would also be a revelation to him; and the shipments annually increase in volume and in value Collingwood has active competitors for the commerce of the West and more picturesque towns are likely to snatch from it the tourist trade” (Picturesque Canada Collingwood’s second terminal was constructed by the Northern Railway Company in 1871 in the approximate location of the boat launch parking lot along today’s Heritage Drive The building served Collingwood until its demolition in 1937 eight years after the construction of the impressive Collingwood Terminals Ltd The second elevator had a storage capacity of 165,000 bushels of grain and at the time of its construction was the largest on the lakes it quickly became outdated and its capacity outstripped One wonders what the author of Picturesque Canada would think about the harbour improvements that were on the horizon at the time of publication in 1882 the Collingwood Dry Dock Company was formed and on May 24 1883 the Queen’s Dry Dock opened with much fanfare heralding a century-long tradition of shipbuilding tourists streamed to Collingwood to take in the spectacular side launches of the many ships produced in Collingwood Perhaps this wasn’t exactly what the author had in mind when he warned of Collingwood losing ground to more “picturesque towns” In the 1872-73 Gazetteer and Directory of the County of Simcoe Collingwood is described in a very different tone: “The harbour is capacious and is beautifully diversified with islands A large trade is carried on with the Western States and immense quantities of lumber are annually transported by rail There are several manufacturing establishments here and the local trade is rapidly increasing” (page 72) “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” One can’t argue with the fact that Collingwood’s second grain terminal is well documented in the Collingwood Museum’s art collection including two oil and two watercolour paintings created by Collingwood residents community members have carefully documented the structure’s 66-year tenure as a constant witness of the comings and goings of Collingwood’s harbour You'll find more historic photographs and paintings of Collingwood’s second grain terminal, at the Collingwood Museum’s online collection.  The Picturesque Canada book has also been digitized and is available online.  If you have a story idea for a future “Then and Now” feature please contact Collingwood Museum Staff today This series showcases historic photos in the Collingwood Museum collection, with research and writing by Melissa Shaw More Spotlight > BarrieNewsMan, 65, dies shortly after arrest in Collingwood, SIU launches investigationBy Kim PhillipsUpdated: May 02, 2025 at 7:02PM EDT Twitter feed ©2025 BellMedia All Rights Reserved A Collingwood military man and paramedic helps others in a variety of ways For this week’s edition of People of Collingwood we spoke with Stephen Trafford reservist and King’s Coronation Medal recipient A: My family moved up to Collingwood when I was seven I consider Collingwood to be where I grew up I got my first emergency medical services job there Q: When did you first know you wanted to be a paramedic A: I knew I wanted to be in emergency services I did a co-op at the Collingwood Township Fire Department I eventually stayed on as a volunteer firefighter in Craigleith Q: Why did you find interest in being a paramedic A: I've always had a really strong sense of purpose in my life especially something like emergency services where it is high pressure but you can see the good you’re doing Everything I've done has always been purpose-driven Q: Aside from being a paramedic in Collingwood with the County of Simcoe A: I'm with the Ontario Emergency Medical Assistance Team It was created by the ministry of health to respond to health emergencies anywhere in the province it’s evolved into an all-hazards approach So if there was a hospital that was struggling with some sort of crisis we could deploy and provide all kinds of different resources We have a full field hospital and we can run intensive care units I've been on a quite a number of deployments We were part of the initial response to the COVID-19 crisis where when they repatriated Canadians from the cruise ships They flew them to Trenton and we provided the medical management support during the quarantine we deployed that same summer down to Windsor to help with the COVID outbreaks within the migrant worker population We’ve deployed to provide medical support to repatriation of Syrian refugees at Pearson Airport We've deployed a couple of times to northern remote communities We can support the health system with any kind of incident of that nature A: I’ve been with the County of Simcoe since 2004 I've been involved in a lot of different roles In addition to being a front-line paramedic I developed a specialized program here called the incident response unit (IRU) -- it's a special operations team that supports tactical police operations and any chemical biological incidents That was a big portfolio of mine for a long time I worked to develop a public access defibrillation program back when defibrillators were not as common as they are today Q: You’re a reservist with the Canadian Armed Forces A: It's the reserve force of the Canadian military I’m very proud to be part of the Canadian Armed Forces All the different roles I play in the different systems all help each other Q: You were recently a recipient of the King’s Coronation Medal through the Canadian Armed Forces How did you feel when you found out you were receiving the medal A: I never feel that I’ve done enough to be recognized When I look at what other people have accomplished both in military and in the civilian world I would never compare myself to what others have done in the military I recognize that I'm one of hundreds of thousands of Canadians that try and balance both the military and pursuing a career I've been lucky and fortunate enough to have been promoted and a lot of personnel that I look after in the military Q: If someone were considering being a paramedic or a reservist A: I think it's important to have a vision of what you want to do If you show up prepared and are willing to work hard My role in the medical world has changed so much A paramedic today is different than a paramedic 20 years ago The paramedics 20 years from now will be different from paramedics today There are so many different career paths now that are exploding out of this profession It's going to be very interesting to see what the future brings 12-year-old son Charlie and 16-year-old daughter Brianna I like spending time with them; travelling Q: Is there anything else you want people in Collingwood to know about you A: There are people in the community that are incredibly dedicated to supporting the community We are constantly in the pursuit of excellence in our professions For our feature People of Collingwood, we speak with interesting people who are either from or are contributing to the Collingwood community in some way, letting them tell their own stories in their own words. This feature runs on CollingwoodToday every weekend. If you’d like to nominate or suggest someone to be featured in People of Collingwood, email [email protected] A 65-year-old man arrested and held at the Collingwood OPP station yesterday died while in custody prompting the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) to invoke its mandate.  Ontario Provincial Police officers stopped a vehicle at 5 p.m taking both to the station on Ontario Street.  A news release from Collingwood OPP says officers arrested the man for breaching a conditional sentence order someone noticed one of the men in a cell was unresponsive.  Officers on site performed first aid and the man was taken to hospital by paramedics The SIU's mandate is invoked whenever a person dies or sustains injury while in police custody or during interaction with police The unit is independent from OPP and other police services.  A news release from the SIU states there are three investigators and one forensic investigator assigned to the Collingwood case and a post-mortem is scheduled for tomorrow.  The SIU is urging anyone who may have information about this investigation, including video or photos, to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529 or online. The Special Investigations Unit clears a Collingwood officer after a man was hurt during an arrest in July 2024 The incident occurred in Collingwood in July 2024 The province’s Special Investigations Unit has ruled there was no wrongdoing by an officer in an incident in Collingwood last year an officer received a call about a man who had set up an encampment near High Street the officer gave the man time to pack his belongings but when the officer determined the man was “delaying his departure,” he arrested the man for trespassing A confrontation ensued and the man suffered facial fractures and was taken to hospital SIU director Joseph Martino said the use of force by the officer was more than warranted “While he may not have punched or otherwise struck the officer he put up a fight and was able to defeat the officer’s attempts to control his arms behind the back,” Martino said the upwards of a half-dozen strikes by the officer to the complainant’s head and torso would not necessarily seem disproportionate occurring Martino determined there were no grounds to believe the officer committed a crime Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Sign In Register For our feature People of Collingwood, we speak with interesting people who are either from or are contributing to the Collingwood community in some way, letting them tell their own stories in their own words. This feature runs on CollingwoodToday every weekend. If you’d like to nominate or suggest someone to be featured in People of Collingwood, email [email protected] Previous asking price: $1,829,900 (October Previous selling price: $1,325,000 (February There are two indoor entertaining areas: a formal one and a casual spot with vaulted ceilings.Bosley Real Estate Ltd This three-bedroom bungalow on a 66- by 167-foot lot was initially priced at nearly $1.9-million on par with other custom homes on premium lots in Collingwood a small town near the Blue Mountain ski resort roughly 140 kilometres north of downtown Toronto The owners rejected an early offer that was tied to the sale of the buyer’s property and trimmed the asking price to keep buyers coming another buyer made an offer of $1.75-million “There are three streets with similar style and price of homes than the average Collingwood home,” said agent Justin Bock but it was conditional on the sale of their home,” said Mr The kitchen features an island and upscale appliances such as a commercial-grade gas range.Bosley Real Estate Ltd This 13-year-old house was built by a local firm there is a formal entertaining area and a casual one with vaulted ceilings a gas fireplace and sliding doors to a two-tiered deck and south-facing yard It features an island and upscale appliances a gym and a recreation area with a wet bar in the basement The back features a two-tiered deck and south-facing yard.Bosley Real Estate Ltd “It’s a considerably large property backing onto trees,” Mr “Lots on those three streets are [about] 65-by 165-feet The interior decor was also refreshed in 2023 “It was beautifully renovated with high-end locally sourced from the Georgian Design Centre,” said Mr basically the entire property was sourced from them.” Report an editorial error Report a technical issue Editorial code of conduct Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. Non-subscribers can read and sort comments but will not be able to engage with them in any way. Click here to subscribe If you would like to write a letter to the editor, please forward it to letters@globeandmail.com. Readers can also interact with The Globe on Facebook and Twitter Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff We aim to create a safe and valuable space for discussion and debate If you do not see your comment posted immediately it is being reviewed by the moderation team and may appear shortly We aim to have all comments reviewed in a timely manner Comments that violate our community guidelines will not be posted UPDATED: Read our community guidelines here We have closed comments on this story for legal reasons or for abuse. For more information on our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines and our Terms and Conditions by night Maggie Giles is a sleuth of sorts The Collingwood woman is celebrating the release of her latest novel “It really explores this controversy around this recently released prescription medication” which has caused some problems on the market While Twisted is set in Toronto and includes the discovery of a new anti-anxiety drug the setting for Wicked is Ottawa and explores the creation of the drug and how it makes it onto the market Giles hails from Oakville and made the move to Collingwood nine years ago following so many others who originally discovered the area by spending much of the winters on local ski hills Giles had stories she wanted to share so she began taking courses and working with mentors was an historic fiction centred around Anne Boleyn who was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 and the second wife of King Henry VIII But her interests tugged her away from that genre She had devoured many of Mary Higgins Clark’s bestselling suspense novels as a teenager That theme then found a home in the pages of Wicked “I ended up moving away from that kind of story (historic fiction) telling and more to thriller While Giles was keen to explore her creative side through writing She found the images people develop in their minds didn’t appear in hers She’s since learned she has a condition called aphantasia and she lacks the capacity to create mental images or scenes This then became an important element for her to concentrate on as she sat down to write She quickly set to work correcting that in her books settings and situations so those with the ability to create mental images would be able to envision her story who is thrust back to her past 10 years earlier While many lookback stories allow a redo or alternate history full advantages Giles’ character discovers that the grass is not necessarily greener Giles considers herself lucky to have developed a relationship early on with Rising Action Publishing Collective independent publishing house made its debut in April 2022 with Giles’ novel committed to supporting diverse authors and stories who now sees her work being distributed through the Simon & Schuster publishing house via a new agreement with her publisher “It’s been a really interesting experience working with a new press… to see their growth now with Simon & Schuster because they’re getting more recognition,” allowing for a wider distribution of her novels which are now in Indigo and other book stores is heavily based on distinct features from Collingwood She’s also working on a co-writing project The self-proclaimed "ultimate" sport played in 90 countries and in the running for future Olympic glory will be returning to a Collingwood field this week Ultimate Frisbee made its way to Fisher Field more than a decade ago and is organized under the banner of Collingwood Ultimate which includes a place for all ages with a junior league and an adult league for players from 18 to over 50.  Online registration has opened for the May-October season for $100 which includes a jersey and weekly play from 7 p.m The junior league is for kids in grades six to nine and it runs for six weeks starting May 8 from 6 p.m and is supported by players who have played on national junior Collingwood Ultimate players also support two Collingwood Collegiate Institute ultimate teams.  Members of Collingwood Ultimate can stick to the local field or join the team for area tournaments players went to Barrie for a tournament and initiated a "Battle of the Bay" for area leagues to host each other for games.  so it prioritizes fair play and sportsmanship Collingwood Ultimate board member and competitive player.  Earle has played for Team Canada and notes Ultimate was recognized by the International Olympic Committee which means it is eligible for future Olympic games.  For more information about the local league, follow Collingwood Ultimate on Instagram, or visit the website.  TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel approved plans Monday to seize the Gaza Strip and to stay in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time, two Israeli officials said, a move that, if implemented, would vastly expand Israel’s operations there and likely draw fierce international opposition which was approved in an early morning vote by Israeli Cabinet ministers also calls for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to move to Gaza’s south That would likely amount to their forcible displacement and exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis Details of the plan were not formally announced and its exact timing and implementation were not clear Its approval came hours after the Israeli military chief said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers The plan may be another measure by Israel to try to pressure Hamas into making concessions in ceasefire negotiations said the new plan would not begin until after U.S President Donald Trump wraps up his expected visit to the Middle East this month allowing for the possibility that Israel might agree to a ceasefire in the meantime All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing military plans Later Monday, the Israeli military targeted Houthi rebels in Yemen’s Red Sea city of Hodeida with a punishing round of airstrikes. The strikes came a day after the Iranian-backed rebels launched a missile that hit Israel’s main airport The rebels’ media office said at least six strikes hit the Hodeida port setting off what is believed to the be the worst humanitarian crisis in nearly 19 months of war The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages Israel’s offensive has displaced more than 90% of Gaza’s population and The officials do not distinguish between combatants and civilians in their count At least 42 people were killed by Israeli strikes from Sunday through Monday afternoon according to hospitals and the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza The Israeli military offered no immediate comment on the strikes Israel is trying to ratchet up pressure on Hamas Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday cabinet ministers had decided on a “powerful operation in Gaza," including “a movement of the population to protect it.” The plan also imposes Israeli control over aid distribution Israel accuses Hamas of diverting aid for its own use or to distribute to strengthen its rule in Gaza denied there was significant diversion of aid employs “a solid system to monitor and prevent” such theft The officials said Israel was in touch with several countries about Trump's plan to take over Gaza and relocate its population under what Israel has termed “voluntary emigration." That proposal has drawn widespread condemnation and rights groups have warned it could be a war crime under international law Israel has been trying to ratchet up pressure on Hamas to get the group to agree to its terms in ceasefire negotiations But the measures do not appear to have moved Hamas away from its negotiating positions The previous ceasefire was meant to lead the sides to negotiate an end to the war Israel says it will not agree to end the war until Hamas' governing and military capabilities are dismantled has sought an agreement that winds down the war without agreeing to disarm Israel's expansion announcement angered families of hostages who fear that any extension of the conflict endangers their loved ones urged Israel's decision-makers to prioritize the hostages and secure a deal quickly called on soldiers “not to report for reserve duty for moral and ethical reasons." Some reservists have indicated they will refuse to serve in a war they increasingly view as politically motivated Israel wants to prevent Hamas from handling aid The defense official said the plan would “separate” Hamas from the aid by using private firms and by using specified areas secured by the Israeli military The official added that Palestinians would be screened to prevent Hamas from accessing the aid According to a memo circulated among aid groups and seen by The Associated Press, Israel told the United Nations that it will use private security companies to control aid distribution in Gaza said it would not participate in the plan as presented The memo summarized a meeting between the Israeli defense body in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza It was written by a group briefed on the meeting and sent Sunday to aid organizations all aid will enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing Some 500 trucks entered Gaza every day before the war The memo said that facial-recognition technology will be used to identify Palestinians at logistics hubs and text message alerts will notify people in the area that they can collect aid COGAT did not immediately respond to a request for comment The UN accuses Israel of wanting to control aid as a ‘pressure tactic’ After Israel said it was going to assert more control over aid distribution in Gaza Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs sent an email to aid groups urging them to reject any “draconian restrictions on humanitarian work." which OCHA sent Monday to aid groups and was shared with the AP further stated that there are mechanisms in place to ensure aid is not diverted OCHA said in a statement that the plan would leave large parts of the population It said the plan “appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic — as part of a military strategy.” Aid groups have said they are opposed to using any armed or uniformed personnel to distribute aid that could potentially intimidate Palestinians or put them at risk Hamas decried Israel’s efforts to control distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza as a violation of international law the militant group said the effort is “an extension of the starvation policy” adopted by the Israeli government in Gaza Associated Press reporters Wafaa Shurafa in Deir al-Balah and Josef Federman contributed to this report Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war Check out Village Report - the news that matters most to Canada, updated throughout the day.  Or, subscribe to Village Report's free daily newsletter: a compilation of the news you need to know Subscribe members of the Grey Bruce OPP were dispatched to an address in the Municipality of Meaford and initiated an intimate partner violence investigation a 40-year-old from Meaford was charged with: members of the Grey Bruce OPP were dispatched to the same address following a further incident the accused was additionally charged with: The accused was arrested and held for a bail hearing and is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Owen Sound on May 5 Victims of sexual assault/domestic violence are not alone. If you, or someone you know, needs support, there are local resources available to help. One organization is Victim Services Bruce Grey. For more information, please visit: https://victim-services.com/ anywhere in the Province of Ontario at 1-888-310-1122 The Town of The Blue Mountains has announced the rollout of Cloudpermit for planning-related applications Starting on April 28, 2025, property owners, developers, builders, and other members of the community can use Cloudpermit to apply for and track development applications from anywhere, at any time. This follows the town’s successful launch of Cloudpermit for building services earlier this year in January A news release from the town stated: “this transition aims to make navigating the planning process a more transparent and user-friendly experience for customers The cloud-based system will reduce administrative barriers by allowing real-time application tracking and streamlined communication between departments While the town’s planning services department transitions to Cloudpermit paper-based and digital applications will continue to be accepted in person and by mail until July 28 “Planning services staff are committed to ensuring a smooth transition and are available to provide assistance at town hall during regular business hours,” states the town's news release Full information about the process is available at the town’s planning services webpage TORONTO — New research that analyzes emergency department visits during Ontario's unprecedented 2023 wildfire season suggests public-health messaging such as air quality advisories and ensuring people have their medication can help asthma sufferers avoid trips to the hospital "There was a substantial increase in asthma-related ER visits in the first episode in early June which was largely absent in the second episode that occurred near the end of that month," said Hong Chen lead author of the study published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal Although more research is needed to determine why there were fewer asthma visits during the later wave of wildfire smoke the authors believe public awareness during the first wave led people to take measures to protect themselves and their children Those protective measures could have included staying indoors using air cleaners and having asthma medications ready who is a research scientist at health data organization ICES The researchers analyzed Ontario emergency department records from April 1 to July 31 2023 — a period starting eight weeks before the first episode of heavy wildfire smoke in early June to four weeks after the second episode in late June That was the worst wildfire season the province had ever experienced They found asthma-related ER visits increased between 11 per cent to 24 per cent per day during and after the first wave of smoke They did not find any increases during the second wave of smoke a few weeks later The researchers used ER visits for anything that wasn't respiratory or heart-related as a control outcome over the study time period Chen said the results show that people can take measures to protect themselves from wildfire smoke "The scale of the wildfires such as we observed in the year 2023 will likely happen in the future," he said People need to protect themselves and their children even in seasons when the wildfire smoke isn't as intense "No level of exposure to wildfire smoke is completely safe So that means that we really need to do everything we can to limit exposure," he said has two children with asthma and also has it herself She remembers frightening trips to the hospital due to wildfire smoke during the summer of 2023 "Our normal medication that we would take just wasn't doing it anymore," she said "My kids both have actually been on high flow oxygen and just seeing that and thinking what's the next steps if this would continue to get worse you just hope and pray that it doesn't get worse." was the worst-affected and had to stay inside for much of that summer missing favourite activities such as swimming and camping Peyton controls her asthma with three inhalers a pill every morning and a monthly injection from an allergist The family also has air purifiers throughout the house DeVries and both kids usually have the hardest time with their asthma during spring and fall because of allergies but wildfire smoke means summer can now be a risky time too The CMAJ study comes as wildfire season has already begun in British Columbia and dealing with poor air quality has unfortunately become a new normal the scientific director of environmental health services at the BC Centre for Disease Control "What we consistently see is that wildfire smoke has a bigger effect on acute respiratory outcomes than other types of air pollution," said Henderson who wrote a commentary accompanying the study in the CMAJ Wildfire smoke is different in several ways from other sources of pollution "When it comes to the particles in wildfire smoke they're far more complex than the particles from those other sources the types of fuels that are burning matter The meteorological conditions at the time of the fire matter," Henderson said wildfires also can't be controlled at the source through regulations But action from governments and other "top-down" measures are critical to controlling the effect of the smoke pollution by improving air quality rather than just leaving it up to individuals to protect themselves with masks "Your ability to take individual measures is often going to be tied to your socioeconomic status It's just not an equitable way to try to protect people from this exposure that we know is going to keep happening for the decades ahead," she said Canada needs to set an "indoor air quality standard," she said mandating buildings to keep the concentrations of particulate matter that is small enough to get deep into people's lungs at concentrations below a certain level through air filtration Legislation to protect outdoor workers from poor air quality is also needed Asthma Canada offers advice on how people with the condition can stay safe during wildfire season at https://asthma.ca/wildfires/ wear a well-fitting N-95 mask and keep your reliever inhaler (usually blue) with you -Use high-efficiency (HEPA) air purifiers inside your home use the recirculation setting so you're not bringing outside air inside -Develop an asthma action plan with your health-care provider as a guide on what to do if your symptoms get worse This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5 Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association this year’s reimagined format features 11 free concerts at three trailhead locations with performances staggered to allow attendees to bike or travel between venues and catch every note active way to experience the South Georgian Bay region Trail Tunes offers an unforgettable way to celebrate the outdoors and our thriving local arts scene Clearview Township — Centennial Park Town of Collingwood — Shipyards Amphitheatre Town of Wasaga Beach — RecPlex Rotary Band Shell Trail maps and performer details are available at www.cyclesimcoe.ca/trailtunes Follow the latest updates and behind-the-scenes moments from Trail Tunes 2025: June is National Bike Month and National Parks and Recreation Month The Town of Collingwood was held up as an example of how other small municipalities can tackle the affordable housing issue at the 2025 Ontario Small Urban Municipalities Conference the conference held a panel discussion on leveraging limited resources for big results in affordable housing Panellists were the town’s housing co-ordinator Claire de Souza affordable housing task force member Marg Scheben-Edey and the County of Simcoe’s supervisor of housing development Rachelle Hamelin The panellists identified four key ingredients for the success Collingwood has seen on that front: political will Collingwood has emerged a leader among small urban municipalities on the work we’ve done on the housing front,” said de Souza The SCAP assigns water capacity to new development based on a points system Developments with affordable housing plans within them are given extra points under the policy She shared that there were 32 new affordable units that came to Collingwood through the SCAP in 2023 and 2024 She talked about the town starting the first-ever-in-Ontario rapid accessory residential unit program and the concierge service that goes along with that program. She also mentioned the town offering seed funding of $25,000 for a new non-profit housing organization Scheben-Edey focused on the work of the town’s affordable housing task force and how that work has contributed to community buy-in over time She talked about the importance of using proper language including differentiating between social and affordable housing but also when talking about the types of people affordable and social housing serve She spoke about the importance of having people from diverse backgrounds serve on the task force builders and housing advocates but also people with lived experience of living in poverty locally “We think our example in Collingwood offers a clear lesson: progress is possible when a municipality builds trust with the community listens deeply to its people and moves boldly from conversation to co-ordinated action,” she said highlighting the work council has done over the years including striking the affordable housing task force getting the servicing capacity allocation policy in place and generally dealing with NIMBYism (not in my backyard) when new development proposals come forward She got choked up while talking about some of the more difficult conversations that have occurred at the council table over the past four years She talked about council committing a certain amount annually to go into the town’s affordable housing reserve and she offered advice for municipal councillors in attendance “Engage your residents and make them part of the process Recognize there is no silver bullet,” she said “Many small actions will yield great results in the long run It’s been nearly four months since the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) released its Municipalities Under Pressure report which they called the most ambitious study of homelessness ever conducted across Ontario This week at the 2025 Ontario Small Urban Municipalities conference in Collingwood senior AMO staff provided an update to the 260 municipal attendees on the work they’ve done since the 200-page report’s release to make sure it turns into provincial action “We cannot crisis-manage our way out of this crisis,” said Alicia Neufeld “It’s clear the world has fundamentally changed since we released this paper.” The information included in the report was based on data from the province’s 47 service managers 81,515 people experienced homelessness in Ontario “We know there’s a whole bunch more than that that aren’t known,” said Neufeld “There are people who aren’t interacting with municipal services or the hidden homeless who maybe are couch surfing There are Indigenous Ontarians who don’t interact with services for a whole bunch of historical reasons.” “It’s a conservative number,” she said the study found that 25 per cent more people experienced homelessness in Ontario in 2024 than had in 2022 homelessness has increased by about 51 per cent in Ontario communities since 2016 and chronic homelessness has more than tripled 268,241 households were on Ontario’s wait-list for rent-geared-to-income (RGI) housing which is equivalent to one in 20 households in Ontario the estimated funding for housing and homelessness more than doubled increasing from $1.9 billion to $4.1 billion however municipalities are finding themselves shouldering a larger share of the overall financial burden Municipal contributions accounted for 51.5 per cent of that amount “We know that’s not sustainable Municipal property taxes cannot absorb these kind of year-over-year increases,” said Neufeld According to the report’s projections homelessness in Ontario could more than triple by 2035 leaving up to 294,266 people without stable housing The report recommends a modelling scenario to push Ontario to achieve functional zero homelessness which is estimated to cost $11 billion over 10 years The report also contemplates a scenario that would cost $2 billion which would create 5,700 new housing and support spaces to get people out of encampments quickly “No matter the economic scenario – homelessness in this province will continue to grow,” said Neufeld “We’re at a tipping point in this crisis We need to do something now before we tip off that cliff and we get to a place where it’s too hard to address.” Neufeld said AMO released its 2025 pre-budget submission in January 2025 before the provincial and federal elections and the Trump inauguration The submission called on the province to include more infrastructure funding for housing/the economy reduce the provincial reliance on municipal subsidies and fixing broken provincial systems Neufeld also said AMO has had the opportunity to brief about 50 staff of the ministry of municipal affairs and housing on the report however she also said that this was before the provincial election so AMO would continue to work on the education side with the ministry now that the new government is back in session AMO updated the submission to the province that continued the work through the new economic context AMO is calling for a stimulus investment of $3.45 billion annually over five years including $790 million per year in social housing for new capital development capital repairs to existing stock and acquisition and rehabilitation of existing buildings to protect Ontario “There’s a huge capital repair backlog,” said Neufeld “AMO is going to continue pushing this forward This issue is too important to all of our communities businesses and residents to lose sight of it.” she said AMO would soon be turning its attention to the state of health care sector with a similar study to come Deb Doherty didn’t mince words on the report and the priorities of the provincial government “Every time I think about $11 billion over 10 years to resolve the homelessness crisis...I consider that the budget for Hwy Police arrested a driver in Colingwood this weekend and charged him with impaired driving.  According to a news release from Collingwood and The Blue Mountains OPP officers observed a white sedan on Mountain Road in Collingwoo around 2 a.m on March 22 and stopped the vehicle near the Tenth Line.  The driver was given a roadside impaired driving test and was arrested and taken to the OPP station for breathalyzer tests.  A 24-year-old man from Collingwood was charged with impaired operation (over 80) and his licence was suspended for 90 days Police also impounded the vehicle for seven days.  The man will face the charges in court later.    The YMCA is pleased to announce that the event exceeded their fundraising goal raising over $135,000 with more donations still coming in thanks to the community’s overwhelming generosity Funds raised go directly to supporting the communities the Y serves across Simcoe and Parry Sound joined together to take part in customized signature community events across the region in April These events included pickleball tournaments a mini ‘prom’ for childcare participants and their parents all in support of the YMCA’s programs and services “It was incredible to see the support from our communities once again for this exciting fundraising event,” said Jill Tettmann president and CEO of the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka “Participants of all ages came together to celebrate and support the YMCA We are deeply moved by the support and generosity of the community Thanks to all who made this year’s Move to Give event such a resounding success.” Move to Give has raised over $1 million and brought together thousands of people across Simcoe all working towards achieving the same goal — building vibrant and connected communities where everyone belongs Move to Give not only raises funds to provide participants in need with financial assistance each year but it also raises awareness about the YMCA’s programs the success of Move to Give has a tremendous impact on the communities we serve” senior director of philanthropy at the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka A Move to Give participant shared how this impact influenced their life and why they participated in this year: “The Y provided us with a really safe space The idea of giving back through a fundraiser is the least that we could do.” The YMCA also received the support of many local businesses through sponsorship of the event: “We are truly grateful for the generosity and support of our community who have demonstrated their commitment to our mission of promoting health and community development,” remarked Tettmann Tettmann also acknowledged the hard work and dedication that YMCA staff and volunteers put into planning and running the 11th annual Move to Give fundraising event and our incredible staff and volunteer teams are a vital part of making Move to Give a success Thank you for sharing your passion for the Y with everyone who participated,” praised Tettmann If you would like to support Move to Give and haven’t had a chance to do so yet, it’s not too late — visit their website at www.MoveToGive.ca to learn more A Collingwood man now faces criminal charges connected to a police investigation into seven incidents of someone cutting fibre optic communication wires on hydro poles around town.  Collingwood and The Blue Mountains Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) reported in a news release this morning the incidents occurred between Feb 16 and April 26 and involved both Rogers and Bell wires.  "These acts disrupted essential communication services and posed risks to public safety," states the news release from OPP.  He has had a bail hearing and now faces seven counts of mischief under $5,000 and one count of failing to comply with a probation order both are charges under the criminal code.  the local OPP expressed thanks to the public for assistance in the investigation Police used footage from residential cameras as part of the investigation.  Anyone with information related to these incidents is asked to contact the Collingwood  OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or  www.crimestopperssdm.com.  A local rehab and wellness centre for children is asking Collingwood residents to join them on the golf course this summer for the annual tournament.  Oscar's Place is hosting the 3rd-annual charity event on July 3 at Cranberry Golf Course.  The golf tournament raises money for a fund serving local families who need additional support for children with complex needs Oscar's Place offers multidisciplinary therapy such as physiotherapy The tournament raised more than $17,000 in 2024 To participate in the tournament or sponsor the event, email [email protected] Simcoe-Grey MP Terry Dowdall has been elected for a third term at Parliament Hill but first he’ll have to work to collect 1,800 lawn signs Dowdall entered his election night party at Bear Estate in Collingwood to applause at about 9:15 p.m to watch the result trickle in alongside about 50 supporters Dowdall delivered a speech to celebrate his win 160 out of Simcoe-Grey’s 221 polls were reporting with Dowdall receiving 53 per cent of the vote Liberal Bren Munro had 42 per cent of the votes Allan Kuhn of the Greens with 1.62 per cent and the People’s Party’s Giorgio Mammoliti with 0.85 per cent of the vote Dowdall thanked his wife Colleen and his campaign team specifically Jennifer Armstrong and Dwayne McNabb “It’s been an interesting election,” said Dowdall to laughs from his supporters the Liberals under Mark Carney would form a minority government “We’ll have an opportunity to expose them and we’re going to hold their feet to the fire as we always do.” Dowdall mused about the issues he heard while door-knocking “We can’t forget people who have a dream...of working hard and buying a home That’s what’s been lost,” he said Dowdall said his campaign delivered 1,800 lawn signs this year – about 600 more than ever before despite New Tecumseth being moved into another riding this time – which he believes spoke to how much more engaged voters were in this election “To each and every one of you – we couldn’t have won this without you,” he said “I’ve been in a lot of elections This is the first time I didn’t really know what the outcome would be.” “It’s because there were so many new people who voted this time In 2021 there were 77,046 votes cast in Simcoe-Grey out of 121,333 eligible electors Adam Minatel of the People's Party had 5,550 votes Nicholas Clayton of the Green Party had 2,969 votes and Ken Stouffer of the Christian Heritage Party had 382 votes About 260 municipal representatives from across Ontario are in Collingwood this week to talk about issues that specifically face small towns Collingwood is hosting the 2025 Ontario Small Urban Municipal (OSUM) Conference from April 30 to May 2 at the Georgian Bay Hotel town crier Ken Templeman opened the conference OSUM chair and former Association of Municipalities of Ontario president and Collingwood’s Mayor Yvonne Hamlin Panels will take place all week on issues such as the impact of tariffs on Ontario’s municipal government The Family Interactive feature enhances An Amazing Life Authorized family members can securely access their loved one's memorial website settings at any time Please enter the name and email details so that we can send your friend a link to the online tribute No names or addresses will be collected by using this service Please enter your question or comment below: A receipt has been emailed to the address provided Agreement with Policy and Continued Use of Site We encourage you to share your most beloved memories of Peter here so that the family and other loved ones can always see it and can even comment on those shared by others it will also remain on this memorial website in perpetuity PLEASE NOTE: The reproduction of any copyrighted images is forbidden without express written permission from the copyright holder any image in violation of any copyright laws you will receive two daily updates containing all new stories one week prior to the anniversary of death The email will only serve as a reminder should you choose to connect with the family at what will no doubt be a difficult time Please select your relationship to the deceased and add your email address before submitting Consumer Information Guide: A Guide to Death Care in Ontario A 65-year-old man arrested and held at the Collingwood OPP station on Thursday died while in custody on May 1, someone noticed one of the men in a cell was unresponsive.  The SIU says officers on-site performed first aid and the man was taken to hospital by paramedics A news release from the SIU states there are three investigators and one forensic investigator assigned to the Collingwood case and a post-mortem is scheduled for Saturday.  The SIU is urging anyone who may have information about this investigation, including video or photos, to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529 or online Sandra Taylor is the new CEO of the Collingwood Hospital Foundation Sandra Taylor will start her new position with the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital Foundation in August As the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital Foundation embarks on a massive fundraising campaign there will be a new person leading the charge Stuart Ellis IDA Pharmacy will mark its 80‑year journey next Friday can enjoy an open‑house atmosphere with live music owners Melissa & John Foden will briefly step forward to thank their customers neighbours and staff who have kept the doors open for eight decades neighbours we haven’t seen in a while and people who’ve never stepped through our doors to feel equally welcome,” Melissa says “Come say hello and see what an independent pharmacy can do.” The pharmacy began in 1945 when Stuart Ellis opened a small storefront just a few doors from its current location Local pharmacist Eugene “Gene” Peycha joined the practice in the late 1960s and purchased it in 1973 Peycha moved the business into the present His daughter Lesley Paul assumed ownership in 2006 The Fodens took the reins in May 2020—six weeks into Ontario’s first pandemic lockdown—and have steered the company through unprecedented challenges in health care and retail The last few years have been a challenge.  “Jumping in during COVID was a rollercoaster,” John recalls and we experienced similar challenges as all retail businesses during that time We have also upgraded our phone and computer systems to keep up with the needs of the business All of these changes put extra strain on staff and on the customers We want to take this opportunity to thank our team and our customers who continue to allow us to serve this community We also want to encourage everyone to shop local and keep small businesses open so we can be around in another 80 years.” Today’s Stuart Ellis IDA combines three distinct services under one roof staff prepare an array of customized prescriptions to suppositories in dosage strengths for patients whose needs are not met by mass‑produced medications The pharmacy also maintains a full home health care department staffed by a specialist who helps clients navigate mobility aids wound care supplies and both rentals and sales of equipment Toward the back of the 7,000‑square‑foot space shoppers discover a sprawling gift shop stocked with locally‑made candles décor and fashion—items often unavailable elsewhere in town Customers frequently remark that the store is larger than it appears from the street “We love seeing the surprise on people’s faces when they realize how much we offer from medical supplies to a unique gift for a friend.” and its profits circle back into the community Donations support charities such as the Collingwood General & Marine Hospital Georgian Triangle Humane Society and several local sports teams “You’ll always find a real person here—no self‑checkouts,” John says “Knowing customers by name is the difference an independent brings.” Melissa and John plan to expand Pharmacists’ minor ailment prescribing increase public awareness of compounding options for both humans and pets Yet their primary goal is unchanged: to greet every visitor with a friendly face and expert guidance I hope he’d be proud,” Melissa reflects “The customer‑first spirit is still here—just with more tools and a bigger team We look forward to celebrating this achievement with his family as well as the other previous owners.” as is parking behind the store in the lot off Ste.Marie Street Guests can enjoy acoustic performances by local musician Derek McLean and receive giveaways while quantities last.  we’re here seven days a week,” Melissa says we simply want to celebrate 80 years of neighbours helping neighbours and say Thank you to our community!” This article was sponsored by Stuart Ellis IDA Pharmacy , a 2024 CollingwoodToday Reader Favourite The family that stays active together grows together.  At least that's the case for Sarah Applegarth and her family who have been training and teaching at Active Life Conditioning since it began 15 years ago.  the local gym celebrates an anniversary milestone and Applegarth is marking it with an expansion and a throwback to the same excitement and nervousness she felt when she took her personal training business from her basement to a space at Cranberry Mews 15 years ago.  "I had a little 500-square-foot studio in my basement then we were renting space at New Life Church where I would set up and tear down three times a day for classes," said Applegarth.  She rented two units at the then-empty Cranberry Mews building on Collingwood's west end.  "I was worried that I bit off more than I could chew," said Applegarth and it was a lot to get going."  Lisa Rennie joined Active Life as a pilates coach both have continued to coach at the gym for all 15 years.  "We grew out of that space in four years," said Applegarth.  Active Life moved into a space twice as big on Stewart Road and the nerves returned as Applegarth worried about filling the space.  The team had one month to convert the space from a wide-open room used for boat storage Applegarth said it was an all-hands situation with clients and coaches helping with the painting Applegarth doubled the Active Life space again adding metabolic testing equipment and putting in a sport simulator.  "The timing is kind of cool," said Applegarth "I've been nostalgic thinking back to how we started it's the same kind of nerves and thinking 'oh gosh which includes her now young-adult children and a diverse group of coaches and professionals.  "I don't feel like I'm alone trying to figure this out," said Applegarth.  she has celebrated with her team and the clients all kinds of victories from major athletic achievements to coming back from hip surgery and everything in between.  is seeing her own children go through the Active Life programs then compete in their sports at university.  Both have also coached at Active Life camps her daughter is now the lead coach for the fit girl camps when she is home from university.  "It's a family business; they've been impacted by it but I've also seen them really develop as humans," said Applegarth.  To celebrate Active Life's 15-year anniversary and expansion the gym is hosting an open house with free classes and a human performance assessment lab by the Institute of Sport Classes are free but online registration is required in advance OTTAWA — The Liberals rose from the ashes under Prime Minister Mark Carney in a stunning reversal of fortunes this year but the party's failure to sweep many of the ridings it sought Monday night denied it a resounding majority mandate A big part of that failure happened in Ontario where the party lost many incumbents — even as Carney called for a strong mandate to deal with the threat posed by U.S Abacus Data CEO David Coletto said the party fell short in Ontario losing seats in the Greater Toronto Area and York region and failing to break through in the Prairies While there's widespread consensus that Trump was behind the Liberals' stunning victory other factors put wind in the Conservatives' sails in Ontario "I have been arguing for most of this campaign that it wasn't one ballot question It wasn't just Trump defining this," Coletto said and even as Trump inserted himself into those last few days there were still half in this country and many in Ontario and those ridings around Toronto where the cost of living and the price of housing remain big issues and so change was a bigger factor in those places." Party rank-and-file spent Tuesday worrying about how stable the new government would be Counting continued into the day and key seats with narrow margins remained in a state of flux until Elections Canada arrived at a result of 169 seats — just shy of the 172 needed for a majority The party was angling to add about six seats more to their total count in Ontario but instead dropped to 69 from the 78 they won in 2021 The party lost more than a dozen previously held ridings throughout the province while also winning new seats a former Liberal pollster now at Pollara Strategic Insights said that while the Liberals made the gains they needed in Quebec and B.C. holding their ground in Ontario would have given them a comfortable majority "The Liberals ran up the score in downtown Toronto this time NDP voters there flocked their way en masse," he said "They obviously had a phenomenal night in Ottawa winning Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's riding and they actually picked up a few more seats in Eastern Ontario too — Peterborough But the Liberals lost six ridings in the 905 area and in the Golden Horseshoe that former prime minister Justin Trudeau had won over three elections Former cabinet minister Ya'ara Saks lost York Centre to Conservative candidate and former Tory MPP Roman Baber — a seat held by the Liberals since 2015 Prominent GTA incumbent MPs like Francesco Sorbara in Vaughan—Woodbridge Majid Jowhari in Richmond Hill South and Liberal Bryan May in Cambridge all fell to Conservative challengers former cabinet minister Kamal Khera lost Brampton—West to Conservative Amarjeet Gill — a seat that the Liberals had won by just over 25 percentage points in 2021 Arnold said results like that one may signal the Liberals struggled with multicultural electorates this time where there's large South Asian populations the Liberal vote went down a lot compared to the last election and the same thing would be true with ridings with large Chinese populations including Markham and Richmond Centre in B.C.," he said The Liberals also had their eye on doubling their Alberta seat count in Edmonton and Calgary They fielded current mayor and former Liberal cabinet minister Amarjeet Sohi in Edmonton Southeast But while some polling projections suggested the party could walk away with as many as seven or eight seats in the province they only managed to elect two Alberta MPs: Corey Hogan in Calgary Confederation and Eleanor Olszewski in Edmonton Centre And they lost incumbent George Chahal in Calgary McKnight Carney travelled multiple times to Vancouver Island where Liberal Will Greaves managed to unseat NDP incumbent Laurel Collins in Victoria while former Liberal MP Stephen Fuhr took Kelowna seats that boast large populations of seniors showing how the demographic story of boomers rallying around Carney's Liberals played out regionally the Conservatives' efforts to court private sector and unionized workers "paid dividends," he said "You saw them pick up seats in northern Ontario Southwestern Ontario and in the interior of British Columbia," he said "That was going to be part of their road to victory but that obviously fell short because they couldn't convert in Toronto and the Lower Mainland." many downtown progressives flipped to the Liberals The Conservatives "appear to have picked up some of those NDP voters" in more blue-collar ridings "and that could be a bit of what happened in Southwest Ontario," Arnold said Aggregate polling suggested the Liberals entered the campaign marching toward a majority — momentum that waned by the end of the campaign professor emeritus of political science at University of Toronto said the short campaign may be what ultimately kept the Liberals in power as the polls tightened significantly toward the end of the campaign — from about a spread of about five or six points between the two main parties to two points over the course of a week that's quite a move and it suggests that the momentum the Liberals had at the beginning of the campaign was probably beginning to dissipate," he said "They were probably pretty smart to opt for the shortest possible campaign because they might not have been able to sustain that momentum for another week." The prime minister opted not to hold a press conference the day after the vote but told reporters in French Tuesday morning in Ottawa that he's feeling upbeat Carney warned in his election-night speech that the coming days and weeks will not be easy as Canada returns to the challenge of convincing Trump to back away from his punishing tariff agenda This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29 PARIS (AP) — UNESCO on Sunday announced the withdrawal of Nicaragua from the U.N cultural and educational body because of the awarding of a UNESCO prize celebrating press freedom to a Nicaraguan newspaper announced that she had received a letter Sunday morning from the Nicaraguan government announcing its withdrawal because of the attribution of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize which will deprive the people of Nicaragua of the benefits of cooperation particularly in the fields of education and culture UNESCO is fully within its mandate when it defends freedom of expression and press freedom around the world,” Azoulay said in a statement Nicaragua was one of 194 member states in the U.N UNESCO members set up the press freedom prize in 1997 and the 2025 award was attributed Saturday to La Prensa on the recommendation of an international jury of media professionals La Prensa was founded almost a century ago It said that “since 2021, following the imprisonment and expulsion of its leaders from the country as well as the confiscation of its assets, La Prensa has continued to inform the Nicaraguan population online with most of its team in exile and operating from Costa Rica Nicaraguan authorities accused La Prensa of promoting “military and political interventions by the United States in Nicaragua" and denounced the award of the prize as the “diabolical expression of a traitorous anti-patriotic sentiment," UNESCO said Nicaragua’s angry departure is a blow for the organization that is also in the crosshairs of U.S In an executive order in February, Trump called for a review of American involvement in UNESCO. In his first term as president, the Trump administration in 2017 announced that the U.S. would withdraw from UNESCO, citing anti-Israel bias The United States formally rejoined UNESCO in 2023 after a five-year absence Gloria Culbert saved Penny Wink’s life Wink credits Culbert with getting her on the straight-and-narrow When Wink met Culbert in 2011 and moved into Culbert’s home at 167 Third St. she was struggling with an addiction and had found herself homeless has been sober for more than 10 years and is planning to start attending Georgian College in the fall to become a social service worker — to help people who may find themselves in similar situations as she did nearly 15 years ago “It’s because of this woman,” said Wink “We could write books about her place She had crazy tenants; she had good tenants “I owe that lady everything because she saved my life,” she said Wink’s father had just died from lung cancer “I couldn’t take it anymore,” said Wink Wink said Culbert was dressed in her typical style: happy Wink was recovering from an addiction at this point in her life but she agreed to take me in,” said Wink “I caused her a lot of trouble over the first few months,” she recalls with a laugh Wink said she chose to get sober cold-turkey and Culbert was there with her through it all there were times Wink couldn’t afford rent and she said Culbert would allow her to work it off by cleaning her apartment She laughed at everything,” said Wink Gloria Culbert had lived in the Third Street home since she was 10 years old and resided in the upstairs two-bedroom apartment until her death leaving her home to the Town of Collingwood Home Horizon and Habitat for Humanity in a holographic (hand-written) will with the intention that the house continue to provide a home for people experiencing homelessness in Collingwood While Culbert was dying of lung cancer in the top floor of the house she still had the best interest of her tenants at heart Wink says Culbert wouldn’t allow Wink to take care of her in her dying days as she worried it would bring up Wink’s past trauma of her own father dying of the same ailment “All I wanted to do was go up and see her She had requested none of us go up and see her in that shape,” recalled Wink Wink stepped up to start running the house including mediating conflict between tenants repairs on the house as she could afford and paying the bills to keep the house going Wink found her own health deteriorating due to stress She said she found herself calling the police at least once a day due to issues in the house The home was further thrust into the spotlight following a police-involved shooting of one of the home’s residents outside the property on Sept Wink says she doesn’t feel comfortable talking about the shooting however she acknowledges that things changed at the house after that day legal proceedings began to have the house sold but there was mould and asbestos in the house It would have been too much money to fix it,” said Wink Wink moved out in 2022 into a one-bedroom apartment in a house in Collingwood Sandra Fleming knew Culbert for 20 years prior to her passing and actually referred Wink to Culbert’s house back in 2011 Fleming met Culbert through Tai Chi at the Collingwood Leisure Time Club; the duo continued their practice at Sunset Point regularly She was up to trying anything new,” recalled Fleming adding that she loved skiing and travelling She was often seen around town riding her bicycle with sunflowers in the basket “I protected those bells for years while I was in that house.” Fleming agreed that Culbert had a heart of gold and would help out anyone she found struggling opening her home’s doors to anyone who needed a roof According to property records, the home at 167 Third St. was sold for $1 million on Oct The house was demolished and the land now sits empty At the end of February this year a court finally ruled the Town of Collingwood Home Horizon and Habitat for Humanity South Georgian Bay (now Huronia) would split the funds from the sale of the home which now stand at about $120,000 for each beneficiary after legal and real estate fees Culbert’s church bells were gifted to her next-of-kin as she had not mentioned her personal effects in her holographic will Culbert had tried donating the bells to a church in Collingwood prior to her death Fleming said she was disappointed with the outcome noting she believes the existing tenants of the home who had lived with Culbert long-term should have received some kind of settlement from the estate “Tenants like Penny would collect rent for her and take care of the house when Gloria travelled,” explained Fleming “She knew she could go away and not worry about the house the tenants’ rent helped Gloria pay her house bills Wink was also disappointed with the outcome and was one of the tenants who spoke in court as part of the proceedings “None of her wishes were ever respected from the time she died,” said Wink alleging that other tenants of the house took some of Culbert’s effects from the house to which she didn’t feel they were entitled What I would like to see is the three (beneficiaries) build a two- or three-bedroom house .. Wink is starting at Georgian College’s South Georgian Bay campus in September in the social service worker program She said her life direction has been inspired by Culbert’s kindness She gave me chance after chance,” she said “She would give you the shirt off her back.” Since 2023, the Town of The Blue Mountains has shifted to a reactive approach to managing wild chervil that will rely on spot spraying and shared stewardship with the public If residents identify wild chervil within the road allowance fronting their property, they are asked to either cut the wild chervil themselves before it goes to seed, or contact the town's operations department prior to Friday Residents will no longer have to opt out of pesticide spraying The pesticide application will be conducted by a licensed technician. Unmaintained sections of the town road allowance will still be sprayed if there is evidence of wild chervil. The town has posted a list of frequently asked questions to the Spring, Summer and Fall Road Maintenance page on the town’s website The Town of The Blue Mountains is only responsible for roads that are within the jurisdiction of the town. All county roads are within the jurisdiction of Grey County, which administers its own noxious weed control program Wild chervil is a herbaceous biennial or short-lived perennial from the parsley family It was first brought to North America as part of European wildflower seed mix used for plantings along hedgerows and meadows forming a rosette of only leaves in the first year then flowering and producing seeds in the second year Wild chervil has few checks on its population in North America and can quickly take over an area displacing native species and forming dense stands that are difficult to control The town's contractor will utilize a pesticide approved for use and regulated under the Pest Management Regulatory Agency and the Provincial Pesticide Act Wild chervil can be confused with Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota) Wild chervil usually flowers in mid-to-late spring; Queen Anne’s lace flowers later in the season the leaves of wild chervil are more distinctively fernlike in shape The umbels of Queen Anne’s lace have bracts below them while the umbels of wild chervil do not have bracts Following an investigation on April 17 officers arrested Marc Belisle Belisle has been charged with criminal harassment under the Criminal Code of Canada and was also arrested on the strength of outstanding warrants Belisle was held in custody for a bail hearing on April 18 The case was managed by members of the Collingwood OPP Crime Unit The safety of our community is our top priority and the OPP is dedicated to addressing crime with all available resources to ensure public safety The Collingwood OPP Crime Unit has concluded that there is no ongoing threat to public safety related to this incident The OPP thanks the public for their cooperation and vigilance in reporting information that assisted in this investigation The OPP encourages residents to remain mindful of their surroundings while using trails and public spaces. Stay alert, travel in groups when possible, and report any suspicious behaviour to police immediately. Anyone with additional information about this incident is asked to contact the Collingwood and Blue Mountains OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Anonymous tips can be provided to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online MONTREAL — CF Montreal’s search for their first Major League Soccer win continues as Mikael Uhre’s late goal lifted the Philadelphia Union to a 2-1 victory at Stade Saputo on Saturday night Giacomo Vrioni scored Montreal’s (0-8-3) first goal of the season at Stade Saputo while Indiana Vassilev added Philadelphia's (7-3-1) other goal It took Philadelphia just 73 seconds to open the scoring with a slick counterattack that rapidly cut through the host's right side Vassilev capped it off with a shot into the top right corner that overpowered Jonathan Sirois’ outstretched hand The other two games ended in a scoreless draw Montreal’s best opportunity of the half came when a cross from Tom Pearce was deflected on goal by Francis Westfield and through Andre Blake’s legs a slight deflection of Blake’s right foot sent the ball skimming by the post and out A low cross from Dante Sealy sowed chaos in the penalty area and — after several defensive errors — fell to Vrioni who was alone in front of goal and made no mistake Montreal carried that momentum into the second half immediately forcing Philadelphia into a defensive block with Sealy acting as the main catalyst on the right wing Philadelphia would find their winner in the 84th minute against the run of play Uhre found space in behind the Montreal central defenders and got on the end of a perfect pass from Jovan Lukic making no mistake as he slipped the ball past Sirois Philadelphia: Host Indy Eleven on Wednesday in first round of U.S This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 3 The County of Simcoe recently approved 88 new $10-a-day child-care spaces in Collingwood in an effort to ease the strain on the day-care system But 88 spaces alone might still not be enough to meet the growing demand whose nearly two-year-old son Hudson is currently enrolled in an unlicensed home daycare she said she’s aware what she pays is on the cheaper side We’ve tried to get him into the $10-a-day spots the wait-lists are pages long,” said Fleming She said $10-a-day daycare costs would make a huge difference for her family She’s currently employed as an educational assistant I’m looking at getting a second job,” said Fleming “If I were able to do $10-a-day daycare not have to get a second job and not have to stress about money and bills.” she was told to get on daycare wait-lists before Hudson was born or she would risk not finding a spot in Collingwood “We’re at the four-year mark and he still hasn’t received a phone call for the wait-lists there aren’t enough spaces in order for it to work,” she said Although the county’s spaces in Collingwood are new there are currently 358 of the $10-a-day spaces in Collingwood not administered through the county A county representative confirmed in an email that no Collingwood operators applied to the county for funding in 2023 or 2024 According to the County of Simcoe’s data there are currently nine licensed child-care facilities in Collingwood seven of which are associated with local elementary schools All are considered non-profits except for Mouse & Ru or have a few spaces available in the older classes (not toddler or preschool-aged).  the number of Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) spaces that can be created in Simcoe County by the end of 2026 will increase by 1,778 — for a total of 4,859 spaces The county received $21.2 million more from the province over 2025 allocations to make it happen 73 spots have been awarded to CEY Child Care Collingwood with an additional 15 spaces allocated to licensed home-based child-care programs When discussed at the county’s council committee of the whole earlier in April CAO Mark Aitken said the county had a “real dearth" in child-care spaces “Kudos to the province for stepping up and funding to the extent they have,” he said at that time Collingwood is one of eight high-priority areas identified by the county for child-care need across the county’s municipalities; which also include Barrie and Bradford These areas were identified based on analysis of a variety of socio-demographic criteria population growth and current child-care availability The County of Simcoe does not directly operate licensed child care programs and is limited in allocating that funding to applications received from child-care operators During a Collingwood council meeting on Monday Mayor Yvonne Hamlin spoke briefly about the new spaces coming to town this year “I am thrilled that Collingwood families will have access to 88 new affordable daycare spots,” said Hamlin this week and I will continue to advocate at every opportunity for additional quality and affordable daycare.” The Municipality of Grey Highlands is asking for public input on the new King Edward Park Master Plan A Grey Highlands news release called the plan: “a visionary project aimed at transforming this beloved community space to better serve the needs and aspirations of our diverse and vibrant community.” With growth continuing in Markdale, Grey Highlands council has been considering the future of King Edward Park for some time “The King Edward Park Master Plan Project is a unique opportunity to come together and re-imagine this much-loved park,” the news release stated “The plan prioritizes inclusivity and long-term usability—ensuring the park remains a welcoming hub for recreation and celebration for generations to come.” The municipality is seeking community involvement as the plan moves forward and has set up several methods for members of the public to share their voice and shape the vision Residents can participate through online surveys and interactive tools and pop-up events throughout the neighborhood “Whether you’re a longtime resident or new to the area your input will help guide the transformation of King Edward Park into a space that truly belongs to everyone,” said the news release Residents can stay informed and get updates on the project at the King Edward Park project webpage A Collingwood OPP officer on patrol on Thursday April 3 just before midnight arrested a man for outstanding warrants against him.  Later police linked the same man to a theft from Living Stone Resort.  The officer spotted 32-year-old Dyllan Parkin walking on Walnut and Fifth Street before arresting him the officer found tools commonly used to break into a building while searching the man during the arrest.  Police say they linked Parkin to a theft from Living Stone Resort on March 26.  Two iconic lighthouses at the north end of Hurontario St have become stars for the Collingwood Downtown BIA At the 2025 Ontario BIA Association Conference held earlier this month the Collingwood Downtown BIA was recognized for outstanding work in the category of public realm investment for the ‘Saga’ gateway feature unveiled last year “It’s a wonderful honour,” said Mayor Yvonne Hamlin during community announcements at the April 28 council meeting the two matching lighthouse sculptures are etched with images of ships built in Collingwood The 30-foot sculptures were commissioned by the Collingwood Downtown Business Association (BIA) and designed by artist Pierre Poussin The BIA received a federal grant for the cost of the public art Poussin has said his installation is meant to celebrate the ingenuity craftsmanship and hard work of the people who contributed to Collingwood's shipbuilding heritage The public art installation is called 'Saga,' inspired by the Nottawasaga River and lighthouse by the same name the word “saga” means “mouth of the river” TORONTO — A powerful storm Tuesday evening toppled trees and power lines in Ontario where thousands remained without power Wednesday afternoon A Hydro One outage map indicated approximately 30,000 customers were without power The provincial utility said damaged trees on power lines and broken poles were part of the damage crews were assessing Environment Canada had warned of damaging winds large hail and heavy rains ahead of the severe thunderstorm The storm also toppled some trees and hydro poles in Hamilton on Tuesday afternoon where the city's mayor sustained multiple injuries in a fall "during extremely windy conditions," her office said Mayor Andrea Horwath fell on the stairs outside city hall and was undergoing surgery for a broken wrist on Wednesday morning Horwath was also being assessed for other injuries including an elbow fracture and a leg injury Tuesday's storm arrived about a month after a severe ice storm caused sweeping damage in Ontario and parts of Quebec experienced prolonged power outages as a result Initial estimates show the ice storm caused $342 million in insured damage the Insurance Bureau of Canada said in a news release Wednesday This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30 NEW YORK — Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and forwards Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche and Sean Monahan of the Columbus Blue Jackets were named the finalists for the NHL's Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on Friday Voting was conducted by the local chapters of the Professional Hockey Writers Association The award is presented annually to the player who best exemplifies perseverance Fleury posted a 14-9-1 record and 2.93 goals-against average in 26 games this season The 40-year-old ranks second all-time in wins (575) starts (1,017) and minutes played (over 60,000) Landeskog capped a long road back when he made his AHL debut April 11 on a conditioning assignment with the Colorado Eagles The 32-year-old Colorado captain hadn’t played since June 26 due to a serious knee injury that forced him to miss the entire 2023-24 season and 2024-25 regular campaign 2024 to reunite with Johnny Gaudreau after the two were teammates for nine seasons with the Calgary Flames that tragically never transpired as Gaudreau and his brother were killed in August when they were struck by a vehicle while cycling Monahan tied for third in Blue Jackets scoring with 57 points A $2,500 grant from the PHWA is awarded annually to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund in the name of the Masterton Trophy winner This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2 TORONTO — The Ontario government is considering shortening the length of teachers' college in order to address a worsening shortage of educators documents obtained by The Canadian Press suggest A freedom-of-information request on teacher supply and demand came back with research and jurisdictional scans the Ministry of Education conducted last year on the supply issue and the length of initial teacher education programs Highlighted in the summary of the document on teachers' college are findings that longer programs do not make better teachers "There is little evidence that the amount of course work in ITE (initial teacher education) makes a difference in teachers' effectiveness when they enter the profession," the document says "Literature research shows that teachers who complete longer practicums feel better prepared and are more likely to stay in the profession," the document says Ontario teachers' college programs are typically two years with an unemployment rate of nearly 40 per cent for teachers in their first year after becoming certified the then-Liberal government made teachers' college two years instead of one and admission rates plummeted from more than 7,600 in 2011 to 4,500 in 2021 according to the Ontario College of Teachers early-career unemployment is at “statistically negligible levels," according to the college and there is a widely acknowledged shortage of teachers set to get worse Other ministry documents previously obtained by The Canadian Press through a separate freedom-of-information request said that the gap between the number of needed teachers and available teachers is expected to widen starting in 2027 A spokesperson for Education Minister Paul Calandra said his focus will be on ensuring the best possible outcomes for students "The minister is well aware of the changes the previous government made to teachers’ college programs and has asked the ministry to report back on the best way forward to ensure student success," Justine Teplycky wrote in a statement The Ontario Principals' Council and the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario are among the groups that have called for a return to one-year programs "We're finding that the cost has become a factor a barrier for many people to actually commit that length of time to the program," said Karen Brown there isn't actually much more learning taking place...So really 'What is the purpose of the second year?'" which advocates for the province's more than 160,000 teachers published a paper last year on initial teacher education programs and urged evidence-based change that follows consultations with teachers it is worth acknowledging that the length of time in which the program is delivered is of less importance than the attainment of the desired outcomes that every graduating teacher should acquire," the federation wrote we believe that the current length of Ontario’s ITE programs represents a significant barrier for many." The federation spoke out against the change to a two-year program taking the position that three semesters should be delivered over a 12-month period and should include 100 days of practicum It warned that the four-semester program would lead to teacher shortages especially in high-needs subjects and regions the ministry says there is a teacher shortage and Indigenous teachers and in northern parts of the province The ministry documents list the main factors as increasing enrolment by about 180,000 students over an unspecified time frame growing rates of retirement – with about 7,800 teachers expected to retire by 2030-31 – and "no immediate change to teacher education in Ontario." Six out of Canada's 13 provinces and territories have four-semester programs The international range is between two and four semesters All jurisdictions in Canada except the Northwest Territories are experiencing teacher shortages and provinces and territories have adopted various strategies to address them That includes funding for scholarship programs In recent years Ontario has allowed some teacher candidates to work as supply teachers in response to shortages president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation said that isn't an ideal or long-term solution "We're going to need a lot of people to fill these jobs but they shouldn't be in the classroom in front of students until they finish their training," she said but we're putting a Band-Aid on a solution and asking people who — they're not really unqualified but they're not yet qualified — to come in and to solve the problem as opposed to having the government look at what the issues are in education." OSSTF and other teachers' unions have for years said that working conditions are a cause of teacher shortages The president and CEO of the Council of Ontario Universities said the post-secondary institutions are working to "compress and streamline" teachers' education and suggested that universities where teachers earn their credentials do not want to see programs shortened "The skills and knowledge that teachers need to develop in response to changing technology and to foster student success is only becoming more complex not less," Steve Orsini wrote in a statement "Anything that would reduce the preparation our teachers receive could affect the quality of education and future success of students." You are now being redirected to the BCE.ca website (Bell Canada Enterprises) where you can view our Accessibility plan, and submit your feedback using our Accessibility webform Local high school students have resorted to a public petition in the hopes of getting the soap dispensers refilled and boys’ bathrooms unlocked at Collingwood Collegiate Institute (CCI).  Though he says he doesn’t use the bathrooms at school himself he heard his fellow students complaining about a lack of access to boys’ bathrooms at school and no soap for at least a week posted on April 9 by Wyville and signed by 467 people claims only one of the three boys’ bathrooms at CCI is open admission to the bathroom is limited by an adult monitor and the soap dispensers are not being refilled on purpose.  Hand sanitizer is left on a table in the hall outside the bathroom to replace soap at the sinks.  Wyville said there were about eight or nine toilets available to boys Students have five minutes between classes Wyville pointed out the recent pandemic and public health advice on washing hands His petition referred to the bathroom closures and withholding of soap "unfounded and unjust."  More than a dozen students on different occasions and in different locations confirmed the bathrooms are closed and there’s no soap for days Students said the other bathrooms sometimes open up Students said this happens often throughout the school year and isn’t just a problem this week.  The elected trustee says things are fine at CCI Collingwood/Wasaga Trustee Mike Foley said he called the school and confirmed with someone “on the ground” that there’s soap and bathrooms available for boys.  He said the petition was “not true.”  “Bathrooms are occasionally closed for a variety of reasons such as cleaning or repair,” said Foley in a phone interview “More than half a dozen bathrooms are available for male students.”  He also noted sometimes bathrooms are closed because of vandalism.  Foley was adamant that there is soap in the bathrooms at some point each day “There is soap … nobody is going to tell me there is when there isn’t,” said Foley.  “Sometimes the soap dispensers get emptied for a variety of reasons,” said Foley He said if a student notices an empty soap dispenser they should let the office know so it can be refilled.  “There is not a lot of substance to what was said [in the petition],” said Foley.  who volunteers as support for CCI student council by setting up and helping to plan events said he wanted to make sure student voices were heard he created a Google form to get feedback from students He said he wanted to use the feedback and petition in a meeting with the principal to make a case for the boys who needed the bathrooms at school.  three male students and a female student separately confirmed to CollingwoodToday there was only one boys’ bathroom open and there was no soap in it.  CCI Principal Kelly Lalonde and Superintendent Jennifer Newby denied there was an issue Newby repeatedly said there's "no story."  When pressed about whether washrooms were closed and if there was soap in them Newby said when she was walking around “there were bathrooms open,” and she observed students going about their day unhindered.  Newby also refused requests from CollingwoodToday to go with her and Principal LaLonde to see the bathroom after students had left for the day Foley doubled down in another phone interview on April 11 adamant that there were at least six bathrooms for boys to use and only one closed Wyville and several other students confirmed there were two boys’ bathrooms closed leaving one bathroom open and limited to about four students at a time The changerooms are locked during lunch and during class while students leave their belongings in them.  The other toilets available at school are single-person accessible bathrooms Foley said he was not concerned about the petition.  when I'm told that there's ample opportunity for people to use washrooms and ample space then that makes me feel secure in that knowledge I don't think teachers and principals are going to not tell me the truth,” said Foley “I wouldn't say that [students] aren't telling the truth But I know how things snowball sometimes with students Wyville was given a meeting with the principal on Friday which is the same day several students noted the soap was refilled in the boys’ bathroom and a second boys’ bathroom was opened.  “It was a beneficial talk … and there’s soap back in the bathroom,” said Wyville of his meeting “I’m told the third bathroom should be opening sometime next week.”  The Grade 11 student said he feels the administration at the school heard both him and the voices of the students he was representing in the meeting.  “I’m happy that so many students were willing to share their voices and I hope that helps them do it again in the future because I feel a lot of kids don’t feel comfortable doing that because of pressure from adults outside the school system,” said Wyville.  He pointed to social media posts about the petition which included comments suggesting teens are destructive and irresponsible.  “They said teens can’t be trusted and are always destroying stuff and that’s absurd,” said Wyville “People tend to look down on teens and stereotype us you’ll see good kids doing good things.”  He was clear that he’s not feeling the same stereotyping from teachers and school administrators who he feels understood his point against punishing many students for the crimes of a few.  and it’s a small percentage of kids doing it but a huge number of students were impacted by the bathroom closure,” said Wyville in a phone interview “I feel the administration heard me on that.”  Other students who talked to CollingwoodToday admitted there are sometimes people vaping in the bathroom and there has been some vandalism and bathroom “trashing.” But they argue that shouldn’t mean the bathrooms are closed down to the whole school More than 10 students said bathroom closures are regular occurrences for CCI.  The Simcoe County District School Board initially declined to comment on the story and denied a request for a follow-up meeting with the principal and superintendent the board’s manager of communications and strategic priorities, emailed a statement confirming “intermittent” bathroom closures.  bathrooms at schools will be closed for a variety of reasons including cleaning and in response to student behaviour,” states the email from Kekewich.  She added there are “bathrooms open and available to students at all times.”  one bathroom on the upper level was closed as a temporary measure in response to student behaviour which required management by the administration team at the school,” states Kekewich in the email.  and wasn't aware of the remaining bathroom still being closed Kekewich said the bathrooms are maintained through the day and replenished as needed.  and damage the dispensers the supplies may deplete quicker than anticipated,” she stated in the email “Every effort is made to repair and replenish as these issues are brought to the attention of the school administration.” Kekewich further said the school board takes vandalism in bathrooms very seriously and said it’s a matter of concern for student and staff safety.  “Administrators follow progressive discipline practices if students are found to be vandalizing school property,” states the email.  Grey County is inviting residents to help shape Resilient Grey the County’s new Climate Change Adaptation Plan The plan aims to increase understanding of how changing weather patterns are affecting our region—and how we can build more resilient communities today to protect our future Residents are encouraged to go online to the webpage to complete the Resilient Grey public survey by May 20 The survey takes about ten minutes and covers topics such as extreme weather Public input is vital to ensure the plan reflects local experiences and priorities The county is also hosting two public Climate Conversation Workshops: Resilient Grey also includes community conversations The final strategy is expected in spring 2026 Residents can also take part by hosting their own conversation using the Resilient Grey Conversation Kit—ideal for discussions with family “Changing weather patterns affect people differently,” said Linda Scott Swanston the county’s manager of climate change initiatives “We depend on public input to identify local concerns and ideas we might otherwise overlook the more effective and inclusive Resilient Grey will be.” The U.S. economy shrank at a 0.3% annual pace from January through March, the first drop in three years, as President Donald Trump's trade wars disrupted business. First-quarter growth was slowed by a surge in imports as companies in the United States tried to bring in foreign goods before Trump imposed massive tariffs The January-March drop in gross domestic product — the nation's output of goods and services — reversed a 2.4% gain in the last three months of 2024 and shaved 5 percentage points off first-quarter growth Consumer spending also slowed sharply — to 1.8% growth from 4% in October-December last year Federal government spending plunged 5.1% in the first quarter Forecasters surveyed by the data firm FactSet had expected the economy to eke out 0.8% growth in the first quarter The Dow Jones tumbled 400 points at the opening bell shortly after the GDP numbers were released The S&P 500 dropped 1.5% and the Nasdaq composite fell 2% The surge in imports — fastest since 1972 outside COVID-19 economic disruptions — is likely to reverse in the second quarter Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics forecasts that April-June growth will rebound to a 2% gain GDP is supposed to count only what’s produced domestically So imports — which the government counts as consumer spending in the GDP report when you buy Swiss chocolates — have to be subtracted out to keep them from artificially inflating domestic production And other aspects of Wednesday's GDP report suggested that the economy looked solid at the start of the year A category within the GDP data that measures the economy’s underlying strength rose at a healthy 3% annual rate from January through March up from 2.9% in the fourth quarter of 2024 This category includes consumer spending and private investment but excludes volatile items like exports many economists say that Trump's massive import taxes — the erratic way he's rolled them out — will hurt growth in the second half of the year and that recession risks are rising “We think the downturn of the economy will get worse in the second half of this year,'' wrote Carl Weinberg chief economist at High Frequency Economics "Corrosive uncertainty and higher taxes — tariffs are a tax on imports — will drag GDP growth back into the red by the end of this year.'' Wednesday’s report also showed an increase in prices that is likely to worry the Federal Reserve which is still trying to cool inflation after a severe pandemic run-up The Fed’s favored inflation gauge – the personal consumption expenditures price index – rose at an annual rate of 3.6% so-called core PC inflation registered 3.5% The central bank wants to see inflation at 2% The first-quarter GDP numbers “highlight the bind that the Federal Reserve is in,” Ryan Sweet of Oxford Economics wrote in a commentary The Fed must weigh whether to cut interest rates to support economic growth or leave rates high because of elevated inflation “The economy was essentially stagnant in the first three months of the year while growth in headline and core inflation accelerated Trump inherited a solid economy that had grown steadily despite high interest rates imposed by the Fed in 2022 and 2023 to fight inflation His erratic trade policies — including 145% tariffs on China — have paralyzed businesses and threatened to raise prices and hurt consumers Democrats were quick to blame Trump for disrupting several years of solid economic growth Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said: “100 days into his presidency green-light tariffs are shrinking our economy with businesses stockpiling imports in anticipation of tariff doomsday.″ There is potential evidence emerging that the solid job market payroll provider ADP reported that companies added just 62,000 jobs in April That could be a signal that businesses may be taking a more cautious approach to hiring amid uncertainty over tariffs the ADP figures often diverge from the government’s jobs reports and business and professional services industries all cut jobs Business and professional services include sectors such as engineering “Unease is the word of the day,” said Nela Richardson “It can be difficult to make hiring decisions in such an environment.” The province is eying expanding strong mayor powers In 2022, Ontario introduced legislation to give mayors stronger powers to speed up building new housing. Currently, 47 municipalities have the powers, and there's a proposal to expand it to 169 more municipalities.  Several area municipalities are slated to receive strong mayor powers on May 1 "Heads of Council are key partners in our efforts to build homes and infrastructure across the province,” said Rob Flack "By extending strong mayor powers to these additional municipalities we are providing mayors every tool at our disposal to empower them to get homes and infrastructure built faster and we support them in taking bold actions for their communities.” Strong mayor powers include appointing a chief administrative officer, hiring certain department heads, reorganizing departments, proposing certain bylaws to potentially advance identified provincial priorities or vetoing certain bylaws if it could interfere with provincial priorities.  Today's announcement comes in the wake of the City of Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac being temporarily granted the powers to deal with the state of emergency called for the ice storm that devastated the area.  He used the powers to effectively fire the CAO who had just been hired and promoted Orillia's deputy CAO to the position.  RELATED: CAO 'bewildered' by Orillia termination before even starting Orillia councillors are calling on the province to rescind their city's strong mayor powers.  The expanded strong mayor powers will be posted on the Ontario Regulatory Registry until April 16