County set to double child care spaces
The County of Simcoe is set to double child care spaces by the end of 2026.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
23 minutes ago
- CTV News
Protected walking and cycling path officially open on Vancouver's Granville Bridge
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and others appear at a ribbon-cutting for the Granville Connector, on July 25, 2025. The Granville Connector has officially opened to the public. Officials said the protected walking and cycling path along the busy Granville Street Bridge provides a 'comfortable' new route in and out of Vancouver's downtown core. Mayor Ken Sim called the infrastructure, which resembles a similar path on the Burrard Street Bridge, a 'pretty huge step forward' in terms of making the city more inclusive, sustainable and livable. 'You deserve to get around our city safely and easily,' Sim said Friday, at a ribbon-cutting for the Granville Connector. Installing the path meant removing two lanes of traffic on the bridge. The city also demolished the north loops that were initially designed to accommodate a high-volume freeway into downtown that was never built. The loops have been replaced with a standard street-grid layout, opening up city-owned land that will be used for future housing, officials said. In total, the project cost approximately $54 million, $8 million of which was contributed by TransLink.
CBC
24 minutes ago
- CBC
New Canada-U.S. bridge opening could be delayed by slow progress on border facilities
The opening of the new bridge between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit could be delayed into 2026 due to delays completing the ports of entry on either side of the border, according to a report from the ratings agency S&P Global. The Gordie Howe International Bridge itself was 35 days ahead of schedule when the report was released in April, it said. But the contractor had missed two deadlines to hand the Canadian port of entry over to the Canada Border Services Agency and had not yet done so as of April. "The construction contractor and its subcontractor faced major attrition in a skilled labour force to the construction of a very large car battery manufacturing plant in the same region," the report, first reported by the Windsor Star, read. Canada Border Services Agency requires possession of the building nine months prior to the bridge's opening to complete its share of the work, S&P said. The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority did not confirm whether or not the facility had been handed over. "As this is an international crossing with security implications for both Canada and the U.S., we are unable to comment on certain aspects of border agency operations," it said. Border agencies need possession of facilities months before opening The contractor has also missed two deadlines to hand over the port of entry on the U.S. side of the border, S&P said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection needs possession of the facility six months before the opening of the bridge in order to do its share of the work on it. The bridge project dates back to 2012 when Canada and Michigan closed a deal on the public crossing. But the two-and-a-half-kilometre bridge has faced several bumps in the road. The owner of the Ambassador Bridge asked U.S. President Donald Trump to halt the project shortly after construction began in 2018 – after losing a court battle to stop the crossing from moving forward. But construction continued until the pandemic hit, when the builder said the bridge opening would likely be delayed by about a year. Last year, the project announced a revised price tag of $6.4 billion – $1.5 billion higher than the 2018 estimate. The Canadian government is footing the entire bill for the bridge and will collect all the tolls until it's paid off. Then they'll split them with the United States. The span was connected last summer, and the cranes came down earlier this summer. But the bridge authority says it's too early to offer a specific opening date. "We have an estimated two per cent of construction work remaining," a spokesperson said in a statement.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Insured losses from Jasper wildfire reach $1.3B, Insurance Bureau of Canada says
Social Sharing New wildfire damage estimates for Jasper continue to climb almost exactly one year after a wildfire destroyed about one-third of the townsite in July 2024. In a news release on Friday, the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) reported that insured losses from the Jasper wildfire have risen to around $1.3 billion. The figure, calculated by Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc., shows damage cost estimates have increased by $80 million since its last report in January. Aaron Sutherland, IBC's vice-president of the Pacific and Western regions, said damage estimates have risen significantly as reconstruction of the town drags on. He said the original insured losses estimates were around $900 million. IBC said the wildfire, which destroyed 358 homes and businesses in the town, is the second-costliest fire event in Canadian history. The 2016 Fort McMurray wildfires caused $6.2 billion in damages. It reported that the summer of 2024 was the most expensive on record in Canada for catastrophic weather events. Insured damage caused by severe weather in 2024 was over $9.2 billion for the first time in Canadian history. Residents frustrated with permitting delays The release also highlighted that permitting delays are slowing the rebuild process for residents. IBC stated that, so far, 56 structures destroyed by the fire have been approved for reconstruction, and only two of those buildings are currently undergoing actual reconstruction. Sutherland said some residents are beginning to get upset with the length of the permitting process for rebuilding. "We are hearing frustration start to grow … It's been 12 months, and we only have 15 per cent of properties approved for construction." WATCH | Data shows insured losses growing for Jasper residents: New data reveals Jasper wildfire insured losses just under $1.3 billion 2 hours ago New data shows the insured losses from last year's wildfire in Jasper, Alta., are now an estimated $1.3 billion. This is an $80-million increase from the six-month estimate made earlier this year. The July 24, 2024, wildfire destroyed much of the town, and it has yet to see major reconstruction. Sutherland said one of the key factors for why it is taking so long to rebuild is the complex soil remediation process required for land where properties burned down. However, Sutherland said the federal government has stepped in and is providing $5 million in funds to cover the unexpected cost of soil testing and removal, which he said could bolster reconstruction efforts. He emphasized that it is crucial for construction to begin as soon as possible, or residents may face weather-related delays.
