Latest news with #Ontario.ca
Global News
2 days ago
- Business
- Global News
Ontario has been sitting on housing start data for months, internal docs suggest
A final tally of which Ontario municipalities hit their housing targets and how many fell short last year has been finished since mid-February, according to government documents obtained by Global News, despite the province refusing to release the data for months. For the past two years, the Ford government has set targets for new homes in towns and cities around Ontario, promising them extra cash if they meet those goals. The numbers Ontario uses to assess whether or not cities have hit their goals are made up of new homes, long-term care beds and additional units like basements or garden suites. The government set up a website to show which cities had hit their goals, which were on track and which had failed. Around October 2024, however, with housing starts across the province stuttering, the government stopped updating the tracker. By the spring, the tracker had been removed altogether, with the web page telling users to 'try again later.' Story continues below advertisement The information was first posted by the government to show how close Ontario was to its self-imposed target of 1.5 million homes and the annual goals that came with it. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy While the tracker has appeared abandoned for close to half a year, the government has had 'finalized' data for months. A briefing document prepared for Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack in March states the information has been ready since Feb. 15, waiting for his direction on when and how to release it. 'This decision point includes official allocation notice letters to municipalities and data by municipality to publish on the housing tracker,' one line from the document, obtained by Global News using freedom of information laws, states. At a recent news conference, Flack conceded the number of incentive cheques he will hand out to municipalities will be lower this year as housing numbers drop. He promised to release the data soon. 'I can tell you, housing starts are down, we know that,' Flack said at a news conference in Toronto. 'We're going to hand out some nice building faster cheques — not as many and not for as much this year as we did last year,' Flack said. Elsewhere in the same briefing document, civil servants said overall Ontario housing starts in 2024 were down 17 per cent year over year. Story continues below advertisement The government indicated it was still validating parts of the housing start data, which the internal documents state is ready. 'As of February 15, 2025, all housing data has been received and finalized by MMAH staff,' the internal document said. 'Municipalities and AMO are waiting to hear whether they qualify for BFF funding, and if so, how much.' The extra calculations are necessary because, in order to help hit its own housing targets, the Ford government elected to add long-term care beds, basement units and other secondary suites to its housing starts. At the time, Premier Doug Ford and his cabinet passionately defended the idea that a long-term care bed counted as home and said the change wasn't just to boost their starts. Ontario NDP MPP Catherine McKenney urged the government to release the data as soon as possible — and said the government had not made housing a 'priority.' 'If there is data, make it available,' they said. 'Let's not worry about pass or fail, let's worry about moving forward and doing what we need to build the housing we need, for the people who need it and where they need it.'
Hamilton Spectator
12-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Victoria Day 2025: Is May 2-4 a holiday and who gets the day off work with pay in Ontario?
Victoria Day is a federal statutory holiday falling on Monday, May 19. The May long weekend marks the unofficial start of the cottage season in Canada. Most employees in Ontario will get the day off on May 19. Victoria Day is listed as both a federal statutory holiday in Canada and a public holiday in Ontario . However, Victoria Day is considered a nonstatutory 'general' holiday in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and P.E.I. According to , most employees who qualify are entitled to take this day off work or be paid public holiday pay. For those who have to work, full-time employees are usually paid time-and-a-half for their hours. Some employers may also offer workers regular pay for the shift, but add extra time off in lieu of holiday wages. For those getting another substitute holiday day, employees must be paid public holiday pay for those hours. There are some workers who are exempt from getting public holiday coverage under the Employment Standards Act , such as taxi drivers and health care workers. Federal, provincial and municipal government offices and banks will be closed on Victoria Day. Canada Post won't be operating on the stat holiday, either. Private business hours will vary. In Ontario, some grocery stores and pharmacies may be open — along with some restaurants and transportation companies such as transit, taxi, airport or ridesharing services. Transportation services may be operating on holiday hours. Check schedules before heading out. Staff at hospitals and first responders will also be on shift. Check with your local business to confirm hours. For more information about public holidays, visit the Province of Ontario website.
