Local

Local races heat up as Carney weighs snap election

On Friday, March 14, Governor General Mary Simon will preside over the swearing-in of Mark Carney as Canada’s 24th Prime Minister.

Carney will succeed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after winning the March 9 Liberal leadership election with an overwhelming 85.9 per cent of the vote.

The Carney government will take power nearly three-and-a-half years after the most recent federal election in which the Liberals won the most seats (160) but fell ten seats short of a majority.

The Trudeau government began experiencing a steady decline in popular support in 2022 after entering a supply-and-confidence agreement with the NDP. 2022 was also the year in which Pierre Poilievre became leader of the Conservatives.

Despite dramatically low approval ratings, disastrous results in multiple by-elections, and increasing divisions within his party, it was not until Jan. 6, 2025, that Trudeau announced his plan to resign. By this point, however, the Liberal Party was uncompetitive in most opinion polls.

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Local/National

Rents in St. Catharines and Niagara Falls fall in February

The average one-bedroom rent in St. Catharines was down two per cent month-over-month to $1,655 in February, according to the latest Rentals.ca market update.

 

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Sports

GOJHL playoffs begin Friday night

When the puck drops on the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) playoffs Friday night, three Niagara based clubs will begin their quest for the Sutherland Cup.

 

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National

Don’t take the bait, Canadians

Canada is currently facing the potentially worst economic crisis we have encountered in decades. Many Canadians, including some of our political leaders, have chosen to respond to the threats U.S. President Donald Trump has made by a revival of an odd version of patriotism which involves such juvenile acts as booing the U.S. national anthem at hockey games, signing a futile petition to remove Elon Musk’s Canadian citizenship and taking U.S. products off the shelves at liquor stores.

Provincial

Saskatchewan taxpayers deserve more balanced budgets

Finance Minister Jim Reiter needs to deliver a balanced budget on March 19.

Not balanced some time in the future, balanced on March 19.

On budget day in 2023, the government promised a $1-billion surplus. That surplus ended up shrinking to $182 million, according to the latest public accounts. That’s because while government revenue increased by 6.7 per cent during the year, the government also decided to spend 11.5 per cent more.

National

Liberals pass the baton for the election race

In these past few days Canadians witnessed the Liberal Party of Canada passing the baton from the beleaguered Justin Trudeau to the unknown-yet-charmed Mark Carney. In being sworn in as Canada’s prime minister today, the newly crowned Liberal leader is expected to not take much time before calling a federal election. If Ottawa rumours prove accurate, Carney will not even have to break stride in his race from the party coronation last weekend to the cross-country campaign hustings next week.

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Opinion

For the sake of public decency, return the State of the Union to written form

On Tuesday, March 4, President Donald Trump entered Congress at the invitation of the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson of Louisiana. The Democratic leadership chose to abandon the protocol of accompanying the president into the Capitol, setting the tone for an evening of norm-breaking, political gamesmanship, and unprecedented rudeness. The viewers (I subjected myself to the record-breaking 100-minute-long speech in deference to my readers) were largely partisan and about 75 per cent in most polls gave Trump a thumbs up.

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Bradley calls for civility in U.S. relationship amidst tariff battle

Local/Provincial

In the wake of the Trump administration’s decision to impose tariffs on Canadian goods entering the U.S. market last week, Regional Chair Jim Bradley issued a lengthy statement, outlining his concerns about the tariffs, his relationships with leaders of other border communities, and what he would like to see from the federal government in terms of actions to be taken and next steps.

Bradley began by giving credit to both the Trudeau and Ford governments for efforts made by both federal and provincial leaders to try to work with the Trump administration and address its concerns in order to try to avoid tariffs. He noted that the Trump administration’s decision to impose tariffs on Canada poses a major threat to what has until recently been one of the closest bilateral relationships in the world.

Mark Carney wins Liberal leadership and will become Canada’s next prime minister

Local/National

On Sunday, March 9, the Liberal Party of Canada held their first leadership election in twelve years.

Niagara IceDogs playoff bound for the first time since 2019

Sports

It became official around 4:30 pm Sunday afternoon.

Canada has a long to-do list – and most of it should have been done long ago

National

“Well, they look like normal people.”

Beyond the trade war, Ford’s to-do list is long

Provincial

After a cold and snow-filled election, Ontario Premier Doug Ford emerged as the victor, although he did not make the electoral gains he had hoped for.

Introducing Liberal Doug Ford

Provincial

Despite winning the recent Ontario election under the banner of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, Doug Ford has for years been accused of being a closet Liberal.

Justin Trudeau’s Legacy: A decade of change, controversy, and challenges

National

As Justin Trudeau closed the door of the Prime Minister’s Office for the final time this weekend after nearly a decade as Prime Minister, his legacy, much like his time in office, is divisive.