NEW: Ontario’s education minister has directed the province’s school boards to stream Team Canada’s Olympic hockey games during classroom times so students can “rally together and cheer on some of Canada’s best.” #OnPoli #Olympics2026 globalnews.ca/news/1167424...

From Le Droit: When Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced his plan for civil servants to return to the office full-time, he said it would make them more productive. But internal documents show his minister was told not to make that claim. #OnPoli www.ledroit.com/actualites/a...

Ontario's premier says he is telling his minister of education to order schools to make sure students are able to watch tomorrow's gold medal Olympic hockey match. The game will take place at 1:10 p.m. tomorrow. #OnPoli

🚗⚡️: Barely three years ago, the Doug Ford and Justin Trudeau governments were in the midst of rolling out a massive, multi-billion-dollar EV strategy. But most of those investments are now up in the air. Is the plan changing? #ONpoli globalnews.ca/news/1166345...

NEW: Ontario Premier Doug Ford spontaneously promised to fund the return of Toronto’s Taste of the Danforth festival, suggesting Mayor Olivia Chow should also chip in to his seemingly spur-of-the-moment plan. #ONPoli #ToPoli globalnews.ca/news/1167270...

NEW: Back in 2019, the Ford government said the Ontario Line "could open by 2027." It now won't offer an opening date, but Metrolinx says construction may be done by the "early 2030s." #OnPoli #ToPoli globalnews.ca/news/1167246...

NEW: When Toronto's transit struggled to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, cities like Brampton and Mississauga surged. But then the international student cap came in, and now ridership in those cities is falling. #OnPoli #CanPoli globalnews.ca/news/1167147...

NEW: Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he fought for years against "massive pressure" from colleges and universities to raise tuition, eventually agreeing to the demand this year. #onpoli globalnews.ca/news/1167114...

On yesterday's housing start data: Ontario's trend of building more rentals continued. Out of 4,267 units, 2,200 were rentals, and 1,158 were condos. The province saw overall year-on-year housing growth for the first time in a while. #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1166950...

NEW: More than a year after the Hurontario LRT was scheduled to be completed in Mississauga, Ont., workers haven’t finished laying rails, building platforms or tearing up intersections for the major new transit line. #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1166970...

NEW: Ontario's finance minister says the province's spending on health-care is "unsustainable" as he writes his 2026 financial plan. Speaking in Mississauga, Peter Bethenfalvy said, "We’re going to have to manage that challenge." #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1166965...

NEW: Ontario’s homebuilding industry showed signs of life in the first month of the year, with housing starts improving after years of persistent decline in the face of cratering pre-construction sales. 4,455 starts down, just 170,545 to go #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1166950...

NEW: The finance minister suggests he wouldn't hesitate to use the purchasing power and threat of a boycott at the LCBO again to threaten a company considering leaving Ontario or cutting jobs. #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1166947...

NEW: Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay indicated this week that he thought the provincial transit agency had been embroiled in too many legal battles during the Eglinton Crosstown's construction. He said he plans to change that going forward. #OnPoli #Topoli globalnews.ca/news/1166662...

NEW: Doug Ford is standing down his threat to ban Crown Royal from the shelves of the LCBO after reaching a deal with Diageo. The government says the deal is $23M that would not otherwise have come - but it doesn't mention the Amherstburg jobs. #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1166664...

NEW: The Ford government is ending its tuition fee freeze at colleges and universities. Post-secondary institutions will be allowed to increase fees by 2% per year over the next three years. Also major boost in funding for the sector overall. #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1166455...

NEW: The Ford government insists its auto strategy 'has not changed,' but the majority of investments it unveiled alongside the Trudeau government are either paused, suspended or postponed. So did the EV gamble fail, or is it just delayed? #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1166345...

NEW: The laboured launch of the Finch West LRT in Toronto left the new line out of service 12 per cent of the time one week, but officials say service is improving through a harsh winter. #OnPoli #ToPoli globalnews.ca/news/1166378...

🚋🍁: Can 2026 finally be the year of the streetcar in Toronto? For decades, it has been the least reliable and least popular form of transit in the city, plagued by delays, construction diversions and unpredictable schedules. This year, that could change. #ToPoli

NEW: Ontario is not currently on a path to balance, according to the province's financial watchdog. A new report suggests lower-than-previous revenue will harm attempts to balance the budget. #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1166319...

NEW: When hundreds of thousands of soccer fans descend on Toronto this summer, the city’s plan to get them to and from World Cupmatches depends on its least reliable form of transit. #ToPoli #FIFAWorldCup globalnews.ca/news/1166181...

NEW: Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says the city’s police chief will need to “earn trust back” as a corruption scandal rocks his force following the arrests of seven serving officers. #ToPoli globalnews.ca/news/1166087...

ICYMI: Toronto’s transit agency is facing questions over its use of communications-related consultants as ridership stutters, costs mount and leaders are forced to draw from rainy-day funds. #ToPoli globalnews.ca/news/1165938...

NEW: Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he won't drop the ban on American booze at the LCBO after President Donald Trump included it in a list of complaints about Canada in his threat to block the opening of a new Ontario-Michigan bridge. #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1166081...

NEW: It's budget day at city hall. A chance for councillors (and mayoral hopefuls) to poke holes in the financial plan, suggest amendments of their own and, ultimately, pass the blueprint for the coming year. #ToPoli globalnews.ca/news/1166012...

US President Donald Trump takes issue with Doug Ford's ban on American booze. The ban came into place a year ago and is one the premier has repeatedly said won't be removed until tariffs are gone. Trump now linking it to a threat not to open a new Ont-US bridge. #OnPoli

🧵📺: The Ford government's new commercial debuted during Canadian broadcasts of the Super Bowl. Ahead of last year's snap election, the government spent more on advertising than any other administration in Ontario's history. #OnPoli

NEW: Critics are questioning the Ford government’s decision to pour more public money into an advertising blitz after the province debuted its latest commercial during the Super Bowl. #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1165974...

NEW: The TTC is committed to consultant contracts worth roughly $3.5 million relating to things like communications, marketing and reputation management. Comes in a year where the service is drawing from reserve funds amid low ridership. #topoli globalnews.ca/news/1165938...

The Ontario Liberal Party says it will select a new leader on Nov. 21, an announcement that kicks off its third leadership race since 2020. #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1165784...

Ontario’s inspector general of policing is launching a review of the province’s law enforcement services and boards amid accusations of corruption within Toronto police. #OnPoli #ToPoli globalnews.ca/news/1165917...

NEW: It's the Superbowl for transit enthusiasts. The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is finally open. While the TTC is doing everything it can to downplay the launch, some have come with the ingredients for an unofficial launch party atmosphere. #ToPoli #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1165692...

How soft is the soft opening of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT tomorrow? Well, the TTC is already begging for you to report the bumps and issues. Hard to overstate how much they're trying to manage expectations here. #ToPoli #Onpoli

#Hibs were 2-0 against Hearts 10 years ago today. It wasn't until the 80th minute they pulled one back, before Paul Hanlon got the equalizer from a stramash at a corner. Read the story of that comeback in Chapter 5 of #Hibernian Heroes. Out this May. www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/shop/hiberni...

NEW: The Solicitor General is responsible for policing in Ontario, including oversight and the discipline structure. But Michael Kerzner's office has refused to make him available for interview or even comment on the arrest of Toronto officers. #Onpoli globalnews.ca/news/1165657...

NEW: Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay has apologized for a week of commuter chaos in and out of Toronto caused by a train partially derailing early Monday morning, damaging a track switch immediately outside Union Station. #Onpoli #ToPoli globalnews.ca/news/1165614...

NEW: Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government has already learned the lessons of the years-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT and won’t call a public inquiry as the line prepares to finally open this weekend. #OnPoli #ToPoli globalnews.ca/news/1165599...

NEW: Businesses on Eglinton Avenue will finally see the benefits of the Crosstown LRT when it opens this Sunday, after surviving 15 years of disruption and construction. #ToPoli globalnews.ca/news/1165469...

NEW: Toronto police released a study late last night which found public trust in the force was "strained." That was before seven serving officers were swept up in an organized crime probe and arrested. #ToPoli globalnews.ca/news/1165422...

Solicitor General Michael Kerzner is not usually short of comments on the police. He prides himself on regularly visiting stations, meeting officers. But on the arrest of TPS officers, all his office can say is: "Questions should be directed to the York Regional Police." #OnPoli

NEW: When the Finch West LRT launched, Toronto was promised rapid transit. What it got was a train that lost a 10K race against a runner. Now, its stuttering launch could be the catalyst to turn around the city's entire streetcar network. #ToPoli globalnews.ca/news/1165223...

Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith says he’s seeking the Ontario Liberal Party’s nomination for an upcoming byelection and “exploring” a run for the party’s leadership in a potential switch from federal to provincial politics. #onpoli globalnews.ca/news/1165093...

NEW: Bars, pubs and cafes in Toronto could be allowed to start selling alcohol from 6 a.m. for the next few weeks as council looks to capitalize on the Winter Olympics hype. #ToPoli #WinterOlympics globalnews.ca/news/1165210...

NEW: Some 34 workers have left the Ontario Science Centre since the iconic attraction was abruptly shut down in the summer of 2024, with its exhibits moved to pop-up locations while the government searched for an interim location. #Onpoli globalnews.ca/news/1165040...

NEW: A long-time Ontario NDP MPP is resigning her seat in the provincial legislature to become the federal Liberal candidate in an upcoming byelection, targeting a seat in Ottawa. #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1165047...

NEW: The Eglinton Crosstown LRT will indeed open this coming Sunday, Feb. 8. That’s the date TTC CEO Mandeep Lali has pushed for since early Dec. Today he confirmed it. Expected to open with significantly less fanfare than Finch West. #ToPoli #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1165034...

NEW: Ontario’s transparency watchdog says she is beginning to use “firmer enforcement powers” in an effort to get ahead of the Ford government’s consistent use of personal devices for government business — a trend that’s being called “worrying.” #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1164208...

NEW: Weeks after red paint was applied to lanes on Bathurst St, it began to peel. At the time, the city wouldn’t say how much replacing it could cost. But emails we’ve obtained between the city and contractor suggest it could cost over $54K. #Topoli globalnews.ca/news/1164887...

NEW: Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow has tabled her version of the city’s annual budget, maintaining the tax increase at the 2.2 per cent proposed in January. #ToPoli globalnews.ca/news/1164864...

A nuclear refurbishment at the Darlington power plant is now complete and the unit is set to soon return to service. #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1164817...