1. Heads up on student aid changes — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is standing by reforms announced Feb. 12 that unfreeze tuition (allowing up to 2% increases a year) and shift OSAP from roughly 85% grants/15% loans to a maximum of 25% grants starting this fall; students and groups including the Canadian Federation of Students have protested, warning this will saddle graduates with more debt.
2. Quick aerial backup — Durham Regional Police announced a pilot to send drones to certain 911 calls; the drones can arrive in roughly 60 seconds to give real-time aerial intelligence for unknown/high-risk calls, missing-person searches and disasters, and DRPS will hold a community info night on Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m.; the project complies with Transport Canada and privacy rules and won’t use facial recognition.
3. Trade headaches continue — a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Friday struck down some “reciprocal” tariffs but left Section 232 levies in place (steel/aluminum/copper 50%, autos 25%, some goods 25%, plus a 10% softwood lumber charge), which have already hit Ontario (Algoma Steel laid off more than 1,000 workers); Premier Doug Ford says he “can’t wait” for the U.S. midterms as he keeps pushing U.S. officials and voters.
4. Crash on Highway 401 — a bus carrying 47 passengers and the driver rolled into a ditch east of Napanee around 7:15 p.m. on Sunday; eight people suffered non-life-threatening injuries (cuts, broken bones, dislocations), were taken to two hospitals, the eastbound lanes were closed about four hours, and police are investigating.