Ottawa Daily Digest — Feb. 25, 2026

Close finish in Toronto — Devin Vassell led all scorers with 21 points as the San Antonio Spurs rallied to a 110-107 win over the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 25, 2026; De’Aaron Fox added 20 and the Spurs extended their win streak to 10 (San Antonio 42-16, Toronto 34-25). Victor Wembanyama was limited to 12 points and seven rebounds, rookie Collin Murray‑Boyles left in the fourth with a left thumb contusion, and Toronto outrebounded San Antonio 50-40.

Century-old plant shutters early — A Crown Royal bottling plant in Amherstburg, Ont., closed two days earlier than planned after Diageo announced the shutdown in summer 2025; Premier Doug Ford publicly protested last year (pouring a bottle and threatening LCBO bans) before accepting a $23-million provincial spending promise. Unifor, representing about 200 workers, called the early closure a “final show of disrespect”; workers were told during their shift but will be paid for the two lost days.

Officer charged in child-exploitation probe — Hamilton Police Const. Dave Hamilton, a 19-year member, was charged by Halton Regional Police with possession and transmitting child sexual abuse and exploitation material and has been suspended without pay. He’s scheduled to appear in Milton court and the Hamilton Police Service says it won’t comment further while the matter is before the courts.

Ex-Raptor returns to pro hoops — Former Toronto Raptor Jontay Porter, 26, has signed with the Seattle SuperHawks for the USBL’s 2026 relaunch; he was banned for life by the NBA in April 2024 for gambling violations that included wagering on NBA games. Porter averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 games in 2023-24, and Seattle opens its home schedule March 7 against the Lilac City Legends.

Former councillor Giorgio Mammoliti dies at 64 — Toronto politicians paid tribute after Giorgio Mammoliti, 64, died following a fall down stairs at his Wasaga Beach home and a stay on life support; his son Christopher said the family was devastated. Mammoliti served six terms on Toronto council (1998–2018), chaired the Toronto Zoo board, ran twice for mayor, and flags at city sites will fly at half-mast starting Feb. 25.

Bettors expected OT in men’s hockey final — Most Proline bettors (59%) predicted the Olympic men’s hockey final would go to overtime, and Jack Hughes’s OT goal gave the U.S. a 2-1 win over Canada in Italy; only 28% had backed the U.S. outright. Canada finished the Games with 21 medals (5 gold, 7 silver, 9 bronze); other betting notes included Steven Dubois’s 500m short-track gold and Brad Jacobs’s 9-6 curling win.

Ford open to Niagara amalgamation — but only if local — Premier Doug Ford said any move to restructure Niagara Region must be driven locally with approvals from a majority of mayors and elected officials, not imposed by the province. The push follows Regional chair Bob Gale’s letter citing successive tax increases (~7%, 9.6% and 6.3%) and proposing fewer councillors and possible amalgamations; some mayors support change while others oppose it.

Humber offers voluntary exit packages to staff — Humber Polytechnic launched a Voluntary Employee Exit Program (VEEP) because of fiscal pressures from caps on international students, inflation-driven costs and a tuition freeze; the offer is open to all full-time staff, including executives. Employees have until March 9 to express interest, after which the college will assess participation before deciding on further cuts.

Deadly crash downtown Ottawa — A grey SUV crashed into a building at Rideau and Cobourg streets on the morning of Feb. 25, leaving a 70-year-old man dead and four others hospitalized (two men in critical but non-life-threatening condition, one woman stable, driver stable). Paramedics attempted resuscitation en route to hospital; police asked the public to avoid the area while investigators work.

City tightens nuisance bylaw before St. Patrick’s Day — An Ontario city approved bylaw amendments to give police and municipal officers more authority to tackle large, unsanctioned street parties—prohibiting obstruction of highways and pedestrian areas and requiring people to leave roadways when directed. The changes, approved Monday, aim to reduce the safety problems historically linked to St. Patrick’s Day weekend and university homecomings.

Therapist charged in assaults on children with autism — Halton police arrested Muaz Sarfraz, 25, an Applied Behaviour Analysis therapist from Milton, and charged him with six counts of assault, one count of assault with a weapon and one count of assault causing bodily harm related to two child victims with autism. Spectacokids says it stopped the sessions, terminated his employment and reported the matter to police; investigators suspect there may be more victims.

School boards call for open talks on trustees — The Ontario Public School Board Association says it has had no formal word from the Ford government about plans to eliminate elected trustees, despite public comments by Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Paul Calandra. With municipal and school elections approaching, the association is urging clear consultation and wants decisions soon so voters and candidates aren’t left in the dark.

Province halts public rollups of child-welfare deaths — Ontario has stopped producing aggregated summaries for 2024 and 2025 of children who died after interacting with the child-welfare system—reports that from 2020–2023 showed an average of about 118 deaths over three years (roughly one every three days). The ministry says it still tracks individual cases in real time, but critics and opposition MPPs call the loss of publicly accessible rollups alarming and want more transparency.

Barrett keeps Raptors’ struggles in perspective — RJ Barrett scored 21 points with eight rebounds and four assists in a 116-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb. 24; Toronto sits at 34-24 and is 4-14 versus top-10 teams this season. Barrett said the tough games are part of growth, but the Raptors also worried that Scottie Barnes suffered a right-quad contusion and was questionable for the Feb. 25 game against San Antonio.