Ottawa Daily Digest — March 11, 2026

School boards could stay under provincial control for years — here’s why. Education Minister Paul Calandra says he’ll keep eight school boards under supervision (covering some 750,000+ students, nearly 40% of Ontario’s students) until he’s confident they’re well run, and he even floated abolishing English public trustees. Unions and advocates like David Maston and David Lepofsky warn this risks centralizing power at Queen’s Park and hurting students, especially those with disabilities.

Saskatchewan pushes back on Ottawa’s buyback with exemption certificates. Premier Scott Moe says the province will propose laws letting licensed owners apply for exemption certificates to keep prohibited guns until fair federal compensation is paid, and to avoid some charges. The move is framed as protecting rural firearm owners from what Moe calls a federal "gun grab."

A Toronto police officer has been charged after a special victims probe. Peel police allege 39-year-old Farhan Ali committed three counts of assault, three counts of sexual assault and four counts of mischief; he was off duty at the time and is now suspended with pay under Ontario’s Community Safety and Policing Act. The case follows earlier controversy around a Toronto Police podcast episode that prompted an internal review by Chief Myron Demkiw.

The Maple Leafs are struggling after the Milan-Cortina Olympics break. Toronto is 0-6-2 since play resumed, including a 3-1 loss in Montreal, and recent defeats to New Jersey (4-3 SO), New York Rangers (6-2) and Tampa Bay (5-2) have fans worried; the report was published March 11, 2026. The item also notes a mixed week for the Raptors and Canada splitting its first two World Baseball Classic games (8-2 win over Colombia, 4-3 loss to Panama).

Elementary teachers to get $750 a year for classroom supplies starting in September. The Ford government and Education Minister Paul Calandra say teachers will order supplies via a new Supply Ontario website; the policy is estimated to cost about $66 million per year and targets elementary grades to start. Teacher unions (including president David Mastin and OSSTF’s Martha Hradowy) welcomed the recognition but said it doesn’t replace proper school funding.

Tragedy in Mississauga — a four-year-old has died after a suspected fall. Peel Regional Police responded just after 4:30 p.m. Monday near City Centre Drive and Duke of York Boulevard; the child was taken to hospital and later died. The investigation is active and police are asking anyone with information to come forward.

Freezing rain could cause power outages across eastern Ontario and parts of Quebec. Environment Canada warns of 10–40 mm of freezing rain over 24 hours with orange warnings for Ottawa, Gatineau, Montreal and Quebec City, and up to 30–40 cm of snow/ice pellets expected in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean. Meteorologists say expect fallen tree limbs, outages, travel disruption and possible local flooding where the ground is saturated or frozen.

A ransomware attack on a home-care vendor left Ontario health officials scrambling. Ontario Medical Supply (OMS) suffered a breach that likely began mid-March 2025 and triggered on April 13, 2025; OMS estimates about 200,000 home-care patients may have had data exposed, and the breach wasn’t publicly revealed until an MPP, Adil Shamji, sounded the alarm in late June 2025. Internal emails show weeks of tense back-and-forth as Ontario Health atHome tried to learn who was affected; the government still hasn’t provided a more precise figure or the ransom amount.