Ottawa Daily Digest — March 16, 2026

Good news for builders: Ontario saw housing starts rise for the second month in a row, with 4,665 new homes started in February — a 17% year‑over‑year bump but only 387 were single‑family units. Over Jan–Feb the province is up 14% versus 2025 (well above the 5% national gain), and the Ford government says it will expand a new‑build home tax incentive as it chases its 1.5 million homes by 2031 goal.

Heads up on police probes: Ontario’s solicitor general Michael Kerzner finally spoke about Project South after the arrest of seven serving Toronto officers (and three suspended in Peel), saying multiple police services and the inspector general are investigating following a Feb. 5 announcement. The bust grew from an alleged plot that began in June 2025 involving a potential murder of a correctional officer, and Premier Doug Ford has demanded harsh penalties for anyone who targets officers.

Northern Ontario buried: A storm left parts of northern Ontario with roughly 30–50 cm of snow (about 50 cm in some spots) after an orange alert, and Environment Canada warned more snow, freezing rain and ice pellets in places like Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury and Timmins. Travel will be dangerous, power outages likely, and southern Ontario also faces snow squalls and 70–90 km/h wind gusts in cities such as Toronto and London.

Transparency fight heats up: Critics say Premier Doug Ford’s government changed freedom‑of‑information rules retroactively after courts ordered his personal phone records disclosed, effectively blocking the appeal the government lost in December (a three‑judge panel rejected its review in under three weeks). The Information and Privacy Commissioner blasted the move as changing the rules after losing in court, while opposition politicians say it’s about hiding who the premier talks to.

Preventable cold deaths: Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital reports repeated hypothermia deaths among people experiencing homelessness and has saved four near‑death patients in the past two winters while partnering with a shelter to help dozens (51 sent over three weeks in January; 76 over two months). Provincial coroner data show hypothermia‑related deaths of 90 in 2022 (16 homeless), 62 in 2023 (9 homeless), 57 in 2024 (11 homeless) and 61 in 2025 (6 homeless), and experts say many deaths are preventable with shelter and more affordable housing.

Funding cut for supervised consumption sites: Ontario will stop provincial funding for seven supervised drug consumption sites and start a 90‑day wind‑down so clients can move to the government’s abstinence‑based HART hubs. The closures affect two sites in Toronto, two in Ottawa and one each in Niagara, Peterborough and London — and the Fred Victor Centre was told its funding ends June 13, Health Minister Sylvia Jones said the focus is on “treatment, recovery and safer communities.”

Misgivings about OPP review: Lawyer Nader Hasan says he and his client Umar Zameer — acquitted in April 2024 in the 2021 death of Det. Const. Jeffrey Northrup — have “serious misgivings” about an OPP report into police conduct because they weren’t consulted and won’t see the report before it’s made public. The OPP review was ordered after Justice Anne Molloy raised concerns about three officers’ testimony at trial; police say the full report will be released this week.

Influencer’s home linked to arson: Police say Nancy Grewal, a 45‑year‑old Punjabi influencer fatally stabbed on March 3, had her Windsor home targeted in an arson on Nov. 8; investigators released surveillance video showing a van and a man with a gas can. The killing is being treated as intentional, motives are under investigation, and police have not identified suspects — authorities ask anyone with tips to contact OPP, LaSalle police or Crime Stoppers.

Major storm heading east: A large winter storm will hit northern Ontario into eastern Quebec, with Environment Canada warning up to 60 cm near Sault Ste. Marie and Timmins, ice pellets and winds up to 80 km/h; warnings run from east of Thunder Bay to Sept‑Îles. Sudbury has declared a significant weather event and officials are urging residents to stay home and avoid roads.

Sniper at St. Patrick’s party surprises mayor: Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe said she was “surprised and shocked” to learn a Waterloo Regional Police sniper was deployed during an unsanctioned St. Patrick’s Day street party, while police say tactical officers and barriers were part of a mass‑casualty safety plan. Police point to past vehicle attacks across Canada in recent years as shaping their approach, and the mayor has requested a meeting with the chief.

HST waiver for new homes may widen: The Ford government is set to propose waiving the provincial HST on all newly built homes in the spring budget tabled March 26, expanding a recent $470‑million, three‑year program that originally covered only first‑time buyers. Sources say widening the rebate could cost about $2 billion (vs. $470 million), as Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy warns of fiscal limits amid a $236‑billion budget and a $13.4‑billion deficit.