Ottawa Daily Digest — March 20, 2026

Big picture on Ontario politics: A new Ipsos poll for Global News finds Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives still lead the province with 42% support, versus 35% for the Liberals and 18% for the NDP — nearly the same split as the 2025 snap election (PC 43%, Liberal 30%, NDP 19%). The poll of 801 Ontarians (±4.2%) also shows 69% don’t expect Ford to quit before the next election, while 60% say it’s time for change and Ford’s personal approval sits at 42%.

Nurse practitioner funding delay could cost patients: Ontario won’t meet the federal April 1 order to publicly fund all medically necessary nurse practitioner services, and penalties don’t kick in until April 2027. Health Minister Sylvia Jones is negotiating the rollout as critics, nurse practitioners and MPs like Adil Shamji urge faster action; some clinics now charge subscriptions (one example is a $1,800 annual membership) while calls grow to integrate NPs fully into primary care by 2029.

Winter just won’t quit yet: Southern Ontario has seen prolonged lake-effect snow, deep freezes and big single-day totals — downtown Toronto got about 61 cm in one day and Pearson saw 46 cm — and Lake Erie reached roughly 97% ice coverage. Forecasters warn another system could drop up to 50 cm and bring icy travel, and meteorologists say a reliable spring warm-up probably won’t arrive until May.

Border officer arrested in major smuggling probe: RCMP arrested a Canada Border Services Agency officer in January after allegations he let a truck with contraband into Canada at the Queenston-Lewiston crossing near Niagara-on-the-Lake. The officer and a driver face drug trafficking and import charges over a load said to contain millions of dollars worth of opium, cannabis products and tobacco; both are due in court this month.

Ontario moves to ban resale of tickets above face value: The province plans to introduce legislation next week to make it illegal to resell tickets for more than their original cost, aiming to protect fans from inflated prices at sports and entertainment events. The details on penalties aren’t finalized yet; the move reverses earlier PC opposition to a similar Liberal-era idea and comes after public outcry over Blue Jays and other high ticket prices.

Islanders plan AHL move to Hamilton: The New York Islanders have announced plans to relocate their AHL affiliate from Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Hamilton’s newly renovated TD Coliseum for next season, pending AHL Board of Governors approval. The club’s top minor-league team has been in Bridgeport for 25 years; a new team name, logo and ticket info will be revealed if the move is approved.

Amherstburg mayor says Crown Royal deal fizzled jobs hopes: Mayor Michael Prue says Diageo lost urgency to sell the Amherstburg bottling plant after Premier Doug Ford dropped his threat to ban Crown Royal, instead accepting Diageo’s $23 million spending commitments across Ontario. The plant closed in February and sits idle; only $500,000 of the commitment was earmarked for Amherstburg, and locals worry a quick buyer won’t appear unless Diageo acts.