Ottawa Daily Digest — April 1, 2026

Big night at Scotiabank Arena: Precious Achiuwa scored 28 points and grabbed 19 rebounds to help the Sacramento Kings beat the Toronto Raptors 123-115 on April 1, 2026; DeMar DeRozan also had 28 points and passed Dominique Wilkins for 17th on the NBA scoring list (26,670 points). This snapped Sacramento’s four-game skid (Kings are 20-57) and came while Toronto missed Immanuel Quickley and Brandon Ingram.

New grads face a tough job market: Hundreds of thousands of recent post-secondary graduates in Canada are starting their job searches amid high youth unemployment (about 14%), says Venture For Canada CEO Steven Wang, and many employers expect experience and AI-ready skills. Students like University of Toronto grad Serina Woo (class of 2025) report struggling against applicants with more qualifications, and some, like Isabelle Malavoy Mundle (June 2025 grad), are choosing part-time work while considering more schooling.

Minimum wages rise — but still not enough, advocates say: Across Canada provinces are increasing minimum wages (e.g., Nova Scotia to $16.75 now and $17 in October; Newfoundland $16.35; PEI $17; Ontario to $17.95 Oct. 1; Quebec $16.60 in May; B.C. to $18.25 in June), and federally regulated workers move to $18.15. Labour advocates point out those rates fall short of calculated livable wages (Nova Scotia $27.60, Winnipeg $19.77), and Alberta remains at $15.

MPPs get a 4.2% raise as salary freeze ends: Ontario legislators received a 4.2% pay increase on April 1 tied to federal MP pay, lifting a backbench MPP’s salary from $157,350 to $163,959; the move follows a one-time 35% raise in 2025 and is unpopular (Ipsos poll: 60% oppose). Parties had agreed last year to link future increases to federal MPs to keep compensation competitive.

Tourism minister backs Therme deal for Ontario Place: Minister Stan Cho says Therme “passed all the financial tests” after new emails showed civil servants raised concerns days before signing a controversial 95-year lease for Ontario Place’s west island. Cho said construction and early works are progressing, but he didn’t confirm whether Therme has taken control of the land or secured full financing.

Ontario won’t give nurse practitioners billing codes — but says it will bring them into public care: Ontario missed a federal April 1 deadline to set a nurse-practitioner funding policy; Health Minister Sylvia Jones ruled out OHIP billing codes for NPs and says the province will embed NPs in publicly funded teams and hospitals, though no full costing has been done and funding details remain unclear.

Oilers sign Ottawa forward William Nicholl: The Edmonton Oilers inked 19-year-old William Nicholl to a three-year entry-level deal starting next season after he posted 15 goals and 11 assists in 32 OHL games this year with the London Knights; Nicholl was a 7th-round pick (196th overall) in the 2024 NHL draft and helped London win the Memorial Cup last year.

Fifth arrest in 2021 Bolton home shooting; two suspects still wanted: OPP arrested Damion Ryan, 45, of Ottawa on March 12 and charged him with first-degree murder, attempted murder and conspiracy in the killing of Giovanni Costa (65) in Bolton on Jan. 18, 2021; police still seek Filmon Fesshaghirgis (27) and Waheed Barakziye (48), and a $50,000 reward is offered for information.

Police erect billboard to solve 2024 Caledon homicide: OPP put up a billboard near Orangeville ahead of the April 1 anniversary of David Robson’s death (Robson, 65, found April 1, 2024; reported missing March 21, 2024). The sign shows his photo and a stock image of his 2017 black Kia Sportage (plate DAMZ 252) as police urge anyone who saw the vehicle to come forward.

Tragic crash in Norwich Township kills three, injures two: A collision around 3 p.m. Tuesday at Hwy 59 and Quaker Street left three SUV occupants dead — the driver (39) from Cambridge and two passengers aged 13 and 17 from Tillsonburg — and two others airlifted with life-threatening injuries; the transport-truck driver was uninjured and police ask the public for dashcam footage.

New AHL team coming to Hamilton in 2026-27: The AHL’s board approved moving the New York Islanders’ affiliate from Bridgeport to Hamilton for the 2026-27 season; the team will play at the 18,000-seat TD Coliseum (recent $300M upgrade) and join the North Division with Laval, Toronto and Belleville.

Judge finds one complainant’s evidence unreliable in Frank Stronach trial: Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy said she “couldn’t possibly convict” on charges tied to one complainant after finding her evidence fatally flawed; Stronach faces seven remaining charges (originally 12), and prosecutors continue closing submissions comparing the remaining complainants’ accounts.

Crown asks Appeal Court to reverse bail for lawyer tied to Ryan Wedding probe: Prosecutors want 62-year-old Deepak Paradkar held pending extradition to the U.S., arguing a November bail decision (24/7 house arrest, GPS, $5M pledge) failed to properly assess risks and the surety; Paradkar is accused of advising alleged drug kingpin Ryan Wedding and faces extradition proceedings.

Ontario minimum wage to rise to $17.95 on Oct. 1: The province will boost minimum pay from $17.60 to $17.95 based on the Ontario CPI, and the government says a 40-hour-a-week minimum-wage earner would see about $728 more per year; the Ontario Living Wage Network still estimates a GTA living wage at $27.20.

Bosnia drawn as Canada’s World Cup opener in Toronto — resale tickets pricey: Bosnia and Herzegovina (FIFA rank 69) upset Italy to set a June 12 match in Toronto as Canada’s opener; with FIFA’s resale marketplace briefly closed, secondary sites show about 388 tickets left at StubHub Canada, from roughly $1,961 to $130,766.

Metrolinx adds more VPs as consultants become permanent staff: The transit agency had 124 vice-presidents in 2025 (a 5% rise), with an average VP salary around $248,000; CEO Michael Lindsay says some expensive consultants were hired as full-time experts, saving about $100 million but prompting criticism about the agency’s leadership growth.

New email shows adviser urged digging “deeper” on Therme before lease: Documents reveal a senior adviser warned on April 21, 2022 that Therme had low liquidity and weak finances, yet Infrastructure Ontario signed the lease on May 3, 2022 — 12 days later; the auditor general previously flagged due-diligence issues while the government says Therme met a $100 million net-worth test and plans more than $2 billion in support.