105.9 The Region

OTTAWA — Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says president-elect Donald Trump was joking when he suggested Canada become the 51st U.S. state during a dinner with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Florida on Friday. Fox News reported on Monday that Trump made the comment in response to the Canadians raising concerns that tariffs would hurt […]

TORONTO — Strength in base metal stocks helped lift Canada’s main stock index in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were mixed. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 22.26 points at 25,612.59. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 162.48 points at 44,619.52. The S&P 500 index was down 7.19 points at […]

TORONTO — Scotiabank says it expects to see continued loan pressure and political uncertainty in the months ahead as it reported profits that were up from a year ago but below analyst expectations. The bank kicked off a week of bank earnings Tuesday as it reported a fourth-quarter profit of $1.69 billion, up from $1.35 […]

Some Ontario communities still digging out after a severe storm last weekend should brace for round two as snow squalls coming off the Great Lakes are expected to bring heavy snow to a swath of the province over the coming days. Environment Canada has issued a series of weather alerts for regions along the shores […]

TORONTO — Ontario’s auditor general says the province’s ministerial zoning order process needs to be overhauled. Minister’s zoning orders allow the housing minister to make changes to land zoning rules, overriding municipal decisions. The auditor general says the province has used the tool 114 times from 2019 to 2023 under Premier Doug Ford’s government, which […]

TORONTO — Ontario’s auditor general says the province spent three times the amount of money on government advertising in the last fiscal year as it did the year before – the highest amount ever. Auditor general Shelley Spence says the amounts spent on government advertising generally follow a pattern, peaking in the year before a […]

TORONTO — Ontario’s auditor general says the province’s opioid strategy, with its new abstinence-based model for treatment, is outdated and does not serve the current needs of the people. Shelley Spence has released her first auditor general’s report since taking over the job in January. Spence says the province needs to develop a new comprehensive […]

TORONTO — Ontario’s auditor general has found that the European company developing a spa and waterpark at Ontario Place got special access to provincial executives during a submission process the auditor says was not fair or transparent. In the auditor general’s annual report today, she also says it will now cost more for the government […]

TORONTO — Scotiabank reported a fourth-quarter profit of $1.69 billion, up from $1.35 billion in the same period last year, as it set aside a smaller amount for bad loans compared with a year ago. The bank says the profit amounted to $1.22 per diluted share for the quarter ended Oct. 31, up from 99 […]

TORONTO — Ontario’s auditor general is set to release her annual report today, with sections on the redevelopment of Ontario Place and on the province’s opioid strategy likely to garner a lot of attention. This will be the first annual report from the province’s new auditor general, Shelley Spence, who was appointed around this time […]