Residents of the City of Waterloo are preparing for what could be the most significant property tax increase the municipality has seen in over ten years. City council is set to begin formal discussions on the proposed 2026 budget, and early figures suggest a notable jump in the city’s portion of property taxes — a move that may further strain household finances already impacted by rising living and utility costs. On Monday, councillors will review a budget proposal that currently includes a 6.41 per cent increase on the municipal portion of property taxes. If adopted, this increase alone would add…

Ontario’s provincial government is preparing to re-examine its approach to standardized testing after the latest results revealed that student performance in mathematics remains well below expectations. Despite modest gains over the past two years, math scores among elementary and secondary students continue to trail behind desired targets, prompting the minister of education to launch an expert-led review into the underlying causes and potential solutions. The move comes amid growing concern from parents, educators, and policymakers that hundreds of thousands of students are not developing the numerical skills required for academic success and long-term career readiness. While reading and writing scores…

Wastewater testing continues to demonstrate its importance as a reliable public health monitoring tool, with recent data from York Region revealing a seasonal increase in both influenza and COVID-19 levels. While the trend may appear concerning at first glance, experts with access to long-term surveillance data stress that these increases are consistent with what is normally expected at this time of year. The findings reinforce not only the relevance of wastewater monitoring but also its effectiveness in helping communities understand shifting health risks before they escalate into major outbreaks. Even after Ontario ended its province-wide wastewater surveillance program in the…