Latest Updates
Stay informed about what's happening in Thornhill and at Queen's Park.
Today at CANSEC, a leading global tradeshow hosted by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries, the Ontario government unveiled its framework for the Ontario Defence Industrial Strategy (ODIS), a 10-year strategy dedicated to growing the province’s defence industry and positioning its companies and workers for long-term success.
Today, the Ontario government introduced legislation that would, if passed, strengthen public safety, support victims of crime and give law enforcement stronger tools to keep communities safe. The Protecting Ontario’s Streets and Communities Act, 2026 includes bold new measures to support victims of human trafficking, crack down on illegal drugs, strengthen oversight of the towing industry and make it easier to enforce restraining orders.
The Ontario government will soon propose amendments to the Planning Act that would help prevent illegal land uses, including for trucks and the operation of commercial trucking activities on land not zoned for industrial use. The amendments would enable municipalities to impose administrative monetary penalties for illegal land uses, including illegal truck yards that are frequently established on rural, agricultural or residential properties.
Ontario is investing $55,000 through the 2026 Experience Ontario program to support the Vaughan International Film Festival in Thornhill. This is part of a more than $20 million government investment to help municipalities and event organizers deliver high-quality programming and experiences for people of all ages.
As part of the government’s plan to strengthen the bail system and keep dangerous offenders behind bars, Ontario is increasing adult correctional capacity by adding more than 2,500 permanent jail beds within the next decade. The province’s $3 billion investment in corrections capacity expansion will ensure the system can keep pace with tougher bail and sentencing laws while supporting frontline staff with increased hiring, supports and resources. The investment includes building new correctional facilities and expanding existing facilities, with projects currently underway across the province.
The Ontario government has begun major construction on the Bradford Bypass, marking a significant milestone in the province’s plan to fight gridlock and shorten travel times across York Region and Simcoe County by up to 35 minutes. Construction of the new four-lane highway will support 2,200 jobs annually and contribute up to $286 million to Ontario’s GDP.
Following Canada’s selection as the host country for the new Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB), Premier Doug Ford was joined by leaders from a wide variety of sectors, including finance, manufacturing, research, defence, academia and more, to continue making the case for Toronto’s selection as the bank’s headquarters. Attendees in support of Toronto’s bid included representatives from across Ontario, reflecting the benefits that Toronto’s selection would bring to communities across the province. Mayors, councillors, provincial cabinet ministers and federal members of Parliament, including members of the federal Liberal caucus, were also in attendance.
To protect Ontario’s health-care system and provide more connected and convenient care to people around the province, the government is allowing pharmacists to administer additional publicly funded vaccines that protect against six diseases and assess and prescribe for a further nine common ailments. This historic expansion of their scope of practice will improve access to care and reduce pressure on the health-care system by empowering health professionals to provide care to the full extent of their training and making pharmacies a one-stop location for convenient, everyday care.
The Ontario government is welcoming an investment of $5,264,923 by Letar Inc., a tier 1 manufacturer of aircraft and telecom components in the aerospace and defence sector, to expand their operations and create 19 new, good-paying jobs in Thornhill.
The Ontario government is lowering the eligibility age to allow people to access publicly funded colorectal cancer screening to help more people receive life-saving screening services sooner. Starting July 1, the eligibility age will be lowered from 50 to 45 for all individuals and to 40 for those at increased risk. This historic expansion will give more than one million additional people the option to connect to life-saving screening services to detect and treat colorectal cancer sooner.
As part of an upcoming legislative package, the Ontario government is proposing to amend the Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015 to reduce wait times for police record checks for people working or volunteering with vulnerable populations such as children, seniors and people with disabilities. The proposed changes would support efficient screening of potential employees and volunteers while maintaining robust standards that will protect those in the vulnerable sector.
As part of its ongoing work to protect Ontario and keep communities safe, the government will soon introduce regulatory changes as part of an upcoming legislative package that would crack down on illegal drug use on transit and target illegal drug production.