News
US National Transport Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy held a news conference this afternoon to report on the investigation into the collision between an Air Canada jet and a Fire Truck at LaGuardia Airport Monday night. While Homendy cautioned against drawing conclusions she confirmed that the Fire Truck had clearance from the tower to cross the runway. She also said the truck did not have a transponder on board to signal it’s location. Homendy said investigators will be interviewing the injured firefighters who were on board the truck and are concentrating on the final 3 minutes from the cockpit voice recorders. She was unable to shed any light on the number of controllers on duty, how long they had been working or who was doing what at the time of the crash saying there were discrepancies in the tower logs that needed to be cleared up. She also said that the tower systems were outdated and that safety improvements were needed all around. Operations at La Guardia have resumed but traffic is still restricted as a result of the crash.
Two Quinte West men were caught trying to remove copper wire from a Trenton building yesterday. Quinte West OPP apprehended a 42 year old and a 53 year old when they were called to a break and enter in progress on Crown St. The 42 year old was charged with breaking and entering, possession of stolen property, identity theft and violating a probation order while the 53 year old was charged with breaking and entering and possession of stolen property.
A Federal House of Commons committee is calling for changes to federal election law to make it more difficult to stage long ballot protests. The Long Ballot Committee, a group of electoral reform advocates, has staged numerous high profile protests over the past five years by entering large numbers of candidates in local elections including more than 200 who ran against Pierre Poilievre in the Battle River – Crowfoot bi-election. Among the changes MP’s are recommending are restricting people to signing one nomination form for one candidate rather than allowing them to sign multiple forms for multiple candidates. This change would make it more difficult to collect the 100 nomination signatures needed for each candidate. Another proposed change is requiring a candidate’s official agent to acting for only one candidate per riding rather than multiple candidates in the same riding. The Long Ballot Committee responded to today’s recommendations by saying MP’s shouldn’t waste their time trying to ban long ballots. Instead they should hand electoral reform over to an independent non-partisan body.
If you are in a federally regulated industry like transportation or communications and you currently make minimum wage you are going to get a raise next week. Starting April 1st the Federal Minimum wage will increase from $17.75 to $18.15 per hour. The increase reflects the annual change in Canada’s consumer price index. For everyone else in Ontario, the minimum wage remains at $17.60 an hour at least until October when the province typically makes any adjustments.
Sports
A commission studying the future of sport in Canada called for a massive change in the way sport is funded and run in country. Former Chief Justice Lise Maisonneuve chaired the committee which issued nearly 100 calls for action today to address abuse and dysfunctional organization of Canadian sports. The most significant recommendation is the creation of a separate Crown Corporation to manage sport to avoid political pressure and remove control from the small group of individuals that currently manage funding and policies. Secretary of Sport Adam van Koeverdend said the report makes it clear that action is urgently required and the government accepts the committee’s findings.
Opening day is tomorrow and ESPN released their Major League Baseball rankings for the 2026 season today. The Blue Jays are at number 4 going into their home opener on Friday. ESPN put the LA Dodgers at number one with a strong chance of repeating as World Series Champs while Seattle and the Yankees were also ahead of Toronto. ESPN sited consistency from Guerrero as the biggest opportunity for the Jays and pitching injuries as the biggest risk.
It’s a busy night for Canadian teams in the NHL with all seven in action. The Leafs are on the road. Toronto is in Boston for a 7 pm face-off against the Bruins. The Carolina Hurricanes visit Montreal to face the Canadiens also starting at 7. The Ottawa Senators travel to Detroit for 7 pm start against the Red Wings. The Las Vegas Golden Knights are in Winnipeg for an 8 pm puck drop with the Jets. The Calgary Flames host the LA Kings starting at 9. Edmonton travels to Utah for a 9:30 face off with the Mammoth and Vancouver is at home to Anaheim. The Canucks and the Ducks get underway at 10.
