University Health Network (UHN) has bought a 15-storey building, located at 522 University Ave., to support its programs in cancer care, research and education, the hospital announced on Friday. 

Last month, detectives with the Sexual Assault Unit with the Niagara Regional Police Service began an investigation regarding historical sexual assaults that occurred involving young persons in the Region of Niagara.

Investigation revealed that a 52-year-old male had sexually assaulted 2 males under the age of 16 between the years of 1996 and 2016 in Niagara.

On Thursday, a suspect, Todd Douglas Williston, 52 years old, of Niagara Falls was arrested and charged with a string of sexual assault and pornography charges including sexual assault involving persons under the age of 14 and 16.

Williston was held in custody pending a bail hearing was to take place on December 19, in St. Catharines.

Williston is currently employed as a school bus driver in the City of Niagara Falls and is known to have been involved in the Martial Arts community as a Karate Instructor.

The investigation remains ongoing by detectives with the Sexual Assault Unit and the Child Abuse Unit with the Niagara Regional Police Service.

Detectives have reason to suspect there may be more victims.

Anyone who may have been a victim or anyone with information is asked to contact detectives with the Niagara Regional Police Service at 905-688-4111, option 3, ext. 1009535.

Members of the public who wish to provide information anonymously can contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara online or by calling 1-800-222-8477.

The TTC says streetcars are running again through the busy downtown intersection of King Street W. and Spadina Avenue after crews finished work to repair overhead wires damaged by a garbage truck earlier this week.

County of Essex offices will be closed Christmas Eve day (Tuesday, Dec. 24), Christmas Day (Wednesday, Dec. 25) and Boxing Day (Thursday, Dec. 26), reopening on Friday, Dec. 27. They will close again at noon on Tuesday, Dec. 31, and remain closed through New Year’s Day (Wednesday, Jan. 1), reopening Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025.

Road emergencies and issues can be reported by calling 519-326-8691. Non-emergency road issues can also be reported by completing the online Report a Problem form.

Go to the Essex County Library website to get the latest information about branch hours over the holidays. You can also follow the library on Facebook and Instagram.

The post County of Essex Holiday Hours 2024 appeared first on Kingsville Times.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit offices will be closed to the public Tuesday, December 24 through Thursday, December 26.

Website:
Windsor-Essex County Health Unit

Phone:
519-258-2146

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Windsor-Essex County Health Unit

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The post Health Unit Holiday Closings from December 24 to 26 appeared first on Kingsville Times.

The Christmas season is one of the joyful times of the year. The homecomings, parties, and sentiments we are still lucky to be a part of this messy, troubled world. But we also know those who have lost loved ones and are now alone. For all the people we are packing onto a smaller and smaller planet, it’s noteworthy that loneliness is becoming a greater problem. And not just for solitary seniors. People in nearly every age group and every location are reporting more loneliness.

One would hope, for example, that happily married people are not lonely. Fortunately, it remains a minority of married people who are not happy. But loneliness is creeping into more and more marriages. The statistics vary. One study found 30 percent of married people reported being lonely. Another study found that being lonely in a marriage is more intense than being single and feeling alone.

What can be done to improve the situation for married people? One 8-year study of 1,400 couples in their fifties through seventies zeroed in on the women in the relationship. It is the wives, the researchers observed, who set the emotional tone for the marriage.

“In other words,” it was reported, “the husband depends on the wife to create and maintain the external social relationships of the marriage. If she has many friends, he’ll likely be friends with their husbands. But if she’s socially isolated, he will be too.”

Sad, but true? Surely the advent of so much technology has helped get past any emotional shortcomings of people failing to make personal connections.

But here too, the news isn’t so rosy.

Laurie Marciano, a Harvard researcher, recently studied how technology, even the social media that is designed to bring people together, is driving some into greater isolation.

Using Instagram to question 500 students, Marciano checked on their personal interactions three times a day. Each time she discovered that 50 percent had not spoken to anyone in the last hour.

But remember, social loneliness is nothing new. It has been with us for centuries. The great pianist, Chopin, lamented “I’m alone, alone, alone.” But at this time of the year, it does reach epidemic proportions. And it can be particularly acute in some households, such as when tragedy strikes suddenly.

We all must ask this question. What can we do to inject more happiness in our society? What can we do for isolated elders? For our neighbours? For our children? How can we add more joy among friends during this holiday season?

It’s said that the voyage of a thousand miles begins at the first step. So here is a suggestion. Forget about emails, texting, and all other social media. Holiday cards are nice, but not enough. Among those who are able, generous donations to food banks and other charities make a good start towards sharing the holiday spirit. But unless you are positioned with a duty to do so, don’t dwell on the big problems of the world.

Pick up the telephone and call a someone whom you know is alone. Think about the person who has suffered bad luck this past year and make it a point to reach out to say hello. Teach your children do the same – not with their Instagram accounts, but with their voices.

What’s better, arrange to share a meal together. Experts in loneliness attest that even one social interaction alleviates the problem, and it is the quality of the interaction that determines its effectiveness. On this ancient tradition too, we need to teach our children.

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The post Common Sense Health: Rx for Terrible Loneliness appeared first on Kingsville Times.

Toronto police say the service's hate crime unit is investigating after a Jewish girls elementary school in North York was shot at for the third time this year.

The provincial police watchdog is investigating after a man fell from a balcony as officers were responding to an apartment unit to check on him Thursday afternoon.

Kelly Pannek and Grace Zumwinkle each scored two goals and the Minnesota Frost beat the Ottawa Charge 5-2 on Thursday night in St. Paul, Minn.

An online petition calling for road safety improvements in London has garnered hundreds of signatures, days after a seven-year-old boy was fatally struck by a vehicle west of Lambeth.

From bus routes to libraries, here's what you need to know about what's open and closed in Hamilton from Dec. 24 through Jan. 1.

Survivors of impaired driving incidents join police in urging drivers to make alternative commuting plans if they are drinking or using drugs over the holidays and throughout the rest of the year.

Selling off or privatizing Canada Post is just one of many significant and potentially drastic remedies tossed around by analysts who say the Crown corporoation cannot continue in its present form.

More than 1,000 people are waiting to borrow the Ottawa Public Library's most popular e-book of 2024, and librarians say inflated prices and restrictive e-book publishing practices are responsible.

Playing in the World Junior Hockey Championship has always been a dream for Rémi Gagné, the captain of the Hawkesbury Hawks — and soon, that dream will partly come true. 

Members of London's transgender community say a new ad appearing on London Transit Commission buses this week carries a message with the potential to harm young people who seek, or are receiving, medical care related to their gender identity.

Young swimmers got a chance on Thursday evening to meet Summer McIntosh, Canada's newly named top athlete of the year, and the evening did not disappoint.

Members of London's Cricket Club are facing disappointment as thousands of dollars of sports equipment and irreplaceable historical memorabilia from their nearly 170 years of history are now a pile of ashes after a fire ripped through their clubhouse shed after midnight Thursday.

Londoners in need of a hot meal gathered at St. Joseph's Hospitality Centre Thursday afternoon for the centre's annual Christmas luncheon.

Toronto’s top doctor Eileen de Villa is stepping down at the end of 2024, after spending eight years leading Toronto Public Health. Metro Morning's David Common caught up with de Villa at one of the city’s supervised consumption sites that has been ordered to close next spring.

Durham Regional Police say they are investigating six shootings in the past week that have left homes with bullet holes and residents shaken. 

Theodore Too, the 65-foot replica tugboat named after a years-long TV series, has been refloated in St. Catharines, Ont., after partially sinking this week, according to the boat's owner.

Thefts from people's doors steps are becoming more common around the holidays, but one Etobicoke woman says she didn't expect that even her doormat would be stolen.

Every Hamilton homeowner, whether they own rental properties or not, will be cordially invited to participate in the City’s Vacant Unit Tax process starting next month. If they fail to fill in a form declaring that they do not own a vacant unit they will pay a $250 late fee and if they still don’t file the declaration they will be taxed in June at a rate of 1 percent of the assessed value of their property. For a property with an assessed value of $385,000 that works out to a bill of $3,850. The tax applies to any residential unit that is vacant for more than 183 days in a year. The revenue generated from this tax will be reinvested into City programs to strengthen housing initiatives.

The declaration form will be available starting on January 2025. The declaration form will be submitted online, but a printable form will also be available upon request. Options to fill the declaration over the phone and in person will also be available.

Declarations can be submitted starting January 2025 and must be completed by March 31, 2025.  Late declarations will be accepted until April 30, 2025 and are subject to a $250 late fee.

All owners of residential units must submit an annual mandatory declaration on the status of their property. If a mandatory declaration is not submitted, the residential unit will be considered vacant and the VUT will be charged.

The frequently asked questions page describing the VUT says it is not a form of negative option billing, but only because it is allowed under the Municipal Act. In every other way it is a negative option—if a person fails to declare they get billed.

An annual declaration will be required each year to ensure that the VUT is applied accurately and reflects any changes in how the property was used. The City does not have any reliable method to ensure all property occupancy changes are captured.

A principal residence will not be subject to the VUT, but it is still required to submit a mandatory declaration every year. The plan involves hiring 16 full time staff to oversee the program

Environment Canada has issued a winter weather travel advisory for Toronto and some surrounding communities due to heavy snowfall in the forecast. 

Environment Canada issued a weather advisory for Hamilton and Burlington on Thursday.

Education Minister Jill Dunlop calls the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board's use of public money "appalling."