A major Ontario municipality was forced to stop borrowing money to invest in various projects for two years because of “perceived uncertainty” caused by policies and reversals put forward by the Ford government.

The Region of Peel, one of the province’s largest local governments, didn’t borrow any money in either 2023 or 2024 because of instability brought about by the province’s attempts to split up the municipality.

The admission that government policy and reversals had a direct impact on the Peel Region’s ability to borrow was contained in briefing documents prepared for Rob Flack, the minister of municipal affairs and housing.

“As a result of perceived uncertainty related to any potential restructuring, Peel Region has experienced challenges accessing financing from capital markets,” the documents, obtained by Global News using freedom of information laws, said.

“Peel Region and the lower-tier municipalities are seeking stability on the future state of service delivery.”

That uncertainty stems from the Ford government’s semi-reversed attempts to disband the Region of Peel and give all its powers to its member municipalities, Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga.

The split was first announced in May 2023, with a transition board created and an aggressive timeline to have it complete by the beginning of 2025.

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A year before that was set to happen, however, the government announced it was reversing the split. In the end, after an intervention from the chair of the transition board, the government settled on a watered-down, partial breakup of the local government.

The reversals and policy shifts left the Region of Peel in a sticky spot. In particular, part of the Hazel McCallion Act — tabled in 2023 to dissolve the region — gave the transition board planning the move significant power.

“The original Hazel McCallion Act, unfortunately, had a clause in it that said the transition board could amend things, and that clause had an unintended consequence that we didn’t feel we could enter the capital markets,” Mississauga and Peel Coun. Joe Horneck explained.

“If the legal clause was there, the transition board could renegotiate things. Someone purchasing our debt might say, ‘Well, how do I know they won’t decide to execute that option and my money vanishes?’”

As a result, Peel was out in the cold and unable to borrow for all of 2023 and all of 2024.

Horneck said the clause had left the local government exposed to a potentially difficult situation.

“We were able to utilize the reserves we had,” he said. “We were kind of in the fall coming into a point where we would have been worryingly low, but we were able to get out from under the legislation in time.”

Horneck said that if changes had not come, the region could have been forced to ask the province for “some kind of bridge financing” or — in a scenario both the local and provincial governments would have looked to avoid — delay or cancel construction plans.

The transition board was dissolved in December 2024, allowing the region to start borrowing again, which it did in April.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing said the Ford government had “made record investments” in the area and would “continue to work collaboratively with Mississauga, Brampton, and Caledon to support them through the transition process.”

They did not directly address questions about borrowing issues or delays in tabling legislation to complete the Peel Region transition.

Ontario NDP municipal critic Jeff Burch characterized the split as “chaotic and irresponsible” from when it was first announced in May 2023.

“This has been a sloppy, unprofessional mess from the beginning,” he said. “It’s no surprise that no one, including financial markets, has any confidence in this government’s ability to manage the situation.”

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TORONTO – Pitcher Eric Lauer has done a little bit of everything for the Toronto Blue Jays since his season debut seven weeks ago.

The 30-year-old left-hander has worked in short relief, served in a bulk role and is now used as a spot starter.

He has been getting results every step of the way.

Lauer was in top form Wednesday night, allowing one earned run over five-plus innings in an 8-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Rogers Centre.

“He has been really damn good,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider.

Lauer (3-1) had a season-high eight strikeouts and allowed four hits and a walk. Over his last five appearances, he has given up three earned runs over 19 innings and held opponents to a .136 average.

He credits fastball command for his solid performance this season.

“Speeding guys up, slowing them down, moving them in and out and up and down — that’s pitching to me,” Lauer said. “To me, I’m a pitcher. I’ve never been an overpowering guy. I’ve never been just a stuff guy. I’m not going to out-stuff people.

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“But I think I can make my pitches play up better than they actually are based on how I can throw my fastball.”

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Bo Bichette hit a leadoff homer off Eduardo Rodriguez (2-4) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove in three runs for the Blue Jays (40-33), who will go for a three-game sweep Thursday afternoon.

Bichette and Addison Barger had three hits apiece while Guerrero reached base five times. He had a single, double and three walks.

Toronto has won 11 of its last 12 home games and earned 14 victories over its last 19 games overall.

Lauer threw five shutout frames before he was pulled after giving up a leadoff triple to Corbin Carroll in the sixth.

With Yariel Rodriguez on in relief, Carroll scored the lone run for Arizona (36-37) on a groundout by Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Toronto answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning and broke the game open with a three-run seventh. The Blue Jays improved to 15-8 in interleague play.

Lauer has made four starts this season in a rotation anchored by veteran right-handers Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt.

Max Scherzer made only one start due to a thumb issue and Bowden Francis was mostly ineffective before landing on the IL this week due to a shoulder impingement.

Lauer has filled in admirably when needed and has likely earned himself a temporary spot in the five-man mix.

“Over the course of the year, your depth is going to get tested,” Schneider said. “So to have a guy like him step up has been awesome.”

A first-round pick (No. 25 overall) by San Diego in 2016, Lauer made his big-league debut with the Padres in 2018.

He later spent parts of four seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers before splitting last year between Triple-A and the Korean league.

Lauer signed a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays last December and his contract was selected from Triple-A Buffalo on April 30.

Since then, he has posted an impressive 2.29 earned-run average over 10 appearances with 36 strikeouts against just 11 walks.

“Your best ability is availability,” Lauer said. “So I just try to go out there and do my job every time I’m called.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025.

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Daniel Hoffmann’s grief-stricken mother appeared virtually from Windsor, Ont., in a Toronto courtroom Wednesday and recalled the terrible day, three years ago, when her husband drove to their son’s apartment to find him dead.

“When he found Daniel that fateful day, he was changed forever. How could he not be, seeing what he saw? The sound of his voice when he called me to tell me what had happened to Daniel was filled with sheer agony and grief, a tone I will never forget,” said Wendy Hoffmann, describing her only child as the centre of their family.

Last month, 23-year-old Adrian Desario, 25-year-old Dawson Aguilera Jimenez and 21-year-old Nikki Karimi, who were all facing a charge of first-degree murder re-elected to be tried by judge alone. Aguilera Jimenez and Karimi then waived their right to a trial and both pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of second-degree murder, while Desario pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Desario was a friend of Hoffmann’s, Aguilera Jimenez was Desario’s boyfriend and knew Hoffmann through Desario, and they were acquaintances but not friends. Karimi was a friend of Desario and Aguilera Jimenez, who had only become newly acquainted with Hoffmann.

On the night of April 12, 2022, Desario went to Hoffmann’s residence with Karimi. In the early morning hours of April 13, Aguilera Jimenez arrived at the building and was denied entry by Hoffmann. Desario went to the lobby and brought Aguilera Jimenez to the apartment, knowing Hoffmann did not want him there.

Around 4:20 a.m., Aguilera Jimenez arrived in unit 2006. Hoffman pulled a knife on Aguilera Jimenez and threatened to have his friends attend the apartment to “back him up”.

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After some discussion, the situation de-escalated. Aguilera Jimenez and Hoffmann shook hands, and the four drank alcohol and consumed drugs.

At approximately 5:30 or 6:00 a.m., Aguilera Jimenez and Hoffmann got into an argument, which turned physical. Hoffmann was unarmed at the time of the altercation. Aguilera Jimenez and Karimi stabbed Hoffmann with a knife. He succumbed to his injuries a short time later. Hoffmann sustained nine stab wounds, including three to the chest.

Desario did not stab Hoffmann, but admits she verbally engaged and encouraged the altercation as it turned physical. She was a party to the initial assault but did not know there would be injuries likely to cause or materially contribute to his death.

All three accused were taunting Hoffman while he was being stabbed. Eight videos were made during the attack, including some that Karimi shared through social media.

After the stabbing, Karimi and Aguilera Jimenez cleaned up the crime scene and removed a knife from the apartment and discarded it to avoid detection.

Desario took Hoffmann’s cell phone and credit card. She used the credit card at Shopper’s Drug Mart to buy gift cards. The credit card was found in Desario’s possession after her arrest.

Desario drove her mother’s car with her two co-accused to Niagara Falls, where they rented a room. It’s there where they were arrested by Niagara Regional Police.

Later that afternoon, around 5 p.m., Hoffmann’s father discovered his son’s lifeless body in the apartment.

During the search of the apartment, four knives were missing from the knife block. One loose knife was found at the base of a coffee table near Hoffmann’s body. Another was found on the kitchen counter.

Two videos were recovered from Karimi’s phone, which showed Aguilera Jimenez burying an object in a construction area near his home after the stabbing.

Hoffmann’s mother finished her victim impact statement by telling the court that she mourns the lost possibilities of what could have been. Marriage, grandchildren, a successful career and happy visits with their only child.

“We can’t help but wonder, did he suffer? Was he scared? Did he think of us? The biggest hurt is he died alone, we never got to say goodbye,” she added.

The sentencing hearing will continue in September with submissions from Crown and defence.

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