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Ontario MPPs could soon perform weddings. Here’s the bill that makes it possible
Cut the red tape and cue the white dress.
Two Ontario Progressive Conservative members of provincial parliament are proposing to remove a layer of bureaucracy and let MPPs such as themselves more easily officiate weddings.
A private member’s bill from Matthew Rae and Dave Smith would automatically grant an MPP the authority to solemnize marriages after they give written notice of their interest, without having to go through a municipality as with most non-religious officiants.
“Not every single municipality actually has their clerk do weddings, so if you want a civil marriage, you have to go through a justice of the peace or a judge,” Smith said.
“When you look at some of the more northern, more remote, more rural ridings, you don’t have as easy access to a justice of the peace or a judge and I just saw this as one of those things that’s almost a red tape thing. We have the ability to make that change. It really doesn’t have a negative effect. So why not do it?”
Rae said engaged couples sometimes reach out to elected officials – including himself – to request that they solemnize their marriage, thinking they’re granted that ability automatically, like judges.
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“Some are family and friends that live in my riding,” he said.
“Obviously, they think it would be kind of neat to have their local MPP perform the ceremony…(it’s) just another provincial service that a local member can choose to offer their constituents if they choose to do so. And so it really is just having that little extra special component to your happy day.”
Rae personally availed himself of that extra special component when he got married last year, using Bill Walker, the former member of provincial parliament for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, as his officiant.
When it comes to politicians and weddings, Walker is the guy, both Smith and Rae said.
Walker went through the whole regular process for becoming a civil marriage officiant, which includes a designation from a municipal clerk, and estimates he has done more than 70 weddings in just a few years.
“It’s humbling, for anybody, to be part of their special day, but especially if you’ve worked with them, or my goddaughters,” Walker said. “It was pretty hard to top those.”
Walker’s side gig as an officiant – he doesn’t take any payment – began with a request from one of his goddaughters.
“(She) thought that we had the right as an MPP to be able to do weddings, because Bill Murdoch, who was my predecessor (as the MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound), had done them up here forever, and I think she just thought it was one of those things you got to do,” he said.
“My other goddaughter said, ‘Well, if you’re marrying her, you’ve got to marry me.’”
It snowballed from there – including other friends, family and Queen’s Park staffers – and Walker has about a dozen weddings on tap for this year.
The bill would allow provincial politicians who ask for the authority to perform marriages to keep that power for a full year after they leave office. That way, a snap election as the province saw earlier this year and an unexpected defeat doesn’t leave an engaged couple with no officiant.
Most private member’s bills that get tabled come from opposition parties, and since this one is from within the government caucus it may be more likely than most to get through, but Rae and Smith said further discussions and debate are expected to be held in the fall.
If the bill does become law, Rae said he isn’t sure if he will set out to officiate weddings, but Smith is game.
“I’ll probably reach out to the minister if this passes, and ask for permission to do it,” he said. “Any time you can break down barriers for people who want to spend their life together, then why not do that?”
© 2025 The Canadian Press
Ontario Provincial Police say a $50,000 reward is being offered for information that can help solve a 2008 cold case murder in the Belleville area.
Calvin Vanness, 65, was last seen in Belleville on March 26, 2008, driving a grey 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix with flames painted on the side.
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Police say his car was found on April 1, 2008, in a commuter parking lot on Highway 38 in Kingston and investigators believe someone else was driving the vehicle for some of that time.
The OPP and Belleville police have been investigating Vanness’s disappearance as a homicide since April 2010, and they believe someone has information that will help determine what happened to him.
Police say the Ontario government is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the OPP.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
Eight teams in NHL history have won Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final to force a seventh game and gone on to win the championship.
The Edmonton Oilers are aiming to become the ninth after falling behind 3-2 to the Florida Panthers. Game 6 is Tuesday in Sunrise, Fla.
Here’s a look at the teams that have completed the comeback:
1942 – Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs trailed the Detroit Red Wings 3-0 before winning four straight to claim the Cup. They remain the only team in NHL history to erase a three-game deficit in the final. Toronto took Game 6 by a score of 3-0 and won Game 7 at Maple Leaf Gardens, 3-1.
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1950 – Detroit Red Wings
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The Red Wings stayed alive with a 5-4 win over the New York Rangers in Game 6, then captured the Cup with a 4-3 double-overtime victory in Game 7. Pete Babando scored the winner.
1964 – Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto stayed alive with a 4-3 overtime win over Detroit in Game 6, then secured a third straight championship with a 4-0 win in Game 7 on the road.
1971 – Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens forced Game 7 with a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, then captured the Cup with a 3-2 win at Chicago Stadium. Rookie goaltender Ken Dryden was named playoff MVP.
2001 – Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche responded to a Game 5 loss by shutting out the New Jersey Devils 4-0 in Game 6. They clinched the title with a 3-1 win in Game 7 in Denver.
2004 – Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay kept its season alive with a 3-2 double-overtime win over the Calgary Flames in Game 6, with Martin St. Louis scoring the winner. The Lightning went on to win their first Cup with a 2-1 victory in Game 7.
2009 – Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 in Game 6, then won the Cup with another 2-1 victory in Game 7 at Joe Louis Arena. Max Talbot scored both goals in the deciding game.
2011 – Boston Bruins
The Bruins forced Game 7 with a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks, then clinched the series with a 4-0 shutout at Rogers Arena. Boston goaltender Tim Thomas made 37 saves in the deciding game.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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‘Dozens of staged accidents’: Crime group linked to tow truck industry, extortions charged
Peel Regional Police say key members of a Brampton-based criminal organization allegedly responsible several extortion incidents and staged car accidents are facing charges.
In a press conference on Monday, police revealed details of an investigation called Project Outsource which was launched in July 2024 after officers saw a sharp trend in violent extortion attempts and other criminal activity in the region.
Police allege Project Outsource found that the criminal network, which is allegedly tied to the tow truck industry, was operating with “two distinct but interconnected components: one dedicated to extortion and violence, and the other rooted in the towing industry.”
The force said several suspects were found to be associated with towing companies operating under the names “Certified Roadside” and “Humble Roadside.”
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“We have substantial evidence linking the group to dozens of staged accidents and potentially costing insurance companies between 80 and $100,000 for each staged accident,” said Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich with Peel Regional Police.
“In total, those fraudulent claims exceed $1 million for this particular investigation,” Milinovich continued. “To put that in perspective, fraudulent claims to the industry of insurance represent an equal amount to stolen cars, a cost which is then passed on to our community.”
On June 10, police said a woman from King City along with 17 men from Brampton were arrested following several coordinated search warrants in Peel and York regions, as well as in Toronto, involving more than 200 officers.
All 18 people face almost 100 charges including conspiracy, extortion, fraud, firearm-related offences, participating and instructing in a criminal organization and staging collision offences.
Police noted that almost half of the accused were on some form of a judicial release at the time of their arrest. Several of them were known to police.
Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said the two people who are believed to be responsible for leading the criminal organization are part of the arrests.
Over the course of Project Outsource, police said 18 tow trucks were seized with a total value of $2.8 million, five stolen vehicles were recovered worth more than $500,000, four personal high-end vehicles worth $840,000, six firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, as well as other various weapons such as crossbows, stun guns and baseball bats.
Project Outsource was created as a focused sub-investigation under the Extortion Investigative Task Force — created in 2023 in response to recent, sharp rise in violent extortion attempts targeting South Asian business owners, including demands for large sums of money, threats for non-payment, and acts of violence, including drive-by shootings.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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