After months of persistent snow, deep freezes and Arctic blasts, many Ontarians are feeling the fatigue of a winter that won’t let go.

According to Global News chief meteorologist Anthony Farnell, it’s not just the cold or snowfall totals that stand out, it’s how long it’s all lasted.

“It’s definitely not your imagination,” Farnell said. “It has been a long go across southern Ontario.”

Snow arrived before Christmas across much of southern Ontario, followed by weeks of persistent lake-effect snowfall through January.

That pattern, combined with multiple deep freezes and freezing rain, kept snow on the ground for months, with little opportunity for a sustained thaw.

“We had that spell of lake effect where it was almost just consistent, day after day,” Farnell said. “Then those cold snaps just solidified whatever was out there.”

In cities like Toronto, this winter is now ranking among their snowiest on record, while others, including London, didn’t break records but still felt the strain of a prolonged season.

Toronto was buried under roughly 80 centimetres of snow over just a few days in late January after a powerful system brought record-breaking totals across the region.

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Environment Canada reported 61 cm fell in downtown Toronto in a day, which is among the highest totals ever recorded in the core, while 46 cm was measured at Toronto Pearson airport, marking its snowiest day on record.

One of the defining features of this winter was the extent of ice coverage across the Great Lakes.

Lake Erie reached about 97 per cent ice coverage at one point, while ice built up across Lake Huron and Georgian Bay before shifting later in the season.

That ice coverage directly influenced snowfall patterns.

“When ice is there, you don’t have the same lake-effect snow,” Farnell explained.

Despite brief stretches of mild weather earlier in March, Farnell says winter isn’t finished.

“There’s still a lot of Arctic air across Northern Canada, so it doesn’t take much for that to make its way south,” he said.

Despite the calendar turning to spring Friday, Farnell says these circumstances will cause winter conditions to linger on a bit longer.

According to the Weather Network, a system is expected to move through the province in the coming days and will bring heavy snow, icy precipitation and hazardous travel conditions.

The Great Lakes winter storm is expected to slam parts of Ontario with strong winds and potentially bury some communities under as much as 50 centimetres of snow, despite the start of spring being just days away.

“We’re going to be fooled at least two or three more times,” Farnell added, noting that a true spring warm-up likely won’t arrive until May.

Looking ahead, Farnell says this winter doesn’t offer a clear signal for spring or summer, with lake temperatures and ice coverage currently near average.

Instead, attention is shifting to a developing El Niño, which could shape weather patterns in the months ahead.

“If it becomes a strong El Niño, you typically see a jet stream farther north … warmer, wetter conditions,” he said.

That could mean a hotter summer, along with more frequent thunderstorms driven by passing cold fronts and lake breezes.

Farnell also points to record-breaking heat already developing in the southwestern United States — an early-season “heat dome” that could expand northward.

“Once it gets hot, it can feed on itself,” he said. “Each day gets a little drier, a little hotter.”

But for now, Ontarians may need to stay patient as winter lingers a little longer.

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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it’s handed out $47,000 in fines since last April over “misleading” Product of Canada labels.

The agency revealed the figure in a statement this week as support for the Buy Canadian movement continues to see consumers prioritizing domestically sourced goods and services, and even domestic travel destinations that support the local economy amid U.S. tariffs and threats of annexation by U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Canadians have been clear that they want to support Canadian businesses and buy Canadian products. Consumers deserve origin labels they can trust so they can make informed choices,” the CFIA said in its Monday statement.

“Accurate origin labelling creates a fair marketplace that benefits both consumers and businesses.”

Since April 1, 2025, the following businesses have been fined:

• 1000717809 Ontario Limited (Fortinos Etobicoke) received a $10,000 penalty.
• Fresh in The City Inc. in Toronto received a $7,000 penalty.
• Meatex Farms Ltd. in Edmonton received a $10,000 penalty.
• Oxford Frozen Foods Inc. in Oxford, N.S., received a $10,000 penalty.
• Real Canadian Superstore in Toronto received a $10,000 penalty.

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“Food businesses are responsible for ensuring that all food products they sell, whether made in Canada or imported, meet Canada’s legislative requirements,” the agency said

“The CFIA takes labelling issues seriously and is directly addressing the growing concern with Canadian food businesses over inaccurate and misleading origin claims. In addition to responding to complaints, we conduct inspections to verify origin claims on labels and advertisements, including in-store signage.”

A Loblaw spokesperson told Global News last month the Real Canadian Superstore fine was issued due to an in-store retail display with maple leaf advertising decals placed next to a product information tag for products not originating from Canada.

“We take our labelling and signage responsibilities seriously and are committed to meeting applicable requirements. With thousands of products in our stores, many of which are sourced from different countries regions throughout the year, information can change quickly. While we work hard to keep everything up to date, there are times when signage may not be refreshed as quickly as inventory is replenished,” they said.

“We have processes in place to support accuracy, but like any retail environment, there is still the potential for human error. That’s why we’re continuing to strengthen our processes. We’re sorry for any confusion this may have caused. If something doesn’t look right, we encourage customers to let us know so we can correct it as quickly as possible.”

Last March, at the start of the trade war, the CFIA said it was tracking a rise in complaints about items that may have been mislabelled or had other missing details about the origin of products or ingredients.

A fine of $10,000 for a business is considered a “very serious” violation, according to the CFIA’s administrative monetary penalties list, which includes violations “committed by persons or companies in the course of business or for financial gain, the penalty amounts may be adjusted up or down, depending upon the total gravity value.”

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Health Canada is recalling several Frigidaire gas range ovens, citing a “burn hazard” after reports of dozens of injuries in Canada and the U.S.

The recall this week states that “the ovens in the ranges can experience a delayed ignition of the oven’s bake burner, which can create a potential risk of burns. ”

As of March 11, the company has received three reports of incidents in Canada, including one injury. In the U.S., the company received 59 reports of incidents, including 30 injuries.

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According to the recall, Frigidaire reported that approximately 5,318 units of the affected products were sold in Canada and approximately 174,800 units were sold in the United States.

The affected products were sold from approximately June 2025 to January 2026.

In a recall notice issued on Thursday, Health Canada says the issues are with the following models:

• FCFG3062AS
• FCFG3062AW
• FCFG3083AS
• FCRG3052BS
• FCRG3052BW
• FCRG3062AS
• FCRG3062AW
• FCRG3083AD
• FCRG3083AS
• GCFG3059BF
• GCFG3060BD
• GCFG3060BF
• GCFG3070BF
• GCRG3060BD
• GCRG3060BF
• PCFG3080AF

The serial range numbers for these products are listed as VF52200000 – VF54399999.

“Consumers should immediately stop using the ovens in the recalled gas ranges and contact Electrolux Group to arrange free professional in-home installation of a new bake burner,” the recall advises. “Consumers can continue to use the cooktop burners.”

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The mayor of an Ontario town, which once hosted a Crown Royal bottling plant, says international drinks maker Diageo appeared to lose any urgency trying to sell the facility after Premier Doug Ford ended his threat to ban its whisky.

Ford threatened for months to remove Crown Royal from the shelves of the LCBO if Diageo didn’t find a way to save some 160 jobs in Amherstburg, Ont.

But at the 11th hour, as pressure from other provinces mounted, he backed down in exchange for $23 million in spending commitments from Diageo for other parts of Ontario.

Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue said the moment the deal was agreed, he felt Diageo lost interest in trying to quickly find a buyer for their facility.

“They had a meeting scheduled with us two weeks ago, which they cancelled, and this came out shortly after the deal came out,” he told Global News in early March.

“We have no idea. We’re waiting for them to call back and schedule another one, but I’m not holding my breath.”

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The agreement Diageo signed with the Ford government was released without fanfare on a Friday afternoon, lauding $23 million the company had promised to spend across Ontario.

Some of the money was for bulk orders of spirits, advertising and packaging. Only $500,000 was to be spent directly in Amherstburg.

The bottling plant was officially closed in February and currently sits idle.

Prue said Ford’s threat to ban Crown Royal — which was first surfaced after he poured out a bottle of the whisky — was making a difference before it was stood down.

“Our best card was the premier. That was our best card. And that card has now been played,” he said. “We don’t have any independent cards. We can’t force them to sell. We can beg them, we can ask them, we can fall on our knees.”

The premier’s office did not address questions from Global News.

Diageo officially put its plant on the market in December. Prue suggested he had heard from bidders keen to quickly take it and its workforce over, but responses from the drinks maker were slowing the process down.

A spokesperson for the town itself said they remained “hopeful there will be a buyer (who) will reactivate the plant.” They said offers had been made through the formal process.

Diageo explained it had identified qualified bidders to take on the plant and was at the stage of officially soliciting bids. They said no qualified buyers had come forward before it was put on the market.

The ball, Prue said, is now squarely in the drink maker’s hands.

“They totally own the property. They own it lock, stock and barrel,” he said. “Nobody else can move in unless they sell it and that’s the roadblock.”

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It was a packed house at the Rutland Centennial Hall in Kelowna, B.C., Wednesday evening where Conservative MLA Gavin Dew hosted a town hall on crime and social disorder.

“In the last number of months, there has been a lot of conversation about what’s happening downtown and there were a number of events happening there,” Dew told the crowd of roughly 200 people.

“One of the reasons why we’re here tonight is that there were a lot of good folks at those downtown events…and one of the things they said to me is we wanted to make sure Rutland is not forgotten.”

Cedric Anderson was one the attendees.

He voiced concerns about rising crime in an area he’s lived in his entire life.

“Businesses getting broken into, homes being broken into,” Anderson said as he described some of his concerns. “I was attacked a couple months ago myself.”

Last fall, Anderson said, he confronted a man who broke into a fenced area on his property and was bear-sprayed.

“As he was leaving, he said something under his breath and caused me to look and at that point he bear-sprayed me,” Anderson told Global News.

In response to the growing social disorder, particularly downtown, the City of Kelowna implemented its Business Safety Action plan.

On Monday, city staff updated council on the initiatives, some of which include enhanced RCMP and bylaw patrols.

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Darren Caul, the city’s public safety director, told council the enhanced patrols are in place five days a week downtown but only twice a week in Rutland.

“Bylaw is currently in Rutland doing those patrols Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons,” Caul said on Monday.

The difference in patrol frequency between downtown and Rutland, which continues to be a hotspot for crime, isn’t sitting well with residents.

“I do feel that Rutland is treated like the redheaded stepchild. We do get left behind,” said Anderson. “We do get a lot of issues dumped on us as a community, and I don’t think it’s fair.”

Carley Cherney is a mother of two young children.

She said Rutland, with so many families, should have equal resources.

“I feel relatively unsafe. I want more patrols here. We’re just as important as downtown,” she told Global News.

“They’re tending to the businesses but what about the families? What about the kids?”

2:16
Rutland urging increased police support

Caul said the city is well aware of the issues in Rutland and has numerous resources in place for that part of the city.

“We are very attentive to what is happening for Rutland residents,” Caul said.

Caul said despite finite resources, the city re-deploys them based on greatest needs.

He added that the city takes a tailored approach to different areas of town and pointed to one program unique to Rutland.

“Rutland has the only dedicated business and community liaison that exists in the city,” Caul said. “In fact, that is a model that we started in Rutland last year and it’s working so well, we’re looking to replicate that for downtown and Midtown.”

Caul said that two more bylaw officers are being added in Rutland this spring.

In the meantime, Anderson is urging residents and business operators to report all crime, no matter how minor, hoping it spurs change for the better.

“If you go undocumented, it won’t happen and it won’t change,” Anderson said.

2:05
RCMP in Kelowna see rise in social disorder

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More than 400 police files since 2016, and now Justin Collins is facing three new charges.

Collins was back in court Tuesday, charged with one count of committing an indecent act in public and one count of mischief, both stemming from Feb. 16. A third mischief charge is tied to an incident on March 3. He was released on bail set at $250, with conditions.

“Beyond infuriating when you read something like that, and you’re like, ‘Are you kidding me,’” said Kristina Loewen, BC Conservative MLA for Kelowna Centre.

Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas says bail decisions are based on specific legal criteria, but he questions how Collins was released, based on his history.

“For a judge to look at granting bail for an individual, they have to say that the individual will not commit any more crimes, that they will show up for court, and that there is a level of comfort that there is not a safety risk to the community,” Dyas said.

Collins has a lengthy criminal history, including charges related to assault, robbery and mischief. In total, he has faced 64 charges over the past decade. His record also prompted a rare public warning from Kelowna RCMP in 2022.

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“Four hundred police files, I don’t know what the number is where it gets to the point where it’s serious enough that they are going to deal with it properly,” Dyas added.

Frustration is growing among some officials, as Collins, described by some as a prominent example of catch-and-release, is once again back in the community.

Loewen says opposition politicians at both the provincial and federal levels are pushing for changes to bail laws.

“I just was back in Ottawa speaking to Bill C-14 and Bill C-42, that we need tougher laws around bail reform and repeat offenders,” Dyas said.

In a statement, B.C.’s attorney general pointed to the province’s repeat violent offending intervention initiative, saying it has shown strong results.

“The Province’s repeat violent-offending program (ReVOII) has also shown strong results, with an evaluation shows 50% fewer police interactions involving accused individuals and faster charge approvals for high-risk violent offenders,” said the ministry.

“Building on ReVOII’s early success, the Province is expanding a similar initiative, Chronic Property Offending Intervention Initiative (C‑POII), provincewide with $16 million over two years to address persistent property and public‑disorder offending.”

Collins is back in court on March 31.

“As politicians in the opposition, both in our province and across the country, are fighting for changes to federal and provincial laws,” said Loewen.

2:09
Kelowna community safety forum

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A Republican bill introduced Thursday takes aim at Canada’s Online Streaming Act and threatens retaliatory measures for the “discriminatory” policy, including additional tariffs and even changes to the North American free trade agreement.

The legislation from U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania would launch a U.S. Trade Representative investigation into whether the Canadian law unfairly burdens American commerce.

If that conclusion is reached, the bill orders “necessary retaliatory action” such as tariffs or “the suspension, withdrawal, or modification of trade agreement concessions or benefits to Canada under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement,” referred to in Canada as CUSMA.

“Digital trade plays a critical role in America’s economy, supporting high-paying jobs and exporting American values,” Smucker said in a statement.

“Canada’s unfair policies stack the deck against U.S. companies, creators, and workers. This bill would protect American creators and companies while permitting mutually beneficial competition and innovation.”

The statement includes supportive quotes from leaders of the Motion Picture Association and other U.S. digital media and communications groups.

The Online Streaming Act was passed in 2023 and would empower the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to force large foreign platforms like Netflix and Amazon to pay a portion of their annual Canadian revenues into funds devoted to producing Canadian content.

6:47
Bill C-11: The future of broadcasting and streaming in Canada

The policy has yet to be implemented while the CRTC seeks to finalize an updated definition of Canadian content, which is being challenged in court.

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U.S. streamers and the Motion Picture Association have filed court challenges against the Online Streaming Act, as well as the CRTC’s requirement that those companies disclose financial information in order to ensure the Canadian content funding obligations are met.

The Trump administration has identified the law as a trade irritant ahead of this summer’s scheduled review of CUSMA.

Smucker and a bipartisan group of U.S. House lawmakers sent a letter to the Canadian government last November calling for the policy to be withdrawn.

Pressure from the Trump administration last year led Ottawa to rescind its digital services tax that would have applied to a wider swath of U.S. tech companies for operating in Canada.

Ottawa has argued the Online Streaming Act is necessary because of U.S. streamers’ outsized presence in the Canadian market. But the companies and U.S. lawmakers say American platforms shouldn’t be unfairly burdened with foreign taxes and spending requirements.

Smucker’s bill argues that Canada’s use of a cultural exemption under CUSMA to enact the policy undermines the trade agreement and is based on outdated definitions.

The offices of Culture Minister Marc Miller, whose ministry is responsible for the Online Streaming Act, and Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The bill would trigger an investigation under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act, which allows a president to impose tariffs to counter unfair trade practices.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said Section 301 will be used to replace many of the tariffs that were imposed using emergency powers, but were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court last month.

The Trump administration this month announced Section 301 investigations into dozens of countries, including Canada, over allegations of forced labour and excess manufacturing capacity.

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