Québec’s Bill 21 on secularism and religious symbols is currently being challenged in the Canadian Supreme Court. The challenge focused on the application of section 33 of the Canadian constitution known as the notwithstanding clause. A decision from the Supreme Court is expected  within the next few months.

After amalgamation disputes and a scandal involving the former Regional Chair, Bob Gale, the Niagara Regional Council is now facing structural changes proposed by the provincial government. 

Canada’s Alto high-speed rail project has run into opposition from rural groups as well as the leader of the Official Opposition, Pierre Poilievre. 

Niagara paramedics have approved a near unanimous strike motion as the region continues to lose paramedics to related fields with alleged better support of personnel. 

The Ontario Provincial Liberal Party (OLP) has been without a leader since Bonnie Crombie stepped down on Jan. 14. With candidates gearing up for a leadership race, The Brock Press interviewed potential OLP leadership candidate Eric Lombardi on his campaign. 

Beginning in February, Niagara’s municipal governance structure became the focus of a heated debate after Regional Chair Bob Gale proposed sweeping changes aimed at reducing what he described as an excessive tax burden on residents. 

Following the protest on March 4, the second rally in the “Hands Off Our Education” campaign took place at Queen’s Park on March 24, with thousands of students, educators and community members gathering to protest growing concerns over the accessibility and affordability of postsecondary education in Ontario. 

On March 30, the Ontario provincial government and the Canadian federal government signed a partnership to build several public projects. 

After a month-long leadership race, the federal New Democratic Party (NDP) has selected a new leader: Avi Lewis.

In a movement that fundamentally reshapes Canada’s legal framework for migration, the federal government’s Bill C-12, Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act, received Royal Assent on March 26.

The Ontario government under Premier Doug Ford announced plans to cut OSAP grants to 25 per cent instead of the prior 85 per cent. They also plan to lift the seven-year tuition freeze, which Ford says was needed to fund post-secondary education in Ontario. Ford cites the federal cap on international students as the main reason why he had to pass the policy, but how did Ontario post-secondary institutions become so dependent on international students to begin with?

On March 9, Ontario Nature announced the acquisition of the 26.7-hectare (66-acre) Sauble Dunes North property, a critical coastal habitat along Lake Huron’s shoreline. This purchase permanently expands the organization’s Sauble Dunes Nature Reserve to a total of 77.78 hectares (192 acres), strengthening an ecological corridor in the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula that connects to adjacent natural areas including Chiefs Point Wetland, Sauble Falls Provincial Park, county forests and other protected properties within the Sauble Falls North Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI). 

The Ford government has recently announced several new construction projects worth billions of dollars to reshape Toronto’s waterfront. These projects include plans for a new convention centre, the expansion of Billy Bishop airport to accommodate jets and the construction of a new Ontario Science Centre.

With deadlines creeping up for cumulative projects and exams looming around the corner, there are resources available at Brock to prepare for finals, along with events that allow you to take a break and hopefully avoid burnout as you cross the finish line and conclude the semester.

Niagara’s trans and non-binary community is inviting the entire region to come together in celebration, solidarity and joy for International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) with a series of free public events on March 27 and 31. Held every year on March 31, TDOV honours the lives, resilience and contributions of trans and non-binary people while also shining a light on the urgent need for safety, human rights and affirming health care in an increasingly hostile climate across Canada and around the world.

The Ford government is preparing to end the use of supervised consumption sites across the province, with an expected move to abstinence-based treatment options by June 13.

On March 13, the Government of Ontario announced plans to amend the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), a provincial law that regulates public access to government records and the protection of personal information held by provincial institutions. The proposed legislative changes are expected to be introduced when the Ontario legislature reconvenes on March 23. 

Since the start of the 2025-26 school year, the Brock University Students’ Union (BUSU) has been embroiled in controversy after Omar Rasheed’s sudden removal as BUSU Board Chair during a meeting in September of last year.

On Feb. 19, Niagara Region Chair Bob Gale sent a letter to Rob Flack, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, outlining what he described as the “urgent need for municipal governance reform in Niagara,” which proposed municipal restructuring that would consolidate Niagara’s 12 municipalities into either a single city or a four city model. 

More than 4000 people came marching down to Queen’s Park on March 4 to participate in the “Hands Off Our Education Rally,” organized by the Canadian Federation of Students Ontario (CFSO). The first few hours of the rally remained peaceful, up until a few people vandalized the statue of George Brown in front of the Legislative building, authorizing multiple officers to enter the rally. Most of the people doing this left before law enforcement could reach them, but one individual stayed to write “Fuck Ford” on the statue with red spray paint.

As artificial intelligence (A.I.) and large language models (LLMs) become more popular, their usage within governments has followed suit. In the United States, recent disputes involving A.I. company Anthropic and its LLM, Claude, as well as OpenAI and their model, ChatGPT, have sparked public concerns of government overreach, mass surveillance and contracts allowing for the unrestricted use of A.I. models. 

On March 4, the Brock University New Democrats and the Brock University Young Liberals crossed political lines to organize a bipartisan poster making event followed by a protest in front of Schmon Tower. The protest took a stand against the recent changes that the Ford government made to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). 

On Feb. 26, Prime Minister Mark Carney embarked on a 10-day trade visit to India, Australia and Japan. This was the prime minister’s first trade visit since his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he made his internationally recognized speech on the need for middle power unity.

Since Ontario’s Bill 33, Supporting Children and Students Act, came into effect back in mid-November, several of Ontario’s public-school boards have had their trustees fired and replaced with provincial supervisors at the discretion of the Minister of Education.

The Canada, United States and Mexico free trade agreement (CUSMA) is set to be under review this year and awaits a potential extension on July 1, amidst the ongoing global trade upset occurring under President Donald Trump.

In a news release on Feb. 12, the Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government announced that through a new long-term funding model, they will permit domestic tuition increases and restructure Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) beginning with the Fall 2026 academic term, then in turn the government will invest  $6.4 billion over four years into the postsecondary sector.

March brings both post-midterm euphoria and pre-exam doom, leading students to usually have free time, yet constant stress. To give yourself a break from the constant back-and-forth emotions, several Brock events fill the calendar from the first week through to the end of the month.  

BUSU has officially released their 2026 election results for the Board of Directors (BoD) and Senate seats.

Student groups are planning a “Hands Off Our Education Rally” at Queen’s Park on March 4 at 12:30 p.m., protesting recent changes affecting OSAP funding and tuition.

The Alto project is the latest iteration of a long history of Canada attempting to build high-speed rail in its densest and most populated region: the Windsor to Québec City corridor.