Ontario-Update

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(Ont-LTC-Nurses)

Nurses in the majority of Ontario's long-term care homes are about to get a big pay hike.

Ontario Nurses' Association says an arbitrator awarded their members a pay bump of about 11.5 per cent over two years.

The union calls it the most significant wage increase in 30 years.

President Erin Ariss says the decision doesn't eliminate the wage gap between public- and private-sector nurses, but it does help cut into that disparity.

(The Canadian Press)

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(Ont-Toronto-Cold-Case)

Toronto police say DNA tests helped crack the cold case of a woman found dead in Lake Ontario by leading investigators to her Swiss relatives.

Police now say the woman was reported missing in Switzerland shortly after she was found dead in Ontario.

Toronto police say they tried for years to identify the woman before getting approval to use genetic genealogy on the case.

The investigation found distant North American relatives who traced their lineage to a specific region in Switzerland, where police found the woman's relatives and confirmed a DNA match.

Police say her death is not considered criminal and her identity is not being released.

(The Canadian Press)

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(Film-Hot-Docs)

A cornerstone of Toronto and Canada's film community was just dealt a major blow.

The beleaguered Hot Docs film festival is closing its theatre for three months and laying off staff.

Canada’s largest film festival says it will temporarily shutter the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema starting June 12.

A statement from the festival says that will result in temporary layoffs as the organization tries to find a path back to profitability.

(The Canadian Press)

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(Ont-Toronto-Councillor-Death)

Toronto city hall set politics aside to open today's council meeting and came together in eulogizing Jaye Robinson.

Robinson, who was a city councillor since 2010, died on Thursday.

Mayor Olivia Chow says Robinson was a key part of making Toronto more vibrant and more beautiful, noting her role in helping bring festivals to the city.

Chow commended Robinson's dedication to public service.

(The Canadian Press)

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(Ont-Indigo-Protest)

Court documents indicate charges have been dropped against four of the 11 people who were arrested for allegedly defacing a Toronto Indigo bookstore.

Toronto police charged eleven people with mischief, conspiracy and criminal harassment after a group allegedly splashed red paint and postered the downtown store in what police described as a "hate-motivated" crime.

Pro-Palestinian and progressive Jewish groups said the police response and characterization of the protest as hate-motivated was part of an effort to criminalize and silence Palestinian solidarity actions.

Indigo founder and chief executive Heather Reisman, who is Jewish, has long been a target of protests over a foundation she started with her husband that encourages people with no family ties in Israel to serve in the army.

(The Canadian Press)

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(Ont-Supportive-Housing)

The Ontario government says it's providing over 9.5-million dollars to help create more than 100 supportive housing units in Ottawa.

The government says the new units will help support people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness.

A news release says the funding will support three different projects in the city.

(The Canadian Press)

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(Ontario Update by The Canadian Press)

The Canadian Press