A Georgina man is facing impaired driving charges after crashing through a closed gate in the Kawartha Lakes area on Friday night. The Kawartha Lakes Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police were informed that a vehicle had driven through a closed gate on County Road 121 around 6pm. When the OPP arrived on scene, they found the driver asleep at the wheel. 57-year-old Robin Crate was arrested and charged with Operation Well Impaired and Operation Well Impaired Blood Alcohol Concentrate.
On top of the charges, the driver also received a 90-day license suspension and the vehicle was impounded for seven days. The accused was released from custody and is set to appear in court at a later date. Minimum wage rose yesterday in four provinces across Canada, that includes right here in Ontario. The other three provinces that hiked their minimum wage included Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island and Manitoba. The increase was to help offset the inflation rate. Here in Ontario, those who make minimum wage saw a $0.65 an hour increase,
bringing their hourly wage to $17.20 an hour. In Ontario, the provincial minimum wage is almost identical to the federal minimum wage of $17.30. For the second straight year, Canada has recorded its lowest ever fertility rate. According to Statistics Canada, the national birth rate for 2023 was 1.26 children born per woman, with British Columbia having the lowest fertility rate in the country at one child per woman. According to the agency, the number of births in 2023 was stable compared to 2022 at around 350,000, but the rate is low because of the number of child-bearing aged women living in the country. For comparison, the United States birth rate for 2023 was 1.62 children per woman.
