Latest news with #MTO
Toronto Sun
4 days ago
- Toronto Sun
Speeding transport driver nabbed with $4.4M in contraband tobacco along Hwy. 401 in Kingston
The truck was transported to the Ministry of Transportation scales in Gananoque for a safety inspection. Documentation and other issues led to an inspection of the cargo. Inside, OPP and MTO officers discovered the trailer was filled with over 17,820 kilograms of contraband; fine-cut tobacco with an estimated value was $4.4 million. Photo by OPP East Region / OPP East Region A 60-year-old individual has been charged with trafficking contraband tobacco after being stopped following a speeding complaint along Hwy. 401. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account On July 15, 2025, shortly before 7 a.m., Ontario Provincial Police were notified about a speeding tractor-trailer along the eastbound lanes of the 401 near Shannonville Road. Officers were able to stop the tractor-trailer near Joyceville Road in Kingston. The truck was transported to the Ministry of Transportation scales in Gananoque for a safety inspection. Documentation and other issues led to an inspection of the cargo. Inside, OPP and MTO officers discovered the trailer was filled with over 17,820 kilograms of contraband; fine-cut tobacco with an estimated value was $4.4 million. According to the officer, that equates to a total federal and provincial tack loss of approximately $9.1 million. The driver, 60-year-old Joga Singh Dhillon of Puslinch Township near Cambridge, has been charged with trafficking contraband tobacco. The accused was released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Kingston on Sept. 2, 2025. The investigation by the Frontenac Detachment and the OPP Contraband Tobacco Enforcement Team, in conjunction with the Ministry of Transportation, is continuing. The trailer was filled with more than 17,820 kilograms of contraband; fine-cut tobacco with an estimated value was $4.4 million. Photo by OPP / OPP East Region Crime Entertainment Canada World Celebrity
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
OPP discover $4.4 million worth of contraband tobacco inside tractor-trailer on Hwy. 401 in eastern Ontario
Ontario Provincial Police say 17,820 kilograms of contraband tobacco was discovered inside a tractor-trailer stopped on Hwy. 401 in eastern Ontario. (OPP/X) A traffic complaint about a speeding tractor-trailer on Highway 401 in eastern Ontario resulted in the discovery of $4.4 million worth of contraband tobacco inside the vehicle, according to police. Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say officers responded to a call about a vehicle in the eastbound lanes of Hwy. 401 near Shannonville Road at approximately 7 a.m. Tuesday. A short time later, officers stopped the tractor-trailer near Joyceville Road in Kingston. Police say the truck was escorted to the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) scales at Gananoque for a safety inspection. 'Documentation and other issues led to an inspection of the cargo,' police said in a media release Wednesday morning. 'Inside, OPP and MTO officers found the trailer was filled with over 17,820 kilograms of contraband, fine-cut tobacco, estimated to be worth approximately $4.4 million. That equates to a total federal and provincial tax loss of approximately $9.1 million.' A 60-year-old man from Puslinch Township, near Cambridge, Ont., has been charged with trafficking contraband tobacco. The accused is scheduled to appear in court on September 2. Police say the investigation by officers with the OPP Frontenac Detachment, the OPP Contraband Tobacco Enforcement Team and the Ministry of Transportation is continuing.
CTV News
5 days ago
- CTV News
North Bay police warn of summer crackdown on traffic safety, vehicle modifications
A one-day traffic enforcement operation in North Bay, Ont., on June 30, 2025, resulted in multiple charges, seized vehicles and warnings of heightened summer scrutiny for unsafe driving practices. (Supplied/North Bay Police Service) A joint one-day traffic enforcement operation in North Bay resulted in multiple charges, seized vehicles and warnings of heightened summer scrutiny for unsafe driving practices. The North Bay Police Service, alongside Ontario Provincial Police and Ministry of Transportation (MTO) personnel, conducted the blitz on June 30, targeting unsafe vehicles and traffic infractions. North Bay - Traffic Blitz - June 30 A one-day joint traffic enforcement operation in North Bay, Ont., on June 30, 2025, saw local police alongside Ontario Provincial Police and Ministry of Transportation personnel check numerous vehicles. (Supplied/North Bay Police Service) Charges and seizures Four vehicles were deemed unsafe and towed with licence plates seized. Unsafe vehicle - Blitz - North Bay - June 30 A one-day traffic enforcement operation in North Bay, Ont., on June 30, 2025, resulted in multiple seized vehicles. A vehicle while authorities deemed unsafe during the blitz is shown. (Supplied/North Bay Police Service) Among the charges laid were one count of careless driving, one stunt driving charge (the vehicle was clocked at 132 km/h in an 80 km/h construction zone and was impounded), three speeding violations, two for following too closely and one involving a toddler improperly secured in a vehicle. Additional infractions included defective brakes, failure to surrender a licence, a lack of proof of insurance, missing or obscured licence plates, no mudguards and excessive window tinting. Seized vehicle - Blitz - North Bay - June 30 A one-day traffic enforcement operation in North Bay, Ont., on June 30, 2025, resulted in multiple seized vehicles. One of four vehicles seized is shown being towed. (Supplied/North Bay Police Service) Focus on public safety 'The goal is public safety, as traffic collisions are a leading cause of preventable death and injury to both the public and the police,' said Douglas MacIntosh, a traffic enforcement officer with North Bay police, in a news release Tuesday. Acting deputy chief Jeff Warner emphasized the broader implications: 'This initiative highlights the unsafe vehicles operating on our roadways and highways daily.' He warned drivers to expect increased enforcement targeting illegal modifications, including loud exhausts, oversized tires and tinted windows throughout the summer. Ongoing collaboration 'The North Bay Police Service will continue to work with the OPP and the MTO as a team in a variety of locations to target drivers operating unsafe vehicles or illegally modified vehicles,' police said in the release.
CBC
09-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Ontario's electric ferries are still running on diesel, and costs are adding up
For years, different Ontario governments have used the electric ferries for Wolfe and Amherst islands as evidence the province is leading by example in the battle against climate change — but both vessels are still being powered by diesel fuel. The two boats have been serving their communities near the headwaters of the St. Lawrence River since last summer. However, charging infrastructure has yet to be fully installed. Mark Sibley, a member of local environmental group 350 Kingston, said he was elated in 2018 when the province first announced the ferries would be electric. He summed up his reaction to the ongoing use of diesel in one word: "Disappointed." "Let's get on with it," he said. "The time has passed that they should have been electrified." Invoices obtained by CBC through a freedom of information request provide a snapshot showing the boats have burned hundreds of thousands of litres of fuel, with monthly costs to taxpayers ranging between $150,000 and more than $200,000 for each ferry. While the Amherst Islander II (AI2) has experimented with intermittent charging, it may take until 2027 for the Wolfe Islander IV (WI4) to go fully electric as construction on its docks drags on, according to Ontario's Ministry of Transportation (MTO). Invoices show fuel consumption, costs Receipts from MTO show that between mid-August when the WI4 started officially carrying passengers, and early December 2024 when it was damaged and taken out of service, the ferry consumed 463,655 litres of diesel fuel. Over that period, the bills added up to a total of $683,366. Only invoices for December 2024 were provided for the AI2, but they show the boat used 146,685 litres of fuel at a cost of $213,432 during that period. CBC also requested electric receipts, but according to the FOI response dated June 2, "no records exist pertaining to electricity costs." As of that point, the ministry had "not yet used shore-based electricity to power these vessels," it read. The Amherst Islander II is operated by Loyalist Township, which typically covers 10 per cent of the costs through user fees, while MTO picks up the rest of the tab. However, Deputy Mayor Nathan Townend said the ministry has been covering 100 per cent of the fuel costs since the AI2 arrived. He said residents are thankful for provincial investments including an air-conditioned terminal and washrooms built on the new dock to service the ferry. Townend said he hopes it will be fully electric "very shortly." "The purpose of these boats is to be electric boats, and to help Ontario meet its climate targets," he said. "We will get there." Sibley said he recognizes the ferries have faced obstacles, but he believes continuing to run Ontario's so-called electric boats on diesel signifies a failure to meet the challenge of climate change. "We're in a climate crisis that demands urgency," he said. "It's symptomatic of governments that are not moving with sufficient speed and scale." Like taking 1,375 cars off the road A March 2018 news release from MTO announced the province was "Fighting Climate Change with New, Clean Ferries," with Ontario ponying up $94 million and the Canadian government forking over more than $31 million. Residents will "soon be able to ride a ferry that is completely powered by electricity," read a quote attributed to then-minister of transportation Kathryn McGarry. Ontario's Marine Transportation Strategy, introduced by current Minister Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria roughly five years later, continued to highlight the boats as an example of Ontario "Greening Marine Transportation." "Those electric ferries are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 7.4 million kilograms of carbon dioxide per year compared to conventional diesel ferries, the equivalent of taking 1,357 cars off the road," it read. An MTO spokesperson said Sarkaria wasn't available for an interview about the continued use of diesel. In a statement sent by email, Julia Caslin wrote charging infrastructure for the AI2 is functional and being used intermittently, with testing ongoing before it can become fully operational in electric mode. Neither MTO nor staff with Loyalist Township specified how many times the ferry had so far run on electric power alone. The ministry said the WI4 is operating in hybrid mode, which uses diesel generators to charge the batteries that power the boat. That approach is expected to continue until charging infrastructure is completely installed on shore, with fall or winter 2025/26 targeted for the Wolfe Island side and 2026/27 for the Kingston dock, according to MTO. MPP says going electric could add speed Kingston and the Island MPP Ted Hsu recently met with ministry staff and said it's his understanding the WI4 won't be able to run full-speed until both charging stations are set up, meaning islanders will continue to wait longer than they otherwise might. "The hope is that we would go back to the original 60-minute schedule from the 80-minute schedule that we have now, once all of the electric charging and automatic mooring infrastructure is built and running," Hsu explained. The Liberal MPP said while the provincial government seems focused on building highways around Toronto, he's been pressuring officials to remember the ferries. He added he wants to see the boats succeed because he believes electric power — not fossil fuels — is the future. "It's cheaper to run and there should be less maintenance in the long run because it's electric, but ... in the meantime ... if it's $150,000-$200,000 a month, that's an extra cost that we're incurring."
Irish Independent
09-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Yemen's Houthi rebels continue assault on commercial ship in Red Sea
two lines subhead two lines subhead two lines subhead two lines subhead ©Bloomberg Yemen's Houthi militants continued to pound a commercial ship in the Red Sea – hours after beginning an assault on the vessel that left crew missing – the latest sign that the Tehran-backed group is once again escalating its threat to the merchant fleet. 'The vessel has sustained significant damage and has lost all propulsion,' the UK Maritime Trade Operations (MTO), a liaison between the UK navy and commercial shipping, said yesterday.
