Here are five stories to know today, with the focus first on Cornwall, SDG&A and Akwesasne, then on what Thursday’s federal budget means for households and businesses.
Free Cornwall Transit rides to Remembrance Day ceremonies
Cornwall Transit buses will be free from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11, for riders heading to Remembrance Day ceremonies, the City of Cornwall says. Eligible destinations are the Cenotaph at Pitt and Second Street, where riders get off at Pitt and Second and walk over, and Royal Canadian Legion Branch 297 at 415 Second Street West; riders must tell the bus operator where they are going. City administrative offices, the Cornwall Transit office, Environmental Services offices and the Cornwall Public Library will be closed that day, while buses keep their regular schedule and waste collection is not affected. The Benson Centre keeps regular hours, the Civic Complex is open 2:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and the Aquatic Centre 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The free rides make it easier for residents without a car to attend and pay their respects. Source: City of Cornwall.
St. Lawrence College adds online option for Cornwall supply chain program
St. Lawrence College will offer its one-year Supply Chain Management Graduate Certificate in Cornwall as a full-time online option starting in January 2027, Cornwall Seaway News reports. The online classes will be live and instructor-led, and in-person instruction at the Cornwall campus will continue. The program covers procurement, production, warehousing and logistics, is accredited by CITT, and gives qualified graduates a pathway to the Certified Canadian Logistics Professional designation. Program coordinator Carla Kingston-Floyd called Cornwall “perfectly placed as a hub city” for manufacturing, distribution and logistics, and said local employers are hiring and promoting graduates. For working adults in Cornwall and SDG, the online option could make it easier to fit logistics training around work and family. Source: Cornwall Seaway News.
United Way SDG invested $494,375 in local initiatives in 2025-26
United Way Centraide SDG invested $494,375 in local initiatives in 2025-26 and reached 8,800 lives, according to its annual report as covered by Cornwall Seaway News. Housing and homelessness programs received $178,284 and supported 925 people, including the House of Lazarus hub and warming centre in Morrisburg, which assisted 475 people and served 3,500 meals. The 211 information and referral service helped 900 residents, up 15 per cent from the year before. Leaders acknowledged a difficult fundraising environment, the report describes a planned reduction in overall revenue and spending, and Danielle McCormick became executive director on October 19. The figures show how much families in Cornwall, SDG and Akwesasne lean on local charities for housing, food and mental-health support as demand rises. Source: Cornwall Seaway News.
Akwesasne council says it will set its own path on Indian Act change
The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne has responded to talk about the future of the Indian Act at the First Nations and First Ministers’ Meeting in Ottawa on October 26. According to MCA, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew called for abolishing the Act, and Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed openness to reforming or repealing it. MCA said “No one speaks for Akwesasne but Akwesasne,” and that while it considers the 1876 Act outdated and harmful, each community should weigh its own needs before deciding what change it wants. Its priorities are protecting Akwesasne’s lands, governance and tax exemptions, and it wants any proposed change to explain how those protections would continue. MCA is developing the Akwesasne-Canada Entewatathá:wi Self-Government Agreement with community input, and that agreement will need approval in a community vote before moving forward. Source: Mohawk Council of Akwesasne.
Federal budget projects $62.3 billion deficit
The federal budget tabled Thursday projects a $62.3 billion deficit for 2026-27, according to The Canadian Press and Global News. Its lead business incentive, the productivity mega-deduction, lets businesses write off the full cost of new investments such as machinery or equipment right away, at an estimated cost of $36 billion over five years, The Canadian Press reports. For households, CP reports a one-time Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit payment worth half the benefit’s annual value, expected in early 2027, and a new May 15 tax filing deadline for all filers starting in 2028. Global News reports the benefit enhancement is worth $339 for a single person and up to $679 for a couple with two children. Cornwall-area households and small businesses will want to watch how and when these measures roll out. Sources: The Canadian Press (via Kelowna Daily Courier) and Global News.
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