Charging an Ontario teacher with criminal negligence causing death a year after Jeremiah Perry drowned during a field trip is an "important step in ensuring that a tragedy like this never happens again," the Toronto high school student's family says.

Blayne Lastman, the son of former Toronto mayor Mel Lastman, announced Thursday that he will not be seeking the city's top job, ending weeks of speculation that he would try to follow in his father's footsteps.

Ontario's new Progressive Conservative government has formally requested $200 million from Ottawa to cover the costs of dealing with asylum seekers crossing into the province from the United States.