Mzwandile Poncana

Mzwandile Poncana is an award-winning journalist and The Hill Times’ public service reporter, covering the federal workforce, government operations, workplace conditions, unions, staffing and job cuts, and the delivery of public services, among other public service related issues. Born in Gaborone, Botswana, he is a graduate of Concordia University’s journalism program and was selected as the 2023 Canadian Journalism Foundation Black Investigative Journalism Fellow. He has also completed fellowships with Journalists for Human Rights and previously worked as a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with Metroland Media. His reporting has appeared in the Toronto Star, Xtra Magazine, The Hamilton Spectator, the Waterloo Region Record, Ricochet, and other publications. Contact him at mponcana@hilltimes.com.

Public Health Agency recorded $331-million loss on damaged or expired emergency medical supplies: AG report

Auditor General Karen Hogan reports the agency did not effectively manage the National Emergency Strategic Stockpile, finding gaps in how it decides what supplies Canada should keep on hand and how those supplies are stored and maintained.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | October 29, 2026

Ottawa says private contractor can clear 97,000 air-passenger complaint backlog faster, but won’t say how long it would take

The Senate Transport and Communications Committee has raised concerns that choosing a private firm could create further delays, while Transport Canada has not provided a contract cost or released the analysis behind its proposal.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | October 24, 2026

Pay equity delays pile up for women in federal jobs as union alleges bad faith at Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Canada’s pay equity commissioner is looking into complaint against the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which the union says should lead to $15.9-million in pay adjustments. Meanwhile, a new analysis finds Ottawa-area women in the public sector earned three per cent less than comparable men.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | October 23, 2026

Ottawa wants regulators to take on more major project reviews. Are they equipped for the job?

The energy regulator points to 600 staff and three decades of assessment work. The nuclear regulator says it’s working with the Impact Assessment Agency on a handoff while it weighs whether it will need more resources.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | October 22, 2026

Public servant’s $42,151 transition-payment cheque goes missing as job cuts test federal pay system

The former Natural Resources Canada employee is one of three federal workers who told The Hill Times they experienced delayed, missing or unresolved payments as Ottawa processes a growing wave of workforce-adjustment departures.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | October 15, 2026

Federal dental plan expands access, but patients still face costs, denials, and gaps in care, report finds

A two-year review by the Canadian Dental Association finds strong patient satisfaction, but says Ottawa needs to show whether billions in spending are translating into better oral health.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | October 12, 2026

Minister Ali sidesteps question on whether red-tape reforms mean fewer public servants

Bill S-7, the Cutting Red Tape Act, promises $264-million in savings over 10 years, mostly for industry, but questions remain about staffing, regulatory capacity, and Indigenous consultation.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | October 11, 2026

Carney’s coming Crown corp

This week, we’re looking at the Defence Investment Agency, Canada Energy Regulator, Indigenous Services Canada, and Ottawa’s new red tape reduction bill.

feature | BY MARLO GLASS, MZWANDILE PONCANA | October 8, 2026

CSC restricts antidepressant partly over misuse concerns, but can’t say if issue is widespread

The six-month transition away from bupropion ends Oct. 31, with an advocate saying inmates being offered different drugs report ‘feeling like guinea pigs.’ Now a coalition of clinicians and advocates are challenging the restrictions on it and ADHD medications, and calling for review.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | October 5, 2026

Tracking wrongdoing in major departments

Welcome to our inaugural publication of Public Service Insider.

feature | BY MARLO GLASS, MZWANDILE PONCANA | October 1, 2026

‘100 per cent of my in-office day is spent working virtually’: public servants describe uneven return to office

Nearly three months in, staff across six departments describe early-morning parking scrambles, hoteling desks with missing equipment, and sagging morale, while others say their offices have adjusted well.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | October 1, 2026

Senator Wells says Ottawa’s missed employment equity deadline signals it’s ‘not a priority’ for feds

Kristopher Wells says the Liberal government that promised to modernize the Employment Equity Act must finish the job, as parliamentarians, advocates, unions, and employers gathered in Ottawa to press for action.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | September 28, 2026

Minister Ali says operating cuts, red-tape reduction will drive Treasury Board’s fall agenda

As Ottawa shrinks the public service to rein in operating spending, Shafqat Ali declines to estimate how many involuntary departures may still be needed, while PSAC urges a reassessment of the cuts.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | September 24, 2026

Digital Transformation Canada launches under former Google CFO as experts weigh his private-sector record

The feds want the new organization to expand AI, rebuild in-house expertise, and help Canadian tech firms grow, raising questions about whether those goals can coexist without deepening dependence on outside suppliers.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | September 22, 2026

Thousands rely on tariff supports as Ottawa plans fewer benefit-processing staff at Service Canada

Work-Sharing applications are taking an average of six business days to process, while frontline workers and unions warn that maintaining service levels will depend on staffing capacity.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | September 20, 2026

As Ottawa courts global capital, Invest in Canada faces questions over capacity and public benefit

The agency’s 2026-27 departmental plan outlines fewer staff and lower spending even as Ottawa signals a more prominent role under the new leadership of Dominic Barton and Gurinder Grewal.

news | BY MZWANDILE PONCANA | September 14, 2026