Saturday, December 21, 2024

Emo ON seeks judicial review of Pride fines

The township of Emo, Ontario, has applied for judicial review of the provincial Human Rights Tribunal's decision that fined the township and mayor $15,000 in total for voting not to proclaim Pride Month.

Emo township seeks judicial review of tribunal penalty over lack of Pride proclamation | True North | Clayton DeMaine, True North Wire:

December 20, 2024 - "After the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal ordered a small town and its mayor to pay $15,000 fines for “discriminating” against a Pride group for not declaring June as Pride Month, the two are applying for a judicial review of the case. 

The northern Ontario township of Emo announced that it has applied for a judicial review to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to have the November decision quashed and sent back to the Human Rights Tribunal... The tribunal found that Emo, Ont., discriminated against Borderland Pride when it voted to refrain from accepting the verbiage of a draft proclamation written by the pride group.

"In the announcement, the town noted that despite being labelled as discriminatory against the LGBT community, it made a 'Declaration of Equality' in 2022, after the vote and before the tribunal decision, which recognized the 'dignity and worth' of LGBT people and the barriers they may face in society. The town announced that it would not provide further comment because the matter was before the divisional courts.

"The tribunal ordered the town to pay Borderland Pride $10,000. Its mayor, Harold McQuaker, was fined $5,000. McQuaker and the township’s chief administrative officer, hired after the vote, were also ordered to take a 'Human Rights 101' eLearning Module by Dec. 20. McQuaker publicly refused to pay the damages ordered against him at the beginning of the month, prompting Borderland Pride to take enforcement action against him and have the money garnished directly from his account.

"According to the notice of the judicial review application obtained by True North, the town and McQuaker want the tribunal to reexamine the case and have the orders against them stayed, claiming that the decision was 'unreasonable and incorrect.' The applicants demand that any orders placed on them be halted until the human rights tribunal reexamines the matter. They also want the $5,000 –plus interest and taxes – garnished from McQuaker’s account to be returned in the meantime. They claim that the money was unfairly taken from the mayor as it was garnished before the 30-day timeline to apply for judicial review had passed.

"The tribunal based its discrimination finding on a statement McQuaker made at a later, council meeting in which he pointed out that the township wasn’t flying a flag for anyone – and to fly the flag would be a political statement to which the alternative 'straight flag' isn’t being flown. Because the tribunal found McQuaker to have not acted in good faith when voting, he was disqualified from being shielded from paying damages as municipal workers in Ontario typically are for actions taken while performing their duties.

"The applicants argue that the court should not have used the mayor’s post-vote statements to determine if he had discriminated against the Pride group for voting not accepting its verbiage and proclamation. The applicants argue that the tribunal failed to explain why it declined to accept alternative explanations for McQuakers statements, including that he sought to be inclusive and that it didn’t support its claim that he acted in bad faith with 'any articulable' facts.... The applicants also argue that the orders against the CAO of the town, who was hired after the incident in question, demonstrate the unreasonableness of the decision. She allegedly was not informed that she would be subject to enforcement and wasn’t given a chance to defend herself.

"Among other problems the applicants have with the decision, they also took issue with the finding that Borderland Pride could even be paid compensation for injury to its 'dignity, feelings and self-respect,' as it is a corporation and not a human under the human rights code."

Read more: https://tnc.news/2024/12/20/emo-judicial-review-tribunal-pride-proclamation/

Mayor of Emo, ON Faces $5,000 fine and 're-education' over pride flag ruling | Rebel News | December 14, 2024:

Friday, December 20, 2024

Trump tariffs would plunge Canada into recession

Donald Trump has promised, as one of his "many first Executive Orders," to slap a 25% tariff on Canadian goods, a move that would plunge Canada into a deep recession. 

Trump tells Trudeau to fix border problems or get hit with 25% tariffs | Toronto Sun | Brian Lilley:

November 26, 2024 - "Donald Trump has given Canada two months notice: Fix the border or get whacked with tariffs, huge tariffs. Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that he will sign an executive order to bring in across-the-board tariffs on Canadian goods....

“'As everyone is aware, thousands of people are pouring through Mexico and Canada, bringing crime and drugs at levels never seen before,' the president-elect posted. 'On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% tariff on all products coming into the United States'.... 

"While illegal immigration from Canada to the United States pales in comparison to what happens on the Mexican-American border, the numbers have been rising. 

"Over the period from October 2023 to the end of September 2024, border patrol agents apprehended close to 20,000 people crossing in the Swanton Sector – more than in the previous 17 years combined. That sector runs from the Quebec-New Hampshire border, across the Vermont-Quebec border and then over the top of New York State to where the St. Lawrence River meets Lake Ontario. 

"Trump’s new border czar, Tom Homan, comes from western New York, just south of Kingston, and knows the Canada-U.S. border well.... He ... told a Watertown, N.Y., TV station in an interview just after he was appointed ... [that] more than twice as many people on terror watch lists have been apprehended crossing into the United States from Canada than from Mexico. And while fentanyl isn’t a drug that is often seized crossing in from the north, Canada has long been a source of cocaine, marijuana and other drugs, a fact Homan is well aware of.... 

“'This tariff will remain in effect until such time as drugs, in particular fentanyl, and all Illegal aliens stop this invasion of our country! Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem,' Trump said.... If Trump were to act on this, and there is no reason to believe he is bluffing, it would cause immense devastation to the Canadian economy. An analysis by TD economics of Trump’s earlier tariff threat predicted that under a 10% tariff 'Real GDP would fall around 2.4 ppts over two years. This threat is 2 1/2 times bigger and would sink Canada into a deep recession.

"Thankfully, there is a warning and a chance to act to avoid the tariffs, because on something like this, turning to enacting our own tariffs wouldn’t have the desired effect, our pain would be much bigger than theirs....

"There is a problem of drugs, crime and people crossing the border in both directions. The Biden administration had raised issues with the Trudeau government months ago, there was no action. Now, we face an incoming administration that isn’t interested in playing nice.... What’s worrisome for Canada is it’s doubtful that the Trudeau government can deliver anything that will save us and our economy from the pain that is coming."

Read more: https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/trump-to-trudeau-fix-border-or-get-hit-with-25-tariffs

Brian Lilley Drops BOMBSHELL On Justin Trudeau In LEAKED Interview! | The Canada Digest | December 18, 2024:

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Canadian deficit crashes through $40B guidepost

Canada's Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned rather than deliver the Trudeau government's Fall Economic Statement, which shows a federal deficit 50% higher than the $40.1 Billion "fiscal guidepost" Freeland had committed to in the spring Budget.  

Government still planning to unveil economic statement despite Freeland's resignation | CBC News | Karina Roman:

December 16, 2024 - ""The federal government is still planning to unveil its long-awaited fall economic statement (FES) today — putting to rest weeks of speculation about a higher-than-projected deficit and the potential failure of other fiscal 'anchors' Ottawa claimed would keep its budget on track. The government's plans for the FES were thrown into chaos this morning when Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced she would resign from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet....

"Just last spring, in her Budget 2024 speech, Freeland laid out three 'fiscal guideposts' she said would demonstrate the government's continuing commitment to fiscal responsibility. The first was a promise to keep the 2023-24 deficit at or below $40.1 billion. Last week, Freeland would no longer commit to meeting that target."

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/fall-economic-statement-freeland-deficit-1.7410406

Federal deficit climbs to $61.9B as Freeland resigns | CBC News: The National | December 16, 2024:


Federal deficit balloons to $61.9B as government tables economic update on chaotic day in Ottawa | CBC News | Catharine Tunney:

December 17, 2024 - "The federal government tabled a fall economic statement Monday that calls for more than $20 billion in new spending and explains how last fiscal year's deficit ballooned to $61.9 billion — but it was Chrystia Freeland's abrupt resignation as finance minister and her questioning of her own government's economic policy that sent Canadian politics into a frenzy.... 

"Freeland, who was meant to deliver the statement, resigned from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet just as reporters and stakeholders were headed to a media lockup to view the document.... Government House leader Karina Gould ended up tabling the fall economic statement in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon just after 4p.m. ET. By dinner time in Ottawa, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc had been sworn in as the new finance minister.

"Along with showing that the federal government blew its own deficit target by more than $20 billion, the document — overseen by Freeland before her resignation — includes ... $1.3 billion for a border security package over six years ... although the 270-page document doesn't explain exactly how that money will be spent. The government is also earmarking billions of dollars to boost Canadian businesses amid global uncertainty....

"Freeland's resignation letter suggests she did not agree with her boss on how to tackle those challenges.... She also took a parting shot at her boss's handling of the country's economy, denouncing what she called the government's 'costly political gimmicks' and imploring him to work collaboratively with the country's premiers to confront Trump['s] tariff threat....

"In her spring Budget 2024 speech, Freeland laid out guideposts she said would demonstrate the government's continuing commitment to fiscal responsibility. The first was a promise to keep the 2023-24 deficit at or below $40 billion. The federal government has blown past that benchmark; Monday's update posts a deficit of nearly $62 billion for last fiscal year. [Given an inflation rate of at least 1.7%, a $61.9 billion deficit will add more than $1 billion a year to debt interest charges. - gd]

"The federal government says the 2023-24 spike is due to one-time costs, including $16.4 billion related to Indigenous claims playing out in court and $4.7 billion related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The deficit is projected to dip down to $48.3 billion for this current fiscal year."

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/fall-economic-update-freeland-trudeau-1.7411825

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Violent Crime up >40% in Canada since 2014

Between 2014 (a year when Canadian crime rates reached their lowest) and 2022 (the most recent comparable year of data), population-adjusted rates of both violent crime and property crime in Canada have grown to surpass comparable crime rates in the United States.

Study finds violent crime in Canada surged 44% since 2014, worse than US | Western Standard | Western Standard News Services:

November 28, 2024: - "Canada’s violent crime rate has risen sharply, outpacing that of the United States, according to a new Fraser Institute report analyzing crime trends between the two countries. 

"The study revealed a 43.8% increase in Canada’s violent crime rate between 2014 and 2022, reaching 434.1 violent crimes per 100,000 people.... U.S. violent crime rate stood at 380.7 per 100,000 people during the same period, making Canada’s rate 14% higher.

"Property crime in Canada has also seen a troubling rise, with the rate climbing 7% to 2,491 crimes per 100,000 people between 2014 and 2022. In contrast, the U.S. property crime rate dropped by 24.1% during the same period, leaving Canada’s property crime rate 27% higher than its southern neighbor. The report noted that Canada’s property crime rate had been lower than the U.S. until 2015, the year Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took office.

Graph courtesy Fraser Institute.

"Homicide rates in Canada, while still below those in the U.S., have also increased significantly, rising 53.5% between 2014 and 2022....

“'Trudeau’s radical catch-and-release policies have set violent repeat offenders loose on our streets,' read a statement from the Conservative Party on Thursday. The party pledged to reform the justice system by prioritizing jail time for violent repeat offenders over bail, saying Canadians deserve safer communities."

Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/news/study-finds-violent-crime-in-canada-surged-44-since-2014-worse-than-us/59936

Read study: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/2024-11/comparing-recent-crime-trends-in-canada-and-us-an-introduction.pdf

Sunday, December 15, 2024

Health care wait times at new records in Canada

Canadian patients in 2024 waited longer than ever for medical treatment, finds a new study released by the Fraser Institute.

Canadians faced longest ever health-care wait times in 2024, study finds | National Post | Stewart Lewis:

December 12, 2024 - "Canadians waited longer than ever for medical treatment in 2024, says the Fraser Institute. This year’s edition of its annual survey of physicians from across Canada reports a median wait time of 30 weeks from referral by a family doctor to consultation with a specialist, and then from the consultation to actual treatment. The 30-week wait is the longest ever recorded by the Institute — longer than the 27.7 weeks in 2023, 20.9 weeks in pre-pandemic 2019, and 222 per cent longer than the 9.3 weeks in 1993, when it began tracking wait times.

"'While most Canadians understand that wait times are a major problem, we’ve now reached an unprecedented and unfortunate milestone for delayed access to care,' said Bacchus Barua, director of health policy studies at the Fraser Institute and co-author of 'Waiting Your Turn: Wait Times for Health Care in Canada, 2024.' The independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank released the new survey Thursday. 

“'Long wait times can result in increased suffering for patients, lost productivity at work, a decreased quality of life, and in the worst cases, disability or death,' said Mackenzie Moir, senior policy analyst at the Fraser Institute and study co-author.

"Ontarians seem to be doing best in the country with the shortest median wait time (23.6 weeks, up from 21.6 weeks in 2023). Prince Edward Islanders are not quite so fortunate, recording the longest median wait(77.4 weeks). The Institute notes, however, that data for P.E.I. should be interpreted with caution due to fewer survey responses compared to other provinces.

"The wait time to see a specialist increased from 14.6 weeks in 2023 to 15.0 weeks in 2024. This wait time is 305 per cent longer than it was in 1993 — at 3.7 weeks.... For the second stage, the wait time for treatment increased from 13.1 weeks in 2023 to 15.0 weeks this year. This wait time is 167 per cent longer than in 1993 when it was 5.6 weeks, and 6.3 weeks longer than what physicians consider to be clinically 'reasonable' (8.6 weeks).... 

"Among the various specialties, national median wait times were longest for orthopedic surgery (57.5 weeks) and neurosurgery (46.2 weeks). Meanwhile, the shortest are for radiation (4.5 weeks) and medical oncology treatments (4.7 weeks). For diagnostic tests, wait times were longest for CT scans (8.1 weeks), MRIs (16.2 weeks) and ultrasounds (5.2 weeks).

"It is estimated, across the 10 provinces, that the total number of procedures people waited for in 2024 is 1,543,994. Assuming each person waits for only one procedure, 3.7 per cent of Canadians waited for treatment in 2024....

"Data for this study was collected from Jan. 19 to May 31, 2024. A total of 1,973 responses were received across the 12 specialties surveyed, a response rate of 17.0 per cent.

Read more: https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadians-faced-longest-ever-health-care-wait-times-in-2024-study-finds

Read report: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/waiting-your-turn-2024.pdf

Saturday, December 14, 2024

Emigration from Canada to USA hits 10-year high

It's not just Jordan Peterson and Gad Saad; emigration from Canada is at a 10-year high, with over 100,000 a year leaving for the USA.

Emigration from Canada to the U.S. hits a 10-year high as tens of thousands head south | CBC News | John Paul Tasker:

May 30, 2024 - "Tens of thousands of Canadians are emigrating from Canada to the United States and the number of people packing up and moving south has hit a level not seen in 10 years or more, according to data compiled by CBC News. There's nothing new about Canadians moving south of the 49th parallel for love, work or warmer weather, but the latest figures from the American Community Survey (ACS) suggest it's now happening at a much higher rate than the historical average.

"The ACS, which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, says the number of people moving from Canada to the U.S. hit 126,340 in 2022. That's an increase of nearly 70 per cent over the 75,752 people who made the move in 2012. 

"Of the 126,340 who emigrated from Canada to the U.S. that year, 53,311 were born in Canada, 42,595 were Americans who left here for their native land, and 30,434 were foreign-born immigrants to Canada who decided to move to the U.S. instead. That Canadian-born figure is notably higher now than it has been in the past. It's up roughly 50 per cent over the average number of Canadians born in Canada who left for the U.S. in the pre-COVID period....

"United Nations data compiled by Statistics Canada and shared with CBC News shows the U.S. is by far the most common destination for Canadian emigrants. There were about 800,000 Canadians living in the U.S. as of 2020, eight times more than the 100,000 who live in the U.K., according to the latest UN figures.

"A number of Facebook groups have popped up to help Canadians make the move. Recent arrivals use them to share tips on how to secure a visa or green card, where to live and what to do about health insurance. One group called 'Canadians Moving to Florida & USA' has more than 55,000 members and is adding dozens of new members every week.

"The real estate agents and immigration lawyers who help Canadians make the move say the surge is being driven partly by a desire for a more affordable life. But there are also people who say they have lost faith in Canada under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership.... 

"While the U.S., like Canada, has grappled with inflation, the cost of living can be cheaper in some states. The average U.S. home price is lower than it is here — $580,700 Cdn in the U.S., compared to $703,500 in Canada. That's 20 per cent lower after adjusting for exchange rates. The price gap is even more stark in some states....

"The tax burden is less onerous in many states. There's no state income tax in Florida. In Arizona, a popular destination for western Canadian emigrants, there's a flat state tax rate of 2.5 per cent. Some daily staples are also a lot more affordable south of the border, with lower so-called 'sin' taxes on alcohol and tobacco in some states."

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadians-moving-to-the-us-hits-10-year-high-1.7218479

Skilled newcomers are leaving Canada in record numbers: report | Canada Tonight | CBC News |  November 19, 2024:

Friday, December 13, 2024

2022 Convoy charges against Randy Hillier stayed

On November 14 an Ontario Superior Court judge ruled that all charges against Randy Hillier stemming from the 2022 Freedom Convoy be dropped, agreeing that Hillier's Charter right to be tried within a reasonable time frame had been violated.

Convoy protest charges against ex-MPP Randy Hillier stayed due to delays | Ottawa Citizen | Ken warren: 

November 18, 2024 - "All charges against former MPP Randy Hillier relating to the February 2022 convoy protest in Ottawa have been stayed.... Hillier, who represented Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston as an independent after being removed from the Conservative caucus in 2019, had been facing a nine-pack of charges stemming from the trucker blockade along Wellington Avenue in front of Parliament Hill. The charges included two counts of mischief, three counts of counselling to commit an indictable offence, three counts of obstructing a police officer and one count of assaulting a police officer.

"In a ruling dated Thursday, Superior Court Justice Kerry McVey agreed with Hillier’s argument that his Charter right to be tried within a reasonable time frame had been violated. A four-week trial had been scheduled to begin next Jan. 27 in Ottawa, with an anticipated ending of Feb. 25. That would amount to a total of 34 months 28 days since police charged Hillier. Factoring in 105 days for delays caused by the defence and for 'exceptional circumstances,' McVey ruled that Hillier had been waiting for 31 months 13 days for a trial. 

"A previous 30-month ceiling on delays had been established by the Supreme Court in the 2016 decision R v. Jordan. 'As a result, the application is granted,' McVey wrote. 'The charges against Mr. Hillier are dropped'....

"The case against Hillier included charges that he inspired his 56,000 online followers to flood non-emergency police lines during the convoy protest demonstration despite a police plea to the public to keep communication channels open. Police had received 274 malicious calls during a six-day period, according to the Crown case. Hillier had told his on-line supporters to keep calling because 'in a democracy, expressing yourself is a fundamental freedom.'

"The prosecution also said Hillier had disregarded a police officer’s directions and used his shoulder to push an officer away, allowing demonstrators to pass through a barricade.

"Despite emergency orders against it, the Crown also contended that Hillier told his supporters to continue stocking the protesters with gasoline and food."

Read more: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/convoy-protest-charges-ex-mpp-randy-hillier-stayed-delays

Randy Hillier Charges Dropped!! Exclusive interview | Greg Wycliffe | November 19, 2024: