Changes by the Liberal government mean that government-approved media companies that have already received millions in government funding can double dip into taxpayer coffers and receive more grants than ever before.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the new amendment was snuck by the Department of Finance into a 336-page budget bill.
Under the original agreement, news companies which already received grants from Canadian Heritage’s Aid to Publishers program were disqualified from accessing the bailout.
However, the Liberals have removed the requirement claiming that allowing approved media to double-dip into government coffers fulfilled “policy objectives.”
The disqualification was repealed in the Budget Implementation Act or Bill C-30, which is currently being passed through the legislative process.
Approximately a dozen magazines and publishers have already collectively received millions in grants from the federal government, including a $1,500,000 funding grant for Canadian Living.
Other outlets that already received government coffers but are now eligible for additional funding include Maclean’s magazine which received $1,252,398 from the Aid to Publishers program.
Additionally Reader’s Digest received $1,143,104 in past payouts alongside a number of other publications like The Hockey News, Ontario Farmer, Chatelaine, Good Times, Toronto Life and others which also received substantial funding.
As reported by True North, the Trudeau government showered over 670 magazines and other periodicals with $85 million in taxpayer funding as part of its 2020-2021 periodical fund.
Taxpayers are ponying up $2.9 million to build a Porsche dealership in Ottawa, effectively subsidizing cars for the wealth. Meanwhile, more than half of Canadian businesses are unsure if they can survive the pandemic, and tens of thousands have already gone owner. Government shouldn’t be giving sweet deals to individual businesses, but rather letting all businesses reopen, True North’s Andrew Lawton says.
Freedom of expression, assembly and worship are Charter rights in Canada, but in the last couple of months, five pastors have been either arrested or charged for holding church services and not enforcing masks, social distancing or attendance caps.
Though some may claim that church services are COVID-19 superspreader events, there is no scientific or medical evidence to support such assertions.
You may have briefly clicked on a video clip or news headline featuring one of these pastors or churches, but here is a comprehensive guide to who’s who, with an update on each case.
Tim Stephens, Fairview Baptist Church (Calgary, Alberta)
On Sunday May 16, Pastor Tim Stephens was arrested and jailed immediately after holding a church service where masks, social distancing and attendance caps were not enforced.
Back in March, police showed up at Stephens’ home address and handed him three tickets: one for holding a gathering over 15% of fire code capacity, another for not enforcing the two metre rule and another for violating mandatory mask rules (this particular ticket was rescinded).
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) – the legal organization representing Stephens – states that his detention was illegal, as Stephens was arrested for violating a May 6 court injunction that the JCCF successfully got amended and was therefore inapplicable to him.
On Wednesday May 19, the Pastor’s wife, Raquel Stephens, confirmed that he had returned home. However, Alberta Health Services ordered Fairview Baptist Church closed.
James Coates, GraceLife Church (Edmonton, Alberta)
Pastor James Coates made headlines earlier this year when he was thrown in jail for 35 days because he did not enforce masks, social distancing or attendance caps while holding church services. GraceLife was ordered closed by the province in January 2021, but congregants continued to meet in spite of the order. Coates was locked up in the Edmonton Remand Centre from February 16 to March 22, 2021.
In early April, Coates hosted Easter services at his church, at which point Alberta Health Services and the RCMP seized the church property and fenced off GraceLife indefinitely.
Since then, James Coates has delivered sermons from a secret location.
James Coates had two trial dates in early May related to his tickets, but the trial has been adjourned until June 7. Coates’ legal representation, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, notes that the case still has a further hearing where the Alberta Government must produce their scientific and medical evidence for enforcing lockdowns.
Artur Pawlowski, Cave of Adullam Church (Calgary, Alberta)
During Easter of this year, video footage of Pastor Artur Pawlowski shouting at police to leave his church property while calling them “Gestapo” and “Nazis” went viral.
The police and Alberta Health Services officials did indeed leave that particular day. But after hosting a sermon on Saturday, May 8, Artur Pawlowski and his brother Dawid were arrested on the side of the road and dragged into police vehicles. Artur claims he was placed in solitary confinement for three days before being released on Monday.
Artur Pawlowski will be in court on May 26 for two hearings related to holding church services, and the tickets he received for alleged Public Health Act violations will be in docket court on June 14.
Henry Hildebrandt, Church of God (Aylmer, Ontario)
Back in April 2020, Pastor Henry Hildebrandt was facing threats of fines from police for leading over-capacity drive-in church services, even though parishioners stayed inside their vehicles in the parking lot with the windows rolled up as they listened to the service via radio signal.
In November, Hildebrandt received a ticket for attending an anti-lockdown rally in London.
On May 14, 2021, Hildebrandt’s indoor church service was interrupted by police. All congregants were directed to immediately leave the premises and police locked the doors to the building, as ordered by Ontario Superior Court Justice Bruce Thomas.
Hildebrandt’s church was found in contempt of court for holding repeated gatherings in violation of the Reopening Ontario Act.
In addition to being locked out, the church was fined $35,000. Hildebrandt himself was also fined $10,000 and Assistant Pastor Peter Wall $3,000.
On May 16, two days after the locks were changed, Hildebrandt led a 400-person service outside the building.
Jacob Reaume, Trinity Bible Chapel (Waterloo, ON)
On April 30, 2021, Trinity Bible Chapel was seized by the Province of Ontario, with the doors to be locked indefinitely. In Ontario, religious gatherings are limited to 10 people, so Trinity Bible Chapel was charged for violating the Reopening Ontario Act by holding over-capacity services.
According to Pastor Jacob Reaume, the church has received dozens of tickets and has been convicted of two counts of contempt of court. In total, Reaume claims Trinity Bible Chapel and its elders are facing $40 million in fines.
“Places of worship have not been proven to be a source of significant outbreak,” the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms lawyer representing Trinity Bible Chapel, Lisa Bildy, told CTV.
“They are not a major source of spread, but they have been a major target of enforcement.”
The first four months of 2021 have seen a record number of Nigerian Christians being killed or kidnapped by Islamists.
According to a new report published this week by Intersociety, a Nigerian civil rights group, at least 1,470 Nigerian Christians have been killed because of their faith so far this year, with up to 2,200 more being kidnapped.
“Nigeria has devastatingly remained the ‘most Christians killed country’ and ‘most dangerous place to be a Christian’ as well as Africa’s newest hotbed of Islamic Jihad and religious intolerance,” the report reads.
“The 1,470 Christian deaths in four months is the highest number recorded since 2014 and it specifically surpassed the total number of Christians killed in 2019, estimated by the Open Doors to be 1,350.”
Nigeria has been combatting Islamists for over a decade now. The local terrorist group Boko Haram has been bolstered by ISIS agents fleeing the Middle East in recent years, increasing the rate of violence.
Intersociety attributes 800 of the killings to gangs from the militias recently formed by Nigeria’s Fulani ethnicity. Fulani gangs and militias have been inspired by other larger Islamist groups active in the country such as ISIS.
Nigeria has also seen a kidnapping epidemic caused by Islamist groups seeking to earn ransom payments. Islamists have kidnapped people out of churches and buses in recent months.
Of the 2,200 kidnaps, 800 of them were in the Muslim-majority state of Kaduma alone.
Intersociety estimates that around 220 kidnapped Christians have been killed in captivity. This statistic includes several clergy.
While other countries are reopening their economies and lifting various public health measures, many pro-lockdown advocates in Canada continue to push for further lockdowns.
Instead of utilizing data from other jurisdictions that are reopening and following in their footsteps, many pro-lockdown advocates are dismissing the idea of a return to normal.
Toronto, Vancouver and Hamilton now rank among North America’s most expensive cities according to a new report by Oxford Economics.
According to the study, housing in Canada was 34% more expensive than the median-income household could afford.
“Of the 25 North American metros for which we’ve built [Housing Affordability Indices], Toronto, Vancouver (BC), Hamilton (Ontario), San Jose (CA), and Los Angeles are North America’s five least affordable metros,” the report reads.
“Hamilton and Ottawa have joined the ranks of Canada’s least affordable metros, while homes in the Prairies and Quebec remain within reach of local households.”
Toronto was ranked the most expensive, being 67% more expensive than the median-income household could afford. Vancouver, Hamilton, Ottawa and Montreal were also in the top 10.
Conversely, Edmonton, Calgary and Quebec City rank among the most affordable.
The study concludes that housing in the United States is much more affordable than Canada.
Housing prices reached new highs this year, with the average price rising 31.6% from March 2020 to March 2021. The average price of a home in Canada is now $716,828.
The rapid rise in housing prices have been attributed to Canadians trying to flee coronavirus hotspots and also people who work from home looking for better locations. Demand has also been encouraged by low-interest rates.
Some British Columbia politicians are pushing for the province to have its name, coat of arms and flag changed to better reflect the province’s diverse history and population.
During this week’s Lower Mainland Local Government Association’s (LMLGA) annual general meeting, a vote on whether a name change request should be made was put to all of the municipalities present.
The resolution titled “Consideration of Change of Provincial Name, Coat of Arms and Flag” goes on to claim that the province’s name “completely fails to acknowledge either the Indigenous people’s history and culture, or the multi-cultural heritage of the settlers.”
It continues by saying that “the adoption of a more inclusive and historically relevant name would better reflect the diverse population of our Province, and could be considered a reconciliatory action, in consultation with local First Nations.”
“Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request that the Provincial government consider changing the name of British Columbia to a name that better represents the First Nations and multi-cultural residents of the land,” the resolution reads.
According to the vote results, 60% of localities voted against the proposed name change, whereas a startling 40% of municipal politicians wanted the province to be named something different.
The resolution was first put forward by the Village of Pemberton after local councillors debated the issue.
The LMLGA represents 33 local governments from the lower mainland including the City of Vancouver, the City of Surrey, the Corporation of Delta and dozens of other communities.
According to the Government of Canada, the province received its name from Queen Victoria in 1858 when it became a colony.
“The southern part of the area now known as British Columbia was called ‘Columbia,’ after the Columbia River. The central region was given the name of ‘New Caledonia’ by explorer Simon Fraser. To avoid confusion with Colombia in South America and the island of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean, Queen Victoria named the area British Columbia when it became a colony in 1858,” claims the Government of Canada website.
Kids in Peel Region aged 12 and up can give their own consent to receive a COVID-19 shot, without their parents signing off, officials say.
The Region of Peel clarified its policy Thursday, noting the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is currently approved for anyone 12 or older in Canada.
“Vaccine bookings are NOW open for youth aged 12+ who live, work or attend school in Peel. Individuals must be 12+ at the time of their appointment. Pfizer is currently the only vaccine authorized for use in this age group,” tweeted the official Region of Peel Twitter account.
“Please note info around the consent for vaccination has been updated. Youth aged 12+ can consent to immunization on their own behalf provided they understand the benefits and risks of vaccination. As with any other medical appointment, we encourage family discussion.”
Please note info around the consent for vaccination has been updated. Youth aged 12+ can consent to immunization on their own behalf provided they understand the benefits and risks of vaccination. As with any other medical appointment, we encourage family discussion.
Although children can consent to the vaccine, they are required to be accompanied by a parent or guardian when they attend their appointment.
The move comes as Ontario announced an expansion in its vaccination campaign. The new eligibility criteria will mean that youth in that age group can receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine beginning on May 31.
Currently, all adults in the province are already eligible for vaccination appointments.
Similarly, Nova Scotia’s public health authorities announced this week that no parental consent would be required for youth to receive the vaccine.
“We don’t actually require for even our routine Grade 7 vaccinations. They don’t actually have to have parental consent. It’s up to the judgement of the immunizer whether the youth is determined to be able to make their own decisions around vaccines and that would carry through for this COVID vaccination as well,” said Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang.
Despite the fact that there is overwhelming evidence that suggests COVID-19 is not a serious threat to children, kids across Canada are being seriously harmed by the never-ending lockdowns.
In fact, some medical experts and pediatric groups are sounding the alarm on a looming mental health crisis among Canadian youth. How much more evidence does the government need before they reopen the schools?
A soldier has been charged for allegedly giving cannabis-laced cupcakes to an artillery unit during a live-fire exercise.
Bombardier Chelsea Cogswell is facing 18 charges in a court martial related to the 2018 incident at CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick.
First reported by CTV, Cogswell is accused of giving members of the “W Battery” artillery unit cannabis cupcakes she baked herself. The unit was not aware of the cannabis and did not consent to consuming it.
The unit was engaged in a live-fire exercise at the time, and their intoxication put both themselves and others in danger.
“Several affected members were allegedly unable to properly execute safe weapons and explosive handling drills,” according to records from the military court.
“All the members of W Battery who consumed the cupcakes, except one, allegedly experienced symptoms which included dehydration, overheating, fatigue, confusion, dry mouth and paranoia.”
Cogswell was working the canteen during the exercise. She has served with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) since 2011 and remains a member.
Spokeswomen Wendy Wharton told CTV that such allegations have never been made against a CAF member before.
“A review of our court martial records indicate that this is the first time a member has faced a court martial for allegedly administering cannabis to colleagues without their consent,” she said.
Among the charges include nine counts of conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline, eight counts of administering a noxious substance, and one count of behaving in a disgraceful manner.
