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Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Anti-lockdown rodeo did not cause any new COVID-19 cases

By
True North Wire
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A rodeo held in protest of lockdowns in Alberta has not resulted in any new cases of COVID-19.

In a statement, Alberta Health Services (AHS) wrote that no cases have been associated with the event but warn it is still possible spread may have occurred.

“AHS has worked with RCMP, the Bowden Agriculture Society and Red Deer County to confirm the rodeo event was in violation of CMOH Orders, and attempted to work with organizers proactively to not allow the event to proceed,” AHS said.

“At this time there are no cases directly linked to the rodeo event; however it is important to remember that symptoms may take up to 14 days to appear after exposure. In some cases, symptoms may be mild and individuals may not seek out COVID-19 testing.”

On May 1-2, approximately 4,000 people gathered on private property in rural Red Deer County to hold the No More Lockdowns Rodeo Rally. The event was hosted entirely outdoors. In the past, public health experts have indicated that the spread of COVID-19 is rare outdoors.

The rodeo was harshly attacked by Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, calling the event disturbing and its attendees “selfish.”

Following the rally, the organizers of the rodeo Ty and Gail Northcott were charged with violating the Public Health Act. The couple are due to appear in court on May 17.

The Northcotts are a multi-generational rodeo family that have owned a ranch near Bowden, Alta. since the 1980s.

On May 6, a court gave AHS a preemptive injunction to stop various gatherings and rallies that violate public health orders across the province. The injunction effectively prevents such events from being held in the future without an immediate response by law enforcement. 

FUREY: Leave the internet alone

By
True North
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The Trudeau government is obsessed with regulating and censoring the internet. Despite all the criticisms and confusion surrounding Bill C-10, the government is pushing forward with its internet regulation bill.

While the government claims the internet is like the wild west, there are already existing laws in place to protect Canadians. So what exactly is the Trudeau government trying to accomplish?

Anthony Furey says even if the internet was broken, more government is not the solution.

Trudeau says Conservatives “look for conspiracy theories” on Bill C-10

By
True North Wire
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Conservative critics of Bill C-10 of playing into “conspiracy theories” for having concerns about the legislation’s impacts on freedom of expression. 

Trudeau made the comments during an exchange with Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre during Question Period on Wednesday. 

“The prime minister would like to pass a bill that would allow his Canadiana czar to determine what is Canadian enough. That czar would be able to manipulate algorithms to decide what people see when they open up their various online platforms. So this czar is going to have so much power, can the prime minister tell us who in fact this czar will be?” asked Poilievre. 

Poilievre was referencing a CTV News interview in which Liberal Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault said a “body of experts” at the Canadian Radio‑television and Telecommunications (CRTC) would determine what specific content would be regulated. 

“Once again Conservatives demonstrate that they have no understanding and no appreciation of the Canadian cultural industry. The thousands upon thousands of jobs created by Canadian production, the work done by Canadian YouTubers, the work done by Canadian musical artists and producers,” replied Trudeau. 

“These are the things we are supporting in enforcing web giants to recognize and support Canadian content. Once again Conservatives don’t line themselves up with content creators or Canadians, they pick fights and look for conspiracy theories.” 

The Liberals introduced Bill C-10 as a way to modernize Canada’s Broadcasting Act and to force multinational web giants like Facebook to pay for Canadian content and news. However, a recent decision to strip the bill of an amendment which served to protect the content posted by ordinary users from CRTC regulation has sparked public outrage over the bill. 

This isn’t the first time the Trudeau Liberals have accused the Conservatives of pushing conspiracy theories.

Last week, Trudeau accused the Conservative Party of having “tinfoil hats” for raising concerns about the Liberal government’s internet censorship bill.

Further, in recent weeks, Guilbeault has opted for name-calling and painting critics as extremists instead of addressing the root issues present in the bill. 

Several prominent experts and critics have already spoken out against the law including former CRTC vice-chair Peter Menzies, who called the legislation a “national embarrassment” for Canada. 

“Guibeault could have taxed the web giants without regulating the internet but he got greedy. His reach having exceeded his grasp, Bill C-10 is still — despite his promises of a death bed conversion — a national embarrassment and Canada’s cultural sector needs to do the right thing and step away from it,” wrote Menzies in a Financial Post op-ed. 

Toronto councillor who wants white men off currency supported Jack Layton statue

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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The Toronto city councillor who put forward a motion to request the Bank of Canada and the Royal Canadian Mint to replace “white and male politicians” from Canada’s currency supported and unveiled a statue commemorating late NDP leader Jack Layton. 

In August 2013, Paul Ainslie attended and spoke at an event to unveil the bronze sculpture of Layton at Toronto’s Jack Layton Ferry Terminal.

At the time, Ainslie commented the statue “enhanced” the city and was a “positive” message to Torontonians. 

“We are pleased to see this area enhanced by the infusion of art,” Councillor Ainslie remarked at the unveiling.

“This sculpture and message work together to create a positive greeting to all enjoying our City’s waterfront parks and Islands.”

At the time, Ainslie made no comment about equal representation or the need to diversify Canada’s image. 

True North reached out to Ainslie to inquire whether he supported equal representation in public art or memorials but did not hear back by the time this article was published. 

On May 5, the Toronto City Council unanimously passed Ainslie’s motion entitled “Diversification of Depictions on Canadian Coins and Bills to better reflect a more Heterogeneous and Inclusive Society.” 

“In the pursuit to better reflect a more heterogeneous and inclusive society this Motion speaks to our currency being overrepresented by politicians, most of whom are white and male, underrepresenting persons who have contributed to other fields of great importance to our society,” Ainslie’s motion says.

“Our currency does not reflect our current multiracial, gender diverse and multicultural reality as a nation.”

Canada’s currency already features several depictions of women including Queen Elizabeth II and Canadian black rights activist Viola Desmond, who was added to Canada’s $10 bill in 2016. 

Data show rural violent crimes are up in BC’s Okanagan: RCMP

By
True North Wire
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BC’s Okanagan is experiencing a surge in violent rural crime, newly released RCMP statistics show. 

According to Penticton RCMP detachment Supt. Brian Hunter, an increase in violent crimes such as assaults and threats have been especially concerning.

“It’s concerning, the level of violence happening in the community,” Hunter told the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen board last week. 

Violent crimes specifically in rural areas have increased by 10%, with a greater increase of 18% in the city region. 

Meanwhile, the incident rate of uttering threats has also jumped by 63% in comparison to last year. Break and enters were also higher this year by 24%. 

According to Hunter, the “pandemic effect” and the region’s homelessness issues have contributed to the worrying increase. 

A high quantity of calls were found to be related to a controversial homeless winter shelter located on Winnipeg St in Penticton, BC. According to the RCMP, police responded to 290 calls at the shelter in the first quarter of 2021. 

In April, Conservative MP Blaine Calkins introduced a bill to the House of Commons to address the issue of rural crime. 

Bill C-289 hopes to alter the Criminal Code to add as an aggravating circumstance evidence that a crime was directed at somebody who was “vulnerable because of their remoteness from emergency services and, for the purposes of some offences, the fact that a person carried, used or threatened to use a weapon or an imitation of a weapon.”

“Rural Canadians too often don’t feel safe in their own homes. Many have been victimized so often they’ve given up reporting property crime. It is often difficult for people to get affordable insurance if they can get it at all,” said Calkins in the House of Commons.

“My constituents are tired of being victims, they’re tired of the revolving door of the justice system, and of crime not being taken seriously. They are losing faith in the justice system, because too often it puts criminals before victims and their families.”

Majority of Canadians support freedom of speech over Bill C-10: poll

By
True North Wire
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Source: pm.gc.ca

A new poll by Public Square Research and Maru/Blue reveals that an overwhelming majority of Canadians would choose defending their right to freedom of expression over Bill C-10’s goal to promote Canadian content on social media platforms. 

According to news outlet The Hub, 73% of Canadians chose free speech when asked to pick between the bill and their rights. 

The Liberal government has been recently reeling from a public outcry over the law, which was drafted with the purpose of modernizing Canada’s Broadcasting Act to meet the current digital landscape of media. 

Opposition to the bill reached its highest after Liberal members of the House of Commons heritage committee voted to strip an amendment from the legislation which served to protect the content posted by ordinary social media users from regulation by the CRTC. 

Experts like University of Ottawa Law Professor and Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law Michael Geist have argued that Bill C-10 is the “most anti-Internet” legislation in Canada’s history. 

Further, the former vice-chair of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission called the government’s internet regulation bill a “national embarrassment.” 

Additionally, the poll found that 72% of Canadians had no knowledge of the legislation or were barely aware of it. 

Of those who knew about the law, 38% were very unsupportive of it and an additional 15% said they were somewhat unsupportive. On the other hand, 11% were very supportive of Bill C-10 and 20% were somewhat supportive. 

The poll surveyed 1,508 Canadians online over the weekend of April 30, 2021. 

Conservative members of the heritage committee have pushed for Minister Guilbeault to appear before the committee to answer questions regarding the bill while also requesting a legislative review by the Justice Ministry to ensure that the law complies with Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

Guilbeault recently claimed that Canada’s cultural community is supportive of the bill. As revealed by True North, Guilbeault cited several organizations which have received government funding as supporters of the law without revealing the conflict of interest. 

Among the groups cited by Guilbeault was the League of Canadian Poets, to which his ministry awarded $67,088 between 2016 and 2018.

Should human rights laws protect against anti-conservative discrimination?

By
Andrew Lawton
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Human rights laws in Canada protect against discrimination based on almost every identity imaginable, except there are no robust protections for political beliefs. Queen’s University law professor Bruce Pardy says in the era of cancel culture and anti-conservative discrimination, if we’re going to insist on maintaining human rights laws, we should add protection for people who suffer harm because of their political beliefs. He joined The Andrew Lawton Show to explain.

Watch the full episode of the show here.

Federal employees working from home bill taxpayer thousands for desk, foot mats

By
True North Wire
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Federal employees spent $36.3 million on new office equipment for working at home, with some employees billing taxpayers thousands for single pieces of furniture, the government says.

First reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, in an Inquiry of the Ministry tabled this week, cabinet released data showing how some of the $36.3 million was spent.

One unidentified manager in the Department of Agriculture spent $2,815 on a single desk. A manager in the Department of Indigenous Services spent $1,160 on an “ergonomic work chair.”

“This is a lot of money. People lose sight of these items but it all adds up,” Conservative MP Kerry Diotte, who requested the data, told Blacklock’s.

Various departments spent staggering amounts on equipment. The Department of Agriculture spent $179,925 on headsets and the Department of Finance spent $3,029 on “anti-fatigue mats.”

“When you start looking at expenditures like a $2,800 adjustable desk, that really hits home,” Diotte said. 

“We all know what desks cost.”

During the beginning months of the pandemic, the vast majority of federal employees were made to work from home.

Federal employees received over $1.1 billion in paid leave 2020, with 94,000 federal employees also receiving 6.64% pay hikes as part of new tentative agreements with PSAC.

Last year, the Department of Public Works offered federal employees the choice of a new work chair or $500 to buy their own.

Halt to non-emergency surgeries in Ontario creates 3.5 year backlog

By
True North Wire
-

Ontario’s decision to halt non-emergency surgeries earlier this year has resulted in a backlog that could last years and cost taxpayers an additional $1.3 billion in extra costs.

In a report released Monday by the Financial Accountability Office (FAO) of Ontario, the independent organization determines that by September there will be a backlog of 419,000 elective surgeries and 2.5 diagnostic million procedures.

At the current rate, it will take 3.5 years to end the backlog.

“For context, in 2019, Ontario hospitals completed 649,300 elective surgeries and 4.3 million non-emergent diagnostic procedures,” the report reads.

“This means that the surgical and diagnostic backlog is expected to reach nearly two-thirds of total annual volume for all elective surgeries and non-emergent diagnostic procedures in a normal year.”

In April, Ontario hospitals were instructed to stop all non-emergency surgeries as the province faced a surge of COVID-19 cases.

The FAO estimates the cost to clear the backlog will be $1.3 billion, more than double the $610 million originally budgeted for by the Ford government.

The president of think-tank SecondStreet.org Colin Craig says the FAO report exposes the dire situation in Ontarian healthcare and the need for reform.

“The numbers from Ontario are quite staggering – both in terms of the volume of surgeries that were postponed and the estimate that it will take 3.5 years to clear the backlog. This past September the Ford government told us they had no idea how big the backlog was. Fortunately, they now seem to have an estimate.”

Craig notes that other countries addressed the backlog for procedures by making use of private health services which are not available to Ontarians.

“The big question is – will the Ford government relax its iron grip on health care in the province? Countries with shorter waiting lists than Canada give patients a choice – use the public health care system or pay out-of-pocket at a private clinic,” he said.

“If the Ontario government followed suit and allowed patients to use non-government clinics, they could reduce their backlog faster as some patients choose to pay out-of-pocket.”

Stephen Harper condemns Hamas attack on Israel as Trudeau remains silent

By
True North Wire
-

Former prime minister Stephen Harper has condemned the terrorist group Hamas for launching hundreds of rockets at Israel in a new wave of aggression.

Harper took to Twitter Tuesday to condemn the unprovoked attacks on Israel which have resulted in multiple civilian deaths.

“Horrific scenes out of Israel over the last 24 hours as civilians shelter from a barrage of terrorist escalation,” he said. 

“Attacks on the State of Israel are attacks on us all and must be immediately condemned by international leaders. I pray for the safety of everyone in the region.”

On Monday, Hamas began firing rockets into Israel from its the Gaza strip. At least five Israelis have thus far killed, with Israel retaliating with airstrikes that have killed at least 15 Hamas militants.

The rocket attacks began after weeks of clashes between Israeli police, Palestinian groups and Jewish groups over control of a disputed neighbourhod in Jerusalem.

While Harper condemns the attacks on Israel, the current Liberal government has remained quiet as the situation escalates.

As of Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had not made any public statements on the rocket attacks or previous clashes in Jerusalem.

Conservative leader Erin O’Toole condemned the “frightening” attacks in a statement Tuesday.

“Canada’s Conservatives strongly condemn the frightening campaign of rocket attacks by Hamas,” O’Toole said. “These terrorist attacks are indiscriminately targeting civilians and have already taken innocent lives. They must end immediately.”

While Trudeau has remained silent, Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau did issue a statement on the clashes in Jerusalem on Saturday, calling for both sides to back down. 

Garneau noted his government is concerned that Israel’s claim to the disputed neighbourhood may undermine the possibility of a two-state solution.

“Canada is following the situation in Jerusalem closely. We call for immediate de-escalation of tensions and for all sides to avoid any unilateral actions,” he said.

“Canada is committed to the goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, including the creation of a Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with Israel.”

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