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Wednesday, July 23, 2025

CBC ombudsman cites radio host for injecting pro-immigration opinion

By
Quinn Patrick, True North Wire
-
Source: X

A CBC News host has come under fire for allegedly editorializing during a broadcast of its talk-radio show Cross Country Checkup, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. 

The taxpayer-funded media’s ombudsman Jack Nagler alleged that host Ian Hanomansing left the realm of balanced reporting while discussing the contentious issue of immigration on a segment of Cross Country Checkup last year, a radio show which allows listeners to call in. 

Nagler said that instead of remaining nonpartisan on the issue, Hanomansing instead offered a “value judgment” after he said that people “want more immigrants to come to Canada.”

“It was simply too easy to interpret these remarks as a value judgment,” wrote Nagler. “I agree that CBC can do better.”

Hanomansing made the comments while interviewing Immigration Minister Marc Miller and the two were discussing the question “Is it fair to increase immigration when housing is scarce?”

Hanomansing also said that Canada’s recent record-high immigration targets were indispensable, which ultimately led to complaints from some listeners. 

“We welcome immigrants,” said Hanomansing. “They’re essential to this country and we want more immigrants to come to Canada. We invite and rely on immigrants to come to this country.”

The radio host went on to say immigration was “an essential part of the Canadian experience” and that immigrants were “filling much-needed jobs from health care to high tech to the trades.”

His comments were later defended by Cross Country Checkup senior producer Richard Goddard, who claimed that the broadcast remained unbiased.

“We were not debating whether immigration to Canada is good or bad, but we did include views on the possible housing impacts of the relatively high level of immigration,” said Goddard.

However, Nagler argued that CBC hosts should not confuse opinion with fact.

“In other words, don’t put your finger on the scale when it comes to determinations about which sides are right or wrong on a matter of public controversy,” wrote Nagler.

“Use phrasing that is unlikely to be interpreted as a value judgment. Rather than saying that immigration has been an ‘essential’ part of the Canadian experience, perhaps it could be described as a ‘prominent’ one.”

CBC News did not respond to True North’s request for comment. 

Canada took in 471,500 landed immigrants and another 766,520 migrant workers last year. 

Those figures do not include the additional 1,040,985 foreign students who came into the country in 2023. 

A recent study found that immigration concerns among Canadians have more than quadrupled over the last two years.

The Angus Reid Institute study released earlier this month asked Canadians about the country’s various issues and challenges and which ones concerned them most.

In Sept. 2022, only 5% of Canadians listed immigration and refugees as a top concern. The most recent version of the study, conducted online between Aug. 29 and Sep. 3, 2024, with 1,420 Canadian adults, found that 21% of Canadians are now worried about the issue, an increase of 4.2 times from two years ago.

Growing concerns around immigration mean the issue is tied with climate change for fourth place. Eclipsing these two are worries about housing affordability, healthcare, and cost of living/inflation, top concerns for 32%, 45%, and 57% of respondents, respectively.

“While the number of Canadians galvanized over the cost of living and inflation is beginning to decrease, their attention is fixating on an issue that was once only glancingly thought of: immigration,” reads the study.

Bloc Quebecois threatens to force election next week if Liberals don’t support pension bill

By
Clayton DeMaine, True North Wire
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Source: X

After voting with the  Liberals against a Conservative non-confidence motion in exchange of “gains for Quebec,” BQ leader Yves-Francois Blanchet has threatened to “force” an early election next week if his demands aren’t met.

Blanchet’s threat to the government for an early election relies on the government’s response to a private member’s bill sponsored by a BQ MP, Bill C-319, asking the government to raise the income that Canadians aged 65 and older receive from Old Age Security pensions by 10%.

The bill would also “raise the exemption for a person’s employment income or self-employed earnings that is taken into account in determining the amount of the guaranteed income supplement from $5,000 to $6,500.”

When the BQ first announced its willingness to form a coalition with the Liberals, it also asked for more autonomy for Quebec over its language laws and the number of immigrants admitted into the province.

The Conservatives, NDP, and Green Party have said they are voting for the royal recommendation of the BQ-led bill, with the Liberal government being the only holdout.

During a press conference Wednesday, Blanchet gave the Liberal government a deadline to support the private member’s bill to raise the OAS funding for seniors or face a potential election.

The BQ originally gave the government until Oct. 29 to capitulate on the OAS file.

“The government did not have the spine to provide us Canadians and Quebecers with a clear answer,” Blanchet said. “They just want to get some more time and to keep not deciding about anything; they might hope that they will go further than Oct. 29 – they will not, so they have until a few days from now to go on with the Royal recommendation, and if they do not, we will start as rapidly as next week to speak with other oppositions to get ready to go into an election.”

He said that if it becomes clear that the Liberals are not going to support the bill before the Oct. 29 deadline, he will begin preparing with opposition parties to trigger an election next week.

Blanchet noted the NDP’s support of the bill, implying that the NDP would have known that supporting the motion could lead to a non-confidence motion in the House of Commons if the government didn’t play along.

Some liberal MPs, such as Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, have expressed their unwillingness to support the member’s bill, saying it will cost taxpayers too much and is not the way to get things done in the House of Commons.

“We’ll see what the block does. But we felt that what they were proposing was extremely expensive and socially regressive,” Guilbealt said in a scrum while leaving parliament Wednesday. “I mean, a retired couple of two making $150- 160,000 a year would receive more than a single retired woman who makes 30,000 a year, so it makes no sense.”

He said the government is committed to helping seniors but the private members bill was not the way to do it.

“This was not the right thing to do, and it’s not the right way to do it, either, an opposition motion that would result in $16 billion more spending,” he said. “That’s not the way to do things. I’m happy to work with the Bloc to see what we could do, but that’s not the way.”

During Question Period Thursday, Labour and Seniors Minister Steven Mackinnon avoided answering a BQ question about Bill C-319. Instead, he opted to highlight the Bloc’s supposed failure to deliver for seniors and spoke about the government’s dental care package.

“Every time we put forward measures to help Quebec’s seniors, the Bloc Quebecois votes against them,” he said.

The Conservatives said they would support the motion, as seniors have been hard-hit by the Liberal government’s mishandling of the economy.

“There’s no doubt that seniors in Canada have had it very tough. Because of Justin Trudeau, inflation and interest rates are taking such a big bite out of their pensions,” Opposition House Leader Andrew Scheer said in parliament Wednesday. “Conservatives are always on the side of seniors and want to preserve the power, the purchasing power, of their pensions by eliminating putting an end to the inflation crisis that Justin Trudeau caused.”

The next federal election is scheduled for October 2025 if an early election isn’t called.

Ratio’d | Canada told to PREPARE for WAR?!

By
Harrison Faulkner
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NATO is urging Canada to prepare for a conventional war against our enemies. This at a time when the Canadian government has completely neglected the crumbling state of Canada’s armed forces. Morale is low, attrition is up and there isn’t even enough ammunition for the military.

The situation continues to get worse for Canada.

Watch the latest episode of Ratio’d with Harrison Faulkner!

Global demand for LNG expected to reach record levels next year

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa, True North Wire
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Source: LNG Canada - Facebook

The International Energy Agency projects a significant increase in global demand for liquefied natural gas next year, mostly driven by intensified pursuit of the resource in Asia and Europe.

This surge in demand is set against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions and strategic energy shifts including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

According to the IEA, 2025 is expected to see Europe requiring more LNG, potentially leading to tighter supplies and higher prices. Data shows that global gas demand could reach 4,293 billion cubic metres by next year, nearly 100 billion cubic metres more than in 2024. 

This development comes at a time when the threat of Russian gas supplies being cut off via Ukraine looms large, exacerbating the continent’s energy security concerns.

Despite a slight decrease in overall gas use in Europe, attributed to a slow recovery in industrial sectors and a transition towards renewable energy, the demand for LNG remains robust, particularly for power generation and heating.

Europe’s energy costs, while receding from the peak crisis levels witnessed in 2022, continue to hover above historical averages. This persistent high cost is largely influenced by ongoing conflicts, notably in Ukraine and the Middle East, which have disrupted traditional gas supplies and market stability.

Conversely, Asia is poised to be the powerhouse of LNG demand growth. Despite Europe’s strategic pivot towards renewables, the Asian market’s hunger for energy continues unabated, driving global LNG trade.

Countries like China, Japan, and South Korea are at the forefront of this demand, fueling their industrial and economic growth with LNG imports.

The IEA projections dispute former Greenpeace activist and Berlin’s special envoy for international climate action Jennifer Lee Morgan’s claim featured by CBC News that the European continent’s natural gas appetite was set to shrink.

“All studies show that the market is going to shrink,” Morgan told CBC News. “Germany will be driving forward on renewables, and gas demand will decline.”

Instead, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has pledged to increase LNG exports to Europe, leveraging the missed opportunity highlighted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s past refusal of a German request for Canadian LNG.

Trudeau’s decision was based on what he deemed a lack of a “business case.”

Meanwhile, the United States has effectively filled this supply gap, with U.S. LNG exports now covering two-thirds of Europe’s needs.

Researchers predict immigration could drive rent up to $5,600 per month

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa, True North Wire
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Source: Unsplash

Immigration-driven population growth could drive rent in major cities well beyond the reach of most Canadians within the next two decades.

The latest research spearheaded by the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University, in partnership with Equiton, predicts that rents could reach a whopping $5,600 per month in major cities if trends continue. 

Associate professor of real estate and finance Erkan Yönder created the model that resulted in the report, titled AI-Driven Insights into Key Factors Influencing Canada’s Rental Market.

The study reveals that even a modest increase in the immigrant population has a measurable impact on rent prices, with a 1% rise in immigrants correlating to a 0.6% hike in local rents. This effect is magnified when considering non-permanent residents, where a 1% increase translates to a 2% rent spike, underscoring the significant influence of demographic changes on the housing market.

“Canadian immigration and housing policies have been out of sync for decades,” said Yönder.

As urban centres like Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, and Toronto face steep rent hikes, the research anticipates a 72% surge in the cost of a two-bedroom apartment in Toronto over the next decade, pushing rents to an eye-watering $5,600 per month.

Canada may officially welcome 500,000 permanent residents each year, but as True North reported, the total number of immigrants entering annually rises to 2.2 million when factoring in temporary foreign workers, international students, and illegal immigrants.

The latest government data shows that Canada has already filled 28,730 low-wage temporary foreign worker positions in the first quarter of 2024, accounting for 34% of the total from last year and is potentially on course to surpass 2023’s numbers

This projection challenges the long-held assumption that a surge in housing supply will naturally result in lower rents. Instead, the report argues that without a dramatic increase in housing completion rates—specifically, to 6% of total dwellings annually—the trend of rising rents is likely to persist.

In the Greater Toronto Area, the research indicated that annual housing completions must soar to 11%—nearly tenfold the 2023 level—before any decrease in rents can be expected.

Nationwide, the study observes a concerning decline in vacancy rates, with figures nearing a critical 1% across the country.

Most Canadians are against Liberal’s 2035 gas-powered car ban: poll

By
Clayton DeMaine, True North Wire
-
Source: Unsplash

Most Canadians are against the Trudeau government’s plan to ban new gas-fuelled cars by 2035.

In an attempt to move North America towards Ottawa’s net-zero goal, the Liberal’s zero-emission vehicle standard would ban the sale of personal gas, gas, diesel and hybrid-powered vehicles in just over a decade.

According to a Natural Resources Canada report, the plan, which would necessitate the mass installation of charging infrastructure and upgrades to the electrical grid, is expected to cost taxpayers nearly $300 billion by 2040.

According to a Leger 360 poll commissioned and released by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Canadians are not on board with the green-powered motion.

The poll asked 1,612 adult Canadians what they thought about the federal government’s plan to ban gas—and diesel-fueled vehicles by 2035. A probability sample of this size yields a margin of error no greater than 2.4% 19 times out of 20.

The majority of Canadians, 59% said they disagree with the national ban on the sale of gas, diesel and hybrid vehicles, and 39% said they “strongly oppose” the ban. While only 29% said they support it.

When excluding those who did not have opinions on the matter, disagreement with the ban rose to 67%, with 45% of those with views saying they were strongly against the vehicle ban.

Nearly three-quarters, 72%, of Rural Canadians said they were against the ban, while the largest contingent of the ban’s supporters came from urban areas in Canada, with 37% of urbanites agreeing with the government’s stance.

The older generations were more likely to oppose the ban. 63% of those aged 35 or older opposed it, while just under half, 47%, of Canadians between 18 and 34 said the same.

“This poll is very clear: Canadians don’t support Trudeau’s ban on new gas and diesel vehicles,” Franco Terrazzano, the federal director of the CTF, told True North. “Trudeau should take this poll as a wake-up call, listen to Canadians and scrap his ban on the sale of new gas and diesel vehicles by 2035.”

As previously reported by True North, the CTF’s 2024 Gas Tax Honesty report found that in some provinces, Canadians would pay more in taxes than gas itself due to other “zero-emissions strategies” employed by the Trudeau government.

In May of this year, representatives of the RCMP expressed concerns about the challenges it faces with the government’s zero-emission plan to switch its fleet to electric by 2035 as well. Police said they were concerned about charging stations being available in rural areas and the energy strain long-distance police chases could put on the vehicles.

A True North report from the same month highlighted a study by the Fraser Institute that found the government’s Net zero goal by 2050 was “highly unlikely” and “impractical.” The study noted that the plan would require spending higher than “any previous long-term peacetime commitments.”

The study found that the “impossible” goal which is purported to be achieved in a single generation would require a mass influx of zero-carbon large-scale commercial manufacturing plants which have yet to be deployed and many developed nations still rely on fossil fuels for things such as cement, iron, plastics and ammonia.
“Canadians want to be able to buy gas minivans and diesel pickups. (They) can’t afford the higher taxes and power bills to pay for all the subsidies, charging stations, power plants and transmission lines,” Terrazzano said. “This ban is half-baked and another Trudeau policy that will make life in Canada more expensive.“

The Daily Brief | Would you attend Peterson Academy?

By
Lindsay Shepherd
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Source: Peterson Academy

A new poll reveals most Canadians disagree with being called “settlers.”

Plus, a Calgary radio host speaks out after being attacked for reporting on extortion and crime.

And the founders of Peterson Academy believe they can shake up the education system and offer a bachelor’s-level equivalent education for US$2,000.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Lindsay Shepherd and Isaac Lamoureux.

Toronto police vow to increase security ahead of protests celebrating Oct. 7 attack on Israel

By
Clayton DeMaine, True North Wire
-
Source: Facebook

In the wake of escalating tensions in the Middle East and approaching the one-year mark since the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel, Toronto police vow increased security in Jewish communities and a hard approach to political violence in the city.

Toronto Police Services Chief Myron Demkiw promised increased police presence across the city, in Jewish neighbourhoods and Jewish and Muslim places of worship ahead of anticipated protests.

“As tensions rise around the world and we approach the one-year anniversary of October 7th, we know world events always have an impact here at home. This includes the potential for increased protest activity and acts of violence,” Demkiw said In a statement released by the TPS. “As a result, Toronto residents will notice an increased police presence across the city. This is part of our commitment to ensuring all communities are safe – and feel safe.”

He committed to establishing three mobile command posts stationed in Jewish neighbourhoods. One will be located at Bathurst and Glencairn, another at Bathurst and Sheppard and the third at Bathurst and Finch.

Demkiw said a fourth mobile command post will be deployed to various mosques in Toronto.

The National Council for Canadian Muslims did not respond to True North’s requests to comment.

The police report said there would be an increased presence of both plain clothes and uniformed officers as well as increased patrols of visibly marked police cars.

Demkiw said police will be working with its municipal, provincial and federal partners as well as intelligence services to monitor potential threats and respond to any situation proactively.

“We have enhanced our coordination with these partners and strengthened our intelligence-gathering efforts and our ability to identify and mitigate potential risks,” Demkiw said.

His report went on to explain a rise in hate crimes, particularly against the Jewish community in Toronto, since the deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

“Year-to-date, 350 hate crimes have been reported to our Hate Crime Unit – a 40 per cent increase since this time last year,” he said. “While many different communities have been targeted, the greatest increase has been against the Jewish community, by 69%.

“It’s heartbreaking for the Jewish community that such actions are even required,” Rich Robertson the director of research and advocacy at B’nai Brith Canada told True North in an interview.

He said B’nai Brith Canada is “extremely grateful” for the TPS’ “unwavering commitment” to keeping the Jewish community safe since Oct. 7, including now with the Jewish High Holidays and Oct. 7 approaching.

“The Jewish community in Canada deserves to be able to celebrate its holidays and to mourn the victims of the worst attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, without having to fear for their safety and without having to have our police forces devote an extraordinary amount of their resources to ensuring the safety and well being of our community. It’s a shame that this is required in Canada in 2024.”

The rise of antisemitic instances in Canada has led Jewish community groups such as B’nai Brith Canada and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs to repeatedly call for action at all levels of government and the security community.

Police are encouraging residents to report “any suspected hateful acts” to the police.

“Our expanded Hate Crime Unit continues to investigate every reported instance of hate, including on the ground at demonstrations, to gather evidence and investigate any suspected hate crimes, or hate speech, or signage,” he said. “This includes the presence of flags that promote terrorist organisations, as identified by Public Safety Canada.”

Jewish advocates have also been calling on the government to re-examine the Criminal Code to ban the use of terror flags and symbols in public. However, some Canadian civil rights groups think the laws are sufficient, although underenforced.

“We remind everyone that charges can be laid at any time—whether it’s hours, days, or even weeks after an incident, including those that take place at demonstrations,” Dimkew said in the release. “Since Oct. 7, Toronto Police have made 72 protest-related arrests.”

He said police arrested a woman Monday at Pearson International Airport who was wanted for protest-related offences at two separate demonstrations in November and March, who was attempting to leave the country. Police also took another person, who was wanted by police from a previous demonstration, at a protest into custody Tuesday after spotting them in the crowd.

TPS were not immediately available to comment further on these arrests.

“We must balance the right to assembly with the need to maintain public order and public safety,” the release said. “This is not just for those attending demonstrations but also for the broader community and our officers.”

Police said protests over the last few weeks have become “increasingly confrontational,” resulting in alleged assaults of police officers, including with weapons and physical attacks.

“Engaging in confrontations with law enforcement, obstructing officers in the course of their duties, or resorting to violence is not acceptable and will not be tolerated,” Dimkew said. “Our officers will not hesitate to enforce the law and make arrests where warranted.”

Dimkew called on a joint stance by residents of the city against violence and hate on both citizens and police.

LEVY: Rampant Jew-hatred alive and well in Toronto school boards

By
Sue-Ann Levy
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Source: Pixaby

Late last week, after Israel killed one senior Hezbollah leader in Beirut and speculation was that they would assassinate another, the director of the Toronto French school board wrote to all students and their families commiserating with their pain over the Israeli attacks.

MIchel Laverdiere, of the Viamonde school board, told students and their parents in a Sept. 27 letter he understands that the days previous may have been “trying” due to the “Israeli strikes” on Hezbollah and Lebanon.

”At the Viamonde school board, we would like to express our support and compassion for all those concerned and we sincerely hope that their loved ones are safe,” he wrote.

Laverdiere continued with the usual woke pap, saying that they continue to ensure their schools are “welcoming, safe, respectful and inclusive spaces for everyone.”

He said school board officials understand the “significant effect on the mental health of many members of the school community” of the Lebanon strikes — no doubt amplified by information relayed in the media and the “discussions in their entourage.”

Laverdiere added that if their school family is “particularly affected by the current situation in Lebanon,” they are encouraged to talk to school management so support services can be organized for their children.

The letter, given to True North by a concerned parent, was so biased against Israel and so tone deaf, one would be led to wonder just how “inclusive” their spaces are.

It was clear Laverdiere and his minions were implying that Israel was/is the aggressor — no doubt mimicking the leftist anti-Israel media and completely ignoring the repeated strikes on Israel by Hezbollah and the fact that nearly 100,000 Israelis have been displaced due to the terror strikes.

It seemed to go completely over his head as well that Jewish students have been impacted for nearly a year not just by what’s happening over in the Middle East but by the disturbing rise in anti-Semitism worldwide.

Perhaps realizing that his letter was offside — or perhaps because he got considerable criticism over it — the education director issued one of those half-hearted leftist apologies (a la Fred Hahn) on Sept. 30. 

Instead of admitting they screwed up, Laverdiere put the onus on those who “felt excluded, treated unfairly or misunderstood” as a result of his “communications about the situation in the Middle East.”

”We acknowledge that the letter sent last Friday may have been interpreted as an expression of bias towards the conflict,” he wrote, not having the guts to say that they did take sides and in doing so, displayed anti-Israel bias and ignorance about the Jewish state.

In fact, the education director had the gall to go on to “reassure” their school community that they “do not take a position in international conflicts.

”We promote peace and a world in which differences are recognized and accepted,” he said.

It makes one wonder why school board officials — this one made $208,000 last year — are so disconnected from reality and so loathe to admit they made a mistake.

This isn’t the first time Laverdiere has taken sides.

I asked for a copy of the letter sent out post-October 7 of last year.

Translated from French, the Oct. 10 letter from Laverdiere says they recognize that the past few days have been “particularly trying” for many families in the Viamonde community due to — get this — the “Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

”We sincerely hope that the loved ones of all those in our community who are currently in this part of the world are safe,” he wrote.

 “We understand the emotional impact that families and students can experience when tense political situations arise,” he added, inviting those affected by the events or what they see in the media to let school administration know.”

Let’s be clear here.

This letter was written three days after the atrocities of Oct. 7 while Israelis were still trying to figure out who was dead and who was taken hostage. 

They were mourning their dead, for heaven’s sake.

The country had not yet retaliated in any shape or form.

But this education director made no mention of the 1,200 Israelis killed by Hamas terrorists, of those taken hostage from a music festival, and of those paraded through the streets of Gaza City after being raped by the terrorists.

Now I don’t expect him to get into fine details in such a letter but to relegate the Oct. 7 to (another) Israeli-Palestinian conflict, shows a complete tone deafness, an anti-Israel bias and likely a deep-rooted anti-Semitism.

It would have been far better if he’d kept his nose out of foreign affairs.

This is why school kids and teachers — particularly in our Toronto school boards — feel quite comfortable with their Jew hatred. 

The part-time chairman of the board Genevieve Ofer, responded quickly to my questions, contending that the educational teams at Conseil Scolaire Viamonde are “fully dedicated to supporting the success and well-being” of their students.”

She says that their school community is “extremely diverse,” bringing together many cultures and perspectives — all united by the “French language” and their focus on excellence.

Oger said the Sept. 30 letter “speaks for itself” adding that True North should look at the board’s 2023 EQAO results “which compare favorably with other Francophone and English-language boards.”

Canada’s economy saw one in 20 businesses close in June: StatsCan

By
Quinn Patrick, True North Wire
-
Source: Unsplash

Canada saw the highest business closure rate since the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic in June, with one in 20 businesses closing that month, according to Statistics Canada. 

Canada’s economy saw 46,354 businesses close in June, marking the largest wave in exactly 4 years. 

It’s the highest closure rate since lockdown, a time when businesses were physically restricted from opening up to do business. 

The data comes at a time when the unemployment rate also continues its upward trend and is seen highest among young adults. 

In addition to the high rate of closures, the agency reported that the business opening rate also dropped by 0.4 percentage points, bringing it to 4.2%. 

This drop marks the largest decline since August 2021.

“That statistics are worrisome,” Andreea Bourgeois, director of economics with the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses told True North.

Bourgeois noted that while some of the business closures mentioned will be seasonal, therefore they’re not closing permanently, new businesses opening is a sign of a healthy, growing economy.

“You want to see that you have new businesses on the market trending upward and you want the closing rate dropping,” said Bourgeois. “You want to have a strong entrepreneurial presence on the market and the trend we’re seeing now is exactly the opposite.

She said not only is the market trending in the opposite desired direction, but that it’s doing so at an “alarming” rate. 

The business closure rate increased 0.2 percentage points for the second consecutive month in June.

“The closure rate was 5.0%, its highest level since June 2020 when it reached 7.1%. In June 2024, the opening rate was 0.5 percentage points below its 2015-to-2019 monthly historical average while the closure rate was 0.4 percentage points above its monthly historical average,” reads the data from Statistics Canada.

“In June 2024, as business openings contracted and business closures increased, the number of active businesses dropped by 1.0% (-9,037 businesses).”

According to Statistics Canada, payroll employment decreased by 0.3% and real gross domestic product remained essentially unchanged that month as the 0.4% decrease in goods-producing sectors was partially offset by the 0.1% increase in services-producing industries.

The agency said that the decline in the business opening rate was predominantly driven by a decrease in the reopening rate, which dropped 0.3 percentage points, bringing it to 2.6%.

“The decrease in business openings in June was widespread across sectors. The overall decline in business openings was led by construction (-759 openings compared with May; a 20.1% contribution to the decrease in business sector openings), followed by health care and social assistance (-517; 13.7%) and accommodation and food services (-452; 12.0%),” reads the report. 

Business closures either changed little or increased across all sectors in June, with notable sectors like construction seeing 643 closures and 67 insolvency filings as well as retail trade with 406 closures and filing 42 insolvencies.

Bourgeois said that the data speaks to “people’s interest, appetite and courage to open a business.”

“The outcome of this is that we will have fewer businesses on the market because more are closing and fewer are opening,” she said. “It’s worrisome.”

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