An Indian pastor was shot dead on his way home from baptizing five new converts to Christianity.
According to International Christian Concern, Pastor Salim Stephen Surin was on his way home in India’s Jharkhand state when he was confronted and shot by three men.
“They killed my husband in front of my own eyes,” Pastor Surin’s wife Tarsis said.
“I was terrified seeing my husband collapse having been shot in the chest. I started to think about my children and loudly cried out to God to save me and take care of my [two] children.”
The baptisms took place in the village of Putikda, where Hindu extremists have reportedly threatened the Christian community in the past. Pastor Surin and his wife made regular trips to Putikda to support the growing number of converts.
The attackers also attempted to kill Tarsis before she escaped.
“I ran into the thick bushes and the nearby forest. I probably walked for more than 10 hours to reach my home. I purposely did not take the road to avoid the attackers.”
Open Doors USA ranks India as the tenth most dangerous country for Christians. There have been multiple instances of Christians and churches being attacked this year. Many of these Christians belong to tribal communities who also suffer discrimination based on their social status by higher-caste Hindus.
The Christian Post reports that in November, a mob attacked a tribal Christian community close to Putikda, injuring 27.
Earlier in December, Pastor Shelton Vishwanathan in neighbouring Bihar state was beaten and locked in a shed, nearly dying of dehydration in the process. In the past Pastor Vishwanathan has been threatened with human sacrifice.
Footage of Calgary Police arresting a man on an outdoor skating pond for not following the city’s COVID-19 rules was offensive.
Calgary Police greatly exceeded their bounds in this incident and their explanations to the contrary should fall on deaf ears and they should be derided for their performance.
In the first few months of the pandemic, public officials told us that the safest place to be to avoid virus transmission is outdoors. It’s hard to figure out a better or broader outdoor area than a frozen pond where folks were skating and playing hockey.
Unfortunately, incidents of power-hungry public servants are happening across the country.
When news of the pandemic first emerged in late March, various governments demanded a full lockdown to “flatten the curve” so that the hospitals could get the opportunity to ramp up.
We obliged and we locked down – but it lasted far longer than the initially requested 15 days.
Governments in the west can only maintain their hold on power “with the consent of the governed.” We consented to the original lockdowns and the bulk of society abided the requests for months.
Do the various governments still maintain the consent of the governed?
It’s an interesting question given the Ontario government recently plunged the province back into another lockdown.
I find it astonishing that the people of Ontario will accept this new lockdown. If I owned a small business in Ontario and had barely survived the last lockdown, I would have no choice but to ignore the government’s orders.
The Constitution Act guarantees certain rights to all Canadians including the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.
I don’t see any language in there that says Ontario can suspend those rights on a whim.
Ontario is using their Health Protection and Promotion Act as their authority to make these sweeping orders.
The act in Ontario is primarily designed to protect the water supply and to provide the authority to shut down establishments with proper notice and a valid reason. For example, the government can close a swimming pool if it is deemed a health hazard or close a restaurant providing the health officer posts a notice explaining why.
The Health Protection and Promotion Act contains no provision for a sweeping lockdown of all restaurants in the province.
The bottom line is if the residents and business owners in Ontario simply said “no,” there would be no lockdown. It would be merely a suggestion by the government.
A suggestion that tells the bullies in government to go pound sand.
A southern Ontario health unit intended to use its powers to shut down a handful of churches, including one with no evidence of COVID-19 transmission, documents show.
Emails obtained from Southwestern Public Health through a freedom of information request show health unit officials planned to close four churches, three of which were tied to a Norwich, Ont. Christian school that had a COVID-19 outbreak. The fourth was Aylmer, Ont.’s Church of God, whose pastor, Henry Hildebrandt, has become a vocal opponent of lockdown orders, and whose drive-in services pushed the province to ease its initial restrictions on places of worship.
All four churches received a letter from Southwestern Public Health in November requesting they close for 28 days on a “voluntary” basis to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Internal emails reveal the health unit’s plan was actually to shut them down involuntarily if they didn’t comply.
Section 22 of Ontario’s Health Protection and Promotion Act gives medical officers of health broad power to “require a person to take or to refrain from taking any action” when “a communicable disease exists or may exist or that there is an immediate risk of an outbreak of a communicable disease” in the officer’s jurisdiction.
The letters to the Norwich-area churches were dated Nov. 13, while the letter to Hildebrandt was dated Nov. 17. All were signed by the region’s medical officer of health, Dr. Joyce Lock.
An earlier draft of the letter to churches said “if you do not close within one week of receipt of this letter, we will apply an Order under the Health Protection and Promotion Act which will legally require you to close so the community can be protected.”
A health unit program director removed this paragraph, noting in a Nov. 12 email that officials would not be revealing the shutdown plan to churches.
“We were not going to share the ramifications at this time,” Susan MacIsaac wrote, indicating the health unit was “planning to take a softer approach. Meaning recommending a closure and than (sic) if they don’t take our advice in a week, applying the order.”
“We wanted to give them an opportunity to close under a recommendation but I have been told by (Southwestern Public Health CEO Cynthia St. John) if they don’t close in a week we would apply the section 22,” MacIsaac wrote in another email.
The proposed shutdown is referred to more as a possibility than a certainty in later emails.
“We are having (public health inspectors) follow-up on this in case there is need to enforce down the road,” health unit program manager Amy Pavletic wrote on Nov. 18, one day after the letter to the Church of God was sent. “We are hoping they will heed this recommendation and if not, there may be a need for section 22 however we are not telling them at this point.”
In a briefing note sent to several colleagues, Pavletic again emphasized that churches were not to be told the health unit would shut down those who didn’t close voluntarily.
“Although we are not telling them this, we may follow-up with a section 22 charge if they decide not to follow this recommendation,” she wrote.
Until receiving a request for comment from True North, Church of God Pastor Henry Hildebrandt was unaware a shutdown was being considered.
“This is a total surprise,” he said.
“We would see it as a total failure on their part to recognize what holds the social fabric of our society together. Pastors are frontline workers. I pray with the sick, counsel the depressed, encourage relationships to be stronger, and comfort the grieving, among many other things. Church is not a building, it’s a living, thriving community of faithful people, dedicated to making this world a better place in God’s name. How can you shut that down, especially when there is no evidence of harm?”
Nowhere in the documents is there a rationale given for why the Church of God was targeted, despite not being linked to an outbreak. A spokesperson for Southwestern Public Health said the health unit conducted a “risk assessment,” which considered “our area’s local epidemiology (e.g., incidence rate, positivity rate, and reproduction rate).”
In the health unit emails, someone references a household connected to the church testing positive for COVID-19, but says there is “no evidence of transmission.” Hildebrandt maintains the church has had no COVID-19 cases.
Whether a genuine public health risk exists is important in determining whether a section 22 shutdown order would be lawful, Canadian Constitution Foundation litigation director Christine Van Geyn told True North.
“If a business, church, (or) school is complying with public health orders, there isn’t the evidence of an outbreak, I would say there’s a lack of evidence for issuing an order,” she said. “And the order, if it closes that church, is a fundamental violation of one of our oldest and most important rights, which is free exercise of religion. You can’t go around targeting a specific institution on the basis of its political views.”
“Church of God is the organization that has been behind the freedom rallies,” one staffer said in a Nov. 18 chat log. “I’ve also been hearing from my operators that members of the church have been very confrontational with their staff about masking exemptions and threats to sue their businesses if they ask what reason they are exempt from masking requirements.”
Ultimately, no section 22 orders pertaining to these churches were issued. The Southwestern Public Health spokesperson said the health unit instead “decided that education and awareness were an appropriate first step in mitigating risk transmission to members of the congregation and the community.”
A follow-up email from Pavletic dated Nov. 20 says that one of the four churches, the Netherland Reformed Church, agreed to close for two weeks, one was unreachable, and two, including the Church of God, refused to close.
“For churches who have informed us they will not close, this information has been provided to Operations and they have brought forward to (medical officer of health) Dr. Lock,” she wrote. “Dr. Lock will be making the decision on what the next steps will be. I.e. moving forward with charges.”
This story has been updated to include comment from Southwestern Public Health.
Canada’s healthcare system is the proverbial third-rail of the country’s politics. Yet despite no one wanting to touch the issue, there is a body of evidence supporting the idea that the system is broken, as evidenced by wait times, rationed care, and a lack of patient choice. Much of this is a product of politics, Dr. Shawn Whatley writes in his new book, “When Politics Comes Before Patients”.
Dr. Whatley joins True North’s Andrew Lawton to explain what’s wrong with the system – and how to fix it.
After much public outcry, the Government of Canada rejected a bid by a Chinese state-owned company to acquire a gold mine in the Canadian arctic on Monday afternoon.
“TMAC Resources Inc. has been informed that the Governor in Council has issued an order under the Investment Canada Act directing Shandong Gold Mining Co., Ltd. and its affiliate not to implement the plan of arrangement. As a result, the Transaction between TMAC and Shandong will not proceed. TMAC and Shandong are in discussions regarding termination of the Transaction,” reads a statement by TMAC Resources.
TMAC Resources Inc. had earlier agreed to sell the Nunavut Hope Bay mine to Shandong Gold Mining Co. for $149 million.
The project underwent a national security review by the federal government under the Investment Canada Act.
A number of national security experts voiced their concerns about the potential purchase and urged the government to reject the purchase.
“This thing has a port attached to it. [China has] written a paper saying they want to be a near-Arctic power. Well, this gives them actual Arctic access,” Fraser told the Globe and Mail.
“If you look at what they have done on the South China Sea to extend their area of influence – what’s to stop them, once they get squatter’s rights and get into this port, of doing the same thing up there?”
Fraser is not alone in his opposition to the deal. Shortly after the purchase was announced earlier this year, former CSIS director Richard Fadden called on the federal government to consider the national security implications of such a deal.
Further, CSIS later warned in their 2019 annual public report that “a number of state-owned enterprises and private firms” with close ties to foreign states were endangering Canada’s national security by purchasing vital Canadian projects.
If you paid attention to only the mainstream media, you could be forgiven for thinking the Christmas Freedom Rally in Saskatoon was just a big “anti-mask rally”. But was this actually the case?
Mattea Merta attended the rally and spoke with the Canadians in attendance to get a better understanding of what they were protesting and why.
Mattea says the protesters believe they are standing up for all Canadians’ freedoms – and that’s something the mainstream media refuse to cover.
Christian pastors and religious leaders are going into hiding as China’s surveillance and persecution against Christians increase.
According to the group Asia Harvest, China has taken unprecedented action in recent times to “control the Church and ultimately render it powerless and subservient to the communist system.”
“The government has openly announced plans to ‘reinterpret’ the Bible and other religious texts, so they will have ‘socialist characteristics,” they write.
In recent years, the Chinese government has undertaken efforts to “sinicize” Christianity in the country. Under the guise of removing Western influence, Christian symbols have been expunged from buildings and religious material has been censored.
Pastors in China must be registered with a state-owned church in order to operate in China. In the last year, many religious leaders have been ordered to incorporate communist doctrine into their sermons.
Asia Harvest decries the increased use of surveillance to find and punish Christians in Chinese society. Changes to identification in China allow for the state to spy on all aspects of life.
“Each person in China must have an ID card. It is impossible for a person to catch a flight or train, open a bank account, get a job, or rent an apartment without using their card. Each ID card contains a computer chip which is also used to track people’s movements,” they say.
In their 2020 report, Open Doors USA noted the increased persecutions in China as their biggest cause for concern. Under new “social credit” systems, the Chinese government will be able to monitor and punish anyone who shows signs of dissent.
“The reality that the government keeps tabs on them, making sure they don’t get out of line. Making sure that Jesus doesn’t ever conflict with the wishes of the state,” the report says.
The Ontario government announced new restrictive measures for the province on Monday, forcing Ontario into yet another lockdown to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Under the new lockdown regime, no indoor organized public events and social gatherings are prohibited except for members of the same household. For outdoor organized public events and social gatherings, there is a limit of 10 people outdoors.
All non-essential retail outlets must close, offering only curbside pick-up. However, grocery stores and “big box retailers” are permitted to remain open.
Restaurants and bars are closed for dine-in service, and only permitted to offer take out, drive through or delivery.
Religious services, weddings and funerals are limited to 10 people indoors and 10 people outdoors.
Elementary and secondary schools will be moving to remote learning from January 4 – January 8. Elementary school students will return to in-person learning on January 11th and secondary school students will resume in-person learning on January 25th.
The government advises all Ontario residents should stay home as much as possible and that trips outside of the home should be limited and for “essential purposes” only.
A full list of the lockdown measures can be found on the Government of Ontario’s website.
The new rules will go into effect beginning on December 26, 2020 until Saturday January 9, 2021 for all of Ontario. However, for regions in Southern Ontario, the restrictions will remain in effect until January 23, 2021.
In October, a World Health Organization official urged world governments not to plunge their citizens into a second lockdown this year.
“We in the World Health Organisation do not advocate lockdowns as the primary means of control of this virus,” said Dr. Nabarro in an interview with The Spectator.
“The only time we believe a lockdown is justified is to buy you time to reorganise, regroup, rebalance your resources, protect your health workers who are exhausted, but by and large, we’d rather not do it.”
Despite being entangled in his third ethics investigation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau believes his decision to give WE Charity a multi-million dollar contract was not a conflict of interest – and merely a “communications and optics challenge.”
“There was absolutely no conflict of interest. Yes, there are connections, but there was no conflict here. There was no profiting from this situation,” said Trudeau during a year-end interview with CBC’s Rosemary Barton.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that while he regrets not recusing himself from cabinet discussions about awarding WE Charity a multimillion-dollar contract, he believes "there was no conflict of interest" and it was a 'communications and optics challenge.' @RosieBartonpic.twitter.com/mx9NA6CFQh
Trudeau said the biggest problem with the situation regarding the scandal was the “optics.”
While Trudeau agreed the situation “looks bad” because members of his family were paid millions by WE, Trudeau claims he was unable to see past the need to help students. He says the grant awarded to WE would have supported young people across Canada.
Earlier this year, critics accused of cronyism in his decision to pick WE to oversee a $900 million federal student service grant. Several members of Trudeau’s family, including his wife, mother and brother, have benefited financially from close ties to the charity.
During their testimonies before the Standing Committee on Finance, the founders of WE Marc and Craig Kielburger revealed that Trudeau’s mother Margaret Trudeau was paid $479,944 for WE speaking engagements.
The scandal also resulted in the resignation of then-Finance Minister Bill Morneau and the closing down of WE’s operations in Canada.
In his interview with CBC, Trudeau denied the departure of Morneau having anything to do with being at odds over policy or the WE scandal.
The Conservatives have repeatedly accused the Prime Minister of a massive cover-up.
In October, committee meetings dragged on for hours as Liberal MPs filibuster opposition efforts to reopen investigations into the scandal.
What should you do if you see someone who refuses to wear a mask?
Here’s an idea – leave them alone. Don’t call the cops.
According to public health officials, a mask is only an added layer of protection from the virus. Further, it is also very unlikely the virus will spread during short interactions with people.
