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Friday, May 30, 2025

National security review for Canadian mine purchase by China extended by 45 days

By
True North Wire
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The ongoing national security review for the purchase of a northern Canadian gold mine by a Chinese state-owned company has been extended. 

According to TMAC Resources Inc., which had earlier agreed to sell the Nunavut Hope Bay mine to Shandong Gold Mining Co. for $149 million, the national security review under the Investment Canada Act has been extended for 45 additional days. 

The review process was first undertaken in October following warnings by national security experts and Canadian intelligence that the sale could harm Canada’s national security. 

In their 2019 annual public report, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) warned of foreign investment by companies with close ties to foreign governments.

“While the vast majority of the foreign investment in Canada is carried out in an open and transparent manner, a number of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and private firms with close ties to their government and or intelligence services can pursue corporate acquisition bids in Canada or other economic activities,” wrote CSIS in its report.

“Corporate acquisitions by these entities pose potential risks related to vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure, control over strategic sectors, espionage and foreign influenced activities, and illegal transfer of technology and expertise. CSIS expects that national security concerns related to foreign investments or other economic activities in Canada will continue.”

Shandong Gold Mining’s parent company, Shandong Gold Group, is China’s second-largest producer of gold and it is a provincial state-owned enterprise which is directly supervised by Chinese government authorities. 

Northern politicians have also opposed the project due to its potential implications for the security of Canada’s north. 

“There are so many risks that come with allowing the Chinese government to increase influence in the Arctic, including the fact they are one of our main competitors in mining,” Yellowknife North MLA Rylund Johnson said.

Meanwhile, Inuk MLA Cathay Towtongie called the purchase by the Chinese company “very troubling.” 

“There are two Canadians jailed in (China) over an issue of retaliation (for) Canada arresting an executive. Yet here in Nunavut, a mine is being sold,” said Towtongie. 

“We ought to be more vigilant than just selling out.”

Hajdu slanders journalist as “dangerous” and “fake news”

By
True North Wire
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Liberal Health Minister Patty Hajdu slandered a journalist as “dangerous” and “fake news” during Thursday’s question period for shining a light on recent coronavirus data. 

“Mr. Speaker, do you know what will help Canadians’ lives? If the member opposite and the leader of the opposition stop their members from sharing fake and dangerous news like the member from Lethridge and the member of Carleton stay focused on saving lives of Canadians instead of spreading conspiracy theories,” said Hajdu. 

Among the reports Hajdu cites as “fake and dangerous news” includes a column by Toronto Sun columnist and True North contributor Anthony Furey which was shared by the Conservative MP for Lethbridge Rachael Harder. 

In his column, Furey cites official government statistics and medical professionals on coronavirus comorbidities. 

According to government data, only ten people in seemingly good health have died from the coronavirus in Alberta since the pandemic began. 

“What does this tell us? For one, that there are a number of persons out there who are facing multiple serious health challenges and that they are particularly vulnerable to dying from COVID-19. Their lives matter and we need to think of ways to better serve them,” writes Furey.

“The flip-side of this is that it also tells us how very few people who are not suffering from a previous medical condition have actually died of COVID-19.”

Furey then goes on to cite a doctor who treats coronavirus patients directly.

In response to Furey’s article, the CBC published a hit piece targeting Harder and accusing her of spreading “misinformation” for sharing the article which was based on factual government data. 

This is not the first time that Hajdu has accused journalists of spreading conspiracy theories after being criticized for her handling of the government’s coronavirus response. 

In April, Hajdu lashed out at a reporter after they questioned the validity of China’s coronavirus. 

“There’s no indication that the data that came out of China in terms of their infection rate and their death rate was falsified any way,” said Hajdu at the time.

“Your question is feeding into conspiracy theories that many people have been perpetuating on the internet and it’s important to remember that there is no way to beat a global pandemic if we’re not willing to work together as a globe.”

KNIGHT: Standing up for the right to own a business

By
Leo Knight
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The owner of Adamson Barbecue Adam Skelly openly defied the government’s lockdown measures and stood up for his right to operate a business and make a living.

In response, the City of Toronto fined Skelly thousands of dollars and the Toronto Police arrested him today.

True North’s Leo Knight says Skelly stood up against tyranny and that he deserves the support of all Canadians.

Ep. 2 | Green Hypocrisy | Climate Alarmism

By
Candice Malcolm
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WATCH EPISODE 1: CARBON TAX 101

When it comes to the environment and climate change, it feels like we’re constantly being lectured by journalists, politicians and activists. We’re told that our way of life is unsustainable, that we only have a few years to act, and that we’re facing an existential crisis, not just as a country, but as a species and a planet.

But what about those of us who care about the environment but don’t quite subscribe to the hysteria, alarmism and environmentalist ideology?

In episode 2 of Green Hypocrisy, Candice Malcolm takes a closer look at the environmental movement, the activists themselves, who is funding them and how the movement has evolved from the early days of environmentalism.

Alberta NDP MLA likes tweet shaming Christians who want to attend church

By
True North Wire
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An Alberta NDP MLA liked a post shaming Christians who want to attend church during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Kathleen Ganley, who also served as the province’s minister of justice during the tenure of former premier Rachel Notley, liked the tweet on her personal account sometime around November 25th. 

“See all you f**ks in church, I hear they serve wine in there,” the tweet by Twitter user David William claimed. 

On Wednesday afternoon, United Conservative Party (UCP) MLA and Minister of Justice Kaycee Madu condemned Ganley’s actions and called on her to apologize immediately. 

“As the former Minister of Justice for the province of Alberta, @KathleenGanley should refrain from liking a tweet that denigrates Christians. This is quite disappointing. I ask her to apologize for liking such an obviously offensive post,” tweeted Madu. 

At the time of this article’s publication, Ganley has yet to apologize or address her decision to like the anti-Christian tweet. 

Currently, in Alberta, places of worship such as churches are allowed to operate as long as they follow provincial coronavirus guidelines. 

British Columbians can be charged up to $230 for not wearing a mask

By
True North Wire
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British Columbians can now be charged up to $230 for not wearing a mask in indoor public spaces. 

The new enforcement measure was announced by the province’s Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth earlier this week. 

“Last week, the PHO [Provincial Health Officer] provided guidance that masks should be worn in all indoor public places. This new order under the EPA [Emergency Program Act] will ensure we have the tools necessary to enforce the mask mandate as recommended by the PHO,” said Farnworth in a release.

As it stands, BC residents must wear a mask in the following indoor public places: retail and grocery stores, malls, liquor and drug stores, restaurants, airports, city buildings, recreation centres, in places of worship, common areas and a number of other locations. 

The fines will not apply to anyone who is under the age of 12 or has a medical exemption from mask-wearing. 

“A person may not be able to wear a mask for a psychological, behavioural or health condition, or due to a physical, cognitive or mental impairment,” said Farnworth. 

“Businesses should provide signage on the mandatory mask policy and inform customers about the requirement. Of course, despite any range of efforts, some people will break the rules knowing full well what they’re doing. These measures give police and other enforcement officials the tools to intervene with and penalize problematic individuals and groups.”

BC has seen an uptick in cases over the past few weeks. Yesterday, 13 people died from the coronavirus while another 738 new cases were also reported. 

Canadians to be billed $70 million for MPs pension plan top-up

By
True North Wire
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Taxpayers will be billed $70 million this year to top-up the federal pension plan for MPs due to a lack of deaths among government pensioners. 

According to the Actuarial Report On The Pension Plan For Members of Parliaments, the top-ups will reach $75.4 million by 2021 when taking into account interest. 

“The number of deaths among pensioners was less than anticipated,” wrote the report. 

“It is expected the government will eliminate the actuarial shortfalls.”

The current pension plan guarantees payments of an average of $69,800 a year to retired MPs who have served at least six years in office. 

“The Harper government reformed MP pensions so that as of January 1, 2016, MPs are paying a far greater share towards their own pensions, but of course there are many MPs with service before 2016 who are still under the old rules in which taxpayers pick up a far larger share,” said Federal Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Fund, Aaron Wudrick about the initiative. 

“The cost of MPs pensions should also serve as a warning to the federal government that if they do not reform pensions for the broader government sector – with hundreds of thousands of employees currently entitled to defined benefit pensions – the cost to taxpayers in future years could be massive.”

In April, parliamentarians received an automatic salary increase of 2.1%. The salary increase boosted MPs pay by an average of $3,750 a year to $182,656 annually. 

At the time, former Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh all promised that they would be donating their raise to charity while the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the lives of Canadians. 

Critics have called for those serving in the federal government to take a pay cut or to freeze wages altogether while fellow Canadians are out of work due to the federal government’s actions. 

In October, Ontario-based Senator Lucie Moncion put forward a motion to defer pay hikes in order to “prevent the privileges that senators enjoy from becoming disconnected from the harsh economic reality facing many Canadians.”

The motion would effectively freeze the automatic pay increases for both members of the House of Commons and the Senate. 

Police arrest Adamson BBQ owner after trying to open for third day

By
True North Wire
-

Toronto City Police have arrested Adamson Barbecue owner Adam Skelly after he tried to open his business for a third day in spite of lockdowns.

Video footage from early Thursday afternoon shows Skelly in handcuffs as he is escorted to a police vehicle. 

Skelly had vowed to open his restaurant, Adamson Barbecue at 7 Queen Elizabeth Blvd. in Etobicoke for a third day in protest of new restrictions placed on business owners by the Ford government.

Early Thursday morning, Toronto Police forced their way into the restaurant with the help of a locksmith. The locksmith reportedly changed the locks to the building to prevent staff and customers from entering. 

Owner Adam Skelly told the media that he will attempt to open the business regardless of the setbacks.

“If there’s any way I can do it, we will be open today for lunch, for dine-in service,” he said.

“You’ll see.” 

While no one has been fined or arrested for eating at the restaurant, on Wednesday evening police laid nine charges against Skelly.

Police remained on site throughout the morning, forming a human barrier to prevent people from approaching the doors of the restaurant.

By 11:00 AM a large crowd assembled in front of the building, demanding that police allow them to enter the restaurant. The Toronto Sun’s Joe Warmington indicates there are around 20 or more police officers present as customers and supporters have begun protesting the City’s actions.

Around the time of Skelly’s arrest, a contingent of police on horseback moved into the area as police appeared to be taking more aggressive action to disperse the protest.

More to come.

More than five people die every day from illicit drug toxicity in BC

By
True North Wire
-

A new report by the BC Coroners Service reveals the shocking extent of BC’s growing opioid crisis in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. 

According to the report, 162 people died from illicit drug toxicity in October alone, marking the fifth month in 2020 that reported over 160 deaths. BC has seen 1,386 deaths as a result of drug toxicity so far in 2020. 

When compared to 2019, the death toll this October was 116% higher than the rate during the same month last year. 

When broken down on a per day basis, the death toll accounts to approximately 5.2 deaths each day. 

“Challenges during COVID-19, such as access to key harm-reduction services and the toxic drug supply, including the extreme concentration of illicit fentanyl, are resulting in continuing significant and tragic loss of life across the province,” said BC’s Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe.

“Now more than ever, we must remove the stigma of drug use and remove the shame people feel, which keeps them from seeking help or telling friends and family.”

The coroner’s report also mentions that toxicology tests on the drug supply show an increase in cases related to extreme fentanyl concentrations from April to October of this year. 

According to the report, fentanyl was detected in 87% of all drug toxicity deaths in 2020. 

Men were especially hard hit by the pandemic with males accounting for 80% of all deaths by drug toxicity this year. However, drug toxicity death rates have increased in October for both males and females respectively. 

Recently, the City of Vancouver announced that it is seeking to be the first Canadian jurisdiction to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of hard drugs as a means to combat the opioid epidemic. 

“Personal possession and use of drugs is not a criminal justice issue, it is a health issue,” said Mayor Kennedy Stewart. 

“It is time to end the stigma around substance use, help connect more of our neighbours to health care, and save lives.”

John Tory shames Adamson Barbecue for defying lockdown measures

By
True North Wire
-

In an interview with CP24, Toronto Mayor John Tory seized the opportunity to slam the Etobicoke small business owner who defied lockdown measures for a second day on Wednesday. 

Earlier today, the owner of Adamson Barbecue Adam Skelly opened his business’ doors for indoor dining to patrons despite being ordered to shut down his business on Tuesday by the city.

“He’s snubbing his nose at the system,” said Tory. 

“[The restaurant] shouldn’t be open at all if this man was any kind of a respectable citizen and a person who really wanted to respect the best interest of his fellow Torontonians.” 

In response to Skelly’s decision to open his restaurant, police laid nine charges against the small business owner.

The violations Skelly is being accused of include violating indoor dining regulations, holding an illegal gathering and operating his business without a license. Meanwhile, those who attended the restaurant to support Skelly did not receive any charges. 

As exclusively reported by True North, members of the Canadian mainstream media were among those who called for Skelly to shut down. 

For example, CTV News correspondent Scott Reid took to social media to say that Skelly’s business should be chained and that the small business owner should “get bent.” 

“FFS – just tell this Adamson guy to get bent. Should have laid charges at 12pm. If he keeps it up chain the joint. Cops didn’t commit this much manpower to the Kennedy assassination,” tweeted Reid on Tuesday. 

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