fbpx
Thursday, July 10, 2025

Almost half of Canadians losing sleep over financial struggles: poll

By
Isaac Lamoureux, True North Wire
-
Source: Pexels

Almost half, 46%, of Canadians are losing sleep over worries about their financial situation, according to a recent poll issued by Ipsos. An almost equal 47% of respondents reported experiencing strain in personal relationships because of financial pressures.

The study, conducted among 1,150 Canadian adults between June 21 and 25, highlighted that Canadians are being forced to adapt in response to the economic challenges they face.

Over half of Canadians, 56%, said they have been dining out less, while 45% even shop at multiple grocery stores to find better deals. Additionally, 37% of respondents said they were purchasing cheaper and less healthy items at the grocery store. Almost a quarter, 23%, of Canadians reported eating less to save money. 

One in ten respondents reported visiting a food bank in the last year. In comparison, this is half the rate found in a recent Nanos survey, which showed one in five Canadians knew someone using a food bank to meet their needs.

Food banks reported being at their wits end in Nov. 2023, and the situation has since worsened.

Stephane Sirois, Executive Director of Food Depot Alimentaire in New Brunswick told True North at the time that more working-class Canadians were visiting food banks.

“The system was not designed to support this volume of demand. We are close to a breaking point,” said Sirois. “We’re not seeing any signs of reversing this trend in the near future. In the next couple of years, numerous Canadians will have to renew their mortgage at a much higher interest rate. This will put even more families over the edge and make them vulnerable to food insecurity.”

The Bank of Canada previously warned that mortgage payments due for renewal will skyrocket over 60% by 2026.

A quarter of Canadians reported delaying a move to avoid rent or cost increases, while 28% have delayed or cancelled purchasing new household furniture, electronics, or appliances. 

True North previously reported that housing affordability reached an all-time low in Apr. 2024. 

The Bank of Canada recently implemented two consecutive interest rate cuts. However, 63% of Canadians said that this is insufficient to assist their personal financial situation, while 64% said it would not positively affect their overall happiness and think more should be done.

Nearly five times as many Canadians think inflation will get worse compared to those who think it will improve, 43% vs. 9%. 

For the economy as a whole, 34% of Canadians expect it to worsen, while only one in ten expect an improvement. 

“Despite these short-term challenges, a majority (52%) expect the storm to eventually pass and remain optimistic about their financial future, indicating a resilient longer-term outlook in the face of a challenging economic climate,” reads the study.

Ipsos uses a credibility interval to measure the precision of its polls. This poll is accurate to within ±3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20 if all Canadians had been polled.

Consul General refuses to appear before committee to testify on $9M NYC condo

By
Quinn Patrick, True North Wire
-
Source: X

Canada’s consul general in New York City refuses to speak before a Parliamentary committee regarding the government’s purchase of a $9 million condo in Manhattan’s famous “Billionaire’s Row.”

Tom Clark, a former journalist appointed to represent Canada in New York was summoned to testify before the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates last month, along with Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.

The committee hoped to tackle the issue on Tuesday, however, Clark will not be attending. 

“While a record number of Canadians are lining up outside of food banks and giving up on ever being able to afford a home, Trudeau decided to purchase his friend a $9 million condo on Billionaire’s Row in New York City,” said Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s office in a statement. 

“After serving as a top ally of Justin Trudeau’s in the Liberal media, Trudeau decided to award Tom Clark by appointing him the Consul General in New York. Then, right as he was appointed, Trudeau decided to increase the limit Global Affairs could spend on property from $4 million to $10 million.”

Conservatives want to have Clark, Joly and other department officials explain the rationale behind the purchase of a new condo south of Central Park at taxpayers’ expense. 

Representatives from the Treasury Board and government procurement department, as well as a panel of New York City real estate agents, will also attend the committee. 

Global Affairs Canada said that the condo was purchased for “networking receptions, official briefings, and hospitality events such as discussions with business and political leaders.” 

However, the Conservatives argue that the decision was made with “zero oversight from the Treasury Board,” alleging that “Trudeau purchased this luxury condo for his friend.”

“This sets a troubling precedent with Trudeau now being allowed to spend vast sums of taxpayer dollars on lavish properties with hardly any transparency,” continued the statement. 

“For this reason, Common Sense Conservatives called for Tom Clark to appear before Committee to explain why he needs a $9 million apartment, equipped with Italian marble and a golf simulator, to do his job. Unfortunately, Clark refused to appear, leaving Canadians in the dark.”

A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada told True North that Clark cannot attend the committee due to a scheduling conflict. 

“Consul General Clark is unavailable on the date initially proposed. However, he has indicated he is happy to attend, and work is underway with the committee to find an alternate date,” said the spokesperson. 

The Conservatives argue that since Clark’s salary is taxpayer-funded, his absence is “not acceptable.”

“It’s clear that Clark knows that there’s absolutely no justification for this ridiculous spending and would rather hide away in his multi-million-dollar New York City apartment,” reads the statement. 

Liberal MP Ron McKinnon defended the purchase following its announcement, arguing that it’s an asset which can be liquidated and therefore is not an expense.

“It is owned by the Government of Canada. It can be sold at some point and presumably the value recaptured,” said McKinnon last month.

Critics of the decision like Canadian Taxpayers Federation federal director Franco Terrazzano don’t see it that way, however.

“Spending nine million of our tax dollars on a luxury Manhattan condo is an extravagant waste of Canadians’ money. This is especially insulting with Canadian taxpayers struggling to afford their own rents and mortgages,” Terrazanno told True North. 

“If Clark agrees with the government spending $9 million on a luxury condo, then he should be willing to speak at committee. If Clark doesn’t agree with the spending, then he must speak out against it, and the committee would be a perfect time for that.”

LEVY: The left and drug activists don’t give a damn about addicts

By
Sue-Ann Levy
-
Source: Pexels

It took less than 24 hours last week for the drug pushers, enablers and activists to claim Premier Doug Ford’s decision to close injection sites near schools would lead to the death and destruction of addicts.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Chris Moise issued a joint statement declaring the sky would fall if the sites are shut:

Mere hours before, Ford’s health minister Sylvia Jones announced new rules forcing injection sites located within 200 metres of schools and day care facilities to close no later than next March.

They would be replaced by new treatment hubs and more supports for addiction recovery.

Jones cited repeated incidents of stabbings, shootings, assaults, robberies and a tragic murder of an innocent mom that occurred mere steps from a site in Toronto’s Riverdale last summer.

The five impacted are those that have caused the most chaos and mayhem in Toronto’s residential neighbourhoods including the one where the shooting occurred, another on Victoria St. near a Catholic school and yet another on south Bathurst recently featured in a True North video.

At long last and to his credit, Ford was doing the right thing and listening to parents instead of the drug industry which has wreaked havoc in cities where these injection sites are located. 

I have never been a fan. 

“Harm reduction” has completely destroyed Vancouver’s east side.

During a trip there 1.5 years ago, I toured East Hastings where the sites are located. Tent upon tent occupied the sidewalks and many an addict stood in the classic fentanyl pose oblivious to anyone around them.

There was a pervasive smell of urine and vomit all around.

It was truly a horror.

Nevertheless, the drug activists who make their living from the drug industry were livid with Ford’s plan.

They have forever claimed that more people will die if these drug pushing sites are closed. Their fear-mongering narrative is always the same.

But people have died from overdoses despite their tiresome rhetoric.

Last year there were 523 opioid overdose deaths in Toronto, a 74% increase from 2019. 

Considering there are 10 “harm reduction” sites in Toronto and the service has been in place since 2017, one would figure the deaths would go down.

But they have not.

I have always felt that the left and the drug activists don’t really give a damn about addicts. If they did, they wouldn’t be supporting policies that will eventually kill addicts — unless they get treatment.

It is absurd to me that there is support for feeding addicts their poisons, but with clean needles in a more sterilized environment.

I’ve written many stories since 2017 about the impact of the so-called “safe” injection sites on the neighbourhoods around them — the violence, the drug dealing and the fact that the operators of these sites have no concern about being good members of the communities where they are located.

They refuse to “own” the problem.

Instead they just churn out the addicts to the streets leaving them to dump used needles wherever they land and urinate and defecate in public.

I’m not kidding.

The most tragic example was the case of Karolina Huebner-Makurat, a mom of two, who was shot dead by a stray bullet during a gun fight between two drug dealers outside the Riverdale Community Health Centre last summer.

During a standing-room only community meeting two weeks after the shooting, the drug enablers and assorted activists hijacked the proceedings to lecture the crowd on the benefits of “harm reduction” and the human rights of addicts.

The most egregious comments came from a very out-of-touch deputy minister of health Catherine Zahn, who completely ignored the shooting, repeating more than once that people with “mental disorders and drug addiction have a right to care.”

The concerns of the community over safety and rampant drug dealing and open drug use within metres of a school were completely ignored. The poor residents were guilted into submission.

The Victoria St. injection site — The Works — is close to both St. MIchael’s Choir School and Toronto Metropolitan University. 

The Catholic school was forced to double the fence and put a black tarp on the school yard perimeter to keep drug addicts from loitering and dropping dirty needles in their schoolyard.

TMU students daily pass by the site where addicts loiter in front often screaming obscenities.

As I’ve said, if the activists truly cared about the addicts, they wouldn’t shoot them full of their poisons and leave them to wander around downtown Toronto in a drug-induced haze.

If Mayor Chow truly meant what she said about caring for all of her constituents she wouldn’t allow this Dante’s Inferno to play out on our downtown streets, especially in front of children.

I pray that Ford sticks to his guns and means what he says about shutting these disastrous drug dens.

Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor prepares for Paralympic rowing debut in Paris

By
Isaac Lamoureux, True North Wire
-
Source: humboldt.ca

One of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivors’ sporting journeys is far from over, despite being paralyzed from the waist down.

Former Broncos goalie Jacob Wassermann will be competing in the upcoming Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in the rowing event that begins Friday.

Wassermann, one of the 13 survivors of the 2018 bus crash, is Canada’s only competitor in the sport at the Games, according to the Canadian Paralympic Committee. 

According to a biography from the Canadian Paralympic Committee, Wassermann did not discover para rowing until late 2022. By 2023, he had already won a gold medal at the Canadian Para Rowing Championships and a silver medal at the 2024 World Rowing Americas Paralympic Qualification Regatta in Rio de Janeiro. The latter medal earned him his spot in the men’s single sculls at the upcoming Paralympics.

The bus crash survivor said he tried rowing initially by joining a session at the Saskatoon Rowing Club because he thought it would be a good workout.

“It was the hardest workout I’d ever done — pre-injury or post-,” said Wassermann. “You got to be a little bit crazy, I think, to be a rower and to enjoy some of the pain that comes with it and that comes with the training and with the racing. But it’s a bit of a thrill to be out there and on the water doing things that I wasn’t doing before I was injured.”

Wassermann’s quick rise was a mix of hard work, talent, and luck.

He said he went to Rio de Janeiro’s competition for experience. He knew it was a Paralympic qualifier but did not expect to qualify. 

“I was just going out there to get some practice racing against other athletes in the same classification and we, like I said, kind of got lucky,” said Wassermann. “Things fell into place, and I ended up getting a silver out there and qualifying for Paris, and then things went kind of into overdrive for preparing five years earlier than what we were ready for.”

The young athlete’s coach, John Wetzstein, said Wassermann can reach the speeds required to win. 

“It’s about doing the work necessary to sustain those speeds. It’s exciting that he’s actually shown the capacity to go as fast as we’re going to need him to go,” said Wetzstein.

Wassermann said he’s proud of his accomplishments in the last two years and how far he’s come. 

“I want to show up and perform or give a performance that I’m proud of,” he said.

One of the most devastating highway tragedies in Canadian history sparked a wave of nationwide support. People across the country propped up their hockey sticks outside their doors to honour the players who were killed.

A GoFundMe campaign launched to support the Broncos and their families became the most successful in Canadian history, raising over $10 million in the first week and surpassing $15 million by the time it closed.

A federal judge previously upheld the deportation of Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, the truck driver responsible for the deadly crash, dismissing his applications to stay in Canada.

Calgary Liberal MP George Chahal is trying to stop the deportation, arguing that Sidhu’s family needs him and that his young child has a heart and lung condition that requires neonatal care and attention. 

A logbook review found that Sidhu violated 51 federal and 19 Saskatchewan regulations between Mar. 26 and Apr. 6, 2018, the day of the crash.

The following procedural steps on Sidhu’s deportation will take months or years.

The Daily Brief | Rail strike comes to a halt

By
Lindsay Shepherd
-
Source: X

The Canada Industrial Relations Board has legally mandated the return to work rail workers across the country, requiring binding arbitration in the dispute involving Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.

Plus, former President Donald Trump claims there’s an “invasion” of illegal immigrants crossing into the US from Canada.

And CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn isn’t going anywhere despite calls for his resignation over an anti-Israel post.

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

Canada imposes tariffs on Chinese EVs and steel and aluminum

By
Quinn Patrick, True North Wire
-
Source: Facebook

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his government would be imposing a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicle imports and a 25% tariff on imported steel and aluminum.

“I think we all know that China is not playing by the same rules,” Trudeau told reporters in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Monday. “What is important about this is we’re doing it in alignment and in parallel with other economies around the world.” 

The tariffs will take effect on Oct. 1 2024. 

The announcement comes only two weeks after Conservative Leader Poilievre called for them, saying at the time that “Trudeau has failed to protect our workers.”

Poilievre made the comments at a Stelco steel plant in Hamilton, Ont. where he accused China of producing “artificially cheap steel, aluminum and EVs,” saying that the country’s “massively subsidized steel” is made possible by “exploiting weak environmental and labour standards.”

The prime minister responded to Poilievre’s proposal by calling it “baloney” that he would purport to be concerned with protecting auto workers. 

“It’s a bit of a joke that Poilievre is suddenly talking about workers in the auto industry. He has said repeatedly that he wouldn’t be making these investments in our auto industry. He’d be cutting our investments in EVs,” Trudeau told reporters on August 15.

Trudeau now appears to be in line with Poilievere’s thinking, however, telling reporters, “I think we all know that China is not playing by the same rules.” 

His recent alignment was not lost on Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman, who accused Trudeau of following in Poilievre’s footsteps, adding that the government still has yet to add any tariffs to Chinese semiconductors, critical minerals or any other EV components. 

“We said that two weeks ago,” said Lantsman. “He has finally followed. “The prime minister has followed what leader Pierre Poilievre has said a number of weeks ago,”

Trudeau’s announcement also stressed the importance of adhering to its other trading partners in taking a stand against Chinese imports.

“What is important about this is we’re doing it in alignment and in parallel with other economies around the world,” he said.   

The U.S. and Mexico have already implemented trade tariffs against China regarding EVs and their byproducts earlier this year. 

Additionally, the European Union imposed tariffs of up to 37.6% on EV imports last month. 

“The Government of Canada intends to implement a 100% surtax on all Chinese-made EVs, effective October 1, 2024. This includes electric and certain hybrid passenger automobiles, trucks, buses, and delivery vans. This surtax will apply in addition to the Most-Favoured Nation import tariff of 6.1% that currently applies to EVs produced in China and imported into Canada,” said the Department of Finance in a statement. 

The federal government also plans to launch a second 30-day consultation concerning other sectors related to the auto industry, including “batteries and battery parts, semiconductors, solar products, and critical minerals.”

Poll shows provincial NDP closing the gap on the Saskatchewan Party

By
Clayton DeMaine, True North Wire
-
Source: Unsplash

A new poll shows support for the Saskatchewan NDP growing as it closes the gap between itself and the incumbent Saskatchewan Party ahead of the next provincial election in October.

According to the survey released by the Angus Reid Institute, Carla Beck’s NDP threatens Scott Moe’s fifth bid for a majority provincial government. 

Half of the province, 49%, said they would support the incumbent Saskatchewan Party in the next election, while 42% said they would vote NDP. The seven-point lead represents the narrowest gap in four years since the 2020 election.

ARI conducted the survey online between Aug. 16 and 20, using a sample of 802 Canadian adults who are members of the online Angus Reid Forum. A sample of this size carries a margin of over or under three percentage points 19 times out of 20.

The survey found that in places other than the two largest cities in Saskatchewan, Moe’s party still enjoys the support of three in five voters, 57%, while the NDP has a better chance of being elected in the larger cities.

In Regina, Beck’s NDP received 58% support, while 36% said they would vote for the Saskatchewan Party. 

In Saskatoon, the two parties are on closer footing. Half of Saskatoon said they would vote for the NDP, while 45% would support Moe.

While 47% said it wouldn’t change their likelihood of voting for the NDP, 28% said they would be more likely to vote for the provincial NDP if the Saskatchewan NDP broke ties with the federal NDP..

Out of those who reported having their opinions changed about either of the party leaders, voters were more likely to say their views have worsened for each than improved. 61% said their opinion of Moe hadn’t changed, but 37% said their views of the Premier had worsened.

Outside of the two major cities in Saskatchewan, one-third said their opinion of Beck had worsened. For those aged 18-34, one in five, 18%, said their opinion of Beck has improved, but more than one-third, 36% of those 55 and older, said their views of her had changed negatively.

The Saskatchewan Party enjoys more absolute certainty from its voters than the NDP. 

Among voters who were decided or leaning towards the incumbent party, 62% said they were “absolutely certain” they would vote for Moe in the next election. Meanwhile, 48% of the decided or leaning voters said the same for the NDP.

The NDP polled stronger among younger voters. 58% of 18-34-year-olds said they would vote for NDP, while 31% would vote for the Saskatchewan Party. Meanwhile, 66% of voters aged 55 and up said they would vote for the current government again.

Young voters are also less likely, 50%, to say they would not change their mind before the next election than those older than 54, 63%.

75% of NDP supporters were likelier to say healthcare was a top priority, while most Saskatchewan Party voters, 65%, said inflation and the cost of living were the top issues.

More likely than not, Saskatchewan residents think the current government is floundering on key issues.

In healthcare, 67% reported that the government was doing a poor or very poor job. 66% said the government’s flopped on handling the cost of living and inflation. 57% reported that the government is failing in education, and 66% agreed that the government hasn’t been doing well regarding crime and safety.

Half said that they thought the government was doing well at handling the economy and the job market, while 45% said the current government was doing poorly in that area.

When it came to the current government dispute over the federal government’s carbon tax on home heating, a majority, 61%, of constituents said they support the provincial government in its dispute or think that it should go further. 

Saskatchewan voters were more likely, 38%, to say the government needs to go further and stop remitting the carbon tax entirely than they were to say the government should continue as it is with a carbon tax exemption for home heating, 23%. Meanwhile, 27% said that the government should back down and remit the carbon tax.

Nearly half of rural Saskatchewan residents, 47%, said the government should go further and eliminate the carbon tax.

According to Elections Saskatchewan, the next provincial election is scheduled for Oct. 28, 2024.

Canadian builders taking fewer projects, plan to cut productivity in half

By
Quinn Patrick, True North Wire
-
Source: Unsplash

Canadian builders have shown declining interest in taking on new projects, as productivity on build starts has dropped for the eighth consecutive quarter, according to a new survey. 

The Canadian Home Builders Association published its second quarter survey called the Housing Market Index, indicating the present and future health of Canada’s residential construction industry. 

The HMI survey assesses the current selling market and expectations for selling conditions over the next six months as well as buyer interest and the association said its findings “continue to reflect broadly negative views about the health of new home sales.” 

“The single-family HMI recorded a score of 29.9 (out of 100), which is 5 points lower than in the previous quarter and 10 points lower than in Q2 2023,” reads the survey. 

“The second quarter 2024 multi-family HMI score is 32.5, which is 5.4 points lower than in the previous quarter and 8.5 points lower than Q2 from a year ago. These latest results indicate that builder sentiment has been downbeat for two full years.”

The CHBA also noted that the full effects of interest-rate-driven sales have yet to be felt, given the differences in building timelines and builders’ reliance on sales so they can secure financing. 

British Columbia and Ontario appear to be the provinces where builders are less optimistic about the prospects of building, the problem is further exacerbated by the fact that the two also represent the majority of new starts for this year.

The CHBA called the situation “very problematic,” finding that “urban starts overall are down 15% in Ontario and 7% in British Columbia year to date.”

However, the Prairies and Atlantic Canada are proving to have a more positive sentiment when it comes to building, despite holding only a minor share of new starts, the regions are rebounding from record lows in 2022. 

The CHBA credits regional affordability for the positive change in trends as less expensive regions are poised to benefit more from builders’ interest.

Still, Canada’s home builders have cut their future plans in half, with 61% now building fewer home starts in 2024, compared to last year, with the bulk of respondents citing increased interest rates as being the main culprit in their decision-making. 

“Canada is trading off housing units for rent rather than to own, and not getting much more overall supply, reflecting the challenges with affordability and homeownership,” reads the survey. 

“It is only by enabling young and new Canadians to enter homeownership that we can move towards increasing housing supply dramatically, as is required to close the 3.5 million housing supply gap identified and reaffirmed by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. We need policies that support more rental and more ownership units to restore affordability. 

Education spending increases across Canada, led by steep rise in compensation: study

By
Isaac Lamoureux, True North Wire
-
Source: Unsplash

A study by the Fraser Institute has dispelled the misconception about public education spending not increasing in Canada, as six out of ten provinces have seen an increase in per-student spending over the last decade after adjusting for inflation.

The increased spending can be largely attributed to a rise in compensation.

The study released on Thursday found that total spending in public schools across the country over the last decade has risen from $61.5 billion to $82.5 billion, a nominal increase of 34.1%. After adjusting for inflation, per-student spending increased by 5.1% nationally from 2012/13 to 2021/22. 

Without any adjustments, per-student spending increased by 29.4% across the country and rose in every single province.

Michael Zwaagstra, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and co-author of the research, spoke to the public misconception.

“Contrary to what we often hear, spending on public schools is on the rise in most provinces across Canada,” he said.

Quebec saw the largest inflation-adjusted per-student spending increase of 33.7% between 2012/13 and 2021/22. Following Quebec were Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and British Columbia, at 21.6%, 12.3%, and 6.7%, respectively.

A previous study on British Columbia’s spending showed that the province’s record spending in education and healthcare still resulted in poor performance. 

Three provinces saw a decrease in inflation-adjusted per-student spending. Alberta led the pack with a 17.2% decrease, followed by Saskatchewan at 14.9%, and Newfoundland and Labrador, which decreased by 9.8%.

The increases and decreases calculated in the study do not differentiate between temporary spending from the pandemic and ongoing spending.

“It should be noted that education spending may reflect provincial governments’ reactions to COVID-19; this includes how quickly each province acted to get students back into classrooms, which may have incurred additional precautionary spending,” reads the study.

When simply calculating dollars spent, every single province saw an increase in nominal spending between 2012/13 and 2021/22.

Many provinces have completely shifted their standings on per-student spending in public schools. For example, in 2012/13, Quebec had the lowest level of spending in that regard. It now has the highest. Prince Edward saw a similar rise, climbing from ninth in per-student spending to third highest. 

Other provinces saw falls from grace. Saskatchewan went from the highest per-student spending in 2012/13 to the seventh in 2021/22. Alberta fell from third highest to tenth place (the lowest). 

Student enrollment increased by 5.1% between 2012/13 to 2021/22. Nominal spending increased at almost seven times student growth, largely due to compensation increasing at such a high rate. The largest increase in enrolment was found in Alberta, which saw a 14.2% rise.

Three provinces saw decreases in enrollment of students in public schools. Newfoundland and Labrador led the decrease, whose student population fell 5.8% over the last decade, followed by New Brunswick, which saw a decrease of 1.8%, and Ontario, which saw a decrease of 0.1%.

The cost of compensation grew from $45.6 billion in 2012/13 to $58.4 billion in 2021/22, an increase of $12.8 billion or 28%. The increase in compensation equates to 61% of the total increase in education in public schools over the last decade.

Compensation was broken down into three parts in the study: salaries and wages, fringe benefits, and pension costs, each of which saw notable increases. The research said that compensation comprised most of the spending growth in every province.

Meanwhile, capital spending increased from $4.9 billion to $8.0 billion, a 62.1% increase. The increase in capital spending only accounted for 14.7% of the total increase in education spending. 

“Our results indicate that compensation remains the largest and costliest aspect of education spending and has contributed the largest portion to the growth in total education spending in Canada,” concluded the research.

Nearly half a million Canadians accessing EI as unemployment surges: StatsCan

By
Isaac Lamoureux, True North Wire
-
Source: Pixaby

More Canadians are receiving Employment Insurance benefits, as unemployment continues to grow across the country.

The number of Canadians receiving Employment Insurance benefits has risen over 10% since the same time last year, according to new data released by Statistics Canada.

According to new data released on Thursday, 474,000 Canadians are receiving Employment Insurance benefits, rising 6,000, or 1.3%, since the previous month, marking the second consecutive monthly increase.

Since June 2023, regular EI beneficiaries have increased by 44,720 to 473,980 recipients, a rise of 10.4%. Comparatively, Canada had 497,130 EI beneficiaries in June 2022.

“In general, variations in the number of EI beneficiaries can reflect changes in circumstances of different groups, including those becoming beneficiaries, those going back to work, those exhausting their regular benefits, and those no longer receiving benefits for other reasons,” reads the report.

Unemployment reached 6.4% in June 2024 across the country. This saw a similar rise from the year prior, growing 0.9% from 5.5% in June 2023, which had risen 0.5% from 5.0% in June 2022.

Statistics Canada attributed the rise in unemployment to “more people search(ing) for work, while overall employment held steady.” However, the more people searching for work were new immigrants to the country. 

The stagnant availability of jobs drove the rise in unemployment. At the same time, Canada’s population grew by nearly 100,000 between May and June 2024. 

While EI recipients rose by 1.3% between May and June 2024, not all provinces saw an increase.

Alberta, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia were the only three provinces to see a decrease in recipients, at 1.7%, 1.4%, and 0.2% decreases, respectively. 

The biggest increase in EI recipients between May and June 2024 was found in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, and Ontario, at 2.7%, 2.5%, and 1.7%, respectively. 

The number of EI recipients falling in Alberta marked the fifth consecutive monthly decline.

Ontario saw the biggest increase by a large margin in EI recipients year-over-year, rising 25.1%. 

Recipients of Employment Insurance also varied depending on the industry of their prior employment.

Canadians who last worked in natural and applied sciences have seen a 26.3% rise in accessing EI over the last year. Following that are those who worked in manufacturing and utilities, as well as legislative and senior management, which saw increases of 21.8% and 20.8%, respectively.

Conversely, those who last worked in natural resources and agriculture, art, culture, recreation and sport both saw annual decreases in EI beneficiaries, at 7.2% and 1.2%, respectively.

The number of EI beneficiaries varied in terms of age and gender demographics.

The increase was led by men aged 25 to 54 years old, which saw a rise of 12.8% in EI beneficiaries year-over-year, followed by women in the same age group, which saw a rise of 10.5%. 

The number of beneficiaries measured were those in Canada who received regular EI benefits between June 9 and 15, 2024.

Despite the recent rise, EI beneficiaries have fallen greatly from its peak in Jan. 2022 of 671,390, the furthest the data goes back.

1...136137138...1,460Page 137 of 1,460

Related stories

© 2025 True North | Privacy Policy