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Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Toronto gun violence surges with shootings up nearly 70%, deaths more than double

By
Isaac Lamoureux, True North Wire
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Source: Facebook

Toronto’s streets are rife with gun crime and there are no signs that the shootings are slowing down.  

The Toronto Police Service updated its firearm crime portal on July 8, showing that there were 253 shootings this year — an increase of 68.7% compared to the same time last year. Gun crime has resulted in 25 deaths so far in 2024, an increase of 108.3% — more than double the 12 fatalities reported in 2023. 

The Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights questioned in a post to X  the logic behind Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s gun ban. The coalition added that youth-involved gun crime has increased 109% despite the policy.

As of Monday, five additional shootings not included in the latest data update have been reported, with one of them leaving a 16-year-old boy dead.

Deputy Chief Robert Johnson previously said that the rise in youth-involved gun crimes is particularly concerning, with young people increasingly recruited by gangs.

He added that 85% to 90% of handguns and assault rifles seized from crimes originate from south of the border, mainly from Ohio, Texas, Florida, and Michigan.

Rod Giltaca, CEO of the CCFR, told True North that the easiest way for criminals to get guns is to smuggle them.

“They use rail transport, which goes largely unchecked by the CBSA; they move guns through Indigenous reserves — that’s a very commonly known route to law enforcement — and they even fly handguns across the border on drones,” said Giltaca.

Less than 1% of shipping containers, often with stolen guns and cars inside of them,  are being inspected by the Canada Border Service Agency.

According to Johnson, police are collaborating with government agencies, including the Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. partners, to tackle the issue.

True North previously reported that legal firearm owners are rarely involved in gun homicides.

The Liberals’ approach to combatting gun violence from illegal foreign firearms has been to target legal Canadian gun owners. 

Trudeau’s gun buyback previously reached $42 million spent, despite not having purchased a single firearm. 

The Liberals have since unveiled plans to allow retailers to surrender firearms as part of the gun buyback program using mail with implementation expected by Fall. 

Tracey Wilson, vice president of public relations for the CCFR, said that the Liberals have been using and plan to use gun control as a political wedge.

The compliance deadline was originally Apr. 2022 but has now been extended past the next federal election. 

“The Liberals have placed politics and division over public safety. No serious observer is surprised at the results,” said Giltaca. “This is not rocket science; any serious expert knows this. At some point in the future, if Canadians want a safer society, they’ll have to reject fantasy ideologies and address the actual problem.”

The attack on legal gun owners will end when the Conservatives are elected, leader Pierre Poilievre previously said.

He said that he would reverse every law that Trudeau implemented to attack legal gun owners. 

“We (will) just reverse everything that Trudeau has done,” said Poilievre.

Conservative candidate Ron Chhinzer, a former police officer, mentioned why the Liberals’ plan was illogical.

“Not once in my entire career, not myself or any of my police officer partners, have we ever seized a lawfully-owned firearm from a criminal,” he said at a news conference in June alongside Poilievre.

LAWTON: Doug Ford stands firm on alcohol sales expansion

By
Andrew Lawton
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Source: Facebook

In May, Doug Ford announced Ontario will allow the sale of beer, wine, and ready-to-drink cocktails in convenience stores and gas stations by the end of summer, ahead of the originally planned 2026 schedule. The Consumer Choice Center’s David Clement joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss Ford’s decision to stand firm in the face of public backlash.

Liberals criticized for their “independent” senators’ Liberal party ties

By
Quinn Patrick, True North Wire
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Source: Liberal.ca / Senate of Canada

Prime Minister Trudeau is facing criticism for failing to uphold his promise to keep the Senate independent after a review found over half of his appointments have ties to the Liberals. 

Trudeau, who has named over 80 senators since taking office, created an independent and nonpartisan advisory board in 2016 whose recommendations he has exclusively relied on for appointments ever since.

A CBC analysis found a long list of Liberal donors, staffers, and candidates among the appointees, calling into question the “independence” of the advisory board.

“Trudeau was lying when he made that commitment and he is lying now about making it. He is counting on the Senate to be the source of ‘resistance’ to (Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre) after the next election, which will further erode its legitimacy,” University of Calgary political science professor Barry Cooper told True North.

Many of Trudeau’s appointees had either previously served in the party or were long-standing Liberal donors, several of whom donated tens of thousands of dollars, Elections Canada records show.

One of Trudeau’s latest appointments is Mohammad Al Zaibak, a businessman who’s made over 150 donations to the Liberal Party of Canada. 

Trudeau also appointed former Nova Scotia Liberal MP Rodger Cuzner, who also served as parliamentary secretary in the Trudeau government, and Victor Boudreau, who served as a provincial cabinet minister and interim leader for the New Brunswick Liberal party. 

Others include Joan Kingston, a former Liberal member of the New Brunswick legislature. 

Longtime Liberal donor Toni Varone, a Toronto businessman, donated nearly $15,000 to the Liberals in the five years leading up to his appointment. 

New Brunswick lawyer John McNair was formerly a Liberal chief of staff and the executive director of the New Brunswick Liberal Association before his appointment. His grandfather, John B. McNair also served as a premier of New Brunswick under the Liberal banner. 

“Another day and yet another Trudeau promise broken. He lied to Canadians and said he would make the Senate independent and non-partisan but the reality is that nearly every person he has appointed is in fact a Liberal Senator,” Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer told True North. 

“Trudeau’s appointments are all about advancing his inflationary and costly agenda, including by blocking common sense bills like C-234 to take the carbon tax off our farmers and our food.“

According to Conservative Sen. Denise Batters, the latest round of appointments tied to the Liberal government prove quite bluntly that Trudeau’s appointment process is far from nonpartisan. 

“Frankly, this is much like a lot of things that have happened with the Trudeau government,” Batters told CBC News. “Justin Trudeau promised an independent Senate. But what has happened is actually the exact opposite of it. He’s still trying to hide behind this veneer of independence.”

True North contacted the Prime Minister’s Office for comment but did not receive a reply. 

Scheer called the Senate appointments part of Trudeau’s plan to “ram through his radical agenda that has caused hurt and misery across our country.”

Poilievre vows to close safe injection sites near schools and playgrounds

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa, True North Wire
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Source: Facebook

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is vowing to shut down safe injection sites in certain areas if elected. At a Montreal press conference Friday, Poilievre said he would represent the voices of concerned residents and families and focus on treatment rather than what he called “drug dens.” 

“What we’re seeing here is a radical whacko liberalization experiment of drug legalization that has driven up overdose deaths and crime and now threatens once safe neighbourhoods,” Poilievre told reporters.

Poilievre said that despite the failed experiment that is destroying lives, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is “doubling down” by allowing a new drug injection site to open near the elementary school where he was speaking. 

The Maison Benoît Labre injection site was opened less than 100 metres from Victor-Rousselot Elementary School in Montreal’s St. Henri neighbourhood.

Many concerned residents and parents protested its opening for months, but their concerns fell on deaf ears. 

“Montrealers no longer recognize the once safe communities that they used to live in,” said Poilievre. “Now they see homelessness, crime, chaos and drug abuse which have become common.”

The opposition leader criticized Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante for comments she made  telling residents to just accept the homelessness and drug problem. 

He also blamed the Trudeau government for refusing to reject the City of Montreal’s request to legalize hard drugs, despite British Columbia now walking back its own similar legalization pilot project after only one year, which led to a 400% increase in overdose deaths. 

“I’m calling for the Trudeau government to close its drug dens,” said Poilievre. “Under section 56.1 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the government has the power to accept or refuse supervised consumption sites like Maison Benoît Labre.”

“Justin Trudeau must immediately shut down this hard drug injection site, this drug den, to protect our children, reassure families and ensure the safety of all Quebecers and Canadians.”

Poilievre also criticized the Liberal framing of injection sites as “creating a cohabitation” calling it “the latest Orwellian terminology” that politicians were inventing. 

“What they mean by that is that kids should have to cohabitate with people who are using crack, heroin, cocaine and other hard drugs in their play parks,” said Poilievre. 

“This is total whacko. Kids should not have to cohabitate with hard drug use and crime. That’s not Canada.”

The Conservative leader went on to say that there was an entire industry of activists, bureaucracies and politicians “that profit off this misery and want to perpetuate it.”

“I will end it,” said Poilivre, who said he would cut funding from injection sites and reallocate it to resources that focus on treatment and rehabilitation to bring loved ones home drug free.

A reporter asked if it would just be the Maison Benoît Labre safe injection site that Poilievre would close or others as well.

“We will close safe injection sites next to schools, playgrounds, anywhere else that they endanger the public and take lives,” answered Poilievre. “By the way, they’re not ‘safe injection sites,’ I’m sorry. I used your dishonest language. You just repeat the language that is fed to you by the government. You guys repeat the same language you get from the radical Liberal-NDP activists and bureaucracies. You call them ‘safe,’ how can they be safe?”

Poilievre and the reporter from the Globe and Mail continued their exchange, with the Conservative leader objecting to the framing of these sites as safe.

“Do you think it’s safe when a bullet comes flying out of one of these sites to kill a mother in Toronto?” he said.“Do you think that’s safe? Do you think it’s safe to have people using crack and heroin and cocaine next to a playground like this?”

“They’re supervised,” the reporter responded. 

“They’re drug dens and they’ve made everything worse,” said Poilievre. “Everywhere they’ve been done they’ve made everything worse.”

“It is almost impossible to survive”: Struggling Ontario convenience store owners want a shot at alcohol sales

By
Clayton DeMaine, True North Wire
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Jug City Variety Courtice Ont. - Source: Clayton DeMaine

As unionized LCBO employees continue to strike over Premier Doug Ford’s decision to allow some alcohol products in convenience stores, these small business owners say it’s high time they get a shot at the market.

Nimesh Mistry has owned Jug City Variety on King Street in Oshawa for seven years. He feels that the change will bring much-needed relief to his business amid high taxes and low profit margins.

“I think beer and mixed drinks should be allowed in convenience stores. Convenience stores have not been supported by the federal and provincial governments. There are too many taxes on things like tobacco. There is very little margin that we work with,” he told True North.

Provincial liquor store workers in Ontario have been on strike since July 4 over Ford’s decision to allow private business owners to participate in the province’s currently monopolistic liquor market. The Ontario Public Sector Employees Union, on behalf of the LCBO, worries that the added competition will cut into LCBO workers’ business hours.

Convenience store owners in Durham Region told True North that they want the opportunity to compete. They say this move will bring more foot traffic into their businesses and help them stay afloat.

Mistry said being allowed to sell alcohol would enable him to keep his business alive as the owner of an independent convenience store. He currently deals with small profit margins due to high taxes and competition from giants, including the Dollarama down the road.

“I have friends in the States, and it’s ridiculous—the amount of taxes we pay on alcohol and cigarettes. You can buy these types of products at half the price in the States compared to Canada,” Mistry said. “It erodes the profit out of the equation for the business owners, and it is very difficult, and I would say it is almost impossible to survive these days.”

Mistry said allowing convenience stores to be included in the market will only improve the Canadian economy.

“I think bringing alcohol into convenience stores will add more jobs at LCBO, including warehousing people, more warehouses, more supply chain jobs, more sales and marketing jobs,” he said. “If you add two refrigerators to a store, you have more refrigeration manufacturer’s jobs, more equipment, and more maintenance is needed.”

He said if Canada is to continue being a first-world country, it shouldn’t have monopolies.

Sinthiya Sureshcumar, the owner of TTY Convenience in Courtice, Ont., looks forward to getting her liquor license if the provincial government follows through on its promise to ease up on its liquor monopoly.

“My sales will increase, and my business will go to a different level,” she said. “More people will come in when (they) have a party on the way to grab a beer,” Sureshcumar said. “That’s easy if it’s nearby, rather than finding where the LCBO is and then driving to another place for other stuff. I think it’s convenient. That’s why it’s a convenience store.”

People will come in for the beer and leave with other things in hand.

“If (convenience stores) are adding (alcohol), they will attract more customers. If someone is buying beers, they’ll also be getting peanuts, chips or drinks with that,” Harshil Shah, the owner of New Rave Convenience in Oshawa, said.

Shah said alcohol wouldn’t add that much profit alone, but it might help attract customers, increasing the sales of everything else.

He said the potential for bottles to break could add risk to convenience stores, but the overall foot traffic would likely make up for those costs.

Shah pointed to a recent decision by the Ontario government to allow the Beer Store to sell lottery tickets, which will eat into sales that have traditionally gone to variety stores.

“We need business. Beer Stores will now be allowed to sell the lottery, so we are going to lose business as well,” Shah said.

He thinks that if government changes make convenience stores compete with booze sellers, it’s only fair for the LCBO to compete for business like everyone else. 

Off the Record | An unhinged Elizabeth May

By
Andrew Lawton
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Source: Facebook

It’s Friday! Kick back, grab a drink and enjoy the latest episode of Off the Record with Andrew Lawton, William McBeath and Isaac Lamoureux!

She took great offence when a MP dared to say the word ‘fart,’ but Green party leader Elizabeth May has no qualms about dropping f-bombs when she’s ranting about the so-called climate crisis. The self-proclaimed “70-year-old Greta Thunberg” went even further into the deep end this week during an Ottawa press conference.

Plus, despite the fact that Lebanon allows child marriages and women are still treated like second-class citizens there, a Canadian diplomat lauded the Trudeau government for bringing “intersectional transformative feminism” to the Middle East country through its foreign policy.

These stories and more on Off the Record! Tune in now!

B.C. gov snubs Dr. Bonnie Henry’s proposal to distribute illicit street drugs 

By
Isaac Lamoureux, True North Wire
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Source: news.gov.bc.ca

Dr. Bonnie Henry’s proposal for the government to distribute illicit street drugs to addicts is dead on arrival.

The province of British Columbia rejected the provincial health officer’s recent report endorsing the legal sale of drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl in government-operated and retail stores.

Soon after the release of Henry’s report, B.C.’s Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Jennifer Whiteside quickly released a statement shutting it down.

“Dr. Henry is an important independent voice on public health issues in this province, and we respect her advice. However, this is a topic we do not agree on. The province will not go in the direction of compassion clubs and other non-medical models of distributing medications,” said Whiteside.

She added that the province is determined to save lives and help residents. However, B.C. will instead focus on expanding access to treatment and care for mental health and addictions across the province, while “cracking down” on toxic drug traffickers.

After Henry’s report was released, many critics on social media likened the advice to advocating for the government to enter the drug trafficking business.

Among the chief critics of Henry’s approach was the Conservative Party of British Columbia who demanded her immediate dismissal.

“The future of our province depends on the actions we take today to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all,” said John Rustad, Leader of the Conservative Party of B.C.

The party urged Premier David Eby to act swiftly in removing Henry from her position before it was too late. 

“Dr. Bonnie Henry’s support for selling meth and other harmful drugs in government stores is not only shocking but also incredibly irresponsible,” said John Rustad, Leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia. “This approach is not a solution to our drug crisis; it is an endorsement of dangerous substances that have destroyed countless lives and families. Our communities deserve better.”

Henry sent her report “Alternatives to Unregulated Drugs: Another Step in Saving Lives” to B.C.’s Ministry of Health on July 9. 

The acknowledgement list included 16 people and spanned two pages with abundant reference to First Nations territories.

The report included various sections that discussed “white supremacy,” “anti-Indigenous racism,” and “settler colonialism.”

Other MLAs spoke about Henry’s irresponsible decision, such as MLA Elenore Sturko who previously worked as a spokesperson for the RCMP. 

“I find Dr. Henry’s stance deeply troubling. We should be focused on providing support and treatment for those struggling with addiction, not making it easier for them to access these deadly substances,” said Sturko.

“This government would effectively be using taxpayer dollars to subsidize drug trafficking and there’s no oversight to where the drugs go after they’re sold,” she added.

Previously, the province admitted that the “safer supply” program was not fully evidence-based and acknowledged its failure. Despite this Henry still urged the province to expand the program and recommended a rebrand.

According to a study published by the province in the British Medical Journal, the program’s only discernible benefit was that “safer supply” recipients were less likely to fatally overdose in the immediate seven days after receiving their government-prescribed opioids. Any longer timeline showed no benefits.

Government-supplied drugs began to flood the streets, as people would turn around and sell them on the black market. 

Alberta saw a similar issue, with its “safe supply” drugs being sold on the streets. The province realized “safe supply” was a failure and changed course for a recovery-based approach.

B.C. admitted that safe- and safer-supply were failures and decided to dig its claws in further, expanding “prescribed alternatives to unregulated drugs,” which could just as well be called safer-safer-supply. 

Rustad said that residents deserve leaders who prioritize their health and safety, instead of “radical and dangerous policies.”

“We call on Premier David Eby to act swiftly and decisively in removing Dr. Henry from her position,” said Rustad. 

Nearly 400 temporary migrant farm workers unionize in B.C. 

By
Quinn Patrick, True North Wire
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Source: X

Nearly 400 temporary migrant farm workers have joined the United Food and Commercial Workers 1518 in B.C., marking the largest group of farmworkers to join a union in Canadian history. 

The migrant workers are employed across Highline Mushrooms’ four farms at several B.C. locations, which agreed to unionize in June.

The B.C. labour board certified the latest group last month, with 210 workers at a Langley mushroom farm joining the recently-unionized members at the Abbotsford locations.

The latest addition brings the total number of new union members to 390 agricultural workers. 

The latest Langley union members are migrant agricultural workers in Canada on temporary work permits, the majority of which arrived from Guatemala, Mexico, India and Vietnam.

“This is more evidence that there is a strong desire for migrant food workers to engage their fundamental labour rights and unionize,” said UFCW Canada national president Shawn Haggerty in a statement.  

“UFCW Canada is the union for agricultural workers in Canada, and we look forward to working with Highline Mushrooms and other social partners in the sector to advance decent work in the agri-food sector. This also strengthens the Canadian food sector by contributing to a more stable and secure labour market.”

The union also includes local workers who work in other sectors like delivery and packaging. 

The B.C. government amended the Labour Code in 2022 to make it easier for workers to unionize. Prior to the amendments, unions were required to sign at least 45% of workers on a job site and then hold a certification vote.

Under the new rules, as long as least 55% of employees on a job site sign membership cards, they automatically join the union. 

A vote is only required if the number of signatures is between 45% and 55%.

The migrant workers joined the union to have a stronger voice when advocating for better working conditions.

According to the union, Highline Mushrooms’ workers are predominantly concerned with “improving health and safety, ensuring a safe and fair work environment, being treated with dignity and respect, and the ability to bargain collectively.”

“The biggest motivation to join UFCW is job security to have a personal peace of mind. If anything goes wrong, or if the employer treats you unfairly, the union has your back,” said Kulwinder Kaur, a Highline Mushrooms worker in Langley, in a UFCW release. 

“I expect all workers at work to be treated respectfully and fairly, and as union members, we should all be treated equally.”

UFCW 1518 president Patrick Johnson called the decision a “huge first step” not only for those who joined but for “all workers in the industry.”

“These workers are essential workers who are helping to drive the Canadian food economy,” said Johnson.

Canada’s agricultural sector employed around 70,000 migrant workers last year, according to Statistics Canada.  

The company offered “huge congrats to these workers for stepping up to make that choice to stand together,” according to comments made by vice-president Rob McKay to CBC News.

Highline Mushrooms is based in Leamington, Ont. and is the “world’s largest organic mushroom grower.” 

The company is a subsidiary of the Japanese-owned conglomerate Sumitomo.

The Daily Brief | Trudeau commits to NATO defence target – in 2032

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-
Source: Facebook

It will take Canada over seven years to meet NATO’s 2% of GDP defence spending target.

Plus, New Brunswick RCMP has arrested an Indian man for allegedly groping 12 people, including minors, at a waterpark.

And authorities have arrested a federal consultant for the Liberal government over allegations of fraud.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and William McBeath!

Poilievre says he’ll empower First Nations by removing red tape, gov control

By
Isaac Lamoureux, True North Wire
-
Source: X

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre promised to put the power back in the hands of Canada’s First Nations by taking the federal bureaucracy out of their lives.

His pledge, given at the Assembly of First Nations’ annual general meeting in Montreal on Thursday, included his usual talking points of axing the tax, building homes, fixing the budget, and stopping crime. He also promised to make First Nations people richer and more independent. 

“I’m not here to run your life. I don’t want to run anybody’s life. I want to run a small government with big citizens, free to make their own decisions and live their own lives,” said Poilievre.

Poilievre said that the country is sitting on immense untapped potential, much of which resides in First Nations communities.

“For too long, you’ve been held back by a broken system that takes power away from you and places it in the hands of politicians and bureaucrats in Ottawa,” said Poilievre. “The reality is we don’t have billions. We have trillions of dollars of resource wealth right beneath our feet. That wealth belongs, in many cases, to you and your communities, your children. Your children can be the richest in the world if we unleash these opportunities.”

Poilievre said that the Conservatives and First Nations people share the same values of faith and spirituality. 

“These Indigenous values—faith, family, work, tradition, entrepreneurship, and land—will guide everything I do as Prime Minister,” he said.

Poilievre stressed that the meaning of the word “Prime Minister” is first servant. He added that his job was to be a servant of all people and a partner to the First Nations.

Poilievre called the idea that Ottawa needs to manage First Nations people is “paternalistic and insulting” but also “proven wrong.”

Ottawa has proven that bureaucracy leads to money being wasted, according to Poilievre.

The Conservative leader’s speech included various chiefs who got up to make statements and ask questions after Poilievre’s initial address.

One chief suggested that projects should be split equally three ways between Canada, the companies, and the First Nations.

“I don’t think the federal government should get a third. I think they should get a lot less than a third. If the resources are developed in your land, you should get the money. The workers and the businesses that invest should get the money,” said Poilievre. “We don’t need the money to go to Ottawa, where it will be squandered on bureaucracy.”

The Liberals have squandered various multi-billion dollar projects in the past that would have been executed through partnering with Indigenous people, said Poilievre. He argued that these shutdowns came without proper consultation with First Nations people. 

One such example is the Teck Frontier miner, a $20 billion project which didn’t see the light of day because “we have a wacko environment minister who doesn’t want to grant a permit to build a road there,” said Poilievre. 

However, various First Nations chiefs are currently working on projects, some of whom have since become Conservative candidates. 

The LNG Canada project is a $40 billion project, which represents the largest private sector investment in Canadian history, initiated by former Haisla Chief Ellis Ross. Ross has served as an MLA since 2017 and is currently a federal Conservative candidate.

The Haisla nation is also pursuing a $3.28 billion Cedar LNG Project, being built under the leadership of former Enoch Chief Billy Morin. He is also a federal Conservative party candidate. 

Poilievre said he knows that the relationship between the federal government and First Nations is fragile thanks to the Liberals’ poor decision-making.

“I know that it won’t be easy. We won’t always agree. And you’ve  heard enough promises and enough performative reconciliation. We need our honest and direct conversations and a partnership based on a nation-to-nation relationship and mutual respect,” he said.

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