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Wednesday, June 25, 2025

University of Waterloo alleges habitual aggressive behaviour from encampment activists

Source: Instagram/X

The University of Waterloo told a court there’s been a pattern of aggressive behaviour from pro-Palestinian encampment protesters, and that its campus has been vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti.

As previously reported by True North, the university is suing encampment organizers for $1.5 million worth of damages from encampment organizers, including for trespassing, damaging property, intimidation and enactment.

The university is also asking the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to order encampment protesters to “immediately dismantle and remove any encampment or obstructions erected, built, created, or imposed by them.”

Waterloo is in the process of mediation with protesters. 

In a statement of claim, the university made several allegations against encampment protesters. The allegations have not been proven in court.

The University of Waterloo is accusing pro-Palestinian protesters of having disrupted several university functions. 

Among the functions disrupted was a Jun. 18 board of governors meeting. The university says protesters formed a human chain, which “trapped individuals attending the (meeting)” and “made it challenging or impossible for them to enter or exit the board meeting.”

The university says protesters also interfered with its “UWaterloo Day,” a day aimed at giving incoming freshman students “an opportunity to learn more about the university and the services and amenities (available) to them.” 

It alleges that a faculty of engineering alumni dinner was disrupted, with protesters yelling into megaphones, chanting and scattering flyers onto attendees from an upper floor.

The statement of claim says encampment activists also disrupted a university Pride Month event.

“Armed with signs and air horns, they began chanting aggressively, making accusations that the president and vice-chancellor had blood on his hands and was responsible for 40,000 deaths, among other things,” the lawsuit claims.

According to the lawsuit, university leadership have been targeted multiple times by pro-Palestinian activists.

Waterloo says protesters put up posters on campus with the faces of university  president Vivek Goel and vice-president Charmaine Dean, with the words “Genocide Goel” and “Inhumane Charmaine” and stated they were “wanted for Complicity in Genocide.”

A pro-Palestinian activist also penned a letter titled “Genocide Goel,” where they called the president a “f***ing racist”. 

“[Y]ou will have no peace until you contribute your fair share of justice to the people of Palestine,” the letter warned. “Not yours truly, for your hands are red with blood.” 

The statement of claim says protesters also desecrated the door of the president’s office, vice-president’s office and provost’s office with threatening stickers that said, “our protest will continue until you DIVEST, BOYCOTT.” and “DIVEST. BOYCOTT. CONDEMN GENOCIDE. STOP BEING RACIST BASTARDS” 

The university also says it found graffiti that read “free Palestine” and “UW is complicit free Palestine” and that protesters hung a banner that read “Sufyan Taya Hall – honour our martyrs”.

True North reached out to encampment organizers for comment, but they did not respond. 

When the university announced its legal action in late Jun., organizers with Occupy UW blasted the university for its “shameful” decision.

“Incredibly shameful that (the University of Waterloo) is choosing to sue their own student body protesting their universities’ complicity in a genocide,” organizers said. “We are students who have risked everything we have to protest our universities complicity in this genocide and we refuse to allow those who fund death and destruction to break our resolve.”

LCBO workers strike for the first time in history

Source: Facebook

The first strike in LCBO’s history has begun, as the government-run liquor distributor closes its doors across Ontario for at least the next 14 days.

Negotiations between the LCBO and the Ontario Public Sector Employees Union dissolved on Thursday. 

“Tonight, Ford’s dry summer begins,” said Colleen Mcleod, chair of the OPSEU liquor board employee’s division bargaining team on Thursday.

​​The roughly 9,000 LCBO employees being represented by the OPSEU are concerned that the decision by Premier Doug Ford to allow the sale of alcohol in convenience stores will hurt their work hours.

LCBO union members voted 97% in favour of a strike last week if a deal wasn’t reached with the Crown corporation by Friday.

Now, LCBO stores throughout Ontario will remain closed for at least two weeks, unless a deal is reached before then.

If negotiations are not finalized by July 19, 32 LCBO stores across Ontario will be re-opened for limited hours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

However, thirsty Ontarians will still have access to alcohol via The Beer Store, local breweries, wineries and the LCBO’s online delivery services.

OPSEU leaders laid the blame for the strike at the feet of Ford during a press conference on Thursday, accusing him of favouring private interests over the LCBO’s public profits.

“Ford’s happy to give away Ontario’s crown jewel,” said OPSEU president JP Hornick. 

“LCBO workers have come forward in their thousands to say that we will not stand by while this government throws away Ontarians’ money and gives it to billionaires and CEOs.”

The LCBO responded to the strike by saying that “despite its best efforts” it could not reach a deal with OPSEU.

“For the past several months, we have engaged in collective bargaining with OPSEU in hopes of reaching a fair and equitable agreement that addresses their considerations while ensuring the long-term sustainability of our operations,” reads the LCBO statement. 

“Despite our best efforts, we have not yet been able to do so.”

The Ontario government responded by saying it was “disappointed” that negotiations broke down in a statement released on Thursday.

However, the government refused to backpedal on its commitment to loosen alcohol retail sales.  

“We are more committed than ever to fulfilling our promise of choice and convenience by expanding access to beer, cider, wine, and ready-to-drink beverages in convenience, grocery, and big-box stores starting later this summer,” said the government.

“We urge OPSEU to return to the negotiating table and work towards a deal that prioritizes Ontario consumers and producers.”

The Ford government initially announced plans to begin selling alcohol in all supermarkets, convenience stores and gas stations in 2026, however, sales will now begin as early as August of this year. 

Ready-to-drink cocktails and coolers will begin being sold at grocery stores already licenced to sell beer in August and by October, at fully licenced convenience and gas stations stores as well.  

While stores will be closed for the next 14 days, the LCBO said it is “committed to maintaining the highest standards of service that we can during this challenging time.”

“We have implemented contingency plans to help minimize disruption as much as possible and ensure that our products remain available to our valued retail and wholesale customers,” reads the statement.

“We will be operating our business, but it is not business as usual.”

B.C. Conservatives sound alarm over drug site next to long-term care home

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Seniors in a long term care home have been traumatized by the rampant open drug use they have been subjected to following a decision by the B.C. provincial government to house drug users next to the facility.  

A section of the Dufferin Place long term care facility in Nanaimo was reallocated to create a unit for addiction and mental health care. 

The British Columbia Conservative party has condemned the move after being contacted by concerned staff and residents’ loved ones.

“We have a situation where vulnerable seniors, many with mobility issues or dementia, are housed directly beside individuals with deteriorating mental health issues, including paranoia and aggression, who have been given free rein to use psychotic-inducing drugs and carry dangerous weapons,”said Gwen O’Mahony, the B.C. Conservative candidate for Nanaimo-Lantzville, in a statement.

“It’s a disaster in the making.”

Staff and residents’ family members have reported instances of open drug deals taking place outside the facility entrance, and along the roadside and the surrounding area.  

While many family members and employees remain concerned with the province’s decision, many wished to remain anonymous, the B.C. Conservatives said. 

However, Nanaimo resident Janayh Wright shared her distress regarding the fact that open drug deals were taking place where her grandmother was admitted. 

Wright said she felt unsafe visiting in the evenings and worried about her grandmother and other residents, according to the B.C. Conservative party’s statement.

A number of individuals have been seen injecting drugs in broad daylight, with numerous reports of patients smoking crack and meth inside the building. 

“I wouldn’t want my loved one housed in such close proximity to uncontrolled illegal drug dealing and drug use. This ill-thought-out decision failed to conduct due diligence and perform a risk assessment when housing two extremely vulnerable groups under one roof,” said O’Mahony.

Those concerned are worried about the effect the second-hand crack smoke is having on their loved ones and the healthcare professionals, as a result of the facility’s recirculation system.

“Second-hand crack and meth smoke inhalation, theft, and violence are the key concerns. Given the extremely lax approach the NDP has taken regarding public drug use and drug use inside hospitals, it’s no surprise that prioritizing drug use spaces over the safety of seniors, who deserve respect and a peaceful place to live out their remaining days, has become the norm,” added O’Mahony.

According to a statement released by the Conservative Party of B.C., “one nurse took early retirement upon learning that her shifts would be divided between geriatric care and mental health and addictions, stating this was not what she had signed up for.”

Additionally, health care workers informed the party that they are not permitted to confiscate or ban the carrying of weapons, such as knives, as the BC government has advised that doing so would “violate the individuals’ rights and contribute to stigma.”

The section being reallocated for addiction and mental health patients has also led to a bed shortage for senior patients, forcing new arrivals to wait in a windowless room in the facility’s basement until a bed becomes available. 

“Addiction care is a highly specialized area of medicine that must be offered in a safe, appropriate facility with the proper resources and supports in place, not a patchwork quilt of services each community is forced to piece together,” said O’Mahony.

Premier David Eby’s office did not respond to a request for comment from True North.

Winnipeg police arrest suspect in random assault spree harming four, including elderly women

Source: Facebook

Winnipeg police have apprehended a man allegedly linked to multiple assaults in the city’s historic Exchange District. 

The string of attacks, which lasted less than an hour, began on Main St. when an injured man was discovered in a business parking lot. 

Quick action by local business staff led to the detention of a suspect identified as 30-year-old Brendan Jordan Lee White, who was subsequently arrested by the police without further incident.

Police learned of several similar assaults in the area after arresting the suspect. 

In a short period, three women were targeted in separate attacks police believe involved White. 

One 68-year-old woman was struck by a metal chair on Bannatyne Ave., another elderly woman was pushed and assaulted on McDermot Ave., and a 38-year-old woman was attacked while attempting to intervene in another assault. 

The last individual injured during the spree was the 40-year-old man White had allegedly assaulted in the parking lot before the police apprehended him.

“Officers linked the suspect to all four incidents through their investigation and obtained an unendorsed warrant for Assault and Assault with Weapon charges for his arrest,” wrote the Winnipeg Police Service.

The victims sustained only minor injuries and did not require medical attention. 

Authorities have indicated that the assaults seem to be random, with no clear motive. 

White is currently in custody as investigations continue. 

The Winnipeg Police Service is urging community vigilance due to a rise in random assaults.

Trudeau appoints Housefather as special advisor on antisemitism

Source: Facebook

Outspoken Liberal MP Anthony Housefather will be leading the government’s response to antisemitism.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has named Liberal MP Anthony Housefather as the Special Advisor on Jewish Community Relations and Antisemitism, despite Housefather’s criticism of the Liberal government’s handling of the issue.

Housefather previously stated he had “started reflecting as to whether or not I belonged” in the Liberal party after an “anti-Israel” NDP motion was passed in the House of Commons.

Housefather, who is Jewish, was one of just three Liberal MPs to oppose the motion.

The Liberal MP has stood alone or among very few on numerous other occasions, like when he and his colleague and former minister Marco Mendicino opposed relying on UNRWA as a conduit for aid distribution to Gaza.

Housefather also condemned arson attempts against a Christian church, while the Liberals and NDP shut down a motion condemning the arson.

Housefather has also been targeted for being very outspoken against anti-Israel encampments at universities.

Activists recently displayed a poster in the street equating Housefather to a neo-Nazi. The poster read, “Zionism=terrorism.”

Housefather said he was grateful to Trudeau for putting him in a position where he could translate words into action. 

“There has been no time in my lifetime when Jewish Canadians have felt as threatened as they do today. While we cannot make antisemitism disappear, all levels of government, universities, and police can take concrete steps to make Jewish Canadians feel safer in this country,” said Housefather.

Housefather will continue in his role as Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board while undertaking his new responsibilities.

The newly appointed head of the Canadian Human Rights Commission was recently alleged to have a history of anti-Israel activism.

Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman congratulated Housefather on his new role in a post to X.

“Now, how about agreeing to public committee hearings on how Justin Trudeau managed to appoint an antisemite as the chief human rights commissioner and then lied about not knowing history?” she asked. 

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre previously criticized Trudeau for appointing “an antisemite who compared Israelis to Nazis as head of the Canadian Human Rights Commission.” 

“Liberal MP Housefather could agree to recall committee to investigate this grotesque appointment, but he won’t. The NDP & Bloc could too, but they won’t,” said Poilievre.

Housefather’s appointment follows the Liberals’ devastating loss in the Toronto—St. Paul’s byelection, a historically Liberal stronghold previously held by the party since 1993.

A poll revealed that 62.8% of Jews in the riding intended to vote Conservative, compared to 20.7% who said they would vote for the Liberals. This was a dramatic shift from national polling from a 2018 survey, which showed 36% of Jews in Canada supported the Liberals, compared to 32% who supported the Conservatives.

The shift could come in part due to the Liberal party being criticized for its mixed messaging regarding support for Israel and condemnation of antisemitism following Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

Trudeau said that Housefather, in his new role, will help the federal government fight antisemitism, protect Jewish communities, and address rising discrimination against the Jewish people.

“Antisemitism is not a problem for the Jewish community to solve alone. We will continue to take action — across government — to make Canada safer, more inclusive, and better for everyone,” said Trudeau.

True North reached out to Housefather for comment but received no reply.

Montreal police dismantle Victoria Square anti-Israel encampment 

Source: Instagram/Instagram

Montreal police dismantled a controversial anti-Israel encampment that had been occupying the city’s iconic Victoria Square for the past two weeks.

As previously reported by True North, the “Al-Soumoud popular camp” was set up by far-left activists in a bid to pressure the province’s pension fund to divest from the Jewish state and to force the Quebec government to close its Tel Aviv office.

The encampment differed from others seen in Canada, as it did not take place on a university campus.

Montreal police arrived at the site of the encampment shortly after 5 am Friday to clear out the protesters. According to Radio Canada, protesters left without resisting.

Later in the morning, city crews removed materials that had been left behind.

During its two-week tenure, the encampment saw hateful messages, attempts to destroy a historic statue of the former queen and counter-protests from frustrated Montreal residents. 

Tarps seen at the encampment condoned Palestinian violence as “resistance.” One tarp read “Peace is the white man’s word, resistance is ours.” 

Activists also vandalized and attempted to topple a statue of Queen Victoria, the square’s namesake. They were stopped by police.

When asked about the attempt to topple the statue, encampment organizer Benoit Allard said, “our struggle is an anti-colonial struggle” and that “the statue in question is a statue of Queen Victoria, which is a colonial symbol.”

Allard refused to confirm or deny if his crew was involved in the failed toppling attempt. 

Around one hundred Montreal residents then showed up on Jun. 25th to protest the presence of the encampment and call for it to be cleared out.

Photos taken by CBC showed people holding signs saying “Enough is enough” and “Montreal taken hostage… liberate our public spaces.”

Montreal mayor Valerie Plante reacted to the dismantling of the encampment on X.

“It’s a public safety decision that wasn’t taken lightly, but this delicate operation was carried out calmly and cooperatively,” said Plante.

“The right to protest for a cause is a fundamental right, but it cannot interfere with the right to safety and free movement in public space,” she added. “The encampment did not allow free circulation and free access to the population.”

Plante noted that “just as we can’t accept as a society that public space becomes a hospital or open-air housing, we can’t accept that public space becomes the headquarters of a cause, whatever the cause may be.”

Plante was, however, criticized by both the provincial government and municipal politicians for having allowed the encampment to remain in place for two weeks.

“It’s deplorable that it took so much pressure,” said Montreal city councillor Aref Salem. “The chaotic management of these occupations is proof that the mayor has lost control of Montreal.”

Quebec’s public safety minister François Bonnardel said he was “delighted” to see the encampment removed, and said he hopes “the same treatment will be applied to other existing and future encampments.”

Montreal’s McGill University continues to be occupied by an anti-Israel encampment.

The McGill administration now hopes that the encampment on their campus will also be cleared.

In a statement to True North, McGill University president Deep Saini said, “while the Square Victoria encampment is being dismantled after less than two weeks, the encampment on our downtown campus has remained on lower field for more than two months.”

He added that “the encampment on our campus has spawned hateful and threatening graffiti on a multitude of occasions” and that it “presents major safety risks including issues related to hygiene, security, and fire safety.”

Saini says McGill now has “every expectation that the city and SPVM will remain consistent in their approach, and act swiftly to remove the encampment here as well.”

McGill University is currently seeking an injunction to clear its encampment.

Unemployment rises to 6.4% as jobs remain stagnant amid population growth

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Canada’s economy saw little change with jobs remaining relatively stagnant while the working population skyrocketed leading to higher unemployment.  

Canada’s unemployment rate climbed to 6.4% in Jun., up from 6.2% in May, continuing its rise of 1.3% since Apr. 2023, according to Statistics Canada.

Despite rising unemployment, average hourly wages increased by 5.4% since last Jun.

Meanwhile, Canada’s working population grew by almost 100,000 between May and Jun. 2024.

While Canada’s working population grew by 98,700, there were 42,000 new unemployed Canadians.

Newfoundland and Labrador had the worst unemployment rate in the country in Jun., at 9.2%. The best-faring place in the country was Yukon, with an unemployment rate of 3.1%, while the province leading the way was Manitoba at 5.1% unemployment in Jun. 

Prince Edward Island experienced the largest rise in unemployment, growing from 7.1% to 8%, an increase of 0.9%.

Despite having the highest unemployment rate, Newfoundland and Labrador saw the largest decrease, falling by 0.7%.

Canada’s unemployment rate also rose in May, despite adding 27,000 jobs to the economy. Canada’s working population grew by 97,600 people between Apr. and May. 

May’s rise in unemployment came just after the Bank of Canada decided to lower interest rates for the first time in four years. 

“We’ve come a long way in the fight against inflation. And our confidence that inflation will continue to move closer to the 2% target has increased over recent months,” said Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem in May.

In a June speech to the Chamber of Commerce, Macklem said that a slowdown in hiring has led to increases in unemployment for younger workers and newcomers to Canada.

“This matters for monetary policy because it indicates there is some slack in the labour market. That suggests the economy has room to grow and add more jobs without creating new inflationary pressures,” he said.

Employment among young men aged 15 to 24 in Canada fell by 13,000 jobs, or 0.9%, in Jun.

Students on summer break were hit even harder. The employment rate for returning students aged 15 to 24 was 46.8% in Jun., down from 51.7% a year earlier, a decrease of 4.9%. This was the lowest employment rate since Jun. 1998, excluding the pandemic.

The unemployment rate among these students was 15.9%, rising 3.8% from last Jun. 

In May, 18.2% of Canadians worked part-time involuntarily due to an inability to find full-time work.

Despite losing jobs in Canada, while Bloomberg expected a gain of 25,000 jobs, future rate cuts are still possible thanks to a softer labour market.

Most economists in a Bloomberg survey expect rates to hold steady before easing again in Sept.

Off the Record | John A Macdonald gets memory-holed

Source: Historica Canada - Facebook

Historica Canada, an organization once dedicated to documenting Canadian history, has quietly deleted its ‘Heritage Minute’ about John A Macdonald’s role in Confederation, citing “feedback from educators” and his supposed “controversy” as an historical figure.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Conservatives were decimated in yesterday’s election while President Joe Biden seems to mistake Independence Day for Christmas.

Plus, Justin Trudeau is skipping this year’s Calgary Stampede – perhaps to avoid another pancake blunder like last year – and University of Toronto anti-Israel protesters cut and run before police had a chance to remove them.

These stories and more on Off the Record with Andrew Lawton, Harrison Faulkner and Rachel Parker!

SUBSCRIBE TO OFF THE RECORD

Newfoundland business cancels Pride event over anti-Israel group’s inclusion

Source: Facebook

A Newfoundland business is backing away from a planned Pride event in protest of St. John’s Pride’s decision to make an anti-Israel group this year’s parade grand marshal.

Harvey’s Home Heating was set to sponsor “Pride on the Pier” for the fourth year in a row on July 22 but dropped support after St. John’s Pride invited Palestine Action YYT to lead its July Pride Parade.

Palestine Action YYT agreed to lead the parade, but its demands involved excluding any company which puts money into Israel as part of the Boycott Divestment Sanctions movement against the Jewish state.

The general manager of Harvey’s Home Heating, Chris Forward, dropped out of the event he had helped host since 2021, and as a consequence, it was cancelled. He said the move to have Palestine Action YYT in charge was done too quickly and with little contributor input.

Pride on the Pier was billed as an annual “all-ages event” featuring drag performers on the Alt Hotel terrace. It is just one stop in the weekend-long Pride festival in St. John’s.

Pepsico is on St. John’s Pride’s boycott list as part of its agreement with the anti-Israel activist group. Harvey’s Home Heating is associated with another company that bottles Pepsi for the boycotted brand.

Although Forward’s company is not on the list itself, he would have been prevented from showing any Pepsi logos on clothing or otherwise or distributing any Pepsi products, which the company has come to rely on as part of hosting the event.

McDonald’s, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, Loblaws, Amazon and Google also made the boycott list and are not welcome at this year’s inclusive Pride season events in St. John’s.

Neither St. John’s Pride nor Harvey’s Home Heating responded to a request for comment from True North. 
However, in an interview with CBC, Forward said St. John’s Pride should be focused on “the ongoing improvement to the civil liberties of the LGBT population” and not geopolitics.

Streaming giants file court challenge against CRTC over forced subsidy of legacy media

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A group of U.S. streaming companies have asked a Canadian court to halt their financial obligations under the Online Streaming Act, which would force them to fork over 5% of Canadian sales to support Canadian news broadcasting. 

The request was made by the Motion Picture Association Canada, an industry group representing major American companies who produce and distribute content in Canada, specifically Netflix, Walt Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount Global. The group says CRTC “acted unreasonably” in imposing the requirement.

“The CRTC’s decision to require global entertainment streaming services to pay for local news is a discriminatory measure that goes far beyond what Parliament intended, exceeds the CRTC’s authority, and contradicts the goal of creating a modern, flexible framework that recognizes the nature of the services global streamers provide,” said Wendy Noss, president of the Motion Picture Association Canada 

According to the association, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission order exceeds the broadcast regulator’s authority and doesn’t recognize the billions of dollars spent within Canada each year by those streaming giants.

The association seeking appeal court intervention said that global studios and streaming services have spent over $6.7 billion annually producing content in Canada made by Canadian production companies. 

That figure is an investment which goes far beyond the CBC, Canada Media Fund, and Telefilm combined.

“Our members’ streaming services do not produce local news nor are they granted the significant legal privileges and protections enjoyed by Canadian broadcasters in exchange for the responsibility to provide local news,” said Noss.

The levy imposed by the CRTC is likely to result in increased costs for consumers, warned the streaming companies, with some even saying they may pull services out of Canada entirely.

The association filed with Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal, with its lawyers claiming that the CRTC didn’t reveal “any basis” for why foreign streamers are required to contribute to the production of local television and radio broadcasts.

The filing alleges that the CRTC “concluded, without evidence, that ‘there is a need to increase support for news production.’”

“Imposing on foreign online undertakings a requirement to fund news production is not appropriate in the light of the nature of the services that foreign online undertakings provide,” it said.

The CRTC responded by saying that as an independent quasi-judicial tribunal that regulates the Canadian communications sector, its decisions are based on public interest. 

“The CRTC holds public consultations on telecommunications and broadcasting matters and makes decisions based on the public record,” a spokesperson for the CRTC told True North.

“The Online Streaming Act, which amended the Broadcasting Act, requires the CRTC to modernize the Canadian broadcasting framework. The CRTC will continue to balance consulting widely with moving quickly to build the new regulatory framework.”

The spokesperson declined to comment on the legal action specifically as it is before the courts.

Despite the backlash from streaming companies and taxpayers, the CRTC called the decision a “major step forward in the implementation of the Online Streaming Act” last month. 

“Today’s decision will help ensure that online streaming services make meaningful contributions to Canadian and Indigenous content,” said CRTC chairperson and chief executive officer Vicky Eatrides at the time.

Eatrides claims that these regulations will keep “certain types of content like local interest stories will not be made or distributed anymore. Or that they will become less available because they will not be funded by market forces alone.”

Payments are expected to begin on Sept. 1 at the beginning of the 2024-25 broadcast year and are projected to rake $200 million annually to Canada’s broadcasting system. 

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