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Sunday, October 5, 2025

Online scammers stole $554 million in 2023

By
Quinn Patrick
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Source: Pexels

Of the $554 million stolen by online scammers, over $10 million of that sum was public funds doled out to criminals in the last five years by municipalities and First Nations across Canada.

According to the Toronto Star, fraudsters would begin by impersonating a service provider with the money ultimately ending up in bank accounts in Ontario. 

Data provided by the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre shows there has been a 46% spike in fraud claims since 2021.

One of these scams recently took $1.5 million from the City of Greater Sudbury. 

Many of the institutions that were the victims of these crimes did not make their losses public, preferring to deal with these matters privately in court. 

While much of the stolen money has since been recovered, there are still funds which cannot be tracked down. 

“It’s a major Canadian problem,” Toronto forensic accountant Al Rosen told the Toronto Star. 

Rosen said that municipalities lack the basic controls over their accounting systems to properly keep themselves protected from fraud. 

“They’re just being willing victims for the guys who want to con them,” he said.

Fraudsters will often pose as contractors to gain access to funds, with the City of Kelowna getting scammed out of $4 million from a fraudster pretending to be a city-contracted construction company. 

They tricked city officials into setting up electronic deposits into a Scotiabank account which did not belong to the real company.

The scammer had forged the contractor’s signature and created a fake domain name and email addresses.

Within four months of the fraud, Kelowna officials managed to recoup almost all of the funds except for $20,000. The money had been intended for an integrated water distribution project.  

According to a statement of claim filed in an Ontario court in July 2019, Kelowna officials discovered it was a fraud after Scotiabank contacted them to ask if the transactions should be made to a business located in Mississauga, which is located about 4,000 kilometres away. 

“Why didn’t you catch it at the first point of access where you were actually dealing with the client?” Vanessa Iafolla, principal at Halifax-based Anti-Fraud Intelligence Consulting asked, in an interview with the Toronto Star. 

Iafolla said that fraud cases are usually the consequence of failures at multiple points of any given transaction. 

Kelowna did not notify the public of the fraud, nor has it since disclosed the legal costs of recuperating it. 

“The public was not notified in this case because there was no breach of data affecting the public and the majority of funds were recovered,” said spokesperson Tom Wilson, who felt notifying the public may be advantageous to other scammers who are looking into ways to commit further fraud within the system. 

A similar story happened in Surrey which was the victim of a $2 million scam the same year. 

They also managed to recover most of the money that was stolen, however, not without leaving taxpayers with a $100,000 bill for the costs of the investigation and recovery process. Surrey also kept the news of the scam from the public. 

While the city would not discuss details of the case with The Star, they did confirm that the fraud case involved an ex-cop who later became a lawyer. 

Surrey alleged that Ganesh Balaganthan, a former police officer who would later become a practicing lawyer in Toronto and immigration paralegal Amir Akhtar were involved in the scam, among others. 

A similar incident happened to Saskatoon, however, that city chose to issue press releases about the fraud and eventually managed to recover all of the stolen funds. 

According to Iafolla, the reason municipalities and corporations have more success in recouping their stolen funds is because they have the resources to do so. 

Despite the advantage, the cost of recovering the money is quite an expense unto itself.  

First Nations have also fallen prey to online scammers as well, like Cross

Lake Band of Indians in Manitoba, who sent $847,947 to a bank account in London, Ont. under the impression that it belonged to a contractor who was constructing a public works facility on their reserve last November.

They have since filed a lawsuit in a Toronto court, hoping to freeze and track the lost funds.

The Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach in Quebec was the victim of a $65,860 fraud scam in January of 2022. 

“We’re seeing this all over the place. So it’s not that systems are any weaker than the rest of Canada,” said Rosen.

A total of $554 million in lost money to fraud was reported across the country last year, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

“The less private we are with ourselves and the more reliant we are on the internet, the more possible it is in general for different kinds of fraud to take place and to proliferate,” said Iafolla.

Poilievre doubles down on opposition to gender transitions for children

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre doubled down on his opposition to irreversible gender transitions for children, praising Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s “common-sense protections.”

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Poilievre shared a National Post article about a new poll showing that nearly half of Canadians support banning gender reassignment surgeries and cross-sex hormones for children.

“Canadians support Premier Smith’s common-sense protections of children. Trudeau must butt out,” wrote Poilievre 

The Postmedia-Leger poll found that 45% of Canadians support a blanket ban on gender transitions for minors, while just 11% say children should be able to transition without the consent of their parents. Another 30% said they support medical interventions for trans-identified youth with parental consent.

On Jan. 31, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith became the first provincial leader in the country to announce a ban on gender reassignment surgeries for those under the age of 18, and a ban on cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers for those under the age of 16, along with several other parental rights and anti-gender ideology policies.

After avoiding the issue for a few days, Poilievre said for the first time on Feb. 7 that he opposed the use of puberty blockers on children.

He has now doubled down on that stance.

Responding to Poilievre’s statements, prominent parental rights advocate Chris Elston (commonly known as Billboard Chris) expressed optimism. Elston had previously criticized Poilievre for not speaking up on the issue.

“Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre spoke out against puberty blockers for the first time last week. Now he’s doubling down. Congratulations to all the Canadians who have been on the front lines raising awareness about this for years! We will end child transition in Canada!”

Meanwhile, controversial trans activist Fae Johnstone criticized Poilievre, and suggested that the party’s two openly gay MPs, Eric Duncan and Melissa Lantsman, do not care about the wellbeing of gender dysphoric children.

Lantsman fired back at Johnstone, accusing the militant activist of division. 

“Pretty gross attack from someone the Liberals funded with $1 million tax dollars. Value for money isn’t there. You forgot to tag others who are openly gay and aren’t Tories. Never forget that Government funded radical ideologues are here to divide people.”

Wisdom2Action, a progressive organization co-owned by Johnstone, has received over one million dollars from the Trudeau government.

Grants and contributions posted on the government’s website include $994,661.00 to “address the capacity needs of 2SLGBTQ1+ organizations and youth-serving organizations in supporting young LBTQ+ women” and $97,745.00 to “undertake key activities to advance public legal education and information pertaining to conversion therapy.” 

The organization also received several, smaller, thousand dollar grants. 

Johnstone has been under fire several times for controversial comments.

Among other things, Johnstone has labelled feminists who support female only spaces and sports “TERFs” (trans-exclusionary radical feminists), accusing them of “acting as a smokescreen for far right extremism.” Johnstone has also called for these feminists to be “so vilified” that “they don’t dare speak their views publicly.”

Johnstone is a supporter of biological males being allowed in women’s prisons, but stated a preference for abolishing prisons altogether and has attempted to cancel a talk by renowned Canadian author and psychologist Jordan Peterson in Ottawa. Johnstone also shared calls to boycott a Regina small business after its female owner shared opposition to Johnstone being a keynote speaker at an event for women.

Environment Canada seeking “climate-altering” tech that blocks the sun

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Environment Canada’s five-year science strategy includes looking into “climate-altering technologies” to deliberately alter the atmosphere and block out the sun.

The plan, outlined in the “Science Strategy 2024 to 2029” document from Environment and Climate Change Canada, signals the department’s near-term approach to research.

The key objective highlighted in the strategy is the need to enhance Canada’s comprehension of climate-altering technologies within its specific environmental context. 

This includes a mandate to investigate the potential and implications of various techniques designed to deliberately intervene in the climate system, with the overarching goal of aligning with Canada’s net-zero emissions target.

“Understand the potential for climate engineering and determine the implications of technologies that aim to deliberately alter the climate system, typically to counteract climate warming (e.g., solar radiation modification, marine geoengineering, carbon dioxide removal techniques),” the document reads. 

Another listed goal is to “conduct scientific assessments of climate-altering technologies and impacts on Canada.” 

Solar radiation modification encompasses a range of proposed methods, such as injecting aerosols into the stratosphere to deflect solar radiation and thereby mitigate global warming in theory. 

Other approaches include cloud seeding above ocean surfaces or whitening clouds using chemicals to increase their reflectivity and reduce solar absorption.

While scientists claim these technologies hold promise as potential tools to address climate change, concerns have been raised regarding their potential risks and unintended consequences.

Critics warn that interventions like stratospheric aerosol injections could lead to unforeseen outcomes, including exacerbating climate change further, damaging the ozone layer and posing health risks.

“Depending on the materials it uses, it could damage the ozone layer. This can cause health and environmental problems,” warns the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative. 

“Stopping it suddenly could cause rapid temperature rise that would be disruptive to human society and be dangerous for many species.” 

Ratio’d | Trudeau Towns are taking over Canadian cities

By
Harrison Faulkner
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You can now find them in every major city across the country. What was once a rare site is now a common feature across Canada – sprawling tent cities or as Canadians are calling them, “Trudeau towns.” The title seems quite fitting seeing as how the policies of the Trudeau government have brought so much destruction to Canadians’ livelihoods.

All throughout Canada, people are struggling. A spiralling cost of living crisis fuelled by record levels of mass immigration are driving people to live in tents. Plus, thanks to “safe supply” drug policies, it is easier now to get addicted and the government is opening up MAID to struggling Canadians as well.

Chalk it up as another legacy item of the Trudeau government. Sprawling Trudeau Towns in every major city.

Tune into Ratio’d with Harrison Faulkner.

The Candice Malcolm Show | What transing is actually all about

By
Candice Malcolm
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Source: Flickr

Nearly half of Canadians support banning sex change operations and life-altering hormone treatments like puberty blockers for children, according to a recent poll. However, more Canadians will want to protect children from the horrors of these procedures after hearing what a Canadian surgeon recently said about these radical procedures.

Dr. Alex Laungani, a clinician at Canada’s Metropolitan Center Of Surgery, told his colleagues at the World Professional Association for Transgender Health that the trans medical industry has grown too quickly and that there could be “a lack of training and not proper training.” He also highlighted the “pretty bad” consequences of genital surgeries.

It’s no wonder Conservative politicians, like Danielle Smith and Pierre Poilievre, are now speaking out in favour of protecting the children.

Tune into The Candice Malcolm Show. 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CANDICE MALCOLM SHOW

26-year-old woman seeks assisted suicide due to autoimmune disease

By
Isaac Lamoureux
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A 26-year-old woman from Vancouver Island is pursuing assisted suicide because of an “unbearable pain that can’t be treated.”

Lana, who decided to withhold her last name to protect her family’s privacy, opted to share her story before she’s gone as a lesson to those who may be in a similar situation.

“Maybe there are two or three people in B.C. who have something I do or experience the world like me, and they can see this and think maybe they’re not alone,” she told CityNews.

The majority of people in Canada who pursue assisted suicide are because of cancer. 63% of recipients in 2022 had cancer as a main underlying medical condition, followed by 18.8% that had cardiovascular conditions. Additionally, 14.9% of the individuals listed other conditions, such as chronic pain, osteoarthritis, frailty, fibromyalgia, and autoimmune conditions. 

Lana said that the years of pain reached its peak last fall, with no treatment available. 

“I really encourage everyone to not take their health for granted. This started when I was 19, and it’s progressed. There have been beautiful moments in that time, but I lost a lot of my life to illness,” said Lana. 

“I felt so lonely for some years with all these symptoms and this progressive dysfunction that no one could address, no one could answer.”

Lana said she clearly remembers the day that she decided on assisted suicide.

“…And from that point just… this is what needs to happen. This isn’t a decision. I can’t take this. It’s unbearable. It’s just gotten worse and worse and worse, and it needs to happen.”

Assisted suicide’s eligibility criteria require that people seeking MAID be diagnosed with a “grievous and irremediable medical condition.”

The Liberals recently tabled legislation delaying the expansion of MAID to people with mental illness until 2027. 

True North previously reported that in 2022, 3.5% of recipients (463 people) were granted assisted suicide despite not having a reasonably naturally foreseeable death. This is an increase from 2.2% (223 people) granted it for this circumstance in 2021. The total number of deaths grew 31.2% between 2021 and 2022.

The required 90-day waiting period for individuals with non-terminal illnesses ended for Lana at the beginning of February. She has agreed not to proceed until her 27th birthday at the end of the month at the request of her family.

“I am unbelievably grateful I have this option because there’s one other outcome if MAID weren’t available to me, and that’s for me to take this into my own hands and do this alone, said Lana.

“I never got to go to university, and I would happily keep kicking if I could. Ultimately, if you have unbearable pain that can’t be treated, where do you end up? Here. And I’m at peace with that.”

Jordan Peterson had similar experiences with an unbearable autoimmune disease, leading him to seek medical assistance in Russia and eat a carnivore diet consisting of only meat, salt, and water, which his daughter developed.

Peterson commented on Lana’s story on X.

“Think how much more money there would be if all these pesky sick people went elsewhere! Or died! Or… were killed,” he said.

Canada’s inflation eases to 2.9% in January

By
Isaac Lamoureux
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Data from Statistics Canada has revealed that the country’s annual inflation rate has slowed to 2.9% in January, compared to the same month last year.

This marks a decrease in the pace of inflation since the Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed a 3.4% inflation rate in December 2023. 

The deceleration to 2.9% marks the first time since June 2023 that Canada’s inflation rate has fallen within the Bank of Canada’s inflation-control target range of one to three percent. 

While nine provinces’ CPI decreased between December and January, Alberta was the lone province with faster price growth, primarily due to an increase in electricity prices of 119.9%, up from an increase in December of just 22.9% compared to the previous year.

Saskatchewan had a CPI of 2.7% in December 2023. This decreased to 1.9% in January 2024. 

“In Saskatchewan, the collection of the carbon levy ceased in January 2024, contributing to the province’s year-over-year price decline of natural gas (-26.6%), said the organization. 

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe commented on the decrease in his province.

“The Trudeau carbon tax was over a quarter of the cost of natural gas in SK. If the feds are actually serious about fighting inflation, they would scrap the carbon tax on everyone and everything,” said Moe.

Statistics Canada reported that the largest contributor to the deceleration was lower year-over-year prices for gasoline in January, a decrease of 4%, compared with a 1.4% increase in December. 

Excluding gasoline, Canada’s CPI slowed to 3.2% year-over-year in January, down from 3.5% in December.

Price growth for food purchased from stores slowed in January to an increase of 3.4%, compared with the 4.7% increase in December. Lower prices for airfares and travel tours also contributed to deceleration.

Cellular service prices fell 16.4% in January year-over-year, following a 26.8% decrease in December since the year prior. However, monthly prices rose 6.7% in January compared to December, as prices returned to earlier levels following promotions in November and December.

On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, the CPI fell 0.1% in January, the first decline since May 2020.

Despite the deceleration of inflation, Canadian Taxpayers Federation federal director Franco Terrazzano warns that the numbers show prices are still going up and told True North that Canadians are still struggling.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is making life more expensive, and in less than two months, he will be hiking carbon and alcohol taxes again, said Terrazzano.

“Trudeau isn’t even doing the little things to make life more affordable for taxpayers, like ending the upcoming tax hikes or taking the carbon tax off all farm fuels.”

Liberal MP claims that MAiD has nothing to do with suicide

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis claimed in the House of Commons on Tuesday that MAiD had nothing to do with suicide. 

According to Koutrakis, seeking assisted suicide is not suicidal. 

“I think it’s irresponsible and untrue honestly to claim that MAID has anything to do with suicide. The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of all Canadians to have access to critical mental health resources and suicide prevention services,” said Koutrakis. 

“I am a member of the special MAID committee and not one witness that I heard when I was there said that this is suicidal.” 


Koutrakis made the comments when asked by Conservative MP Garnett Genuis how the Liberal government intends to exclude mentally ill people who are suicidal from accessing assisted suicide. 

However, Koutrakis’s stance stands in stark contrast to the prevailing discourse and historical context surrounding assisted suicide. 

While she attempts to dissociate assisted suicide from ordinary suicide, the very essence of the practice revolves around the deliberate choice to end one’s life with medical assistance.

Moreover, Koutrakis’s statement disregards the reality that the practice has often been discussed in tandem with suicide, both in public discourse and within legislative frameworks. 

The terminology used in the legislative background of Bill C-14, which governs MAiD, frequently refers to “assisted suicide.” 

Furthermore, Koutrakis’s remarks come at a critical juncture as the federal government grapples with the expansion of the assisted suicide program to include individuals with mental illness. 

The decision to delay this expansion by three years was announced by Health Minister Mark Holland and Justice Minister Arif Virani.

“We agree with the conclusion that the committee has come to that the system is, at this time, not ready and more time is required,” said Holland earlier this month. 

Meanwhile, the Conservatives have called on the federal government to scrap the eligibility expansion altogether. 

Liberal minister under fire for showing off Malaysian lobster feast

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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Federal agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay has come under fire for showing off a fancy Malaysian lobster feast on social media amid millions of Canadians relying on food banks.

MacAulay is in Malaysia this week to meet with Indo-Pacific officials.

The minister posted a photo of himself on X (formerly Twitter) enjoying a large lobster on Sunday, along with the caption, “Touched down in Malaysia! I’m looking forward to a productive week of meeting with officials, industry leaders, and partners from Canada and the Indo-Pacific to promote our world-class products – like the lobster I enjoyed for lunch in Kuala Lumpur!”

A look at the restaurant’s menu shows a whole “original lobster” costing 220 Malaysian Ringgits, which squares to approximately 62 CAD, while lobster thermidor costs 245 Ringgits, which converts to approximately 69 CAD. A bigger “Jumbo Lobster” is also offered, but the price is not disclosed. 

MacAulay, who will take home an estimated $299,300 salary this year thanks to generous annual pay raises for politicians, was accused of being out of touch.

Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman wrote, “Minister eating (lobster) in the Malaysian (sun) on your dime and posts about it to make sure you see how tone-deaf he is.” Former Conservative leader Andrew Scheer said, “Trudeau Liberals don’t need to worry about their carbon tax driving up grocery prices. Not when they get Lobster in Kuala Lumpur. They force you to pay more, but they don’t feel the pain. Unless they run out of garlic butter.”

Several other Conservative MPs also called out MacAulay, including Lethbridge MP Rachael Thomas, who wrote, ​​”OUT. OF. TOUCH. Every month, more than 2 million Canadians are lining up at food banks & this Liberal minister thought it would be a good idea to boast about his lobster feast.” Calgary Nose Hill MP Michelle Rempel Garner said, “Lawrence. Just….no, buddy. This is a no. A sun soaked lobster junket when people can’t afford food? Just….no.”

Canadian Taxpayers Federation federal director Franco Terrazzano wrote, “You ever get the feeling our politicians have no idea how tough times are for so many Canadians? Or maybe they don’t really care?.” He added “anyways, keep your receipts.” 

Peter McCaffrey of the Alberta Institute noted that “the problem here isn’t someone going on a trip and having a nice meal… The problem is a politician who votes for laws that make it harder for Canadians to do this publicly enjoying the things he’s taken away from others.” Former Conservative national campaign manager Fred DeLorey said “the Liberals have just given up. Enjoy your taxpayer-funded international trips and luxury meals while ya can, I guess.”

Other Canadians also called out MacAulay. “Can you be any more tone-deaf? Millions of Canadians are relying on food banks as your scandal plagued govt insists on hiking the carbon tax yet again,” wrote one X user. “At some point, we must conclude that this is simply intended to mock and humiliate overtaxed and overburdened Canadians,” wrote another. 

As previously reported by True North, food banks across Canada are facing unprecedented demand, with almost two million Canadians now relying on them. 

Despite that, several of MacAulay’s Liberal colleagues came to his defence.

Kings—Hants Liberal MP Kody Blois shared a picture of himself enjoying a lobster meal in solidarity with MacAulay and took a swipe at Lantsman, writing, “Take a step out of the GTA and understand the importance of our seafood industry to Atlantic Canada (MacAulay) is abroad promoting a product that sustains jobs & livelihoods in our region, like Hall’s Harbour Lobster. Do jobs in our region not matter?”

Sydney—Victoria Liberal MP Jaime Battiste wrote, “Imagine the absurdity of criticizing an Atlantic Canadian Minister for promoting the world-class products produced in his own region. The Atlantic Canadian fishery is essential to our economy, and we’ll continue to promote it at home and abroad.”

Don Valley West Liberal MP Rob Oliphant meanwhile shared a photo of a chicken noodle soup he made along with the caption “Simple pleasures.” However, many Canadians were quick to point out that he was using a gas stove – a popular upscale appliance that left-wing politicians across North America are trying to ban.


Not the first “Lobster Gate” controversy: 

This is not the first time that Liberal ministers have come under fire for sharing lobster feasts on social media. 

Small business minister Rechie Valdez came under fire last summer after showing off a meal of lobster and oysters during a Liberal cabinet retreat in Prince Edward Island in an influencer-style video. 

The video was part of her “Foodie Friday” series, in which she visits local restaurants and tries their food.


Treasury Board Minister Anita Anand meanwhile faced criticism for a photo-op in front of a food bank.

MacAulay’s office did not return True North’s request for comment in time for publication.

Toronto cancelled Fort York grant over bogus “anti-colonial review”

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

It’s been nearly two years since the City of Toronto abruptly defunded a historic re-enactment at Fort York on vague decolonization claims and city officials have yet to provide any evidence of how the program violated reconciliation policies. 

Toronto’s inexplicable axing of Friends of Fort York by city officials who bill themselves as leaders of “inclusivity” comes as the city attempts to erase other elements of Canada’s colonial history, often based on false historical assumptions. 

For years, Fort York, a national historic site, would hire nearly two dozen high school and university students to don historical military uniforms for re-enactments using the $10,000 in funding provided by the city. 

New documents obtained via a freedom of information request show that City of Toronto officials had little evidence to support their suspicion that the Friends of Fort York had run afoul of reconciliation and inclusivity policies. 

Internal communications and emails indicate city officials were scrambling to patch together a flimsy narrative to justify their actions after abruptly ending the relationship before Friends of Fort York were informed that an internal “review of values” even began. 

The question remains: why was Fort York defunded? 

Fort York was built as a defensive structure to ward off American invaders who threatened to colonize the area where Toronto is now situated. Fort York housed British Upper Canadian and First Nations soldiers who stood together against American forces in the War of 1812.

The fort played virtually no role in expanding colonial holdings but rather ensured that Toronto would not become an American outpost – an outcome many First Nations warriors were willing to risk their lives to prevent from becoming reality. 

Additionally, it was the Ojibwe who joined the British in their war against the Americans and as historians have noted, the First Nation itself were colonizers originating from the Atlantic Coast and forcing the original inhabitants of the Great Lakes region to flee westward towards Manitoba.  

This history didn’t stop the City of Toronto’s general manager of economic development and culture, Cheryl Blackman, from axing the annual grant on vague decolonization grounds.

Blackman, whose pronouns are “she/her” has a “history of creating inclusive experiences” according to her LinkedIn profile. 

“What we’re talking about is colonial narratives, and to have colonial narratives that only speak to the experiences of one community, that is actually an oversight,” Blackman told the Globe and Mail in August 2022. 

The city originally claimed it was conducting a review of values that “may take several months.” In reality, Blackman cut the grant even before Friends of Fort York was informed such a review was taking place. 

As of 2024, there has been no news about the results of the review. 

In a written statement, a City of Toronto spokesperson told True North that it was currently discussing “alignment in any future collaboration” with the organization. 

“Toronto History Museums, which includes Fort York, continues to be part of a global movement that sees museums spaces around the world committing to dismantling museums’ ongoing colonial legacies and working towards fostering reconciliation and healing through broader perspectives and wider storytelling,” said the spokesperson.

“In late 2022, when the review was started, Friends of Fort York were invited to participate and eventually chose to contribute. The City remains committed to ongoing discussions with the Friends of Fort York on the results of the review and to discuss alignment in any future collaboration.”

No concrete reasons were given to Friends of Fort York concerning the grant’s cancellation. Additionally, one memo shows that the organization was not even asked to sign the City’s Declaration of Non-Discrimination Policy, which would have required it to align with the city’s values on reconciliation and decolonization. 

If the city had concerns that the organization was violating those values, a simple remedy would be to require the Friends of Fort York to oblige it would maintain Toronto’s policies in its conduct. As far as internal documents show, no such action was taken. 

Blackman’s cancellation of Fort York’s grant came as a surprise to the organization’s chairman Don Cranston, who asked the city why they had not received their usual funding. Although Blackman had already made the unilateral decision to axe the program, in an Apr. 4, 2022 email, City of Toronto communications manager Eric Holmes told Toronto’s supervisor of cultural assets Jo Ann Pynn to fend off Cranston and “buy some time.”

“This is new territory for me. When you say ‘general approach rather than full communications strategy.’ I’m not really sure what that means. I trust it is a simpler thing to prepare,” Pynn wrote to Holmes.

“Regarding Don, my suggestion is you reply as you’ve said but slightly more generally (to buy some time),” responded Holmes. 

The reply he crafted was as follows: “We are currently reviewing the program for 2022 and will be in touch soon with more information.” 

Yet earlier in the day, Pynn wrote to Holmes informing him that “Cheryl (Blackman) has decided that the 2022 Summer Guard youth employment program will not proceed.” No reason was provided. 

As questions began to mount about the grant’s cancellation, city officials were scrambling internally to come up with a coherent explanation. 

A day later on Apr. 5, 2022, Pynn revealed that the team handling the case expressed concerns that they didn’t give Friends of Fort York any chance to align with the city’s expectations. 

“If the reason is that (the group’s) values are not aligned with City values, Eric is concerned that we haven’t begun the work with them to give them a chance to move into alignment. That doesn’t mean that cannot be the City’s position, it just means that we’ll need a robust case supporting why we haven’t given them the chance to work with us before cancelling the guard,” wrote Pynn. 

Indeed the murky reasons to cancel the grant were hard to articulate and made little sense, least of all to Friends of Fort York stakeholder Scott Woodland, who wrote to Mayor John Tory on June 6 demanding an explanation. 

Woodland addressed a letter where staff said that the decision was part of a broader effort “to better understand its relationship with local community organizations, including with Friends of Fort York.” He further asked whether other activities were paused. 

“If this is the case, for the process to be fair and thorough, has the City established a formal review process that can be applied equally to all local community organizations?” Woodland wrote. 

Woodland raised a fair point, addressing the heart of the matter: was Friends of Fort York being individually targeted? 

“If the City has established a formal review process for local community organizations, why could it not be applied to the review of the Friends of Fort York,” asked Woodland.

The City of Toronto has provided few answers to these questions but the city’s leadership has a history of targeting Canadian history, particularly its British heritage, on spurious grounds. 

A recent instance is the Toronto City Council’s vote to rename Yonge-Dundas Square to “Sankofa Square” because of Henry Dundas’ supposed relationship to slavery.

Despite opposition from historians and descendants of Dundas who assert that Dundas was an abolitionist, the city decided to rename the square after an African tribe that, as True North reported, engaged in slavery.

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