Despite facing pushback from left-leaning critics, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has stood firm in her support for a ban on gender reassignment surgeries and hormone therapies for minors. In an exclusive interview, True North’s Andrew Lawton delved into the nuances of these policies with Smith, also examining the overall dynamic between Alberta and the federal government.
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The federal government is now spending hundreds of millions of dollars to house asylum seekers and migrants entering Canada at record levels. The Trudeau government has already been doing this for years and using your money to house migrants in hotel rooms. But the government has no plans to curb their entry into Canada and enforce our immigration laws.
The first responsibility of a government is to look out for the needs of their own people, not asylum seekers from other countries. Canadians are continuing to struggle just to make ends meet. Home ownership is out of sight for most in this country and just paying for food is a struggle for many. So instead of burning your money on housing asylum seekers and migrants, why don’t they put a stop to this?
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A Washington, D.C. jury has found that conservative writers Mark Steyn and Rand Simberg defamed climate scientist Michael Mann.
The jury deliberated for close to a full day before reaching its decision.
At issue were two blog posts, one by Steyn and one by Simberg, comparing the investigation into alleged academic misconduct by Mann, then a Penn State professor, to Penn State’s handling of Jerry Sandusky, the school’s former head of athletics who raped and molested children.
“If an institution is prepared to cover up systemic statutory rape of minors, what won’t it cover up?” Steyn wrote in his post, which quoted Simberg’s.
The jury awarded Mann $1 in compensatory damages from each plaintiff. It also awarded $1,000 in punitive damages from Simberg and $1 million from Steyn.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Steyn said the $1 damages award proves the jury found Mann didn’t suffer any losses.
“We always said that Mann never suffered any actual injury from the statement at issue. And today, after twelve years, the jury awarded him one dollar in compensatory damages,” said Steyn’s manager, Melissa Howes. “The punitive damage award of one million dollars will have to face due process scrutiny under U.S. Supreme Court precedent.”
The U.S. Supreme Court has indicated that punitive damages awards 10 times greater than compensatory damages awards are generally unconstitutional.
The jury found that the statements at issue were defamatory and published with reckless disregard for the truth. They also found that Mann suffered actual injury from the statements’ publication.
Mann sued Steyn and Simberg, along with their respective publishers National Review and the Competitive Enterprise Group in 2012, claiming the posts damaged his reputation as a climate scientist.
In a trial that stretched on for three-and-a-half weeks, Mann claimed he felt like a pariah in his community, noting he once received a dirty look from someone in a grocery store. He said he lost significant grant funding after the blog posts were published, but was not able to produce any evidence linking this to the posts.
Steyn and Simberg argued that Mann’s stature, earnings and reputation have only improved since 2012, meaning that even if he had been defamed, he had suffered no damages, which the plaintiff in a defamation suit must prove.
National Review and Competitive Enterprise Group argued before court that as publishers they weren’t liable for the posts. A judge removed them from the case in 2021, leaving Steyn and Simberg as the two defendants.
Steyn and Simberg stood by the truth of their posts, claiming they didn’t liken Mann to a child molester but rather said he was a beneficiary of the same corrupt system at Penn State that covered up Jerry Sandusky’s crimes against children.
More to come
Bell Media’s parent company is slashing 9% of its workforce, placing much of the blame on a recent decision by the tribunal that regulates and supervises broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada.
The cuts have resulted in Bell Media terminating multiple television newscasts, other programming cuts, and the sale of 45 of its 103 regional radio stations. A total of 4,800 employees will be affected.
The company also announced plans to close 107 The Source stores while starting a partnership with Best Buy Canada to operate the remaining stores, rebranded as Best Buy Express.
Mirko Bibic, President and CEO of Bell Canada Enterprises, wrote an open letter to Bell employees.
“We continue to face a difficult economy and government and regulatory decisions that undermine investment in our networks, fail to support our business in a time of crisis, and fail to level the playing field with global tech giants,” he said. “Of particular concern is a recent decision by the CRTC forcing Bell to provide third party resellers access to our high-speed fibre network before we have even had an opportunity to recoup our multi-billion dollar investment.”
Bibic added that Bell continues to incur $40 million in annual operating losses despite having the most-watched network of local TV stations. He added that Bell’s transformation requires it to move away from highly regulated areas where demand and revenue are declining.
The Montreal-based telecom behemoth reported a 23% decline in fourth-quarter profits, which fell to $435 million. Despite the downturn, the company aims to achieve savings between $150 million to $200 million in 2024 through these restructuring measures.
Bell is also reportedly raising its wireless phone plan prices in February, as previously reported by True North.
On Nov. 6, 2023, Bell announced a planned network investment reduction of over $1 billion in 2024-25, including a minimum of $500 to $600 million as a direct result of the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission’s decision.
“CRTC decision leaves access to high-speed fibre Internet at risk for millions of Canadians in rural, suburban, and urban communities,” wrote the BCE in a press release.
Prior to the CRTC’s decision, Bell had planned to build high-speed fibre internet at a total of nine million locations, an increase from their over seven million homes and businesses at the time. The decision caused them to reconsider pending builds where it had planned to expand and reduce its 2025 built target from nine million to 8.3 million locations.
“Rolling back fibre network expansion is a direct result of the CRTC’s decision,” said the organization. Bell added that the decision disproportionately affected Western Canada negatively.
“By encouraging investment, the federal government could provide more households and businesses of all sizes access to high-speed Internet services and address placed-based disparities that currently exist in the country.”
Like all Canadians, the CRTC is concerned about job losses, said the commission in an email to True North.
“The CRTC does not determine how private companies allocate their profits,” said the CRTC in its statement. “We hold public proceedings and make decisions based on broad public records. We will continue to fulfill our mandate to Canadians.”
Bell has appealed to the federal government to reverse the CRTC’s Nov. 6 decision last week, which forces the company to offer its Ontario and Quebec fibre networks to competitors at regulated rates. Additionally, Bell asked the Federal Court for leave to appeal the decision. The case remains unsolved.
Robert Malcolmson, chief legal and regulatory officer, said the rates set by the CRTC don’t reflect the true cost of building a brand new network or the risk associated with building a network and subsequently attracting customers to it, according to The Globe and Mail.
He added that the decision “disproportionately affects Bell” and could result in competitors, such as Rogers and Telus, riding on Bell’s infrastructure instead of building out their own networks.
Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi said he expected 2024 to be a restructuring year not only for Bell but also for Telus, which will report its results on Friday, given heightened competition in the sector.
“Rogers has been undergoing its own cost-cutting drive within its Shaw acquisition game plan,” Yaghi wrote in a note to clients.
Last week, Rogers reported higher revenue but a drop in profits because its $20 billion takeover of Shaw increased costs while boosting its customer base.
After nearly two dozen overdoses in less than 48 hours, an eastern Ontario city is declaring a state of emergency.
Bellville, Ont. has made the declaration following a surge in overdoses, including 14 in a two hour period on Tuesday afternoon.
This follows a warning issued by the city’s police force urging the public to avoid unnecessary travel to the downtown area and to exercise caution, after reports of “a significant number of overdoses.”
Police urged residents to avoid areas where emergency personnel were actively engaged and for motorists to ensure traffic lanes remained clear for emergency vehicles.
Emergency responders were called to five overdoses from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Jan. 31.
Police Chief Mike Callaghan warned in November of the local opioid crisis, as Hastings-Quinte paramedics responded to 90 drug poisoning calls in one week.
“If we don’t do something about it now, people are going to die,” he said.“Sometimes, we’re having several overdoses at exactly the same time.”
Maureen Hyland of Hastings Prince Edward Public Health told True North in an email the contaminated drug supply is responsible for increases in drug poisonings.
She said community partners are working to finalize a Community Drug Strategy that will be implemented over the next three to five years.
“This strategy aims to identify and implement collaborative solutions for the most pressing issues related to unregulated substances within our community,” Hyland said.
Jeff Iscan, 67, has worked in security in downtown Belleville for three years and thinks there needs to be more police action downtown.
“It’s not very safe at all. It’s just too easy for drug users, with too many resources, free stuff and handouts. Catch and release is also a problem,” Iscan said.
Iscan thinks fewer incentives for homeless people to come to Belleville and more punishments for drug dealers are what the city needs to tackle the drug use problem in the city.
“I think they need undercover police walking around getting involved, buying drugs off them
and busting them,” he said. “There are too many handouts. People are coming here because they know they can get meals three times a day. They can go to the church and get handouts.”
Iscan is currently on leave from the job due to medical reasons.
“As a security, I don’t have any authority. I had a difficult time chasing them out of the restrooms and bus terminals, and I was even assaulted in one of the bus terminals by a homeless person,” Iscan said.
He recalled times he called the police after encountering trespassers. The police took about 30 minutes to arrive on the scene, which, according to Iscan, is just “not quick enough.”
Public health officials say those who use drugs should not do so alone and not mix drugs. They also recommend having at least one naloxone kit nearby.
Anyone who is using drugs alone can also call the National Overdose Response Service at 1-888-688-6677, and someone will stay on the line with them.
Alberta drivers are bracing themselves for potentially higher auto insurance premiums as new data show the province has some of the highest premiums and costs in the country.
According to a recent report from the General Insurance Statistical Agency, Alberta stands out with the highest proportion of legal costs in Canada, comprising a staggering 20% of the mandatory auto insurance premiums paid by drivers.
This figure is double that of Ontario and more than triple that of some Atlantic provinces.
The report, released Wednesday, depicts a concerning landscape where Alberta’s auto insurance system grapples with soaring legal and repair expenses.
Alarmingly, Alberta ranks second-highest in spending per claim on vehicle repairs and also faces the second-highest frequency of vehicle thefts nationwide.
“Alberta’s insurers are keen to work urgently with the government to tackle the cost pressures facing premiums and find ways to improve the affordability of auto insurance for drivers,” Insurance Bureau of Canada vice-president Aaron Sutherland said in a press release.
“Unfortunately, the action taken to date – including Alberta’s rate cap for good drivers – does not address the costs underlying drivers’ coverage and will do little to improve the price drivers are paying moving forward.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance said the Alberta government is looking for “long-term solutions” to the problem.
“The government is exploring all options to make auto insurance more affordable in Alberta and are considering all recommendations from Albertans and insurance experts,” said spokesperson Savannah Johannsen.
“We have commissioned an external consultant to conduct an in-depth analysis to inform long-term reforms. The insurance models of other jurisdictions – both within Canada and abroad are also being analyzed. The results of the analysis will help inform the government’s decision in implementing sustainable, long-term solutions to address auto insurance affordability in Alberta.”
The implications of the report’s findings extend beyond mere statistics. High legal costs, coupled with escalating repair expenses, are placing significant upward pressure on auto insurance rates in Alberta, already among the highest in the country.
Adding to the financial strain are rising healthcare levies, cash settlements for minor injuries, and bodily injury costs.
Without decisive action from the provincial government to address these concerning trends, drivers in Alberta could soon find themselves burdened with even higher auto insurance premiums coming.
Failure to act swiftly could exacerbate financial hardships for motorists and undermine the stability of the province’s insurance market, said the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada is urging the provincial government to reform the insurance system and change its provincial insurance grid. Additionally, they are calling for the government to abandon the insurance premium tax and health levy.
Financial bonuses were given out to federal health executives who worked on the ArriveCAN app to the tune of more than $340,000, according to new data from the government.
The bonuses were for “performance” on the failed app, and also included “at-risk” pay.
Eight Public Health Agency of Canada executives were assigned to work on the ArriveCAN app from March to September 2022, government data reveal. The information came in response to an order paper question from Conservative MP Jeremy Patzer and was first reported by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
“The government executives involved with ArriveCAN should be getting pink slips, not bonuses,” said CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano. “This is the ultimate example of failing government executives being rewarded with taxpayer-funded bonuses.”
Of the eight executives, five received an “at-risk” bonus and four received a “performance bonus” for the 2020-21 year.
The next year, six of the eight executives received an “at-risk” bonus and two received a “performance bonus.”
“It is not possible to discern what part of the bonus … would have been attributed to (work on) the ArriveCAN application,” read the documents.
The combined bonuses amounted to $342,929 for eight people between the 2020-22 fiscal years for an app that was riddled with problems and cost overruns.
The app was rife with technical glitches and faced a massive backlash over privacy concerns and its purpose of forcing Canadians into quarantine, including senior citizens who did not know how to use the app.
It also contributed to the Canadian tourism industry losing billions of dollars.
“It doesn’t matter how good any of my other work is, if I blew a project so badly that it cost my company $54 million and became a national scandal, there’s no way I’d be getting a bonus,” said Terrazzano.
There were additional employees from the Canada Border Services Agency assigned to work on the app, however the records released did not provide information regarding potential bonuses they may have received as well.
Canadians were initially told that the app would cost $80,000 in 2020, however it ultimately came with a $54 million price tag, leading to a parliamentary committee to investigate how this scandal came to be.
The CTF testified before the committee last October.
“Taxpayers are out of $54 million because of the ArriveCAN app,” Terrazzano told the committee. “Which bureaucrat is out of a job? Which bureaucrat is even out of a bonus?”
The app was so easy to make, that a Toronto-bass app developer, Lazer Technologies, recreated it over a period of two days and then even posted the code it used to clone it online.
“The true cost to implement this shouldn’t have been this high — it should have been more efficient,” wrote Lazer Technologies co-founder Zain Manji in a blog post.
While the tech company acknowledged that it’s easier to recreate an app compared to building one from scratch, it still said that the cost of ArriveCan shouldn’t have exceeded $250,000.
The $54 million dollar price tag was more likely tied to the three-quarters of subcontractors involved, who were paid without actually working on the project.
Among those subcontractors included was the Ottawa-based two-person staffing firm GC Strategies, who received $11 million from taxpayers for IT work it never did.
Canada’s Auditor General will publish a report on the ArriveCAN app by Feb. 12, 2024.
New Democrat member of Parliament Charlie Angus has tabled a bill that could throw people who promote oil and gas in Canada into jail for up to two years. He said advertising from the energy sector should be treated like tobacco advertising because of the climate crisis. True North’s Andrew Lawton weighs in and discusses with Michael Binnion of the Modern Miracle Network.
Also, Justin Trudeau says Pierre Poilievre wants to “make Canada great again.” He meant it as an insult, but polling suggests he might be right.
Plus, the final instalment of our Unjust Transition series, featuring Bryan Gould of Aspenleaf Energy.
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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed that he does not support the use of puberty blocking hormones for minors under the age of 18.
Plus, a private members bill proposed by NDP MP Charlie Angus would see people who promote the oil and gas industry thrown in jail or receive hefty fines.
And two members of the so-called “Coutts Four” were released from jail with time served after accepting a plea deal.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Noah Jarvis!
The Canadian government’s housing target for 2030 is based on outdated and inaccurate population projections, according to a new report by CIBC.
The CIBC Capital Markets report, published Wednesday, reveals that the actual population of Canada is much higher than expected, mainly due to the influx of new permanent residents who have a higher demand for housing than the average.
CIBC estimates that the actual housing demand by 2030 will be at least five million units and not the 3.5 million projected by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
This means that the current housing supply is insufficient to meet the needs of a growing and diverse population, and the affordability crisis for home buyers and renters is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.
Although the federal government has announced a cap on incoming international students, it’s very unlikely that it will address the issue at hand. Internal federal documents show that bureaucrats warned the government that its record immigration targets would strain the housing supply. The Liberal government has set a target of allowing 500,000 new immigrants to Canada per year.
The report cites data from Statistics Canada and the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, which projected that the Canadian population would reach 38.7 million by 2020. However, this was a significant underestimation.
In reality, there were 1.4 million more people than expected. Non-permanent residents accounted for more than 90% of that gap. And the gap has only widened since then.
The latest population projection from Statistics Canada, released in August 2022, was already 700,000 lower than the current population as of the end of Q2 2023.
The agency’s medium population forecast for 2030 was 42.8 million, while its high growth scenario was 44.15 million. Based on current trends, both scenarios are likely to fall short of reality by the end of the decade.
This means that the federal government’s target of building 3.5 million new housing units by 2030 is inadequate to address the housing shortage.
As per Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation data, there were only 240,267 housing starts in Canada last year.
The report also warns that the Canadian housing market is facing a severe downturn in 2024 due to high-interest rates, weak economic growth, and tight supply. Home sales and prices are expected to decline in the first half of the year, before recovering gradually in the second half as interest rates drop and pent-up demand returns.
However, this rebound will not be enough to improve affordability conditions, especially for first-time buyers who face high borrowing costs and poor availability of suitable housing options. The report says that it will take bigger rate cuts or deeper price drops to make a meaningful difference for buyers in expensive markets such as Vancouver and Toronto.
