A residential neighbourhood in Surrey, B.C., became the scene of gunfire as shots were fired at a home with a child inside in the 2800 block of 154 St. on Thursday, according to the Surrey RCMP.
The incident occurred at 1:21 a.m. and is believed to be an isolated occurrence with no reported injuries.
However, the situation took a troubling turn as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the spokesman for the advocacy group Sikhs For Justice, claimed that the targeted residence belonged to a member of the Sikh independence movement.
Pannun alleges that the individual targeted is an associate of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed in a shooting last June, sparking a diplomatic dispute between Canada and India.
The shooting has raised concerns within Sikh communities across Canada, as Pannun suggests a pattern of India allegedly targeting members of the Khalistani independence movement.
The frustration stems from what is perceived as a lack of proactive measures by Canadian authorities to warn individuals associated with the movement about potential risks.
Pannun told the Canadian Press that Sikh Canadians are forced to take the safety of their communities “upon themselves” due to a lack of action from authorities.
The killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year has heightened tensions within the Sikh community, leading to suspicions that the recent gunfire incident may be part of a broader campaign targeting Sikh activists.
The call for greater vigilance and action from Canadian authorities is becoming more pronounced as community members fear for their safety.
Surrey RCMP reassured the public that the shooting is being treated as an isolated incident, but the ongoing tensions and recent history suggest a deeper concern within the Sikh community regarding potential threats from abroad.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ejected an Indian diplomat from Canada last year after announcing that an investigation was underway into the Indian government’s role in the June shooting of Nijjar.
It’s the premiere episode of Off the Record! It’s Friday, so grab a drink, sit back and tune into True North’s newest show.
Off the Record features a casual sit-down (which is completely off the record!) with True North founder Candice Malcolm and other True North personalities. We weigh in on the top stories of the week and laugh at the left’s latest shenanigans.
This week, the left is having a complete meltdown over Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s parental rights policy. Who knew prohibiting children from receiving life-altering gender reassignment surgery and from taking puberty blockers would amount to a Trudeau cabinet minister claiming that this is their “NATO moment?”
And a real life rendition of the movie Lady Ballers took place in Toronto as five men pretended to be women to participate in a college volleyball contest. No surprises here — they dominated the female competition!
Plus, move over Drake – there’s a new rapper in town…Ben Shapiro? That’s right, the well-known American conservative pundit has topped the billboards for number one rap song.
These stories and more on the premiere episode of Off the Record with Candice Malcolm, Andrew Lawton and Harrison Faulkner. And remember – everything you hear on this episode is off the record!
Fewer crimes are being solvedand criminal trials are taking longer than ever before as Canada’s justice system struggles to keep up with growing crime rates, a new report finds.
The Canadian justice system appears to be performing much worse today than it was five years ago, according to the latest Justice Report Card released by Ottawa think tank the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
The report found that Canada’s Violent Crime Severity was at its highest point since 2007, rising by 6% in 2021 and 5% in 2022.
“From 2018-2022, the national homicide rate increased every year, including by 8% from 2021 to 2022; the current homicide rate is the highest it has been in thirty years, and the police-reported rate for sexual assault is at its highest level since 1995,” explained researchers.
The report card grades the nation and then breaks down an evaluation of each province and territory.
“Each level of government bears a portion of the costs of criminality and each level of government therefore has an interest in its suppression,” the report explained.
The report detailed that certain provinces made considerable changes in their ranking from the previous 2017 Justice Report Card, like Alberta, which increased its overall ranking dramatically, while Ontario saw a major decline in 2023.
Territories have consistently ranked low due to their high rates of crime per capita, which far exceed the figures of any province. Nunavut and the Northwest Territories had a violent crime rate that was over 12 times higher than in Ontario.
Saskatchewan and Manitoba had the highest violent crime rate among the provinces and Ontario had the lowest.
The last Justice Report Card was released in 2017, giving the institute five years of data to review. The areas of focus are broken down into core objective metrics of public safety, support for victims, cost and resources, fairness and access to justice and efficiency on a per 100,000 population basis.
While the violent crime rate has increased dramatically, areas of public safety improvement were found in the “administration of justice offences,” such as cases that involve breach of probation and those “unlawfully at large.” Those areas have all seen a substantial rate drop from 2018 to 2021.
When reviewing the system’s support for victims, the institute examines the proportion of offenders given restitution orders, Canadians’ perception of police being approachable and how many people used victim service agencies.
Restitution orders per 1,000 guilty offences were not found to be common, and remained below 2.6%. They were particularly low in provinces like Quebec, Manitoba and New Brunswick, with Ontario showing a decline as well.
Data on people who sought aid from victims services agencies has increased steadily over the last five years.
In the area of cost and resources the data revealed a mixed messaging. On the one hand, police per 100,000 has declined since 2017 and the cost of corrections per capita remained flat.
The average daily cost of an inmate has risen however, as has the cost of public safety per person. These costs have increased at a time when Canada’s incarceration rate per 100,000 adults has been in decline since 2018.
“The proportion of Canadians who express confidence in the fairness of the criminal justice system is troublingly low,” reads the report. “In 2022, only 62% of Canadians expressed confidence in the police, with only 46% expressing confidence in the justice system more broadly”
“Arguably the biggest issue with fairness in Canada’s criminal justice system is the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in incarceration. Since 1995, the Criminal Code of Canada has required courts to consider all available sanctions other than imprisonment, especially when it comes to Indigenous offenders.”
The Supreme Court of Canada mandated that lower courts “must take judicial notice” of various factors when sentencing Indigenous offenders in 2012, including “the history of colonialism, displacement, and residential schools.”
Despite these distinctions, the proportion of Indigenous people incarcerated remains extremely high, “especially in Ontario and the four Western provinces.”
Canada’s justice system scored the worst in the area of efficiency, especially when compared to previous report cards.
“The percentage of cases stayed or withdrawn increased in every single province and territory since 2017, as has the median criminal case length,” reads the report.
Additionally, crimes are being solved at a much lower rate in 2023, with more and more cases being stayed or withdrawn.
When criminal cases do make it to trial, they also take much longer to be resolved.
“Our criminal justice system has unquestionably become less efficient over the last five years, despite the introduction of measures designed to enhance the expedient dispensation of justice.”
“For the most part, the story is not a positive one. On all five of the broad criminal justice objectives, the system is not performing as most would hope, and the situation appears to be deteriorating,” concluded the report.
Several LGBT Albertans are speaking out in favour of Premier Danielle Smith’s new gender and parental rights policies, praising her compassionate approach.
Smith announced on Wednesday a ban on gender reassignment surgeries for minors, a ban on puberty blockers and cross sex hormones for children under 16, and a requirement for parental notification and consent before a student under 16 can change his or her name or pronoun at school. Smith also implemented a requirement that teachers inform parents before a lesson on sexuality or gender takes place, as well as a ban on biological males participating in women’s sports.
In the same announcement, Smith said Alberta would expand treatment options for transgender adults, including in-province surgical care and aftercare, a new counseling pilot project, and a buildout in co-ed sports.
Gender identity can be a hard thing to talk about, especially when you are involved. But this conversation is extremely important and parental involvement is critical. Kids need to know we love and support them. My message to all Albertans: pic.twitter.com/i0ii57GLa6
True North spoke to several LGBT Albertans about Smith’s new policies.
“A good middle ground”
“I’m supportive,” said Tiffany Gillis, a trans woman from Calgary. “I think it’s a good middle ground of doing something that protects kids from making decisions they can’t go back on, and also still respecting the rights of trans adults.”
Gillis, who is a parent, also supports the parental notification policy.
“I have a responsibility as a parent to be there for (my kids) and support them, and I can’t really fulfill that responsibility if I don’t also have the right to know what’s going on with them at school,” she said.
“We do need protections”
“I’m very glad that the government is going through with it,” said Lois Cardinal, who believes Smith’s policy is “a step forward to building bridges and actually dealing with issues within the community.”
Cardinal is an Indigenous male-to-female transsexual who now regrets getting bottom surgery as it sterilized her. She previously made headlines for seeking doctor-assisted suicide as a remedy for her pain, a request which was denied.
Cardinal now wants to make sure the system won’t fail people the way it failed her, and believes Smith’s plan will play a role in that. “We do need protections.”
Cardinal is very pleased with Smith’s plan to bring in better healthcare for trans adults, something she feels will benefit her personally. “(Smith) wants to bring in a specialist in aftercare and transition, and that’s exactly what I need – aftercare,” she said.
“A very strong personal investment in these issues”
Smith’s policies are also being applauded by gay and lesbian Albertans, who worry that some gender non-conforming gay teens are being convinced to transition – a concern shared by some medical professionals.
“I was a very, very feminine child, I remember running around telling people, ‘I’m supposed to be a girl’” said Alberta gay advocate James Decker. “But then I grew up, I grew out of it, and it was fine.”
Decker’s concerns were echoed by Calgary-based lesbian writer Eva Kurilova.
“I’m a very gender non-conforming person, and I was that way as a child… I was a tomboy,” she said. “I really really worry and fear that if I was a child today, I would be a prime candidate for transition, for teachers and counsellors and doctors to tell me, ‘you know you can be a boy.’
“That’s kind of why I have a very strong personal investment in these issues, and why I want to help protect kids.”
Cardinal, Decker, Gillis and Kurilova were all invited to meet with Smith for consultations on the policies before they were announced.
“We really felt like she was listening, she was taking notes, she was asking questions, she clearly knew what was going on, and she was really curious to get our input, she had a very open-mind,” said Kurilova.
“I don’t know if she hit the balance”
Blaine Badiuk, a trans woman and United Conservative Party member, told True North she had mixed feelings about the announcement.
“I think Smith tried to get a balance. I don’t know if she hit the balance, but I do believe she genuinely tried.”
While Badiuk supports banning irreversible gender reassignment surgeries for minors, she has questions about restricting puberty blockers and hormones for trans-identifying males under 16, given that puberty will make these individuals physically masculine.
“We know that a teenage trans girl going through a full male puberty is extremely challenging, and later on, it creates situations where you need to have even more surgeries and more medical interventions to pass and integrate into society.”
Gillis said these concerns must also be weighed against regret some trans people experience when they do take these treatments.
“If you could absolutely guarantee that this particular 13-year-old who’s identifying as trans is now going to grow up to actually be trans, it would be beneficial for them to start treatment earlier,” she said. “But I think that adolescents don’t always know who they’re going to be when they grow up.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can’t say exactly what the federal government will do in response to the Alberta government’s parental rights policy. pic.twitter.com/E1fgaeCh8y
For others, Smith’s policy does not go far enough. Chanel Pfahl, a former Ontario teacher who once described herself as a “centrist lesbian,” said that while she appreciates Smith’s move, she isn’t fond of her seeking to find a “middle ground” with what she sees as a gender ideology “cult.”
“‘Gender identity’ is not a real thing. It is a made-up term for something that does not exist,” she said on X (formerly Twitter). “‘Biological sex’ cannot be ‘altered,’ it is an immutable trait.”
Pfahl went on to say “I don’t know how we are to fight this ideology when even our most based politicians refuse to discuss this issue truthfully & without ideology-ridden language.
“The most anti-LGBTQ policies”
NDP and Liberal politicians at both levels of government were quick to criticize Smith. NDP Leader Rachel Notley accused Smith of basing her policy on “misinformation” while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Smith of having introduced “the most anti-LGBTQ policies of anywhere in the country.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Alberta’s parental rights policy is “the most anti-LGBTQ policies of anywhere in the country.” pic.twitter.com/xvFN215stw
Queer activists also shared outrage over the policy, claiming that it is “targeting” LGBT kids. Some even went as far as suggesting that the “long-term goal” of Smith’s policy is the “genocide” of trans people, a claim Decker finds absurd.
“No one’s rights are being taken away,” he said. “We’re just putting in steps to ensure proper care is given and that children are actually cared for.”
Smith, who previously said she has a family member who identifies as “non-binary,” expressed the need to depoliticize trans and gender issues.
“I understand how controversial and divisive discussions on topics of sexuality and gender can be, especially when those conversations involve children,” said Smith. “I would therefore ask that as we work through implementing these policies, that we, as adults in this province, do all we can to depoliticize the discussion and focus on the well-being of the children involved.”
The Liberal government has announced a second pause on expanding assisted suicide to the mentally ill.
And Canada has joined an international organization looking into ways to cut fertilizer emissions worldwide.
Plus, friends and family of Richard Bilkszto have set up a scholarship to honour the late Toronto educator and support new teachers entering the field.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Lindsay Shepherd!
A new Parliamentary Budget Officer report indicates that removing the GST paid on the carbon tax could save taxpayers hundreds of millions annually, highlighting the potential savings of $486 million this year and over $1 billion annually by 2030. Canadian Taxpayers Federation Alberta director Kris Sims joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss the potential economic benefits of eliminating the current tax-on-tax system.
Mandate letters issued to Ontario cabinet ministers can remain confidential and are not subject to freedom of information requests, the Supreme Court has ruled.
The saga goes back to 2018 when a CBC journalist requested access through provincial freedom of information laws to the mandate letters Premier Doug Ford sent to cabinet ministers. Mandate letters are documents outlining ministerial priorities. Some governments opt to release them proactively, but the Ford government did not and fought against disclosure through the freedom of information process.
The Ford government claimed the letters were protected by cabinet confidence as they would reveal the “substance of deliberations.”
CBC appealed the refusal to disclose to the Information and Privacy Commissioner, which rejected the Ontario government’s characterization that the mandate letters were exempt from disclosure.
The decision by the privacy commissioner to order the release of the letters was upheld on judicial review and at the Court of Appeal for Ontario, but these decisions were overturned by Friday’s Supreme Court decision.
The Supreme Court found that mandate letters aren’t simply a list of priorities but touch on matters of substance that are protected by cabinet confidence.
“Far from being mere ‘topics’ like items on an agenda, the Letters reflect the views of the Premier on the importance of certain policy priorities, and mark the initiative of a fluid process of policy formulation within Cabinet,” the decision says.
“The Letters are revealing of the substance of Cabinet deliberations, both on their face and when compared against what government actually does.”
Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley says the Alberta’ government’s proposed policies on gender ideology and parental rights are based on “misinformation.”
Premier Danielle Smith announced a suite of policies Wednesday, which supporters say represent a thoughtful and necessary approach to preserving children’s rights while addressing concerns about irreversible decisions related to biological sex.
Bell: Danielle Smith ready, willing to duke it out on parental rights, via @calgaryherald
In a statement Monday, Notley contended that Smith’s policies go even further than those currently present in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan as she claims they affect the entire 2SLGBTQ+ community and any child benefiting from sex education.
In a video, Smith unveiled a series of policy changes covering youth privacy in schools, sex education, sports, and access to health care. The notable changes include restrictions on hormonal treatment, puberty blockers, and gender-affirming surgery for children under 17.
“While we anticipated policies and guidelines similar to those in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, Danielle Smith went well beyond those initiatives, expanding her attack to include the whole 2SLGBTQ+ community as well as any child at all who benefits from sex education,” said Notley on Thursday.
“Danielle Smith’s policy represents government interference in what should be a collaborative and private decision between parents, their child, and their doctor. Current practice in Alberta is guided by the rules of the Canadian Medical Association and necessarily includes parents.”
“Smith is using this highly sensitive issue and the misinformation surrounding it to distract, to divide and to ask Albertans to look away from the many issues that she and her government are actually failing on.”
Smith defended the changes in a press conference Thursday doubling down on her commitment to protect children.
“We want to make sure that kids know the consequences that it’s going to have on their life and that they’re mature enough to be able to make those decisions and live with the consequences. And they are adult decisions so we want to make sure that certain decisions are made as adults,” said Smith.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith: "We want to make sure that kids know the consequences that it's going to have on their life and that they're mature enough to be able to make those decisions and live with the consequences. And they are adult decisions so we want to make sure that… pic.twitter.com/X02vqDHLMJ
In her initial announcement, Smith justified her policies by expressing apprehensions about irreversible decisions regarding biological sex for youth.
She said that allowing permanent alterations to a child’s biology poses risks to their future choices. Puberty blockers and hormone therapies for gender reassignment will be prohibited for children aged 15 and under, with exceptions for those already undergoing treatment.
For minors aged 16 and 17, hormone therapies will be allowed with explicit approval from parents, physicians, and psychologists, emphasizing the importance of mature decision-making.
How many international students can you fit into a Brampton house? Twenty-five, city bylaw inspectors have found.
A recent inspection by the Greater Toronto Area city’s bylaw department discovered a startling case of overcrowding and substandard living conditions where 25 international students were crowded into a house with two rental units.
The students were residing in what Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown originally referred to as a single basement apartment, but was later confirmed to be a house with two legally rented units.
“Right now, we see international students living in fire traps, extremely dangerous living conditions. And if the colleges took the time to build student housing, we wouldn’t have that issue,” Brown said.
He further expressed concern over the prevalence of such situations, estimating there are as many as 100,000 people in illegal units.
Brown said the city is actively working to enforce its landlord registration program to crack down on the problem and ensure the safety and well-being of its residents.
The plight of international students and their impact on the housing market has become a pressing matter at both the provincial and federal levels of government.
Last week, the Ontario government mandated that postsecondary schools secure accommodation for any international students they want to take on.
Simultaneously, the federal government revealed plans to limit the duration of study and announced a two-year cap on the number of visas.
These measures are a direct response to the growing concerns about the quality and affordability of available housing.
Brampton’s Residential Rental Licensing pilot project, initiated last year to regulate and inspect approximately 16,000 illegal units, has faced opposition from some residents and landlords.
Critics argue that the program is costly, cumbersome and unfair. A petition circulating against the initiative highlights concerns such as financial burdens, difficulties in obtaining required documents, conflicts with the existing Residential Tenancies Act,and the potential negative impact on the housing market in Brampton.
This article has been edited to reflect updated comments from Brampton officials about the number of units in the building in question.
Two Winnipeg teenagers have been charged with allegedly shooting a man in the face with an airgun during an attempted robbery.
WPS GP, K9, TST and Major Crimes Unit arrested and charged 2 teens regarding an armed robbery, sending a 40 y/o to hospital. A couple was robbed at gunpoint and shot in the face with an air pistol while waiting in the Gilbert/Burrows area. https://t.co/qRJqVT9tNe
The two teenagers were robbing the man of his groceries in the Gilbert/Burrows area on Wednesday shortly after midnight when the shooting occurred, according to Winnipeg Police.
A man and woman in their 40s were waiting at a bus stop with their groceries when they were approached by the two teenagers, one of them armed with a “CO2-powered firearm.”
The man was shot in the face after being confronted, while the woman remained unharmed.
He was taken to hospital where he was treated and is in stable condition.
The two assailants were arrested in the 1600 block of Burrows Avenue, confirmed police on Thursday.
A 14-year-old and a 17-year-old are facing multiple charges, including two counts of robbery, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, causing bodily harm with intent and using an imitation firearm to commit an offence.
