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Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Legions across Canada face rising operational costs and declining memberships

By
Quinn Patrick
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The community legion has long since been a gathering spot in towns across Canada for veterans and families to go celebrate, play cards, perform and converse. However, due to declining memberships and much higher costs to maintain, many are being forced to close their doors. 

The Montgomery Legion (Branch 351) in Ottawa’s Centretown recently had to deal with a broken elevator, which will cost an estimated $100,000 dollars to repair, according to CTV News. 

It also means that some of the legion’s oldest and most loyal members, with many now being in their eighties and nineties, won’t have access to the multi-storey facility. 

The absence of an elevator makes private groups who would rent the legion less likely to do so as well. 

Branch president Dennis Sirman said that after burning through all the legion’s savings, it still wasn’t enough to cover the cost of the repair, which prompted them to start a crowdfunding campaign. 

So far, the branch has been able to cover its monthly costs, however the situation remains anything but stable. 

“We had some momentum going and were actually several months in the black and then the elevator failed,” said Sirman.

Sadly, the financial struggles of the Montgomery legion are far from an uncommon story, as many legions throughout Canada face similar struggles. 

The Donkin Legion (Branch 5) in Nova Scotia, has been a home for veterans to come since 1927, however a declining membership and the expense of maintaining such an old building has put the legion in a precarious situation.

“The veterans fought for us. We should keep this legion going because they fought for us, so we could be here and safe,” said Tanya Clements, second vice president of the Donkin Legion.

An Edmonton radio station managed to raise enough money through several meat draws to keep its Kingsway Legion (Branch 175) open and out of debt, but the monthly costs of its utility bills alone are around $16,000 per month. 

“We have a problem and that’s going to become our next big bugbear, making sure that we have sufficient funds to pay those big bills,” said branch president, Robert Torrie. “It’s very stressful. It keeps the manager asking, ‘where are we going to find the money?’”

According to Torrie, the branch has had to get creative when it comes to new fundraising ideas to keep the revenue coming in but membership and volunteers are in decline in Edmonton as well. 

“We have a lot of card carrying members and if it wasn’t for associate and affiliate members a lot of legions would be closed,” said Torrie. 

“Unfortunately we just don’t have the veterans … those born in the 90s and on, they just don’t seem to be interested in joining the legion. They saw that as their grandfather’s drinking place, or grandmother’s.”

Every branch of the legion operates independently from the Royal Canadian Legion (RCL) and volunteers make up the majority of the help. 

“The legion’s main purpose is to keep remembrance going and to assist any veteran in time of need, either financially or morally,” said Torrie, who does employ some paid staff at his branch.

A spokesperson with The Royal Canadian Legion said that despite the rising costs of operating and changing demographics in many communities, the organization overall has seen a 5% increase in membership over the past two years. 

“The legion is seeing membership growth at every provincial command across the country,” said RCL communications manager Nujma Bond. “Branches are run primarily by volunteers and can face localized challenges, but their unique situations do not translate into a current problem across the country.”

The RCL has only seen four of its over 1,350 branches forced to close down in the last year and Bond said that several new branches have even opened.

In June 2020, Sirman’s old Ottawa branch shut its doors for good and he said he hopes that his current branch will remain open for years to come. 

“Every time you lose a legion, you lose that centre point, or community point,” said Sirman. “It’s frustrating because sometimes you throw your hands up in disgust and say, ‘What can I do?’ Then you have a successful karaoke night or a celebration of life for a long-time member and it restores the energy that you have to keep moving forward.”

The Rupa Subramanya Show | Former Muslim explains why she left Islam

By
Rupa Subramanya
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Droves of Muslims are taking part in pro-Hamas protests in cities across Canada. While not all protesters endorse the atrocities of Hamas, a handful of activists have defended the terrorist organization’s actions and have even called for the destruction of Israel.

How did these abhorrent views get imported into Canada?

On this episode of The Rupa Subramanya Show, Rupa is joined by Yasmine Mohammed.

Yasmine is a dedicated human rights campaigner who stands as a fierce advocate for the rights of women within Muslim-majority countries and anyone oppressed under the grip of religious fundamentalism worldwide.

In her book, ‘Unveiled,’ Yasmine offers an intimate perspective—born in the Western world but raised within a fundamentalist Islamic home.

Rupa and Yasmine discuss her struggle for freedom, her views on Islam, and why she believes there are so many in the West supportive of Hamas’ terrorist activities.

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U.K. travel advisory says terror attacks “very likely” in Canada

By
Andrew Lawton
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A travel advisory issued by the British government says Canada is “very likely” to fall victim to terrorist attacks.

The advisory, issued earlier this month, says “terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Canada.”

“Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners,” the warning reads. “You should remain aware of your surroundings, keep up to date with local media reports and follow the advice of local authorities.”

The notice lists several recent incidents, including a Surrey, B.C. stabbing committed in the name of ISIS from earlier this year, and the 2021 vehicular attack against a Muslim family in London, Ont., for which the driver is presently on trial on terrorism charges.

In a statement to the Globe and Mail, a spokesperson for the British High Commission in Ottawa said the advisory was updated “to reflect the threat to British nationals.”

“We continue to work with Canadian authorities to ensure the safety of all British nationals in Canada and encourage British nationals to remain vigilant and monitor media and advice from local authorities for updates,” he said.

Canada’s terror threat level is presently at medium, meaning terrorism “could occur,” though authorities have downplayed any specific reason for alarm.

Speaking in the House of Commons Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touted the work of Canadian security agencies.

“I cannot speak to how the U.K. makes its determinations, but I can certainly say that in Canada we have top security agencies and officials who work daily to reassess the threat levels to Canadians,” he said.

It’s not known what, if anything, specifically led the United Kingdom to increase its advisory level for Canadian travel. The United States and several European countries, including France and Germany, are similarly listed as “very likely” to endure terrorism on the U.K. foreign office travel advisory list.

“Green Alliance” between Canada and EU expected at COP28

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Despite the failure of the federal carbon tax to reduce emissions, Canada and the European Union are expected to further push for global pollution pricing by aligning their climate commitments at the upcoming 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in the form of a “Green Alliance.” 

European Commission documents seen by Bloomberg indicate that the two trading partners will announce a plan to expand carbon pricing globally and produce more renewables. 

The alliance is said to include a pledge on behalf of Ottawa to triple its renewable energy sources and double energy efficiency by 2030. 

According to the document, carbon taxes are “one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to spur investment and innovation in low-carbon solutions.” 

In fact, Canada has a federal carbon tax, yet carbon emissions have increased year-over-year – except for a decline recorded during nationwide lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

A recent report by Canada’s environment commissioner also found that despite the federal government’s heavy-handed climate measures, Canada was not on track to meet its environmental commitments. 

This is not the first time that a “green alliance” between Canada and the EU has been hinted at. 

In March, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke of said cooperation during a joint-statement with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“Finally, last but certainly not least, we discussed our cooperation on climate change. We are in a very strong position to lead the way globally. And together, we can rally the international community behind net zero by 2050,” said Trudeau. 

“I am very happy to work for the European Union to join your Global Carbon Pricing Challenge. And finally, we want to create, as an overarching topic, basically as an umbrella, a green alliance between the European Union and Canada.”

Prime Minister Trudeau was also named the Co-Chair of the UN Social Development Goals (SDG) Advocates group last year. 

A report recently released by Environment and Climate Change Canada lists a “Green Alliance” with the EU as a work in progress towards advancing SDG 17. 

“Canada is negotiating a Green Alliance with the EU that will elevate climate and environment cooperation,” the report declared.

CBC blames $100 million budget cut on Meta and Google

By
Isaac Lamoureux
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CBC president and CEO Catherine Tait says Big Tech is to blame for the public broadcaster’s $100 million budget shortfall. 

Tait didn’t mince words at the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal on Tuesday when she pointed fingers at tech giants Meta and Google for the financial turmoil CBC is currently facing.

Tait’s assertion stems from the changing landscape of media consumption and advertising revenue. She emphasized that the unregulated dominance of Meta and Google in the digital advertising market has significantly contributed to the financial woes of traditional media outlets like CBC.

“It’s now clear: deregulated competition from foreign digital giants is suffocating our industry,” Tait stated, according to Journal Le Guide. 

“In addition to declining subscription and advertising revenues in traditional television, our media’s transition to digital is complicated by the dominance of Meta and Google in this growing advertising market,” she added.

Tait denounced Meta’s news blocking, which, in addition to adding to the industry’s difficulties, she claimed, “lets fake news spread on Facebook and Instagram.” 

Tait explained that CBC is at the beginning of a process to examine all scenarios to deal with the cut. She said that the broadcaster is trying to cut and reduce expenses like travel or discretionary spending. 

“There will be difficult decisions to make,” she said. 

Tait didn’t go into great detail when asked how cuts would be divided between English and French services and between news and other CBC services. 

“Each component will contribute in a fair and equitable way,” she said. 

The budget cuts will undoubtedly impact CBC employees and services. Still, Tait assured that the management is working to minimize the impact on staff while maintaining their commitment to serving Canadians. The organization has already halted filling vacant positions as part of its cost-saving measures.

Tait’s concerns highlight a broader systemic issue – digital giants’ global reach and financial muscle that prioritize profit over public service. 

“They don’t have a mandate to serve the public,” Tait noted, expressing her worry about the impact of these corporations on the media landscape.

While Tait acknowledged the need for CBC/Radio-Canada to make significant cost-cutting measures, she stressed the importance of protecting essential services, particularly information services. 

“It is absolutely important to protect our information services, essential even,” Tait said.

She explained the importance of having a public broadcaster and her fears that the existence of these services is eroding. She explained that this process is already underway in some countries and blamed it on populism.

The challenges faced by CBC are not unique. Across Canada, media outlets are grappling with job losses and the shrinking availability of news coverage. This trend is not confined to the country; it’s a global issue where traditional media outlets struggle to compete with digital giants worldwide. 

Tait’s concerns about the media’s ability to provide independent information and combat polarization were highlighted when pro-Palestinian demonstrators disrupted her speech. They accused CBC/Radio-Canada of not appropriately addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in its coverage.

Ironically, Tait claimed that she had previously received contradictory criticism from the Jewish community for her coverage of the same conflict while appearing before a parliamentary committee. She claimed this illustrates the polarization arising from social networks. 

The Andrew Lawton Show | Feds confirm gun grab won’t take place until after next election

By
Andrew Lawton
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The federal government has finalized yet another extension of its amnesty period for firearms banned by order-in-council in May 2020, meaning owners of newly prohibited guns may have a reprieve if Justin Trudeau’s Liberals are ousted in the next election. True North’s Andrew Lawton discusses why this is good news and focuses in on what Alberta has done to push back against Ottawa gun control.

Also, a new study from the Aristotle Foundation finds that despite the proclamations of Trudeau and the mainstream media, Canada is not a systemically racist country after all. Aristotle Foundation president Mark Milke joins the show to discuss.

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The Daily Brief | Canada won’t meet climate targets despite carbon tax

By
Lindsay Shepherd
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Canada won’t meet its climate targets despite the Trudeau government’s costly carbon tax, according to Canada’s Environment Commissioner.

Plus, social media is another front in Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas, according to a senior Israel Defense Forces official.

And the Liberal government’s chief technology officer misled MPs about the ArriveCan app contract, according to Health Canada’s assistant deputy minister.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Lindsay Shepherd and Isaac Lamoureux!

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Student brawl breaks out at Concordia University over Israel-Hamas war

By
Quinn Patrick
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Three people were injured and one arrested after a Concordia University brawl between students protesting the Israel-Hamas war.

Montreal police were called to the scene around 1:30 p.m. after three people were reported injured.

A 22-year-old woman was later arrested, according to Global News.

Numerous videos posted to social media show the altercation break out between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian students. 

The incident was the result of two separate student groups who held independent fundraising events to raise awareness about the conflict in close proximity to one another. 

Student behaviour at the event began to escalate quickly and it took several hours for officials to break it up. 

Montreal police confirmed that a 54-year-old, a student in their 20s and 19-year-old security guard were all injured in the skirmish.  

Several politicians came out to publicly condemn the actions of certain students, including Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante, after videos of it began to circulate on social media. 

Pascale Dery, the province’s higher education minister also took to social media to express his dismay with the occurrence, calling for calm. 

“It is sickening to see the violent targeting of Jewish students take place at Concordia University today. In no way is this behaviour acceptable in any context. It must cease immediately,” wrote Marc Miller, minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship on X (formerly Twitter). 

Alberta government announces a comprehensive healthcare overhaul

By
Isaac Lamoureux
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The Government of Alberta has revealed plans to overhaul the province’s health services, aiming to streamline the healthcare system into four specialized areas: primary care, acute care, continuing care, and mental health and addiction services.

Long wait times and suboptimal health outcomes were major reasons behind the decision to announce a restructuring. 

“For too many years, Alberta’s healthcare system has been too complex and uncoordinated, leading to unacceptable wait times and poorer health outcomes for Albertans. It’s time to change that… This is why we are refocusing the health system to provide better care for generations of Albertans to come,” said Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

Under the new scheme, the responsibilities previously managed by Alberta Health Services (AHS) will be divided to enhance targeted oversight and improve healthcare delivery. A seven-member board appointed by Health Minister Adriana LaGrange will lead the transition.

Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley spoke out against the United Conservative Party’s plans after receiving leaked documents a day prior. 

“This is clearly a scheme to sell off and privatize public health care piece by piece,” said Notley

Health Minister Adriana LaGrange has denied claims that Alberta will privatize health care and accused Notley of misleading voters. 

“There is no privatization of healthcare. It is publicly funded public healthcare that we’re talking about,” Lagrange stated during the press conference. 

Danielle Smith clarified concerns around privatization during the press conference as well.

“I made a public healthcare guarantee to Albertans. That means no one will ever pay out of pocket for a visit to a doctor or for hospital services, and that is not changing. These reforms have nothing to do with privatization. They are also not about cuts,” said Smith.

Smith said that she anticipates that there will be no job losses to AHS staff working in frontline positions, who are directly delivering patient care. She added that Alberta’s government recognizes the need for more healthcare workers and will continue to recruit and train more of them.

By the Fall of 2024, each healthcare sector will be supported by its own dedicated organization.

Primary care will shift, with a new body ensuring all Albertans are linked to a provider, without assuming control over individual physicians’ practices.

The restructured AHS will be responsible primarily for acute care services. The new organization will be accountable for overseeing the delivery of hospital care, urgent care centres, and emergency services.

In tandem with the restructuring, a new procurement and system optimization secretariat will be appointed and tasked with streamlining procurement of goods and services. 

The government hopes that although services are decentralized, it will not impact the system’s ability to scale when required.

The Continuing Care Organization will manage the provision of continuing care with a focus on accommodating the aging population. By not directly operating facilities, it is expected to manage contracts for service delivery more efficiently and create a single point of entry for the system. 

The Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction will be tasked with creating a new agency in charge of comprehensive, recovery-oriented care. 

“Our government is making sure Albertans have more access to mental health supports and addiction treatment services than ever before. The direction we are taking in Alberta is caring for Albertans and supporting them in their pursuit of recovery,” said Dan Williams, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction.

Additionally, Covenant Health will adapt to this new structure. No longer contracted through AHS, it will directly engage with the new specialized organizations to continue providing acute and continuing care services throughout Alberta.

The rationale for this reorganization is to address the perceived limitations of AHS in providing system-wide oversight and prioritization. The government aims to create a more accountable and performance-driven system via the new bodies.

Local input is central to the reorganization, with the restructuring of the 12 regional advisory councils and the creation of a new Indigenous advisory council, set to provide regional perspectives and advise the new organizations on local needs.

An integration council will be formed immediately to ensure system alignment, identify efficiencies, remove barriers, and ensure the system delivers better health outcomes.

The transition will take place over two years. Fall 2023 introduces the healthcare system refocusing. Next winter, transition boards will be established for primary care and continuing care. A public advisory council will then be established. An engagement with frontline health workers will also take place.

Legislation is expected to be introduced in Spring 2024. Continuing care and mental health and addiction organizations will be formed during this time period. Healthcare workers and Albertans will be consulted at this time. 

During Fall 2024, legislation will continue. Primary and acute care organizations will be formed, and the remaining steps will be finalized. 

Liberal fertilizer plan could cost Western farmers $841 million: Sask. rural group

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

A group representing rural municipalities in Saskatchewan projects that wheat and canola farmers in Western Canada could lose $841 million in revenues should they adopt the Liberal government’s 30% fertilizer emission reduction target.

The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) has raised a red flag over the federal government’s emission reduction strategy, which calls for a 30% absolute nitrogen fertilizer emission reduction below 2020 levels by 2030.

SARM claims the target has been imposed without prior consultation with the fertilizer industry or the farmers who would bear the brunt of its economic consequences.

“In 2021, Saskatchewan agriculture exports were the largest on record, with total international sales of $17.5 billion,” wrote SARM in a bulletin. 

“This was put into jeopardy when the federal government signaled that it would require a reduction of nitrous oxide as a part of an emissions reduction strategy.” 

SARM used modeling software to estimate that canola revenues would drop by $441 million and wheat revenues would fall by $400 million. For farmers with at least 1,000 acres of each crop, it would cost $38,000 to $40,500 in lost revenue for individual producers. 

While Ottawa insists the voluntary target would not require farmers to sacrifice yields, several groups have pointed out to the federal government that any reduction in emissions would not be possible without drastic cuts to fertilizer use. 

Earlier this year, a report by the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy disputed the government’s assertions. 

“The proposed target (is) unachievable without drastic reductions in nitrogen fertilizer use,” wrote the report’s authors. 

“Given the variation in climate and production across the country, a one size fits all approach is unlikely to be effective. Provincial governments and organizations should be encouraged to develop regional solutions to meet national objectives, with the (federal government) providing coordination and support.”

As exclusively reported by True North, even internal Agriculture and Agri Food Canada (AAFC) analysis determined that the plan would unfairly target Western Canada and harm farm production yields. 

“It will be more challenging in Western Canada to reduce both direct and indirect fertilizer emissions, due to a combination of lower nitrogen application rates, as well as dried conditions, hence it is less likely that rates can be reduced in Western Canada without impacting yields,” wrote an internal AAFC Preliminary Science-Based Assessment. 

SARM also accused the Liberal government of violating UN commitments including the goal of eliminating world hunger by 2030, as well as Ottawa’s own target of increasing agricultural exports to $85 billion by 2025. 

“This would be devastating, such that any plan to reduce carbon emissions would need to be done in a way that the future productivity of major crops is maintained,” wrote SARM. 

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