Toronto mayor Olivia Chow is pressing forward with a plan to rename Dundas Street due to the name not representing the “contemporary values of the city.” This plan is estimated to cost taxpayers a minimum of $8.6 million despite the city facing down a major fiscal disaster.
On this special episode of Ratio’d, Harrison hits the streets of Toronto to ask residents if they think renaming a street named after a 1790’s abolitionist who spent his life working toward ending slavery is a good use of taxpayer funds while addicts line the streets, tent cities are becoming a permanent fixture in the street and while Torontonians get hit with more taxes.
Tune in to the latest episode of Ratio’d with Harrison Faulkner!
Renowned psychologist Jordan Peterson will appeal the Ontario Superior Court’s ruling that he must undergo mandatory social media training in order to keep his licence with the College of Psychologists of Ontario.
The college is forcing Peterson to undergo a social media training course as a punishment for complaints they had received regarding some of Peterson’s social and political commentary online.
“I’m stunned by the court ruling,” said Peterson in a recent interview with the Toronto Sun. “It’s a funny kind of disappointment, because I’m disappointed more as a citizen of Canada than the personal side.”
Peterson asked for a judicial review of the College of Psychologists’ order that he undergo the training, arguing that it was a violation of his freedom of expression however the court ruled in favour of the college on Wednesday.
The controversial tweets Peterson made were comments about certain politicians, a plus-sized model and transgender actor Elliot Page, formerly known as Ellen Page, which resulted in several people complaining to the college that this amounted to professional misconduct and potential harm to the public.
None of the complainants themselves were any of the people Peterson was discussing on social media.
Peterson argued that his personal opinions were out of the purview of the Ontario’s psychologists governing body and that his views and opinions were protected under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Justice Paul Schabas, who presided over the review, didn’t feel that the mandatory re-education training order was an infringement on Peterson’s rights however, writing that it, “does not prevent Dr. Peterson from expressing himself on issues of interest to him and his audiences; rather, the decision is focused on concerns over his use of degrading or demeaning language.”
The major grey area here is who defines what language to be degrading or demeaning, suggested Peterson.
“I don’t think that our constitutional guarantee of free of speech in Canada exists, it’s certainly not worth the paper it’s written on,” said Peterson, who believes he is being targeted for political reasons.
Peterson has said that he plans to fight the order all the way to the Supreme Court if it comes down to that.
He acknowledged that he is fortunate enough to be in a financial position to continue his fight, despite the high costs. Whereas many other professionals may not be able to fight back against their regulatory bodies, should they be punished for their political beliefs as well.
He also said that there are other jurisdictions that would grant him a licence to continue practicing psychology if the outcome ultimately does not rule in his favour.
In the meantime, his council released a statement on Peterson’s behalf that discussed the chilling effects the College’s actions will have on professionals across the country who express controversial opinions or unpopular views.
“Professionals do not check their right to free expression at the door. Canadian society benefits from having members of all occupations free to speak their minds without undue regulatory scrutiny. Historically, professionals like lawyers, doctors and psychologists have contributed much to the public debate in this country, even while expressing unpopular views. They should be free to continue to do so, online or elsewhere.” the statement said.
Some Ukrainians are deciding to return home to their war-torn countries instead of remaining in Canada due to the high cost of living and other factors.
According to a recent CBC News report, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada are not tracking the number of outbound Ukrainian refugees but the decision to abandon the country to return to their homeland is becoming all too common for some Ukrainians.
CBC cited the experience of Oleksandra Balytska who moved to Toronto to pursue a tech job but found the cost of groceries unbearable.
“I was so terrified that I bought only like two ramens because of the prices,” said Balytska.
Balytska arrived in Canada under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel introduced shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.
After being laid off from her job and struggling to find employment, Balytska decided it was time to pack her bag and head back to Ukraine.
According to Ukrainian Canadian Social Services Toronto worker Andrei Zavialov, he has seen at least 15 Ukrainians abandon Toronto for Ukraine.
A survey conducted by Zavialov on those who came to Canada under the emergency program found that over 40% planned on remaining permanently but 4.9% said they would head back home immediately while 11.6% said they hope to return when the war is over.
17-year-old Dnipro resident Yehor Horenych said that while he enjoyed Canada, living in the country felt limiting.
“Canada is a beautiful country with beautiful nature and nice people. But North America is far from Europe,” Horenych told CBC News.
“I could not get used to the Canadian lifestyle. The European way of life… it’s way too familiar, too beloved. We couldn’t afford staying in [another] European country, so I came back to Ukraine.”
Taxpayers were billed nearly $3 million in travel expenses for Canada’s Governor General Mary Simon during her first year in office.
Data provided to Bloc Québécois MP Julie Vignola and released by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation showed that Simon’s four overseas trips and 17 domestic engagements cost Canadians $2.78 million in 2022.
Additional receipts have yet been released, which means that the actual cost could be much higher.
“Simon should have the courtesy and common sense to realize many Canadians are struggling and can’t afford to pay for her expensive trips,” CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano told the National Post.
Simon’s trip costs included the controversial $100,000 flight catering bill for her trip to the Middle East.
In total, Canadians spent $1.3 million so that Simon could visit the Dubai Expo 2022 and meet with Qatar and Kuwait leadership.
While attending the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in London, Simon billed taxpayers $28,438 on air and ground travel as well as $3,158 on food and $7,193 for lodging. Receipts also showed $13,296 in other expenses.
Simon’s posse, which included Canada’s high commissioner to the UK and her chief of staff among others, reported $21,512 in costs for a police motorcade and a $7,926 plane ticket for one Global Affairs Canada official.
The delegation also billed taxpayers $39,076 in hotel costs.
Another trip by Simon to Queen Elizabeth II’s memorial service cost $22,288 in air travel and $17,012 in other expenses.
A visit to the Arctic Circle Assembly in Iceland saw Simon spend $71,000 for luxury limousine service and $118,000 for accommodations at Hotel Borg.
Rideau Hall spokesperson Natalie Badin Dufresne defended Simon’s spending habits and claimed the media was falsely characterizing the Governor General.
“Media reports that insinuate that the Governor General is personally responsible for spending or making extravagant requests related to these visits are categorically false,” said Badin Dufresne.
“These reports are harmful to Canada’s diplomatic efforts, and they disregard the importance of connecting and celebrating Canadians in their home communities.”
Canadian income continues to be outpaced by inflation and millennials are the generation being hit hardest by debt as a result, according to a RBC Economics report.
“The millennial generation has in many ways been defined by its staggeringly high household debt,” said the report released on Wednesday.
It also stated that millennials are the most vulnerable when it comes to job losses, which is troubling considering that Canada’s unemployment rate has increased for three months consecutively as of July.
In May, the rate was 5.2% and as Statistics Canada reported in July, that number has climbed to 5.5.%
Changing mortgage rates play a role as well. The data revealed that millennials aged 35-44 held a debt-to-income ratio of 250% on average in 2019. In 1999, that number was 150% for about half of Canadians from that same age bracket.
Today’s younger millennials are fairing out better, reporting a debt-to-income ratio of 165%. “Surprisingly, this youngest cohort hasn’t seen its debt-to-income ratio rise materially since 1999, though its home ownership rate is much lower (only one-third have a mortgage),” said the report.
Furthermore, millennials who are homeowners are at risk of seeing a 25% increase in their monthly mortgage rates by 2024 due to hikes in interest rates. These rates continue to rise despite the fact that income earnings remain lagging behind.
Hourly wages did increase by 12% since the beginning of the pandemic, however that increase is still less than half of the average five-year fixed mortgage payment.
“To young Canadians, I want to say something: You’ve had two crucial years of adulthood dramatically interrupted by COVID, and then you were hit by global inflation and increased interest rates,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reporters in Charlottetown on Wednesday.
“We owe it to you to take action, so you can fully benefit from the promise of Canada,” he said.
The rising cost of housing was one of the key issues Trudeau’s government planned to discuss and resolve during their recent cabinet retreat in P.E.I. however no solutions have been put forward in its aftermath.
The average debt for Canadians between 35-44 was $105,100 and for those under 35 that number lowered to $69,500, according to Statistics Canada. Those figures include the combined debt of mortgage, student loans and other debt.
Both Gen X and Baby Boomers are doing better than the youngest generation of home buyers.
“Only 14% of boomer households still have mortgage debt and for those that do, the average balance is half the size of a millennial mortgage. Boomers and older Generation Xs (aged 55 and up) have also amassed a bigger basket of interest-earning assets—which stand to benefit from a higher interest rate environment. Canadians’ personal term deposits in chartered banks have risen $200 billion above pre-pandemic levels, largely due to the lure of higher interest rates.” said the report.
“We have never seen it like this before and we were supposed to have solutions out of this big housing retreat Trudeau held,” said Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Wednesday.
Major Ontario universities are offering racially segregated orientation activities for black freshmen students as part of their “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) agendas, True North has learned.
Post-secondary institutions offering segregated orientation include the University of Toronto (U of T), Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), McMaster University and York University.
University of Toronto:
Canada’s largest university offers a “Black excellence” orientation for “Black-identified students” featuring several dedicated activities.
Activities include a game night on Sept. 3, a BIPOC resource fair and black alumni panel on Sept. 4, a black alumni meet & greet as well as outdoor games on Sept. 5, a black hair expo on Sept. 6, and a formal event on Sept. 8.
U of T will also host a dedicated welcome ceremony for black business students on Sept. 7 and one for black kinesiology students on Sept.11. There is also a “Black Queer and Trans Social” planned for Sept. 21.
The university says its “Black excellence” orientation activities are “designed to welcome Black-identified students to our beautiful campus, introduce Black-specific tools, tips, and resources to support the transition to university life, as well as spotlight upper-year students, alumni, staff, and faculty.”
U of T also offers a “Queer orientation” for “new and returning 2SLGBTQ+ students, staff, faculty, librarians.”
Toronto Metropolitan University:
Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) is offering segregated orientation activities as part of its Black Student Experience program.
Activities include a seed planting workshop and a BIPOC student mixer on Aug. 29, a bead making activity on Aug. 30 and a black financing workshop on Aug. 31.
TMU’s website notes that the events are for “Black-identified students.”
TMU Executive director of student affairs Jen Gonzales says the university’s primary goal is “to have our Black students know that there’s space for them to succeed and there are lots of resources for them to engage with.”
“We’re responding to what Black students have been telling us about their specific needs and experiences at the university, and we want to create spaces for them to meet and connect with other Black-identified students.”
McMaster University:
Hamilton’s McMaster University’s Black Student Success Centre is hosting several segregated orientation activities for black students as part of its Welcome Week.
Activities include a meet and mingle, black faculty meet and greet and games night on Aug. 28, a academic workshop and movie night on Aug. 29, a yoga and dance event, arts and craft activity, wellness presentation and a comedy evening on Aug. 30, a cookout and basketball game on Aug. 31 and a black student brunch on Sept. 1.
McMaster will also be hosting a special welcome ceremony on Sept 8, with the university’s website stating that “this is an event for Black-identifying folks.”
McMaster says its Black Student Success Centre is “dedicated to supporting and championing the holistic success and overall well-being of Black/African descent students and fostering a positive Black student and athlete experience.”
York University:
York University hosts an “Introduction to Black Excellence” orientation session for black students, as well as “Black student-focused welcome activities.”
York says its dedicated black orientation session “is designed to provide incoming first year students with an overview of the overall functions of the BE YU Program,” and will “highlight the members of the team, the opportunities the programs provide, and how it helps students maximize their success in their post-secondary careers.”
A York spokesperson told True North the university offers “a range of programs, so incoming students can find ways to feel a sense of community and belonging.”
“These efforts include activities specifically designed for historically marginalized and often disenfranchised communities, who have been under-represented at universities, including Indigenous, Black and other racialized peoples, 2SLGBTQ+, individuals with disabilities, and those who are the first in their families to access postsecondary education.”
Racially segregated spaces have become a key part of academia’s woke DEI agenda, as revealed by True North’s Campus Watch reporting.
Last spring, True North exclusively reported on the fact that racially segregated graduation ceremonies for black students were taking place at a number of Canadian universities.
University DEI departments have also been organizing “blacks only” events on campuses, while some universities have opened segregated black student lounges.
The University of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University and McMaster University did not respond to True North’s request for comment in time for publication.
Renowned psychologist Jordan Peterson has lost his appeal against College of Psychologists of Ontario over his controversial tweets.
Plus, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has apologized after she received a speeding ticket in Alberta on Tuesday. The news comes shortly after Freeland boasted about not owning a car, instead relying on public transportation as a means to get around.
And a “diversity, equity and inclusion” presentation given at London, Ontario’s Western University claims merit and racial colour blindness cause “microaggressions.”
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Lindsay Shepherd!
The Federal Financial Consumer Agency (FCAC), one of Canada’s chief financial protection organizations, has two-thirds of Canadians having trouble paying their mortgages — with more than half of them sinking into more debt to cover the rising costs.
This should come as no surprise.
Money is no longer almost interest free. After 20 consecutive rate hikes by the Bank of Canada (BoC), the interest rate of 5% is now the highest in two decades.
Mortgage holders are praying the governor of the BoC Tiff Macklem stops the run on anxiety when he makes his next rates decision on September 6.
But few expect he will hold back because inflation has not yet hit the desired 2%.
There are presently 6.08 million homeowners with mortgages (out of a total of 10.01 million owner-occupied dwellings in Canada.)
So, rates are important to millions.
Back in 2020, just as the world pandemic was about to hit, Mortgage Professionals Canada’s (MPC) Annual State of the Residential Mortgage Market in Canada report provided a detailed look at borrower behaviour and mortgage market trends in 2020, the year things began to unravel.
The comprehensive report, compiled by MPC’s chief economist Will Dunning, looked at everything from average mortgage rates and sources of down payments to equity takeout and mortgage preferences.
“In a normal year, about 4.5% to 5% of Canadians buy a new or existing home,” Dunning said in a release, adding that percentage could rise to 5.5% to 6% this year.
“…in proportional terms, this is a very large increase, and it is overwhelming the available supply,” he continued. “It is possible, but far from certain, that this could continue for some time – that a small rise in the percentage of Canadians who buy homes could result in sustained, very strong demand.”
The then current mortgage arrears rate in Canada (as of November 2020), down slightly from 0.23%.
This equated to roughly 1-in-427 borrowers,
“…with exceptionally low interest rates and very strong housing markets across Canada, mortgage holders who have trouble with their payments will often be able to solve their problems by selling (a solution that is far from ideal, but is certainly preferable to losing a home due to a mortgage default),” Dunning noted.
Then, poof, inflation took hold. Money was no longer as cheap as borscht. Interest rates were beginning to rise.
Suddenly, it wasn’t Kansas anymore.
Then, after a two-year-long pandemic and 20 consecutive interest-rate hikes, high anxiety moved to the neighbourhood and changed the game.
In today’s world, however, the FCAC said two-thirds of mortgage holders are having trouble meeting their financial commitments.
Canadians are facing the burden of high interest rates, forcing them to either increase their monthly contribution or extend their amortization, while high inflation has pressured many with the rising cost of living.
“Today’s economic environment is characterized by high household debt, increased cost of living and higher interest rates. As a result, some mortgage holders are at risk of not keeping up with their regular payments,” the FCAC said.
In many cases, variable-rate mortgage holders with fixed payments are paying only the interest portion of their mortgage, slowing down the rate at which they will pay off their debt.
In some cases, said the FCAC, mortgage holders are entering negative amortization, meaning their fixed payment does not cover the entire interest portion, leading to accruing interest and a rise in the total amount they owe.
FCAC expects lenders to implement policies and procedures such as waiving prepayment penalties, waiving internal fees and costs, not charging interest on interest, and extending amortization.
A recent Leger poll found that 4 in 10 Canadians believe that the Trudeau government is to blame for Canada’s growing housing crisis and is responsible for fixing it.
The survey was conducted between Aug. 18 and 20, asking 1,537 respondents a number of questions regarding the rising cost of housing and how it could best be resolved.
When respondents were asked whether the blame should be placed on federal, provincial or municipal governments, 40% said that the federal government was the most at fault with 32% saying that it was the provincial issue. The least amount of respondents answered that they felt municipal governments were at fault, only 6%.
The remaining 22% said that they were unsure of which level of government was to blame.
Those who blamed their provincial government were most likely to be renters, whereas homeowners tended to blame the federal government.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been criticized by opposition parties over his recent comments that, “housing isn’t a primary federal responsibility,” saying that it’s up to both provincial and municipal governments to fix the issue.
Despite Trudeau’s claim, the National Housing Accord recently laid a number of recommendations for the Trudeau government to alleviate the housing crisis, including lowering taxes and cutting red tape for builders.
On Wednesday, the Liberal cabinet finished a three-day retreat in Prince Edward Island where they promised to find answers for Canadians’ concerns about the cost of housing, however the retreat did not provide any solutions.
“We are looking forward to continuing to do the work we’ve been doing on housing and do even more,” said Trudeau while speaking with reporters in Charlottetown on Wednesday.
“We recognize and Canadians know that there’s not one silver bullet that’s going to solve the housing challenges.”
The cabinet retreat came at a time when the Liberals have been steadily slipping behind the Conservatives in a number of polls nationwide.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has repeated his message that ‘Canada is broken’ under Trudeau’s government and he echoed that sentiment again on Wednesday while speaking in Ottawa.
“We have never seen it like this before and we were supposed to have solutions out of this big housing retreat Trudeau held,” said Poilievre.
“What was the solution? More speeches, more photo ops, more puff pieces for his incompetent housing minister.”
Trudeau dismissed Poiliever’s comments as just “slogans and buzzwords” designed to inflame Canadians’ anxiety about the rising cost of living without providing real solutions.
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation projects that Canada will build around 2.3 million new housing units by 2030 based on the current rate of building but in order for the housing market to become affordable again, that number would need to rise to 5.8 million.
Trudeau said his government does plan to double the current number of housing units being built but has not yet provided details on how that will be accomplished.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has apologized after she received a speeding ticket in Alberta on Tuesday.
“So, look, I did get a speeding ticket driving between Grand Prairie and Peace River. I was driving too fast and I won’t do it again,” said Freeland on Wednesday.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland reacted to @TheRealKeean's report about her speeding ticket in Alberta. Watch the entire cabinet laugh.
"So look I did get a speeding ticket driving between Grand Prairie and Peace River. I was driving too fast and I won't do it again." pic.twitter.com/d1KIQEbYNq
As first reported by The Counter Signal, Freeland was charged with speeding while driving a rental car from Grand Prairie to Peace River, Alberta. The Counter Signal reported that she was driving 142 km/h in a 100km/h zone while other reports mention her going a speed of 132 km/h.
The news comes shortly after Freeland boasted about not owning a car, instead relying on public transportation as a means to get around.
“I right now am an MP for downtown Toronto,” Freeland said. “A fact that still shocks my dad is, I don’t actually own a car … I’m like, I don’t know, 300 metres from the nearest subway. I walk. I take the subway. I make my kids walk and ride their bikes and take the subway. It’s actually healthier for our family. I can live that way.” said Freeland to reporters on a recent trip to P.E.I.
Freeland failed to mention in her comments that she regularly uses a taxpayer-funded chauffeur service to commute.
“The Deputy Prime Minister was pulled over for driving 132 km/h while traveling between Grande Prairie and Peace River,” said Katherine Cuplinskas, a spokesperson for Freeland. “She received a ticket for $273,”
Freeland was clocked at 142 kilometres per hour in an area where the speed limit was 100 kilometre per hour but it was later knocked down to 132.
The fine was $273, which according to Alberta highway traffic laws, would also come with a penalty of 4 demerit points. Freeland’s office has not commented on whether or not she received the demerit points.
“She has paid in full,” said her office, stating that she did not fight the ticket.
