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Sunday, October 12, 2025

Canadians paying 47% more for a new vehicle than they were in 2019

By
Quinn Patrick
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Buying a new vehicle in Canada hit a record high in June, up 21% since last year, due to record high interest rates and supply chain issues. 

The AutoTrader index price report revealed that the average price of a new vehicle in Canada shot up a whopping 47% in the last four years, making the new average $66,288.

“You’re talking about double-digit increases. I don’t think we’ve seen that before,” said Baris Akyurek, vice-president of insights and intelligence for AutoTrader.

Alberta and B.C. are the provinces paying the highest prices for new vehicles. The average price for a new vehicle was $69,764 in Alberta and $67,807 in B.C. 

Ontario is not much better off, with an average price of $64,807, up dramatically from $53,136 from this time last year. Quebec also saw a massive spike in price going from $50,023 in 2022 to $64,215.

Some auto industry experts believe that drivers will now have to downgrade their vehicles and extend their loans so that they will be able to keep up with their payments. Higher lease and finance rates have increased auto loan delinquencies as well, which are currently at a 15 year high. 

“We are seeing delinquencies in the auto space ticking up and that adds on to the ability to qualify and the financing rates that consumers could face. Interest rates are high and still going higher and we know that institutions are being more careful now in their lending practices,” said Rebekah Young, head of inclusion and resilience economics at the Bank of Nova Scotia. 

“There’s not a lot of reprieve for people looking to finance a vehicle in this type of environment,” said Young.

The 2022 data report from Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) found that almost 1.64 million new vehicles were sold across Canada in 2022 from 3,430 different dealerships. 

“I think we’re at a 7-per-cent average interest rate for vehicles. That has [had] an effect, but it hasn’t had [the] effect on demand as we thought it would, yet,” said Charles Bernard, lead economist at CADA. “If you go to a lot and you want a vehicle right now, supply is getting to a point where, most of the time, you’ll be able to get it at a price, to be fair, that is not even close to what the pre-pandemic prices were.”

Canadians paid an average of $797 for their monthly car payments in June of this year. A tough payment in comparison with June of 2019, when monthly payments were at $577 per month. According to AutoTrader, monthly payments have shot up 38% over the last 5 years.

The effect of interest rates hasn’t really been felt yet, according to Black Book’s senior analyst Daniel Ross. 

“If you want to get into a new car with a new payment, it’s going to be a very surprising reality.” said Ross. “The result will be consumers downgrading their vehicle and elongating their terms of financing or leasing. They’re looking at all avenues to make their monthly payment more palatable once they get into the new car market.”

The supply chain of new vehicles has also been disrupted by the B.C. port workers’ strike, contributing to low post-pandemic levels. 

“New inventory has been slowly, gradually, moving up. Based on the marketplace data, we’re up by 58 per cent for June, 2023, over June, 2022. But when you compare this data to 2019, we are down by 46 per cent. Despite the fact there has been improvement, we’re still well below 2019 levels,” said Akyurek.

The Daily Brief | Trudeau gov threatens provinces over clean electricity scheme

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-
Source: Ivan Radic / Flickr

American swimmer and women’s rights advocate Riley Gaines slams a University of British Columbia journalism professor who advocated exposing kids to adult genitals.

Plus, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson threatens to pull billions in funding for provinces that refuse to comply with the feds’ clean electricity laws.

And a Toronto-area food bank reports 95% of its users are not born in Canada.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Lindsay Shepherd!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY BRIEF 

BONOKOSKI: Allegations of misconduct start at the very top of Canada’s military

By
Mark Bonokoski
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The hot days of summer take on a new meaning for Haydn Edmundson, the vice-admiral who once headed up the human resources department of Canada’s military.

As of Tuesday, his next two weeks will be spent in an Ottawa civilian courtroom, facing a judge without a jury, and answering to charges laid in December 2021 of sexual assault and committing indecent acts.

Represented by high-profile Toronto lawyer Brian Greenspan, Edmundson has pleaded not guilty to both charges and, says Greenspan, is looking forward to “restoring his reputation.”

A publication ban is in place to protect the identity of the complainant. During Edmundson’s arraignment, the court said the offences allegedly took place on HMCS Provider when it was docked at Pearl Harbor in September through November 1991.

As a former commander of Military Personnel Command, Edmundson had authority over career consequences for military members found to have engaged in sexual misconduct.

His office’s mandate included eliminating harmful and inappropriate behaviour in the military and complying with a class-action lawsuit against the Canadian Armed Forces over sexual misconduct, according to the military’s website.

Since early February 2021, multiple current and former senior Canadian military leaders have been sidelined, investigated, criminally charged or forced into retirement from some of the most powerful and prestigious posts in the defence establishment.

The court has scheduled 13 days — Aug. 8 through 24 — for this trial.

The Canadian military, of course, has been roiled by allegations of misconduct and questions about due process, starting at the very top. Here are the key players in the scandal as put out by The Canadian Press:

Gen. Jonathan Vance: Former chief of the defence staff who stepped down on Jan. 14, 2022. A subordinate at the heart of the sexual misconduct allegations, Maj. Kellie Brennan, told a parliamentary committee that Vance fathered two children with her but has taken no responsibility for them during a relationship that allegedly began in 2001 and continued after Vance became top commander in 2015.

Vance was charged in July 2021 with obstruction of justice related to an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service said the criminal charge will be pursued in civilian court, given the details of the case and the limits of the military justice system.

Admiral Art McDonald: Vance’s successor who stepped aside six weeks after taking the top job. A former commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, McDonald voluntarily gave up his new post when the defence minister announced on Feb. 24, 2022, that military police were looking into an allegation which hadn’t been detailed publicly.

The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service recently announced the end of the probe into McDonald’s conduct, saying they had decided there was not enough evidence to charge McDonald under either the Criminal Code or the military’s disciplinary code.

Former Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan: Sajjan has come under fire from opposition MPs and the one-time Canadian Armed Forces ombudsman over his handling of misconduct allegations.

A former army lieutenant-colonel and Vancouver police detective, Sajjan has argued he was right to pass off responsibility for a report of misconduct against Vance in March 2018 to the Privy Council Office, the bureaucratic operation that supports the Prime Minister’s Office.

He has told the House of Commons defence committee that drawing an elected official into a probe would be “wrong and dangerous, politicizing any investigation.’’

Gary Walbourne: Former military ombudsman who first raised misconduct allegations against Vance to Sajjan in a meeting on March 1, 2018. Walbourne has expressed frustration over the defence minister’s referring him to the Privy Council, but the government has said senior civil servants were stymied in launching an investigation after the ombudsman refused to provide them with more information. Global News has reported the allegation Walbourne raised involved a lewd email sent to a female corporal in 2012, three years before Vance became defence chief.

Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin: The former head of Canada’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout who was abruptly replaced in May, five days before the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service referred a sexual misconduct investigation to the Quebec prosecution service to determine whether charges should be laid.

Through his lawyers, Fortin has denied any wrongdoing and said the allegation dates back more than 30 years. He is currently fighting the government in Federal Court for reinstatement in the position, alleging the decision to replace him was politically motivated and denied him due process.

Canadian tourism falling again after post-pandemic uptick

By
Quinn Patrick
-
Source: Cohen.Canada

Canada’s tourism industry is in decline again after a brief uptick following the end of Covid-19 lockdowns.

According to a new report from TD Bank titled, A Slow Road to Recovery for Canadian Tourism Spending, the tourism sector had been slowly growing back to its pre-pandemic numbers over the last three years before dipping again recently. 

Higher interest rates and a declining job market both in Canada and abroad are contributing factors, according to TD’s economists Marc Ercolao and Rishi Sondhi who published the report on Thursday. 

The two don’t expect the tourism industry to reach its previous levels until 2025, as they expect a full recovery is going to take some time yet. 

Domestic tourism has made a faster recovery so far compared to international tourism. International travellers to Canada rose from 2.11 million to 2.25 million from January to May of this year, which was akin to the average from 2011-2015; however, that is still 20% lower than its peak prior to the pandemic. 

For the first half of 2023, Chinese tourists alone were down 80% over the same time period in 2019. This is due in part to rising tensions between Canada and China as well as certain travel restrictions that have been imposed on group tours. Tourists from India have increased on the other hand, doubling in the total amount received before the pandemic. 

The report shows that Atlantic Canada has been receiving the bulk of the uptick in comparison to the rest of the country. Nova Scotia saw a 15% increase, the most of any province, with Quebec following closely behind it. 

Alberta and B.C. are receiving the highest number of tourists for Western Canada. However, those provinces are both facing labour shortages which will serve as a problem during peak tourist season, noted the report. 

Saskatchewan has been hit the hardest by low international travellers, with a 40% decrease in pre-pandemic numbers. 

“Saskatchewan has also seen some domestic and international flight routes halted by major airlines,” the report stated. Ontario is also suffering with low levels, down 24% since before the pandemic.

The report also predicted that by the end of 2023, Canada’s job market will “lose a considerable amount of steam,”  

The Bank of Canada also recently raised interest rates which will likely see Canadians focusing less on domestic travel and more on paying off debts. 

“On the plus side, the Canadian dollar should remain relatively low through next year, providing a small offset to these other headwinds,” read the report, suggesting this might lead to an increase in U.S. tourism. 

The report also suggests that the recovery is “likely to continue to make some gradual headway,” with the silver lining being that the industry will have time to replenish the staffing shortage that it faces in certain provinces.

Ratio’d | CAUGHT ON TAPE: DEI instructor bullied Richard Bilkszto in 2021 anti-racism session

By
Harrison Faulkner
-

The family of long-time Toronto principal Richard Bilkszto claims his death was caused by a series of anti-racism training sessions led by Kike Ojo-Thompson of the KOJO Institute. Bilkszto’s story has become world wide news.

Last week, journalists Rupa Subramanya and Ari Blaff released exclusively obtained audio tapes of the Diversity Equity and Training sessions, in which Ojo-Thompson is heard telling the audience of Toronto principals that Canada is more racist than the United States and that Canada is a bastion of white supremacy.

Bilkszto challenged Ojo-Thompson’s outrageous statements and for that, it appears he was singled out and bullied by Ojo-Thompson in front of his peers. Bilkzsto became persona non grata for the crime of challenging an anti-racism professional.

The death of Richard Bilkzsto has become a cultural flashpoint in Canada.

Watch the latest episode of Ratio’d with Harrison Faulkner.

Food bank reports 95% of users not born in Canada

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

A Toronto-area food bank is sounding the alarm after it witnessed a dramatic increase in new clients – a vast majority of which were new immigrants.

According to Feed Scarborough, visits to its five locations across the region have spiked by 112% in the past year. 

A total of 95% of those relying on Feed Scarborough were not born in the country, while 72% had only been in Canada a year or less. 

“I can’t pay the bills. I don’t have any money. I don’t have any income, but I’m still surviving,” client and new immigrant Brigitte told CityNews. 

“The situations I’ve passed through, the things I’ve passed through have been a lot, and at times I regret, I’m like ‘why did I leave?’ I would’ve stayed there. On the other hand, I say you have to face it and life has to move on.”

A report by the organization also found that 28% of those accessings its services were employed currently, while another 65% were students. 

“Think about it, you’re working 40 hours a week, but you still can’t afford food which is a basic human right,” said founder Suman Roy. 

Clients cited low income as one of the main reasons behind why they had to resort to visiting a food bank. 

“That says that we have precarious employment [and] that says housing and other expenses are so high that food is somewhere where they compromise,” explained Roy.

Additionally, new immigrants made up the vast majority of those visiting Feed Scarborough. 

Food bank usage has also extended to rural parts of Ontario. 

Several organizations serving Simcoe County have also reported record rates of new visitors. 

“We are forecasting to continue to see an upward trend in individuals accessing our services without a shadow of a doubt,” said director of Sharing Place, Chris Peacock in July.  

“There are individuals that have never thought that they would be walking through the door of a food bank. But we’re in a time that a lot of individuals are not able to afford what many would consider to be life subsidies.”

$867K gov grant includes org that hosted fetish & BDSM seminar

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Liberal Minister for Women and Gender Equality Marci Ien announced $867,162 in taxpayer funding for two Newfoundland and Labrador LGBTQ organizations – including one that co-hosted a seminar on fetish and BDSM “kinks.” 

On Friday, Ien praised St. John’s based Quadrangle for the “vital work” it’s doing in creating a more inclusive Canada. 

“Supporting organizations like Quadrangle ensures that Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+ communities, and all marginalized groups have a strong voice and the resources they need. It’s about building a safer, more equitable, and inclusive Canada,” said Ien. 

One of the main projects Quadrangle boasts of on its website includes the seminar series “(Un)Covered: Sex at The Kitchen Table,” which was put on partly due to “funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada’s HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund” according to the web page. 

One of the webinars recorded on Feb. 6, 2021 was devoted to the subject of “Kink, BDSM and Fetishes.” 

Seminar participants discuss various topics including “water sports” – a term used for urinating on people in a sexual setting – as well as “rope play” and “trampling” on people during sex. 

“There’s a lot of things in kink that don’t involve pain. Examples might be water sports or things that use people’s pee as a sexual object,” explains participant Nic Kuzmochka. 

Much of the dialogue was dedicated to safety surrounding the topic of sexual activities. 

“If you’re doing anything with rope, bring your own or inspect theirs and that really links back to the research aspect,” said Kuzmochka.

“It’s just the best way to know that let’s say you’re using a dildo, like, you want to know when you’re engaging and playing with someone else that’s something that you can take and that is pleasurable for you.” 

Participant Ask Spirest also joined in on the conversation to discuss the safety around “trampling.” 

“With rope, (knowing) nerve endings and like where nerves are exposed in your body and where rope shouldn’t be cutting into them is important. If you’re doing something like trampling you need to know where your organs are, where organs are exposed and where you shouldn’t be stepping too hard or hitting too hard,” said Spirest. 

Quadrangle advocates itself as an inclusive organization open for “all ages” and allows members to join as young as 16. 

“Everyone is welcome at Quadrangle regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, economic status and other diverse background,” the organization’s value statement reads.

This isn’t the first time that Quadrangle has benefited from past federal grants including $130,000 in 2022 from the Government of Canada LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund, $237,332 also from the same fund in 2021 and $6,944 from Employment and Social Development Canada last year. 

‘Solidarity with Kike Ojo-Thompson,’ NDP MP defends controversial diversity consultancy

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
-

Hamilton Centre NDP MP Matthew Green defended the controversial “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI) consultancy KOJO Institute and its founder Kike Ojo-Thompson, claiming they are being targeted by “right wing media pundits” and “the violence of white supremacy.” 

As previously reported by True North, a lawsuit alleges that TDSB principal Richard Bilkszto was bullied, shamed, humiliated and labelled a “white supremacist” at an “anti-racism” session by the KOJO Institute after he challenged Ojo-Thompson’s claim that Canada is far more racist than the United States. The suit also claims Ojo-Thompson subsequently suggested that the TDSB take action against Bilkszto for allegedly choosing not to “unlearn” his white supremacism.

The 60-year-old principal later committed suicide. His family claims that he was plagued with stress stemming from the confrontation at the training.

The lawsuit has yet to be served, and the allegations have not been proven in court. Ojo-Thompson has denied the allegations.

At a pro-DEI press conference held in Hamilton last Friday, Green, who describes himself on X (formerly Twitter) as an “antiracist” and “antifascist,” claimed that “right wing media pundits” are seeking to “weaponize this moment of tragedy against Kike and the KOJO Institute.”

Green went on to say that “every single speaker” at the DEI press conference “could have been Kike, could have been the KOJO Institute, could have been targeted by the violence of white supremacy, online and in our communities.”

The NDP MP thanked Ojo-Thompson for her DEI work, as well as everyone who has stood in solidarity with her amid the backlash she has received. 

“Thank you… Kike and the KOJO Institute, and all those who stood in solidarity with her in that moment.” 

Green also said that Bilkszto’s death will not be allowed to be used as an opportunity “to roll back the decades of hard fought work in our communities,” and that DEI activists “are not going anywhere.”

“We will continue to stand firm in the face of the ignorance and the violence that is out there.”

Green finished off by telling Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government that he and other DEI activists won’t let them implement policies inspired by Florida governor Ron DeSantis – who has banned Critical Race Theory and gender ideology in K-12 education.

“To Doug Ford and Minister Stephen Lecce, I say this: if you want to seek to use this to roll back EDI curriculum and turn Ontario into a Ron DeSantis Florida, we’re here to tell you that’s not gonna happen in Ontario, and we’ll fight you every step of the way.”

Green is not the only NDP politician to defend DEI amid the ideology and its training being under intense scrutiny.

Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles also urged Ford not to “roll back anti-racism work in schools,” amid Education Minister Stephen Lecce ordering a review of the circumstances surrounding Bilkszto’s suicide and telling his staff to review school trainings. 

“Anti-racism training directly corresponds to safer learning environments for Black and racialized students. We share in advocates’ concerns that the review of this unfortunate death will lead to a rollback of important equity work underway in school boards across the province. This work includes equity training and having courageous conversations about race,” said Stiles in a press release.

She added that her party has “long called for a comprehensive anti-racism strategy for schools that addresses and fights anti-Black racism, anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Asian racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism.”

Lecce’s office has told told CP24 that DEI training in Ontario schools will continue, calling it “important work.”

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

Nanos survey finds 53% of Canadians believe carbon tax ineffective against climate change

By
Quinn Patrick
-

The majority of Canadians believe that the carbon tax is ineffective against climate change, according to a recent survey conducted by Nanos Research. 

The survey was commissioned by CTV News in order to get feedback from Canadians on whether or not hiking gas prices was a positive step toward fighting climate change. 

The Trudeau government initially implemented the nationwide carbon tax in 2019, beginning with a $20 increase on carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. They raised the tax to $65 per tonne in April of this year and the price will continue to escalate by $15 per year until it reaches $170 per tonne. 

The poll found that two-thirds of Canadians felt this was the wrong time to raise the carbon tax, while the majority of those surveyed believed the carbon tax was ineffective in its goals in the first place. 

21% of respondents contacted across the country said that increasing the carbon tax now was “poor timing,” and 46% said it was “very poor” timing.

Respondents in the Prairies showed the highest level of disagreement for raising fuel prices, with 79% saying now is not the time. In Atlantic Canada, 73% responded by saying the timing is either “poor” or “very poor.” That number lowered to 53% among respondents in Quebec. 

The number of Canadians who feel that this strategy is ineffective overall is increasing since the time the carbon tax was first implemented. 

In 2019, 36% of Canadians nationwide felt the tax wouldn’t help to reduce fuel consumption and that number has now risen to 45%.

In 2023, only 9% of Canadians surveyed felt the carbon tax was “effective” in reducing climate change and 23% felt it was “somewhat effective.” Those respondents were found to be highest in Ontario and B.C., where around 33% believed this to be the case. That still leaves around 63-65% of respondents in both provinces believing the carbon tax to be ineffective in reducing fuel consumption. 

Overall, the Nanos survey concluded that 53% of Canadians across the country believe that the federal carbon tax has no effect in the fight against climate change. 

It’s more than just a hunch on the part of those who are skeptical, as emissions actually rose in 2021, two years after the carbon tax was brought into effect. According to the Canadian Climate Institute, emissions in 2021 were up by 2.8% from 2020 and only 6.7% lower than levels recorded in 2005.

No government, regardless of political party, has been able to reach its emissions targets in the past 35 years. Despite this, the Trudeau government believes Canada can reach zero net emissions by 2050. 

In order to hit even the 2030 target emissions, which would be 40% below 2005 levels, Canada would have to drop its total emissions by 251 million tonnes annually, which many argue would result in a disastrous blow to Canada’s oil and gas sector.

CBC calls for Competition Bureau to investigate Meta following news ban

By
Quinn Patrick
-

Meta’s decision to block news content from their platforms in Canada as a response to the federal government’s Online News Act has led to major broadcasters like the CBC calling upon Canada’s Competition Bureau to investigate the tech company. 

CBC and other news publications are calling the movie “anticompetitive” and are seeking help from the Bureau.

Bill C-18, also known as the Online News Act, requires tech companies like Meta and Google to pay news outlets for news content that is posted and shared on their platforms. Meta announced that they will simply ban such outlets from using their services like Facebook and Instagram in response to the new law. The tech giants believe the new legislature is unfair, unrealistic and negates the reality that their platforms offer “free marketing” for media outlets like the CBC. 

“Meta’s practices are clearly designed to discipline Canadian news companies, prevent them from participating in and accessing the advertising market, and significantly reduce their visibility to Canadians on social media channels,” said the CBC, in a joint statement also signed by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and News Media Canada.

“Meta’s anticompetitive conduct, which has attracted the attention of regulators around the world, will strengthen its already dominant position in advertising and social media distribution and harm Canadian journalism,” the statement continued. “The applicants ask the Competition Bureau to use its investigative and prosecutorial tools to protect competition and prohibit Meta from continuing to block Canadians’ access to news content.”

The legacy media has previously been in favour of Bill-C-18, claiming that it would “enhance fairness” in the new digital landscape and be financially beneficial to newsrooms with diminishing incomes. CBC/Radio-Canada’s corporate position regarding Bill C-18 is that it will allow for a more even handed news environment.

Meta and Google have past been accused of edging out smaller newsrooms and traditional media by dominating the advertising industry. 

“Facebook … would rather block their users from accessing good quality and local news instead of paying their fair share to news organizations,” said Pascale St-Onge, Canada’s Heritage Minister. “Google and Facebook earn 80 per cent of all digital advertising revenue in Canada. Meanwhile, hundreds of newsrooms have closed. A free and independent press is fundamental to our democracy, and Canadians expect tech giants to follow the law in our country.”

A spokesperson for Meta, on the other hand, disagrees with the Online News Act, claiming their decision to end news content on these platforms is a result of being forced to do so by the federal government. 

“The Online News Act is based on the incorrect premise that Meta benefits unfairly from news content shared on our platforms, when the reverse is true. News outlets voluntarily share content on Facebook and Instagram to expand their audiences and help their bottom line,” said Meta’s spokesperson in a statement. “The only way we can reasonably comply with this legislation is to end news availability for people in Canada.” 

Paul Deegan, president and CEO of News Media Canada, alleges that Meta has violated section 79 of the Competition Act through its dominant position in the social media landscape. Section 79 bans abuse of a dominant market position.

“We fully expect that they’ll come to the same conclusion that we have, that this is in contravention of Section 79 of the Competition Act, and that they will take appropriate action.” said Deegan in an interview on Tuesday. “So we’ve, essentially, called the cops, meaning the Competition Bureau, and we’ve asked them to investigate,”

In the meantime, Deegan is asking that governments and Canadian businesses remove any advertisements from Meta’s platforms. 

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