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Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Peel Region to dish out more than $800,000 to dissolution board members

By
Neil Sharma
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The transition board overseeing Peel Region’s dissolution will collectively earn more than $800,000 for just over a year and a half’s worth of work.

The five-team board spent 320 working days trying to determine how shared municipal assets will be divided. Peel Region, which will dissolve Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon beginning in 2025, is footing the bill.

The five board members have been identified as John Livey, a former deputy city manager and chief administrative officer in Toronto, Markham and York Region; infrastructure and P3 lawyer Sean Morely; York Region’s former police chief Eric Jolliffe; Tracey Cook, a former executive director of Toronto’s municipal licensing and standards division; and former Ontario financial accountability officer Peter Weltman.

Livey, the board’s chair, is slated to receive $240,000 to $480,000, which works out to $1,500 a day and $750 for three or fewer hours of work, Global News reported.

The other board members will receive between $192,000 and $384,000 for their roles, working out to $1,200 a day, and $600 for up to three hours of work.

A Peel Region spokesperson claimed such practices are commonplace.

“Reflective of past practice when it comes to municipal restructuring, the costs of the transition board and any support required by the board will be the responsibility of the Region of Peel,” the spokesperson told Global News.

The dissolution has been long championed by Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, the one-time McCallion protégée who’s currently vying to become the next leader of the provincial Liberals—who has made strides in developing Mississauga, Canada’s seventh largest city.

Peel Region comprised 1.5 million inhabitants in 2021, but is projected to break 2 million residents by 2041. Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon have respectively agreed to create 120,000, 113,000 and 13,000 new homes by 2031.

The three-way divorce in Peel Region was made official in a mid-May news release from the provincial government, which stated growth targets are likelier attainable if Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon separate.

“Our government is working with our municipal partners to provide the tools and autonomy required to deliver on our shared commitments to the people of Ontario, including addressing the housing supply crisis,” Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, said in the statement.

“The Region of Peel includes some of the largest and fastest-growing municipalities in Canada and is poised for significant growth over the next decade. Our government is supporting this growth by cutting red tape and improving efficiency.”

B.C. wildfires may have been ignited intentionally: RCMP

By
Neil Sharma
-

Sayward RCMP are investigating wildfires on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island, believing they may have been started intentionally.

“Witnesses in the area of Browning Creek just prior to its discovery observed some quad riders nearby,” B.C. RCMP Staff-Seargant Kris Clark said in a statement.

“Police are looking to speak with anyone, including the riders, who have seen anything suspicious in the area of the Browning Creek fire, or any of the other fires.”

The fires began over a month ago outside of Sayward, with the largest covering roughly 230 hectares since its May 29 discovery, while the most recent, discovered Monday and located near Browning Creek, spans about two hectares.

Firefighters are combatting the fires with helicopters and ground crews. Crews also found and suppressed more roadside fires by the Memekay White River and Big Tree roads.

Clark told CHEK News he believes the fires are connected and described the fires as potentially fatal if anybody gets too close.

“The B.C Wildfire Service has rated the fire danger on the Island as mostly extreme with just a few pockets of high,” Clark said.

“The conditions are extreme, there’s potential here for a wildfire to get completely out of control and cause not only structure damage, but potentially endanger lives. So we want to get to the bottom of this quickly and stop these fires from occurring.”

Canada has been fighting blazing wildfires all summer, including in Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Alberta. In the latter’s case, Premier Danielle Smith hired arson investigators to determine the causes of 175 wildfires with no known cause.

Alberta’s wildfires, which have displaced 38,000 residents, have come at a significant cost to the provincial government, which has earmarked $175 million for disaster recovery.

Canadians rally to boycott Ben & Jerry’s for anti-Canada Day tweet

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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U.S. ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s has sparked outrage and calls for a boycott among Canadians for its tweet on July 1st, which denounced Canada as “our home on stolen land.”

The company, which is known for its progressive and social justice-oriented stance, also urged its followers to sign a petition calling for the abolition of the RCMP’s Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG). 

“Another day to talk about #LandBack and how we can support communities defending their land. Take action this Canada Day,” wrote the official Ben & Jerry’s account before linking to a petition.

The C-IRG is a unit that has been involved in clashes with far-left activists and environmentalists over pipeline projects in B.C.

“British Columbia’s use of a police force to protect pipelines and logging projects, and suppress free speech represents a profound failure to deal with the climate emergency and protect Indigenous rights,” the petition reads. 

“I am joining many others who are calling for this new policing unit to be disbanded.”

The tweet was met with fierce criticism from many Canadians, who accused Ben & Jerry’s of disrespect and pushing a radical agenda. 

Some said they would boycott the ice cream maker for “politicizing ice cream” and interfering in Canada’s internal affairs.

“I prefer non-political ice cream, so I’ll take a hard pass on Ben & Jerry’s,” wrote one user. 

Others pointed out that Ben & Jerry’s itself operates on so-called “stolen land.” 

“Sure, you go first. #LandBack,” tweeted another user. 

Users challenged the company to live up to it’s own values and give their property up and pay reparations to Indigenous peoples.

Similar calls by the company on the 4th of July in the U.S. have prompted South Dakota governor Kristi Noem to hit back at the company. 

Ben & Jerry’s has not responded to the backlash or issued an apology for its tweet. 

The company has a history of supporting various woke causes, such as Black Lives Matter, gender ideology and climate change activism. 

Food price tags were suspiciously missing from Freeland’s rebate photo op

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

A photo of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland lauding the federal government’s grocery rebate payment has prompted Canadians to accuse the Liberal government of removing the prices of basic goods from the shelves in the picture’s background. 

On Wednesday, Freeland announced that 11 million low and modest income Canadians received a one-time rebate payment to offset the high cost of groceries due to inflation.

Many Twitter users pointed out that the price tags of the produce behind the minister were no longer there. Freeland made the announcement at Rabba Fine Foods in Toronto, Ontario – a high end convenience supermarket. 

The advocacy group Canada Proud sent somebody to investigate the store and found that the price tags were missing from the aisle Freeland had set up her podium in front of. 

“The Liberals are so proud of the way they (are) ‘Making Life More Affordable” for Canadians that they removed the price tags off food shelves,” wrote Twitter user Kirk Lubimov.

Others joined in on pillorying the Trudeau government for overseeing one of the severest inflationary periods in recent Canadian history and using a photo op to distract from reality. 

“I can’t help but notice that their photo op didn’t take place at a No Frills, but what appears to be a rather swanky grocery store,” replied user Andreas.

Others criticized the Liberals for obscuring the fact that taxpayers were the ones paying for the rebates. 

“I love how they make out like the money is coming from some special bank account that magically appears when they want to look like the good guys! IT IS OUR MONEY – STOP SPENDING MY TAX DOLLARS LIKE I HAVE BOTTOMLESS POCKETS!” tweeted VanCity Cam. 

Twitter user Aaron Ottho accused the Liberals of covering up the prices because they were “too embarrassed” by the reality Canadians have to struggle with. 

Over the past few years, Canadians have seen food prices soar. According to the Royal Bank of Canada, food prices have soared by 18% since 2021. 

“Prices at the grocery store have remained stubbornly high, driving up the cost of living for all Canadians. The rapid rise that began in 2021 didn’t peak until this January. And as of April, food prices were still 8.3% higher than a year ago,” wrote analysts. 

Trudeau’s grocery rebate ridiculed by Canadians on social media

By
Neil Sharma
-

The Trudeau government’s grocery rebate, which they claim will help Canadians’ food bills amid the inflation crisis, is being mocked and ridiculed by Canadians on social media.

Most Canadians aren’t eligible for the so-called ‘grocery rebate’ because it caps household and individual incomes at $38,000 and $32,000, respectively.

The Liberals introduced the grocery rebate, which will be tacked onto eligible Canadians next quarterly GST/HST payments, in the 2023 Budget and the party estimates it will be distributed to about 11 million Canadians.

Under the rebate guidelines, Canadians with four children will receive as much as $628 on top of their GST payment, while those with three children are entitled up to $548.

Canadians with two children will receive an extra $467, while those with one child will get $387, and those without children are entitled to $234.

Seniors will also receive $225.

The rebate is being sold as a way to offset inflation, which declined to 3.4% in May from 4.4% a month earlier, but it won’t realistically make a dent as the price of food has surged by 9% in the last year.

The government took to social media to showcase the ‘grocery rebate’ on Wednesday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland tweeted news of the rebate, prompting Matt Strauss, a physician and journalist who has been critical of the Trudeau government’s pandemic policies, to tweet:

“1) Confiscate $327 billions of taxpayer money 2) Skim $13 billion for the Porsche family, $1 billion for the Kielburgers, $250,000 for Margaret Trudeau speeches, $6,000/night for Justin’s fancy hotels 3) Give hungry seniors $225 to buy groceries 4) Tweet about it.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted a photo-op at a grocery store in Saint-Hyacinthe that was swiftly met with a deluge of sarcastic, even angry tweets. Some users accused him of enacting policies that created inflation.

“Look at this beautiful high-end grocery store. Does anyone who qualified for that rebate even shop there? Bro couldn’t find a Food Basics or No Frills…,” wrote one user.

Others pointed out how out of touch the prime minister is.

“Can you understand why Canadians might resent paying for all of your transportation, groceries, servants, jet-setting holidays, and on & on, when you impose useless carbon taxes on us which don’t affect you at all, yet cause great hardships for ordinary Canadians?” one user tweeted at the prime minister.

The grocery rebate was also scathed for its inability to make a dent in the affordability crisis afflicting greater swaths of the country.

“Wow, delivering hundreds of dollars in support to 11 million Canadians? That’s cute. Maybe instead of throwing pocket change, you could focus on actually fixing the affordability crisis in Canada. Just a thought,” wrote one user.

The Daily Brief | CBC News “regrets” misleading Canadians

By
Rachel Parker
-

In response to Meta’s decision to block Canadian news content from their platforms as a retaliation measure to the passage of the Online News Act, Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez announced that the Government of Canada will be pulling all advertising from Meta’s social media platforms.

Plus, CBC News has significantly altered a story it published earlier this year claiming Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s office had contacted Crown prosecutors and says it “regrets” those claims.

And a recent ruling by the Canadian Armed Forces Grievance Board found that the Canadian Armed Force’s mandatory Covid-19 vaccination policy violated Charter rights.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Rachel Emmanuel and Lindsay Shepherd!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY BRIEF

Ontario launches trucker training program

By
Lindsay Shepherd
-

EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this article stated that white males could not apply to this program. This is not the case. We regret this error.

To help fill thousands of job vacancies in the trucking industry, the Ontario government is investing in a trucker training program where participants receive up to $1,000 for transportation and childcare reimbursement and a $400 weekly allowance.

The program will accept over 50 participants that are “women, newcomers and others from underrepresented groups.”

“This innovative program will help break down barriers to attract more women into the trucking industry,” said Premier Doug Ford, who leads the Progressive Conservative party.

“As we build Ontario, we’re going to need all hands on deck. That’s why our government is working hard to ensure that all skilled occupations are more accessible and welcoming for women and all under-represented groups.”

In Ontario, women account for just 2% of the trucking labour force.

According to the Canadian Trucking Alliance, 32% of truck drivers in Canada are 55 years or older compared to 21.8% of the entire Canadian labour force, so the industry needs more workers as older truckers retire.

The province of Ontario is investing $1.3 million in the initiative. Participants will receive 200 hours of free training.

Canadian travellers voice frustration as nearly 2,000 Air Canada flights delayed

By
Neil Sharma
-
Source: Wikimedia

Nearly 2,000 Air Canada flights were either delayed or grounded this past long weekend, stranding scores of travellers, many of whom voiced displeasure on social media.

“Love the ‘error’ where a flight I was going to book got cancelled (due to the ‘error’) and then the price somehow went up almost $100 when I tried to rebook it. I had to choose a different flight at a worse time. Cool ‘error’ you utter vultures,” an inconvenienced passenger tweeted at Air Canada.

Another Twitter user reported an Air Canada customer service representative kept hanging up on his wife after their flight had been cancelled, prompting the airline to do some online damage control.

One user even tweeted a picture of luggage that should have been on one of the affected planes, but was instead left outside in heavy rain.

Air Canada, which saw 1,965 flights delayed and cancelled between Saturday and Monday, fared far worse than counterparts like Westjet, Flair Airlines, and Air Transit, all of which reported vastly fewer travel disruptions.

Scott Burnham, a traveller from Oakville, was bound for Las Vegas to watch the Canadian men’s soccer team play at the CONCACAF Nations League Finals. However, despite booking the flight and being charged for it, Air Canada cancelled it and kept directing him to his bank, citing a credit card error, which there in fact wasn’t.

Burnham, out $5,000 in total, filed a complaint, which Air Canada will respond after 45 days. He told CTV he might pursue the matter in small claims court.

He isn’t the only one. The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) received 26,840 complaints last year alone and now has in excess of 47,000, creating an estimated 18-month backlog of cases. And as airlines continue giving passengers the short shrift, many are taking to small claims court instead.

The airline industry was besieged by cancellations and delays last summer as well, although that debacle appeared to have been the government’s fault.

In a Twitter thread last June, Duncan Dee, a former airline COO, placed blame squarely on the Liberal government’s shoulders, citing “poor planning.”

“Airlines are not configured to deal w/ 3-4 hr security & customers delays. That crew that was scheduled to operate your (flight)? They’re out of duty time because (the flight) they operated this morning was held off gate for 2 hrs,” Lee wrote.

“The Gov may want to minimize the fallout from its poor planning but airlines are not configured to handle 65+ days of delays. There are simply not enough crews, staff, aircraft or empty seats to fix the Gov’s mess.”

True North reached out to Air Canada for comment but comment could not be provided in time of publication.

CBC says it ‘regrets’ story alleging contact between Smith’s office and Crown prosecutors

By
Rachel Parker
-

CBC News has significantly altered a story it published earlier this year claiming Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s office had contacted Crown prosecutors and says it “regrets” those claims. 

In January, the state broadcaster relied on anonymous sources to report that Smith’s office contacted Crown prosecutors and pressured them on Covid-19 and the Coutts border blockade charges. Smith, her office, and Crown prosecutors denied the allegations, and the CBC later updated the story to say it had not viewed the emails in question. 

In May, during the Alberta provincial election campaign, the narrative further unfolded when an ethics report from Commissioner Marguerite Trussler was released finding “no evidence of such an email.”

In light of the report, the CBC said it re-interviewed its sources who could not confirm that emails originally described were sent directly from Smith’s office to the Crown.

“As such, we have updated this story and related pieces, removing references to direct contact between the premier’s office and prosecutors – which the premier has vehemently denied,” reads a lengthy editor’s note atop the article. 

“CBC News regrets reporting direct contact by email.”

The Premier’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Smith has long called the allegations in the original CBC story “baseless” and called for a retraction and apology.

She even threatened a defamation suit in May, over a related article which said a phone call between the Premier and controversial street pastor Artur Pawlowski about his Coutts charges revealed that Smith’s conversations “with top Alberta Justice officials about pandemic-related prosecutions were more frequent and specific than she has admitted publicly.”

Smith has told the public she’s been in contact with Justice officials over whether it’s in the public interest to continue pursuing pandemic charges. 

In Trussler’s report, the commissioner also found that Smith contravened the Conflicts of Interest Act in an interaction with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General over Coutts charges. Smith has since apologized.

But the public broadcaster’s reporting damaged the Premier for months as she faced allegations of judicial interference throughout the provincial election campaign. 

The CBC head of public affairs Chuck Thompson said the publication took till July to update the story because “simply stated, that’s the time it took to do our due diligence.” 

The Rupa Subramanya Show | What does it mean to be a Native Canadian?

By
Rupa Subramanya
-

The calls to cancel celebrations of Canada Day are getting louder as politicians and social activists persistently denigrate Canada’s history, its leaders and its institutions that made it a great country to live in.

On the show this week, Rupa explains why we should be proud to live in Canada and why Canadians should resist becoming a nation of self-loathing and how we can pave the way to embrace and take pride in our heritage.

Tune into The Rupa Subramanya Show on True North!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE RUPA SUBRAMANYA SHOW

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