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Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Day 18 recap of Emergencies Act hearings | CSIS warned Trudeau of potential repercussions

By
Harrison Faulkner
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On Day 18 of the Emergencies Act hearings, documents revealed that Canadian intelligence officers told Trudeau that invoking the Emergencies Act would lead some protesters to become violent toward law enforcement officials.

Under questioning from Convoy lawyer Brendan Miller, Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens was presented with a document from the Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS) that indicated that they cautioned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prior to invoking the never-before-used Act, saying that its invocation would “galvanize” protesters towards violence.

The document states that CSIS officials attended three cabinet meetings prior to the invocation of the Emergencies Act (EA) and that on February 13th – the day prior to invoking the Act – CSIS told cabinet, “the implementation of the EA would likely galvanize the anti-government narratives within the convoy and further the radicalization of some towards violence.”

The document also states that in that same February 13th meeting with cabinet, CSIS advised the government that although invoking the EA would “likely lead to the dispersing of the Ottawa protest”, the invocation would push Canadians to believe that “violence is the only solution to what they perceive as a broken system and government.”

In prior testimony to the Commission, Ontario Provincial Police intelligence chief Pat Morris testified that there was no evidence of violence that had occurred on the part of the protesters throughout the Freedom Convoy, despite multiple acts of violence on the part of law enforcement officials when clearing the Ottawa protest.

Despite this, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino accused protesters at a February 16 press conference of committing “acts of violence.” Mendocino even went as far as to accuse the protesters of “threats of rape” toward Ottawa residents before having to walk back his accusations after not being able to present supporting evidence.

Earlier on in the day, Dilkens told Commission lawyers that the City of Windsor didn’t need to use any of the measures in the Emergencies Act to clear the blockades since the Ambassador Bridge was already cleared prior to the government invoking the act.

Protesters in Windsor blockaded the border crossing at the Ambassador Bridge on February 7. The bridge reopened to border crossings the next day, but a blockade on the bridge continued until February 13 – a day prior to Trudeau invoking the Act.

“The (Ambassador Bridge) blockade was cleared and the bridge reopened before the Emergencies Act was invoked, is that right?” a lawyer representing the Commission asked Dilkens.

“The 13th, around midnight, into the 14th I think the bridge opened so the Emergencies Act was invoked on the 14th, so yes. The answer to your question is yes,” the Windsor mayor replied.

“So none of the measures in the Emergencies Act were used to clear the blockades since it came after, correct?” the lawyer asked.

“Correct,” the mayor responded.

Later on in the afternoon, the Interim Deputy Chief of the Windsor Police Service Jason Crowley reiterated Dilkens’ answers to Commission lawyers by saying that none of the powers in the Emergencies Act were used to clear the Ambassador Bridge blockade.

“Is there anything that the Emergencies Act added to the situation or helped you in any way to clear the blockade?” a Commission lawyer asked Crowley.

“I can’t imagine it didn’t dissuade people from coming back, but that’s just speculation. We did not use the Emergencies Act at all.” Crowley replied.

Meanwhile, a federal judge in Toronto ruled that Ontario Premier Doug Ford shouldn’t be forced to testify at the hearings in front of Commissioner Paul Rouleau In Toronto. Judge Simon Fothergill reasoned that Ford and Deputy Premier Sylvia Jones are granted immunity from taking the stand due to “parliamentary privilege”.

Judge Fothergill wrote, “The privilege provides the premier and minister with a lawful excuse not to comply with the summonses issued by the commissioner on Oc. 24, 2022.”

The Judge however agreed with Commissioner Rouleau’s right to summon the defiant Premier and concluded that Ford and Jones would have valuable information to provide the commission if they chose to testify.

“I am satisfied that the commissioner had jurisdiction to issue the summonses. The matters in respect of which the premier and minister have been called to testify are within the scope of the commissioner’s mandate, and it appears that both witnesses may have valuable evidence to offer.”

What happens next?

Police officers from the OPP, Toronto Police and the Alberta RCMP are scheduled to testify this week along with protesters from the Coutts Border Blockade.

Hearings resume tomorrow morning at 9:30am ET.

True North will continue to provide daily coverage of the Emergencies Act hearings.

RCMP warning parents after fentanyl found on Halloween candy

By
Rachel Parker
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Alberta RCMP.

The Alberta RCMP are warning parents to take precautions after fentanyl was found on Halloween candy.

Parents in Rocky Mountain House, about two and half hours southwest of Edmonton,  turned a package of sour patch kids candy over to the Alberta RCMP after noticing it was open. 

Cpl. Troy Savinkoff told True North initial tests determined the candy was “presumptive positive” for fentanyl, meaning someone could have had fentanyl on their hands while they handled the candy. 

The RCMP is running lab tests to determine the candy’s substance. Those tests are not yet complete, Savinkoff confirmed on Monday.

Meanwhile, the RCMP is encouraging parents to take extra precautions and examine all candy obtained on Halloween. 

“Unsealed candy should be immediately disposed of,” an RCMP statement reads. 

“Should you find any suspicious items in your candy, please contact the Rocky Mountain House RCMP or your local Police.”

Parents elsewhere in Alberta are also reporting incidents with their children’s Halloween candy. 

In a public post on Facebook last week, Andrea Gibbon-Aucoin said her husband “snuck” one of her child’s Aero chocolate bars — and chewed on a sewing pin. The child went trick or treating around the family’s Fort McMurray neighbourhood, she said. 

“So get your kids to crack their chocolate bars open before eating them,” Gibbon-Aucoin wrote.

“What goes through people’s minds to ever want to hurt children?! This breaks my heart and makes me sick to my stomach.”

The post has 960 shares on Facebook. 

Gibbon-Aucoin also said the incident has been reported to the local RCMP and that “there have been many people calling them.”

Former NDP MLA pleads guilty to breaching Alberta’s Health Information Act

By
Rachel Parker
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Former Alberta NDP MLA Thomas Dang has pleaded guilty to a charge under the Health Information Act.

Dang was charged in June for illegally attempting to access private information contained in the Alberta Health vaccine portal in September 2021. 

He entered a guilty plea in provincial court on Friday.

The Crown is seeking a $10,000 fine, while Dang’s defence is asking for under $4,000.

Chief Government Whip Brad Rutherford says NDP leader Rachel Notley must come clean about her role in the ordeal.

“Dang’s disgraceful conduct will be remembered for a very long time, and I am glad he has finally accepted responsibility for his unethical and illegal behaviour,” Rutherford said in a statement. 

“But the evidence continues to show that Notley and her senior staff were involved in this scandal, and we still have no answers on that front. In September, the United Conservative caucus released a list of five critical questions that must be answered by Notley. We need those answers now.”

As previously reported by True North, Dang has been sitting as an Independent MLA since the RCMP began investigating his activities. 

The MLA said he accessed the vaccine portal to test vulnerabilities on the newly launched Alberta Health vaccine portal. He used former premier Jason Kenney’s birth date and vaccination dates, which are publicly available, to crack the site’s privacy safeguards.

Between Sept. 19 and 23, Dang’s computer program made 1.78 million queries using Kenney’s personal information. Dang admitted to RCMP the queries were randomly generated guesses aimed at revealing the premier’s health care number.

Court documents also refer to Dang’s attempts as a “brute force attack.”

After uncovering a woman’s healthcare number, Dang informed NDP chief of staff Jeremy Nolais and NDP director of communications Benjamin Alldritt of his findings, court documents show. 

One month after informing Alldritt of his actions, the NDP promoted Dang to the party’s Democracy and Ethics critic role. He left the party to sit as an Independent MLA when the RCMP began investigating his actions in December.

Dang will be sentenced on Nov. 29.

The Alberta NDP has a policy to not accept media requests from True North. 

Axe “love of country,” “Judeo-Christian” mentions from teachers duties: Ontario board

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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An Ontario school board is demanding the Ontario government remove a clause from the Education Act that says teachers’ duties should include encouraging “love of country” and “Judeo-Christian morality”, among other values.

Citing inclusivity and diversity, Halton District School Board’s (HDSB) Board of Trustees Chair Margo Shuttleworth wrote in a letter to Education Minister Stephen Lecce that Section 264(1)(c) of the Act was “contrary to” equity and inclusive education policies. 

HDSB recently received international coverage after it was revealed that a transgender teacher at one of its schools was wearing giant prosthetic breasts while teaching students in class. The board never addressed the concerns of students and parents, instead saying they stand by the teacher.

The full wording of the section in the Act the board wants to remove says it requires teachers to “inculcate the precept and example of respect for religion and the principles of Judeo-Christian morality and the highest regard for truth, justice, loyalty, love of country, humanity, benevolence, sobriety, industry, frugality, purity, temperance and all other virtues.” 

“In this spirit, we respectfully ask the Minister to revoke and replace Section 264(1)(c) of the Act to reflect contemporary and current diversity, equity and inclusion policy and practices,” writes Shuttleworth. The provincial government does not appear to have responded yet to the letter.

True North reached out to Shuttleworth for clarification, what specific items in the clause were of concern and how the section was contrary to the principles of equity and inclusivity. True North did not receive a response prior to publication.

The letter was written days before Ontario’s 2022 municipal election, which saw many anti-woke candidates run on a platform to depoliticize the public schooling system.

HDSB has stood by the Oakville Trafalgar High School shop teacher’s in-school attire which included a blonde-wig, prosthetic breasts and clothing which revealed nipples. 

In a statement from September, Shuttleworth cited the need to protect the teacher’s “gender expression” while protests were erupting over the incident. 

“This teacher (who teaches shop) is an extremely effective teacher,” said Shuttleworth. “All the kids really love being in the class.”

Responding to the incident, Lecce asked the Ontario College of Teachers to review its professional standards. 

“In this province, in our schools, we celebrate our differences and we also believe that there must be the highest standards of professionalism in front of our kids,” said Lecce in October.

CAMPUS WATCH: University of Guelph defends racially segregated yoga session

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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The University of Guelph has come to the defence of a yoga class exclusive to black persons after the class was criticized on social media for appearing to further racial segregation.

The “Restorative Yoga” class was organized by the university’s Cultural Diversity team and the Black Student Association, and was “exclusive to Black-identifying students, staff, and faculty at U of G.” It took place on Nov. 1.

The online criticism began after Canadian journalist Jonathan Kay proceeded to call out the event on Twitter, writing “Canada’s Guelph University… and instructor (Selam Debs) are now segregating yoga classes by skin colour. Because of anti-racism.”

Waterloo-based yoga instructor Selam Debs is described on the university’s website as an “antiracism educator, an anti-oppression coach, a social justice advocate, a student in dismantling anti-Black racism, an accomplice in dismantling anti-Indigenous racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and a believer in LGBTQ2S+ & disability rights through an intersectional lens.” 

In a statement, the university says it “does not condone hateful or discriminatory comments or behaviour directed at any member of our community.” While they referenced “anti-Black racism posts”, the administration did not give any examples of what they deemed to be hateful comments.

The university added that “safe spaces are created to give people from equity-deserving groups support, a sense of well-being and a chance to heal” and states that Debs was invited to “provide a safe, healing space for Black students, faculty, and staff to share their lived experiences and learn about the supports available to them at U of G.”

Debs defended the segregated yoga class online, calling it “sacred.” She also accused Kay of being “harmful” and of sending his “right-wing trolls” to harass her. 

In an interview with True North, Kay said he did not harass Debs, adding  “I just sort of pointed it out (that) there’s this racially segregated event, like I didn’t attack her personally.”

In addition to defending the “Black-exclusive” yoga session, Debs told local outlet Guelph Today that the way the session was “attacked and targeted” is a form of racism and white supremacy.

“Black spaces are incredibly important because of the impacts of daily microaggressions, macroaggressions, anti-Black racism, and navigating system racism,” she said.

“Many cultural groups come together and have sacred spaces, and the fact that a Black-exclusive yoga space would be attacked and targeted in this way is a form of anti-Black racism, is a form of white supremacy, and continually reinforces the ways in which Black students, faculty (and) community members experience racism in Canada.” 

Kay told True North that the idea of restricting an event to one race on the basis of sacredness and safety is “insane” because “every segregationist wants to justify racial segregation on the basis of safety.”

“Every racist feels unsafe with members of other races around,” he added.

Kay also objected to Debs telling Guelph Today that the blowback over the segregated yoga session “reinforces the need for Black exclusive spaces” as “even gathering in a sacred way puts (black people) in harm’s way.”

“If I can paraphrase… she’s saying when I criticize racial segregation, that means we need more racial segregation. Also that racial segregation is sacred. Every one of those things is crazy,” said Kay.

Debs and her yoga session did receive support from progressive accounts on Twitter. Some also took jabs at Kay. 

The University of Guelph is not the first Canadian university where racially segregated activities have taken place. 

Trent University’s Student Association unveiled a “Freedom Lounge”, which it describes as a “safe, comfortable, and accountable space for BIPOC and Racialized students to create community, feel empowered, celebrate their lived experiences, and honour their histories.” 

Meanwhile, McMaster University held a special segregated graduation ceremony for  “Black identifying students” last spring.

True North reached out to Debs for comment but she did not respond prior to publication.

Rent, food bills pushing more Ottawa families into debt

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Low income households are struggling to put healthy food on their tables due to rising costs of living, according to a new report from Ottawa Public Health. 

Survey results from the 2022 Nutritious Food Basket (NFB) show that some households living on low or fixed incomes even had to go hundreds of dollars into the red to afford a nutritious diet while also paying for rent. 

“The results of the NFB survey consistently show that individuals and families living on fixed or low incomes do not have enough funds remaining at the end of the month to afford their bills while also putting healthy food on the table,” wrote analysts. 

“Families often choose between paying for fixed expenses (such as rent and utilities), other necessities (such as clothing, childcare, medication, transportation, and dental care) and buying groceries.”

The survey, which will be presented to the public on Nov. 23, showed that families of four on the Ontario Works benefit earning $2,760 a month were left with negative $209. Average rents of $1,881 amounted to 68% of that bracket’s income. 

When it comes to one person households on Ontario Works earning $863 a month, both the cost of rent and groceries left them with negative $588 each month. In fact, renting one bedroom cost them $1,059 or 123% more than their entire income. 

Meanwhile, single households on the Ontario Disability Support Program spent a vast majority of their $1,309 in income on rent. The average rent of $1,280 cost these households 98% of their income, leaving them in the negative for $363 after groceries. 

Minimum wage earners with families of four also saw tight budgets this year with 47% of their monthly income going towards paying an average monthly rent of $1,881. When taking into account an estimated grocery bill of $1,088, they were left with $1,004 for other necessities each month. 

The NFB takes into account dozens of food items based on individual needs to calculate the cost of a nutritious diet. It does not take into account items such as personal care items, processed food, eating out, infant food or special dietary needs. 

High costs of food have left many Canadians who are struggling with no choice but to resort to accessing a food bank. A recent report by Food Banks Canada shows that a record 1.5 million Canadians accessed a food bank in March of this year.

In comparison, as exclusively reported by True North in August, the grocery bill for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Ottawa household reached a whopping $12,125 in July. 2021 while reporting an average cost of $7,861 through March and September of last year.

FUREY: Something is broken in Ontario’s schools

By
Anthony Furey
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There’s a troubling trend in Ontario’s schools.

For the fourth consecutive year, there have been learning disruptions in public schools across the province. This year, schools are closed because of an ongoing battle between the union representing school workers and the Ontario government over increased wages.

It also appears schools in the province are becoming more woke. As reported by True North, a now-shelved Toronto District School Board survey was set to be released this month, asking students about their sexuality, their knowledge of transgender issues and more.

True North’s Anthony Furey says there are dysfunctional things happening in Ontario’s schools and it’s not looking like they will improve any time soon.

Gas production breaks records, leading to Enbridge $3.6B expansion project

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Energy developments in British Columbia are booming such that on Friday, Enbridge Inc revealed a $3.6 billion expansion to its gas pipeline in the province citing surging demand. 

Enbridge is also considering a further $1.9 billion expansion in northern BC at the same time. 

The province is now pumping out natural gas at a record rate nearing 18 billion cubic feet a day. 

“Given the outlook for Western Canada supply, we are seeing strong customer interest for more egress for LNG exports and downstream access,” Enbridge CEO Al Monaco told stakeholders. 

The expansion announced today could add an additional 300 million cubic feet per day capacity to the company’s operations in the province. Gas will be delivered to southern BC and beyond. 

Natural gas pipelines are also contributing thousands of jobs to the province’s economy. 

In October, LNG Canada reported that thousands of workers have flocked to northern BC communities to work on the Kitimat pipeline.

70% of the project has already been completed and it requires 7,500 rotating workers. LNG Canada has also awarded over $3.7 billion worth of contracts to BC companies with $3 billion of the funds going towards First Nations companies and businesses based in Kitimat. 

“Our pace of progress has increased. Right now, approximately 5,000 Canadians are employed at our site in Kitimat. That number will continue to grow as we reach peak construction this year and next,” said LNG Canada Chief Executive Jason Klein in July.

“And as we prepare for the next 40 years of safe, reliable operations, we’re offering hundreds of long-term roles to local British Columbians. We’re now recruiting the people who will run and maintain our facility, for decades to come.”

A recent report by the Canadian Energy Centre found that oil and gas development have contributed approximately $9 billion to BC’s GDP and created over 55,000 jobs in 2018 alone. 

“Canada’s oil and gas sector has a significant impact on B.C.’s export sectors, both direct and indirect, as does the purchase of goods and services by Alberta’s citizens, businesses, and governments in the province where the sector is concentrated,” wrote analysts.

WHATLEY: Here’s what’s behind the big raise offered to B.C. doctors

By
True North Wire
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Shawn Whatley is a practicing physician, senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, and a past president of the Ontario Medical Association. He is author of When Politics Comes Before Patients: Why and How Canadian Medicare is Failing.

Family doctors in British Columbia seem to have struck gold this week. The province offered a $135,000, 54% raise in return for a change from fee-for-service to a rostered – or what’s known as capitation-style –practice. This means average total billings for an individual physician will increase from $250,000 to $385,000.  

Dr. Ramneek Dosanjh, President of Doctors B.C., called the six-figure offer a “seismic shift” and a “new dawn” in the physician-government relationship. 

Governments rarely offer such raises. It reminds us of the British Labour Party’s push to build the National Health Service in 1948. British doctors had long opposed state medicine. But overnight, they did an about-face and embraced it. Aneurin Bevan, Minister of Health, was asked how he got the doctors to flip. He said by “stuffing their mouths with gold.” 

The Ontario government likewise stuffed family doctors’ mouths with gold in 2002, offering a 30% raise for family doctors if they signed contracts for capitated practice models. 

Capitation offers government cost certainty without having to pay doctors a salary. Doctors receive a set fee to provide all the care a patient needs for a whole year. For instance, $140 for a healthy 40-year old, or $400 for a frail 90-year old. 

Performance details remain vague in the BC offer. For now, it looks like doctors are getting a raise for what they do already. Government needs doctors on contract; details can be outlined later.

James C. Robinson, health economist at UC Berkeley, has previously written, “There are many mechanisms for paying doctors; some are good and some are bad [sic]. The three worst are fee-for-service, capitation, and salary.” 

The question though is, “Worse for whom?” Fee-for-service rewards service without limit or certainty for government: patients demand care, doctors provide, and government pays.

“Capitation rewards the denial of appropriate services,” writes Robinson, “the dumping of the chronically ill, and a narrow scope of practice that refers out every time-consuming patient.” 

Ontario solved capitation hiccups by increasing regulations. For example, in 2008 the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario created a policy stating that family doctors must accept any patient who seeks to join their practice, unless the practice is formally closed. But this created a race for doctors to close their practice, so they did not have to accept all the difficult or drug-seeking patients who had been fired from other practices. 

The BC offer might have anticipated this issue. Apparently, patients will be “linked” with a practice in their area. No choice. No connection. Just linked. 

This works well for public schools and emergency departments. It even works for cholesterol checks and childhood vaccines. But it fails when patients have private concerns. Patients need someone they can trust. They need to choose their clinician based on mutual outlook, not a linkage to the closest available clinic.

The BC deal offers a trifecta. Government can claim to have fixed primary care. The province loses the cost-risk of fee-for-service and transfers the risk to doctors with annual fees. Finally, capitation promises a level of control over doctors’ practices which is impossible under fee-for-service. 

So, BC doctors face a fascinating choice: Take the money and run or stick to your principles? 

Doctors can refuse the offer and go out of business. Or they can accept the offer and hope for a few decades of golden income, before the government turns off the tap. But the tap will turn at some point. A government never continues investment in anything, if they can get it for free and use the funds to solve another political problem. 

Most doctors in Ontario took the gold the government offered with Primary Care Reform. BC doctors will probably do the same. Let’s hope it ends well for patients. 

Shawn Whatley is a practicing physician, senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, and a past president of the Ontario Medical Association. He is author of When Politics Comes Before Patients: Why and How Canadian Medicare is Failing.

The Alberta Roundup | Premier Smith attacks “extreme left” climate policies

By
Rachel Parker
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This week on the Alberta Roundup with Rachel Emmanuel, Rachel discusses Premier Danielle Smith who said Ottawa’s hostility to Alberta’s oil and gas industry emerged from the “extreme left” policies of environmental social governance (ESG).

Meanwhile, Alberta Pastor Tim Stephens was acquitted this week on charges of violating the province’s public health orders which required physical distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also on the show, Alberta Justice Minister Tyler Shandro says the federal government is withholding official communication about a recent federal-provincial meeting because Alberta requested that Ottawa name provinces opposed to its gun grab scheme.

Tune into the Alberta Roundup now!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ALBERTA ROUNDUP

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