A new analysis by the Canadian Energy Centre (CEC) found that the oil and gas industry contributed approximately $9 billion to British Columbia’s GDP and created over 55,000 jobs in 2018 alone.
The CEC’s research relied on Statistics Canada data from 2018 and included the indirect impact oil and gas developments have had on the province’s economy. The study also took into account energy-related economic activity between Alberta and British Columbia.
Data reveals that oil and gas also generated $17.8 billion in the form of goods and services across the province’s entire economy.
When it comes to job creation, nearly $3 billion in salaries and wages were paid out to workers in the industry. A total of 55,288 jobs were created, 36,590 of which were a result of indirect impacts while 18,697 were directly related to the field.
“In total, in 2018, interprovincial exports from B.C. to Alberta were worth $16.7 billion, or 39 per cent of British Columbia’s total interprovincial trade. Ontario came second at $14.4 billion (33.6 per cent) and Quebec third at $4.8 billion (11.8 per cent),” researchers wrote.
From 2007-2018 Alberta imported a whopping $177 billion in goods and services from British Columbia, $41 billion of which was manufacturing imports.
“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,” concluded analysts.
According to a recent poll conducted by Leger for SecondStreet.org, a vast majority of Canadians support the idea of expanding Canadian oil and energy exports to lessen global reliance on Russia.
A total of 72% of Canadians said they hope to see Canada working to further energy developments with 49% strongly supporting the idea.
“Developments around alternative energy sources are exciting for consumers, but studies suggest natural gas and oil will be used for decades to come,” said SecondStreet.org president Colin Craig in a news release.
The RCMP has launched an investigation into extrajudicial police stations under the control of Beijing operating in Canada.
News of an investigation comes days after the United States Department of Justice announced a spate of charges against two Chinese citizens. Alongside espionage claims, the two are accused of conspiring to force a US resident to return to China.
The RCMP has stated that it too is now “investigating reports of criminal activity in relation to the so-called ‘police’ stations.”
“(The RCMP takes) threats to the security of individuals living in Canada very seriously and is aware that foreign states may seek to intimidate or harm communities or individuals within Canada.”
Earlier this month, the organization Safeguard Defenders revealed in an explosive report that China had unofficial police operatives working throughout Canada.
While China claims that the operations were harmless and intended only to help Chinese citizens navigate bureaucratic processes like filing police reports, Safeguard Defenders outlined how the stations have led to international arrests.
“Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, many overseas Chinese citizens are not able to return to China in time for their Chinese driver’s licence renewal and other services,” the Chinese embassy told CBC News.
“For services such as driver’s licence renewal, it is necessary to have eyesight, hearing and physical examination. The main purpose of the service station abroad is to provide free assistance to overseas Chinese citizens in this regard.”
The embassy also claimed the agents were “not Chinese police officers” and weren’t “involved in any criminal investigation.” Claims of Chinese agents operating on Canadian soil come at a time when some Hong Kong activists are facing threats from Beijing for holding a “parliament in exile.”
“Instead, I feel it is ridiculous that a government which never represents its own people now wants to bring me and other activists to justice,” said activist Victor Ho who wants to hold a parliamentary election in 2024.
China was also accused by Safeguard Defenders of attempting to force Canadians residents to return to the mainland to face charges.
Conservative MP Michael Chong called on the Liberal government to immediately take action and even demand answers from the Chinese ambassador to Canada.
“We’ve heard of threats directly targeting people who are advocating for minority rights in China, such as those from the Uyghur and Tibetan communities. These stations are now another tool that Beijing can use to repress Canadians here in the Chinese community in Canada,” said Chong.
“The government needs to take immediate action. At minimum, they should be hauling the Chinese ambassador to Canada on the carpet through a formal demarche and strongly voicing our outrage.”
Former ambassador to China David Mulroney also blasted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for nine years of inaction on Twitter.
Having once been pilloried for admiring China's "basic dictatorship" the PM might have been expected to prioritize delivering a smart, tough-minded China policy that puts Canada and Canadians first. But 9 years later, it's not clear he's learned anything
Earlier this week, Liberal MPs abstained from a vote in the House of Commons to denounce the genocide committed by China against the country’s Uyghur minorities in the Xinjiang region.
Federal police agencies are warning MPs that policing services across Canada will suffer if officers are redirected to collect firearms as part of the Trudeau Liberal gun grab scheme.
Police witnesses testified on Thursday to the House of Commons Public Safety Committee, which is studying Bill C-21, the proposed legislation to further restrict access to handguns in Canada.
Brian Sauvé, President of the National Police Federation, said police services in Canada, including the RCMP, are operating at minimal levels already.
“We’re having challenges recruiting, we’re having challenges with retaining, we’re having challenges attracting to the law enforcement profession. So every time that we increase the mandate of police officers on the street, there has to be something that gives,” Sauvé said.
“And is that going to mean that we don’t respond to that mental health call (or) the person in crisis in the middle of the street because police officers are now tied up going to pick up guns that are no longer legal to possess?”
In May 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he was banning more than 1,500 models of firearms, including guns explicitly used for sport shooting and hunting. The Parliamentary Budget Officer said the program will cost $750 million. Those costs could balloon to $1 billion once administrative fees are taken into account.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino then wrote to the provinces and requested help through their police.
In late September, Alberta Minister of Justice Tyler Shandro announced he would obstruct the gun grab by any means necessary. He also said he wrote to the RCMP to inform them the confiscation scheme is not a provincial priority, and, as such, it was seen as an inappropriate use of RCMP resources.
Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick have since followed Alberta’s lead.
Co-chair of the Special Purpose Committee on Firearms for the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) Evan Bray said certain provinces have expressed concerns about the federal government’s request to use provincial policing resources as confiscation agents.
“This early part of the buyback program is essentially an administrative process, it’s not a policing issue,” he said.
“As a result, such a program could be managed by entities other than police services thereby allowing police resources to be focused on those who refuse to follow new law, and more importantly, on addressing border integrity smuggling and trafficking.”
Bray said the process must be diverted somewhere else, rather than using police resources. It will be a massive amount of work, and frontline officers across Canada are “strapped,” he said.
“They’re being overstretched. Their community’s expectations are much higher than what our officers are able to deliver,” he said.
“And sadly, we are delivering that work, but it’s at the expense of our officers because of the drain on them and their mental health.”
On Day 10 of the Emergencies Act hearings, yet another senior police officer has testified that the Emergencies Act was not required to clear protesters from downtown Ottawa.
Under questioning from Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms lawyer Rob Kittredge, Ottawa Police Service (OPS) Superintendent Robert Bernier, who was tasked as the incident commander for the Freedom Convoy, said that the Emergencies Act was not required to tow vehicles and that officers would have been able to clear the protests without the act.
“Would you agree that the federal emergency power to compel towing services may have been helpful to police but it wasn’t necessary for police to clear the protests, was it?” Kittredge asked.
“Yes, however with the caveat that we were having challenges, we were having a hard time up until the 13th of February,” Bernier said. “As things materialized on the 13th I was satisfied we were good.”
OPS acting Deputy Chief Patricia Ferguson testified last week that on February 13, tow trucks were en route to Ottawa to clear the protesters prior to the invocation of the Emergencies Act.
Kittredge then asked Bernier if he agreed with Interim Ottawa police Chief Steve Bell’s Monday testimony that the police were going to clear the protesters without the act. Bernier agreed.
“Numerous other OPP and OPS witnesses have testified that the emergency powers may have been helpful to police in various ways but they were not necessary. Would you agree with that?” Kittredge continued.
“Yes.” Bernier said.
Ottawa police Superintendent Robert Bernier says that the Emergencies Act was not necessary to compel tow truck drivers and to clear protesters from Ottawa.#POECpic.twitter.com/OrWY41n1A3
Bernier continued to provide evidence to the fact that the Emergencies Act wasn’t required when facing questions from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) today.
In reference to a February 13th plan drawn up by law enforcement officials to clear protesters without Emergencies Act powers, CCLA counsel asked Bernier if that plan required any additional legal powers which would have come from the Act.
“Was it your assessment that the OPS had the necessary legal tools and powers to execute that operational plan?” CCLA counsel asked Bernier.
Bernier agreed and when asked if he thought the OPS required any additional legal powers, Bernier said that the emergency powers were “beneficial, but to say ‘necessary’, I would say no.”
“At no time prior to February 14th did you indicate to any of your superiors that you require any additional legal tools or legal powers?” CCLA counsel asked.
“That is correct,” Bernier responded.
Ottawa police Superintendent Robert Bernier says he required no additional legal powers to clear Freedom Convoy protesters from Ottawa.#POECpic.twitter.com/2XozjpyN7Q
Commission lawyers also pressed Bernier on the February 13th plan that didn’t require the Act.
“The plan that I was developing was based on existing authorities whether it be under the provincial, federal or common law authority to act,” Bernier said. “I was satisfied that we were going to have all the authorities we would need to take action.”
Commission lawyers asked Bernier about the successful arrangements made by Ottawa police to secure the tow trucks prior to invocation of the act. Ottawa police officials had previously testified that 36 tow trucks were on their way to Ottawa and ready to move trucks under existing authorities. Bernier’s testimony confirmed that fact.
Commission lawyer Frank Au asked Bernier, “In terms of the arrangements to secure tow trucks, were those arrangements made before or after the [invocation of Emergencies Act]?.”
“Majority of the arrangements were all done by the 13th because they were in transit to Ottawa,” Bernier said. “To my knowledge we did not have to adopt any processes under the Emergencies Act to comel any of them to follow through on their actions.”
“The plan that I was developing was based on existing authorities.”
Ottawa Police Superintendent Robert Bernier testifies they had plans to take action with the protests, which included willing tow truck drivers to assist the police, before the Emergencies Act was invoked. #POECpic.twitter.com/GZ8iIZDsFs
Bernier was questioned by Commission lawyers and convoy lawyers on the use of force employed by riot cops on February 18th when public order enforcement action began taking place.
Bernier leveled the blame of the well-documented aggression from riot cops on the “aggressive” and “volatile crowd” of protesters that faced them in front of the Chateau Laurier.
Bernier said, “we had to make some decisions to increase our usage of force in order to protect ourselves and properly deal with the situation at hand.”
“We had to make some decisions to increase our usage of force in order to protect ourselves.”
Ottawa Police Superintendent Robert Bernier describes the situation on Rideau and Sussex in front of the Chateau Laurier on Feb. 18, the day of the crackdown of the Freedom Convoy. pic.twitter.com/XmvFAYS0hU
Convoy lawyer Bath-Sheba Van Den Berg showed Bernier a video of a protester who was hauled behind officer lines and was laying on the ground being beaten with a rifle.
“Do you agree that the OPS officer in this video in the back behind the line is using what is actually the muzzle and not the butt of what looks like a 40mm chemical munition launch to beat a protester with?”
Bernier repeatedly refused to answer the question, defending the actions of the police that day saying there was “not enough for me to see what’s going on.”
“Not enough for me to see exactly what is actually happening behind the bodies.”
Ottawa Police Superintendent Robert Bernier is asked to watch a video where a police officer appears to use a rifle to beat a fallen protester during the crackdown of the Freedom Convoy. #POECpic.twitter.com/75suwuO76K
That same day, riot horses outside the Chateau Laurier trampled two protesters.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford faced questions from the Ontario NDP today in Question Period as to why he is challenging a summons to testify in front of the commission.
An NDP MPP asked the Premier in question period, “We haven’t heard a word from either the Premier or the former Solicitor General. Hiding the problem does not make it go away. I ask the Premier, will he come clean and commit today to speaking with the commission?”
“Mr. Speaker, this is a federal inquiry into the federal government’s decision to use the federal Emergencies Act,” the defiant Ontario premier responded.
Doug Ford may have broken his silence today, but we still don't have an acceptable answer to why he's hiding from the Public Order Emergency Commission. People in Ottawa, Windsor – and all Ontarians – deserve answers and accountability from this premier.#onpolipic.twitter.com/OnFRRjPsSq
One of the largest fertilizer companies in the world is warning of an escalating global “food crisis” as farmers struggle to adapt to dwindling supplies of nitrogen fertilizer with the added expectations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
President of Yara International Svein Tore Holsether told stakeholders during a third quarter conference call that global food supplies can’t be maintained if the supply of nitrogen fertilizer continues to tighten.
“The world’s food supply cannot be maintained without nitrogen,” said Holsether.
“We are deeply concerned about the state of global agriculture… Yara’s markets have never been more challenging than what we have seen in the past 12 months with European production costs reaching an all-time high.”
Warnings by Holsether coincide with what many Canadian farmers are experiencing here at home.
As exclusively reported by True North, agriculture industry experts explained how farmers are struggling to cope with fertilizer scarcity while at the same time being asked by the Liberal government to cut emissions from fertilizer use by 30% – an endeavor which could impact exports.
“The approach is only being looked at in the context of the emissions standard. We need to take that holistic production intensity approach to ensure that we have a policy framework that delivers economic, environmental and social outcomes that lead to sustainability,” CEO of Global Institute for Food Security Steve Webb told the House of Commons agriculture committee on Sept. 28.
“Not doing so will paint an inaccurate picture of how sustainable Canadian agriculture is and will lead to public mistrust of our resilient and sustainable agriculture system. This will in turn negatively impact export opportunities.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first introduced the voluntary 30% reduction target in his government’s 2020 climate plan. Polls show that a whopping 72% of farmers believe that their crop yields would plummet should they follow through with the Liberal plan.
Additionally, some experts say that the target would have a negligible impact on global CO2 levels. According to agrologist and CEO of AGvisorPRO Robert Saik, the target would lead to a reduction of only 0.0028 of 1% of global emission levels.
Farmers in Ontario have also seen fertilizer prices spike by a shocking 238% this year with no signs of relief.
“For example, farmers across eastern Canada continue to experience uncertain access to fertilizer and recognize that scarcity of this essential input is potentially a reality for years to come,” executive director of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture Scott Ross told the Sept. 28 committee.
In what’s becoming a daily recurrence at the Public Order Emergency Commission, another senior police official said today that law enforcement didn’t ask for the Emergencies Act and had a plan in place to deal with the convoy without it. Day after day, the federal government’s narrative about the Emergencies Act is crumbling, yet Trudeau and his ministers are still insistent their response was justified. True North’s Andrew Lawton discusses the latest from the hearings. Also, a lawyer is putting together a class action lawsuit against the Canadian Armed Forces’ vaccine mandate. Catherine Christensen of the Valour Legal Action Centre joins the programme to explain why.
As Ontario and the federal government unveil a $56 million plan to improve high-speed internet accessibility in eastern Ontario, some rural communities less than an hour’s drive outside of Toronto are urging local governments to take action to fix sub-par connectivity.
During its most recent meeting, residents pleaded with Oshawa City Council to improve internet connectivity services in rural GTA communities like Raglan.
One Raglan resident, Rita Litherland, described her internet situation “like living in the dark ages.”
“I have been living in rural Raglan for 30 years and still no high speed internet is available. Living in this area is like living in the dark ages. We are within minutes of a shopping center and yet no internet,” wrote Litherland.
“This is an essential service and [we] have experienced months of no internet when we had that storm in May. This was unacceptable and needs to be addressed so this does not happen again.”
On Wednesday, Ontario announced it would be funding three projects by Bell and Cogeco to bring high-speed internet to over 16,000 rural homes in eastern Ontario. The projects are expected to be completed by December 2025.
“We all know that internet is no longer a luxury in this day and age — it’s a necessity. Access to fast, reliable internet helps rural Canadians by levelling the playing field so they can access essential services like health care and education, participate in the digital economy, or simply connect with loved ones,” said Minister of Rural Economic Development Gudie Hutchings.
The funding comes in addition to other initiatives including a $1.2 billion federal and provincial investment announced last year.
True North reached out to the Ontario government to ask whether Raglan and other rural GTA communities would be included in the latest project but did not receive a response by the deadline given.
Another Raglan resident, Tracey Podlowski, wrote to council members explaining that she had to pay “exorbitant” fees for shoddy internet services.
“We continue to pay an exorbitant amount of money for service that is less than adequate. If you plan on having company over to watch a movie on Netflix, you better reevaluate that thought, you’ll more than likely spend the evening watching the buffer go around,” said Podlowski.
“We’ve tried almost every service provider available, and the end result is the same – spotty at best internet connection.”
Failed United Conservative Party (UCP) leadership candidate Leela Aheer will not run for the UCP in the next general election.
The UCP government, led by Premier Danielle Smith, will face the Alberta NDP in spring 2023.
Earlier this month, the Chestermere-Strathmore MLA came last in the leadership contest, falling off the first ballot with just 1.7% of party members’ support. She was the only one of the premier’s six leadership opponents not given a portfolio in Smith’s cabinet, announced Friday.
In a statement, Aheer said UCP members have selected a new leader and direction and she respects that decision. In her lengthy statement, she did not explain why she is not running again.
“I am so unbelievably grateful for the time I have been privileged to serve all Albertans,” Aheer wrote on Twitter.
Aheer was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2015, defeating incumbent Wildrose-turned-PC MLA Bruce McAllister by a slim margin. She was reelected in 2019.
During the leadership race, Aheer frequently criticized Smith, but also other conservatives.
In August, she said those participating in the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) and Rebel News debate and fundraiser are responsible for “white supremacy, homophobia and racism.”
Smith, Todd Loewen and Brian Jean all attended the debate.
In response, Aheer said there will be “no room for those who support this agenda” if she’s elected premier.
“Alberta has a set of core values, and they are in direct opposition to what’s on display here,” she said at the time. “Today I’m putting my foot down, and saying enough, do better.”
She also sold UCP memberships at a campaign event with Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a Calgary Stampede event in July.
Leela, I want to thank you for your years of faithful service to our province and the community of Chestermere-Strathmore. Wishing you the very best on your next endeavour. https://t.co/uVXcj0aY7E
In a post, Smith thanked Aheer for her “years of faithful service” to the province and her riding.
“Wishing you the very best on your next endeavour,” the premier wrote on Twitter.
Chantelle de Jonge has already announced she’ll be seeking the UCP nomination in the Chestermere-Strathmore riding. She’s been endorsed by McAllister, now the executive director of Premier Smith’s southern office.
New census data released by Statistics Canada shines a light on the country’s rapidly changing demographics.
The latest set of results from the 2021 Census shows that the portion of Canadians who were immigrants is the largest it has been since the country’s founding. Immigrants now make up 23% of the population, or over 8.3 million people.
Canada now ranks as the top G7 country when it comes to percentage of immigrants. A majority of immigration to Canada is from Asia and the Middle East.
Statistics Canada cited immigration as “the main driver” of population growth, noting fertility rates below population replacement levels and an aging population.
“If these trends continue, based on Statistics Canada’s recent population projections, immigrants could represent from 29.1% to 34.0% of the population of Canada by 2041,” wrote analysts.
The Liberal government has boosted immigration levels with a goal of accepting nearly 500,000 new immigrants this year.
Immigration has also contributed heavily to the labour force with nearly 80% of new workers being immigrants between 2016 and 2021.
Census data also noted a shift in where immigrants are moving to. Areas like Kitchener, Ottawa and even Atlantic Canada saw a boost in the number of immigrants.
Fewer Canadians also identified as being religious in 2021, however according to the research think tank Cardus, 65% still had a religious affiliation. Christianity remains the largest religious denomination in Canada with 53.3% of people identifying as Christian which is significantly lower than the 67.3% reported in 2011.
The percentage of people who reported no religion or identified as secular also spike from 23.9% in 2011 to 34.6% in 2021. People who reported practicing another religion was 12.1%. Cardus commissioned a poll with the Angus Reid institute in April on how devout religious Canadians are and how they are viewed by the non-religious.
“We also know from survey work by Cardus and the Angus Reid Institute that about 16% of Canadians remain religiously committed—devout in their beliefs and practices. Another 19% of Canadians are privately religious—giving them a religiously informed outlook on life,” wrote Cardus’ Faith Communities Program Director Andrew Bennett in a press release.
“Importantly, the rise in non-religious Canadians isn’t necessarily benign or neutral. Cardus-Angus Reid Institute survey work suggests that those with no religious affiliation have strongly negative attitudes toward many religious groups, especially Christians and Muslims.”
According to Bennett, the data shows that secular Canadians have a long way to go when it comes to tolerating those with religious affiliations.
“(The non-religious) also express barely positive attitudes toward Judaism, Sikhism, and Hinduism. The census numbers suggest we’ll all have to work extra hard to defend and increase respect for Canadians who are religious,” he said.
In May of this year, recently retired Toronto resident Rick Craddock was an innocent victim of Toronto’s disturbing and increasing violence.
He was nearly beaten to death in the park behind his condo.
The assault landed the 66-year-old in hospital with a broken back, a brain bleed and a broken arm.
The perpetrator was known to police, he says, but he is unsure whether the man lived at the nearby Bond Hotel shelter on Dundas St. East, which is steps away from his condo building.
The city bought the hotel shelter – which opened during the pandemic and houses about 200 clients – in September to turn into 280 safe affordable homes.
The purchase price was $94 million, according to a city spokesman, who says that price was “below the fair market value of the building.”
It will take approximately $60 million to renovate which will include upgrading building systems and the common areas and converting the hotel suites into private rental apartments.
The city’s website says that won’t be completed until the end of 2023 at the earliest. Judging from the slow pace of all city projects, that target date is likely to be exceeded, together with the budget.
During a recent visit to the hotel shelter — which offers harm reduction on site — with Craddock and his wife Jane Dempsey, they pointed out drug deals carrying on behind us and drugged out addicts in a frozen stance on the sidewalk. It was a kind of Dante’s Inferno similar to what is occurring on Vancouver’s East Side.
Dempsey says this is a regular occurrence in the area, causing police to be stationed every day when classes end at the Catholic school next door.
No doubt the shelter and the nearby safe injection site on Victoria St. have changed the flavour of the neighbourhood for the worse.
With Mayor John Tory re-elected for a third term, that in-your-face drug dealing will not only continue but accelerate.
Unlike Vancouver’s new mayor who ran on a law-and-order platform, Tory’s campaign decidedly avoided the city’s increasing violence (much of it no doubt due to drugs and gangs).
He made a passing reference to public safety in his acceptance speech but has already indicated he has no intention of bringing back some form of carding.
So more victims like Craddock are likely to pay the price, sadly, because Toronto’s politicians are too weak to say enough is enough and too disconnected from the realities of what’s taking place on Toronto’s streets.
