Calgary Police dismantle large homeless encampment

Crews continued to clean up a large homeless encampment hidden in a forested stretch of Crown land in the city’s southeast on Wednesday, a process that police say could reach into the weekend.

At least a dozen people lived in the area, located in a tree-filled area a short walk off of Deerfoot Trail near the Glenmore Trail turnoff. Folks have been living in the camp for about a year, but over the past couple of days, officers issued trespass notices — and a handful of tickets to those who wouldn’t leave — and everyone had vacated by Wednesday morning.

Ennoscriptd “Operation Encampment,” the process of disestablishing the entrenched camp began Monday. CPS worked alongside city bylaw officers, conservation officers and medical personnel, and outreach teams with Alpha House were on site to provide supports to people living in the camp.

Calgary has been previously named one of the most expensive cities in Canada.

#Alberta

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Life expectancy for men in B.C. drops to lowest in a decade

For the second year in a row, life expectancy for Canadians fell in 2021 from 81.7 years to 81.6 years, Statistics Canada reports.

The increase in mortality across Canada is entirely attributable to deaths among males, according to new data about life expectancy and deaths.

In B.C., the picture is a little more nuanced. Life expectancy at birth for males has been fluctuating in recent years. But in 2021, it was at the lowest it has been in a decade.

From 2009 to 2011, the life expectancy for males in B.C. was 80.07 years. A decade later, that figure dropped to 79.55. The change appears slight, but it takes a significant number of men dying earlier in order to shift an average. Meanwhile, the life expectancy for females in B.C. has increased from 84.2 to 84.7 years in the same decade.

#BritishColumbia

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Ontario housing minister broke ethics rules in Greenbelt land swap: integrity commissioner

Ontario’s integrity commissioner has found that Housing Minister Steve Clark broke ethics rules for his role in the Ford government’s Greenbelt land swap.

In a blistering 166-page report, J. David Wake said the way the province went about removing 7,400 acres from the Greenbelt was “marked by misinterpretation, unnecessary hastiness and deception.”

The integrity commissioner’s report suggests Ryan Amato, Clark’s recently resigned chief of staff, spearheaded the process. The responsibility for that, the integrity commissioner suggested, landed at the minister’s door.

Wake found Amato had been “operating largely alone and undirected.” Wake also said during the inquiry, his staff received evidence from 61 witnesses and Minister Clark.

It was determined that Minister Clark breached sections 2 and 3(2) of the Member’s Integrity Act.

#Ontario #housing

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🏠 Canadians buying homes with family, friends to break into market

In the report released Thursday, Royal LePage says an online survey by Leger of more than 500 respondents in August showed six per cent of homeowners currently co-own their property with someone other than their spouse or significant other.

🔹Of that group, 89 per cent said they co-own with family while seven per cent co-own with friends. More than half of co-owners do so with a parent or parent-in-law.

Only 44 per cent of respondents from this group said they live with all other co-owners named in the deed.

Royal LePage says 76 per cent of survey respondents cited affordability concerns as the major motivating factor for those purchasing property with another party.

#housing

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No human remains found in excavation of Manitoba church basement

After two years of speculations about the alleged mass graves of Indigenous children at residential schools across Canada, a series of recent excavations at suspected sites has turned up no human remains.

Minegoziibe Anishinabe, a group of indigenous people also known as Pine Creek First Nation, excavated 14 sites in the basement of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Catholic Church near the Pine Creek Residential School in Manitoba during four weeks this summer.

The anomalies were first detected using ground-penetrating radar, but on Aug. 18, Chief Derek Nepinak of remote Pine Creek Indian Reserve said no remains were found.

In May 2021, the leaders of the British Columbia First Nation Band Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc announced the discovery of a mass grave of more than 200 Indigenous children detected via ground-penetrating radar at a residential school in British Columbia. The radar found anomalies in the soil but no proof of actual human remains.

#Manitoba

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120 employees no longer with CRA after inappropriately claiming CERB, agency says

The Canada Revenue Agency has let go 120 employees who took advantage of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a CRA statement issued Friday morning, an internal review launched to identify any CRA employees who inappropriately claimed the benefit while employed at the department turned up 600 suspect cases.

Any CRA employees who improperly claimed benefits will be required to pay them back if they have not already done so, the statement said.

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Meta rejects Trudeau's proposals in online news dispute

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government released new details of a law that tries to force technology companies to pay news providers, but Meta Platforms Inc. said it will continue to block users in Canada from seeing news stories on Facebook.

Draft regulations published Friday say Meta and Alphabet Inc. would need to pay news outlets a minimum of 4% of their annual revenue in Canada in return for carrying links to news articles. That means the law compels Alphabet’s Google to pay about C$172 million ($127 million) annually to the news industry in Canada, while Meta’s Facebook would need to shell out C$62 million per year, according to the government’s estimates.

Facebook has already blocked users in Canada from posting or seeing links to news stories. A spokesperson for Meta said the draft rules will make no difference.

Alphabet has also threatened to cut off Google News links in Canada.

The law is expected to come into effect on Dec. 19.

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"Canada's woke nightmare"

The Telegraph recently released a short documentary on the current state of things in Canada.

The film looked at such pressing issues as drug addiction, gender ideology spreading like a virus, and medical assistance in dying (MAID).

What struck me most was an interview with a clinician who works in the field of assisted suicide. She used to perform abortions. But when mifepristone, used for medical abortion, became available in Canada in 2016, the need for surgical abortion was greatly reduced. That same year, the MAID program was introduced in Canada, so the clinician quickly found her new calling in the euthanasia industry. She is proud of her work because it reflects her belief in "bodily autonomy" and "social justice." This is the very real manifestation of the death cult.

The documentary also includes a bonus episode featuring Jordan Peterson, in which he talks about the narcissistic traits exhibited by Justin Trudeau.

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Ontario housing minister resigns amid Greenbelt land swap scandal

Housing Minister Steve Clark has resigned after Ontario’s integrity commissioner found he broke ethics rules for his role in the Ford government’s Greenbelt land swap scandal.

In a letter published on Monday morning, Clark said he felt his role in the Greenbelt decision and subsequent investigations were “a distraction” from the ministry’s work to solve the housing affordability crisis.

Integrity commissioner report blamed Clark for a lack of oversight over his chief of staff, who both the integrity commissioner and Ontario’s auditor general said spearheaded the removal of 7,400 acres of land from the Greenbelt.

#Ontario

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💉B.C. sets new record with 1,455 drug deaths in 1st 7 months of 2023

Another 198 British Columbians died from toxic drugs in July, according to data released by the B.C. Coroners Service, bringing the death toll in the first seven months of the year to 1,455.

The coroners service said the 1,455 deaths from January to July are the most ever reported in the first seven months of the year since a public health emergency over drug poisoning deaths in the province was declared in 2016.

It puts the province on pace to potentially exceed the 2,383 deaths recorded last year.

#BritishColumbia

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'Violent conflict' in Calgary involving 150 people may be linked to clashes within Eritrean community

Calgary police say they're investigating a "violent conflict" between two groups involving around 150 people Saturday night that may be linked to clashes within the Eritrean community.

Police responded to an incident in northeast Falconridge at around 5 p.m. Saturday after reports of two groups with opposing views engaged in violence. They said they believe up to 150 people were involved, and many were brandishing weapons.

Several people were taken to hospital by emergency medical services.

Last month there was violence at an Eritrean festival in Edmonton, and a similar clash in Toronto.

#Alberta

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Parents worried about new supervised drug-use site near Montreal elementary school

Worried parents say they were blindsided by a decision to open Montreal's first supervised drug-inhalation facility less than 100 metres from their children's school.

The building is nearing completion in the St-Henri neighbourhood, only steps from Victor-Rousselot elementary, which counts 300 students from preschool through Grade 6.

The project is an initiative of Maison Benoit Labre, a local non-profit that runs a day centre for people experiencing homelessness. The new, four-storey building on Atwater Avenue will have 36 studio apartments for unhoused people with mental health or addiction issues.

The ground floor will include what the organization calls an overdose prevention centre, where clientswill be able to bring their own substances to use in the presence of trained personnel. It will be the first supervised drug-use site in Montreal able to accommodate drug inhalation in addition to other methods of consumption, such as injection.

Several parents of students at Victor-Rousselot question why a drug consumption site was allowed to open so close to the school.

#Quebec

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💰Household debt rises to $2.34 trillion in Canada as average credit card balance jumps to $4,000

Data from the TransUnion’s report shows a 4.2 per cent increase, or $94.8 billion, in Canadian household debt compared to the previous year, with a total debt of $2.34 trillion for Canadians.

According to the report, this growth was primarily fueled by mortgage loan debt.

The number of Canadians with credit card debt went up by 3.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2023, and consumers in all risk categories are accumulating more debt with the riskiest group, subprime consumers who have lower credit scores, seeing an 8.9 per cent year-over-year increase in their debt levels.

There has been a nine percent increase in average consumer balances across credit products, surpassing $4,000. This is mainly due to higher spending habits, with the average consumer spending $2,100 on their cards in the second quarter of 2023. Even consumers with lower credit scores have upped their spending to $1,300, up by four per cent year-over-year. However, as spending rose, the amount consumers paid toward their card balances each month decreased by 2.8 per cent year-over-year.

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‘Freedom Convoy’ organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber’s trial begins on Tuesday

The trial of "Freedom Convoy" organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber begins today, as they answer charges related to their role in the protest in Ottawa in 2022.

Lich and Barber were part of the original group that mobilized a convoy of big rigs and cars to drive to Ottawa in winter 2022 to protest COVID-19 public health restrictions and the Liberal government.

Lich and Barber are co-accused, both charged with mischief, obstructing police, counselling others to commit mischief and intimidation. The trial is expected to last at least 16 days.

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Canada set to become strategic partner with ASEAN trading bloc

Canada’s status within the Indo-Pacific region is set to get a boost as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations prepares to make Ottawa its latest strategic partner when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visits Indonesia.

The move by the organization is a symbolic gesture that recognizes Canada’s expanded presence in the region and reflects the progress being made on a Canada-ASEAN free-trade agreement.

The partnership will be ratified when Trudeau is in Jakarta on Tuesday and Wednesday alongside Trade Minister Mary Ng.

The launch of the ASEAN-Canada strategic partnership will take place on Wednesday, with Trudeau also expected to deliver remarks.

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Doug Ford calls for end to Bank of Canada interest rate hikes

Doug Ford has become the second Canadian premier to formally express his displeasure with interest rate hikes, calling on the Bank of Canada to end the increases, which he says are “hurting people.”

In a letter sent to the governor of the Bank of Canada on Sunday, Ford echoed the recent words of British Columbia Premier David Eby. He said interest rate hikes were a burden on people and businesses.

He argued that cooling inflation was a reason not to raise interest rates further. The central bank’s key interest rate stands at 5.0 per cent following back-to-back increases.

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University of Toronto staff vote 94.5% in favour of strike action, if necessary

Members of the United Steelworkers union Local 1998’s staff-appointed unit at the University of Toronto have sent a strong message to the university, voting 94.5% in favour of going on strike, if necessary. Members voted to give their elected negotiating committee the right to call for job action, up to and including a strike.

The strike deadline is this Thursday, September 7 at 12:01 a.m.

The 5,800-person staff-appointed group at the University of Toronto includes workers who provide administrative and technical support to faculty, students and other members of the university community.

#Ontario

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67% of Quebecers believe the Legault government has done a poor job on inflation

According to a study by the Angus Reid Institute, 67% of Quebec adults believe the provincial government led by François Legault has done a poor job helping Quebecers manage cost of living increases due to inflation.

The same study also found that 74% of Quebecers say the Legault government has done a poor job on housing affordability.

Conversely, just 27% say that the Legault government has done a good job with regards to inflation and the cost of living in Quebec.

#Quebec

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🏦 Bank of Canada holds interest rate at 5 per cent

The Bank of Canada kept interest rates on hold on Sept. 6. The key policy rate remains at five per cent, which is still the highest level in 22 years.

The bank said in a statement that policymakers opted not to raise the key rate given demand in the economy is slowing and previous rate hikes need more time to take effect. But it also said it’s ready to raise rates further if needed, and remains concerned about inflationary pressures.

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📈 Inflation, high interest rates affecting Canadians’ mental health, report finds

Financial struggles brought on by inflation and higher interest rates are damaging the mental health of more than half of Canadians, with many reporting high rates of anxiety over housing and food, according to a poll released Wednesday by Mental Health Research Canada.

The poll found that 51 per cent of Canadians said inflation was having a negative impact on their mental health. Nearly a quarter of respondents – 24 per cent – said they have gone into debt as a result of inflation.

Meanwhile, 23 per cent of Canadians said they are concerned about their ability to make rent or mortgage payments, while 37 per cent are struggling to adequately feed themselves or their families.

Canadians are responding to financial hardship in a variety of ways: 35 per cent said they have reduced essential spending, while 22 per cent have dipped into savings to pay for essentials and 10 per cent said they have had to borrow from friends or family to purchase essential items. Others have put off saving money or relied on credit cards to cover the costs of essentials.

The poll found that 28 per cent of unemployed people and 27 per cent of people having financial troubles reported having had suicidal thoughts in the past year.

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