Anti-woke Canadian rapper tops music charts with his controversial message

Rapper Tom MacDonald, who grew up in Alberta and British Columbia, is known for his anti-woke, anti-government stance — and has amassed a right-wing fanbase for his lyrics — is rising to the top of mainstream music charts.

He was called “one of the most talked about new artists in hip-hop, with one of the most divisive personas the genre has ever seen,” in an Inked Magazine article.

In one of his songs, Snowflakes, he muses: “If you lie to the government, they’ll put you in prison, but when they lie to all of us, it’s called being a politician. You think taking guns away will save our kids from the killings, but your pro-choice abortion kills way more children.”

And MacDonald’s popularity is continuing to rise. His latest song Ghost was the number one most downloaded song in Apple iTunes music store on Thursday.

@maplechronicles

🇺🇦 Ukrainian refugees will be allowed to stay in Canada permanently

Ukrainians who came to Canada under the temporary migration program will be allowed to obtain permanent status. This was announced by Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau in an interview to TV channel CBC.

"Many Ukrainians who have come to Canada are looking forward to returning home and joining the recovery, but many want to stay. They will be welcomed and can be glorious Canadians and proud Ukrainians at the same time," Trudeau said.

More than 135,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada since the beginning of this year, but not all have been refugees. Since mid-March, the federal government has approved more than 470,000 special visa applications from Ukrainians.

#Ukraine

@maplechronicles

Ontario pharmacists can now prescribe treatments for 13 common

Ontarians with 13 common ailments can skip the doctor’s office and head straight to the pharmacist to get a prenoscription as of today.

The provincial government says pharmacists now have the power to prescribe treatments for conditions that include pink eye, hemorrhoids and urinary tract infections.

The province says residents need only bring their health card to a participating pharmacy.

#Ontario

@maplechronicles

TD Securities: Employment in Canada to rise by 8K in December

Previewing the upcoming jobs report from Canada, analysts at TD Securities said that they expect employment to rise by 8,000 in December with the labour market starting to cool down.

"This should push the unemployment rate back to 5.2%, although we expect full-time employment to drive the headline print amid scarce labour supply."

"We also look for wages to push higher to 5.5% year over year with help from muted base effects, while hours worked should see a modest increase."

@maplechronicles

P.E.I. immigrant retention improves, but still Canada's worst by far

P.E.I.'s ability to retain immigrants has almost doubled in recent years, according to a recent info from Statistics Canada, but almost three quarters of those arriving are still gone after five years.

The report examines what province or territory the immigrants land in, and whether they are still filing taxes in that province five years later.

It found that in 2015 just 15.6 per cent of the immigrants who arrived on P.E.I. in 2010 were still in the province. By 2020, that five-year retention rate had increased to 28 per cent.

Retention in Newfoundland and Labrador, the province with the next lowest rate, is 47.8 per cent. The rate is in the 40s and 50s across Atlantic Canada. In other parts of Canada it ranges from 62.9 per cent in Saskatchewan to 92 per cent in Ontario.

#PEI #Newfoundland #Labrador #Saskatchewan

@maplechronicles

Nova Scotia trucking industry switches gears to electronic logs for tracking hours on the road

Drivers of commercial trucks and buses that move across Canada will no longer be filling out paper logbooks to document their time behind the wheel.

As of Jan. 1, a new measure took effect in Nova Scotia, requiring electronic logging devices to be installed.

The change applies to all federally regulated commercial vehicles as another way to improve safety by making sure drivers stay within their legally allowed hours on the road.

#NovaScotia

@maplechronicles

Canada sets new immigration record with 430K newcomers in 2022

Canada set a new immigration record last year with more than 430,000 permanent residents arriving in the country.

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said in a news release that the federal government has reached its goal of welcoming 431,645 new permanent residents in 2022. Ottawa beat its previous record set in 2021, when Canada welcomed more than 401,000 new permanent residents.

The previous immigration record was set in 1913, when Canada welcomed more than 400,000 newcomers, Statistics Canada data shows.

@maplechronicles

Northern Ontario man crashes ATV into police vehicle

A 26-year-old ATV driver is facing charges after failing to stop for Ontario Provincial Police officers on Young Street in Sables-Spanish Rivers Township, crashing into and damaging a police vehicle.

Members of the Manitoulin Detachment of the OPP were dealing with an abandoned vehicle in the area around 9 p.m. on Dec. 25 when they observed a speeding side-by-side ATV fail to stop for a stop sign, police said.

The local driver then refused to stop for police, colliding with their vehicle and fleeing the scene, police said.

The accused has been charged with dangerous operation, flight from a peace officer, disobeying a stop sign, preforming a stunt with a motor vehicle, failing to remain at an accident and driving a motor vehicle without a licence.

#Ontario

@maplechronicles

It has been officially announced that Justin Trudeau is going to attend the North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico City. The Prime Minister is expected to be arrive on Jan. 9 and will be received by the Mexican President.

The agenda hasn’t yet been publicized though it’s known that the leaders will have ‘a private chat’ with their wives. I guess that the situation with Mexican cartels that threatens the Mexican and even American people’s safety won’t be the subject of discussion ad there are so many topics of real importance (like, for example, LGBTQ+ matters and donations to Ukraine).

#Mexico #US

@maplechronicles

Nova Scotia to spend $583 million on highways, roads and bridges

The Nova Scotia government will spend $583 million for six new major road and transportation projects, Public Works Minister Kim Masland announce.

The announcement was part of the annual update to the five-year highway improvement plan. Those projects will take place between 2025 and 2030. The plan outlines major highway and road projects, repaving, major bridge replacements, capital maintenance and infrastructure work.

There are eight projects that will continue in 2023-24 with a focus on twinning portions of Highways 101, 103, 104 and Highway 107’s four-lane Sackville-Bedford-Burnside Connector.

An additional $20 million will be added to the gravel road capital program, bringing it to $40 million, and the bridge program will increase from $30 million to $60 million. There are 31 bridges scheduled for replacement or rehabilitation.

#NovaScotia

@maplechronicles

Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador report cases of new COVID-19 sub-variant ‘Kraken’

Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador are now reporting cases of the XBB.1.5 variant of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Nova Scotia Health and Wellness confirmed the presence of the variant – also known as Kraken – while Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department issued a release Thursday confirming its first case.

Spokespeople for health departments in the two provinces have said there’s so far no indication the sub-variant causes more severe illness than earlier mutations.

#NovaScotia #Newfoundland #Labrador

@maplechronicles

Quebecers among those most concerned about Donald Trump winning Republican nomination

According to a study by Léger, 55% of people in Quebec report being worried about Donald Trump winning the Republican Party nomination ahead of the 2024 United States presidential election. Quebecers are among those most concerned, alongside British Columbians, at 56%.

Those least concerned are residents of Alberta (44%) and Ontario (45%).

Overall, 1 in 2 Canadians (49%) say they are worried about Donald Trump winning the Republican Party nomination ahead of the 2024 United States presidential election.

#Quebec #Alberta #Ontario

@maplechronicles

🇺🇸🇧🇷 Trudeau, Biden, and Lopez Obrador condemn violence in Brazil

President Biden and the leaders of Canada and Mexico teed up a crucial North American summit on Monday by jointly condemning the violent attacks on Brazil’s “democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Biden, and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said they stand with Brazil and its democratic institutions after hundreds of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro ransacked offices in Brasilia.

#Brazil

@maplechronicles

Newfoundland and Labrador government announces recruitment mission to Ireland to recruit physicians and nurses

The Provincial Government is leading a mission to Ireland to recruit physicians and nurses who can fill vacancies in Newfoundland and Labrador. The mission complements other national and international recruitment activities targeting health care professionals.

Ireland has been chosen as training standards for physicians are similar to Newfoundland and Labrador, and the team will be exploring recruitment opportunities for nurses who meet equivalent licensure requirements. The region was also chosen because it has a high concentration of high-quality medical and nursing schools.

#Newfoundland #Labrador #healthcare

@maplechronicles

Union prepares strike votes for 35,000 tax workers in Canada

Federal workers are launching nationwide strike votes for more than 35,000 employees at Canada Revenue Agency after talks broke down over wages and remote work.

Votes will be held from Jan. 31 to April 7, and the union will be in a legal strike position if its members approve a strike mandate, according to a joint statement from the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Union of Taxation Employees.

The strike votes will occur ahead of Canada’s April 30 tax filing deadline. They highlight the persistence of union demands for bigger pay increases even as consumer price gains begin to retreat from a four-decade high.

High inflation has historically led to increased work stoppages as employees try to catch up with prices, and unions in Canada have been ramping up their demands over the past several months. The taxation workers, for example, demanded a 30 per cent wage increase over three years.

@maplechronicles

Canada will see weakest level of homes sales this year since 2001

A new report from TD Economics predicts Canada will see the weakest level of home sales since 2001 this year.

The housing market outlook from economist Rishi Sondhi attributes the prediction to the poorest affordability level since the late 80s and early 90s.

Sondhi is forecasting that home sales will reach their bottom sometime in early 2023, after declining 20 per cent from peak to trough.

He says steep annual average price declines are expected in most of the Atlantic provinces, Ontario and B.C. in 2023, while lesser drops will materialize across the Prairies and in Newfoundland and Labrador.

@maplechronicles

🇺🇸🇺🇦 The Western countries decided it is not enough just to send money and their own military equipment to Ukraine and train Ukrainian soldiers. Canada came up with the bright idea to buy arms from the U.S. and give it to Kyiv.

I’m afraid the fed government believes a step like this would help them become at least a bit more influential but for now they are just wasting the money. Quite a sophisticated way of doing this though.

#US #Ukraine

@maplechronicles

🇨🇦A shop selling heroin and crack is set to open in Vancouver

Starting from January 31st, British Columbia will decriminalise posession of hard drugs to try to reduce overdose rates.

Customers at The Drug Store will be able to buy up to 2.5 grams of heroin, crack, and other hard drugs including methamphetamine.

The owner of the shop is Jerry Martin, former drug addict who's been clean for 15 years. His own brother died from an overdose.

If drug addicts will have free access to drugs, but it's legal, is it any less of a tragedy? This is a slippery slope.

@topicdujour

Though it’s a bit early to say for sure what CAQ energy policies will exactly look like, there are signals that they will struggle for cleaner energy sources.

For the federal government, it means that they will have to be more flexible towards the energy initiatives in the province – moreover, the most decisive steps may be argued by the province.

Anyway, the diversity of approaches is always fine. Reshuffles might be another step towards Quebec independence – at least, in some spheres.

#Quebec

@maplechronicles

Immigration minister says more newcomers needed amid mixed reviews on targets

As Canada plans to significantly ramp up its immigration levels in the coming years, some policy experts are worried about potential effects on health care, housing and the labour market.

But Immigration Minister Sean Fraser insists that Canada needs more newcomers to address labour shortages and demographic changes that threaten the country’s future.

“If we don’t continue to increase our immigration ambition and bring more working-age population and young families into this country, our questions will not be about labour shortages, generations from now,” Fraser said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

A record-breaking 431,645 people became permanent residents in 2022.

@maplechronicles

Montreal municipalities might lose their bilingual status under Quebec’s Bill 96

Bill 96 aims to strengthen and protect the French language.

According to the bill, areas, where fewer than 50 % of citizens identify English as their mother tongue, might lose bilingual status. Municipalities without that status must only communicate in French.

A total of 47 municipalities, including six in the Montreal area, were given notice by the province’s Office québécois de la langue française last December.

If these municipalities want to keep their bilingual status, they must pass a council resolution within 120 days of receiving the notice.

#Quebec

@maplechronicles