🏠 Government introduces amendments to foreign buyer ban

The Government of Canada announced a series of amendments to the foreign buyer ban — officially called the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act — to expand the exceptions to the regulations.

The four amendments to the foreign buyer ban are effective immediately, as of March 27, 2023, and are:

▪️The foreign control threshold rises from 3 up to 10%
▪️Non-Canadians are allowed to purchase residential property for the purpose of development
▪️The ban no longer applies to vacant land
▪️The ban no longer applies to work permit holders

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🇨🇦🇺🇸B.C. to limit access to diabetes drug that has social media fame for weight loss

British Columbia's health minister says he's pushing through a regulatory change to limit the sale of the diabetes drug Ozempic to non-Canadian residents as celebrities promote its weight loss side-effects.

The province is taking action after thousands of prenoscriptions for the much-hyped drug were found to be going to Americans, the vast majority filled at two pharmacies in Metro Vancouver and issued by one Nova Scotia doctor.

The province is working with the drug's supplier to ensure there's enough Ozempic for diabetes patients in B.C., and the health minister says he's pushing for the federal government to address what he calls an “unacceptable situation.”

Data indicated upwards of 15 per cent of Ozempic prenoscriptions in the first two months of 2023 were filled for Americans.

#BritishColumbia #US

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💰Chrystia Freeland abandons budget balance plan, adding $50 billion in debt

▪️Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has abandoned the Liberal government’s pledge to return the federal budget to balance, instead committing to years of further deficits as she made bigger spending plans to transform the economy to use less carbon.

▪️Last fall, she predicted that after years of sky-high, pandemic-driven deficits, the government would finally return to balance, gradually reducing deficits until moving into a $4.5 billion surplus in 2027. That previous projection has been dropped and replaced with a $14-billion deficit.

▪️Across all of the next five years, the deficits are also larger than previously estimated, with the government ending this coming year $43 billion in the red compared to an estimated $36.4 billion just a few months ago.

▪️In total, Canada’s debt will climb by over $50 billion in the years ahead.

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💰The 2023 budget includes

▪️one-time “grocery rebate” that will cost $2.5 billion to help 11 million low- and modest-income Canadians pay their bills

▪️$46.2 billion more than previously earmarked for health care

▪️refundable 15 per cent clean electricity investment tax credit for investments in non-emitting electricity generation systems, and electricity storage or transmission, at a cost of $6.3 billion over 4 years

▪️refundable clean technology manufacturing tax credit equal to 30 per cent of the cost of investments in machinery used to manufacture or process clean technologies, at a cost of $4.5 billion over five years

▪️$48.9 million on protecting diaspora communities as well as Canadians from attempts by foreign states to interfere

Never mind the deficit

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3 pipe bomb explosions in southern Alberta lead to arrests

RCMP have charged two people in relation to three pipe bomb explosions in Claresholm, Alta., about 100 kilometres south of Calgary.

The investigation started on March 6 when police were called to Amundsen Park to investigate a garbage can that had been blow up around 2 a.m.

Police said officers canvassed the area and got doorbell camera footage that showed two people walking up to the garbage can and putting a pipe bomb inside.

On Saturday, police were called to a complaint of a loud bang coming from a garage in Claresholm, said RCMP.

Police said officers found two people inside the garage where the bang came from.

Police searched the home and found ammunition, pieces of pipe, fireworks, an explosive fuse and ammunition that had been cut up to remove the gunpowder, according to RCMP.

Both were charged with making an explosive substance and causing an explosion. The suspects are scheduled to appear in court on April 5.

#Alberta

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Multiple petitions demand resignation of controversial Ottawa school trustee

Multiple online petitions are demanding the resignation of progressive Ottawa public school trustee Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth amid her controversial conduct during board meetings.

The original petition came after Kaplan-Myrth silenced a father concerned about biological males using girls’ washrooms at a March board meeting – claiming his speech created “an unsafe environment for people who identify as gender diverse.”

Kaplan-Myrth responded to the first petition by calling for it to be shut down; claiming it was “transphobic hate speech” that actively discriminated against LGBTQIA people.

The removal of the first petition prompted an Ottawa parent living in Kaplan-Myrth’s zone to start a new one. The Ottawa parent believes Kaplan-Myrth has not abided by OCDSB policies and its code of conduct, and thus needs to be reprimanded.

Kaplan-Myrth has been the centre of controversy since she was elected to the board in October 2022.

#Ontario

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Conservatives slam Trudeau’s bail reforms, introduce new bill to reform Criminal Code

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre held a press conference Wednesday criticizing the Trudeau government’s bail reforms after several recent attacks in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

“The crime wave is the direct result of Justin Trudeau and the NDP allowing repeat violent offenders onto the streets again. They have flooded our streets with repeat, dangerous offenders and drugs and the results are plain to all eyes,” said Poilievre.

“It’s time to bring some common sense back to our justice system. Today we propose an end to the catch-and-release parole system,” he added.

Quebec Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus introduced Bill C-325 to reform Canada’s Criminal Code. The bill proposes to create a new offence in the Criminal Code for the violation of parole conditions.

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Over 87,000 abortions recorded in 2021

The Canadian Institute for Health Information recently released its latest statistics confirming 87,485 induced abortions in Canada in 2021.

▪️The most recent data, which was released last week, includes the number of induced abortions performed both in a hospital setting and in clinics. Surgical abortions accounted for nearly two-thirds (63%) of abortions while medical abortions made up 37% of abortions in Canada.

▪️The age of women who sought an abortion was similar across all age groups, with most procedures done on women between the ages of 18-24 (20,825). Women who were older than 35 were the second most common group seeking abortions (20,208).

Nearly 35,000 abortions were performed in Ontario alone.

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Justin Trudeau shuts down debate over online censorship bill in effort to expedite final vote

The Liberal government has shut down debate on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s online censorship bill, in an effort to expedite the Online Streaming Act into law.

Several Conservative MPs, along with official opposition leader Pierre Poilievre expressed outrage over the Liberals’ decision to end debate over Bill C-11, and instead send it for its final vote.

“The Liberals have just announced that they’re shutting down debate. They’re censoring debate on their censorship bill,” Poilievre said.

If passed, Bill C-11 would regulate digital streaming platforms by prompting them to financially contribute towards the creation and promotion of Canadian content.

#Trudeau #Poilievre

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🏠The federal budget utterly ignores the housing crisis

The 2023 budget contains no new policies to increase the supply of Canadian housing, even as record-high immigration places unprecedented stresses on home and rental prices. Of the handful of housing programs even mentioned in the document, most are poised to make the problem worse.

Most of references to housing were re-announcements of past measures and progress updates on yet-to-be-implemented measures.

Absent were any proposals to free up federal lands for home construction, measures to cut red tape for new builds, or even tax credits on building materials.

The only construction-specific federal monies approved in the new budget was $925 million released as part of the Housing Accelerator Fund – a program that was actually announced in last year’s budget.

The $925 million has to be shared across the country, meaning that in particularly housing-stressed regions such as British Columbia, it conceivably represents only enough resources to build between 100 and 200 new homes.

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📈Record high overdose calls in B.C.

BC Emergency Health Services received a record number of drug overdose calls last week. Mar. 22 set British Columbia’s new record for the number of overdose calls received in a single day.

The news comes as B.C. trials new policy to mitigate the damage of drug use, including overdoses caused by contaminated drugs.

In the last three years, the province introduced policies such as safe-supply and decriminalization – intended to nudge addicts closer to health care services that may lead them to recovery.

Some critics – like Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre – say the approach is causing an increase in overdose deaths.

"The NDP/Liberals told us that decriminalizing & funding drugs would save lives, but that has sent overdose deaths up 300% in BC," Poilievre said.

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London edible cricket factory in discussions to open second facility

As it prepares to ramp up production at the world’s largest edible cricket production facility in London, Ontario, Aspire Food Group is already in talks to open a second site.

Aspire Food Group cofounder Mohammed Ashour said he’s talking to interested investors and customers about a second facility.

Aspire Food Group hopes to be on the cutting edge of alternative protein production. Although it’s London facility will be exclusively using cricket flour to produce pet food, the company is interested in branching out into producing crickets for human consumption.

#Ontario

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Taxpayer funded theatre hosts drag queen camps for 7-year-olds and up

A Vancouver theatre that receives taxpayer funding from provincial, federal and local governments is hosting a drag queen camp for kids as young as seven where adults groom them to become drag performers.

This summer, the Carousel Theatre for Young People is advertising a “Junior Drag Camp” for ages 7 to 11 and a “Teen Drag Camp” for ages 12 to 17 this July.

“Parents, ask yourself, what’s the difference between what you wear at home versus what you wear at work? You’re doing drag honey, you just don’t know it!” claims Carousel Theatre.

The event website states all children will be provided with a drag makeup starter kit.

According to Government of Canada grant data, Carousel Theatre received federal funding to the tune of $280,849 since 2018.

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Six people found dead in Akwesasne marsh near Quebec-U.S. border

Six people were found dead Thursday afternoon in the Saint Lawrence River near a marsh in the Mohawk community of Akwesasne, near the borders of Quebec, Ontario and New York State.

The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service said the first person was found around 5 p.m. on Thursday, during an aerial search being conducted at the request of the Canadian Coast Guard.

The search was continued on the water and ground by the AMPS marine unit, with help from the Coast Guard and Hogansburg-Akwesasne Volunteer Fire Department.

Police are awaiting post-mortem and toxicology test results to provide information on the possible cause of the deaths. Police said investigators are also attempting to determine the identities of the deceased, and their status in Canada.

#Quebec #Ontario #US

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📈Hate crimes against Canadian Catholics on the rise

A recently-published report found that “hate crimes” against Catholics have more than tripled in Canada since 2020.

In a March 16 communiqué ennoscriptd “Toward a Hopeful Future: Facing Down Religious Hate,” the Christian think tank Cardus reported that hate crimes against Catholics have seen the “largest spike” relative to previous years, jumping from 43 known instances in 2020 to 155 instances in 2021.

The Cardus report noted that religious-based discrimination against Catholics follows a general upward trend of hate crimes against all faith denominations. In 2021, a total of 900 hate crime incidents were reported against religious communities, reaching their highest point since 415 in 2009.

The think tank attributed this rise of religious hate crimes to a backdrop of increasingly negative public attitudes toward the contributions of religion and faith communities to Canada.

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Trudeau defends appointment of minister’s sister-in-law as interim ethics commissioner

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended his government’s decision to appoint a cabinet minister’s sister-in-law as interim conflict of interest and ethics commissioner as the Conservatives ridiculed the move for a third consecutive day Friday.

The government appointed Martine Richard earlier this week. She is the sister-in-law of Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

Mr. LeBlanc and Mr. Trudeau appeared together at a news conference Friday in Moncton to promote measures in the new federal budget. They were both asked by reporters about the interim ethics commissioner, who was appointed by cabinet.

“I recused myself when the Prime Minister discussed this with cabinet,” Mr. LeBlanc said. “I did not participate in any way in this decision.”

Former ethics commissioner Mario Dion announced in February that he was stepping down for health reasons. The interim appointment covers a six-month period as the government seeks a permanent replacement.

#Trudeau

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📈Temporary Foreign Worker program sees 68% jump in approvals

Employers in Canada were approved to fill more than 220,000 positions through the Temporary Foreign Worker program last year, taking advantage of government decisions that broadened access to migrant labour.

TFW approvals jumped 68 per cent from 2021. Over the final three months of 2022, companies were authorized to hire nearly 69,000 positions through the TFW program – the most in a quarter since at least 2017.

The numbers reflect part of the hiring process: Foreign workers still need to get the appropriate permits to fill those positions.

Even so, the figures show that employer demand for temporary foreign labour is soaring at a time of near-record-low unemployment rates and elevated job vacancies.

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📜House passes bill to exempt farmers from paying carbon tax

The cost of drying corn and heating pig barns should be coming down this fall across Canada.

“Really it’s unethical, in my opinion, to charge a carbon tax to a farmer who is making food, who is producing food, for us,” said Huron Bruce MP Ben Lobb.

Lobb’s private members bill exempting Canadian farmers from the carbon tax on natural gas and propane they use to dry crops and heat livestock barns has passed through the House.

Farmers are already exempt in their gas and diesel use to plant and harvest crops. So, these additions should mean savings for farmers who are paying thousands of dollars in carbon tax each month to run their farming operations.

Lobb is confident the Senate will pass his amendment to the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, sooner rather than later.

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🇨🇦Chronicles of the week: March 27-April 02, 2023

▪️Global Affairs Canada slammed in audit for not tracking billions in foreign aid. The audit found the department struggled to provide information on projects because of a lack of standardized record keeping and forms not getting filled out.

▪️The Government of Canada announced a series of amendments to the foreign buyer ban to expand the exceptions to the regulations.

▪️Chrystia Freeland abandons budget balance plan, adding $50 billion in debt. Across all of the next five years, the deficits are also larger than previously estimated.

▪️Justin Trudeau shuts down debate over online censorship bill in effort to expedite final vote. Several conservative MPs protest the decision.

▪️B.C. sets new record for the number of overdose calls received in a single day despite all the efforts to fight drug overdoses.

#digest

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💳Canadian millennials underwater as credit card, student loans and CERB debts pile up

The 2022 study examined 2,700 personal insolvencies filed in Ontario. 49 per cent were filed by millennials aged 26 to 41, even though they make up 27 per cent of adult Canadians.

The study found that on a per-population basis, millennials were 1.4 times more likely to file for insolvency than people in generation X aged 42 to 56, and 1.7 times more likely than baby boomers aged 57 to 76.

Insolvent millennials were on average 33 years old and owed an average of $47,283 in unsecured debt.

More than 100,000 Canadians of all ages filed for bankruptcy or insolvency in 2022.

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Trudeau braces for strikes to rock government services as union pushes steep wage hikes

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is staring down one of the biggest strikes in Canadian history as his government’s workers push for higher wages even as inflation eases.

The country’s main federal-employee union will wrap up voting in April on whether to go ahead with a national strike that could see as many as 165,000 workers withdraw their services. Such a work stoppage would delay tax return processing as well as interrupt service at airports and border crossings.

The looming strike comes amid a slowdown in inflation in recent months, but workers are unbending in their demands to recoup purchasing power lost over the past two years. That’s adding additional wage pressures to an already overheated job market, and squeezing employers ahead of an expected economic downturn this year.

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