Parents push back on pride month in Ontario schools

The recent decision by a Catholic school board in Ontario’s York Region not to fly the pride flag during Pride Month in June is emblematic of a province-wide call to halt flag-raisings and other events expected in schools throughout the month.

Many parents are looking at pulling their children out of school during such events. A national walk-out is scheduled for June 1 and gaining traction.

At York Catholic District School Board meeting on May 29 the board voted 6–4 against flying the flag. Many said the Canadian flag is enough and that it represents all students.

Similar flag disputes have sprung up in boards across the province ahead of Pride Month.

At a Durham District School Board meeting on May 15, one father suggested simply opting for the Canadian flag. “How about we just stop sexualizing our flagpoles and fly the Canadian flag?” he said.

Ontario’s education minister Stephen Lecce has stood in favour of flying the pride flag for Pride Month.

#Ontario

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Quebec firm to pay $10M to avoid charges over bribes promised to Philippine officials

A Quebec forensics company promised millions of dollars in bribes to officials in the Philippines, including a cabinet minister and his brother, as it sought lucrative police contracts, according to a statement of facts attached to a deal the firm struck to avoid prosecution in Canada.

The deal between Ultra Electronics Forensic Technology Inc. and federal prosecutors has been approved by the Superior Court of Quebec and is Canada’s second remediation agreement.

The other deal was struck between Quebec provincial prosecutors and SNC-Lavalin over corruption in its contract to refurbish the Jacques Cartier Bridge in Montreal.

The latest agreement requires the Montreal firm to pay about $10.5 million, co-operate with investigations, report to prosecutors about implementing the agreement and abide by an anti-bribery and corruption program overseen by an external auditor hired at the firm’s expense.

#Quebec

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Girl arrested for setting off fireworks on packed Toronto bus

Toronto police say they have arrested a 14-year-old girl who allegedly set off a firework on a packed TTC bus in Scarborough during Tuesday rush hour.

The girl has been charged with mischief endangering life. She is due to appear in a Toronto courtroom on Friday, July 14.

#Ontario

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🇨🇦🇷🇺🇲🇩 Canada announces additional sanctions in relation to Russia

The Minister of Foreign Affairs today announced that Canada is imposing sanctions against seven individuals and one entity in Moldova under the pretext of their collaboration with Russia.

These sanctions target a number of individuals, including Moldovan oligarchs, businessmen, parliamentarians and the Shor political party.

The move follows a commitment made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the visit of Moldovan President Maia Sandu to Canada in May 2023.

#Russia #Moldova

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Toronto and GTA under heat warning for next two days

Toronto and much of the GTA are under a heat warning for the next several days.

Environment Canada says the two-day heat event will see maximum daytime temperatures of up to 31 C in some areas.

Similar heat warnings are also in effect for Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton and stretching all the way to Oshawa in the east.

It’s possible Toronto could set several new temperature records in the process.

#Ontario

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1st National Day Against Gun Violence to be marked in Canada

The Trudeau government is proclaiming a National Day Against Gun Violence, to be held annually on the first Friday of June.

The government says the goal of the national day is to raise awareness and foster a national discussion about the causes and effects of gun violence.

It comes as the Senate reviews a government bill that would cement restrictions on handguns, increase penalties for firearm trafficking, try to curb homemade ghost guns and ban assault-style firearms.

The Conservatives opposed the bill in the House of Commons, saying it penalizes law-abiding firearm owners instead of tackling gun crime.

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🇺🇸🇿🇦 United States, South Africa send over 300 firefighters to Canada to help with wildfires

More than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are heading to Canada in the coming days to help the country battle an unprecedented wildfire season.

At least 100 U.S. firefighters will be arriving in Nova Scotia over the weekend to help knock down out-of-control wildfires that have forced about 21,000 people from their homes since Sunday.

Another 200 firefighters arriving from South Africa will likely end up in Alberta, though officials say the wildfire situation in the country is fluid.

In Nova Scotia, two major fires that remain out of control — one in suburban Halifax, the other in the southwestern corner of the province — have already destroyed at least 200 homes and cottages.

#NovaScotia #Alberta #US #SouthAfrica #wildfire

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Halifax-area wildfire 50 per cent contained

A wildfire that began burning in the Upper Tantallon, N.S., area Sunday and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents is now 50 per cent contained.

While this is good news, David Steeves, a forest resources technician with the province’s Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, warns that the situation is still “dangerous and volatile.”

"We are far from being out of the woods. Just because we have a level of percentage of containment does not mean the decrease and the importance of safety in this situation has lowered," he said.

#NovaScotia #wildfire

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Canada to become 1st country to mandate warning labels on individual cigarettes

The Canadian government has announced stricter labelling and packaging regulations for tobacco in the country.

As per these regulations, health warning messages are required to be printed directly onto individual cigarettes, a move that will make Canada the first such country to do so.

The new regulation was announced by Carolyn Bennett, the government’s mental health and addictions and associate minister of health.

The packaging, including the health-related messages, will be rolled out to retailers by the end of April 2024.

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Anthony Furey "exposes" City of Toronto branded crack, meth pipes given to shelters

Toronto mayoral candidate Anthony Furey revealed City of Toronto-branded crack pipes and crystal meth pipes being handed out at shelters across the city.

"Today I exposed that shelters all across Toronto — including family shelters with kids in them — are being pushed by the City to provide taxpayer-funded crack pipes and meth kits and become unofficial injection sites," he wrote in a Twitter post. "As Mayor of Toronto, I will immediately end this program."

He said an unnamed "whistleblower" alerted him to the existence of these drug consumption kits.

#Ontario

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Canadian military to help fight Nova Scotia wildfires amid ‘unprecedented’ season

The federal government has approved a request for the Canadian Armed Forces to help Nova Scotia fight wildfires as the eastern province, like other parts of the country, faces a “dangerous” season this year.

Nova Scotia is the second province to receive federal assistance for wildfires this year after Alberta, where a provincial state of emergency is in effect.

Canadian Armed Forces will aid provincial emergency management officials with planning and coordination supports, ignition specialist personnel and equipment, and other firefighting resources.

#NovaScotia #Alberta #wildfire

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🏠 Toronto home prices rise in May as sales jump 20%

Greater Toronto Area home prices increased in May from April and sales rose sharply, adding to evidence that the housing market has turned a corner after being buffeted by higher borrowing costs.

The average price of a GTA home rose to nearly C$1.2 million ($892,193) in May, up 3.7% from April. It was the fourth straight month of gains.

On a year-over-year basis, the average price remained lower, but the pace of decline slowed to 1.2% from 7.8% in April. The average price was 10.3% below the February 2022 peak.

The Bank of Canada has paused its interest rate hiking campaign since January after lifting its benchmark rate to a 15-year high of 4.50%.

#housing #Ontario

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Toronto to refer refugees and asylum seekers who show up at full shelters to federal programs

Toronto will begin referring refugees and asylum seekers who show up at its at-capacity shelters to federal programs as of today as it continues to call for additional funding.

Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie made the announcement, noting that the City of Toronto essentially has no other choice but to refer refugees and asylum seekers to federal Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada programs for support, if space is not available for them in the city’s shelter system.

Starting today, the city will also begin reviewing asylum seekers already in Toronto's shelter system to determine who is eligible for IRCC services followed by referrals to IRCC hotels.

#Ontario

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Saskatchewan’s opioid crisis is on the rise

Saskatchewan’s opioid crisis is on the rise again this year after an expected plateau in 2022.

“Unfortunately this year we’re up quite a bit, we’re suspecting about 186 deaths that was until the end of April, looks like 68 suspected deaths just in the city of Regina,” Chief Coroner Clive Weighill said.

In 2022, Weighill said there were 387 reported opioid deaths in Saskatchewan. Just four months into 2023 the province is already at close to 200.

#Saskatchewan

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💊 Medication shortage in Canada led to increased dosing errors in children, new study shows

A new study has found that dosing errors in children increased during the Canada-wide shortage of pediatric fever and pain medication last year.

During the medication shortage, between August and December 2022, there was a 40 to 60 per cent increase in calls to the Ontario Poison Centre for patients younger than 18, compared to trends over the prior four years.

Medical director of the OPC said the shortage of pediatric analgesia and anti-fever medications led to parents and caregivers using adult preparations for their children’s dosing.

#healthcare

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Canadian pension fund CDPQ puts brakes on China investment

A top Canadian pension fund has put the brakes on its investment in China, making it the latest western investor to pull back from the country amid rising geopolitical tensions.

Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), the C$400bn ($295bn) global investment group, has stopped making private deals in China and is closing its Shanghai office, according to people familiar with the matter.

The fund’s decision comes less than two years after CDPQ’s chief executive, Charles Emond, said that the pension giant was planning to increase its exposure to China from about 4 per cent of its overall portfolio to as much as 10 per cent in the years to come.

Since then, relations between Beijing and the west have continued to deteriorate.

Earlier this year, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan said that it had paused future direct investments in China.

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🇨🇦🇺🇸Chinese warship nearly hits U.S. destroyer in Taiwan Strait during joint Canada-U.S. mission

A Chinese warship came within 150 yards of hitting American destroyer USS Chung-Hoon, during a joint Canada-U.S. mission sailing through the Taiwan Strait.

A People’s Liberation Navy ship picked up considerable speed and cut in front of the bow of the Chung-Hoon, a maneuver HMCS Montreal’s commander, Capt. Paul Mountford, called “not professional.”

The Chung-Hoon and Montreal have been sailing together in the South China Sea for nearly a week prior to entering the Taiwan Strait.

The Chinese did not attempt a similar maneuver on HMCS Montreal but one of the two warships that were in the area did sail within 1,000 yards of the Canadian ship.

The Chinese alerted both ships over radio systems that they were entering Chinese territory, however Mountford claims the ships were in international waters.

#China #US

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Trudeau continues to stand by David Johnston despite calls for him to step down

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is committed to keeping David Johnston in place as Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference, despite a majority of MPs voting to call on him to resign.

Trudeau said in Toronto Friday that he looks forward to public hearings the former governor general is expected to hold "across the country" over the coming months before he releases a final report by the end of October.

"He is taking very seriously this question and he is digging into the facts," Trudeau said.

The House of Commons passed an NDP motion earlier this week, with the support of Conservative and Bloc Quebecois MPs, that urged Johnston to step aside and asked the government to call a public inquiry.

#Trudeau

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Federal party leaders visit Manitoba on same day to campaign in byelections

The leaders of three federal parties visited Manitoba on Friday to bolster campaigns in byelections in two vacant ridings.

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre visited Winnipeg and Winkler to campaign for candidates in Winnipeg South Centre and Portage-Lisgar, where byelections will be held on June 19.

In Winnipeg, Poilievre spoke to reporters in the morning at the Victoria Inn near the city's airport, where he blamed runaway inflation and high crime on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government.

One day earlier, Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman, a Toronto-area MP, also visited Winnipeg South Centre.

The same day, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland spoke in Winnipeg to support Ben Carr, the Liberal candidate in the riding, just one week after a visit by the prime minister himself.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also visited Winnipeg on Friday to support Julia Riddell, his party's candidate in Winnipeg South Centre.

#Manitoba

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Four children die after group swept away by tide in Quebec

Four children and one man died after 11 people fishing on the shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec were swept away by a tide, police said on Saturday.

The children, all over the age of 10, were found unresponsive early Saturday morning on the shore in the Portneuf-sur-Mer area and later confirmed dead. One man in his 30s was also found dead.

Six people were rescued from the water.

The incident occurred in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec which covers much of the northern shore of the Saint Lawrence River.

#Quebec

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