B.C. man detained in child-luring case after being arrested four times in a month

A B.C. man facing child-luring charges, arrested four times in less than a month, has now been ordered to remain in custody.

Is there a standard for how many times you have to commit a crime to actually get arrested?

#BritishColumbia
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Wildfire evacuation notice issued for Fort McMurray

An evacuation alert has been issued for Fort McMurray, Alberta, as an out-of-control fire rages southwest of the major oil town.

The Alberta government said the wildfire danger is "extreme" in the Fort McMurray Forest Area and out of control at 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) in size.

#Alberta #wildfires
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Trudeau backs away from tax threat on apartment owners

The government of Justin Trudeau pulled back on a threat to hit some real estate investment trusts in Canada with a new tax regime after opposition from the industry.

The finance department posted a statement, saying that “no changes to the tax treatment of REITs are being considered at this time.” That removes a risk that’s hung over Canadian apartment REITs in particular for more than two years.

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Some indicators of financial stress have risen. At the same time, the valuations of some financial assets appear to have become stretched. This could increase the risk of a sharp correction that could generate system-wide stress. The recent rise in the use of leverage in non-bank financial institutions could amplify the effects of such a correction.

Tiff Macklem.

Is this a sophisticated way of saying we're completely f*ucked?

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🚙 Steal a car, lose your driver's licence under new Ontario proposal

Repeat car thieves may face lengthy license bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.

The Ford government wants to attach a 10-year driver’s licence suspension to a first conviction of auto theft that involved violence, use of weapon, force, or where the theft was motivated by financial gain.

Yes, 'cause the fear of driving without a license is the only chance to stop law-abiding car thieves from stealing cars.

#Ontario
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💸Ottawa budgets about $224 per day to feed and house some foreigners who claim asylum after illegally entering the country.

The average accommodation cost is “$140 per night per room,” and the average cost for meals is “$84 per day per claimant” — for a total of $224 per claimant, per day.

In essence, migrants get a free vacation in Canada.

#immigration
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💉BC Supreme Court rules in favour of PHO’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health-care workers

Health-care workers who pushed back against being forced to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or face losing their jobs have lost in the BC Supreme Court.

#BritishColumbia
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Former Liberal ministers urge Trudeau to drop plans to house migrants in federal prisons

Two former Liberal cabinet ministers are urging the Trudeau government to cancel its plans to start using federal prisons to hold immigration detainees, citing a recent inquest recommendation to end the practice of detaining migrants in jails.

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🇨🇦🇮🇱Olivia Chow skips Toronto's Israeli flag raising event as 'it's a bit divisive'

An Israeli flag raising ceremony to mark the country’s independence on Tuesday was not attended by Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who called the event “divisive” in a statement.

#Israel #Palestine
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💉Canada Post was wrong to suspend unvaccinated remote workers during COVID, arbitrator rules

A labour arbitrator has struck down part of Canada Post’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy for employees, ruling it was unreasonable to suspend staff without pay who worked remotely simply because they did not confirm they were vaccinated.

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CRTC won’t implement online streaming act until late 2025

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) will delay implementing the online streaming act until late 2025. However, the commission plans to continue consultations into 2026.

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📈 Immigration to Canada surges in April, worsening outlook for housing affordability

The working-age population (aged 15 and over) rose by over 100,000 in April, bringing the total to over 410,000 after 4 months in 2024. This represents a sharp acceleration (+47%) on the 278,000 increase recorded in the first four months of 2023.

In Greater Toronto, where population growth reached a record 107,000 at the start of the year, the acceleration is 66% compared to the growth seen in 2023. Greater Montreal and Greater Vancouver have not been left behind since the start of 2024, with growth more than double that seen in 2023.

#immigration
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🇨🇦📱🇨🇳Intelligence chief warns Canadians that China can use TikTok to spy on them

The head of Canada's intelligence agency is warning Canadians against using TikTok.

My answer as director of [the Canadian Security Intelligence Service] is that there is a very clear strategy on the part of the government of China ... to be able to acquire ... personal information from anyone around the world. As an individual, I would say that I would absolutely not recommend someone have TikTok.

CSIS director David Vigneault.

Do you have a total ban on TikTok on your 2024 bingo card?

#China
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💸Cost of Canada's COP28 climate conference attendance, featuring rapper, hits $3M

In March, the National Post reported that Canada had spent nearly $1.4 million to attend the 28th United Nations climate change conference, commonly known as COP28, that took place in Dubai last year from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12.

This week, updated numbers were released, putting the cost to fly and lodge 182 government-sponsored delegates closer to $3 million.

What about all that CO2 emitted to get to Dubai? Didn't Trudeau tell us we were in a climate emergency?

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💉Head of Toronto health board concedes drug decriminalization effort won’t succeed

Toronto’s attempt to decriminalize possession of small amounts of hard drugs has no hope of success, the head of the city’s health board conceded Thursday, because Ottawa is unwilling to consider an application opposed by the provincial government.

#Ontario
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🏠 Home building lags despite record number of construction workers

The number of construction workers in Canada hit a record in 2023, but housing production failed to follow suit, falling short of its potential output by a significant margin.

There were approximately 650,000 workers in the construction sector last year, but housing starts only totalled 240,267, below the 400,000 that could have been built if those workers were used to capacity.

And authorities said migrants would help solve the housing crisis. They lied, as usual.

#housing
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🚫🚬Next generation of Prince Edward Islanders could be hit with tobacco ban

The Prince Edward Island government is hoping a ban on tobacco sales to anyone born after a certain date will help create a new generation of smoke-free Islanders.

If the idea turns into action, the government would select a watershed year, and anyone born after it would be prohibited from ever legally buying tobacco products on P.E.I.

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In Canada, bodies go unclaimed as costs put funerals out of reach

Some provinces have logged a jump in unclaimed dead bodies in recent years, with next of kin citing funeral costs as a growing reason for not collecting loved ones' remains.

The phenomenon has prompted at least one province to build a new storage facility. Demand for memorial fundraisers has surged. The overall cost of a funeral in Canada at the top end has increased to about $8,800 from about $6,000 in 1998, according to industry trade group estimates.

In Ontario, Canada's most populous province, the number of unclaimed dead bodies rose to 1,183 in 2023 from 242 in 2013.

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🏳️‍🌈🚫Alberta premier, UCP banned from 2024 Pride events

A group representing 14 Pride societies in Alberta has banned the United Conservative Party and Premier Danielle Smith from 2024 Pride events.

It's like banning meat eaters from vegan fests.

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🇨🇦🇮🇳Hundreds of Indian students in Canada face deportation, protest against new rule

Hundreds of Indian students are facing deportation after Prince Edward Island changed its provincial immigration rules. Around 300 students are protesting and have threatened to go on a hunger strike if the province doesn't review its latest immigration policy.

They forget that studying in Canada as a foreign student is a privilege, not a right.

#Canada #India
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📉 Inflation cooled to 2.7% in April as food price growth slowed

Canada's consumer price index cooled to 2.7 per cent in April, down from 2.9 per cent in March, led by the slower growth of food prices, Statistics Canada said Tuesday.

Though food prices still rose in April, they did so at a slower pace of 1.4 per cent compared to 1.9 per cent in March.

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