Welcome to the Canadian National Multilingual News Group (CNMNG). This is a project made possible through funding by Canadian Heritage. CNMNG aims to gather news researched and written by a corps of Canadian-based journalists/writers from the country’s multilingual community groups. The overall goal is to inform, analyze and critique the issues of the day in a professional manner and to provide that to publishers and editors active in the ethnocultural-multilingual press and media whose experience provides them with a perspective that is sensitive to news relevant to their own language group.
BREAKING UPDATING: Premier Doug Ford, after reflection with provincial parliamentarians, announced the decision to cancel the project to “open” the Greenbelt to builders. “I’m very, very sorry,” Ford said at a press conference few minutes ago. “It was a mistake to open the Greenbelt.”
TORONTO – “Galeotto” (*) was that massage: the one they received, at the same time, in a Spa in Las Vegas, the (now former) minister of Public and Business Service Delivery of Ontario, Kaleed Rasheed, the former secretary of Prime Minister Doug Ford, Amin Massoudi and a builder, Shakir Rehmatullah, founder of FLATO Development, a company listed as the owner of two of the sites removed from the Greenbelt and therefore become buildable with great fortune for the builder. (more…)
TORONTO – Screaming “leave our kids alone”, thousands of parents today joined the protest organized by the “1MillionMarch4Children” group against the promotion of the so-called “gender ideology” in the country’s schools: in the crosshairs of families, the schools’ initiatives that “they are exposing our children to inappropriate content about sexuality and gender identity” and that “they are trying to divest us of our authority as parents.” (more…)
Toronto area school boards spent the better part of the last academic year drawing negative attention to themselves. The manifest disdain for process and jurisdiction at the Senior Staff level and the complicity of pliable Boards of Trustees has been toxic for publicly funded education.
TORONTO – The first joint press conference of the strange couple Doug Ford – Olivia Chow (Conservative / NDP) began with an old “family photo”: the one shown to journalists by the premier of Ontario, portraying Doug’s brother, former mayor Rob (first citizen from 2010 to 2014, passed away in 2016), along with Olivia’s husband, Jack Layton (passed away in 2011), NDP city councilor at the time. Two polar opposite political figures, therefore, but “united by the desire to do good for the city”, underlined Ford, who donated the photo to Chow (and she thanked him, moved) before officially starting the press conference which began under the best auspices, confirmed by what was announced by the two leaders. (more…)
TORONTO – “Parole, parole, parole” (“Words, words, words”), sang the Italian singer Mina in the 1970s, addressing the lover who promises and doesn’t keep. And they are just “words”, “parole” in Italian, according to experts, even those of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who summoned for tomorrow the leaders of the major Canadian food chains to ask them to stabilize food inflation, warning them that fiscal measures against them are on the table in case Canadians continue to face “crazy prices” at grocery stores. A plan that doesn’t make any sense, according to experts, who underline that the constant growth in prices does not depend (only) on food chains, but on everything that lies upstream: the war in Ukraine and all its collateral effects (starting from energy costs), extreme weather events… factors over which the federal government has no control. (more…)
TORONTO – There was no questioning the intensity faith or hope of the people who met for prayer at 3100 Weston Rd last night. It is the site of the Marian Shrine of Gratitude.
TORONTO – It’s a decidedly bad time, politically, for Ontario Premier Doug Ford. After the survey by the Angus Reid Institute – published yesterday – which relegates Ford to last place in the ranking of prime ministers approval, today it is the turn of a survey by the “Pollara” institute which highlights how 69 % of Ontarians surveyed are “angry” at the premier over the Greenbelt issue. Virtually 7 in 10 disapprove of the Ford government taking more land out of the “Green Belt” to build new homes, despite growing frustration with a tight housing market that is pushing prices out of reach. (more…)
TORONTO – A new report commissioned by the government of Premier Doug Ford – but somehow “covered up” by the government itself – warns that climate change poses high risks for Ontario, with impacts on everything from food production to infrastructure and businesses. The report – called the Provincial Climate Change Impact Assessment and carried out by a team of researchers from the Sudbury-based Climate Risk Institute – predicts an increasing number of days with extreme heat across Ontario, as well as an increase in flooding and fires. (more…)
TORONTO – A demonstration is scheduled for tonight, Wednesday 13 September, starting at 8pm, at the Marian Shrine located at 3100 Weston Road in Toronto, in defense of the place which is frequented by thousands of faithful but which is at risk after being purchased from a real estate company. The premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, is also expected to attend the protest. Some city councilors will be present, including Anthony Perruzza (author of a motion in defense of the Marian Shrine), some trustees of the Toronto Catholic District School Board and several political personalities.
TORONTO – Health Canada has approved the use of Moderna’s Spikevax XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine for all Canadians over the age of six months. Officials from Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization discussed details of the approval during a technical briefing today. (more…)
TORONTO – Finally, all Toronto subway passengers will have mobile phone service even in the tunnels, regardless of the operator they choose. The turning point, which can be defined as historic since it had been awaited for ten years, will start from 3 October, as announced today by the federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, speaking at a press conference at the Toronto City Hall together with Toronto’s Mayor Olivia Chow. (more…)
TORONTO – If it is not working or not producing the desired results, change the approach or change the player(s) involved. It is much more difficult to “blow it up and start all over again”.
TORONTO – The “Chow-cure” has begun: in Wednesday’s session, the City Council voted in favor of a series of revenue tools to help plug a billion-dollar budget gap. Fiscal instruments, which were unanimously backed by the city’s executive committee last month, and push on Ottawa for more funds to address the refugee crisis, were high on the board’s agenda. (more…)
TORONTO – It has been a rough three weeks for the Marian Shrine at 3100 Weston Rd. and the thousand who call it a refuge for those seeking tranquility, meditation and opportunities to express thanks to the Mother Mary of Gratitude for her intercessions.
TORONTO – We were told it was “Covid’s fault”, but now that the pandemic is just a memory (new variants permitting…), what is the cause of paralysis in hospital emergency rooms? The question arises when reading the story – reported by CTV – of a Toronto woman who waited 48 hours in a city emergency room despite needing urgent surgery. (more…)
TORONTO – Firefighters in the Northwest Territories are preparing for a long and difficult weekend as a windstorm is forecast to hit the South Slave Region where fires continue to rage completely out of control. According to the latest reports from firefighters, a few “quiet” days from a meteorological point of view have allowed the crews to contain the fires at Hay River and Fort Smith, but conditions will change: strong winds from the south-southwest are in fact expected tomorrow and hot and dry conditions too: an ideal situation for the growth of the ongoing fires. (more…)
TORONTO – The fourth largest city in the continent of North America and the economic engine of Canada, the City of Toronto has recently concluded its campaign under Toronto For All program with a spending of $120,000 by displaying three-types of digital posters at over 140 Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)’s Bus and Street Car shelters throughout the city for a month through Astral Media, which boosted a positive impact among the viewers.
TORONTO – Here’s a good news story (not really): Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce, wins the hearts and minds of Ontario’s most vulnerable teachers. For it to be true, first, he must “show me the money”. Be skeptical.
Senator Loffreda writes about the need for the government to trim its expenses with respect to the Public Service and find ways of making the federal bureaucracy more productive and efficient in the delivery of its services and programs to Canadians. He stresses the need for Parliamentarians to hold the government accountable for its spending plans.
VANCOUVER – First case of the new highly mutated variant of Covid-19 in Canada: health officials in British Columbia, the province where the case was detected, announced on Tuesday. The presence of the variant, dubbed BA.2.86, has indeed been confirmed in the Fraser Health region and involves a person who had not traveled outside the province, according to a joint statement by provincial health officer Dr Bonnie Henry and the Minister of Health. Healthcare of British Columbia, Adrian Dix. “So far there appears to be no increase in severity of this strain of Covid and the individual is not hospitalised,” the same statement read. (more…)
TORONTO – While there are still 395 active wildfires in British Columbia, including 12 that pose a threat to public safety, large portions of the province continue to “smother” due to high temperatures. Environment Canada says temperatures will again push near or above 30° C in parts of the Peace River Regional District and Northern Rockies Regional Municipality.(more…)
A similar concern is highlighted in the title of a press release appeared in the global public relations newswire website of CISION on Monday, August 28, provided by the Civic Courage, a Washington, DC based organization, founded by Sam Daley-Harris, an author of Reclaiming Our Democracy.
TORONTO – Out-of-control fires and torrid heat: the situation in the Northwest Territories is still absolutely emergency. Today, Environment Canada issued additional advisories for several communities where wildfires are burning within few miles of homes. (more…)
TORONTO – Greenbelt case: Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks for the first time after the opening of an inquiry by the RCMP into alleged favoritism towards some builders who could earn billions of dollars thanks to the removal of some land in the GTHA’s “green belt”. (more…)
TORONTO – The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) is a school board beset with its own ills. Yet, in its end of summer full Board meeting, Thursday, August 24, 2023, it chose to bypass its own procedural bylaws to introduce, debate and approve a motion in respect of the Marian Shrine of Gratitude.
Following to the G-20 summit in Indonesia last year, this time in BRICS summit in Johannesburg of South Africa, both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on the sidelines and agreed to ask their officials to work at resolving their border dispute over the feud of 3,000-kilometre (1,860-mile) Himalayan border, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
TORONTO – Twenty-five thousand “affordable” homes: this is one of the priorities of the new mayor of Toronto, Olivia Chow (in the pic above, from Twitter – @MayorOliviaChow), who today presented what she called a “first step” in her attempt to build, indeed, 25,000 homes to rent at more affordable prices, in addition to those already planned for the city.(more…)
TORONTO – Shakespeare made the phrase famous c.500 years ago when he rote the lines for Mark Anthony’s oration at the funeral of Julius Caesar. His intention, laden with sarcasm, was to portray Brutus as less than forthright. Zachery Shwaluk, Secretary-Treasurer of the Order of Saint basil the Great Holding Corp (owner and Seller of the site hosting the Marian Shrine on Weston Rd.) could have been the target of a Shakespearean oration.
TORONTO – Over the past twenty-four hours, the Greenbelt case has come back into the spotlight: first the resignation of Ryan Amato, chief of staff to the Ontario housing minister, then the decision of the OPP (the Provincial Police of Ontario) to send the file relating to the Greenbelt to the RCMP and, finally, the opening of an investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) itself which will now “flea” the project relating to the management of the green belt (Greenbelt) of Ontario by the government led by Doug Ford whose intentions are to build new homes where until now it was impossible to do so due to the rules protecting certain green areas (those, in fact, included in the Greenbelt ). (more…)
TORONTO – When the Chinese President, Xi Jinping last visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in March 2023, these two authoritarian strongmen reaffirmed their strategic alignment against the United States of America and touted their vision for a new world order no longer dominated by the West. Therefore, obviously the Chinese leader will bolster Beijing’s influence among developing and emerging nations in the ensuing BRICS (an economic alliance, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in Johannesburg’s financial district of Sandton, South Africa, since his ties with the United States remain deeply strained and economic troubles bubble up at home.
TORONTO – This is what the new Ontario Place will look like. The Austrian resort company ‘Therme’, which signed a long-term lease agreement with the Province of Ontario earlier this year ahead of the construction of the new ‘spa’, announced updated plans today, also to respond to public criticism of the company’s original plans. Updated projects that therefore incorporate the feedback received from public meetings and the various improvement proposals that have arrived in recent months from many quarters.
TORONTO – In Business, there self interest is the order of the day. It may be an arcane adage in the field of accounting, but it still captures a fundamental reality that “love makes the world go ‘round, but money sends it spinning”. Greed invariably trumps religion and “kindness”.
MONTREAL – The housing crisis seems to have no solution. Not even the most drastic of initiatives, such as the one undertaken by the Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, has yielded results. (more…)
TORONTO – This story of the Marian Shrine of the Mother of Gratitude at 3100 Weston Rd. is captivating; and it has been unfolding right before our eyes in Emery Village, where Sheppard meets Weston Rd. A change of ownership may jeopardize what has become a focal point for Christian expressions of Faith, Hope and Charity.
TORONTO – The Public Health Agency of Canada is monitoring a new highly mutated variant of the virus that causes Covid-19, that has been detected in at least four countries, but no cases have been detected in Canada so far. It is “BA.2.86”, a “variant under monitoring” due to the “large number of mutations identified”: cases have been recorded in the United States, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Israel, although as of Friday fewer than ten confirmed cases have been reported worldwide. And none, we said, in Canada. (more…)
TORONTO – It is an oasis of serenity and meditation – a spiritual experience – where Sheppard Avenue meets Weston Rd. The pictures on this page and the video on our digital sites do not do the Shrine justice. If you do not go there now, you will miss an experience that may slip by forever.
TORONTO – Holidays in Canada prohibited for (would-be) Chinese tourists. China has in fact excluded Canada from the list of “approved” international destinations for tour groups, while Chinese travel agents have obtained the green light to book post-pandemic trips in other countries such as the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia. (more…)
TORONTO – Covid-19 infections could slowly start to rise again in Canada: this is what emerges from new data from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC): there are signs of continued fluctuations in some indicators of COVID-19 activity after a long period of gradual decline, the agency’s online epidemiological update reported on Tuesday. This could be an early sign of increased activity, an activity that is still low to moderate in the provinces and territories, the update specifies. But Dr. Allison McGeer, an infectious disease specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, points out that cases of Covid-19 are also on the rise in the United States and in other parts of the world, as other experts have already noted a few days ago.
There is no dignity in war: only murder, mayhem, suffering, survival (hopefully) and “profit” for “some one”. Like so many of my generation, militarism was an integral part our family tradition. Typical European young men were conscripted (pressed) into military service whether the government of the day/era was democratic or not; whether there was peace or war.
TORONTO – Maybe we crowed too early, when Canada’s annual inflation rate fell to 2.8% in June for the first time since March 2021. According to economists, in fact, we must expect a new increase: both BMO and CIBC predict – according to Global News – that inflation will settle at 3.1% in July (official data are expected in the next few hours), largely due to the increase in petrol prices. On the other hand, the US saw a similar increase in inflation, with the annual rate climbing to 3.2%, up from 3.0% in June. (more…)
TORONTO – Conservatives are asking the House of Commons Committee on Procedure and Home Affairs (PROC) to resume its probe into foreign election interference in Canada, which has been stalled since the House of Commons went on vacation for the summer. (more…)
TORONTO – Liberal MPs have been skittish lately. Polls, internal family issues at the top and Cabinet overhaul have left them distracted. Some of them are giving it one last try to secure a Cabinet or Parliamentary Secretary position while waiting for what will be another, inevitable, pre-election shuffle.
TORONTO – More than 300 victims of sexual exploitation of minors have emerged from the “dark web”, i.e. the “hidden” internet, where online crimes are committed, often horrific such as child pornography: they were discovered by an international coalition of forces of the order, including the Canadian ones, which have worked in synergy to vanquish the terrible “traffic”. (more…)
TORONTO – We return to talk about Covid-19. What seemed like a distant (bad) memory, reappears with a new “code name”: EG.5, i.e. a subvariant of the coronavirus on the rise in some parts of the world and “landed” also in Canada, at least since May according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). (more…)
TORONTO – By all accounts, Richard Bilkszto was a good person: recognized for his dedication to the obligations of his profession as a teacher and as a principal. He was also a co-founding member of the local [Ontario] chapter of a North American Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR).
TORONTO – The federal government has suspended direct financial assistance to the government of Niger after a military coup ousted President Mohamed Bazoum: Strongly condemning the coup, Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly has called for the reinstatement of the President Bazoum and the “democratically elected government”.
TORONTO – Youth spread human rights awareness at Youth Day’s 17th Annual Festival at Yonge-Dundas Square promoting human rights education, more specifically, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Senator Loffreda is in Italy this month to take part in the Walk for Remembrance and Peace in honor of the 80th anniversary of Operation Husky. So far, the Walk has been quite successful, well-received throughout Sicily and generating much interest. The Senator wrote about his experience in this column.
TORONTO – What we have been smelling in recent weeks in Toronto is not just the “smell of smoke”. There is that acrid “aftertaste” of plastic and, unfortunately, it’s not just an impression: experts confirm it. (more…)
Canada is a fine-tuned, sophisticated and nuanced “democratic” country governed by a Constitutional Monarchy, guided by a Constitution that sets out specific authorities and allocates them to geopolitical jurisdictions (Provinces). Its citizens enjoy civil rights as interpreted in that context and that of a Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
TORONTO – Panfilo Colonico, the 49-year-old chef born in Toronto, originally from Sulmona (L’Aquila, Italy) and kidnapped in Ecuador a week ago, has been freed. “I’m fine and the police are listening to me. It wasn’t a movie”, were the first words of “Benny the Italian”, well known in Ecuador where he had success with the restaurant “Il Sabore Mio” which opened some time ago in Guayaquil, in the Province of Guayas. (more…)
FREDERICTON – There is a tug of war in New Brunswick between some school districts (DEC: District Education Council) and the provincial (conservative) government which has introduced a ban on teachers and school staff from using the name and pronoun chosen by students under 16 who have doubts about their gender identity, unless their parents consent. (more…)
TORONTO – She is the great loser of these elections: Ana Bailão. It’s her, because she had all the credentials to win, from the first to the last, but maybe she didn’t manage to play them well, even though it is evident that she, personally, gave her all. But what were her aces up her sleeve? (more…)
TORONTO – It is only right to congratulate the new mayor, Olivia Chow, on her victory. On behalf of the Corriere Canadese, which provided her with a first interview opportunity in her 2014 run, I applaud and wish her well.
TORONTO – Inflation falls, prices rise: the paradox continues. The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) for May 2023 shows that the increase is 3.4% year-on-year, one point less than the 4.4% increase in April: according to Statistics Canada, the reduction – is the result of falling gas prices. (more…)
TORONTO – Schools Governments sometimes do things that, unwittingly, “blow up” in their faces. Our Canadian governments are no different. One might in a moment of wry pique even suggest they may have become world leaders in that art.
TORONTO – The disappearance of Panfilo Colonico, the Italian-Canadian kidnapped on Friday afternoon by an alleged “commando” from his restaurant in Ecuador and disappeared into thin air is a real “whodunit”. The 49-year-old man was taken by two people, armed and dressed as policemen, with machine guns in hand and with two accomplices waiting for them outside the restaurant “Il Sabore Mio” in Guayaquil, in the Province of Guayas, in Ecuador. (more…)
TORONTO – Language is everything, or so it seems. I do not know for sure. My instruction in Italian was interrupted when my parents made the decision to resume their (mine included) lives in the land my maternal grandfather called home since the late 1800s, and in which he became “citizen” before Wilfrid Laurier took the country into the 1911 election.
TORONTO – Tomorrow, in Toronto, polling stations are open from 10am to 8pm for the election of the new Mayor: almost 1,900,000 voters called to vote. But who votes and how do you vote? Let’s see it in detail, following the guide published on the website of the Municipality of Toronto. (more…)
TORONTO – It’s summer time: the call of barbecues (or, for the lucky ones, Caribbean beaches) is too strong and even “Chinese interference” can wait. Thus, on Wednesday, as if nothing had happened, all the parties (including those of the opposition, “hard and pure” until the day before yesterday) agreed to close the doors of the House of Commons starting next Wednesday: we’ll talk about it again in September. (more…)
TORONTO – Tourism to Canada is in crisis: this was declared by the head of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, according to which – as reported by Global News – companies in the sector are struggling to stay afloat and not drown in a sea of debt caused by the shortage of foreign visitors. A concern confirmed by a survey conducted between April and May by Nanos – online, on a sample of 149 accountants of tourism companies – according to which about 45% of operators could close within three years, unless the government intervenes to adjust the terms of the loans.
TORONTO – The prime minister is less and less “prime” and if he remains a (prime) minister it is only thanks to the Liberal-NDP trust agreement because if we went to vote now he would probably be soundly defeated. (more…)
We have entered the last stages of the Mayoralty bye-election in Toronto. To suggest that it has become an election like no other states the obvious. It also teases one to ask if there is a disconnect between perceptions of purpose and mechanisms for delivery on vision. In sum, are we being asked to vote for “something not on the table”?
TORONTO – All schools in the Niagara Catholic District School Board (NCDSB) are under a hold-and-secure order following an undisclosed threat. In a tweet posted at 12:13 pm., the Niagara Regional Police Service advised parents and guardians that an “unidentified individual contacted the Board with a threat to an unidentified Niagara catholic school”.
“The health, safety, and well-being of our students and staff are our top priority. Out of an abundance of caution, the Board placed all schools in hold and secure while police investigate,” the board wrote (here below is the tweet by @niagaracatholic).
Parents are being asked to not pick up their children from school. In the NCDSB schools there are about 20 thousand students. Any updates will be provided through School Messenger, NCDSB said.
TORONTO – Congratulations to CP-24 for convincing their viewers to hang around for two- and one-half hours of “debate”. They should fire the “experts” they claim to have used in structuring the debate format.
TORONTO – Almost noone wants them, practically all the candidates for mayor promise to wipe them out, but the City of Toronto continues to build new ones: we are talking about the bike lanes, which have “invaded” the city in recent years, throwing it into chaos and which, brace yourselves, will increase. (more…)
MILAN – Silvio Berlusconi’s coffin traveled the 33 kilometers that separate Villa San Martino in Arcore and Piazza Duomo in Milan between two wings of the crowd that welcomed the passage of “The Knight” as one does with cycling champions, with applause and placards. In the central square of Milan, there were at least ten thousand people waiting for him, half of those estimated due to the restrictions decided at the last moment for security reasons. (more…)
TORONTO – It is hard to believe they were once teen-agers. Sure, as in the picture below the article, we are now referring to “older men” whose life stories suggest a maturity not imagined in the first day of Grade Nine, so many years ago. But after a few minutes, the picture of those “freshmen” – kids, really – came back into focus.
MILAN – The last farewell to Silvio Berlusconi, ex prime minister, leader of Forza Italia as well as the most successful Italian entrepreneur, will be one of those reserved only for great personalities, with a funeral organized like a rock star concert. 2,000 people inside the Milan Cathedral, 20,000 outside and giant screens to allow the square to follow the funeral of “The Knight”, whose State funeral will be held tomorrow at 3 pm (Italian time), in a day of national mourning. The celebration will be presided over by Monsignor Mario Delpini, Archbishop of the city. (more…)
TORONTO – David Johnston’s resignation pushes Canada’s political class on their heels and disrupts both the government and the opposition. The decision by the former Governor General of Canada to relinquish the post of independent Special Rapporteur in the controversial story of Chinese interference has created a sort of short circuit in Ottawa. The Prime Minister will be forced to indicate the next steps to untangle this complicated mess.
TORONTO – It took a couple of weeks for me to finally connect with Abuna Fr. Mario Cornioli. He leads the Saint [Mar] Youssef Christian Community Centre in Amman Jordan. We finally succeeded in overcoming the technological obstacles (and my incompetencies in the new means of communication) but, Inshalla, I finally reached Fr. Mario, just days after the Royal Wedding of the Crown Prince.
TORONTO – Hundreds of fires, many of them out of control, and smoke everywhere. Canada is in full emergency and the alarm does not spare the GTA, where air quality will not improve at least until tomorrow. (more…)
TORONTO – You couldn’t get more Italian than this. The Italian National Day organized by the Consulate General of Italy in Toronto – on the occasion of the 77th anniversary of the birth of the Republic and the 75th anniversary of its Constitution – was under the banner of the most genuine Italian spirit, thanks to the masterful direction of General Consul Luca Zelioli who has been able to recreate, at the Liberty Grand at the Exhibition Place, a perfect “Italian” atmosphere, thanks to a skilful mix of art, music, culture, hospitality and, of course, excellent cuisine.
TORONTO – David Johnston, the “special rapporteur” appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to verify whether or not to open a public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada (Chinese in particular), defines the allegations as revolving around his objectivity ” simply false” and, after having “advised against” the public inquiry, reiterated that he intends to continue his work, launching a series of public hearings next month. No public inquiry, however, contrary to what has been repeatedly requested by the entire parliament, excluding the Liberals. (more…)
TORONTO – An unprecedented emergency. Canada could see a “record” level of burnt area this year: nine provinces and territories are already currently battling wildfires that have forced the evacuation of more than 100,000 people across the country since early May, government officials said today, showing wildfire risks are set to rise this month and remain “unusually high” throughout the summer in Canada. (more…)
TORONTO – The York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) decision to uphold its longstanding policy regarding flags and procedures for changing Board policies, prompted a series of responses in the Golden Horseshoe and beyond.
TORONTO – Barely one in four Canadians trust the credibility and impartiality of former Governor General David Johnston as special rapporteur on foreign interference, according to a new poll by Léger for the National Post, conducted using an online panel of 1,531 eligible Canadian voters, May 26-29. In fact, only 27 percent of respondents said they believed Johnston’s recent report advocating against a public inquiry into foreign interference was based on “rigorous, unbiased work” or “foreign policy expertise”. In fact, three out of four Canadians don’t trust him. (more…)
TORONTO – I love Canada. There is simple underlying ethic to which, as Canadians, we all seem to subscribe: respect the Law; earn your bread; open doors to others; respect the lawful aspirations of fellow citizens; do not pull the ladder up behind you; leave the space you occupy in a better condition than you found it.
TORONTO – The “political theater” on foreign interference continues on the stage of the Canadian House of Commons. Main interpreters, the leader of the NDP Jagmeet Singh and the special rapporteur David Johnston commissioned by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (director) to evaluate whether or not it was the case to open a public inquiry into the pressure that China would have exerted on some Canadian politicians to influence the country’s politics.
TORONTO – Italian, historical perspective classifies these people as “squadristi” – disrupters who move in gangs for self-protection and intimidation. A less genteel word, now used as a derogatory descriptor for political compulsion, is “fascistic”.
TORONTO – The NDP leader Jagmeet Singh keeps two things going at the same time: on the one hand, he presents a motion to invite David Johnston (special rapporteur on foreign interference in Canada, appointed by Justin Trudeau) to step aside, and to ask for a public inquiry (denied first by Trudeau and then by Johnston himself); on the other, he reiterated his unconditional support for the minority government of the Liberals. “Before sending Canadians to the polls, their confidence in the electoral process must be restored”, is Singh’s justification. (more…)
With a 6-4 vote, the Board of Trustees at York Catholic District School Board goes on the attack. It expressed confidence in the Catholic-Christian message which is its raison d’etre in the Constitution and the Laws of Ontario. Catholic Separate schools are given a special evangelizing obligation to defend and promote their ‘belief system’.
TORONTO – There is a limit to it: Jagmeet Singh, leader of the NDP and “crutch” of the minority government led by Justin Trudeau, must have thought that when he decided to present a motion inviting the special rapporteur on Chinese interference, David Johnston, a trusted man of the Prime Minister, to “step aside” after the decision not to recommend the opening of a public inquiry into Beijing’s influence on Canadian politics.(more…)
TORONTO – The York Catholic District School Board administration against trustees and families: the YCDSB invited all mainstream media to this evening meeting, to cover a vote that – as our newspaper has already written in previous articles – is not legitimate, about flying the Pride flag at schools in the region in June. In advance of tonight’s meeting, the Board is warning/threating anyone planning to attend that “there will be increased security and the police will be present to assist if needed”. In the last three months they didn’t inform anybody, they just did it. Perhaps they are trying to discourage those with contrary views from attending.
TORONTO – Many will remember the summer wave of temporary closures of emergency rooms: well, in the smallest and most rural communities of Ontario, the emergency is never over. And while understaffing led hospitals to close their emergency departments for hours or days during the summer of 2022, the closures didn’t really stop at the end of the summer season. (more…)
TORONTO – If you are a parent in the York Catholic District School Board (50,000 + students, according to its website), you are about to be kicked to the curbside. You will have company: the Catholic Church will have been “booted” to the same sideline when it comes to institutions entrusted with the education of your children.
TORONTO – “Toronto is at a turning point that must not be a breaking point. People tell me they are worried that the city they love is on the brink of serious decline. “I want to lead Toronto’s revival. I have a plan to do exactly that”: candidate Mitzie Hunter (in the pic above, from a video on her Instagram page), running for Mayor, introduced today her 71-page plan titled “Fix the Six” and based on a general six-per-cent property tax increase – $216 per year for an average home – that will be reduced to three per cent – a $108-per-year increase – for households with income under $80,000. Hunter’s plan also provides additional protections for moderate and lower income seniors, which will allow more than half of all seniors to pay no property tax at all. (more…)
TORONTO – The City wants to cash in: due to a budget deficit totaling nearly $1 billion, Toronto has in fact invited residents and businesses to urge the Canadian government to “pay back previous funding commitments for the City”. (more…)
Today, Corriere Canadese is publishing another interview on the contending candidates seeking election as Mayor of Toronto. 102 individuals have registered with the Elections Office at City Hall, and the Italian newspaper will not be able to give all of them the coverage they might like, so it proposes, but will not be limited to, interviewing interested candidates whom “the polls” suggest may garner at least 4% of the votes.
TORONTO – A smart city, with simple solutions for big problems. But, first of all, no Torontonians’ money anymore to the Province: “With me as a Mayor, the 2.2 billion dollars we give yearly to the Province will stay here, in Toronto. I’m not giving all that money to the Province anymore”.
Today, Corriere Canadese is publishing another interview on the contending candidates seeking election as Mayor of Toronto. 102 individuals have registered with the Elections Office at City Hall, and the Italian newspaper will not be able to give all of them the coverage they might like, so it proposes, but will not be limited to, interviewing interested candidates whom “the polls” suggest may garner at least 4% of the votes.
TORONTO – “Facts, not words”. Brad Bradford’s commitment is captured in this motto. An urban planner, he has represented Ward 19 Beaches – East York at City Hall since 2018. He has been Chair of the Planning and Housing committee since last year. Mr. Bradford is aiming for the mayor’s seat in the belief that streamlining bureaucracy and having promises follow through on actions quickly is the direction to take for a Toronto that works. And, in his platform, there is a plan to increase public safety in the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC); a new agency to respond to mental health crises; a commissioner for the reduction of traffic congestion in the city; a plan to fight crime and to build affordable housing. Bradford, interviewed by the editorial staff of Corriere Canadese, outlined his program’s priorities. (more…)
TORONTO – The Prime Minister’s foray into international politics (the annual G-7 meeting of heads of governments of the “magnificent seven” manufacturing Western giants) this past weekend, has had mixed reviews.
TORONTO – On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day 2023, an event dedicated to the ethnic press in Canada was held on Friday evening in the Toronto City Hall.
TORONTO – “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray”. It happens that on occasion, those projects do not go as planned; someone hits a snag. For Italians, to be oblivious to the necessity of preparing for all eventualities, irrespective of the outcome, is akin to inviting condemnation. It happened in an exchange between two Prime Ministers: Trudeau and Meloni.
TORONTO – If the 102 candidates for the mayor’s chair in Toronto signifies anything, it may be that we are prepared to overlook the obvious until the dam bursts. Then everyone heads for the lifejackets.
TORONTO – Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is refusing to meet with the government’s special rapporteur on foreign interference in Canada, David Johnston, because his is a “fake job” entrusted to someone who is not impartial. The leaders of the NDP and the Bloc Québécois have already met with the special rapporteur called to determine whether or not the federal government should launch a public inquiry into the interference: only Poilievre, therefore, has refused the meeting. (more…)
Today, Corriere Canadese is publishing the third interview on the contending candidates seeking election as Mayor of Toronto. 102 individuals have registered with the Elections Office at City Hall. The Italian daily newspaper will not be able to give all of them the coverage they might like and proposes, but will not be limited to, interviewing interested candidates whom “the polls” suggest may garner at least 4% of the votes. (more…)
TORONTO – New legislation aimed at repressing violent repeat offenders who obtain bail is ready: the legislative reform “package” comes after months of study of Canada’s bail system and calls on the federal government to implement stricter laws, dealing with a number of high-profile cases of violent crimes committed by individuals who were out on bail. (more…)
TORONTO – Justin Trudeau’s first official visit to South Korea: the prime minister left Canada today for a week-long trip to Asia, where he will participate in the G7 leaders’ summit in Japan but, first, he will stop in Seoul, where he will reciprocate South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s visit to Ottawa last fall. Since then, both countries have agreed on their Indo-Pacific strategies, plans that aim “to counterbalance Chinese influence by increasing economic and military ties in the region”. (more…)
TORONTO – Not true, really. No; I am not pouring salt on the wounds of Maple Leafs hockey fans. Like many pre-teen and teen-age boys my age, at the time, I lived at the local outdoor, city-run, ice hockey arena.
TORONTO – There is no doubt: Toronto voters will be spoiled for choice on June 26 when they’ll go to the polls to choose their city’s next mayor. The nominations for the extraordinary by-election to choose a new mayor, following the resignation of John Tory, officially closed at 2pm on Friday and according to the City’s website there are 102 registered candidates: current and former city councilors, former parliamentarians and deputies, civic activists, school administrators but also many ordinary people who probably just want to “see the effect” having their name on the ballot paper. A card that promises to be mileage, given the number of names it will contain. (more…)
Today, Corriere Canadese is publishing its second interview on the contending candidates seeking election as Mayor of Toronto. As yesterday, 80 individuals have registered with the Elections Office at City Hall. Qualified candidates needed to provide at a minimum: 1. Proof of Canadian citizenship 2. Proof of a residence or business in Toronto 3. Endorsement from at least 25 other fellow citizens 4. $200.00.
When the registration process closes on May 12, Corriere Canadese will publish a list of those who still allow their name to stand. In the meantime, the Italian newspaper proposes, but will not be limited to, interviewing interested candidates whom “the polls” suggest may garner at least 4% of the votes. In the last election, only 29% of eligible voters cast a ballot.
I admit to holding the concept that mankind (womankind, humankind, peoplekind) possesses two distinct characteristics: a body and soul – instinct and free will. The latter being the innate (if one is in a state of sound mental health) ability to make a deliberate choice when faced with an alternative, and to accept responsibility for it.
TORONTO – An Ontario Provincial Police officer died and two others were injured in a shooting in the village of Bourget, in the municipality of Clarence-Rockland, east of Ottawa. One person has been taken into custody by OPP.(more…)
TORONTO – HATE is “le mot du jour”. The vocabulary of the woke tars those in disagreement with “practitioners” of that nebulous ideology as haters. A recent province-wide election concerning the governance structure of more than 57,000 lawyers and 10,000 paralegals practicing in Ontario produced some interesting results.
TORONTO – The “mystery” of Chinese threats to conservative deputy Michael Chong, who was allegedly targeted by Beijing (him and his family) for anti-Chinese positions, is becoming more complicated. Now, after “the omelette is done” (the federal government expelled Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei on Monday, China reacted by expelling Canadian consul Jennifer Lynn Lalonde on Tuesday), all three national security advisers and intelligence officers who worked for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2021 told Global News they have no recollection of receiving a top-secret intelligence assessment prepared that year on Beijing targeting Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family in Hong Kong. (more…)
TORONTO – She said it before running as a candidate and reiterated it on Monday evening, during a meeting with NEPMCC, the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada: in the next few hours, Mitzie Hunter will resign as MPP of Ontario to being able to devote herself even more intensely to the electoral campaign that sees her engaged in the race for the office of Mayor of Toronto. (more…)
TORONTO – An average of 23,000 more dollars in the pockets of federal public employees by the end of the agreement (therefore by 2024) which ended the strike of over 155,000 workers in recent days: a clear victory for PSAC (Public Service Alliance of Canada), the union that cornered the federal government, wresting excellent contractual conditions from the Treasury Board and the Canada Revenue Agency for its members. (more…)
Corriere Canadese is beginning its series on the contending candidates seeking election as Mayor of Toronto. As of Sunday, seventy-three individuals have registered with the Elections Office at City Hall. Qualified candidates needed to provide at a minimum: 1. Proof of Canadian citizenship 2. Proof of a residence or business in Toronto 3. Endorsement from at least 25 other fellow citizens 4. $200.00.
When the registration process closes on May 12, Corriere Canadese will publish a list of those who still allow their name to stand. In the meantime, the newspaper propose, but will not be limited to, interviewing interested candidates whom “the polls” suggest may garner at least 4% of the votes. In the last election, only 29% of eligible voters cast a ballot.
TORONTO – His was a long career in the ranks of the Toronto Police. Thirty-seven years – of which the last five, from 2015 to 2020 – as Chief. Even before leading Toronto Law Enforcement Mark Saunders – born in 1962 in London, England, to Jamaican parents – held the position of Deputy Chief Officer Commanding Specialized Operations, held duties with professional standards, street gang units, Intelligence Division, Drug Squad, Community Safety Command, and Emergency Task Force, and served as homicide squad unit commander. After resigning as Chief last year, he ran for Don Valley West in the Conservative Party’s ranks in the provincial election in which he was defeated by Liberal candidate Stephanie Bowman. And now Saunders, who is a candidate for mayor of Toronto, has indicated that community safety is the focus of his campaign.
In an all-out interview granted to Corriere Canadese, Saunders illustrated the salient points of his ambitious electoral program ranging from financial stability to City Hall, transport safety, crime, traffic, housing emergency, mental health.
The city’s fiscal stability has notoriously not been in good shape over the past couple of years. The city needs help from the county, the federal government. How do you plan to tackle this problem going forward?
“Given that Toronto is the largest city in the country and the fourth largest on the continent and accounts for 20% of GDP, if Toronto is not in good health the rest of Canada is in trouble. Voter apathy stems from government not understanding what the community needs. First of all, we need to be accountable for the money we already have, see if it is being spent correctly and if needs are identified in the city of Toronto and the answer for me is no. First I need to see exactly where the money is being spent, I have no idea where the money has been spent. I can say that in suburban Toronto the feeling of residents is that homeowners are paying their share of taxes but are getting crumbs in return. The most important thing for the government is that the decisions taken represent the whole city and not just a part, not those who raise their voices but all communities. So I will look at the books very clearly. I know that the province also wants to take a look at the books. It is necessary to fully understand how money is used. Furthermore, we are in 2023 and we are still using old and antiquated systems: there is a way to be autonomous, more efficient and improve the quality of life, use digital platforms, give people the opportunity to have the information they need. Basically the responsibility of the city government is to keep the city safe because this brings business and offers opportunities for newcomers, and the arrival of new people is important. We have to create a proper infrastructure, otherwise the economy and business will decline.”
Bill 3 gives the mayor of Toronto new powers. The mayor can implement his own agenda with the approval of only 30% of the councillors. A couple of candidates said they won’t use those powers. Are you going to use those powers?
“I’m not afraid to be a leader, this city is hungry for leadership. I will work with consensus as I always have, but to make the city dynamic and prosperous, decisions have to be made. If I need to use those powers, I will. It’s about building a strong subway system, homes, opportunities and dreams, and I won’t let the government get in the way of that. Many want this, while others do not agree with the decisions that are being made”.
People are afraid to travel on TTC vehicles. What would you do to make the city’s transportation system safer?
“Crime and disorder should never be normalized, the city needs leadership that listens to all voices and prioritizes what matters most, and safety is by far the most important issue. I want the city to be safe, the subway is the lifeblood of our city, Toronto has the most robust public transit system in Canada. We should build stronger and more dynamic metro access, if we don’t we will fail, newcomers rely on the metro, as do businesses. The number of passengers decreased by 30% [in recent years]. My main responsibility is to create a culture of safety at the TTC, the first thing I will do is hand over safety to the Toronto Police who are experienced. I will use “special constables” and add more to get from 75 to 200. I want uniformed agents in the subways, their presence will act as a deterrent. Also video cameras on police uniforms, buttons and emergency call which will notify the TTC if there is a problem, plus lighting at stops to help people feel safer. We need to get people back on public transport, our economy will only benefit from it. Let us not forget, however, that we are dealing with disorder that manifests itself through crime. We are not dealing with criminals, we are dealing with people who need help.”
Many people in the city have difficulty paying the rent, the price of houses is skyrocketing, increasing day by day. What is your plan to fix the problem?
“Due to the housing problems present, in the ranking that takes into consideration the main Canadian cities, Toronto is last. Five years ago they promised to build 19,700 apartments with cheap rents, they only built 8%. Also four years ago, eleven council-owned sites, not used by the city, were identified to build council housing but not a single one was built. The builders, that need approval which takes 3 to 5 years to obtain, are leaving the city to build elsewhere. My pledge is that both the city and the developers are held accountable for this system, approvals should only take a year. We have to build, the newcomers are not in a good situation right now. We need to create proper incentives, ask the federal government to remove the HST tax for large affordable housing projects. We need to make sure the city is attractive to the workforce. If we eliminate the property tax, then people will want to come here. We need the provincial and federal governments to step in.”
You said ‘Crime is out of control’. How do you plan to deal with this growing problem in the city?
“It would take two hours to answer that question… Crime comes in many forms, burglaries, robberies, other petty crimes. Perpetrators of gun violence are street gangs. We have to understand that children don’t grow up thinking they want to be part of an armed gang, there are other issues that lead to this. Long-term solutions are needed, quality of life must be present in the neighbourhoods. There are other things we can do to bring down the crime rate. I have a good understanding of how it’s supposed to work, I have solutions for it. There are no candidates who can understand the security issue like me. Especially when it comes to mental health, it must be remembered that the problem does not end at 5 in the evening and then return at 8 in the morning. We need to do better and I know how to do it”.
In 2019, you did not support the idea of abolishing firearms. Why?
“There are law-abiding citizens who love firearms, we have the strictest rules when it comes to buying handguns and rifles. I worked in the largest homicide squad in the country, I can say the number of times a legal gun was stolen and used in a crime was zero. You can ban guns but today you can 3d print a gun. It’s no longer about a person shooting a person but a teenager shooting a teenager. What motivates teenagers to have guns is to protect themselves. First you need to understand why they have guns, then you need to find the right solutions. The gun ban seems to me more like a political discussion, unfair to the community.”
Traffic in Toronto is chaotic, with roadworks and bicycles. Do you have a plan to fix this situation?
“Yes, I have a plan to deal with traffic problems. I would put a moratorium on cycle lanes, we have built the two largest roads in the country and narrowed them down to one lane. We need to have more common sense, I am not anti cycle lanes, there are places for cycle lanes and these are the back roads. Montreal, for example, has perhaps the largest number of cycle paths in the country, 200 kilometers, but they use secondary roads. The shopkeepers are frustrated because there are no parking spaces and it makes no sense to damage their business”.
How do you plan to improve City Hall’s relations with the two levels of government?
“I am the only candidate who has a direct conversation with both other levels of government, I understand them better and I have a better starting point than the other candidates. Having key relationships is important, I represent the city’s best interest first and foremost, I applied because I want to listen to everyone, speak to communities and make better informed decisions for the city.”
In the pics above, Corriere Canadese’s editorial staff and the publisher Joe Volpe with the candidate Mark Saunders
(in collaboration with Francesco Veronesi and Marzio Pelù)
TORONTO – The Canadian federal government ignores Chinese threats and “stalls” so as not to compromise its – economic – interests with China. This, in summary, is the thought of Conservative MP Michael Chong, who denounced a Chinese campaign against him and his family in Hong Kong, urging the Canadian government to “take decisive action”, starting with the expulsion of the Chinese diplomat in Toronto who was allegedly involved in the plot. (more…)
TORONTO – The strike at the Canada Revenue Agency has also ended: a (provisional) agreement has been reached with the federal government for the 35,000 workers in the revenue sector. The announcement came after the government and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) reached separate agreements that ended the strike by more than 120,000 federal civil servants.
TORONTO – The vast majority of PSAC federal civil servants have returned to work, but for some 35,000 unionized employees of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), the mobilization continues: even today, workers remained on pickets (in the pic above, from Twitter – @Pattycoates), having not yet reached an agreement to the contract. The strike is leading to delays in processing tax and benefit returns, especially those submitted in paper format, as well as increased wait times at contact centres. (more…)
TORONTO – The success of the PSAC strike, which saw more than 120,000 federal civil servants of the Public Service Alliance of Canada mobilize for days until practically all the requests made to the federal government were granted, could have a “domino effect”. Now, unionized workers in other sectors may be making similar demands, experts say. (more…)
TORONTO – May I, the start of Mental health month. Last week – it seems like yesterday – the minister for Education held a “back to basics” and “meritocracy” press conference to tout the Ontario government’s “new priorities”. The “old ones” that overlooked accountability, performance and teaching as a vocation have a litany of verifiable failures.
TORONTO – “My daughter died on April 13: she had a rare congenital heart condition, she underwent a heart and lung transplant screening but she was too weak and did not survive: so, she donated her body to the hospital so that it can be studied to learn more about his rare condition and, in this way, help others live longer if possible”. Divina, mother of Lisa-Anne, tell us the story of her daughter.
TORONTO – In many countries of the world, today – May 1st – was the Day of Workers. Not in Canada, where it falls on the first Monday in September (Labour Day). But, ironically, an agreement was reached just today between the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) – whose over 120,000 workers had been on strike since last April 19 – and the Treasury Board. However, the 35,000 employees of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) remain on strike: unlike other federal civil servants, CRA’s workers have not yet reached an agreement with the government.(more…)
TORONTO – That may sound harsh. It is probably too complementary. With all due respect to the process and the individuals (54? and counting) offering to replace the retired, “self-disgraced” former mayor, and win the confidence of the public is never easy. Especially in an election with geographic boundaries overlapping twenty-five federal/provincial boundaries – without the galvanizing factors of Party, Leader, and Finances.
TORONTO – Another day, another protest, another public cost assumed for “protection” for knuckleheads who express contempt for parents, their children and the ethics-based school environment that is theirs by Constitutional fiat.
TORONTO – The solo show by Cindi Emond in Toronto, Canada as part of the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival, 2023, will be presented by the Donna Child Fine Art Gallery (365 Evans Avenue, Toronto), May 2 – 31, 2023. During the exhibition, there will also be a meeting with the artist on 11 May, at 6.30pm. (more…)
TORONTO – The strike action of the PSAC (Public Service Alliance of Canada), which mobilizes over 155,000 federal civil servants throughout the country, intensifies: today, the “feds” increased the presence of pickets, particularly in Ottawa, limiting access to federal buildings and temporarily halting traffic on an inter-provincial bridge. (more…)
TORONTO – The York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) is an organization is crisis mode. It has received, in academic 2022-2023, a total of $601,705,281.00 in Grants for Student Needs (GSN) to nurture 49,233 students assigned to its care – 30,927 of them under the age of fourteen. The wrong people may be in charge.
TORONTO – Four key issues to resolve. And the strike goes on. A week into the large-scale mobilization of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the federal government comes out of the closet with an “open letter to public employees and Canadians”, in which the chair of the Treasury Board, Mona Fortier, reveals the critical points of the negotiation with the PSAC for the renewal of the contract of federal civil servants. (more…)
TORONTO – We may soon lose the models for establishing education priorities in this province that are relevant to the people whom they are designed to serve. No, we are not talking about national goals and standards. In the framework of our Constitutional compromise, even if collectively we recognize national and transnational educational skills shared commonly, authority over education is purely within what we call provincial jurisdiction, Section 93 of the Constitution Act.
TORONTO – More than 155,000 federal civil servants have returned to “picket lines” in various Canadian cities after weekend contract talks failed to produce a deal to end one of the largest strikes in Canadian history. (more…)
TORONTO – One week ago. Stephen Lecce seemed to signal to school boards in the Province of Ontario that they should get back to basics. We have a “plan”, he sermonized, “to boost literacy and math skills[…] we will do better to improve the skills that actually matter to the success of your child, from the classroom to the workforce”…
TORONTO – The weight of the hardships increases. The strike by federal civil servants – which shows no signs of ending – is disrupting services across the country, starting with the one relating to passports. “My best advice to Canadians is not to apply for the document at this time because it simply won’t be processed,” said Karina Gould, minister for families, children and social development. “So if you needed that document, they wouldn’t be able to provide it until after the strike action is over,” the minister said in an interview with Eric Sorensen on ‘The West Block Sunday’ broadcast on Global News. (more…)
TORONTO – Kuné means “Together” in Esperanto, the language created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof in 1887, who intended to create the universal language for international communication. So, what better word (and language) to name an orchestra made up of elements from every corner of the world?
TORONTO – In a decision filed April 19,2023, Human Rights Tribunal (HRT) Adjudicator Denise Graham finally put a merciful end to the individual and collective drive-by smears targeting the Toronto Catholic District School Board and five of its trustees.
TORONTO – Both PSAC and the federal government are warning that disruptions to public services are possible as a third of all federal workers remain on strike. Action taken by members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) could therefore lead to a complete shutdown of the tax season, border delays and pauses for new immigration and passport applications, just to name a few examples. (more…)
TORONTO – The law of unintended consequences raised its “ugly head” yet again. The political tactic of slinging mud just to see if some of it sticks has invariably produced smudges on those who sling it in the first place. But many find the CBC to be too convenient a target to ignore. According to its Annual Report, last year, CBC/Radio Canada declared Revenues of $1.9 Billion.
TORONTO – Clash between PSAC (Public Service Alliance of Canada) and Justin Trudeau: today, the first day of the “federals” strike, the Prime Minister urged the union that represents public employees to return to the negotiating table and conclude a deal to avoid major disruptions to citizens’ services, saying the government had made an offer on Monday but the union did not respond. The reply of the national president of the PSAC, Chris Aylward, was dry: the union is “ready to reach a fair agreement as soon as the government is ready to come to the table with a fair offer”. (more…)
TORONTO – Ordinary Canadians struggle to make ends meet, amid skyrocketing prices, impossible rents, inflation and interest rates at the highest levels. And what does the Prime Minister do? “Set an example”, spending about 160,000 public dollars – between security and costs of personnel who have to move in the event of a trip by a PM – for a week-long family vacation in Jamaica during the winter, in a luxurious estate (“Prospect Villas”) belonging to a wealthy family friend, Peter Green, who two years ago also made a substantial donation to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. (more…)
TORONTO – Sunday, April 16, Orthodox [Eastern Rite] Christians celebrate Easter. Nominal Christian politicos who missed the Western Rite [i.e.., Catholic] Easter because the Easter Bunny and Egg Hunts kept them out of religious ceremonies were able to make a show of respect to communities that still hold true to their religious beliefs.
TORONTO – Ultimatum from PSAC to the federal government: if an agreement is not reached by 9 pm tomorrow, the strike will start on Wednesday. A strike that will affect more than 155,000 federal employees who are members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), including 35,000 workers of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). (more…)
TORONTO – As an Endowment Fund, the Trudeau Foundation is pretty small potatoes compared to the Endowment funds established by universities to accomplish similar objectives. This is so even considering the $125 Million infusion by the Government of Canada, in perpetuity (more on this later).
OTTAWA – Testifying before the House Committee on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s chief of staff Katie Telford offered few new insights into the foreign interference issue, even as documents provided to lawmakers revealed the dates of high-ranking intelligence briefings provided to the Prime Minister on this matter between 2018 and 2023. (more…)
TORONTO – A “key” trustee in the wokist movement to eliminate Catholic schools from within, or to supplant the Catholic ethic with one of their own, finally appeared before a judge this week. She now has a criminal record and the title of “thief” that comes with it.
TORONTO – Things are not always as bad as they appear at first blush. Then, they become downright unsustainable and “nothing works”. So it would appear with the Trudeau Foundation and with those associated with it.
TORONTO – Federal civil servants on a war footing, heading for a strike that could involve more than 155,000 workers in administrative, technical, education, library, cleaning and maintenance, immigration and even military bases. (more…)
TORONTO – Weapons and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, sanctions on “friends” of Russia: this is what Justin Trudeau announced today during his meeting with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, held in Toronto. (more…)
TORONTO – It is sooo easy to see the bad side of other humans (as we overlook our own shortcomings) because vice and evil jar all our sensibilities. Thank heavens there are “standards” that remind us of aspirational goals and conduct.
TORONTO – The Ontario government today presented the Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, complementary to the plan for the construction of 1.5 million homes by 2031: if approved, the legislation – in the intentions of the provincial government – would further strengthen protections for home buyers, it would support tenants and simplify rules on land use planning. (more…)
AKWESASNE MOHAWK – New, dramatic details emerge on the tragedy of the Iordache family, who drowned in the St. Lawrence River while trying to reach the United States after being expelled from Canada. (more…)
AKWESASNE MOHAWK – The children, aged 1 and 2, both had Canadian passports and were baptized at the Romanian Orthodox Church of All Saints in Scarborough in June last year. The father, 28, worked in construction and cleaning and with his wife – the same age, both in Toronto since 2018 – frequented the parish community. But it wasn’t enough to stay in “welcoming” Canada, which expelled them. And they, in a desperate attempt to reach the United States to try to build a future for themselves, drowned in the St. Lawrence River.
TORONTO – One of our readers, Jean-Richard Pelland, sent us a comment about our article “OECTA ‘gender ideologues’ cast a pall over the YCDSB“, published on line on 29th March and on the newspaper on 30th March. We publish, below, his comment and the Publisher’s reply.
TORONTO – Canadians divided over public spending: what should the federal government focus on in the coming years? On a balanced budget or on aid for families and the economy? The Angus Reid Institute has tried to answer these questions with a survey, starting from a fact: after unprecedented spending during the pandemic, Canada has entered a phase of general crisis that borders on recession, with families in difficulty due to the rising cost of living, so much so that the federal government no longer foresees – as in the past – a balanced budget by 2028, but a deficit of 14 billion dollars in that same year. (more…)
VATICAN CITY – “Today we ask for this grace: to know how to love Jesus forsaken and to know how to love Jesus in every one who is abandoned”. Strong words, with a clear reference to migrants, those pronounced today by Pope Francis in the homily of the Palm Sunday Mass in Vatican. A function that saw the Pope once again the protagonist, after the hospitalization that had worried the faithful from all over the world. (more…)
OTTAWA – Finally the House of Commons of Canada has adopted the International Mother Language Day act after its third and final reading of the Bill S-214 (click here to read it) in the senate on March 30 evening local time, since it subsequently passed in the parliament on December 9, 2021.
TORONTO – Massacre in Nova Scotia: a report holds the RCMP to its responsibilities, listing a long series of omissions by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on the occasion of the massacre that saw the death of twenty-two people in April 2020 (in the pic above; the last on the right is the killer, Gabriel Wortman). (more…)
TORONTO – York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) no longer believes in its own Constitutionally mandated obligation to defend and promote the catholicity of its schools. Both the Director (Domenic Scuglia) and the Chair (Frank Alexander) have ceded responsibility for that to the teachers’ union, OECTA and its local president, a certain Mike Totten.
VAUGHAN – Great success for the first lunch sponsored by the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce with the new Mayor Steven Del Duca: 1,200 people attended the event, today, at the Terrace Banquet Center to hear the Mayor’s political programme, which is based mainly on the improvement of transport. A project divided into nine key-points, some of which already emerged in Del Duca’s intentions when he was provincial transport minister.
TORONTO – Canada is heading into a “mild” recession as high borrowing costs, an economic downturn in the United States and persistent inflation add to the country’s economic uncertainty, new research reveals. Deloitte Canada’s latest economic outlook, released Tuesday ahead of the federal budget, says tight monetary policy is set to constrict economic growth this year. But research suggests the recession won’t be as deep as previously expected, thanks to resilient labor markets, which keep incomes strong. (more…)
TORONTO – Many teachers are paragons of virtue, examples and role models for the children under their care. They “serve” in loco parentis – our surrogates once we drop them off onto the school property. At a bare minimum, from them, we expect that they will impart values reflecting love of “learning” (critical analysis), a sense of responsibility, respect for the Law (and all that it entails) and commitment to the institutional vision of their employer… us, the parents of their students.
TORONTO – There is chaos at the York Catholic District School Board, where a real tug of war is underway between parents who do not want their children – still at an early age – to be subjected, “under the guise of inclusiveness”, to pressure on sexual orientations and the Board itself which, with trustees and teaching staff, goes in the exact opposite direction and wants to support initiatives in favor of the LGBTQ+ community. In the meeting of 28 February, two parents, Carlo Ravenna and Sheree Di Vittorio, expressed their concerns on the matter (“our children have the right to their innocence”, they said) and a climate of tension was created which culminated with the arrival of the police. Another meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, with four speeches (two for each “party”): Sheree herself had asked to be able to speak but was denied this possibility. Corriere Canadese asked her to send to the editorial office the speech she would have read and it will be published in tomorrow’s printed edition of the Italian newspaper. Here below is the speech in its entirety.
TORONTO – About 1,200 people attended the installation ceremony of the new Archbishop of Toronto, Frank Leo, in Saint Michael’s Cathedral in the city center on Saturday, about six weeks after the formal appointment by Pope Francis: Leo succeeds thus officially to Cardinal Thomas Collins, who tendered his resignation on his 75th birthday in January 2022 in accordance with a rule stipulating that all bishops must resign when they reach that age.
Leo said his appointment as Archbishop of Toronto was “a surprise, but a welcome one. I look forward to giving the rest of my life as a spiritual leader here from a symbolic and spiritual perspective. When you become a Bishop, you receive a ring and it is a spousal relationship”, Leo told Omni News. The Archbishop himself then underlined, among other things, the importance of the role played by Catholic schools, which he defined as “a gift”.
During his speech, Leo spoke also in Italian, to thank “the members of my family present here, as well as to my family members, friends, parishioners and faithful of the Italian community of Montreal who came here and then to those who follow us through social media”. And then again, speaking of the times of his enrollment in the seminary in Montreal, he recalled – also in Italian – the words addressed to him by Father Luigi Testa who, complimenting him on his choice, said to him: “There is nothing more better than giving your youth to the Lord”. “I can still hear him saying those words in Italian” said a very moved Leo.
Leo also emphasized his italian roots when he mentioned that he is “the son of Italian immigrants from the old country where respect, sacrifice, hard work, family, faith, and taking care of one another were and remain vital”.
Born in Montreal in 1971 to Italian immigrant parents (Francesco Leo and Rosa Valente), Leo entered the Grand Seminary of Montreal in 1990 and was ordained a priest for service to the city’s archdiocese in 1996. Leo has held various parish assignments in Montréal until 2006 when he accepted the invitation to enroll in the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome and subsequently in the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See (2006-2012), serving in various Apostolic Nunciatures around the world. In January 2012 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Chaplain of His Holiness giving him the title of Monsignor. Upon his return to Canada, Archbishop Leo joined the formation team of the Grand Séminaire de Montréal, teaching theology and philosophy and providing spiritual direction, formation and accompaniment to candidates for the priesthood. In the fall of 2015 he was appointed secretary general of the Canadian Episcopal Conference, a mandate which ended in the fall of 2021. Since 1 February 2022, Monsignor Leo has been appointed vicar general and moderator of the Curia of the Archdiocese of Montreal. On July 16, 2022, Pope Francis appointed him auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Montreal. His consecration as bishop took place on September 12, 2022. He is now archbishop of Toronto.
His curriculum of studies is impressive: in addition to his in-depth university studies in Canon Law (Lateran University), Diplomacy and International Law, Archbishop Leo is also specialized in Systematic Theology, Mariology, Philosophy Classical Studies and Spiritual Direction. He has taught not only in Canada but also in Australia and the USA and speaks four languages: Italian, Spanish, English and French.
In the pics above: the new Archbishop of Toronto, Frank Leo, in Saint Michael’s Cathedral; in the pic below, Leo with Giordano Basilio (Publisher of the Italian newspaper “Cittadino Canadese”) and wife; at the bottom, the video of the ceremony
VANCOUVER – A noir story, set in Italy, written by a Canadian in love with the “Belpaese”: it’s called “Bernini’s Elephant” and it’s the debut novel by Jane Callen, a writer who lives in Vancouver but travels to Italy “every time the fate allows”. The beautiful country and its people are in fact often present in the writings of Jane, author so far of stories published in Grain Magazine, Montreal Writes, Spadina Literary Review, CV7 Short Fiction Anthology Series and White Wall Review, as well as essays published in Accenti Magazine (excerpts of her writings are at www.janecallen.ca). (more…)
TORONTO – Han Dong has thrown in the towel. The deputy of Chinese origin who fell into the storm of “interference” announced his resignation from the Liberals, today, in tears (in the pic above): he will therefore sit in the House of Commons as an independent deputy. “I will continue to serve the residents of Don Valley North (in Toronto, where he was elected, ed.) as an independent member of this House. I am taking these extraordinary steps because sitting on the government caucus is a privilege and my presence could be seen as a conflict” Dong said, adding that he will work to clear his name in the meantime.
TORONTO – The new ranking of the “best” universities in the world (we’ll explain the quotation marks later) has been released and McGill University’s primacy in Canada stands out over the University of Toronto: in fact, the Montreal-based university is in 31st place in the ranking world, Toronto at 34th.
TORONTO – The race for mayor of Toronto is in full swing. Three more would-be first citizens have stepped forward in the past few hours: City Councilman Josh Matlow, former Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders and former Toronto Sun columnist Anthony Furey have announced their nominations. (more…)
TORONTO – No, I am not contemplating seeking the Mayor’s chair at Toronto City Hall. I had to beat back the tsunami of people anxious to vaunt my incredible gifts of administrative competence (happily as yet uncontested), unassailable philosophical and ideological acumen (I am taking a page from “The Narcissist’s Guide to Self-Adulation”) and impeccable ethical credentials (even though Prime Minister Trudeau says only the former Governor General fits that description).
TORONTO – Violence occurs in four out of ten schools in Toronto. And nearly three-quarters of principals and vice principals say they are finding it increasingly difficult to manage student behavior, with many of them expressing concern about an increase in violence. (more…)
TORONTO – The United States has conducted a covert investigation into national security threats posed by Chinese “operations” overseas, which has led to alarming conclusions about Canada, according to a new book written by a former RCMP and US government official military intelligence, Scott McGregor, together with investigative journalist Ina Mitchell, entitled “The Mosaic Effect: How the Chinese Communist Party Started a Hybrid War in America’s Backyard” (in the pic above, the cover of the book). (more…)
TORONTO – International graduates students with expired or expiring work permits will be able to extend their authorization to work in Canada for another eighteen months under a new immigration measure announced today by Minister Sean Fraser.
Good news for the thousands of students who were in limbo, just like the Italian girl to whose story we dedicated an article yesterday (you can re-read it by clicking here). So, according to the Immigration Minister, Postgraduate Work Permit Holders (PGWP) who qualify for the program will soon be contacted with information on logging into their online account to join and update their file, starting April 6.
A PGWP is typically not extendable, but similar policies have been implemented twice during the pandemic to allow international graduates to stay and work in Canada as many have run out of status and have been unable to pursue permanent residency due to significant immigration backlogs, at least according to reports from the IRCC.
Those with a work permit that expired in both 2022 and 2023 will therefore be able to reinstate their status, even if they have exceeded the 90-day reinstatement period, and will receive a provisional work permit pending their new application for work. work permit.
“We must use every tool to support employers who continue to face challenges in hiring the workers they need to grow,” said Minister Fraser. “We are providing international graduates whose work permits are about to expire or have expired with an additional period of time to remain in Canada to gain valuable work experience and potentially qualify to become permanent residents”.
The federal government’s 2022 PGWP extension program hasn’t been without a hitch. Permit holders were initially told that their permit would be processed automatically without them having to do anything. However, many have not received the necessary documents and have run out of status to stay and work legally in the country.
“The lessons learned from that process have been applied as we implement a similar one. The new public policy will allow anyone who was eligible under the 2022 initiative to apply for an open work permit and have their status reinstated”.
“Thank you for your patience”, concluded Minister Fraser, referring to the odyssey experienced by international students who remained hanging by a thread until this morning’s announcement.
One of the lead signatories who signed the open letter to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh as advertised in the Washington Post recently, Sam Daley-Harris, an American activist and author as well as advocate for hunger eradication and democracy, elaborated the reason for it in an exclusive interview, “The 40 public figures who signed the letter are simply some of the best-known among the millions of people around the world who have been inspired by and have benefitted from the work of Muhammad Yunus, and who want to see him remain safe.” He also added, “The signers wanted to use their status as public figures to make sure that the world knew about the growing concern about the well-being of Prof. Yunus. We weren’t going to leave it to chance as to whether newspapers did or didn’t pick up the statement.”
TORONTO – A double Master’s, one in Italy after a three-year degree in one of the most prestigious Italian universities and a second one in Canada. Then, a permanent job in Toronto. But that’s not enough. Also, she, like many other young Italians and Europeans, will have to return to Italy because it seems impossible to obtain a visa extension (not to mention the “mirage” better known by the name of Permanent Residence: the PR).
TORONTO – The Liberal government’s inaction over (alleged) electoral meddling by China has some Canadian voters now wondering whether the results of the recent federal election can be trusted. That’s what Pierre Poilievre thinks: according to the leader of the Conservatives, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has “inspired many suspicions” due to his refusal to answer detailed questions about China’s role in the 2019 and 2021 electoral campaigns. (more…)
TORONTO – An exhibition to highlight as much as possible the fundamental role of Antarctica, a continent that is never talked about but on which the future of humanity could depend, given that it conceals mineral resources that might prove irresistible in a world with ever-increasing population growth and also scientific data crucial to inform future environmental policies. (more…)
OTTAWA – A week after pledging to appoint a “special rapporteur” to look into allegations of federal election interference by China and the issue of foreign interference in general, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today that Canadians will know who chose “in the next few days”.(more…)
TORONTO – Could it be a coincidence that Conservative candidates who had always won big in certain districts were defeated by liberal opponents from a certain point on, despite the decline in support of Justin Trudeau’s party? The question arises spontaneously in light of the case of China’s interference in Canadian politics and of the service published today by the National Post which analyzed the electoral results of some districts in Ontario and British Columbia.
ROME – Meetings continue in Rome between the editor of the Italian daily newspaper Corriere Canadese, Joe Volpe, and all those parliamentarians involved in defending and spreading the Italian language and culture abroad. In recent days, Volpe – with one of his closest collaborators, Danny Montesano – had a long conversation with the Honorable Christian Di Sanzo, a member of parliament of the Democratic Party elected in the North and Central America foreign constituency.(more…)
TORONTO – The media storm relating to Chinese interference in Canadian politics is beginning to have its first effects. An Ontario provincial MP, Vincent Ke (in the pic above, from his Twitter page – @vincentkempp), has resigned from the Progressive Conservative caucus and will sit as an independent, effective immediately, due to his (alleged) ties to the Chinese Communist Party, which Global News spoke about last Friday: news that Ke himself denied, calling them “false and defamatory”. (more…)
OTTAWA – New details are emerging on the story of Chinese political interference in Canada: today, during the hearing of the Foreign Minister, Mélanie Joly (in the pic above, from her Facebook profile), before the parliamentary committee for procedures and internal affairs which is studying the case, the same minister revealed Canada denied a diplomatic visa application for a Chinese political agent last fall. (more…)
ROME – Important mission to Rome for the editor of Corriere Canadese, Joe Volpe, in defense of Italian language and culture abroad and, in particular, in Canada. (more…)
VATICAN CITY – “On International Women’s Day, I think of all women: I thank them for their commitment to building a more humane society, through their ability to grasp reality with a creative gaze and a tender heart. This is only a privilege of women. A special blessing for all the women present in the square”. (more…)
TORONTO – After a year of continuous hikes, the “key” interest rate finally stops. In fact, today the Bank of Canada decided to keep it unchanged, while clarifying that it is still ready to raise rates further depending on how the intensity and the economy progress. In any case, for now the official rate of the Canadian central bank remains at 4.5%. (more…)
OTTAWA – The arrival, the embrace with the prime minister and immediately a first tweet with the video of the meeting: “Dear @JustinTrudeau, thank you for your strong engagement and that of Canada, for Ukraine. Together, we will keep supporting Ukraine for as long as needed. Keep building bridges between our people and our economies. And keep strengthening our great transatlantic friendship“. (more…)
TORONTO – Your company asks you for sensitive data, you provide it certain that it will remain confidential and then you find it “slammed” on your profile in online human resources: this is what some employees of the CBC, the public broadcasting service of Canada, reported to National Post. (more…)
TORONTO – Schools are supposed to be safe spaces for all children as they grow while learning social and academic skills. Increasingly, they manifest dysfunctionalities all too often resulting in violence. This has not been a good year for schools in Toronto and elsewhere.
TORONTO – Canada’s Intelligence Service warns that climate change poses a profound and continuing threat to national security and prosperity, including the possible loss of parts of British Columbia and the Atlantic provinces to rising sea levels. (more…)
TORONTO – The February 28, 2023, meeting of the York Region Catholic District School Board (YRCDB) may yet turn to be a seminal event in the erosion of the Catholic schools system in Ontario.
TORONTO – The Commissioner of Canada Elections says her office is literally “under siege” to review complaints and information regarding allegations of foreign interference during the last two federal elections. “I am overwhelmed by the importance of this issue and the need to reassure Canadians in these exceptional circumstances” Caroline Simard told today to MPs of the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) which is examining the case of foreign interference in Canadian politics . (more…)
TORONTO – Italy of the future is here. A multi-ethnic, multicultural Italy which struggles to emerge in the “Belpaese” but has found its ideal, natural dimension in Toronto. The proof is the group “Italians in Toronto Events” (Italiani a Toronto Eventi) which for a decade has been a reality made up of meetings and events for young Italians in Toronto. (more…)
TORONTO – A team of top public officials said today that foreign attempts to interfere in the 2021 federal election did not affect the outcome. Thus, there would indeed have been foreign interference in Canadian federal elections. Whether they then had concrete effects in the results, it’s another matter. (more…)
TORONTO – He is isolated and goes on the attack: after everyone – political analysts, opposition figures and even allies like NDP leader Jagmeet Singh – advised him to open a commission of public inquiry into the (alleged) interference of the China on the Canadian federal elections, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau goes his own way and, in defending the liberal Chinese deputy who fell into the storm, accuses of racism those who support this hypothesis and spares no “picks” against the CSIS, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, “guilty” of having warned the government of the possibility of Chinese infiltration in Canadian politics. (more…)
TORONTO – All years start off with a bang. The firecrackers, the confetti. We all look up at Times Square and wait for the ball to drop. And in 2020, indeed, the ball dropped on all of us. Barely a quarter into the year, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) dropped that word on us: “pandemic”. The world, as we knew it, had capsized. There go our big plans. And our even bigger dreams, now reduced to abstract concepts.
TORONTO – He’s the “crutch” of Trudeau government, but obviously cannot support it on this: even the leader of the NDP, Jagmeet Singh (in the pic above, from his Twitter profile – @theJagmeetSingh), is asking for the opening of a public inquiry into the (alleged) Chinese interference in the 2019 federal elections, thus joining the call of several high-profile officials. (more…)
TORONTO – For Prime Minister Justin Trudeau everything is fine and there is no need to make further inquiries. But three weeks before the 2019 federal election, Canadian intelligence officials held an urgent and confidential briefing to top aides in the prime minister’s office, according to Global News, warning them that one of their candidates was part of a Chinese network of foreign interference: Han Dong, whom the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) had begun following in June of that year and who would be one of eleven candidates from the Toronto area allegedly supported by Beijing in that election. (more…)
TORONTO – I cannot think of a worse nightmare for any parent than to lose their child. What comes close is the discovery that the child may have been, and continues to be, the victim of predation by individuals engaging in human trafficking.
HALIFAX – Immigration is critical to Canada’s long-term success. And, to fully harness the potential of immigration and create the best experience for newcomers, Canada needs an immigration system that is strong, easy to navigate and adaptive to change. Better than now, in short, given the many issues associated with (wel)coming in Canada. (more…)
TORONTO – Inflation continues to decline, albeit slightly (from 6.3% in December 2022 to 5.9% in January 2023), but the bull market in food shows no signs of slowing down. It was already known – just go shopping to find out – but now the numbers of the latest report by Statistics Canada confirm it: in January, the prices of food products recorded a year-on-year increase of 11.4%, compared to 11% the previous month. And since last August, the food inflation rate has been over 10%. (more…)
SCOTTSDALE – The approach to Taichung (Taiwan) and the 2023 World Baseball Classic for the Italia Baseball Team starts from the sports center of Notre Dame Preparatory High School in Scottsdale (Arizona). (more…)
TORONTO – Cynics may say there is no peace or goodness, just eternal vigilance so that the dissemblers do not steal what is rightfully ours through dishonest means.
OTTAWA – “Our Prime Minister is quietly letting a foreign and authoritarian government interfere in our elections, simply because he benefits from it”: the leader of the Conservatives, Pierre Poilievre (in the pic above, from his Twitter profile @PierrePoilievre), on Friday accused Justin Trudeau of ignoring Chinese interference in the last federal elections because Beijing’s efforts were aimed at helping the Liberals. (more…)
TORONTO – Someone is, as they say, “on a mission”. It remains unclear what the end goal is. If you have children or grand children in a school system in Ontario these last three years have not been very rewarding from an academic and cultural perspective.
TORONTO – Canadian laws on assisted dying “should be extended to include minors”: this is one of the twenty-three recommendations made by the parliamentary committee charged with presenting a report to the House of Commons on the extension of MAID, the Medical Assistance in Dying. (more…)
TORONTO – Incredible how some people react to news they see as incomplete. The group advancing the candidacy of Dennis Mills, former, sixteen-year MP for Danforth (1988-2004) has been inundating our office with calls in support of his candidacy.
TORONTO – The idyll between Canada and immigrants is over. The numbers say it. In fact, the Institute for Canadian Citizenship says that Statistics Canada data indicate a 30% drop in the adoption of citizenship since 2001. Let’s see to what extent: in 2021, only 45.7% of permanent residents who resided in Canada from less than ten years became a citizen. A drop, compared to 60% in 2016 and 75.1% in 2001. (more…)
TORONTO – Congratulations and best wishes go out to newly-appointed Archbishop for the diocese of Toronto, his eminence Frank Leo. The Montreal-born prelate is possessed of well earned credential on the academic, theological, canonic and diplomatic front, having served the “diplomatic corps” of the Vatican for the last ten years.
TORONTO – In the end, they gave in. Canadian premiers have accepted Ottawa’s proposal, presented last week by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to “inject” $46.2 billion in new funds to the provinces and territories over a decade to support an increasingly faltering health system. Crumbs, actually, if you divide the “cake” by the number of years and “beneficiaries”. (more…)
TORONTO – The hypothesis is science fiction, even par excellence. But it would be taking shape, the shape of a UFO. Not a simple “unidentified flying object”, as the literal translation of the acronym suggests, but a real UFO in the literary and cinematographic sense of the term: an alien, extraterrestrial object. No one is able, at the moment, to exclude that the objects shot down in recent days between Canada and the United States are real alien UFOs, at least until the recovery and analysis of the objects themselves are completed. (more…)
TORONTO – Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Francis (Frank) Leo (in the pic above, from www.archtoronto.org), currently Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Montreal, as the 14th Archbishop of Toronto. The archbishop-designate succeeds Cardinal Thomas Collins, who has served the archdiocese since 2007.
TORONTO – John Tory, now former mayor of Toronto, resigned his post Friday in what appeared to be a hastily put together announcement/press conference. For those with short memory-spans, Mr. Tory won the election held last October 24 (three months ago) by such a wide margin that he might as well have been acclaimed .
TORONTO – Canada Revenue Agency calls you if $10 is “missing” (and if you don’t pay immediately, interest will kick in) but doesn’t think it’s worth recovering $15 billion. Incredible but true, so much so that even the “watchdog” of Canadian finances, Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux, said he was bewildered to hear the head of the CRA say that it was not “worth” recovering all that money, i.e. the $15.5 billion in potential Covid-19 wage subsidy overpayments. In other words, money ended up in the pockets of those who had no right to receive it. (more…)
TORONTO – Will it be for transparency or, perhaps, will it be to justify the fact that rates continue to be increased even if the effects on inflation (which was supposed to fall to 2% and which is still over 6%) are not seen? Maybe.
TORONTO – “Out of the blue”, Google and the tech giants are pushing back against Government initiatives to redress the imbalances created by the global digital empires among national and local communications enterprises.
TORONTO – Masks essential to curb the spread of Covid-19, but almost useless in the presence of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): this is what emerges from a document prepared by Public Health Ontario at the request of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, last November but made public only today, when it was published by the Canadian Press. (more…)
TORONTO – The federal government is opening up the possibility of amending bail laws: “We will review amendments to the Penal Code,” Justice Minister and Attorney General David Lametti told CTV. “The Provinces have asked us to do it, the (provincial) ministers of Justice have asked us to do it and we are thinking about it”. (more…)
TORONTO – An exceptional guest will open the Media Day of the Canadian International AutoShow 2023: the absolute protagonist will be the Project Arrow electric vehicle, the result of the collaboration started between over fifty partners led by the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association (APMA) with the goal of responding to the Canadian government’s “Net Zero by 2050” challenge.
TORONTO – I never go to casinos [to gamble]. Doug Ford (in the pic, from his Twitter profile / @fordnation) must, at least on occasion. He wins constantly and someone else provides the risk capital: the Opposition Parties at Queen’s Park. The man (hope I am not offending any gender idealogues) walks around with horseshoes to spare.
TORONTO – He refused to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and to undergo antigen testing for the virus and has been fired from his job in some hospitals in the GTA. Then he was also denied unemployment benefits, because he was “fired for misconduct”. It was useless for him to challenge this decision, because the Federal Court ruled against him, stating that the reason for his dismissal met the definition of “misconduct” of the EI (Employment Insurance) law.
TORONTO – Avoiding open heart surgery, which involves risks and complications for the patient and raising costs for the healthcare system, is now possible thanks to minimally-invasive cardiac surgery: with the advances in technology and medical techniques, surgeons can now practice small incisions to reach the heart between the ribs, all without cutting the sternum, thus avoiding major blood loss, reducing the risk of infection and post-operative pain and allowing for a faster recovery of patients who spend less time in hospital and can return to their normal activities more quickly.
TORONTO – Canada’s 13 premiers say they “expect” to get the federal government to raise its health care funding ratio to 35%: the joint statement came on Monday, a week before the meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau scheduled for February 7th. The premiers were clear: they want the result of that meeting to be an increase in Canada Health Transfer of about $28 billion from the current $45.2 billion. (more…)
This month, in his January column, Senator Loffreda (photo) writes about the government’s proposed bill to help news publishers and journalists receive fair compensation for their work that is being shared on the platforms of tech giants like Facebook and Google. Bill C-18 is currently before the Senate. (more…)
OTTAWA – The federal government failed to spend $38 billion, last fiscal year, intended for promised programs and services, including broadband Internet, new military equipment, affordable housing, veterans support and services to the Natives. The “excuse” is that of delays and interruptions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the reality is that unspent funds have played an important role in lowering the deficit: in the year ending March 31, 2022, in fact, Canada ran a deficit of $90.2 billion, $23.6 billion less than budgeted for. (more…)
A former colleague of mine, who is of Ukrainian origin, recently expressed his caution, verging on disappointment, regarding Canada’s stated leadership in opposition to the Russia military offensive into Ukraine and the measures “we” have been implementing to demonstrate that leadership.
TORONTO – On the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the AGPI (Abraham Global Peace Initiative) organized an event in Toronto’s City Hall, in partnership with the City, to celebrate the commemoration. (more…)
TORONTO – The first details are emerging about the intentions of the federal government in view of the summit between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the provincial premiers who have been asking for more funds for health care for months. (more…)
TORONTO – In a third world country like the Philippines with so many poor people, rumour and gossip seem to be the national pastime. Texting (email) costs only one peso, a mere few cents Canadian. Even if this is the Philippines, poverty has not stopped citizens from engaging in online chats, Facebook and Twitter. And they feel important for they all have something to say, for after all they are a part of a larger social group.
HAMILTON – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came face to face with some protesters Tuesday night in Hamilton, Ontario, when his massive security team escorted him across the street from the “Breda Bar” restaurant where he and members of his federal cabinet – meeting in “retreat” in the Ontario city – had gathered for dinner. (more…)
TORONTO – Fake news, testimonials and personal narratives used to suggest a distorted interpretation of reality and social networks used as a means of spreading false information: this and much more is discussed in the report drawn up by the Council of Canadian Academies, a non-profit organization that examines complex scientific topics of public interest. Including Covid-19, as in the case of “Fault Lines” (Expert Panel on the Socioeconomic Impacts of Science and Health Misinformation), a work supported by a gigantic bibliography (over sixty pages of references) from which it clearly emerges that misinformation on the coronavirus has done great damage to Canadian society, contributing to more than 2,800 deaths and an estimated $30 million in hospital visits and intensive care. Deaths that could have been avoided and money that could have been spent elsewhere. (more…)
TORONTO – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet with Canadian premiers in Ottawa on February 7 to conclude an agreement on health care financing: an announcement, made today by Trudeau himself, which comes after months and months of pressure from the premiers of all Canadian provinces and territories, which are facing serious difficulties in the management of public health facilities. (more…)
TORONTO – January 25, 2020: a man in his 50s arrives in Toronto from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the Covid-19 epidemic, and becomes the first “presumed” case of the new coronavirus in Canada. Exactly three years have passed and since then more than 50,000 Canadians have died after contracting Covid-19, according to data released Monday by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Today, January 24, at 12.20pm, the Johns Hopkins University dashboard, constantly updated, reported (for Canada) 50,304. (more…)
MONTREAL – 4,689 people entered Canada illegally through Roxham Road in Quebec last December, more than the number arrived at the “irregular border crossing” during the entirety of 2021. In fact, the number recorded in December 2022 it is the highest since August 2017, when 5,530 people entered. A total of 39,171 people entered the country illegally and then applied for asylum in 2022, more than double the 18,836 who entered via Roxham Road in 2017, the previous record year. (more…)
TORONTO – The first real “face to face” between Prime Minister Doug Ford and Ontario’s municipal leaders will begin tomorrow with his speech at the general assembly of ROMA, the Rural Ontario Municipal Association: with him, Sylvia Jones (Deputy Premier and Minister for Health), Lisa Thompson (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) and Steve Clark (Minister for Municipal Affairs and Housing). (more…)
TORONTO – Reforming Canada’s “bail policy” to keep hardened offenders in jail will not only fail to reduce crime, but will increase the risk of innocent people being jailed, criminologists and experts argue, criticizing the conservative leader’s stance Pierre Poilievre, author of the call to change the “bail policy” after the case of 25-year-old Randall McKenzie, accused of the murder of Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer Greg Pierzchala, killed in late December: McKenzie was free on bail and had failed to appear at the last court hearing where he was on trial for previous offences. (more…)
TORONTO – The majority of the world’s wealth is in the hands of 1% of the population. A disconcerting figure, what emerges from the latest report by Oxfam, published in conjunction with the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos in Switzerland, according to which in the last two years the 1% of the richest people have accumulated almost two thirds of all the new wealth created in the world. (more…)
NAPLES – She travels 1,600 kilometers a day by train to go to work and back home. Apparently it’s less expensive given the rental prices. These days, it is no exaggeration to define the worker Giuseppina Giuliano, a 29-year-old school worker, stoic: every day the Naples-Milan route (and back) is made by train because the city of the Madonnina, where she works as a janitor at the art school ” Boccioni” in piazzale Arduino, is too expensive and therefore, on balance, it is more advantageous to take the train and stay and live with her parents in Naples.(more…)
TORONTO – The Canadian economy will face a “more pronounced than previously thought” recession, but it will still be “mild and short-lived” compared to previous slowdowns, according to the latest forecasts contained in a report released today by Deloitte, the company of advisory and financial services. (more…)
PALERMO – Thirty years ago, the Carabinieri led by Captain Ultimo intercepted and captured Toto Riina, “the boss of bosses”. It was January 15, 1993. Today, exactly three decades and one day later, the soldiers of the Arma arrested Matteo Messina Denaro (in the pic above, by Arma dei Carabinieri), a fugitive since 1993, when an arrest warrant was issued against him. (more…)
TORONTO – He was the champion of the rights of disabled people and throughout his life he fought against ableism, that is, that particular racism towards people with disabilities. With him therefore goes a bulwark of those rights: former television journalist and twenty-eighth deputy premier of Ontario from 2007 to 2014, David C. Onley (in the pic above, from his Facebook page), died at the age of 72. (more…)
TORONTO – The high profile case of Trustee Del Grande v the Toronto Catholic District School Board has occupied the minds of Catholic parents for three years.
TORONTO – Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age, the feature documentary that, in its French-language version, has already become a smash theatrical hit in Quebec, will have its English theatrical premiere in Toronto at the Hot Docs Cinema on Friday, January 13 at 7 PM,with additional showings Saturday, January 14 at 3PM, Sunday, January 15 at 5PM, and Tuesday, January 17 at 4PM. Premieres in other Canadian cities will follow.
TORONTO – The extreme weather. This is the cause of the inconvenience suffered by thousands of passengers in Canadian airports during Christmas departures according to the airlines and according to the federal Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra, protagonists of a “pass the buck” in front of the Transportation Commission of the House of Commons which called them to understand the reasons for the Christmas chaos. (more…)
TORONTO – Private healthcare can “help” where public healthcare does not arrive: this is essentially the message launched by the premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, during today’s press conference – the first of 2023 – in which, while opening to private healthcare, he also declared that the notorious Bill 124 – the legislation that capped wage increases for most public sector workers at 1% for three years – “doesn’t exist”. (more…)
MEXICO CITY – More weapons to Ukraine and the visit of the US president to Canada: these are the main news that emerged from today’s meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Joe Biden, as part of the summit of US leaders in Mexico City. (more…)
OTTAWA – After decades of postponements, delays and second thoughts, Canada has finalized the agreement to replace its aging fleet of CF-18 fighters with 88 Lockheed Martin F-35s that will begin arriving in the next few years: the purchase of aircraft will cost 19 billion dollars, but the bulk of the expenditure will be maintenance which should amount to around 70 billion. (more…)
Here below is an article by Emma Jarratt, published on Electric Autonomy Canada, an independent news platform reporting on Canada’s transition to electric vehicles, autonomous transportation and new mobility services.
TORONTO – Illegal immigration, protectionism, industry and commerce… there are many topics on the plate at the meeting between the so-called “Three Amigos”: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, US President Joe Biden and Canadian President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will meet during the next week for a trilateral summit in Mexico City and will discuss a series of hot topics, some burning ones such as the worsening of the migration crisis that Biden has to face on the border between the United States and Mexico and which, in some way, also involves Canada. (more…)
VATICAN CITY – They lined up from 5.30am, in the surreal atmosphere of St. Peter’s Square shrouded in thick fog and armored by the police, to attend the funeral of the Pope Emeritus. At 9.30am, the (Italian) time when Ratzinger’s funeral began, over 50,000 faithful were present to bid farewell to Joseph Ratzinger, together with delegations from various countries. (more…)
VATICAN CITY – Tomorrow is the day of last farewell to Benedetto XVI, Pope Emeritus Joseph Ratzinger, who passed away on December 31st: at 9.30am Italian time (3.30am in Ontario), the funeral will take place in St. Peter’s Square, presided over by Pope Francis who today, during the general audience, recalled Ratzinger as a “great teacher of catechesis” with “sharp and polite” thinking, then invoking his help to “rediscover in Christ the joy of believing and the hope of living”. Applause and choirs: ‘Benedetto santo subito’ (saint immediately), chanted some of the faithful present. (more…)
TORONTO – Today’s Media and Press cannot resist succumbing to the temptation of finding fault with any and all things Catholic, even as the Vatican prepares to bid its last adieu to one of Catholicism’ leaders. Backhanded compliments abound. I will not speak ill of the deceased, especially in the case of the former Pope Emeritus.
I knew Pope Benedict XVI only by reputation, that is, only by the reputation attributed to his views and leadership by commentators who had the means and desire to impart their passing impressions on the rest of us.
But I did see him in person…once. It was on a cold and overcast day, April 8, 2005, uncommon weather in Springtime for Rome. Along with Prime Minister Paul Martin, eleven MPs (including Cabinet Ministers), one Senator and the Grand Chief of First Nations (Phil Fontaine), I was among the privileged one million plus attendees outside the entrance of Saint Peter’s Basilica for the funeral of the recently deceased [Saint] Pope John Paul II.
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was the Celebrant. We waited in St. Peter’s Square from 7:00 AM until the soon to be Pope Benedict XVI began the funeral at 11:00 AM. The Mass lasted a full two hours. As members of an official “State delegation”, my colleagues and I were afforded the luxury of folding chairs to relax any discomfort over the six-hour open-air event.
Five million and more other attendees spread over the piazzas of Rome had only their faith and their respect for the Pope to give them strength. An estimated two million Catholics had made the trek from Poland to pay their last respects to their hero.
No wonder, from my perspective, Pope John Paul II was the key political dynamic in the dissipation of the Cold War tensions that threatened world peace following WWII, and the integration of new political dynamics following the break-up of the USSR. That dissertation is for another day.
The inheritor of that narrative was Pope Benedict XVI, the first German pontiff in one thousand years. Irrespective of his personal social views (it is important for any leader to have them), his election as Pontiff will always be associated with the philosophical and moral rectitude associated with the concept and the act of Reconciliation everywhere.
For Canadians, it is especially significant that he invited leaders of our Aboriginal communities to Rome (including Phil Fontaine) to embark on the ways and means to mitigate and resolve the negative impacts of Residential schools.
During his papal mandate, the Church also recognized and named her first Aboriginal Saint, the Lily of the Mohawks – Saint Kateri Tekakwitha.
But he was above all, a humble and compassionate man who recognized his limitations and who admitted when he could bear no more. The papacy was and continues to be more important than any one individual. He was humble enough to say: “This has been more than enough for me; Lord let this cup pass from my hands”.
He resigned and stepped aside. Tomorrow the Universal Church and the World say goodbye and RIP to Joseph Ratzinger the man and Benedict XVI the Pope.
TORONTO – The battle is preparing for the expansion of MAID (Medical assistance in dying), the program for assisted suicide, to Canadians suffering from mental illness. Opposition parties and experts are calling for the expansion to be delayed, but the Liberals have given no indication that they will. And time is running out. (more…)
TORONTO – In 2023, home prices could fall by just 1%, according to a new market survey carried out by Royal LePage. The (average) price of a Canadian home would therefore fall just 1% year-over-year from $772,900 to $765,171 – something that could disappoint hopeful homebuyers that rising interest rates would pushed house prices down. (more…)
TORONTO – Dying could become particularly easy in Canada: a depression will be enough to ask for access to euthanasia, the medically assisted death. Indeed, the country is preparing to expand its spectrum of assisted suicide which will become one of the largest in the world: starting in March, even people whose only pathology is mental illness will be able to access death. (more…)
TORONTO – The Premier of Quebec, Francois Legault, sitting at 17% points ahead of his nearest [non]rival in the National Assembly, still “characterizes” him as an ‘enemy of the State’ – the Nation of Quebecois. In an article reported by Francesco Veronesi last week, Pollster Angus Reid, in its first poll following the Quebec election, found the Premier to be so far ahead of “mainstream” Parties recognizable to Canadians that they are barely captured by the proverbial margin of error.
TORONTO – Public health is on its knees, but the federal government continues to look the other way despite the continuous “sos” from the provincial premiers: the latest, in chronological order, last Friday, when the governors of the Canadian provinces presented a joint appeal to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, asking him to meet “urgently” to “find a deal” on health care funding ahead of the spring federal budget. (more…)
TORONTO – I guess we all live in a dream world of our own. The Ontario “New” Democratic Party (NDP) will confirm its new Leader after a complex formula that considers the proportionality of its constituent partnerships – unions and associations.
TORONTO – York Memorial Collegiate Institute staff are afraid to go to school. It was already known, but now it’s all on the paper, in some documents which reveal the concerns of school workers due to a series of “violent incidents”, the highest number since 2000, i.e. since the TDSB began monitor this data in the schools of the district. (more…)
TORONTO – More than half of Toronto’s City Council has signed a letter urging Premier Doug Ford and Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs Steve Clark to reconsider the “infamous” Bill 39 which gives John Tory “powers special” to speed up the construction of new housing: in particular, the “super-mayor” can govern with a third of the votes instead of a majority. A slap to democracy, according to the 15 councilors who signed the document. (more…)
TORONTO – Canada’s federal government was able to rapidly distribute Covid vaccines and pandemic benefits to help individuals and businesses, but wasted millions of doses and awarded billions of benefits to ineligible individuals: that’s what was stated today by the Auditor General, Karen Hogan (in the pic above, from today’s conference on YouTube), who gave the government led by Justin Trudeau a “report card” on the management of the pandemic. (more…)
TORONTO – One placard at the student demonstration before the high school George Harvey/York Memorial last Friday caught my eye “[Teachers] if you don’t act like adults, we will”. (in the pic above – photo Corriere Canadese). It is gone now but for a moment, it came across as a cheeky rebuttal to the news of the previous week when teachers, speaking under cover of anonymity painted a picture of students conducting themselves as hooligans training for criminality.
TORONTO – The federal and provincial government today celebrated the opening of General Motors of Canada’s first electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Ingersoll and the build of the first BrightDrop Zevo 600s at the facility, all-electric delivery vans that will help reduce pollution. (more…)
TORONTO – The demonstration by students, on Friday, December 2 (here our article), at the combined high school on Keele Street (George Harvey and York Memorial) was impressive for several reasons. One, it was peaceful and generally well-tempered. Two, at its peak, there were, by my rough count (contested by other Media reports interested in inflating numbers), about 150 participants (just over 10% of the registered student body). Three, students were prepared to deliver a message in response to the extremely negative publicity their school(s) garnered in recent press and media reports.
