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Kevin O'Leary Continues To Lay On American Boosterism By Praising 'King Trump'

January 11, 2017, 9:35 am
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A likely Conservative leadership contender wants to bow down to his new monarch, King Donald Trump.

In a video posted online Tuesday — that has since been made private — celebrity businessman Kevin O’Leary is shown saying: “I think the next five years are going to be amazing and hail King Trump is what I say.”

O’Leary made the comments during an interview with business news website Benzinga in Detroit. The site’s article that featured the video was live for one day but has now been deleted.

Benzinga would not disclose why the story was taken down.

kevin oleary
Kevin O'Leary of the show 'Shark Tank' attends a conference at New York Stock Exchange on July 27, 2016 in New York City. (Photo: Matthew Eisman/Getty Images)

Other clips from O’Leary’s talk are still online, including one where he talks about his morning routine.

During the Q&A, O’Leary also said that the United States is the “only place on Earth” to start a company.

“When I started my company, there was only one place on Earth to do it. It was here — the capital, the market, the lowest taxes and the least regulations. Everybody comes to America to start a company,” said O’Leary. “We lost our way a little bit, and we’re coming back.”


“I think the next five years are going to be amazing and hail King Trump is what I say.”


O’Leary is not American, but the millionaire investor has in the past called Boston “home.” He owns property in Toronto, but spends a lot of his time working in the United States.

This month, O’Leary launched an exploratory committee about a run to replace Stephen Harper as leader of the federal Conservatives, but has yet to make it official.

He said in the past that Canada needs “a Trump guy,” and that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the “wrong guy” to deal with the incoming American president. The brash businessman also told 1310 News last month that he would’ve voted for Trump if he had American citizenship.

donald trump speech
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks at the Wisconsin State Fair Exposition Center in West Allis, Wis., on Dec.13, 2016. (Photo: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

Tory leadership candidates have criticized the “Shark Tank” reality star for his Trump-like political style and lack of French language skills. Contender Kellie Leitch has also been compared to Trump because of her call to screen immigrants and visitors for so-called “anti-Canadian values.”

“Kevin O’Leary and Kellie Leitch are both taking lessons from what we saw in the U.S. election and embracing a style of negative, irresponsible populism,” longtime Ontario MP Lisa Raitt said at a press conference last week.

“What happened in the United States happened in the United States and ... It doesn’t mean it’s going to happen in Canada,” she said.

Raitt has also launched a website — StopKevinOLeary.com — to attack her potential rival.


“What happened in the United States happened in the United States and ... It doesn’t mean it’s going to happen in Canada.”


Quebec MP Maxime Bernier, considered a top candidate for the Conservative leadership, said that O’Leary can’t win an election without speaking French. And Bernier’s fellow candidate Andrew Scheer invited O’Leary to announce his run in time for the French debate on Jan. 17, telling him to “fish or cut bait.”

It doesn’t look like O’Leary will be participating in the Quebec City debate, though he may enter the race two days after it, according to comments he made last week at a gathering of wealthy Canadians in Florida.

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Ashley Zhao, 5-Year-Old Girl, Found Dead In Restaurant, Mother Charged With Murder

January 11, 2017, 9:50 am
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The mother of a five-year-old girl has been charged with murder after the child was found dead in her father's restaurant.

Ashley Zhao’s body was found inside Ang’s Asian Cuisine in North Canton, Ohio on Tuesday afternoon, according to WKYC. Her body had been concealed.

Her mother, Mingming Chen, faces murder and felonious assault charges. Her father, Liang Zhao, has also been charged with complicity to commit felonious assault.

mingming chen liang zhao
Ashley Zhao's parents, Mingming Chen and Liang Zhao, both face charges in connection to her death. (Photo: KMTV Action 3 News/Screenshot)

The child was reported missing Monday evening by her parents, Jackson Township police said in a statement on Facebook.

But during their investigation inside the family restaurant, they discovered her body.

ashley zhao
Five-year-old Ashley Zhao was allegedly struck in the head several times by her mother. (Photo: Jackson Township Police Department/Facebook)

According to Stark County jail records obtained by the Canton Repository, Chen allegedly struck her daughter several times in the head with her fist.

Zhao discovered the child lying on the floor around 9:15 a.m. Monday, and noticed green fluid coming from her mouth.

The records state he cleaned her up in the bathroom and laid her back on the floor, but realized she wasn't breathing and unsuccessfully tried to do CPR.

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Toronto Luxury Home Sales Soar Almost 100% In A Year

January 11, 2017, 1:48 pm
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Toronto is poised to lead the country in high-end home sales for the third consecutive year in 2017, according to Sotheby's International Realty Canada.

The realtor released a report Wednesday that looked at sales of homes for more than $1 million in Toronto and three other cities — Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver.

It concluded that 19,692 such properties were sold last year in the Greater Toronto Area — an increase of 77 per cent compared to 2015. Sales of luxury homes — those worth more than $4 million — in the GTA rose 95 per cent year-over-year to 290 homes.

There is a confluence of factors responsible for the red-hot growth in Toronto's top-tier real estate market, said Brad Henderson, president and CEO of Sotheby's International Realty Canada.

toronto real estate home housing
A construction worker works on a new house being built in a suburb north of Toronto on June 29, 2015.

Among them are low interest rates, strong employment and consumer confidence, and a limited supply of properties for sale, particularly in the single-family home segment.

"With natural boundaries like the lake and the Greenbelt, the Greater Toronto region has less developable land than other markets,'' Henderson said. "As a consequence, there are less opportunities to add to the supply.''

In Vancouver, high-end home sales started off strong but slowed in the second half of the year as a number of government policy changes took effect. They included a one-per-cent tax on vacant homes implemented by the City of Vancouver and the B.C. government's 15 per cent tax on foreigners buying homes in Metro Vancouver.


"The Greater Toronto region has less developable land than other markets."


Those changes amplified a cooling in the Vancouver real estate market that started over the summer, Sotheby's said.

Sales in Vancouver's $1 million-plus market were down 34 per cent year-over-year in the second half of the year compared to the same period in 2015. But on an annual basis, sales of Vancouver homes worth $1 million or more were relatively flat last year, down one per cent year-over-year to 4,515 properties.

Luxury home sales were up 36 per cent year-over-year in the city, with 573 properties priced at over $4 million trading hands.

Sotheby's predicts that the Vancouver market for $1-million-plus homes will remain stable in the first quarter of this year.

toronto real estate condos housing homes
Construction workers work on a condominium development in Toronto on Dec. 6, 2012.

Calgary's $1-million-plus market also saw a boost last year. After declining 40 per cent year-over-year in 2015 due to the sudden plunge in oil prices, sales of homes worth $1 million or more were up 19 per cent to 612 properties in 2016.

Sotheby's Canada says it's expecting a buyers' market in Calgary in the first quarter of the year as the city's economic challenges drag on.

In Montreal, high-end home sales increased 23 per cent year-over-year to 613 properties, thanks to a stable provincial economy and political landscape, Sotheby's said.

The realtor says global turmoil — including Britain's vote to exit the European Union and Donald Trump's election win in the U.S. — injected uncertainty into global real estate markets last year.

Canada, which is regarded as a safe haven, has a low dollar and a strong real estate market, making it a desirable destination for real estate investment and immigration, the report said.

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Amazon Canada Learns The Hard Way Not To Step On India's Flag

January 11, 2017, 1:53 pm
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It turns out that wiping your feet on the national flag of a country with one billion people could upset a few folks.

Amazon learned that the hard way Wednesday, when India’s foreign minister threatened to ban company employees after the site’s Canadian portal offered for sale a doormat with the Indian flag on it.

india flag doormat
A screen capture of the Indian-flag doormat at the centre of Wednesday's controversy, caputred by the Hindustan Times before the listing was taken offline.

Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj took to Twitter to express his displeasure with the product, which was offered for sale by a seller called XLYL.

Swaraj even alerted India’s high commission in Canada to take up the matter.










Swaraj has developed a reputation for using “Twitter diplomacy,” The Guardian reports, and in this instance, it appears to have worked.

An Amazon spokesperson told the Hindustan Times Wednesday the item is “no longer available for sale on the site.”

Apparently the vendor, identified by the newspaper as Hana Houdek, had removed the item from sale after the controversy erupted.

However, as of Wednesday, the vendor’s doormats featuring the U.S. flag and British Union Jack were still available for sale on Amazon Canada.

flag doormats

The doormat controversy was not the only thing dogging Amazon’s Canadian division on Wednesday.

The company agreed to pay $1.1 million in penalties and costs to Canada’s federal Competition Bureau to settle concerns raised over its pricing practices.

The bureau said the concerns related to the “list price” Amazon shows customers as a comparison against the price being offered on Amazon.

The comparisons usually signalled "attractive savings'' for consumers but were unsubstantiated by the company, the bureau said.

It said Amazon relied on its suppliers to provide the list prices without verifying that they were accurate.

The Competition Bureau’s decision ends a two-year-long investigation into Amazon pricing practices. The regulator noted that Amazon has since changed the way it advertises list prices on its site.

— With a file from The Canadian Press

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B.C. Gives Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion The Go-Ahead

January 11, 2017, 2:04 pm
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VICTORIA — British Columbia gave its blessing Wednesday to the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline as Premier Christy Clark announced all five conditions her government placed on the project have been met with a financial deal that will help fund environmental protection projects.

Clark said one of the final conditions will see Kinder Morgan Canada provide up to $1 billion to the province over the next 20 years that will go toward a B.C. Clean Communities Program.

"We fought for these conditions for 4 1/2 years," she said at a news conference.

Clark's announcement came after the provincial government granted environmental approval to the expansion of the pipeline earlier in the day.

trans mountain pipeline
Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Expansion Project's Westeridge loading dock, at bottom with green tanks, is seen in Burnaby, B.C. (Photo: Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)

The federal government gave its approval for Kinder Morgan's $6.8-billion expansion of the pipeline late last year after the National Energy Board recommended it go ahead if 157 conditions are met.

The expansion would triple the capacity of the existing pipeline, which runs from near Edmonton to Burnaby, B.C., and is expected to increase tanker traffic seven-fold.

B.C.'s conditions included world-leading oil spill response and prevention, First Nations participation in the project, a fair share of its economic benefits for the province, and successful environmental reviews.

The project still faces opposition from environmental groups, some mayors of B.C. communities affected by the pipeline and aboriginal leaders who have threatened legal action to block it.

Shortly before Clark's announcement, New Democrat Opposition Leader John Horgan said he plans to "use every tool in our tool box" to stop the pipeline expansion.

christy clark
Premier Christy Clark leaves after responding to the federal government approval of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project in November 2016. (Photo: Darryl Dyke/The Canadian Press)

He held up a small glass jar full with what he said was heavy oil to show how thick and difficult it would be to clean up if there was a spill.

"This is what risk looks like to our coast," said Horgan.

Peter McCartney of the Wilderness Committee accused the government of "blatantly" aligning itself against the wishes of its own citizens by granting the environmental approval.


"Those conditions were never worth the paper they were written on."


"Right when we need our leadership to stand up to Alberta and Ottawa, they buckle like a cheap lawn chair," he said in an interview.

"We've known all along that the government's five conditions were political posturing instead of a real assessment of the risks and benefits for B.C." he said in a news release." British Columbians aren't stupid. Those conditions were never worth the paper they were written on."

Ian Anderson, the president of Kinder Morgan Canada, said the deal it negotiated means the company will contribute a minimum of $25 million to a maximum of $50 million a year depending on how much bitumen is transported through the pipeline over its 20-year lifespan.

"We believe this represents a positive outcome for our company, customers and for British Columbians and all Canadians who will benefit from the construction and operation of an expanded pipeline," he said in a news release.

The company has also agreed to give qualified and competitive B.C. companies the first opportunity at jobs for building, operating and maintaining the pipeline.

Construction expected to begin in September

Anderson said Trans Mountain is planning to begin construction in September.

Environment Minister Mary Polak and Natural Gas Development Minister Rich Coleman said in a news release that the energy board has the primary responsibility for ensuring the project is developed, constructed and operated in a safe and secure manner.

B.C.'s environmental approval comes with 37 conditions on top of the energy board's requirements, including the consultation of aboriginal groups, the development of a species-at-risk plan, and that a plan is established to mitigate and monitor the impact of the project on grizzly bears.

kinder morgan bc
Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Expansion Project's Westeridge loading dock is seen in Burnaby, B.C. (Photo: Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)

The provincial government also wants research conducted on the behaviour and cleanup of heavy oils spilled in freshwater and marine aquatic environments to provide spill responders with improved information.

The B.C. government was required to release its decision on the project by this month to comply with a B.C. Supreme Court ruling that found the province needed to conduct its own environmental assessment instead of relying on the National Energy Board process.

The minister's said the province looked where it could improve the project by adding conditions.

"Clearly, the project will have economic benefits for British Columbia workers, families and communities," they said in the statement. "However, we have always been clear economic development will not come at the expense of the environment. We believe environmental protection and economic development can occur together, and the conditions attached to the (environmental assessment) certificate reflect that."

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Trudeau's Tour Not About Building Up Liberals' Data Base Of Supporters: PMO

January 11, 2017, 2:13 pm
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OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau's cross-country tour to re-engage with grassroots Canadians starts Thursday amid suspicions that it's really aimed at helping the Liberal party add details about potential supporters and donors to its massive data base.

While the government is organizing — and paying for — the tour, Liberal MPs in several of the cities Trudeau plans to visit this week have posted online invitations for anyone wanting to attend townhalls with the prime minister.

Those who want to attend are directed to RSVP online, which requires them to provide their names, email addresses, postal codes and phone numbers — all designated as "mandatory" fields.

However, a spokesman for the prime minister said Wednesday that the MPs are using their parliamentary websites to advertise the events and issue invitations, in accordance with House of Commons rules.

justin trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at a town hall in Ottawa on Nov. 3, 2016. (Photo: Sean Kilpatrick/CP)

Cameron Ahmad stressed that "no information collected by the MP site, including event registrations, is shared with the Liberal party of Canada."

"We wanted to ensure that attendance at these events would not simply be limited to partisans or Liberals. In order to do so, MPs took the opportunity to reach out to all their constituents — regardless of political affiliation — and share information on upcoming events," he added.

Ahmad said registration is not required, but MPs have asked for contact information so that updates can be sent to those planning to attend an event in case the time or location changes. For instance, he said the venue for a townhall scheduled for Friday in London, Ont., had to be changed "due to popular demand."

Tory house leader skeptical

But Conservative House leader Candice Bergen said she finds it "almost impossible to believe'' that contact information collected by Liberal MPs isn't used for partisan purposes.

"Are they suggesting that once they get that information, they delete it all and they don't share it with the party?" she said, adding that sounds a lot like Liberal party assurances that government business isn't discussed at so-called cash-for-access fundraisers featuring the prime minister.

Trudeau has acknowledged that donors do, in fact, lobby him at fundraisers about issues of concern to them.

Bergen said the tour is "looking more and more like a partisan political event."


"Are they suggesting that once they get that information, they delete it all and they don't share it with the party?"


"It looks like it will be a rally where the prime minister will get up and be able to have people cheering for him and then send out pictures and press releases on how loved he is. Hey, that's not a grassroots townhall meeting. That's a rally."

The first leg of Trudeau's tour starts Thursday in Ottawa and winds up in London on Friday, with stops along the way at a number of small towns and cities, including Belleville, Kingston and Peterborough. The tour, which is to touch down in Quebec, British Columbia and the Prairies over the next few weeks, with later stops planned for the Atlantic provinces and the North, is to include informal discussions with Canadians at coffee shops and church basements, as well as the more traditional townhall question-and-answer sessions.

Several Liberal MPs have posted online invitations to townhalls planned for their ridings on their parliamentary websites. Suspicions about partisanship initially arose due to the fact that their website addresses include the tag liberal.ca.

While House of Commons rules prohibit partisanship on parliamentary websites, Ahmad noted that they do allow the name of an MP's party to appear. New Democrat MPs similarly use the tag ndp.ca for their websites.

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Amazon Awarded Patent For Giant, Airborne Warehouses

January 11, 2017, 4:44 pm
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Amazon has been testing drone deliveries for a little while now, but a recently awarded patent shows that might just be the beginning of the company's futuristic distribution plans.

In April of last year, the United States Patent and Trademark Office awarded Amazon a patent the company had filed in 2014 for an "airborne fulfillment center utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles for item delivery."

CB Insights tech analyst Zoe Leavitt was the first to spot the odd document, which she coined the "Death Star of #ecommerce."




The patent describes giant floating warehouses that could, at the click of a button, send out items via drone to customers in cities below. It notes that it could be especially useful positioned above locations like a football stadium, which could be "expected to produce a demand for certain types of items (e.g., sporting paraphernalia, food products, etc.)"

amazon prime drone
An Amazon Prime Air drone delivers a parcel. (Photo: Amazon)

It explains that the system would use less energy, as drones could simply lower products to the ground and then be brought back to the floating warehouses via resupply shuttles.

Of course, it's likely to be a while before a system like this could be implemented. Amazon Prime Air, the company's drone delivery service, just got off the ground last month, and the the company hasn't mentioned how it will handle issues like aerial traffic or drone delivery laws.

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► Kids Surprise Their Stepmom With Gift Of Adoption Papers

January 11, 2017, 4:55 pm
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An Ontario stepmom received a priceless gift for her birthday in December.

Keri McNaught thought she was about to unwrap some new clothes when her 16-year-old stepson, Travis, handed her a package at her birthday party. She was a little curious about why her family was filming her.

"I had no clue ... I said, 'I hope it fits,'" McNaught told The Huffington Post Canada with a laugh.

But, when McNaught opened the package, she instead saw legal documents — and when she realized what the papers were, she was moved to tears.

Her husband, Rob, and her two kids, gifted her adoption papers.

"It meant the world to me," she said.

mcnaught family
The McNaught family (Tanner, Travis, Rob, Keri, Ava and Megan) poses for a group photo. (Photo: Keri McNaught)

McNaught says Travis' mom left him before he was one year old, and her nine-year-old stepdaughter Ava's mom was fighting mental illness when she took her own life last year.

"I love these kids to death. It meant everything."

McNaught said the entire family would go to the Sault Ste. Marie courthouse to file the paperwork together.

Watch her reaction to the heartwarming surprise above.

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Canada Won't Bargain With Russia Over Chrystia Freeland's Travel Ban

January 11, 2017, 5:38 pm
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OTTAWA — Canada is rebuffing the Kremlin's thinly veiled overtures that it might be willing to lift a travel ban on new Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland if it eases sanctions on Russia.

Joseph Pickerill, Freeland's spokesman, said Canada isn't interested in any bargaining on the subject.

"There is no quid pro quo for aggression and illegal action on their part," Pickerill said in an email.

The Russian news agency Sputnik reported Wednesday that the country wanted to improve relations with Canada and end the diplomatic fight between the two countries.

chrystia freeland
Chrystia Freeland looks on after being sworn-in as Canada's foreign affairs minister on Tuesday. (Photo: Chris Wattie/Reuters)

Sputnik reported that a source in the Russian foreign ministry told reporters, "We are ready to co-operate with Canada in all directions, improve relations and end the sanctions war. But we did not start it. The question is for Ottawa."

Asked to comment on the report, Kirill Kalinin, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Ottawa, suggested the onus in now on Canada if it wants the travel ban on Freeland lifted.

"The very last part, '(The) question is for Ottawa,' means that since Canada was the first to implement sanctions, it should be Canada to be the first to cancel some of them," Kalinin said in an email.

Freeland, who replaces Stephane Dion as Canada's top diplomat, is among a dozen Canadians placed on a Russian sanctions list in 2014 as part of Russian President Vladimir Putin's tit-for-tat response to Western sanctions following Russian-backed military incursions into Crimea.

chrystia freeland
Chrystia Freeland in the House of Commons. (Photo: Chris Wattie/Reuters)

Freeland, a former economic journalist who spent several years working and living in Moscow, has called Putin an authoritarian, an autocrat and "really dangerous."

Following the cabinet shuffle Tuesday that made her Canada's top diplomat, Freeland said her background left her "well-positioned'' to be part of the government's Russian engagement, despite the fact her name is on Putin's sanctions list.

As for getting off that list, "that's up to Moscow," she said.

Sanctions to be a hot topic at European meeting

The Russian sanctions will be a major topic of discussion when a group of Canadian MPs heads to Europe and Asia next week to assess Russia's impact on the region.

Liberal MP Bob Nault, who is the chair of the committee, said some of its discussions with government officials, civil society and academics will centre on whether sanctions are effective, and whether they have any unintended consequences.

The committee has been studying the effect of Canada's sanctions law and is to issue a report in the coming months.

"This trip comes at an opportune time given what is happening on internationally in this part of the world," Nault said.

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Toronto Police Tow Jeep Stuck On Lake Ontario Ice

January 11, 2017, 5:50 pm
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A Toronto driver accidentally stranded himself and his passenger Tuesday after driving onto frozen Lake Ontario.

Toronto Police responded to the scene at Cherry Beach on Tuesday morning where the jeep was stuck on the ice.

"The driver was trying to impress a passenger. I think it was someone trying to be adventurous," Const. Allyson Douglas-Cook took CBC News.




The jeep was sinking in about half-a-metre of water, so police had to use their marine towing equipment to pull the vehicle out, blogTO reported.

Police told CP24 that the driver would foot the bill for their rescue.

Watch the rescue above.

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Author Joseph Boyden Sorry For Making Himself The 'Go-To Person' On Indigenous Issues

January 12, 2017, 5:14 am
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TORONTO — Acclaimed author Joseph Boyden released a statement Wednesday in which he apologized for being ``too vocal'' on many indigenous issues in Canada.

It was the second public statement he has made to address a controversy surrounding his indigenous heritage, which began last month after an investigation into his background by an Aboriginal Peoples Television Network reporter.

The issue made national headlines and sparked a debate on indigenous identity and who has the right to speak on behalf of those communities.

The APTN article by Jorge Barrera dug into the different claims of indigenous ancestry the novelist has made throughout his life, and the evidence — or lack thereof — to back it up.

joseph boydenJoseph Boyden said while his intentions were good, he apologized for letting himself be the "go-to person'' in the media for indigenous issues. (Photo: Getty Images)

Days later, Boyden defended himself on Twitter, saying he is of "mostly Celtic heritage,'' but he also has Nipmuc roots on his father's side and Ojibway roots on his mother's.

In Wednesday's statement, Boyden took a different tone, saying that he "made mistakes.''

He said while his intentions were good, he apologized for letting himself be the "go-to person'' in the media for indigenous issues.

"That role should go to those with deeper roots in their communities — wiser and more experienced spokespeople and elders — who have that right and responsibility, and who can better represent their community's perspective,'' he wrote.


"And I've always said pretty much the same thing: 'a small part of me is Indigenous, but it's a big part of who I am.'"


The statement comes after an interview with the CBC in which the celebrated Ontario author apologized for "taking too much of the airtime'' on indigenous issues. The interview will air on CBC Radio's "Q'' on Thursday.

In the statement, Boyden described himself as "a white kid'' from Willowdale, Ont., with native roots.

"And I've always said pretty much the same thing: 'a small part of me is Indigenous, but it's a big part of who I am,''' he said.

The author also said his"`most painful mistake'' was to bring the topic of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls into an "unrelated public debate,'' but he did not elaborate.

Boyden — who is a member of the Order of Canada and was an honorary witness at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission — added that he has been spending the last weeks offline, "choosing to be with my mom and family where we spoke proudly and sometimes very painfully about our heritage and many other things.''

joseph boydenJoseph Boyden has won the Scotiabank Giller Prize and his work was nominated for the Governor General's award. (Photo: Penguin Canada)

He said his silence is not out of a sense of shame, but out of the "desperate need to listen.''

"My family and others in these last weeks told me this: I can try and talk and defend and explain all I want, but perhaps it's time to close my mouth and ask for guidance and truly listen,'' the statement said.

Boyden has won the Scotiabank Giller Prize and his work was nominated for the Governor General's award.

The Canadian Press attempted to reach him through his publisher Penguin Random House Canada, but he was not immediately available for comment.

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Low-Income Renters May Get A Financial Boost From Ottawa

January 12, 2017, 5:58 am
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OTTAWA — The federal government is looking at creating a new benefit to help low-income Canadians who struggle to pay the rent each month.

Multiple sources say officials want to establish a new housing supplement program that would link benefits to individuals, rather than housing units — a departure from how such supplements have typically worked in Canada.

Generally, housing benefits are provided to renters who need help paying the bills, but are usually tied to an apartment through rent-geared-to-income plans or rent supplements.

apartment buildings toronto
An apartment building in Montreal. The federal government is looking at providing aid to low-income renters as rents in many parts of Canada rise. (Photo: Baker Jarvis via Getty Images)

Should a renter move to a new unit, the benefit or supplement doesn't follow.

That creates problems — for women and children fleeing domestic violence who need housing quickly, for instance, or homeless people on waiting lists who need help addressing issues like mental illness or addiction.

One federal source said discussions have revolved around how such a supplement could be delivered, be it through existing provincial or municipal programs, or through the tax system.

Although the Liberals appear receptive to the idea, the sources — speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to disclose details — say no decision has been made on whether to include the measure in the budget.

rental prices toronto
Rental prices in Toronto are growing steadily, and faster than incomes.

A spokeswoman for Finance Minister Bill Morneau said she wouldn't speculate on what will be in the budget this year.
The Liberals first budget set aside $2.3 billion over two years to build new affordable housing units, as well as refurbish existing ones.

Cities and advocates welcomed the spending, but said it would take time for the help to reach some 1.6 million households in "core housing need" - those who spend more than one-third of their before-tax income on housing that may be substandard or doesn't meet their needs.

In its pre-budget submission this year, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities called for a "portable" rent supplement to help those households and serve as a bridge until new affordable housing units can come online.

The benefit, if adopted, could also help the approximately 300,000 households who are expected to lose federal housing subsidies as funding agreements with social housing providers expire over the coming decade.

bill morneau
Finance Minister Bill Morneau speaks to a reporter after delivering the budget on Parliament Hill in Ottawa March 22, 2016. Morneau is reportedly considering adding a new housing benefit for low-income renters. (Photo: Reuters/Patrick Doyle)

FCM president Clark Somerville said the upcoming Liberal budget presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to tackle Canada's housing crisis, but warned the supplement wouldn't be a solution on its own.

The Liberals, he said, still need to put money into building housing and protecting existing units to prevent rents from rising in response to a new federal benefit.

"It might seem tempting to offer rent supplements as an across-the-board solution, but in many areas that would just push rents up. There's no shortcut. We've got to fix the affordable housing supply shortage first," he said.

The federal government is in the midst of finalizing a national housing strategy that the minister in charge of the file said he expects to have completed by early 2017, although an exact timeline hasn't been set. A separate housing strategy for indigenous Canadians could take an additional year.

A key goal of the strategy is to provide every Canadian with affordable housing that meets their requirements.

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McDonald's Canada Rolling Out All-Day Breakfast

January 12, 2017, 6:05 am
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TORONTO — Craving an Egg McMuffin and hash brown for dinner?

Soon, you can order the breakfast staples all day at select McDonald's Canada locations across the country.

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A Canadian flag waves beside a McDonald's fast food restaurant in Toronto, May 1, 2014. (Photo: Reuters/Mark Blinch)

The fast-food giant says it's currently serving its breakfast menu at 17 restaurants in Ontario, Quebec and B.C.

McDonald's is celebrating its 50th anniversary in Canada this year and operates more than 1,400 restaurants from coast to coast.

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'Saved By The Bell' Principal's Catch Phrase Was An Inside Joke

January 12, 2017, 6:11 am
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Mr. Belding from “Saved by the Bell” was everyone’s favourite principal with the most memorable catch phrase: “Hey, hey, hey, hey! What is going on here?”

Dennis Haskins played the role of Belding throughout the 12-year series. Interestingly, his signature phrase happened by chance when he was joking around with director Don Barnhart at a table read.

Watch the video above to hear how their inside joke became the show’s most famous phrase.

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Andrew Garfield Kissed Ryan Reynolds For The Sweetest Reason

January 12, 2017, 6:57 am
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Any excuse to talk about that makeout session between Andrew Garfield and Canadian cutie Ryan Reynolds, right?

On Sunday, the two actors sent the Internet into meltdown mode when they shared a passionate kiss at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards after Reynolds lost to fellow Canuck Ryan Gosling for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.

Let's see that hot kiss again:




If you were wondering what made the Hollywood hotties so amorous, well, you're about to get your answer — and be prepared to swoon.

During an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Tuesday, Garfield explained that he smooched the "Deadpool" star because he wanted to be supportive of his friend who lost the coveted award.

"I just wanted Ryan to know that I loved him, no matter whether he won or lost," the "Hacksaw Ridge" star said. "I just wanted him to know that [winning] doesn’t matter, it’s how you play the game. He showed up, he gave his all, it doesn’t change anything in my heart."

Can he get any sweeter? We think not.

andrew garfieldStephen Colbert and guest Andrew Garfield during Tuesday's show in New York. (Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)

Even Garfield's ex, Emma Stone, is happy for their bromance. "I mean, I'm happy for them, honestly, you know? Good for them," she told ET's Kevin Frazier.

And, as seen in the clip below, we now know that Garfield is more than willing to spread the love around.



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'A Lot Of Baloney' In Claim That Liberals' Bilateral Health Deals Threaten System

January 12, 2017, 7:13 am
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OTTAWA — "If he (Prime Minister Justin Trudeau) is trying to dismantle universal health care by stealth, this is the way to do it: underfund it and have separate agreements with the provinces." — Manitoba Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen, in an interview with The Canadian Press on Jan. 6, 2017.

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The Trudeau government found some success in recent weeks as it completed bilateral deals with individual provinces on federal health-care funding.

The effort, which yielded side agreements with three provinces, followed bitter talks towards a national deal that eventually collapsed late last month.

kelvin goertzen
Manitoba Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen, Quebec Health Minister Gaetan Barrette, and other provincial health ministers are shown in Ottawa on Dec. 19, 2016. (Photo: Adrian Wyld/CP)

Ottawa then insisted its funding offer was "historic," while the provinces rejected it in apparent unity by arguing it wasn't enough.

However, Ottawa then finalized health-funding agreements with the governments of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.

That federal push to carve out one-on-one deals with provinces has been criticized, with Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard calling the feds' divide-and-conquer strategy "deplorable."

Manitoba Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen also suggested in a recent interview with The Canadian Press that these individual agreements, combined with what he calls inadequate federal health-funding offer, could eventually break up the country's health-care system.

Do one-on-one deals with the provinces put Canada on a slippery slope towards disassembling universal health care?

A lot of baloney

Many health-policy experts and industry associations say there is no evidence that the pursuit of bilateral agreements poses a threat to the system.

Spoiler alert: The Canadian Press Baloney Meter is a dispassionate examination of political statements culminating in a ranking of accuracy on a scale of "no baloney" to "full of baloney" (complete methodology below).

This one earns a ranking of "lots of baloney.” Here’s why:

THE FACTS

After talks to establish a national health-care funding framework fell apart last month, Ottawa reached side deals with New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

Health and finance ministers from the 10 other provinces and territories have since made repeated calls for Trudeau to meet face to face with the premiers to resume negotiations.

They have rejected Ottawa's last public offer, which called for an increase in health transfers by 3.5 per cent per year and $11.5 billion in targeted funding over 10 years, focused in areas such as mental health and home care.

The provinces, which have been receiving six per cent annual increases in federal health transfers for over a decade, have pointed to what they describe as an evidence-based estimate that predicts health-care costs will rise by 5.2 per cent annually.

jane philpott
Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Health Minister Jane Philpott leave news conference in Ottawa on Dec. 19, 2016. (Photo: Adrian Wyld/CP)

Starting in April, the increase is due to drop to the higher of either three per cent or the three-year moving average of nominal gross domestic product growth.

Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott has said she wanted to transform the system, describing Canada's health-care outcomes as average compared to similar countries even though Canadians pay some of the highest per-capita costs in the world.

After striking deals with three provinces, the federal government has been accused of turning away from a national discussion on health care.

Goertzen has expressed concerns beyond provincial warnings that Ottawa's proposal would gradually reduce its share of provincial budgets for health care.

He argues that chasing side deals could eventually pull apart universal health care.

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

Some health-policy experts disagree that bilateral health agreements between Ottawa and the provinces would put the country's health-care system in a precarious position.

"It's not like the federal health transfer has been replaced by the bilateral transfers," said Greg Marchildon, Ontario Research Chair in Health Policy and System Design at the University of Toronto.

"Those are in addition to, or a top-up to, the Canada Health Transfer. And there's been a lot of discussion about this which confuses the two."

He said the real questions are whether the bilateral deals will generate positive results like more innovation, encouraging reform and improving services. Marchildon added that the side agreements could also mean changes to the system will be the responsibility of individual provinces and territories.

"My sense is that some of this is posturing in the bargaining process."


"But I don't see that as a threat to the Canadian system or the Canada Health Act," said Marchildon, the former executive director of the federal Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada.

He added that he thought Ottawa's proposed funding level was adequate since provincial health spending has fluctuated, on average, around three per cent in recent years.

Other experts agree that it's unlikely one-on-one deals would put health care in danger.

"My sense is that some of this is posturing in the bargaining process," Steve Morgan, a professor of health policy at the University of British Columbia, said of concerns that side deals could harm universal health care.

"I think this idea that it's a slippery slope partly needs to be taken with a grain of salt."

Doctor concerned by bilateral deals

Morgan said the bilateral deals allow the three provinces that signed them to join any national plan in the future, which means a national agreement remains a possibility.

Still, physicians like Toronto family doctor Danyaal Raza see risks in negotiating bilateral deals province by province.

The main concern for Raza is that he thinks it could further splinter Canada's already fragmented health-care system.

Raza, who serves on the board of directors of Canadian Doctors for Medicare, said individual agreements could intensify the challenge of ensuring an even level of care across the country.

He said a Canada-wide deal is needed to address problems such as access to prescription drugs, the lack of a national pharma program, the aging population and the need for better mental-health services.

"These are things that are national priorities," said Raza, who works at St. Michael’s Hospital. "We need a national approach to this — not 13 separate bilateral agreements."

When asked late last month about the impact of having bilateral deals, Philpott said Ottawa remained very interested in pursuing investments in home care and mental health.

"Our commitment to Canadians remains firm and it's obviously in the best interests of Canadians if we can improve access to care across the country," Philpott told The Canadian Press in an interview.

"There are always advantages when all levels of the government collaborate well together and I'm optimistic that we'll see further willingness to collaborate in that way."

THE VERDICT

Marchildon and Morgan see no clear evidence to support Goertzen's argument that bilateral deals could lead to the dismantlement of universal health care.

The discussion, however, over whether the amount of federal health transfers to the provinces and territories going forward will be adequate remains debatable — depending who you ask.

For these reasons, Goertzen's assertion scores a rating of "a lot of baloney."

METHODOLOGY

The Baloney Meter is a project of The Canadian Press that examines the level of accuracy in statements made by politicians. Each claim is researched and assigned a rating based on the following scale:

Baloney Scale Chart

No baloney — the statement is completely accurate.

A little baloney — the statement is mostly accurate but more information is required.

Some baloney — the statement is partly accurate but important details are missing.

A lot of baloney — the statement is mostly inaccurate but contains elements of truth.

Full of baloney — the statement is completely inaccurate.

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Haskell Free Library And Opera House Straddles The Canada-U.S. Border

January 12, 2017, 7:36 am
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While the communities of Derby Line, Vt. and Stanstead, Que. lie on either side of the Canada-U.S. border, residents of both basically ignored it for many years.

People crossed it to visit friends, neighbours and schools without incident, and many Canadians have dual citizenship.

But since Sept. 11, 2001, officials on both sides have tightened security.

North-south streets are now blocked by metal gates, and locals have to have their passports in hand to cross into the U.S.

But there’s one public place where people can enter the other country without any trouble: the Haskell Free Library and Opera House.

haskell free library and opera house
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House seen in an undated photo. (Photo: Haskell Free Library & Opera House/Facebook)

The Queen Anne Revival-style building was built in the early 1900s and donated to the two communities in memory of an American sawmill owner and his Canadian wife, according to Canada’s Historic Places.

A black line indicating the border runs through the library’s reading room and the opera house seats. The building also has two addresses.

haskell free library
A young reader lounges near the U.S. border in the Haskell Free Library. (Photo: Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Even though the entrance is on the American side, Canadian visitors don't have to go through customs, library director Nancy Rumery told CTV News.

"As long as their vehicle remains on the Canadian side of the street, they may walk around and enter the library," she told the outlet.

"As long as they go back the same way there's no problem."

But people have still exploited it for its unique location.

A Florida woman allegedly tried to smuggle guns into Canada via the library back in 2012, according to the Newport Daily Express.

haskell free library
Nancy Rumery, Haskell Free Library Director straddles the U.S.- Canada border line which runs through the library's International Reading Room. The U.S. is to the right. (Photo: Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Drug mules have also used a fire escape door that opens from the opera house into Canada to exchange items, Derek Lundy wrote in an article for Canadian Geographic. So that door is now locked.

But the building is still a special spot for the two communities, which are struggling economically, to share the arts, theatre director Lynn Leimer told CTV News.

"Our audiences are both Canadian and U.S., and it becomes a meeting of the minds… it's just a really special place that resonates on both sides of the border."

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The 55-Plus Crowd Are Taking Canada's Jobs, But There Is A Reason

January 12, 2017, 12:30 pm
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December was a stellar month for jobs in Canada, with StatsCan reporting 54,000 net new jobs, including a large jump in full-time positions.

But if you’re under 55 years of age, don’t start cheering just yet.

Of the 215,000 jobs created in Canada over the past year, about half — 104,000 — went to those aged over 55. A slightly smaller share went to what’s called the “prime working-age group,” those aged 25 to 54. This group saw growth of about 100,300 jobs over the past year.

That’s despite the fact there are many more working-age Canadians (14.6 million) than there are 55-plus Canadians (10.7 million).

greedy aging man
Are the 55-plus crowd stealing everyone else's jobs? Not exactly. (Photo: Getty Images)

In fact, strip away that suspiciously strong end-of-year jobs report* — which seemed to suggest a sudden and trend-reversing boost in full-time work just as people were heading off for the holidays — and working-age Canadians haven’t seen any job growth over the past year.

From November of 2015 to November of 2016, full-time jobs for the 25-to-54 crowd dropped by 31,000. The 55-plus crowd added more than 70,000 full-time jobs in that time.

jobs by demographic group

Note in the chart above that young workers aged 15 to 24 don’t seem to be doing much better.

So what’s going on? Is it that employers don’t want to hire Millennials, or even Gen-Xers? Not exactly. Employers are hiring the people the country has available (with the notable exception of temporary foreign workers), and what Canada has is an aging population.

Over the past year, Canada’s working-age population grew by a tiny 0.24 per cent. But the 55-plus population grew by nearly 3 per cent, and much faster than Canada’s overall population growth rate.

population growth by age group

The 15-to-24 youth cohort in Canada is actually shrinking. This group’s population declined by about one per cent over the past year.

And this trend will only intensify.

StatsCan’s long-term projections show that the working-age population of Canada will start shrinking soon, and will decline to 60 per cent of the total population by 2030, compared to 68.6 per cent in 2013.

In other words, fewer working Canadians will have to support a larger group of elderly people and youth.

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Young people are becoming an ever-smaller share of Canada's population. (Photo: Getty Images)

That is, unless aging Canadians decide to stay in the workforce, and that does seem to be happening. With plenty of jobs available to them, the 55-plus crowd is participating in the workforce more than ever. More than 35 per cent of these Canadians are employed today, the highest rate in records going back 40 years.

So maybe in the future, your parents will just keep supporting you.

*Statistics Canada’s monthly Labour Force Survey has a margin of error of plus-minus 55,000 jobs. Given that job numbers often don’t even change by that much in a month, each individual StatsCan report should be taken with a grain of salt. Year-over-year comparisons tend to be much more reliable.

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Vancouver Is Now Scanning To Find Homes That Suck Energy

January 12, 2017, 12:58 pm
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Heat vision goggles aren't just a trick for finding bad guys in the movies. The City of Vancouver will be using thermal imaging to find a different culprit — homes that aren't energy efficient.

A thermal imaging pilot program will be launched in January, helping homeowners find ways to save energy.

The program will scan homes in five neighbourhoods (Dunbar-Southlands, Strathcona, Riley Park, Hastings Sunrise and Victoria Fraserview) at no cost to homeowners.

thermal imaging home
A thermal image shows the front of a house. Areas in yellow are warmer than areas in purple. (Photo: City of Vancouver)

The project will cost Vancouver about $100,000, or $6 per home, CTV News reported.

Cameras will help pinpoint exactly where homes are losing heat. The thermal images, energy-saving tips, and additional information on incentive programs will be mailed to homeowners.

“When a homeowner gets information … about how you conserve energy, they don’t necessarily register that as applying to them. And what we’ve seen is that a thermal image is a really effective way to get a homeowner to go: ‘Oh, this applies to me, because I can actually see my house and I can see that it’s not very efficient,’” Sean Pander, the city’s assistant director of sustainability, told the Vancouver Sun.

Those with privacy concerns can opt out of the program.


"... a thermal image is a really effective way to get a homeowner to go: 'Oh, this applies to me, because I can actually see my house and I can see that it's not very efficient.'" —Sean Pander


The city's green buildings coordinator says he hopes it will give homeowners an idea of where they can start improving the energy efficiency of their homes.

"This provides a starting point for homeowners ... as opposed to replacing all their windows, they can replace a couple," Chris Higgins told CBC's "The Early Edition."

According to Vancouver's website, 55 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the city come from buildings.

Vancouver isn't the first city to turn to thermal imaging as a green initiative.

A project called "MyHEAT," which was built with award-winning technology from the University of Calgary, uses aerial photography to heat map most cities in Alberta.

myheat calgary
A screengrab from the MyHEAT website shows homes near the University of Calgary, where this thermal imaging technology was built. Green homes are energy efficient, while red homes have some work to do. (MyHEAT.ca)

The website allows homeowners to pull up their address and view exactly where their home is losing heat. They can also view tips for how to better insulate their property.

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Pastor Stanley Schalk Sentenced After Grabbing Woman's Breast Without Consent

January 12, 2017, 1:10 pm
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RED DEER, Alta. — An Alberta pastor has been sentenced for sexually assaulting a woman.

Stanley Richard Schalk, 58, was given a 90-day conditional sentence to be served in the community in Red Deer court on Wednesday.

Provincial Judge Darrel Riemer said Schalk took the woman, who was 42, to an acreage near Delburne on the afternoon of June 15, 2015.

The two were seated next to each other on a blanket on the ground when Schalk grabbed the woman's breast without her consent.

cross on bible
Stanley Richard Schalk, 58, was given a 90-day conditional sentence. (Photo: Gettystock)

Riemer said a week before that, Schalk had hugged her and grabbed her buttocks and she told him then she didn't like it and didn't want it to happen again.


'Deliberate and intentional'

The judge says the act was "deliberate and intentional,'' as Schalk took the woman to a secluded location, that he was in a position of trust as her pastor and part-time employer, and that abuse of trust was an aggravating factor.

"Significant emotional harm to the complainant has resulted from this encounter,'' Riemer said, referencing the woman's victim impact statement in which she said the assault left her feeling betrayed, manipulated, and violated.

Riemer also pointed to Schalk's pre-sentence report, where the pastor acknowledged that what he did caused anguish to the victim. Schalk said it was "ego driven'' and that he has a "weakness for women.''

Court heard Schalk, who has been married for 38 years and has three grown children, founded a church back in 1988 but was fired in 1997 after he had an affair with another woman.

Schalk later developed Potter's Hands, which Riemer said serves a significant need for low-cost housing in the community. Court also heard that since November 2015, Schalk voluntarily participated in six therapy sessions related to sexual assault issues.

Riemer said Schalk's lack of a criminal record, his positive contributions to the community for many years, his willingness to attend therapy, and his acknowledgment of the harm caused to the victim were all mitigating factors.


"When you turn a spotlight on a predator and expose them, the truth is shown."


Once Schalk's conditional sentence is complete, Schalk will be on probation for 12 months. He has also been ordered to have no contact with the victim and undertake any counselling that may be recommended.

"When you turn a spotlight on a predator and expose them, the truth is shown,'' the woman said in a statement. "This is all that mattered to me, and I hope it saves and helped many people.''

(CHUB)

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