Ottawa has a 'trust-deficit' from First Nations, says AFN chief
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CTV News
15 minutes ago
- CTV News
Tecumseh rejects four units, risks $3.2 million in federal funding
The Town of Tecumseh will not move forward with four units 'as-of-right,' risking millions in federal funding. Council narrowly voted against a motion Tuesday that would have seen three additional residential units (ARU) allowed on a single lot with certain restrictions. It ended more than a year of contentious discussions over the matter, which was tied to nearly $4.4 million pledged to the town in March 2024 through the federal government's Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF). 'It's maybe not a clear understanding in terms of what … HAF is really all about,' said Gary McNamara, the mayor of Tecumseh, who voted in favour of the proposal. Requirements for municipalities to permit fourplexes as-of-right became a condition of HAF funding. Under provincial legislation, applicable homes can already create two ARUs. McNamara said the initiative was intended to create more affordability and options in the housing market. While about $1.1 million of the funding has already been spent, the remainder is now at risk of being clawed back. The remaining $3.2 million equates to a 4.15 per cent tax levy hike, according to a staff report. The town plans to write a letter to the Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation, the administrator of the HAF, and inform them of council's decision. 'It's in their hands,' McNamara said. Throughout the process, residents have openly voiced opposition to four units, largely due to fears over how it would impact the town's infrastructure and character. On Tuesday, one resident abruptly left council chambers after a tense exchange with McNamara. Joe Bachetti, Teucmseh's deputy mayor, told council the attached funding should not 'outweigh' the concerns of residents. 'This is wrong and it's not what the residents are telling me they want to see, and it's certainly not my vision for the future of Tecumseh 10 or 20 years from now,' said Bachetti. The vote to move forward with four units failed 3-4, with Bachetti, and councillors James Dorner, Rick Tonial, and Tania Jobin voting against. Previously, the City of Windsor's application for tens of millions through HAF was rejected after city council voted against the permitting of fourplexes across the city.
CTV News
30 minutes ago
- CTV News
Sentencing hearing begins for ‘Freedom Convoy' leaders Lich, Barber
Tamara Lich leaves the courthouse in Ottawa after the verdict was delivered in her trial with fellow Freedom Convoy organizer Chris Barber, on Thursday, April 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA — The sentencing hearing for 'Freedom Convoy' leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber is set to begin Wednesday morning, months after the two were found guilty of mischief. Two days have been set aside for the parties to present their sentencing submissions. The Crown is seeking a prison sentence of seven years for Lich and eight years for Barber, who was also convicted of counselling others to disobey a court order. Lich and Barber were key figures behind the convoy protest that occupied downtown Ottawa for three weeks beginning in late January 2022 to protest vaccine mandates and other pandemic measures. The protest ended after the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time ever. The convoy was cleared out of Ottawa's downtown core in a three-day police operation that began on Feb. 18. Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey said she found Lich and Barber guilty of mischief because they routinely encouraged people to join or remain at the protest, despite knowing the adverse effects it was having on downtown residents and businesses. Barber also was found guilty of counselling others to disobey a court order for telling people to ignore a judge's injunction directing convoy participants to stop honking their truck horns. Lich was not charged with that offence. In a separate Ottawa-based trial for Pat King, another convoy leader, the Crown sought a sentence of 10 years in prison for mischief and disobeying a court order. King was sentenced in February to three months of house arrest, 100 hours of community service at a food bank or men's shelter and a year of probation. He received nine months credit for time served before his conviction. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the Crown's sentencing proposals for Lich and Barber. In a social media post Monday, Poilievre compared the sentencing range to sentences for other crimes and asked, 'How is this justice?' While it's quite rare for elected officials to comment directly on a sentencing hearing, Poilievre's message was echoed by several other Conservative MPs. Deputy Conservative leader Melissa Lantsman called the Crown's proposed sentence 'political vengeance not actual justice.' Some Conservatives, including Poilievre, were openly supportive of the 'Freedom Convoy' as trucks and other vehicles clogged roads around Parliament Hill. Both Lich and Barber thanked Poilievre for his support in separate social media posts. 'There is a fine line between politics and the judiciary, as there should be, and I have long understood the uncomfortable position elected officials find themselves in when it comes to commenting on cases that are before the court,' Lich said on X Tuesday. 'In our case, the double standard and the vindictive nature from the prosecution office has become too obvious to ignore and will set a precedent going forward that will affect all Canadians who choose to peacefully protest or deter them from exercising their Charter Right to peacefully assemble.' 'Thank you, Pierre, we've been waiting so long for elected officials to speak up,' Barber wrote in his own post. Poilievre lost his Ottawa-area seat in the April election and is running in an Alberta byelection. Both Lich and Barber were found not guilty on charges of intimidation, counselling to commit intimidation, obstructing police and counselling others to obstruct police. Justice Perkins-McVey said intimidation carries a sense of menace or violence. She said that both Lich and Barber repeatedly called for protesters to remain peaceful throughout the protest. As for obstructing police, Perkins-McVey said both were arrested without incident and were in custody before the main police operation began to clear downtown Ottawa. Charges for counselling others to commit mischief were stayed at the request of the Crown. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025. David Baxter, The Canadian Press
National Post
30 minutes ago
- National Post
Most Canadians still think Canada is accepting too many immigrants, and many don't trust newcomers: poll
Article content 'That polarization is not based on whether you are yourself an immigrant or you are a minority, it's not. It's transcending that,' said Jedwab. 'So the trust issue is a critical factor. It's just not defined by, as I said, your status as an immigrant or non-immigrant or as a minority. Those groups of people are making observations to the same extent across those markers of identity.' Article content Refugees are more likely to be trusted by non-immigrants (38 per cent) than immigrants (33 per cent). White people are also more likely to trust refugees (37 per cent) than non-white people (33 per cent). They are most likely to not be trusted by non-white people (28 per cent) compared to 22 per cent of white people, 22 per cent of immigrants and 23 per cent of non-immigrants. Immigrants, however, are more likely to be trusted by other immigrants and non-white people (both at 53 per cent) than by non-immigrants and white people (40 per cent for each). Article content 'The actual trust issues seem to be really one that transcends those categories. It's not polarized in the way some people envision it to be polarized. It's a lot more complex than that,' said Jedwab. Article content 'We're seeing the degree of trust expressed in refugees as especially low. And particularly amongst those people who think there are too many immigrants, the trust of refugees is low, lower than it is normally.' Article content The view that there are too many immigrants entering Canada has been constantly held by at least half of Canadians since February 2024, when 50 per cent of those polled expressed that view. Even then, that was an unusually high figure. In March 2019, just 35 per cent of those polled said there were too many immigrants coming to Canada. Article content 'Whether you're born in Canada or not born in Canada, or whether you're a minority or not, this issue around trust, and the perceptions around the global instability, is affecting our perspectives around migration.' said Jedwab. Article content Across all age groups, the majority of people feel that there are too many immigrants coming into the country, but young people are less likely to feel that way. More than half (55 per cent) of those aged 18 to 34 think there are too many immigrants, compared to 65 per cent of 35 to 54 year olds and 63 per cent of those aged 55 and older. Article content In Atlantic Canada, 71 per cent of respondents agreed that there were too many newcomers. In Quebec and Ontario, 63 per cent agreed, while in Alberta 65 per cent said they feel that way. Fifty-four per cent of respondents in Manitoba and Saskatchewan agreed. In British Columbia, 52 per cent of respondents said there are too many immigrants. Article content 'It is important that we properly understand what the factors are underlying the reticence about immigration. So that's where the importance … is in trying to establish what the concerns are, how significant those concerns are, where those concerns are coming from. And then, on that basis, to determine how best to address them rather than dismissing them,' said Jedwab. Article content The online survey of 1,580 Canadian adults was conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies between June 20 and 22. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey for comparison purposes. A probability sample of 1,580 respondents would have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20. Article content
