Canada will not enact new nationwide driving rules in July 2025
"Starting July 5,2025, big changes are coming to Canada's roads. The federal government will introduce the New Canada Driving Law 2025," claims a June 17, 2025 Facebook post.
The text purports Canada is about to enforce a country-wide 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) per hour speed limit in all school zones, coming with a violation fine of
Numerous other posts spread across Facebook claiming the country would be lowering the blood alcohol limit for impaired driving violations, requiring mandatory installation of advanced driver-assistance systems and forcing seniors to submit to driving evaluations.
The text in many posts appeared to be copy-and-pasted, while some publications linked to articles repeating similar claims on websites with domains indicating activity
Image
Screenshot of a Facebook post taken June 27, 2025
Image
Screenshot of a Facebook post taken June 27, 2025
posts gained traction as the Liberal government faces mounting pressure to adjust a ban on new gas-powered vehicle sales scheduled to go into effect in 2026. Other false claims about Prime Minister Mark Carney and new Canadian auto regulations were recently fact-checked by AFP.
Transport Canada, the federal agency regulating transportation, also told AFP it did not have any new motor vehicle rule changes coming into effect in July 2025.
"It's important to note that provinces and territories are responsible for areas such as driver licensing, vehicle registration, vehicle maintenance, insurance and enforcement of road rules," said Hicham Ayoun, a spokesman for Transport Canada in a June 19 email.
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation told AFP it was not introducing any new rules such as the ones seen in the posts.
"At this time there are no changes to Ontario's distracted driving law, school zones or automated vehicle oversight," said ministry spokeswoman Tanya Blazina in a June 26 email.
AFP also confirmed with the province of British Columbia that the driving regulations seen in the misleading social media posts would not be coming to its jurisdiction.
Searching the websites of regulations in certain provinces does not reveal any evidence of similar rules being introduced in those regions of the country (archived here, here and here)
ffic Safety Act will go into effect on July 1 in Yukon territory to increase fines for some violations including failing to stop for school busses (
Read more of AFP's reporting on misinformation in Canada here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AFP
5 hours ago
- AFP
Video purported to show strike at Iran's Evin prison: what we know
lities escalated on June 13, when Israel launched an aerial attack on sites in Iran after again accusing Tehran of pursuing a military nuclear program. Iran responded with a series of missile and on Israel. nearly two weeks of deadly attacks, including US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, the countries accepted a ceasefire agreement on June 24. Iranian authorities said certain parts of Evin prison, which rights groups say holds Western detainees, political prisoners and opposition members, were A post on X claims to show a six second, black and white video appearing to be CCTV footage of an explosion at the entrance of the The video is filmed at a fixed angle, with text reading, "CAMERA 07" in the top left AFP also found the video circulating on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Threads with additional posts in French, Spanish and Arabic garnering thousands of views and hundreds of interactions. The video was used by multiple media outlets worldwide, including the BBC, Le Monde, NBC News, The Guardian, France24, The Times and the New York Post. But as doubts emerged around the footage it was removed from several media websites, accompanied by messages explaining uncertainties about its authenticity. "AFP's Middle East video editors saw the images on Monday but given their dubious nature decided against using them," said Louis Massie, central editor-in-chief for video. Tal Hagin, information warfare researcher for FakeReporter, an Israeli watchdog group, published a series of posts on X explaining his suspicions on June 23 (archived here). Image A screenshot of one of Tal Hagin's posts on X arguing the image was AI-generated taken June 27, 2025 "At first, I believed it to be real," he told AFP June 25, but "once I began to receive several inquiries about its validity, I looked closer." He determined the video was likely AI-generated, using a real image of the prison as a visual "That, combined with several minute errors in the footage -- door was blown off while simultaneously not blown off -- and comparing it to real aftermath footage of the strike on the prison, I concluded with a high degree it was fake." Multiple inconsistencies An AFP analysis of the video also suggested the content was AI-generated. First, most professional video surveillance cameras automatically display the date and time on footage. This is not the case in the widely shared video. Even though an incorrect or different configuration of the date and time is theoretically possible, the absence of this information is dubious at an institution as secure as Evin prison. Image Screenshots taken June 25, 2025 of two videos circulating on social media which originate from a video surveillance camera In place of the date and time, the circulating video displays in the top left corner text reading "CAMERA 07," but the country's dominant language is Farsi, not English. The text is also suspicious as it lacks a relief or any shadow. The text briefly disappears at the moment of the explosion, as if it were added during an editing process. Image Screenshots of the viral video taken June 25, 2025 The image is in black and white, while the explosion allegedly occurred during the day. Video surveillance cameras only switch to monochrome mode in low or infrared light. This monochrome processing could also be used to mask certain graphical inconsistencies. Two screenshots, taken one second apart, identify the facade of the building as the Evin prison. In the first image, we observe: A closed metal door A sign in Farsi Trees without leaves or bushes in the foreground The text "CAMERA 07" in the top left corner In the second image, an explosion seems to happen. A cloud of smoke forms in front of the door, and a flash of light appears. But many elements are suspect: No reaction from the scenery : The trees and bushes in the foreground stay perfectly still, without the slightest tremor or perceptible movement. No visible fallout : No debris, nor shockwave, is identified in the image or on the ground Suspect light : The bright halo does not seem realistic -- it seems "glued" to the facade, without any bounce or reflection on the surrounding elements. A white film appears stealthily in the shot, without a visible link to the scene -- an artifact typical of animation or poorly finalized synthesis. Image Two screenshots of the video taken at one second intervals, captured June 25, 2025 Moreover, no visible projection of debris or shockwave is identifiable between the two screenshots. e Evin prison was touched by an explosion, as seen in a video by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (archived here). But in all other images besides the purported CCTV footage, the entire building structure surrounding the door is on the ground, not only the door as in the viral Using an archival image? Another key element reinforced suspicions about the clip -- reverse image searches reveal its resemblance to an archive photo of the prison. A comparison with a photo taken in 2023 (left photo below) shows a near-perfect match to the point of view, plants, sign, trees and enclosure wall . The strong similarity suggests this image was used as a base in the process of generation or manipulation by artificial intelligence. The fact the plant elements are identical between the old photo and the purported current video further weakens the argument that the video shows an authentic scene. Image Comparison between a photo of the Evin prison from 2023 (left) and a screenshot of the viral video taken June 25, 2025 Moreover, the trees are sparce, which suggests the scene was filmed in winter. The images circulated by Iranian media officials regarding the 2025 strike on the Evin prison show lush greenery outside the walls. Image Screenshots taken by Tal Hagin on X Architectural differences were also identified when comparing the video to recent photos. The American disinformation watchdog NewsGuard has identified more than 50 sites and Telegram channels distributing deceptive content online discussing the conflict, including some related to influence operations by Iran, Russia and China. Since the start of the Iran-Israel war, AFP has found an increase in content manipulated or generated by AI. You can find these articles and other fact checks related to the conflict here.
LeMonde
5 hours ago
- LeMonde
Trump ends trade talks with Canada over tax on US tech firms
President Donald Trump said on Friday, June 27, that he is calling off trade negotiations with Canada in retaliation for taxes impacting US tech firms, adding that Ottawa will learn of their new tariff rate within a week. Trump was referring to Canada's digital services tax, which was enacted last year and forecast to bring in Can$5.9 billion (US4.2 billion) over five years. While the measure is not new, US service providers will be "on the hook for a multi-billion dollar payment in Canada" come June 30, noted the Computer & Communications Industry Association recently. The 3% tax applies to large or multinational companies such as Alphabet, Amazon and Meta that provide digital services to Canadians, and Washington has previously requested dispute settlement talks over the matter. "Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform Friday. He called the country "very difficult" to trade with. Canada may have been spared some of Trump's most sweeping duties, such as a 10% levy on nearly all US trading partners, but it faces a separate tariff regime. Trump has also imposed steep levies on imports of steel, aluminum and autos. Last week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Ottawa will adjust its 25% counter tariffs on US steel and aluminum − in response to a doubling of US levies on the metals to 50% − if a bilateral trade deal was not reached in 30 days. "We will continue to conduct these complex negotiations in the best interest of Canadians," Carney said Friday, adding that he had not spoken to Trump following the US president's announcement.
AFP
5 hours ago
- AFP
Canada will not enact new nationwide driving rules in July 2025
"Starting July 5,2025, big changes are coming to Canada's roads. The federal government will introduce the New Canada Driving Law 2025," claims a June 17, 2025 Facebook post. The text purports Canada is about to enforce a country-wide 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) per hour speed limit in all school zones, coming with a violation fine of Numerous other posts spread across Facebook claiming the country would be lowering the blood alcohol limit for impaired driving violations, requiring mandatory installation of advanced driver-assistance systems and forcing seniors to submit to driving evaluations. The text in many posts appeared to be copy-and-pasted, while some publications linked to articles repeating similar claims on websites with domains indicating activity Image Screenshot of a Facebook post taken June 27, 2025 Image Screenshot of a Facebook post taken June 27, 2025 posts gained traction as the Liberal government faces mounting pressure to adjust a ban on new gas-powered vehicle sales scheduled to go into effect in 2026. Other false claims about Prime Minister Mark Carney and new Canadian auto regulations were recently fact-checked by AFP. Transport Canada, the federal agency regulating transportation, also told AFP it did not have any new motor vehicle rule changes coming into effect in July 2025. "It's important to note that provinces and territories are responsible for areas such as driver licensing, vehicle registration, vehicle maintenance, insurance and enforcement of road rules," said Hicham Ayoun, a spokesman for Transport Canada in a June 19 email. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation told AFP it was not introducing any new rules such as the ones seen in the posts. "At this time there are no changes to Ontario's distracted driving law, school zones or automated vehicle oversight," said ministry spokeswoman Tanya Blazina in a June 26 email. AFP also confirmed with the province of British Columbia that the driving regulations seen in the misleading social media posts would not be coming to its jurisdiction. Searching the websites of regulations in certain provinces does not reveal any evidence of similar rules being introduced in those regions of the country (archived here, here and here) ffic Safety Act will go into effect on July 1 in Yukon territory to increase fines for some violations including failing to stop for school busses ( Read more of AFP's reporting on misinformation in Canada here.
