Ontario's stop and search proposal could violate people's rights, experts say
The Ontario government says it wants to give police more powers to stop and search vehicles without a search warrant, in a new effort to stop car thieves. But as CBC's Britnei Bilhete reports, some criminal lawyers say the move could violate people's rights and lead to racial profiling.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
30 minutes ago
- CBC
'It's frustrating and tiring': Another western Newfoundland daycare faces government delays
The Mi'kmaw Cultural Foundation in Stephenville is trying to open a registered child-care centre in a newly leased building, but it's stuck in a limbo period while waiting on provincial government approval to move forward with renovations. "It's frustrating and tiring. We are exhausted," Jeffrey Young, president and CEO of the foundation, told CBC News. Young applied for the child-care capacity initiative funding through the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development in early January. The funding program is designed for not-for-profit organizations, like the Mi'kmaw Cultural Foundation, to develop regulated child-care services where the need has been identified. He said there was a strong response from staff in the regional office, but he is stuck waiting for an approval from the minister's office for the next phase of the project. "It's been this ongoing … silence and no responses. We were initially told by one of the employees in the department to give it a six-month period for you guys to be open. That was in January. We are coming up on six months and we don't even have Phase 2 approved by the government," said Young. The approval would allow renovations, staffing and furniture purchases for the newly rented space, which already has multiple conference rooms, playrooms, two kitchens, bathrooms and access to the outdoors. Young said he has emailed and phoned the department's current and old ministers, and contacted opposition parties about his concerns. Just 24 kilometres away in St. George's, child-care operators face similar frustrations with governments this month, as they wait to open a registered daycare to accommodate an already long waitlist. Young says he is getting calls and emails every day from Stephenville residents wanting to know when the daycare might open. "We needed this daycare yesterday, not tomorrow. People are needing this service now. If the government don't speed things up, we are going to be losing people in our community, and maybe even our province," he said. "Because the services are not here. People want to go to work." While the Education and Early Childhood Development departments wouldn't do an interview with CBC News, Angela Sullivan, a communications director, sent an e-mailed statement. "The department carefully evaluates each submission to ensure a thorough and fair assessment process. The process considers overall project timelines, commitments to other child-care projects, and long-term viability of projects," Sullivan wrote. There was no mention of the specific southwest coast daycare delays. The Mi'kmaw Cultural Foundation was established over a decade ago to preserve and promote the Mi'kmaw culture in the province. Members work on community-based programming and focus mostly on youth. The goal is to open a registered Indigenous child-care centre and offer the service and employment opportunity within the Bay St. George area. "They are not recognizing the value of the programming we want to offer," said chairperson Ang Brockway. She says culturally relevant learning for children is always beneficial. "We want them to learn from authentic people in our communities who grew up on the land and know these things. We are really committed to offering that type of learning and environment." The Education Department says the government is focused on improving access to high-quality and affordable child care for families across the province, and it's trying to increase spaces to ensure families have access to child-care services. Brockway says her foundation is sick of broken promises and their application is very straightforward with no requests for new builds or massive renovation costs. "They have agreed to the reconciliation piece. They have put it out there that they are ready to do this work. But we are coming up against these barriers that make us think … are you really ready to do reconciliation work or are you relying on the people on the ground working to make everything happen?" Brockway said. "We could have [a] culturally relevant daycare, which is something our province is really lacking." As for Young, he is sitting and waiting for government officials to call so he can move on with the next stage. He says the organization has enough money reserved to rent the large building until the end of the summer.
Globe and Mail
32 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
What you need to know about Ottawa's proposed GST cut for first-time homebuyers
The new Liberal government tabled a notice of ways and means motion last week to cut the GST for first-time homebuyers, moving forward with a key campaign promise from the recent election. Ottawa's proposed cut to the GST on new homes valued up to $1-million will provide first-time homebuyers a rebate of up to $50,000. However, the rebate would be reduced gradually for homes valued above $1-million and eliminated entirely for homes valued at $1.5-million or more. Called the first-time home buyers' GST rebate, the program would allow an eligible individual to recover up to $50,000 of the GST (or the federal portion of the HST) they paid when buying a home from a builder. The rebate also applies when buying shares of a co-operative housing corporation (where the co-op paid federal sales tax) or building a new home. For homes valued between $1-million and $1.5-million, the rebate would be reduced in a linear manner and calculated as a percentage of the maximum rebate ($50,000). In answer to questions from The Globe, Department of Finance spokesperson Benoit Mayrand provided examples of how this would work. To qualify for the rebate, at least one of the purchasers of the new home must be a first-time homebuyer acquiring it for use as their primary residence. (To be considered a first-time homebuyer, an individual generally needs to be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, at least 18 years of age, and have not lived in a home, located anywhere in the world, that they or their spouse or common-law partner owned in the current year or previous four years.) The GST rebate would be available for homes where there's an agreement of purchase and sale with a builder made between May 27, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2030, and where construction begins by Dec. 31, 2030 and is completed substantially by Dec. 31, 2035. For someone building their own home, or having it built for them, construction must begin between May 27, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2030 to be eligible, and the home must be completed substantially by Dec. 31, 2035. The rebate can only be claimed once, and can't be claimed if a person's spouse or common-law partner has already used it. The first-time homebuyers' GST rebate would operate alongside the existing GST new housing rebate, which is available to eligible buyers whether or not they've previously owned a home. Under the existing GST new housing rebate, a homebuyer can recover 36 per cent of the GST paid on a new home priced up to $350,000, resulting in a maximum rebate under the program of $6,300. The GST new housing rebate is phased out in a linear manner for new homes up to $450,000, with no rebate for homes above that amount. (There may also be rebates available on the provincial sales tax.) Mr. Mayrand provided two examples of how the two rebates would work together for a first-time homebuyer.
Globe and Mail
32 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
With a new GST rebate coming, here's a refresher on other tax breaks for first-time homebuyers
The federal government is moving ahead with a new GST rebate for first-time homebuyers, which may complement existing programs aimed at making housing more affordable. Advisors who help clients, or their clients' children, navigate the purchase of a first home can broaden and deepen their relationship with both the client and family. 'It ends up putting you in situations in which you're having more holistic conversations with a client,' says Jason Heath, a managing partner at Objective Financial Partners Inc. in Markham, Ont. While some tax programs for first-time homebuyers are well known, others are sometimes overlooked and missed, Mr. Heath says. In general, to qualify for these federal tax programs, a first-time homebuyer is someone who has not lived in a home that they or their spouse or common-law partner owns either in the current year or any of the previous four years. Here are the key programs and credits that already exist, in addition to the proposed new first-time homebuyers' GST cut. The FHSA, introduced in 2023, allows a first-time homebuyer to save up to a lifetime limit of $40,000 toward a home purchase. Annual contributions of $8,000 (plus up to a maximum of $8,000 of carry-forward contribution room) to the FHSA are tax-deductible, while withdrawals from the account to purchase a qualifying home, including any growth, are tax-free. Ideally, a first-time homebuyer would open and begin contributing to an FHSA at least a few years before buying a home, Mr. Heath says, because FHSA contribution room begins to accumulate only after someone opens an account. However, a first-time homebuyer can still open an FHSA in the year they buy a home and contribute $8,000 before making a withdrawal. That's because there's no minimum number of days that contributions must be held in an FHSA before being used to make a qualifying withdrawal. What is a qualifying withdrawal? An FHSA withdrawal counts as a qualifying withdrawal if the account holder has a written agreement to buy or build a home by Oct. 1 of the following year, or has bought a home within 30 days before making the withdrawal. Also, the FHSA holder must not have lived in a home they owned in the year of withdrawal or any of the previous four years. Whether the FHSA holder lives in a home their spouse or partner owns isn't a determining factor when making a qualifying withdrawal. The HBP allows a first-time homebuyer to borrow from their RRSP to buy a home without being taxed on the amount. Last year, the federal government increased the amount that can be borrowed to $60,000 from $35,000. 'The old limits didn't allow you to access very much RRSP money,' Mr. Heath says, so the increased amount might allow for a bigger down payment. The borrowed amount generally must be paid back in instalments over 15 years. If the annual minimum repayment isn't made, that amount becomes taxable. Under a temporary change made last year, for withdrawals between Jan. 1, 2022 and Dec. 31, 2025, instalment payments don't have to begin until five years following the year of withdrawal, up from two years under the regular HBP rules. Unlike the FHSA, contributions to an RRSP must remain in the plan for at least 90 days before they can be withdrawn for purposes of the HBP. The Income Tax Act allows first-time home buyers to access both the FHSA and the HBP to purchase the same home. And spouses and partners can each use their own FHSAs and access the HBP to buy the same house. The HBA allows a first-time homebuyer to claim a non-refundable tax credit of $1,500 (which is calculated as 15 per cent of the $10,000 HBA). While the HBA is meant to help first-time homebuyers offset costs associated with buying a new home, those claiming the amount don't have to track expenses. If both spouses qualify as first-time homebuyers, the amount can be split between spouses but the total credit remains $1,500. (The Liberals have proposed a cut to the lowest income tax bracket from 15 per cent to 14 per cent, effective July 1, which would affect the value of the credit.) Mr. Heath says eligible homebuyers sometimes miss claiming the HBA if their tax software doesn't prompt them or if they don't inform their tax preparer that they've bought their first home. The credit is claimed in the year the home is acquired. Provinces and cities may offer their own tax breaks or credits for first-time homebuyers. For example, Ontario provides first-time homebuyers with a land transfer tax rebate, as does the city of Toronto.
