Hear from 2 recipients of the King Charles III Coronation Medal
Sherry Benson-Podolchuk, a retired RCMP officer who has done extensive work around workplace harassment, and Dean Mellway, a former Paralympian and former executive director of the Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association, talk about what it was like to receive the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
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CTV News
40 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘We are not just activists, we're warriors': Pride festivities kick off in Waterloo, Ont.
Waterloo marked the start of Pride Month with a community event celebrating inclusivity. CTV's Karis Mapp has more. People were encouraged to show their true colours under a beautiful, blue sky as a special event kicked off Pride Month festivities in Waterloo. Celebrants gathered in Waterloo Public Square, which was transformed into a dancefloor and vendor market on Wednesday morning. The event was hosted by the City of Waterloo and Uptown Business Improvement Area (BIA). 'We're very excited, as the City of Waterloo, to be celebrating Pride,' Divya Handa, the city's director of reconciliation, equity, accessibility, diversity and inclusion, told CTV News. 'The last few years have been a little bit difficult for our Rainbow community, but we want to show that we are not taking a step back,' Handa said. 'We are not stopping this journey. We are not pausing. We're not considering pausing. We're here for full support.' For some members of the community, those tough times are vivid memories. Jim Parrott, co-facilitator of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and the former executive director of Spectrum, recounts what it was like when he first met his husband back in 2000. The couple persevered through a time when homosexuality was not widely accepted and they became the first same sex couple to legally be married in Waterloo. 'We're not just activists, we're warriors,' Parrott said. 'We have been walking hand-in-hand in public for 25 years. We do get yelled at, but we think it's important to be transparent and to be visible. And we do that because so many people are not able to do that.' Although Wednesday's celebration was all about inclusivity and support, Parrot worried the future may be more uncertain. 'It's wonderful to see all these things happen. But at the same time, I still worry that things might go backwards,' he said. 'It's wonderful to see that we've got the support of the cities and other institutions. So, I'm very happy but also a little bit nervous.' Part of his apprehension stems from divisive attitudes across the border. 'A few years ago, things seemed to be improving. We started to see more and more legislation passed at this phase, but unfortunately, about 6 or 7 years ago, we started seeing things get worse,' Parrott reflected. 'That to some extent was correlated with the rise of Donald Trump in the United States, unfortunately, [we] saw a lot of problems. And the people who are most seriously impacted are trans folks.' Numerous events will be held throughout June to recognize Pride Month in Waterloo Region.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
No tax on tips? Experts warn against bringing U.S. proposal to Canada
The idea of "no tax on tips" has found a way to appeal across party lines in the U.S. The policy is winding its ways through the halls of American government — but economists warn, it's not an idea worth pursuing here in Canada. "It would be just as silly of an idea in Canada as it would be in the United States," Alex Muresianu, a senior policy analyst at Washington, D.C.-based Tax Foundation said. The No Tax on Tips Act passed the U.S. senate in a unanimous bipartisan vote last month. Similar provisions are being worked into the One Big Beautiful Bill currently before congress. What Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' means for Canadians' wallets 5 days ago Duration 4:49 U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that he would increase government spending and loosen some fiscal restraints with a new spending bill dubbed the "big beautiful bill" last week. Mark Ting, a partner with Foundation Wealth and On The Coast's personal finance columnist, says that markets have already responded positively to the bill. "It's catchy. I think 'no tax on tips' just rolls off the tongue very easily. And I think that is probably a big part of why it's caught on," Muresianu said. While the idea was backed by both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in the recent U.S. presidential election, it didn't come up in Canada's recent federal election — something that surprised UBC economics professor Kevin Milligan. "I think that's a good thing," Milligan said. "I think that the focus on making sure that workers feel that they get a good deal from the government by looking carefully at the taxes that working families pay, I think those are good things." The No Tax on Tips Act exempts those making less than $160,000 a year from paying tax on tips, and capped the deduction at $25,000. There are similar provisions in the budget bill that is now before congress, though it does not include the cap. When asked how much he pays in taxes on his tips, Windsor server Dawson Ryan says it's "too much." He says tips are "almost the entire job," for him to make a living on top of minimum wage. Taking away the burden of taxes on tips would go a long way, he says, in helping him get by. "I feel like honestly it would get more people into the industry as well," he said. Maiden Lane assistant manager Olivia Holt says that, of course, the change would be welcome — but sees both sides of the issue and understands why some might call it a bad idea. But Holt says she does want to see the process of accounting for tips during tax season simplified. "It's already such a headache and figuring out what forms you have to fill out," Holt said. 'Treating a buck as a buck' "What problem is it solving?" asked Christine Neal, chair of the economics department at Wilfrid Laurier University. "Certainly from an economics perspective, no one has explained it well. Maybe from a politics perspective, but I'm not even sure of that to be honest." She says while it might be true that a lot of people who earn tips are themselves low income, it doesn't mean they're paying a lot in taxes already. "It ends up being these higher income people that might be benefiting the most," she said. Kevin Milligan at UBC says the tax system shouldn't be distinguishing between different types of income. "We'd like to think of treating a buck as a buck," he said. "Not caring too much whether it's tip income or other kinds of income. So that's why just helping out those with tip income is most likely something that's not the best way to go." Neall agrees when it comes to not giving different treatments to different types of income. She says it helps keep overall taxes lower than they otherwise would be and stops "loopholes that people can use for tax evasion or tax avoidance purposes." 'A good thing' says Canadian Taxpayers Federation Kris Sims is the Alberta director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, a group that would like to see taxes come down across the board. She says an initiative like this would be a nice thing to think about for Canada, and a starting point. "At the end of the day, a tax cut is a tax cut. If we can get it for people even if it's for a certain class of people who just get tips, that's a good thing. Sims says she can understand why politicians in Canada might have avoided the idea during the federal election because of perceptions people have about Donald Trump and his push for the plan — but it shouldn't stop anyone from bringing the idea forward now.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Risk of rain on Thursday as hazy skies clear in Ottawa
The view of Parliament Hill and the Ottawa River from Kìwekì Point. (CTV News Ottawa) A cold front passing through the region has cleared out the hazy weather conditions Ottawa has seen over the past two days, and there is a threat of rain through the day. Environment Canada's forecast calls for a mainly cloudy day on Thursday with a 60 per cent chance of showers and the risk of a thunderstorm. High 23 C, with the humidex making it feel like 27. It will be partly cloudy tonight with a 30 per cent chance of showers. Low 12. Sunshine is in the forecast for Friday. High 26 C, with the humidex making it feel like 29. Saturday will see a mix of sun and cloud with a 30 per cent chance of showers. High 23 C. The outlook for Sunday calls for a mix of sun and cloud. High 25 C. Monday will be mainly cloudy with 60 per cent chance of showers. High 25 C. The normal temperatures for this time of year is a high of 23 C and a low of 12 C. Air quality Ottawa's air quality has improved today, after two days of smoky, hazy conditions due to wildfire smoke from the Prairies. The air quality will be a '3-Low Risk' today, tonight and on Friday. According to smoke from the wildfires will continue to linger over Ottawa over the next two days. First 30 C day Wednesday was the first time Ottawa hit 30 C in 2025. The temperature warmed up to 30.4 C, the warmest day so far this year. In 2024, the first 30 C day was on May 22. Ottawa had five 30 C days in June last year.
