Striking Transdev transit workers to rally in front of B.C. legislature
VICTORIA, BC, May 28, 2025 /CNW/ - Unifor will hold a rally in front of the B.C. legislature today to support Transdev transit workers who have been on strike for over 15 weeks – since February 8 – in the Cowichan Valley.
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‘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.
CTV News
an hour ago
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Inclusive, accessible and welcoming: 26 community projects in Lethbridge receive funding
More than two dozen non-profits in Lethbridge have received funding to create more inclusive, accessible and welcoming spaces for residents. More than two dozen non-profits in Lethbridge have received funding to create more inclusive, accessible and welcoming spaces for residents. Funding was awarded to 26 community projects through two grants totalling $1.2 million. Some of the projects include a new shuttle bus for Nord-Bridge Seniors Centre, communication boards at playgrounds for the Lethbridge School Division and the Lethbridge Sport Council received $25,000 to purchase a sanitization system and storage space for used sports equipment. More than two dozen non-profits in Lethbridge have received funding to create more inclusive, accessible and welcoming spaces for residents. More than two dozen non-profits in Lethbridge have received funding to create more inclusive, accessible and welcoming spaces for residents. 'Having the support to purchase this is fantastic,' said Susan Eymann, Lethbridge Sport Council executive director. 'It helps with that one more step in the logistics of getting a distribution centre started here.' 'To see the amount of non-profit groups and the amount of really great projects that could be possible in our community, I think the challenging part is with a finite amount of money, you're having to say no to a lot of really great projects,' said Andrew Malcolm, City of Lethbridge community social development general manager. 'It was extremely competitive, but I know that the projects that were awarded funding are going to make a big impact in the community.' More than two dozen non-profits in Lethbridge have received funding to create more inclusive, accessible and welcoming spaces for residents. More than two dozen non-profits in Lethbridge have received funding to create more inclusive, accessible and welcoming spaces for residents. Other projects that received funding include a new playground at West Coulee Station and a welding facility at Winston Churchill High School.
CBC
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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.
