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Toronto Star
03-05-2025
- General
- Toronto Star
‘A very close call': Toronto doctor rescued, safe after small plane he was flying lands in water at Tommy Thompson Park
A Toronto doctor was rescued from Lake Ontario Friday afternoon after the small plane he was flying landed in the water near Tommy Thompson Park. A witness described seeing an explosion with smoke and flames coming from the aircraft before it went down. The 49-year-old pilot took off from the city's Billy Bishop airport and was on his way to Pembroke, Ont. when the plane's engine lost power, Toronto police Duty Insp. Lhawang Jongdong told reporters. Crews at the airport lost contact with the privately-owned Cirrus plane shortly after 2 p.m. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Toronto boaters rescue pilot as plane sinks in Lake Ontario off Tommy Thompson Park (Rob Faulkner Video / May 2, 2025) The man, the only person on board, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and refused medical attention, opting to go home instead. 'We're very fortunate to see this person come to land safely,' Jongdong said, calling the incident 'a very close call.' Toronto police's Marine Unit was sent to the scene after crews at Billy Bishop Airport informed police they had lost contact with a privately-owned, Cirrus plane shortly after 2 p.m. After the plane lost power, the pilot tried to turn back and return to the airport but wasn't able to make it, Jongdong said. He instead landed on the water, with a parachute deployed and attached to the plane's tail, near the park also known as the Leslie Street Spit, a five-kilometre peninsula that is globally recognized as a key area for biodiversity. The 49-year-old pilot, a Toronto doctor, was rescued by boaters already in the area near Leslie Street Spit on Friday afternoon, Toronto police said. Doug Paulson photos Doug Paulson, a recreational photographer and former pilot, had been enjoying the weather near Ashbridges Bay when he saw the plane coming in. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'I thought he probably coming into the runway so I was going to take a picture of him, and then there was an explosion,' Paulson said. He saw 'lots of smoke' and small flames coming from the plane before its parachute deployed. As a dual Canadian-U.S. citizen, Paulson said he's often flown between Toronto and Nashville, Tenn. He's familiar with the plane model involved in the water landing and said it's 'quite uncommon' for it or any other aircraft that size to have a parachute attached to the tail. Paulson said the parachute helped slow the plane to a reasonable speed by time it hit the water. Though he couldn't feel any wind on the shore, there was enough to catch the parachute and fill it. 'It kept pulling the plane back up so the plane did not sink, which is very interesting. Normally with an aircraft that size, if you open a hatch, it's probably going to sink,' he said. In the moment, Paulson felt like he had stumbled on a film set and was watching a Hollywood stunt in real-time. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'It was almost like it was staged,' he said. 'It was too perfect.' Rob Faulkner was on a boat near the mouth of Ashbridges Bay when he heard a loud bang and saw the plane go down. 'We turned the sailboat around, came back, got within 20 feet of the of the plane as it was starting to sink and we rescued the individual,' said Faulkner, a Toronto real estate agent. Faulkner said the pilot was wearing a life-jacket and had to jump off the plane into the cold water so they could help him come aboard. The pilot told Faulkner his motor had exploded and his back hurt from the impact but otherwise he felt fine. Faulkner estimated the whole ordeal — from when the plane first hit the water to when the pilot was moved to a police boat — took about 20 minutes. A Toronto police boat circles above the crashed plane that sunk nine to 12 metres beneath the water's surface and about 200 to 300 metres from shore on Friday afternoon. R.J. Johnston/ Toronto Star According to flight data, the plane climbed to an altitude of around 4,400 feet and a speed of 175 miles per hour before beginning to drop. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The same plane had previously made two round-trip flights from Toronto to Kapuskasing, Ont. last month. The plane is submerged at an estimated nine to 12 metres beneath the water's surface and approximately 200 to 300 metres from shore, where police said it will remain overnight before retrieval efforts begin. Police will be investigating the crash, Jongdong said.
CBC
19-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
I promised my American wife Canada was safe for queer couples. I'll vote to keep it that way
This First Person article is the experience of Kiva-Marie Belt, a non-binary farmer who lives in Seafoam, N.S. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ. When I first invited my then-girlfriend (now wife) Julia to come visit me in Nova Scotia in 2019 from her home in the United States, I never once questioned whether Canada would be a safe place for 2SLGBTQ+ people like us. I knew things weren't perfect for transgender folks here, but as a dual Canadian-U.S. citizen who keeps on the pulse on U.S. news, I knew it would definitely be better here than it was there. That's still the case, but my confidence in Canada remaining welcoming and safe has eroded. I've seen and felt an anti-transgender movement rising here, leading me to watch the forthcoming federal election with equal measures of hope and dread. I first met Julia online through social media and visited her at her home in the midwest U.S. in 2017. It felt like coming home. We realized how much we enjoyed each other's company — or, as we like to say, "doing life together". We survived seven years of a long-distance, cross-border relationship, including almost two years apart during pandemic travel restrictions, and we eloped in 2021 so that no government could keep us apart again. A couple of years after we married, I started to see much more hateful comments and disinformation about people like my wife and me on social media feeds. It had begun to spill over into real life in my community. School protests and destruction of Pride flags were happening all over Nova Scotia. But because we have sparse local news coverage in my area, I was worried that people here might think that anti-trans bigotry was just an overseas problem. I submitted a letter to my local volunteer-run newspaper to draw attention to the upcoming Pride season. I was very anxious to send it, and I honestly didn't expect it to be published. When you spend your whole life feeling invisible, you don't expect anyone to want to read your words. So, in June 2023, when rifling through my freshly-delivered summer edition of the newspaper, I was overjoyed to find the letter I'd written printed in full. Then, suddenly, it felt like the floor had evaporated from under me. Right next to my letter was one from another community member, filled with the same trans-exclusionary talking points I'd been seeing all over social media. Catchy buzzwords like "social contagion" and "sex based rights" were mixed in with unsubstantiated fear-mongering about sexual predators getting "access to our private spaces under gender-identity ideology." GLAAD, an American organization that advocates for 2SLGBTQ+ people in the media, says gender ideology is an inaccurate term deployed by opponents to undermine and dehumanize transgender and nonbinary people. By claiming gender identity is an "ideology," it says opponents attempt to diminish the very real need for legal protections and for social acceptance essential for trans and nonbinary people's safety. So, on the one hand, the other writer illustrated perfectly why my letter to the paper had been necessary in the first place. But I was revolted and heartbroken. I was in the middle of filling out the application to sponsor my wife for Canadian permanent residency, and I started to question whether I was doing the right thing. Was I bringing her to a good place to live? It made me feel unsafe and unwelcome. But we proceeded with our application, and she was granted permanent residency. I'm glad we did because we love our life together on our lavender farm. But if one letter hurt me so deeply, and made me question my wife's and my future in Canada, you can imagine how it feels when political leaders use trans issues as a wedge to whip up the electorate, or pretend we don't exist and ignore our needs completely. In the U.S., the anti-trans movement has grown and state oppression of transgender folks has escalated quickly. Access to public washrooms, healthcare and identity documents with the correct gender marker are being stripped away. President Donald Trump has declared by executive order that transgender and nonbinary peoples' existence will not be recognized by the federal government. America has rapidly become a living hell for trans Americans, and my wife and I have survivors' guilt for being here when so many of our trans friends in the U.S. do not have any means of escape. If you think it can't happen here, I think you're wrong. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has denied having any knowledge of nonbinary and two-spirit identities, and the Conservative party platform already includes a key anti-trans policy position opposing inclusion of trans women in sport. I am afraid that under a Conservative government, many people will simply look the other way while our rights and freedoms are clawed back — as has already happened just across the border. I implore all candidates not to ignore the rising tide of hate against transgender people and to do more to uphold our human rights. As for the other federal parties, I want to see bold leadership. Whoever forms the next Canadian government should withdraw from Safe Third Country agreement with the U.S., as its president has demonstrated it is a profoundly unsafe country for transgender people. I want there to be clear and accessible pathways for trans folks to immigrate to Canada to seek a better life. But I also want those of us who are already here to feel welcome and accepted in the place in which we live and work. I love my wife deeply. Just like so many other couples, we enjoy the simple pleasures of playing board games and reading comic books together. We have our own secret code words and inside jokes, and have found joy in visiting beautiful spots in the Maritimes together. There are politicians who try to make 2SLGBTQ+ rights a partisan issue, but I have rural-living, Christian family and friends who have always voted Conservative — and they still support and love me and Julia. When I cast my ballot, it will be for a party that affirms the existence of people like me and my wife, that sees our value and that supports our inclusion in all aspects of public life. I want the leadership of this country to keep Canada as open and welcoming a place I promised my wife that it has been and that I hope it will continue to be.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 Ultra-High-Yield Dividend Stocks That Are No-Brainer Buys After the Market Whiplash
Huge stock market sell-offs have at least one positive side effect. They present great opportunities for income investors to lock in higher yields. Even with the rebound this week following the Trump administration's 90-day delay of most reciprocal tariffs, some dividend stocks offer especially attractive yields. These three ultra-high-yield dividend stocks are no-brainer buys after the recent market whiplash. Ares Capital (NASDAQ: ARCC) offered an exceptional dividend before the steep sell-off in recent weeks. But its forward dividend yield of around 9% is even more appealing now. The potential negative repercussions of a full-blown global trade war wouldn't have left Ares Capital unscathed. As a business development company (BDC), Ares Capital makes its money primarily by lending to middle-market businesses. If those businesses struggle too much, they could default on their financial obligations. However, Ares Capital is in a better position to navigate such an environment than most of its peers. The company is highly selective about which clients it takes on. Its portfolio is diversified with 550 clients representing 34 industries. Unsurprisingly, Ares Capital has a significantly better annual loss rate than BDC industry averages. There could even be a silver lining for Ares Capital if the U.S. enters a mild recession. Banks could be less likely to provide loans to middle-market businesses, pushing them to BDCs such as Ares. I think Ares Capital will be able to successfully navigate whatever happens next. Enbridge (NYSE: ENB) hasn't given as wild a rollercoaster ride as many stocks this year. Shares of the Canadian energy company have remained in positive territory for most of 2025. I think this underscores Enbridge's resilience. Sure, the Trump administration has levied 10% tariffs on Canadian energy, much of which flows through Enbridge's pipelines. However, Enbridge is like a toll-road operator who doesn't care how expensive the vehicles are that ride along its roads. It makes the same amount regardless of oil and gas prices. Also, Enbridge's business goes beyond Canadian-U.S. trade. Many of its pipelines are fully in the U.S. The company is also now the largest gas utility in North America with operations in North Carolina, Ohio, Ontario, and Utah. This segment gives Enbridge added stability to weather any storm it might face. Meanwhile, Enbridge continues to pay a juicy forward dividend yield of around 6.3%. The company has increased its dividend for 30 consecutive years, an impressive streak that I predict will keep going for years to come. Another midstream energy leader, Energy Transfer L.P. (NYSE: ET), took a much harder beating during the recent market turmoil than Enbridge did. That might be surprising to some investors, considering that all of Energy Transfer's 130,000+ miles of pipelines are in the U.S. The upside of this volatility is that Energy Transfer's distribution is even more attractive now. The limited partnership's forward distribution yield currently stands at 7.8%. Energy Transfer plans to increase its distribution by 3% to 5% per year. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) projects that summer peak power demand will increase by up to 15% per year through 2029. PJM Interconnection is even more bullish, forecasting summer peak power demand growth of roughly 19% annually over the next five years. Drivers of this growth include the construction of new data centers to meet artificial intelligence (AI) demand and the increased electrification of buildings and vehicles. Energy Transfer is in a great position to profit from these trends. The company already serves around 185 gas-fired power plants. It has multiple large-scale capital projects underway, including adding capacity at four West Texas processing units and constructing a new pipeline from the Waha natural gas hub in West Texas to a pipeline network south of Dallas-Fort Worth. Before you buy stock in Ares Capital, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Ares Capital wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $509,884!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $700,739!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 820% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 158% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of April 5, 2025 Keith Speights has positions in Ares Capital, Enbridge, and Energy Transfer. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Enbridge. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 3 Ultra-High-Yield Dividend Stocks That Are No-Brainer Buys After the Market Whiplash was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Canadians Are Rethinking U.S. Travel Amid Politics, Tariffs, and Border Scrutiny—and It Could Cost America Billions
The once-bustling border crossings between Canada and the United States have seen a slowdown in recent months, as Canadians are increasingly opting to stay home or explore alternative destinations. Growing unease about America's political climate, the rise of invasive border searches, and the weak CAD dollar have all contributed to this growing trend. (As a Canadian travel journalist and broadcaster, I've found the current sentiment across media outlets tends to be the same: we don't promote U.S. travel.) Many point to the recent tariffs on Canadian goods as the breaking point, creating frustration and resentment among citizens who view these taxes as both unnecessarily punitive and damaging. This economic sting has turned what has historically been a friendly relationship into a politically charged decision in many Canadian households. This tension, along with visible, heated political divisions in American news and social media, has many Canadians rethinking their travels, whether it be a routine cross-border Target shopping runs or vacation planning. Canadian airlines—such as Air Canada, WestJet and Porter—are rerouting previously American bound aircrafts to Canadian destinations, and even shelving Canadian-U.S. routes due to a lack of demand. (Canadian Flair Airlines terminated its flights to Nashville; Air Canada and Air Transat reduced flights to the U.S.; and Sunwing Airlines ended all flights to the U.S., to name a few.) 'We are mindful of the overall sentiment of travelers as it relates to U.S. tariffs," Edmond Eldebs, the chief commercial officer of Porter Airlines, told Travel + Leisure. 'Our goal is to fly where our customers want to travel, and this is a moment when Canada is at the top of many people's list. We are adding routes and increasing flights in regions across the country to meet this demand.' Small American border towns that depend on Canadian shoppers have reported customer drops of near 43 percent, and popular Florida vacation rentals note a surprising number of last-minute cancellations from northern visitors. According to the U.S. Travel Association (USTA), the U.S. states that see the most Canadian travelers are Florida, California, Nevada, New York, and Texas. Canadians make up the biggest group of international visitors to the U.S. and spent $20.5 billion in 2024, which supported some 140,000 American jobs, reports the USTA. What's more, just a 10 percent dip in Canadian travel could impact 14,000 jobs and result in a loss of $2.1 billion. Travel experts believe this isn't just a temporary blip, and signals Canadians deliberately choosing destinations where they feel more valued and their business appreciated. 'Canadian travelers are increasingly interested in summer travel to destinations like Europe, Japan and beach getaways such as Mexico and the Dominican Republic,' Melanie Fish, the head of Expedia Brand Group's public relations, told T+L. 'We've also seen Canadian travelers rediscovering the charm of their own country, leading to a renewed interest in domestic travel. Popular destinations searched on Expedia include Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto, with top trending spots being Tofino, St. John's, Nanaimo, and Gaspésie." For many Canadians, this will be a summer of indulging in our own beautiful country, from British Columbia's majestic Rocky Mountains to the enticing beaches of Nova Scotia's sparkling Atlantic coast. Related | The 21 Most Beautiful Places in Canada | Learn More Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
CBC
03-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
How Niagara Falls is reacting to the looming U.S. tariff threat
Starting Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump plans to impose a 25 per cent tariff on most imported Canadian goods. The city of Niagara Falls is one of many regions that sit along the Canadian-U.S. border that are worried about the economic and personal impacts. CBC's Naama Weingarten has the story.
