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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
FIRST READING: How some Canadian cities are becoming more lawless than the U.S.
First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post's own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here. Despite Canada's reputation as a safer version of the U.S., newly compiled data is showing that crime has worsened to the point where, on some metrics, Canadian cities are becoming more lawless than the U.S. Americans are still getting shot and murdered at higher rates than Canadians, but when it comes to theft, carjackings and break-ins, figures show that some Canadian cities are doing worse than their American counterparts. In fact, two Canadian jurisdictions — Kelowna, B.C., and Lethbridge, Alta. — now rank worse than any other urban area south of the border. In 2022, Lethbridge recorded 5,521 property crimes per 100,000 people, an average of one crime each year for every 18 residents. The worst-ranked U.S. city for property crime, Pueblo, Colo., saw property crimes hit 4,911 per 100,000. This is all according to an 85-page 'snapshot' of U.S. and Canadian crime rates compiled by the Fraser Institute. Researcher Livio Di Matteo took city-specific crime data from Statistics Canada and the FBI and compared it across the 18 years from 2004 to 2022. When Di Matteo compared rates of 'average annual property crimes' across metropolitan areas, he found that Canada was now in the lead after years of trailing the U.S. An introduction framed the figures as a check on the notion that Canada is 'a peaceable kingdom marked by less crime.' An infographic accompanying the report highlights that of the 86 U.S. and Canadian cities surrounding the Great Lakes, it's Canada's that have the worst rates of property crime. Thunder Bay and London, Ont. were the two worst-ranked cities of the 86. And the property crime stats for Windsor, Ont., were higher than for Detroit, located just across the river. In a news release, the Fraser Institute wrote that the average Torontonian is now more likely to be a victim of property crime than the average New Yorker. The report warns that comparing U.S. and Canadian crime rates is an imperfect science, in part because of the two countries' differing views of what constitutes a crime. As one example, Canadian law adopts a broad definition of sexual assault that creates a single category for 'any unwanted sexual act.' In the U.S., meanwhile, sex crimes are still stratified into specific categories such as rape. The two countries also can't be compared in terms of 'crime severity.' Since 2009, Canada's leading crime metric has been the Crime Severity Index, a tool that not only measures the quantity of crimes committed in a given year, but also tries to weight them in terms of relative damage or societal impact. The U.S., though, has no such metric. As such, the Fraser Institute report had to work with raw figures of police-reported crime, differentiated only by whether a crime was violent or non-violent. The 'comparability' of the two countries' crime figures could be skewed by something as simple as police being more diligent in counting petty crime as compared to more serious offences. But Di Matteo wrote that it was still an acceptable way 'to indicate overall crime patterns.' And for most of the 2004-2022 period, the average Canadian city did indeed post lower rates of property crime than the average American city. These averages then became tied in 2020 and 2021, with Canada pulling ahead in 2022. The year 2022 happens to be when Canada was seized by a number of unprecedented crime waves, including a wave of arsons against churches, and a massive spike in car thefts that would eventually cause Canada to be dubbed by the BBC as an 'auto theft capital of the world.' But while the average Canadian city-dweller might be more likely to get their car broken into, they still trail the United States in terms of being hurt or killed by crime. On the measure of 'violent crimes per 100,000 population,' the Fraser Institute report found that while Canada has seen violent crime increase in recent years, the U.S. remains well in the lead. This remains most dramatic in terms of homicide rate. Canada has a relatively consistent murder rate of two homicides for every 100,000 people. In recent years, the U.S. homicide rate has come close to nearly tripling that amount. The Fraser Institute report was published on March 18, and was largely overlooked amid Mark Carney's swearing-in as prime minister and the start of the 45th general election on March 23. Last week, it was highlighted in a widely circulated social media post by Dubai-based influencer Mario Nawfal. 'Canada's biggest cities are now clocking higher property crime rates than the American metros most people think of first when they hear the word 'crime,'' wrote Nawfal. The NDP's interim leader Don Davies has announced that his party will vote 'no' on accepting the terms of the Carney government's throne speech (Davies said it wasn't 'worker-centred' enough). Since the Liberals are governing as a minority, this means that either the Conservatives or the Bloc Québécois will have to vote 'yes' on the speech, lest the government fall on a confidence vote and Canada be plunged into another federal election. The opposition could always weasel out of a decision by simply abstaining on the vote, given that polls are showing that any election would probably just deliver the same result as last time. But the whole exercise has illustrated that Prime Minister Mark Carney's grip on power may not be as strong as he's indicated. It was only two weeks ago that he was speaking of having a 'mandate of change.' And in the unlikely instance that the 45th parliament ends up dissolving almost immediately due to a procedural vote on the speech from the throne, this will technically mean that we dragged King Charles III here for all of these insights and more into your inbox by signing up for the First Reading newsletter. Carney hints retaliation is coming after Trump's latest steel and aluminum tariffs After former Leafs and Blue Jays players, CRA now goes after ex-Raptors star Norman Powell
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
FIRST READING: High immigration is worsening Canada's economic problems, says report
First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post's own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here. By overseeing one of the most dramatic immigration surges of modern times, Canada has cratered housing affordability, kneecapped productivity and concealed the true state of its economic growth, according to a new profile by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The OECD is a club of 38 countries that effectively comprise the developed world. Every two years, each member state receives a comprehensive 'economic survey' prepared by OECD economists. Canada's most recent survey — published just last week — focuses in particular on the issues of housing affordability and worker productivity, two areas in which Canada now ranks among the worst in the developed world. And in both instances, the OECD fingers record-high immigration as having made the problems worse. 'Rapid population growth has exacerbated previous housing affordability challenges,' reads the report, adding the blunt recommendation that 'housing supply should keep pace with immigration targets.' Similarly, the OECD warns that Canada has been packing millions of new workers into its labour force without any comparable increase in 'productivity-enhancing investment.' With the economy thus remaining relatively stagnant, Canada's workers are receiving an increasingly small share of the overall economic pie. On top of this, the report notes that while Canada used to prioritize high-skilled immigrants such as doctors and engineers, its migration flows are now mostly comprised of low-skilled workers. 'The skill composition of recent immigration, which included many students and temporary workers, has also likely reduced average labour productivity,' it reads. The OECD's own stats have long shown that Canada is an outlier in the realm of housing affordability. The OECD's most recent tally of the 'price to income' ratio of Canadian housing shows that it is the highest of all their member states save for Portugal. Over the last 10 years, Canada has also been one of the worst performers in OECD rankings of GDP growth per capita. From 2014 to 2022, Canada's rate of per-capita GDP growth was worse than any other OECD country save Luxembourg and Mexico. Across those nine years, the average Canadian saw their share of overall GDP rise by just 0.6 per cent per year. Canada's 'GDP per capita growth has lagged in recent years, particularly compared to its close neighbour, the United States,' wrote the OECD. In the U.S., GDP growth per capita from 2014 to 2022 was nearly three times higher than Canada, at 1.7 per cent. The report isn't entirely downcast on Canada's economic future. In a summary, the authors declare that Canada's economy is 'resilient' and endowed with 'robust public finances.' But the document is one of the first outside sources to detail the unprecedented surge of Canadian migration overseen by Ottawa in the immediate wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 'Canada's population grew rapidly, by 3.0 per cent in 2023 and 2.6 per cent in 2024. This is much faster than in other OECD countries such as the United States or countries in Europe,' it reads. About six times faster, in fact. In 2023, the average OECD country grew by just 0.5 per cent. This worked out to about one million newcomers entering Canada each year. At the beginning of 2022, the Canadian population stood at about 38.5 million. Now, it's at 41.6 million, an increase of more than three million. It's a surge in voluntary population growth like few in history. Although other OECD members have experienced comparable population surges, at least in the short term, they're usually the result of war or other displacements. The report also confirms a phenomenon that Canadian analysts have been warning about since 2023: That Canada has been in a 'per capita' recession for several years, with overall GDP only seeming to grow because of rapid population growth. The injection of three million people has seemed to increase GDP, simply because all the newcomers are paying rent, buying groceries and increasing the amount of money circulating in the economy. But on an individual basis, the average Canadians' wealth and purchasing power has only been dropping. The OECD report highlights this disparity with two duelling charts. On a measure of 'real GDP,' Canada is able to keep up with the OECD average perfectly. But when ranked by 'real GDP per capita,' Canada's economic performance suddenly falls dramatically behind. 'GDP growth has been supported by high population growth,' according to a subtitle. Prime Minister Mark Carney has recently highlighted the issue of diminishing Canadian productivity, saying in a speech last week that it was making 'life unaffordable for Canadians.' Carney's proposed remedy is to reduce internal trade barriers and embark on a series of 'nation-building' projects. The OECD noted that Canada has backed off the peak highs of its immigration intake, writing that the Liberal government 'has adjusted and recalibrated its immigration targets … and population growth has since begun to slow.' Nevertheless, even under these new figures, Canadian immigration is set to be far higher than its pre-COVID levels. Canada's 2025 immigration targets are still set to bring in more than one million newcomers this year, mostly in the realm of non-permanent residents. Under the federal government's latest Immigration Levels Plan, this year will see 395,000 new permanent residents, 305,900 new international students and 367,750 new temporary workers. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith met with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday. These things are often pretty tense, and Smith left with the impression that while the Liberal government is talking a big game about fast-tracking 'nation-building projects,' she's seen no evidence that this includes oil pipelines. In a statement after the meeting, Smith highlighted four Trudeau-era barriers to oil development that are set to remain in place under Carney: Restrictions on Pacific Coast tanker traffic, an emissions cap on the oil sector, 'net zero' mandates on electricity production and the Impact Assessment Act, which adds years of additional screening to new resource projects. 'Without movement on these issues, there will be no significant investment in oil and gas,' she wrote. Carney's reaction was that the meeting was 'constructive.'Get all of these insights and more into your inbox by signing up for the First Reading newsletter.
National Post
2 days ago
- Business
- National Post
FIRST READING: High immigration is worsening Canada's economic problems, says report
Article content First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post's own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here. Article content Article content TOP STORY Article content By overseeing one of the most dramatic immigration surges of modern times, Canada has cratered housing affordability, kneecapped productivity and concealed the true state of its economic growth, according to a new profile by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Article content Article content The OECD is a club of 38 countries that effectively comprise the developed world. Every two years, each member state receives a comprehensive 'economic survey' prepared by OECD economists. Article content Canada's most recent survey — published just last week — focuses in particular on the issues of housing affordability and worker productivity, two areas in which Canada now ranks among the worst in the developed world. Article content And in both instances, the OECD fingers record-high immigration as having made the problems worse. Article content 'Rapid population growth has exacerbated previous housing affordability challenges,' reads the report, adding the blunt recommendation that 'housing supply should keep pace with immigration targets.' Article content Similarly, the OECD warns that Canada has been packing millions of new workers into its labour force without any comparable increase in 'productivity-enhancing investment.' With the economy thus remaining relatively stagnant, Canada's workers are receiving an increasingly small share of the overall economic pie. Article content Article content On top of this, the report notes that while Canada used to prioritize high-skilled immigrants such as doctors and engineers, its migration flows are now mostly comprised of low-skilled workers. Article content 'The skill composition of recent immigration, which included many students and temporary workers, has also likely reduced average labour productivity,' it reads. Article content The OECD's own stats have long shown that Canada is an outlier in the realm of housing affordability. The OECD's most recent tally of the 'price to income' ratio of Canadian housing shows that it is the highest of all their member states save for Portugal. Article content Over the last 10 years, Canada has also been one of the worst performers in OECD rankings of GDP growth per capita.
National Post
6 days ago
- General
- National Post
Chris Selley: Is Sir John A. Macdonald being set up for a fall?
All eyes will be on Toronto later this summer — or they should be, because it could be darkly hilarious. That's when Queen's Park undertakes a bold, interdisciplinary experiment in Canadian history, policing and law: The province is going to let Sir John A. Macdonald's statue out of the plywood prison it has inhabited for five years. The monument had been restored after previous vandalism, only to find itself in a box to prevent future vandalism. Article content Article content Article content It is possible, as National Post's Tristin Hopper argued this week, that we may be seeing the end of 'Canada's nationwide purge of historic figures and names' — at least by governments themselves. That'd be nice. But has anyone asked the yobbos who vandalize and tear down statues if they're done with the purge? Article content Article content 'How are you going to stop the same thing from happening all over again?' was among the questions reporters asked of the people in charge. The answer wasn't entirely convincing. Article content 'Legislative security will be keeping a close eye on it,' The Canadian Press assured us, based on speaker of the legislature Donna Skelly's remarks. Legislative security and the Ontario Provincial Police, who patrol the legislature grounds (with assistance from the Toronto Police Service), had better be keeping a close eye on it, because Skelly even invited the Macdonald-haters to come to the as-yet-unscheduled unveiling. Article content 'People have the right to protest here. As long as no one is hurt, and you don't break the rules or the law, you're welcome,' said Skelly (a Progressive Conservative MPP), before taking it even further: 'This is where you should be protesting.' Article content Article content Article content Article content Of course, it's unlikely anyone would try to splatter, behead or topple Macdonald during an official event. So one hopes the Queen's Park security aces at least have a camera or two trained on the statue, if not to actually prevent any vandalism then at least to apprehend and charge the offenders. Article content But then, this is a city where a certain traffic speed-enforcement camera has been taken down five times by vandals in six months — and in one case, subsequently thrown in a pond — and apparently no one has thought to install a camera that might record people doing it. We are not imaginative people. Article content Montreal police never found the gang that beheaded Macdonald's statue in Place du Canada in 2020; instead, the city just decided not to reinstall it, since it was constantly getting vandalized. Problem solved! Why waste police time over some old dead bronze guy? Article content In 2021, something calling itself an Indigenous Unity Rally hauled down the statue of Macdonald in Gore Park in Hamilton, Ont. City police investigated in earnest, by the sounds of it, and laid charges against a 56-year-old suspect. Then, prosecutors stayed the charges.
National Post
26-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
FIRST READING: Canadian youth hammered by vanishing summer job market
Article content First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post's own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here. Article content TOP STORY Article content Canada's youth are staring down the worst summer jobs market in two decades; the latest sign of a Canadian economy whose shortcomings are disproportionately hammering the young. Article content According to new data published by the job site Indeed, summer job listings are down 22 per cent as compared to this time last year. Article content 'Postings were down 32 per cent for summer camp roles, while other jobs like painters, lifeguards, and customer service representatives also fell from the same point in 2024,' says an analysis by Indeed economist Brendan Bernard. Article content Article content Canadian jobs numbers have been lacklustre for several years at this point, with the true extent of the decline often patched up by a record expansion of the civil service Article content In February, for example, Canada technically experienced a net gain in jobs, but it was due entirely to government hires. That month, the private sector lost 16,400 jobs, while the public sector added 18,800. Article content And that's all set to get worse, driven in part by ongoing trade uncertainties between the United States and Canada. This week, TD Bank's chief economist Beata Caranci forecast that Canada would head into recession in 2025, with the likely loss of another 100,000 private sector jobs. Article content Since at least the COVID pandemic, the Canadian economy has been an inordinately hard row for anyone under 30. Article content Article content In a November report, the non-profit King's Trust Canada outlined what it called a 'crisis' of youth unemployment. 'One in every four unemployed persons in Canada is under the age of 25,' it wrote, noting that the gap between adult and youth unemployment was hitting all-time highs. Article content Article content Last summer, of the 4.6 million Canadians aged between 15 and 24, 14.2 per cent were unemployed, meaning they had tried and failed to find work. This was more than double the national unemployment rate of 6.4 per cent. Article content Added to this is that young Canadians are also at the sharp end of the housing unaffordability crisis. Article content As far back as 2021, more than 80 per cent of Canadians aged 25 to 29 were renters, with the cohort increasingly unable to afford any kind of home ownership. In one particularly illuminating Ipsos poll from August, 89 per cent of respondents under the age of 34 reported agreeing with the sentiment that 'owning a home in Canada is now only for the rich.'
