Hard Pass

Go get the leaf, grandma and your uncles are coming.

The $368 million network of instruments collecting data in both the Atlantic and Pacific has been critical to climate and ocean research

https://archive.ph/fZ9CN

...

According to the poll, Canadians aged 55 and older are most likely to say their plans are unaffected by inflation, interest rates and geopolitics. Younger Canadians — the group most eager to travel — are the most likely to be priced out.

A recent TD survey on summer spending indicated that buying Canadian remains a strong sentiment. For example, 79 per cent of respondents plan to support local or Canadian businesses this summer. Of that group, 48 per cent said their desire to support local business is even stronger than it was last year.

...

Trade tensions between Canada and the U.S. are still redirecting spending. There has been a decline in reservations by Canadians who used to consider travelling to the U.S.

A March 2026 Leger survey found 67 per cent of Canadians cited political tension as a central factor for reduced visits to the U.S., while 64 per cent said they are less likely to travel to Mexico due to security concerns.

...

All these shifts are creating an opening for domestic travel, and the federal government is moving to fill it.

Ottawa has brought back the Canada Strong Pass for a second summer. From June 19 to Sept. 7, it offers reduced or free admissions to Parks Canada sites, historic sites, marine conservation areas and galleries and museums around the country.

...

The Instagram accounts for the Obama White House and the Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Space Force were briefly defaced with pro-Iranian images and messages over the weekend, after instructions began circulating on Telegram showing how to trick Meta’s “AI support assistant” bot into resetting account passwords.

Archived link

...

Transport Canada confirmed the total amount of claims at $122 million thus far, leaving more than $2.1 billion available to Canadians.

But the Canadian Auto Dealers Association says many dealerships still have not been reimbursed under the new program, and some are waiting for more than $200,000 in rebates. The program is set up so dealers apply the rebate on the final bill and then seek reimbursement from Ottawa.

...

Sales jumped more than 80 per cent in March, compared to February, right after the rebates could be claimed again.

...

The rebates will decrease each year until they’re phased out in 2030 — or until the program's funding runs out.

The rebates apply only to vehicles that cost less than $50,000.

Canadian-made EVs, which right now include only the Dodge Charger and the Chrysler Pacifica, are exempt from the $50,000 cap.

Since the new program was launched, 59 claims for Chargers and 14 for the Pacifica were made.

At 4,088 claims, the Toyota bZ was the most popular model for rebates, followed by the Chevrolet Equinox EV with 3,065 claims.

Imported EVs are only eligible for rebates if they come from countries with which Canada has free-trade agreements.

That means Chinese-built EVs — including Teslas — are shut out of the program. Teslas were by far the most popular cars under the former program and accounted for 30 per cent of all rebates claimed between October and November 2025.

...