Canada

The Canadian branch of the so-called Jewish National Fund (JNF), one of the country’s oldest Zionist organizations, has officially lost its status as a “registered charity” after a Canadian federal court rejected its final legal appeal.

The ruling, issued on May 30, confirmed the government's decision to revoke JNF-Canada's “charitable designation,” and effectively forced the organization to begin shutting down operations after 57 years of activity.

The decision marked a major legal and political setback for the JNF, which had faced growing scrutiny over its use of Canadian tax-exempt donations to fund projects tied to Israeli military activity and displacement of Palestinians.

Author: Robert Diab | Professor, Faculty of Law, Thompson Rivers University

Joachim Streit has never stepped foot in Canada. But that hasn’t stopped the German politician from launching a tenacious, one-man campaign that he readily describes as “aspirational”: to have the North American country join the EU.

“We have to strengthen the European Union,” said Streit, who last year was elected as a member of the European parliament. “And I think Canada – as its prime minister says – is the most European country outside of Europe.”

While he admitted that the possibility of Canada as a full member of the EU “may be aspirational for now”, he wondered if it was an idea whose time had come.

“Canada would be a strong member,” he said. “If Canada would be a member of the EU, it would rank 4th in terms of GDP. It’s part of Nato. And 58% of (working-age) Canadians have college degrees.”

While inflation has eased since 2022 and is now trending around two per cent annually, the actual cost of essentials hasn’t gone down. The overall price of the typical basket of goods and services for the average Canadian household rose by a hefty 17.4 per cent between 2019 and 2024. The increase was even higher for food (23.3 per cent), shelter (24.0 per cent) and transportation (21.6 per cent)—notably for gasoline (55.6 per cent).

Has mainstream media's coverage of affordability issues or price-gouging (e.g., grocery stores) slowed or stopped?

Tropicana orange and other fruit juice used to come in 2L containers, about $3 or so. I was at a Loblaws-owned discount grocery store yesterday, and saw the container had shrunk even more, to 1.65L, from 1.75L at the time of my previous purchase. They were also selling it for $7.49 😳

My reactions were 1) what outrageous unchecked corporate greed, 2) mainstream media doesn't cover this any more, and 3) companies seem so confident nowadays that they can do whatever they please

Doctors, nurses and allied health professionals in the U.S. are now seeing targeted advertisements encouraging them to follow their hearts to B.C., as the Province launches a recruitment marketing campaign in Washington state, Oregon and California.

Antivaxxers in Ontario have now helped kill a baby.

Who and how much:

Consider an annual tax on the net wealth of families with rates of one per cent above $10 million, two per cent above $50 million and three per cent above $100 million.

This means the first $10 million of any family’s wealth is entirely unaffected by the wealth tax. Based on modelling of the first year of this wealth tax, the bottom 99.4 per cent of Canadians would pay nothing, while only the richest 0.6 per cent would pay any amount. This means that only about 100,000 families across the country would pay any amount under the wealth tax, with 10,000 wealthy enough to fall into the second-highest bracket and 3,700 in the highest bracket.

This narrow tax on the wealthiest few would raise an estimated $39 billion in its first year, $62 billion by its 10th year and $495 billion cumulatively over a 10-year window.

How:

an effective wealth tax must make use of extensive third-party reporting of assets, particularly from financial institutions, rather than relying too heavily on self-reporting as in the case of some older wealth taxes.

A University of British Columbia Okanagan campus student who raised more than $3,000 for a pro-choice billboard is stumped on where to post her message.

Sophie Harms says she wants to create a billboard that says “Abortion is safe, normal and common” to counter the anti-abortion billboard messaging that peppers the Okanagan region.

Harms’ request to purchase a pro-choice billboard has now been turned down or ignored by all four billboard companies in the region.

Harms points out that though abortion has been decriminalized in Canada, there are still issues with stigma and access that prompt a need to counter anti-abortion messaging.

What Canadians can do

We don’t control U.S. policy, but we do control our response.

• Speak up: When Pride visibility is under attack—even elsewhere—we need to be louder in our solidarity. Local businesses, schools, and governments should reaffirm their support explicitly.

• Support queer media and organizations: From Rainbow Railroad to The 519, Canadian orgs are doing frontline work that often fills in the gaps left by political inaction.

• Challenge imported rhetoric: Whether it’s book bans or “parental rights” bills, we must recognize when American talking points show up in Canadian debates—and push back accordingly.

Going over some of the more ridiculous details of the Liberal government's 'Strong Border Bill'. This is not what people voted for.

Write your MP ASAP. This bill is unacceptable, unconstitutional, and unCanadian.

Canada’s federal police have launched a criminal investigation into several IDF soldiers who also hold Canadian citizenship, on suspicion of crimes against humanity allegedly committed during their military service, Canadian media reported Tuesday.

The report, first published by the Toronto Star, marks the first time Canadian authorities have formally opened a war crimes investigation against dual Israeli-Canadian nationals. The move has triggered concern and controversy within Canada’s Jewish and Israeli communities.

According to the report, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are investigating Canadian citizens who served in the IDF, whether in active duty or as reservists, during the war in Gaza. The probe reportedly began in 2024 but remained under wraps until now. It could include evidence collection, information sharing with international bodies and potentially even indictments on Canadian soil.

What are your thoughts? Paywall link

https://archive.is/u8vpv

The official provider is once again Flobikes - as shitty of a company as ever existed.

Even if they weren't so terrible, they charge $210/year, and that's the minimum subscription window.

So VPNs? Restreaming? Or do we just ignore the greatest bike race on earth again?