ETA Canada News

Behind US President Trump’s latest round of tariffs appears to be a pressure strategy to force Canada to make further concessions. Canadian officials revealed to the Advisory Council on Economic Growth that of the 555 products subject to the US tariffs, 85 are goods that Canada does not export to the US, a proportion of nearly one-sixth.

According to the Toronto Star, Jean Simard, president of the Canadian Aluminium Association and a member of Prime Minister Carney’s Canada-US advisory group, confirmed the data on Tuesday (21st). He stated bluntly that this indicates the Trump administration’s new round of trade escalation is “fully in line” with its strategy of further pressuring Canada. Randomly listing items is intended to disrupt cross-border trade.

Jennifer Robson, an associate professor of political administration at Carleton University, found through independent analysis of U.S. trade data that at least 40 products on the list have had no record of being imported into the U.S. from Canada for at least one year in the past two years. These include natural sponges, agar gel, rare iris oil, and whole cowhides, none of which have any Canadian export records to the U.S. by 2025.

Robertson points out that this list is not a strategic weapon aimed at precise strikes against key targets; rather, it resembles a shotgun-like list, quite disorganized. The core intention of the US is not to consider actual trade volume, but to attempt to comprehensively hinder border trade, thereby creating high levels of market uncertainty. The upgrade measures will affect 28 billion yuan. On Monday (August 20), Trump announced a 50% tariff increase on a large number of Canadian goods, directly breaking the tariff-free protection under the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement), and the tariffs are scheduled to take effect on August 19.

The US invoked a special provision of the Tariff Act of 1930, claiming it was to counter discriminatory trade policies by Canada against US automobiles and alcohol, and to resolve the long-standing dispute over dairy products. This trade storm is expected to impact approximately $28 billion worth of Canadian goods sold annually to its southern neighbour, representing about 5% of Canada’s total exports to the United States. In addition to forestry and electronics manufacturing, the list deliberately targets specific provinces that previously removed U.S. alcoholic beverages from their shelves, including politically sensitive items such as alcohol and dairy products.

Legal professionals and Labor unions urge adherence to ethical standards. International trade lawyer Lawrence Herman pointed out that the Trump administration’s move is utterly illegitimate. He emphasized that it demonstrates the extremely low credibility of trade agreements signed by the United States, and that the two countries will enter a wavering and unstable relationship in the future.

Lana Payne, national president of Unifor, called on the Canadian government to quickly return to the negotiating table and make every effort to manoeuvre during the 28-day grace period. Payne emphasized that if the U.S. does not withdraw the tariff order next month, Canada must demonstrate a firm stance, uphold its bottom line, and make no further concessions.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer defended Trump’s tariffs before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, insisting the move was in response to a national emergency stemming from a trade deficit of up to $1.2 trillion. However, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden criticized the Trump administration, saying it had lost its way in the tariff war and had formally proposed a bill to limit the president’s tariff powers.

A fire broke out in three homes in the Maillardville neighbourhood of Coquitlam, British Columbia, resulting in one death. According to the Coquitlam Fire and Rescue Department, firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after 9:10 a.m., when thick smoke billowed from three houses in the 700 block of Roderick Avenue and the fire was raging.

Acting Fire Chief Chris Fox said in a statement, “Firefighters acted swiftly to control the fire and prevent it from spreading to neighbouring homes.” As of noon, the fire was still being fought, with 26 firefighters and several Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers on site. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) stated that a body was found inside one of the houses after a witness discovered a resident was missing. The identity of the deceased has not yet been confirmed.

According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), paramedics also treated an 18-year-old at the scene and transported an RCMP officer who had inhaled smoke to the hospital. A fire broke out in three homes in the Maillardville neighbourhood of Coquitlam, British Columbia, resulting in one death. According to the Coquitlam Fire and Rescue Department, firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after 9:10 a.m., when thick smoke billowed from three houses in the 700 block of Roderick Avenue and the fire was raging.

Acting Fire Chief Chris Fox said in a statement, “Firefighters acted swiftly to control the fire and prevent it from spreading to neighbouring homes.” As of noon, the fire was still being fought, with 26 firefighters and several Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers on site. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) stated that a body was found inside one of the houses after a witness discovered a resident was missing. The identity of the deceased has not yet been confirmed.

According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), paramedics also treated an 18-year-old at the scene and transported an RCMP officer who had inhaled smoke to the hospital. “We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims and to all those affected by this tragic event,” said Coquitlam RCMP Constable Adriana O’Malley in a statement. Officials say the cause of the fire is still under investigation and efforts are underway to provide support to displaced residents.

Rogers Sports & Media has announced the closure of six radio stations in four Canadian cities, a move aimed at cutting 230 jobs. The company issued a statement on Tuesday (7th) saying that the closed radio stations were located in Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax and Kitchener.

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), a Rogers spokesperson stated that the closure of the radio station will directly result in 80 job losses. The remaining 150 jobs involve other departments within the company, including sales and marketing, as well as a small number of television and radio-related positions. Additionally, a small number of positions outside the media sector are also affected. In a statement, the company said the “difficult but necessary decision” was made after a “comprehensive review of radio stations across the country.” “We thank our audience and team for their contributions to the local community.”

In Vancouver, this means Sportsnet 650 and News 1130 will be suspended; while in Alberta, Calgary 660 NewsRadio and Sportsnet 960 will also be affected. On Tuesday morning, Vancouver listeners tuned in to a recorded announcement on News 1130 and a rebroadcast on Sportsnet 650. Jeffrey Dvorkin, former chair of the journalism department at the University of Toronto, said the layoffs were not unexpected. “I think what we’re seeing now is media organizations looking for some way to regain shareholder satisfaction,” he explained, adding that Rogers is likely trying to consolidate its media platforms. “Rogers has realized they can no longer make money like they used to.”

In a statement, Rogers said the move was due to “declining listenership and revenue.” Radio sports broadcasts in both Vancouver and Calgary have recently experienced low listenership, with both stations averaging less than 2,100 listeners. Rogers added that broadcast production of Vancouver Canucks games will be moved to another station under Rogers Sports Media. The company will no longer produce broadcasts of Calgary Flames games. Toronto’s Sportsnet 590 radio station will continue to operate. Rogers stated that his 44 radio stations in nearly 30 communities across Canada are still operating.

Tech giant Meta announced on Wednesday that it will build a large data centre in central Alberta, its first in Canada , to support the global artificial intelligence boom by rapidly expanding computing power. Meta says the 1-gigawatt data centre will be located in Sturgeon County, with a total investment of CAD 13 billion (US$9.17 billion).Meta has ramped up its efforts in artificial intelligence and pledged hundreds of billions of dollars to build large-scale AI data centres in the United States. This announcement in Alberta marks the opening of the company’s 33rd data centre globally.

Company executives announced the news in Calgary alongside Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and other provincial officials. These officials have been working for years to attract Silicon Valley tech giants in an effort to drive massive investment in the oil and gas-rich province. Like other tech giants, Meta faces rapidly growing electricity demand due to the development of artificial intelligence, while Alberta has abundant natural gas resources, and its prices are far below the US benchmark price.

The province’s cold climate also makes it more economical and efficient to provide cooling for the massive supercomputers and related data centre infrastructure. Alberta’s existing 20 small and medium-sized data centres are already connected to the province’s power grid, which draws 60% of its electricity from natural gas. The provincial government is offering new project proposals the option of building their own power sources to circumvent power capacity limitations.

Meta said Wednesday it will fully fund the new power generation and grid infrastructure needed for its Alberta data centre, which will consume the equivalent of 800,000 homes’ electricity. The company has partnered with Pembina Pipeline, headquartered in Alberta. Pembina Pipeline announced last week that it will move forward with its Greenlight Electricity Centre project—a new natural gas power generation facility in Sturgeon County expected to be operational by the end of 2030.

Meta has already entered into a long-term power purchase agreement with the facility. According to Pembina, the project will consume approximately 150 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, which will help create demand for natural gas producers in western Canada. Last month, the Canadian government unveiled an artificial intelligence strategy, noting that the growth of new data centres would benefit from the country’s clean power grid, which is powered primarily by renewable energy and low-emissions power sources.

However, the vast majority of data centres currently in the planning stage in Canada are located in Alberta, where the province’s reliance on natural gas results in its power grid having emissions intensity that is almost five times the national average.

A Vancouver influencer has been brought down after just over a year of probation. The man, 21-year-old Jawad Mazen Fawwaz, has been charged again. In March 2024, at the request of livestreamer Adin Ross, he deliberately drove his car into the sea near Port Moody and received a monetary reward for it.

The live broadcast caused a sensation in Greater Vancouver, and he was arrested shortly afterward. In November 2024, Fawarz pleaded guilty to one count of mischief under $5,000. The court sentenced him to conditional release, a $100 fine, and 12 months of probation.

He was also ordered to pay nearly $3,000 in restitution to the City of Port Moody and to complete 30 hours of community service. Late at night on March 30 this year, he lost control and overturned while driving a black Mercedes SUV at high speed at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and McBride Boulevard in New Westminster.

The bus was carrying several passengers at the time, and another car was also hit. Fortunately, none of the people were seriously injured. In an email to the media, Officer Andrew Leaver wrote that the only reason no one was killed in the incident was luck. Fawaz was subsequently charged with dangerous driving.Fawaz is scheduled to appear in court on July 8, at which time the trial date for his dangerous driving case will be determined.

According to a CTV News report on June 29, Canada has made extensive preparations for the World Cup, with widespread expectations that the event would bring a tourism boom. Discussions about this, including increased traffic and rising accommodation prices, have been ongoing for months. But will the actual situation be as spectacular as anticipated? An economic forecasting expert stated that some hotels in Vancouver and Toronto reported lower-than-expected bookings. When interviewed, the expert was asked whether host Canadian cities were experiencing a decline in tourist numbers. According to Kiefer Van Mulligen, chief economist at Signal49 Research, this seems to be the case, judging from the hoteliers’ surprised reaction to occupancy rates that were flat or even lower than expected.

The decrease in tourist numbers may not be due to fewer tourists watching the World Cup than expected, but rather because those who are not interested in the World Cup have chosen to go elsewhere or cancel their original trips. In an interview with CTV’s “Your Morning,” Van Mulligen said, “I think what may not have been fully considered beforehand was the ‘crowding-out effect’ of this regular, baseline tourism activity.” An organization representing hotels in the Toronto area said that hotel occupancy rates were 72% in the third week of June, a significant drop from 86% in the same period last year. Data from earlier this month showed that Vancouver’s hotel booking rate was 64.5% in the same period last June, but only 47.9% when it entered June this year. Hotel data analytics company CoStar also pointed out that hotel bookings in Mexico and the host cities of the World Cup in the United States also declined in June.

Van Mulligen, speaking about Toronto and Vancouver, pointed out that business travel has likely also declined, as many trade shows and conferences have either been postponed or cancelled outright. Similarly, some annual events, such as the Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival, have been cancelled due to scheduling conflicts with the World Cup. “You can already see a reduction in this baseline activity, so if you want to see a substantial increase in tourist numbers, you have to go up from this baseline.” Similarly, for travellers heading to Vancouver and Toronto in June, discussions about traffic congestion and rising hotel prices may deter some, especially given the current economic climate.

Van Mulligen stated, “We are in a period of technological recession, and consumers are worried about the job market—including AI replacing jobs—plus the ongoing tariff dispute with the United States, all of which are causing anxiety about people’s future financial situation.” He stated that consumer confidence was already low, compounded by the surge in oil prices caused by the situation in the Middle East before the start of the event.

“So during the event, people’s daily necessities increase, and they also must pay extra for accommodation, airfare, tickets, etc. This is indeed a lot of pressure for Canadian consumers, and perhaps this is one of the reasons,” Van Mulligen said.

As to whether the economic investment in hosting the World Cup is worthwhile, Canada is still hesitant to make a definitive conclusion. He stated, “Economics is essentially about trade-offs.” Not everyone agrees that the World Cup is a priority, but some believe that even if the costs ultimately outweigh the benefits, the event is still worth celebrating.

Canada celebrated its 159th anniversary on Wednesday (July 1), with events taking place across the country. However, the heightened separatist sentiment in Quebec and Alberta made this year’s Canada Day particularly significant. Prime Minister Carney attended community celebrations in Ottawa in the morning, followed by a midday performance on the main stage.

In the evening, he travelled to Edmonton to attend a local celebration and deliver a brief speech. The national celebrations, held in Ottawa, continued at LeBreton Flats Park, west of Parliament Hill, where the central Parliament building is still under renovation. Carney released a video on Wednesday morning calling for national unity, stating that Canada is built on the core belief that “we are strongest when we are united,” and using the construction of the national railway and the Trans-Canada Highway as examples to emphasize that Canadians are putting this belief into action today.

In the film, Carney says, “There will always be forces trying to divide us, but they have forgotten the fundamental wisdom of nation-building: unity is not the same as conformity, and our differences are an advantage to be cherished, not a risk to be managed.” Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller said that Donald Trump’s repeated threats to annex Canada last year, as well as Canada’s goal in the World Cup last Sunday, were important moments that brought the nation together over the past year. He said, “The United States is bluffing and treating its former best friend in a way that we cannot condone.” He described Canada as “a beautiful project still under construction.”

Governor General Louise Arbour attended the Canada Day celebrations for the first time this year as the King’s representative and delivered a speech during the Ottawa midday performance, saying that no matter where she goes in the world, she is always proud to be Canadian.

Canada celebrated its 159th anniversary on Wednesday (July 1), with events taking place across the country. However, the heightened separatist sentiment in Quebec and Alberta made this year’s Canada Day particularly significant. Prime Minister Carney attended community celebrations in Ottawa in the morning, followed by a midday performance on the main stage.

In the evening, he travelled to Edmonton to attend a local celebration and deliver a brief speech. The national celebrations, held in Ottawa, continued at LeBreton Flats Park, west of Parliament Hill, where the central Parliament building is still under renovation. Carney released a video on Wednesday morning calling for national unity, stating that Canada is built on the core belief that “we are strongest when we are united,” and using the construction of the national railway and the Trans-Canada Highway as examples to emphasize that Canadians are putting this belief into action today.

In the film, Carney says, “There will always be forces trying to divide us, but they have forgotten the fundamental wisdom of nation-building: unity is not the same as conformity, and our differences are an advantage to be cherished, not a risk to be managed.” Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller said that Donald Trump’s repeated threats to annex Canada last year, as well as Canada’s goal in the World Cup last Sunday, were important moments that brought the nation together over the past year. He said, “The United States is bluffing and treating its former best friend in a way that we cannot condone.” He described Canada as “a beautiful project still under construction.”

Governor General Louise Arbour attended the Canada Day celebrations for the first time this year as the King’s representative and delivered a speech during the Ottawa midday performance, saying that no matter where she goes in the world, she is always proud to be Canadian.

A WestJet flight scheduled to fly from Denver, Colorado to Calgary, Alberta on Thursday (18th) failed to take off, presumably due to a tire blowout. According to CTV, WestJet confirmed that flight WS1571 was forced to abort its departure due to an “incident” at Denver International Airport.

The airline stated, “The crew responded swiftly and strictly followed established procedures, declared a state of emergency, and rescue teams arrived at the scene immediately to handle the situation.” A Denver International Airport spokesperson confirmed to CTV that the incident involved a WestJet aircraft that occurred at 12:30 p.m. on Runway 8.

Airport spokesperson Ashley Forest said, “The passengers were subsequently taken back to the terminal by shuttle bus.” Footage from the scene shows that two tires of the passenger plane parked on the runway had burst.

In a recording of the tower conversation obtained by NBC News, the control tower can be heard informing the cockpit: “It looks like both landing gear tires on the left side have burst, and the tires are completely gone.”

When the crew asked if the aircraft had landed on its wheel hubs, the control tower replied, “That’s right, both tires on your left main landing gear have burst.”

WestJet stated that it has aided affected passengers and is rescheduling their travel plans as soon as possible. “All passengers have disembarked safely and have been returned to the terminal,” WestJet added.

Canadian LastPass password manager users who experienced a data breach in 2022 have only a few days left to file for a class-action lawsuit. Eligible users can receive up to $500 CAD. The final application deadline is June 23 (11:59 PM Pacific Time).

LastPass is a cloud-based password management service designed to store usernames, passwords, and sensitive information. In 2022, LastPass experienced a serious data security incident—hackers gained unauthorized access to the system by stealing senior employee accounts and obtaining encrypted and unencrypted data from some users. At the time, there were 1,102,688 LastPass accounts in Canada, although approximately 218,087 of these accounts did not contain user data. Details of the litigation and settlement proposal

Following the data breach, Canadian user Karan Keswani, representing those affected, filed a class-action lawsuit in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The lawsuit targets four companies: GoTo Technologies USA, Inc., LastPass US LP, GoTo Technologies Canada Ltd., and LastPass Technologies Canada ULC, accusing LastPass of negligence in its security measures and failure to properly investigate and disclose the full details of the incident.

Ultimately, the two parties reached a settlement, with the court approving a US$3 million (approximately CAD$4.2 million) compensation package to cover all legal fees, taxes, and administrative expenses. The law firm KND Complex Litigation pointed out that this settlement does not represent a guilty plea or admission of negligence—they denied all charges from the outset and maintain that position.

LastPass data breach class-action lawsuit involves many Canadian users.

Who can apply? The compensation is divided into three categories.

If you reside in Canada and your personal information was compromised in the 2022 LastPass data breach, you can file a claim. Compensation is divided into three categories: Time loss: You can claim up to 5 hours of time lost in response to the data breach, with compensation of $34.01 per hour, up to a maximum of $170.05.

Out-of-pocket expenses: Up to $500 can be reimbursed for additional losses incurred due to the data breach (such as the purchase of security software, credit monitoring, etc.), but relevant expense receipts must be provided for expenses incurred before May 31, 2023.

Cryptocurrency losses: Claims can also be made if crypto assets are stolen or lost due to data breaches.

How to apply?

Eligible users must complete the online form on the LastPass class action website by 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) on June 23, submitting personal information, address, claim type, and required supporting documents, and select a payment method (cheque or Interac e-Transfer). For detailed procedures and frequently asked questions, please refer to the official application website: https://lastpasscanadiansettlement.ca/en In addition, the filing deadline for the class-action lawsuit against the genealogy website 23andMe is approaching, and affected Canadian users should pay attention to relevant announcements.

The Canada Revenue Agency will soon be able to automatically file your taxes, and eligible Canadians can receive over two thousand Canadian dollars in benefits without having to do anything.

Many people find filing taxes troublesome, especially those with little income, who feel that it’s pointless to file. However, the Parliamentary Budget Office of Canada has just calculated that those who do not file taxes regularly are losing an average of $2,212 CAD per year.

Congressional Budget Officer Annette Ryan released a report on June 18 about the federal government’s automatic tax filing program. Why can’t I receive money if I don’t file taxes? Many benefits in Canada are tied to tax returns. The government uses your tax records to determine your eligibility for benefits; if you don’t file, it’s as if you don’t exist. New benefits include the newly established Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, which replaced the original GST/HST refund; and the Canada Child Benefit and the Canada Disability Benefit. Low-income families are the most eligible to receive benefits, but they are also the most likely to miss out because they don’t file taxes.

The report also clarifies where the money will come from and how much will be spent. Over the next five years, welfare payments alone will amount to CAD 342 million, with management costs an additional CAD 87 million. Together, the two projects bring the total expenditure for the five-year plan to 429 million yuan, with administrative costs alone reaching 22 million yuan this year. The Office of the Budget estimates that only 3,000 people will use automatic tax filing in the first year, but this number will increase to 50,000 by the 2027 tax year. But this figure doesn’t match what Prime Minister Mark Carney initially said.

Last October, Carney announced plans for automatic tax filing for low-income individuals. The Prime Minister’s Office stated at the time that the automatic filing system would be implemented starting in 2027, initially covering approximately one million people, with the number of beneficiaries expected to reach 5.5 million by the 2028 tax year.

The difference between 1 million and 3,000 is not small. In response, some people have begun to worry that if the government holds all the income data of the entire population, is it not far from the day when “everyone gets a paycheck” will become a reality? It needs to be clarified here that automatic tax filing and Universal Basic Income are completely different things.

Automatic tax filing simply helps the elderly, disabled, and low-income individuals receive the benefits they are entitled to; the government does not issue any new benefits, and the costs are relatively controllable. The basic income for all citizens is completely different.

Regardless of whether you work or not, or how much you earn, the government regularly gives money directly to everyone, with expenditures often reaching tens or hundreds of billions. That said, automated tax filing is indeed quietly building an underlying system. If there ever comes a day when everyone gets a free handout, this system will come in handy.