<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="no"?><rss xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:dcterms="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" version="2.0"><channel><title>National Post - Top Stories</title><link>https://nationalpost.com/</link><description></description><atom:link href="https://nationalpost.com/category/news//category/news/feed.xml" rel="self"/><language>en</language><lastBuildDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:10:09 +0000</lastBuildDate><item><title>Egg freezing is a booming business in Canada. Here's how women are being oversold</title><link>https://nationalpost.com/feature/egg-freezing-business-canada-women-oversold</link><description>Experts say the industry is rife with misleading advertising and emotional manipulation. An eight-month investigation probed clinics' marketing techniques</description><dc:creator>Investigative Journalism Bureau</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2026 11:00:12 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:nationalpost.com,2026-06-10:/feature/egg-freezing-business-canada-women-oversold/20260610110012</guid><category>Canada</category><category>Family &amp; Child</category><category>Longreads</category><media:thumbnail url="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/lianne-wing-martins-fertility-inc-IJB-freezing-egs-reproductive-rights-main-no-logo.jpg"/><dcterms:modified>2026-06-10T13:10:09+00:00</dcterms:modified><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img alt="Lianne Wing-Martins at Toronto’s Walter Saunders Memorial Park, Wednesday April 1, 2026" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-license-id="80670404" data-portal-copyright="Peter J. Thompson/National Post" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/lianne-wing-martins-fertility-inc-IJB-freezing-egs-reproductive-rights-main-no-logo.jpg" title="Lianne Wing-Martins at Toronto’s Walter Saunders Memorial Park, Wednesday April 1, 2026"/><iframe height="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EWHHtoDeLWk?rel=0" width="100%"></iframe><p> <strong>Fertility Inc. is a five-part series by the <a href="https://nationalpost.com/author/investigative-journalism-bureau/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Investigative Journalism Bureau</a> that delves into the Wild West of the egg-freezing industry, its aggressive marketing, the high cost and the chances of an eventual successful pregnancy.</strong> </p><p> At age 29, Lianne Wing-Martins began thinking seriously about having a baby. She’d been hearing about egg freezing for years, through social media and advertising by celebrities who made it seem like a viable plan to ensure a future family. </p><p> Single and not quite ready to have children, Wing-Martins visited her family doctor in April 2025. The doctor referred her to a private clinic in Toronto. </p><p> Wing-Martins booked a consultation to gather information. But she says she came away feeling overwhelmed — not just by the $9,000 price tag for the procedure, which did not include hormone medications or annual egg storage fees — but by the pressure she says she suddenly felt to act quickly. </p><p> After walking her through the egg-freezing process, she says, the clinic doctor told her unequivocally that “now is the perfect time to freeze your eggs.” </p><p> “I felt this urge of like, oh my gosh, I need to do this ASAP,” Wing-Martins says. </p><p> While egg freezing was originally developed in the 1980s to help women undergoing treatments that threatened their fertility, such as chemotherapy, Canadian women have legally been able to freeze eggs for personal or family planning reasons since 2012. </p><p> Egg freezing involves collecting and storing eggs — sometimes for months or years — until a woman wants to have a baby, at which point the eggs are thawed. Then, using a process called in vitro fertilization, the eggs are fertilized with sperm to create embryos, which are transferred to the uterus to try to achieve pregnancy. </p><p> Today, the egg-freezing industry is booming. </p><p> In Canada, it more than doubled from 2020 to 2024, according to data from the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society (CFAS). Yet, of the <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1310041501"> 4.1 million babies</a> born in Canada between 2013 and 2023, <a href="https://cfas.ca/_Library/CARTR/2025_CARTR_annual_report_CFAS_2024_Data_.pdf">just 70</a> are known to have come from frozen eggs, according to CFAS data. Industry insiders say the number of babies born from frozen eggs is low for two reasons: lower survival rates for eggs through freezing, thawing, fertilization and implantation stages; and because many women who paid for this elective procedure have not yet tried to use those eggs. Most will end up never using them. </p><p> Even so, women in Canada paid millions to freeze their eggs between 2013 and 2023. </p><p> The Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB) spent eight months analyzing how egg freezing is marketed to women such as Wing-Martins. It uncovered multiple concerns in an industry some experts describe as rife with misleading advertising, emotional manipulation, limited transparency about results, and financial exploitation. </p><p> In the absence of strong government oversight, many private fertility clinics use aggressive marketing strategies that appear to exploit some women’s reproductive anxiety and overstate egg freezing as a solution, the IJB investigation found. </p><p> It’s not known exactly how many egg-freezing clinics there are in Canada. There is no definitive national list of such clinics, and oversight varies by province. Only Quebec requires fertility clinics to be licensed and maintains a public registry of assisted reproductive centres on its government website. Provinces such as Ontario and British Columbia primarily maintain lists only of clinics tied to publicly funded fertility programs, such as IVF. </p><p> CFAS’s latest known total is 47 fertility clinics in Canada with a lab on site. All but one market egg-freezing services. </p><p> IJB reporters carefully analyzed the websites and social media accounts of 42 clinics it was able to identify as marketing egg freezing. These clinics represent a combined 110 storefront locations across seven provinces. Of the 42, three are affiliated with public hospitals. At least 19 are physician-owned, while at least 17 others have ties to private equity firms through ownership or investment. </p><p> The analysis determined that 35 of them made what the IJB concluded were either misleading or overstated claims — often implying that women could have certainty or flexibility over their future fertility through egg freezing. In fact, only about 25 per cent of embryos created from frozen eggs and transferred to wombs in Canada between 2013 and 2023 resulted in a live birth, according to data published by CFAS. That ratio is consistent with <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10342811/">international data</a> on live birth outcomes among people who returned to use their frozen eggs, with <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38964588/">success rates</a> generally ranging between 25 and 35 per cent. </p><p> CFAS is a non-profit representing reproductive specialists and allied health professionals. Not a regulatory body, it shares annual summary statistics based on data compiled on the <a href="https://cfas.ca/cgi/page.cgi/cartr-reports.html">Canadian Assisted Reproductive Technologies Registry</a> (CARTR), a voluntary national registry to which clinics can report treatment outcomes. Data from individual clinics is not published, but generalized data from 37 clinics is reflected in the CFAS 2025 reporting statistics. </p><p> Some fertility experts consulted by the IJB say promises that egg freezing will allow women to have a baby whenever they choose are far-fetched. </p><p> Kathleen Hammond, an associate professor at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University and a leading Canadian expert on egg freezing, has long raised concerns about how the procedure is marketed. </p><p> “The advertising is coming across so strongly, and not providing any kind of real data about what success means and what the risks are,” she says. </p><p> Consider these examples identified in the IJB’s analysis: </p><p> • “What if you could decide when to have a baby, without worrying about your biological clock? Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, not anymore,” reads an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reels/C3VdWuFN9Rk/">Instagram post</a> by Montreal’s OriginElle Fertility. “Thanks to #eggfreezing, you can preserve your eggs for later use and have more control over your #fertility.” </p><p> • Ontario-based NewLife Fertility echoes sentiments about offering reproductive “control” through egg freezing, adding that it means women can look forward to “no pressure. No rush. Just options,” for when they consider having children. “Your body, your choice, your future,” it says on <a href="https://newlifefertility.com/services/egg-freezing/">its website</a> . </p><p> • Evolve, a Toronto-based clinic, <a href="https://evolveeggfreeze.com/about-us/">on its website</a> tells clients that through egg freezing they can delay or, as the clinic puts it, “hit the snooze button” on parenthood. </p><p> • On <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DL5qKjHzU2q/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D">Instagram</a> , the Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine (PCRM) in Vancouver and Edmonton posted an image of a pregnant belly, promising “one day you’ll be staring at the miracle you used to dream about.” </p><p> In an interview with the IJB, Dr. Seang Lin Tan, founder and medical director at OriginElle, said he agrees this part of the clinic’s messaging is “not really a hundred per cent accurate,” but said it reflects language used by “virtually every clinic.” He told reporters he is open to “re-evaluating” it, though he did not commit to removing the language. </p><p> Tan says he and his clinicians do have “in-depth conversations” with patients to ensure they understand that egg freezing is not a guarantee of pregnancy. </p><p> A statement from Evolve founder and CEO Nicole Condon said its public-facing messaging is intended to “encourage women to seek information to make an informed choice, and start a clinical conversation.” </p><p> Neither NewLife nor PCRM responded directly to questions about their marketing but in an unattributed email response, PCRM said the clinic does not present egg freezing as a “guarantee of future pregnancy.” </p><p> The clinic’s <a href="https://www.pacificfertility.ca/fertility-treatment/fertility-preservation/egg-freezing">website notes: </a> “Unfortunately, egg quality cannot be tested” but can be “inferred” based on age. </p><h3>An egg-freezing party</h3><p> Posing as would-be clients, two IJB reporters attended an egg-freezing party at the upscale Toronto location of clinic Pollin Fertility, where appetizers and champagne were served. The event was promoted on the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DPBp89njfN9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D">clinic’s Instagram</a> as an opportunity to “learn everything you need to know about securing your fertility future with egg freezing.” About 50 potential clients, mostly women who appeared to be in their 20s and 30s, attended. </p><p> A PowerPoint presentation included a photo of actress Jennifer Aniston with her viral 2022 quote about wishing someone had told her earlier to freeze her eggs. (There was no indication that the actress endorses the clinic.) </p><p> A Pollin doctor at the event described egg freezing as “insurance.” In a video, a patient framed the process as simple, and said that she was given “the coziest robe I have ever put on.” </p><p> Another physician at the event said that future chances of pregnancy correlate directly with the number of eggs frozen and the age at which they are frozen. </p><p> Pollin CEO Melody Adahmi said in a statement to the IJB that Pollin’s website and “educational events” are “introductory sessions designed to provide general information” about egg freezing and reproductive aging. </p><p> “Patients who wish to explore treatment further are directed to a formal consultation, fertility assessment, and detailed counselling about risks, costs, expected outcomes, and the limitations of treatment,” Adahmi said. </p><h3>‘A slap in the face’</h3><p> Egg freezing is a weeks-long process that includes daily hormone doses to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs, which are then harvested and frozen for potential fertilization and implantation in the uterus at a future date, in hopes of producing a successful pregnancy. The process, which can cost up to $20,000 for a single cycle, can be an important tool for women seeking more fertility options. </p><p> But while egg retrieval itself is a relatively simple procedure, patients undergo weeks of self-administering medications first, and some find this physically and emotionally difficult. Experts warn women should be told that going through this process still does not guarantee those frozen eggs will later lead to a baby. </p><p> Catherine J. Lalonde is one of the women whose efforts were unsuccessful. </p><p> She froze her eggs in Montreal in 2022, when she was 36, anxious over her ticking biological clock but not yet in a position to have children. When she returned to use them seven months later, the results were heartbreaking. Of the seven frozen eggs, only three survived the thawing process, and none developed into viable embryos. </p><p> “I was devastated,” said Lalonde, who has since had a baby naturally and now regrets the thousands of dollars she invested in egg freezing at the Montreal clinic. She had viewed the procedure as a form of “insurance,” but does not feel she was adequately informed about all her options by the medical team. </p><p> “For me, it was like a big, big, big slap in the face,” she said. </p><p> Lalonde’s experience isn’t unique: the IJB found numerous marketing trends pushing women toward the process, with 26 clinics using language that promises “peace of mind” through egg freezing. Roughly three out of every four clinics examined by the IJB used some sort of pressure-driven language: words such as “biological clock waits for no one,” or emphasizing declining fertility with age and urging women to consider egg freezing as early as possible. </p><p> While the probability of live birth is higher at younger ages, experts say the high cost of egg freezing and low actual usage of the frozen eggs later make timing a key consideration. </p><p> Unless a woman expects to delay having children for several years, the experts point to a sweet spot in the early 30s, when eggs are relatively young but preservation is more practical than it would be earlier or later. </p><p> On <a href="https://newlifefertility.com/services/egg-freezing/">its website</a> , NewLife Fertility tells women in their 20s that eggs should be frozen “the earlier, the better” so that they can avoid “fertility decline in your 30s” and ensure “higher quality and quantity.” NewLife did not directly respond to questions about its marketing of egg freezing, instead referring reporters to “educational material” about the procedure. </p><p> “Starting in your 20s, the choices you make today can protect your future possibilities,” says Anova Fertility in an <a href="http://nstagram.com/p/DOJDMWCDmtW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D">Instagram post</a> . “Egg freezing is helping more Canadians take charge of their future family plans.” Anova did not respond to multiple requests for comment. </p><p> “When is the best time to freeze your eggs? The answer is today!” says the Evolve Fertility <a href="https://evolveeggfreeze.com/freezing-eggs-in-your-20s/">website</a> , which encourages women in their 20s to freeze, when their bodies are at their “reproductive peak.” </p><p> In a statement, Evolve CEO Condon said the company’s messaging “is designed to inform women of their reproductive peak so they can make choices while they still have the most options.” Their physicians discuss with younger patients whether freezing is “personally appropriate,” rather than presenting it as a “one-size-fits-all” recommendation, Condon said. </p><p> Zeynep Gurtin, a lecturer in women’s health at University College London, led a 2021 study analyzing the marketing of elective egg freezing by fertility clinic websites in the United Kingdom. </p><p> Gurtin believes elective egg freezing “has the potential to be really helpful” for women in their early 30s who want to increase their chances of having a baby when they are a bit older. But she argues aggressive marketing targeting younger women is inappropriate when they still have years to have a baby naturally. </p><p> “Why most women in their mid 20s would be tempted into egg freezing, other than hype and exaggerated advertising, I have no idea,” she said. </p><p> Clinics rarely make their success-rate data public, leaving Canadian patients unable to assess how well a specific clinic performs. </p><p> In addition to examining marketing techniques, the IJB spoke with 30 women about their experiences with the fertility industry. In the absence of transparent information from clinics, many said they relied on word of mouth from friends, social media and celebrity narratives. </p><p> This hinders them from making informed decisions, said Hammond. “I think the industry is very effective at creating this perceived sense of control, and marketing of the technology is such that … to be a good woman, this is something that you should do.” </p><p> Asked about clinic marketing, Emily McIntosh, executive director of CFAS, said in a statement, “There is a distinct difference between promotion and education.” She said oversight of clinics’ marketing by federal and provincial regulators could “play a role in supporting accurate and responsible communication” and help ensure information is “evidence-based and not misleading.” </p><h3>Egg freezing takes off</h3><p> While Canadians seeking fertility treatment mainly relied on hospitals in the past, now most procedures are offered at clinics, more than 90 per cent of which are private businesses. </p><p> Canadians spent up to an estimated $120 million during the decade 2013 to 2023 on 6,242 egg-freezing retrievals, preserving 65,517 eggs, CFAS data says. Which does not mean they took the next step of trying to have them fertilized and implanted. Most either have not done so yet, or never will. </p><p> This tracks with outcomes in other countries. For example, a <a href="https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(25)00589-7/fulltext">2025 study</a> from the University of California, Los Angeles found that, between 2014 and 2016, just 5.7 per cent of American patients came back to use their eggs within five to seven years. </p><p> Low uptake and success rates haven’t stopped some clinics from offering aggressive financing plans. An IJB reporter, posing as a prospective patient, undertook a free 30-minute phone consultation with Evolve — an egg-freezing clinic affiliated with Trio Fertility in Toronto — and afterwards received followup messages encouraging her to act quickly. </p><p> “0% financing for 6 months,” read one email from Evolve. “Start now, pay later … Flexible monthly payments … No money down.” </p><p> In response, Evolve’s Condon said the clinic believes in making the investment as “transparent and manageable as possible,” and the incentive is “intended to provide patients with options.” </p><h3>Few eggs used, few babies born</h3><p> Before frozen eggs can become babies, they must go through several steps that many will not survive: about 80 to 90 per cent make it through thawing; fertilization with sperm succeeds in roughly 70 to 80 per cent of the remaining eggs; and the journey of embryo development and potential live birth mean further declines in survival rates, according to the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada’s clinical practice guidelines. </p><p> In Canada, less than four per cent of eggs frozen from 2013 to 2023 were thawed for fertilization, according to CFAS data. Over that decade, the average time women waited to thaw their frozen eggs was 2.7 years. </p><p> The IJB analysis found most clinics it analyzed didn’t explain in their initial marketing that many women require more than one cycle to harvest a sufficient number of eggs to be frozen, especially as they get older. </p><p> Multiple <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37058259/">academic surveys</a> have found the vast majority of people who freeze their eggs don’t regret it, but some researchers question whether these women are being given sufficient information before starting the process. </p><p> Nicole Dubinsky, 39, was able to freeze just seven eggs when she went to a Toronto clinic in 2025, and says she was taken aback when told she would need to undergo a second cycle. The music teacher doesn’t regret the procedure, which cost nearly $20,000 for one cycle of egg freezing, but says she wishes she had been warned in advance this was a possibility, especially given her age. </p><p> “I thought, you do it once and you do it well,” she says. “I finished and was basically told, ‘You should start again right now.’ I was like, I can’t afford to.” </p><p> The most recent CFAS report says women retrieved an average of 13.6 eggs during each retrieval cycle between the years 2013 and 2024. That’s below what Mount Sinai Fertility, based at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, says is the optimum number of eggs to freeze: 15 to 20 for women 37 or younger, and 25 to 30 for those over 37. </p><h3>Pushing the rules</h3><p> The U.K.’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)’s Code of Practice sets clear rules for how fertility clinics must present information online. Canada’s Assisted Human Reproduction Act offers no comparable guidance. </p><p> Doctors who own or work for fertility clinics, though, are regulated by provincial colleges that set general rules for how physicians market their services, either on websites or in social media. Across provincial medical colleges, doctors generally remain responsible for advertising that violates college rules even if a third party, such as a marketing agency, created or posted it on their behalf. </p><p> The IJB found multiple possible examples of violations of those regulations, including breaches of rules that require clinics to market themselves accurately, present verifiable and non-misleading information, and refrain from creating false hope. </p><p> Language suggesting that egg freezing allows women to “overcome the biological limitations of their reproductive system,” as one clinic advertises, arguably implies a level of control not supported by clinical outcomes. </p><p> In Ontario, Alberta and Nova Scotia, the regulatory colleges for physicians and surgeons prohibit the use of online testimonials about doctors to protect public trust, yet such testimonials sometimes appear. </p><p> For example, Oasis Fertility in Calgary posted a patient testimonial on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C6sGjwXgQJD/">its Instagram</a> that said medical director Dr. Imran Pirwany was “incredible,” and added, “You’re in the most caring and capable hands with Dr. P.” </p><p> In an interview with the IJB, Pirwany said he “completely agrees” with the investigation’s findings that some of Oasis Fertility’s marketing crosses the line into being misleading. He said he and his team were “actively in the process” of making changes, including the removal of patient testimonials from their website. </p><p> Another popular form of testimonial is social media influencers sharing their fertility experiences on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. The IJB interviewed two influencers who partnered with Ontario fertility clinics to document their egg-freezing journeys. In exchange, they said, they received partial coverage of the procedure. </p><p> In a general statement, the Ontario College of Physicians reiterated that “physicians are prohibited from using testimonials,” adding that all advertising concerns are assessed on a case-by-case basis and that the college takes “regulatory action,” when appropriate. </p><p> The regulatory colleges in British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec expressed similar sentiments. </p><p> Many women told the IJB they are happy they froze their eggs, while others said they had significant concerns about the process. </p><p> There are merits to egg freezing, TMU’s Hammond said, but she argues the profit-driven industry targeting healthy women demands closer scrutiny. </p><p> “The entirety of egg freezing was generated as a business — it is intended to bring in revenue,” said Hammond. “You have to be inherently skeptical of a medical technology that has that foundation.” </p><p> <em>With files from Jacob Marion, Vihaan Bhatnagar and Jenna Olsen</em> </p><p> <em>The Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB) at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health is a collaborative investigative newsroom supported by Postmedia that partners with academics, researchers and journalists while training the next generation of investigative reporters.</em> </p><h2>How the analysis was done</h2><p> The IJB analyzed fertility clinic websites and social media posts to examine how egg freezing is marketed, focusing on language that appears to overstate certainty or flexibility. Reporters identified well over 100 questionable promotional statements. Here are some examples. </p><p> <strong>Those that the IJB found to have framed egg freezing as delivering guaranteed outcomes or certainty, suggesting a level of certainty not supported by clinical outcomes, such as:</strong> </p><p> <em>“guaranteed baby program”</em> </p><p> <em>“helps you keep control of your fertility” </em> </p><p> <em>“giving you flexibility and control over when to start or expand your family.”</em> </p><p> <em>“Our team is here to help you keep control of your reproductive future.” </em> </p><p> <em>“Preserving your fertility through either egg freezing or embryo freezing empowers you to plan for parenthood on your own terms.” </em> </p><p> <em>“Egg freezing allows you to use your own eggs to achieve a future pregnancy when the timing is right for you.” </em> </p><p> <em>“Take Control of Your Reproductive Future”</em> </p><p> <em>“At (Fertility Clinic), we are committed to helping you take control of your reproductive future.” </em> </p><p> <em>“Freezing your eggs may be seen as an insurance policy…”</em> </p><p> <em>“Preserve your fertility for future use …” </em> </p><p> <em>“egg freezing has emerged as a revolutionary option for individuals seeking to preserve their fertility and take control of their future family planning.”</em> </p><p> <strong>Those that seem to imply that egg freezing can pause time, without acknowledging the risks associated with pregnancy at an older maternal age or that many frozen eggs do not result in a live birth. For example:</strong> </p><p> <em>“Freezing eggs ‘stops’ the biological clock.” </em> </p><p> <em>“Egg freezing extends your biological clock – your timeline for deciding if and when you become a parent </em> </p><p> <em>“Freezing your eggs ‘pauses’ the biological clock.”</em> </p><p> <em>“Benefits of Freezing Your Eggs”: I put my Biological Clock on pause !I use my own eggs later, when I’m ready!”</em> </p><p> <em>“Egg freezing extends your biological clock – your timeline for deciding if and when you become a parent – by preserving your fertility potential today. </em> </p><p> <strong>Those that the IJB judged to frame egg freezing as a lifestyle choice centred on “freedom” or “peace of mind,” positioning it as a solution to broader social pressures while downplaying the financial costs, physical demands and emotional toll, including the need for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and the possibility that treatment might not succeed. For example:</strong> </p><p> <em>“remove the stress that can rush us into the wrong relationship.”</em> </p><p> <em>“Not ready now, but maybe later? Egg freezing can give you peace of mind and more flexibility.” </em> </p><p> <em>“It gives you more flexibility and peace of mind while keeping your options open for the future.” </em> </p><p> <em>“It gave us peace of mind and space to focus on life now, without pressure.” </em> </p><p> <em>“Enjoy flexibility and peace of mind.”</em> </p><p> <em>“Some women simply want the peace of mind that comes with knowing their fertility is preserved for the future, no matter what life throws their way.” </em> </p><p> <em>“You want to have children eventually, but now is not the time. Perhaps you are focusing on your career, or you want more financial security. Egg freezing allows you to freeze your eggs when they are optimal, and you can use them when you are ready to start a family.” </em> </p><p> <em>“Secure your fertility future with confidence and peace of mind!”</em> </p><p> <strong>NEXT: One woman’s egg-freezing journey</strong> </p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Citizen groups, farmers and MPs to protest Alto high-speed rail project on Parliament Hill</title><link>https://nationalpost.com/news/citizen-groups-farmers-and-mps-to-protest-alto-high-speed-rail-project-in-ottawa</link><description>Communities along the proposed route between Toronto and Quebec City are now growing increasingly concerned about land expropriations</description><dc:creator>Catherine Lévesque</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2026 08:00:30 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:nationalpost.com,2026-06-10:/news/citizen-groups-farmers-and-mps-to-protest-alto-high-speed-rail-project-in-ottawa/20260610080030</guid><category>Canada</category><category>Canadian Politics</category><category>News</category><media:thumbnail url="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Alto-protest-1.jpg"/><dcterms:modified>2026-06-10T08:01:09+00:00</dcterms:modified><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img alt="People protest against the proposed Alto high-speed train in Camden East, Ont. on Sunday, March 8, 2026." data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-license-id="80671705" data-portal-copyright="Elliot Ferguson/The Whig-Standard/Postmedia/File" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Alto-protest-1.jpg" title="People protest against the proposed Alto high-speed train in Camden East, Ont. on Sunday, March 8, 2026."/><p> OTTAWA — Conservative and Bloc Québécois MPs will be alongside agricultural producers and citizen groups from Quebec and Ontario to oppose Alto’s high-speed rail project. The demonstration is expected to rally hundreds of people on Parliament Hill around noon. </p><p> A press release from l’Union des producteurs agricoles, a trade union representing agricultural workers in Quebec, said the protest aims to raise awareness about the many impacts the project would have on local communities, including forced expropriations. </p><p> Concerns are particularly strong around Mirabel, north of Montreal, which saw thousands of citizens forced to relocate decades ago for an airport terminal that never really took off. </p><p> But other communities along the proposed route between Toronto and Quebec City are now growing increasingly uncomfortable with the expropriation powers the federal government is giving Alto, the Crown corporation behind the project, to build the rail. </p><p> North Belleville Against Alto, Save Stone Mills and Tyendinaga Township Landowners Coalition are among the citizen groups expected to be part of the protest on Wednesday. </p><p> Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/conservatives-call-for-zero-gas-taxes-until-the-end-of-the-year" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">previously called on the government to cancel the project</a> , which has been estimated to cost between $60 billion to $90 billion. </p><p> On Tuesday, Poilievre got up in the House of Commons to ask why the Liberal government will be sacrificing farmlands along the proposed route for “another boondoggle.” </p><p> “This will be the biggest infrastructure project in Canada’s history,” said Prime Minister Mark Carney, adding that a 60-metre wide corridor would be required for the future train track. </p><p> Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet has said his party supported the idea of high-speed rail even before the Liberals did. But the Bloc is now opposing the Alto project, arguing there is a lack of transparency on its real cost and the expropriation process. </p><p> The Bloc’s provincial cousin, the Parti Québécois, is now <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/provincial-news/provincial-politics/ottawa-should-give-quebec-the-money-instead-of-building-high-speed-rail-link-pq-says/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">promising to axe the Quebec portion of the project</a> should it form government in October. </p><p> Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon admitted that would effectively kill the project. </p><p> “Let’s be clear. There is no Alto project without Quebec,” he said on Tuesday. </p><p> National Post <br/> calevesque@postmedia.com </p><ul class="related_links"><li><a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/farmers-conservationists-and-rural-communities-are-uniting-to-protest-high-speed-rail">Farmers, conservationists and rural communities are uniting to protest high-speed rail</a></li><li><a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/champagne-says-hell-recuse-himself-due-to-personal-connection-to-high-speed-rail-company">Champagne says he recused himself due to 'personal connection' to high-speed rail company</a></li></ul><p><em>Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark <a href="https://www.nationalpost.com" target="_blank">nationalpost.com</a> and sign up for our newsletters <a href="https://nationalpost.com/newsletters/" target="_blank">here</a>.</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Australia police investigating severe assault on Canadian man in popular tourist town</title><link>https://nationalpost.com/news/world/australia-police-investigating-severe-assault-on-canadian-man-in-popular-tourist-town</link><description>The 28-year-old was drinking in a park with a group of about five males, before they turned on him, say police</description><dc:creator>National Post Staff</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 21:29:01 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:nationalpost.com,2026-06-09:/news/world/australia-police-investigating-severe-assault-on-canadian-man-in-popular-tourist-town/20260609212901</guid><category>News</category><category>World</category><media:thumbnail url="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/m-sun1221t-byron3_92989943-1.jpg"/><dcterms:modified>2026-06-09T21:30:57+00:00</dcterms:modified><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img alt="A trail to the lighthouse at Cape Byron, near Byron Bay, Australia. Australian police are investigating a severe assault on a Canadian man in Byron Bay. (File photo)" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-license-id="80671668" data-portal-copyright="" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/m-sun1221t-byron3_92989943-1.jpg" title="A trail to the lighthouse at Cape Byron, near Byron Bay, Australia. Australian police are investigating a severe assault on a Canadian man in Byron Bay. (File photo)"/><p> Australian police are investigating a severe assault on a Canadian man in Byron Bay. </p><p> Late Sunday local time, a police patrol car was flagged down by a 28-year-old man in the coastal town on Australia’s southeastern coast, when he reported being attacked, according to a <a href="https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news/news?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGZWJpenByZC5wb2xpY2UubnN3Lmdvdi5hdSUyRm1lZGlhJTJGMTI1NjgyLmh0bWwmYWxsPTE%3D" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">statement from police</a> . </p><p> Police were told by the man that he had been drinking in a main street park with a group of about five males that he had just met, before they turned on him. He fled into the bush and later stopped the police vehicle. </p><p> The officers provided first aid to the man, identified as a Canadian national, before taking him to the Byron Bay Hospital, according to the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-08/byron-bay-canadian-tourist-assaulted-fractured-skull/106772084" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Australia Broadcasting Corporation</a> . </p><p> The man was later reported to be “serious but stable condition with a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain and spinal injuries.” His name has not been provided. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>A Canadian man has been hospitalized with a brain bleed and fractured skull after being attacked by five strangers in a popular tourist destination.<a href="https://t.co/lePzveSxhp">https://t.co/lePzveSxhp</a></p>— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) <a href="https://x.com/SkyNewsAust/status/2063876012761657507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2026</a></blockquote><p> Police believe the Canadian had only <a href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/brutal-assault-in-byron-bay-leaves-canadian-man-with-skull-fracture/news-story/dcc192ac810ce7a8a1ab1d8935ee77e3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">arrived in the popular tourist destination the previous day</a> , reports News.com Australia. </p><p> “Two of the males involved in the fight are believed to be aged about 16 or 17,” say police, but no further information is available at this time. </p><p> No arrests have been made, says <a href="https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/crime/canadian-man-suffers-brain-bleed-after-brutal-fiveperson-attack-by-strangers-in-nsw-tourist-hotspot/news-story/e745c9e2e041c587d819ee6ffac6da64" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sky News</a> . </p><ul class="related_links"><li><a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-maple-syrup-is-cheaper-in-australia-an-expert-explains-why-you-might-be-seeing-higher-prices">Canadian maple syrup is cheaper in Australia. An expert explains why you might be seeing higher prices</a></li><li><a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/world/what-are-dingoes-and-are-they-a-threat-to-humans">Australia to euthanize dingoes involved in death of B.C. woman. How dangerous are these wild dogs?</a></li></ul><p><em>Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark <a href="https://nationalpost.com/">nationalpost.com</a> and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, <a href="https://nationalpost.com/newsletters/">here</a>.</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Carney government extends amnesty covering banned firearms until after Supreme Court ruling</title><link>https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/carney-government-extends-amnesty-covering-banned-firearms-until-after-supreme-court-ruling</link><description>The top court's decision to hear the challenge is the latest hurdle for the long-delayed and controversial policy</description><dc:creator>Stephanie Taylor</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:30:27 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:nationalpost.com,2026-06-09:/news/politics/carney-government-extends-amnesty-covering-banned-firearms-until-after-supreme-court-ruling/20260609203027</guid><category>Canada</category><category>Canadian Politics</category><category>News</category><media:thumbnail url="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/0522-na-search-powers_301693722.jpg"/><dcterms:modified>2026-06-09T21:28:32+00:00</dcterms:modified><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img alt="Canada's Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree on Parliament Hill February 25, 2026." data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-license-id="80671585" data-portal-copyright="Blair Gable" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/0522-na-search-powers_301693722.jpg" title="Canada's Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree on Parliament Hill February 25, 2026."/><p> OTTAWA — The federal government is extending the amnesty period shielding firearms owners from liability for possessing guns that the Liberals have banned until 90 days after a Supreme Court ruling on the ban, which it expects next year. </p><p> The amnesty order, set to expire on Oct. 30, applies to owners of the roughly 2,500 makes and models of firearms the Liberals have banned since May 2020. </p><p> “When there is a Supreme Court hearing on a matter that is quite relevant to the program, I think it’s incumbent upon lawmakers to ensure that we respect that process,” Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, told National Post in an interview on Tuesday. </p><p> “While you know we would have preferred to have the amnesty in place for October … we have to respect the Supreme Court and their ability as the final arbiter of Canadian law to weigh in, and that’s what we’re doing today.” </p><p> The minister says the decision was made in concert with Justice Minister Sean Fraser, who oversees the amnesty period. </p><p> The top court’s decision to hear a challenge brought against the Liberals’ initial firearms ban back in May 2020 represents the latest hurdle the long-delayed and controversial policy has faced since then prime minister Justin Trudeau first promised it during the 2019 federal election. </p><p> The Liberals maintain that the decision to ban upwards of 2,500 makes and models of firearms targets guns deemed too dangerous for public use, such as the AR-15. Meanwhile, firearms owners and their lobby groups have argued it unfairly targets law-abiding gun owners and captures those that are used for hunting and sports shooting. The Opposition Conservatives have vowed to scrap the policy completely, slamming it as a waste of taxpayer money. </p><p> <span>The Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights, which bills itself as “Canada’s gun lobby,” took the federal government to court after Trudeau’s cabinet enacted its first ban on some 1,500 makes and models of guns in May 2020, just weeks after a gunman killed 22 people in a shooting rampage across rural Nova Scotia. </span> </p><p> At that time, an initial amnesty period was expected to end after April 2022. It has been extended several times since as the federal government struggled to get a compensation program for affected firearms owners off the ground. </p><p> <span>The Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights</span> , which fiercely opposes the policy, has taken aim in its court challenge at the way the 2020 ban was enacted through an order-in-council by cabinet, rather than through a law passed by Parliament. </p><p> The Federal Court in 2023 dismissed its appeal for judicial review. The Federal Court of Appeal also dismissed its appeal last year. </p><p> Back in March, however, the Supreme Court decided to hear the appeal, with the provincial governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario, all of which reject the federal policy, slated to participate as interveners. </p><p> As is the case with other appeals, the Supreme Court did not release its reasons for accepting the case. </p><p> Anandasangaree back in February blamed dwindling support for the initiative among municipal police services and premiers on the fact that it took the Liberals too long to launch its compensation program. He also previously said the federal government was not open to extending the amnesty order beyond October 2026. </p><p> The minister said on Tuesday that he still agrees with those comments. </p><p> “The one matter that we didn’t anticipate at that time was the Supreme Court challenge,” he said. </p><p> “In both the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal we were quite successful in defending our position,” Anandasangaree added, saying “we still are very confident of the position that we’ve taken.” </p><p> He said the decision to extend the amnesty period was being done out of “respect” for the judicial process and out of “the abundance of caution.” </p><p> Prominent gun control advocacy group PolySeSouvient, formed by victims of the 1989 Ecole Polytechnique shooting, criticized the decision as risking public safety. </p><p> <span>“With this decision, the government is protecting gun owners unwilling to surrender their prohibited weapons against criminal charges — at the expense of potential future victims of mass shootings in Canada,” it said in a statement. </span> </p><p> <span>“Continuing to allow access to these weapons increases the risk of this type of extreme violence.”</span> </p><p> Tracey Wilson, vice-president of public relations with the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights, welcomed Tuesday’s decision, saying it looks forward to presenting its case. </p><p> <span>“We suspect that the government realized that a defeat at the Supreme Court of Canada after collecting guns and or prosecuting those in non-compliance would be an untenable position for the Mark Carney’s Liberals,” she said in a statement. </span> </p><p> Public Safety Canada, the department overseeing the rollout of the program, expects the Supreme Court to rule next year. </p><p> Anandasangaree said collection efforts for the guns declared under the federal compensation program will continue until its scheduled end date of this fall. </p><p> “Look, the Supreme Court is not opining on the validity of the compensation program,” he said. “They’re two separate things.” </p><p> As of Tuesday, the Public Safety department said more 142,000 of what it calls “assault-style firearms” have been declared by individuals and businesses under the federal compensation program. </p><p> It said more than 68,000 firearms were declared under the individual side of the program, which launched this year </p><p> Anandasangaree said the rollout of the program has so far been “on time” and “on budget,” adding that a “very significant amount of resources” had been put into the collection phase of the program. </p><p> “This is both the respectful thing to do to those who have already enrolled, and I believe that if individuals do want to buy something else, they’re able to do so, but with the caveat that the Supreme Court will decide on the overall firearms and the our ability to prohibit them using our laws.” </p><p> National Post </p><ul class="related_links"><li><a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/more-than-67000-firearms-declared-under-liberals-controversial-firearms-buy-back-program">67,000 firearms declared under Liberals' 'buy back' program, well short of budgeted plan</a></li><li><a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/supreme-court-will-hear-challenge-to-liberal-gun-ban">Supreme Court will hear challenge to Liberal gun ban</a></li></ul><p><em>Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark <a href="https://nationalpost.com/">nationalpost.com</a> and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, <a href="https://nationalpost.com/newsletters/">here</a>.</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Israel is 'the greatest decolonization project,' Indigenous leaders tell Toronto summit</title><link>https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/israel-is-the-greatest-decolonization-project-indigenous-leaders-tell-toronto-summit</link><description>The first-of-its kind Building Indigenous‑Jewish Friendship conference was the culmination of a weekend of Indigenous-Jewish programming</description><dc:creator>Special to National Post</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:48:22 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:nationalpost.com,2026-06-09:/news/canada/israel-is-the-greatest-decolonization-project-indigenous-leaders-tell-toronto-summit/20260609154822</guid><category>Canada</category><category>Israel &amp; Middle East</category><category>News</category><media:thumbnail url="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pjt-uja-walk-with-israel-10-_303586510.jpg"/><dcterms:modified>2026-06-09T20:56:49+00:00</dcterms:modified><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img alt="An Indigenous chief waves the flag of Israel during the annual UJA Walk With Israel in Toronto, Sunday June 7, 2026. Participants in the first-of-its kind Building Indigenous‑Jewish Friendship conference in Toronto were among the estimated 60,000 participants in this year's event." data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-license-id="80671410" data-portal-copyright="Peter J. Thompson/National Post" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pjt-uja-walk-with-israel-10-_303586510.jpg" title="An Indigenous chief waves the flag of Israel during the annual UJA Walk With Israel in Toronto, Sunday June 7, 2026. Participants in the first-of-its kind Building Indigenous‑Jewish Friendship conference in Toronto were among the estimated 60,000 participants in this year's event."/><p> The state of Israel is “the most successful land‑back project, the greatest decolonization project,” a New Zealand Māori activist told the first-of-its-kind Building Indigenous‑Jewish Friendship conference in Toronto. </p><p> “From my Māori perspective, a key point is that there was always a continuous Jewish presence in the land; they kept the fires burning, and that is what indigeneity looks like to us,” Dr. Sheree Trotter told roughly 70 activists, academics and community figures convened at Toronto’s Beth Torah synagogue on Monday. </p><p> The conference was the culmination of a weekend of local Indigenous-Jewish programming that included nearly 40 Indigenous people marching in the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto’s Walk with Israel, a Sunday dinner-talk with Concordia University professor Csaba Nikolenyi on early 20th-century Zionism, and a Sabbath lecture by Justice Harry S. LaForme at Temple Sinai. </p><p> “Indigeneity is demonstrated by historical, collective continuity with a distinct ethnic identity, language, culture, rituals or traditions, economic, social, legal, and religious and spiritual belief systems that predate subsequent invaders or colonizers,” LaForme told Temple Sinai congregants. </p><p> “In my view, Israel is the product of the greatest decolonization project in modern history, and this fact does not make it a colonial entity.” </p><img alt=" Justice Harry S. LaForme, who is Anishibaabe, and a member of the Mississauga of the Credit First Nation, spoke at the Building Indigenous-Jewish Friendship conference, where 70 Indigenous and Jewish activists, academics and community figures convened to discuss shared goals and allyship." data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-license-id="80671433" data-portal-copyright="Dave Gordon" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/jewish-conference-indigenous-gordon_303617699.jpg" title=" Justice Harry S. LaForme, who is Anishibaabe, and a member of the Mississauga of the Credit First Nation, spoke at the Building Indigenous-Jewish Friendship conference, where 70 Indigenous and Jewish activists, academics and community figures convened to discuss shared goals and allyship."/><p> LaForme is Anishibaabe, and a member of the Mississauga of the Credit First Nation. In 1994 he was appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice, and in 2004 was appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal and is the first Indigenous lawyer to be appointed to an appellate court in Canada. </p><p> “The Islamist strategists correctly believe that their ideology-driven false narratives appropriating indigenous social justice language would resonate, and given traction with the academically ignorant and the academically sinister in Canada,” he continued in his synagogue speech. </p><p> Karen Restoule, an Ojibwe from Dokis First Nation and director of Indigenous affairs at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, told attendees at Beth Torah that “political movements” have co-opted “Indigenous identity” and the term is “increasingly being treated as a universal political language, borrowed when convenient and deployed in conflicts that arise from very different histories.” </p><p> “Increasingly, indigenous identity is being treated as a metaphor, a branding exercise, a political strategy. Indigeneity isn’t any of that; it is a lived reality rooted in specific people and place.” </p><img alt=" Karen Restoule is an Ojibwe from Dokis First Nation and director of Indigenous affairs at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute." data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-license-id="80671438" data-portal-copyright="Dave Gordon" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/jewish-conference-indigenous-gordon_303617709.jpg" title=" Karen Restoule is an Ojibwe from Dokis First Nation and director of Indigenous affairs at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute."/><p> Trotter said in her talk that “settler colonialism has become a totalizing dogma: it over‑generalizes, homogenizes, and divides the world into saints and sinners, oppressed and oppressor.” </p><p> She earned her PhD in history from the University of Auckland, with a thesis on Zionism, and is a Fellow London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism. </p><p> She added: “Jewish people really need to own their indigeneity for themselves. Even if you don’t live in Israel, your people originate there, and you are part of an indigenous people to that land.” </p><img alt=" Dr. Sheree Trotter, who earned her PhD in history from the University of Aukland, with a thesis on Zionism, is a Fellow London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism." data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-license-id="80671439" data-portal-copyright="Dave Gordon" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/jewish-conference-indigenous-gordon_303617715.jpg" title=" Dr. Sheree Trotter, who earned her PhD in history from the University of Aukland, with a thesis on Zionism, is a Fellow London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism."/><p> Ryan Bellerose, a Metis from Alberta, said the conference was “a valuable first step in building bridges between the indigenous Canadian and indigenous Judean people (Jews).” </p><p> “As someone who has been trying to build these bridges for years, it is great to see so many people of like mind, people who understand that it’s more than just a shared history of persecution, but also a shared history of love and veneration for our ancestral lands, that really helps bind us. And with Israel being a great example of a successful land back movement, there is much we can learn from our Jewish friends,” he told the Post. </p><p> Gilli Zemer and her family hosted two visiting Indigenous leaders, and she told the Post that she “came to learn more about the connections between Indigenous and Jewish communities, and left inspired by how deeply our foundational values align. We have much to learn from one another, and a key message was that Jews need to be more confident in advocating for our own indigenous story.” </p><p> Avi Attali, vice-president of Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation (CAEF), one of the sponsors of the event, told the Post that it “allowed us to exchange views, to learn about each other’s cultures and issues, and tried to seek solutions on how we can help each other in the future.” </p><p> The conversation often focused on building a shared framework for allyship — positioning dialogue and relationship-building as tools to counter misinformation about both communities. Sponsors also included the Israel Consulate of Toronto and Western Canada, Kanada House, Indigenous Embassy of Jerusalem, Allied Voices for Israel. </p><p> Robert Walker, assistant director of HonestReporting Canada, told the Post that “radical activists have weaponized everything from international law to indigenous lingo in their attempt to rewrite reality. That only works in a vacuum. </p><p> “The time has passed to permit this shameless inversion of reality to continue unchallenged. First Nations and Jews are both indigenous peoples who have a right to reclaim the truth from those who try to twist it.” </p><ul class="related_links"><li><a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/jews-are-an-indigenous-people-to-israel-says-maori-director-of-indigenous-embassy-jerusalem">Jews are an Indigenous people to Israel, says Maori director of Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem</a></li><li><a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/opinion-indigenous-leaders-call-canadas-anti-israel-joint-statement-hypocritical">Opinion: Indigenous leaders call Canada's anti-Israel joint statement hypocritical</a></li></ul><p><em>Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark <a href="https://nationalpost.com/">nationalpost.com</a> and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, <a href="https://nationalpost.com/newsletters/">here</a>.</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Retired Air Canada captain allegedly piloted over 900 flights using counterfeit licence</title><link>https://nationalpost.com/news/air-canada-pilot-under-investigation-for-flying-without-proper-licence</link><description>A 59-year-old man from Barrie, Ont., has been charged with fraud and forgery and using counterfeit licensing documents</description><dc:creator>Stewart Lewis , Kenn Oliver</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 14:23:45 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:nationalpost.com,2026-06-09:/news/air-canada-pilot-under-investigation-for-flying-without-proper-licence/20260609142345</guid><category>Canada</category><category>News</category><media:thumbnail url="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/adobestock_2015619638_editorial_use_only_303418303-1.jpg"/><dcterms:modified>2026-06-09T20:44:05+00:00</dcterms:modified><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img alt="Retired Air Canada captain Geoffrey Wall has been arrested and charge with fraud and forgery surrounding his licencing documents." data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-license-id="80671505" data-portal-copyright="Darryl Brooks" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/adobestock_2015619638_editorial_use_only_303418303-1.jpg" title="Retired Air Canada captain Geoffrey Wall has been arrested and charge with fraud and forgery surrounding his licencing documents."/><iframe height="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-VqQZZfEVco?rel=0" width="100%"></iframe><p> A retired Air Canada pilot is facing criminal charges in Ontario after allegedly flying more than 900 domestic and international flights without a proper licence. </p><p> The former airline captain from Barrie, Ont., was charged with fraud and forgery and using counterfeit licensing documents, Peel Regional Police announced at a Tuesday press conference. </p><p> The 59-year-old retired from the airline in 2025, before the criminal investigation, after a 27-year career. </p><p> Police said in a press conference on Tuesday that records indicate the pilot had a commercial pilot licence but he was not licensed to operate passenger planes as a captain. </p><p> Between 2009 and 2025, he earned over $2.9 million in salary, <a href="https://www.peelpolice.ca/news-feed/posts/project-icarus-former-air-canada-captain-arrested-for-allegedly-flying-over-900-flights-without-licence-pr260027841/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Peel Police said in an accompanying statement</a> . <del></del> </p><p> Meanwhile, police noted that the pilot held several positions with the Air Canada Pilots Association, including serving as chair of the master executive council, the governing body of the ACPA. </p><p> “The investigation and the details surrounding it read like a movie script,” said Peel Police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich, during a press conference about “Project Icarus” on Tuesday morning. (He was likely referencing the 2002 Steven Spielberg film, Catch Me If You Can, a story about an alleged con artist, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, who posed as a Pan American World Airways pilot (among other things) in the 1960s, and the FBI agent pursuing him, played by Tom Hanks.) </p><p> Investigators with the Peel Fraud Bureau arrested the retired pilot on June 1 after a four-month criminal investigation. It was launched after Transport Canada contacted Peel police with the results of a regulatory review into the pilot’s licensing credentials and conduct. </p><p> Evidence to support the alleged criminal behaviour was obtained through a search of the man’s home and gathered from Air Canada and Transport Canada, say police. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Peel Regional Police will announce the results of Project Icarus, a complex fraud investigation involving a former airline captain who allegedly flew hundreds of flights without the necessary licence. <a href="https://t.co/r43y9M2vAv">https://t.co/r43y9M2vAv</a></p>— Peel Regional Police (@PeelPolice) <a href="https://x.com/PeelPolice/status/2064344261336944778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2026</a></blockquote><p> “We are alleging that, since 2009, (the pilot) had been flying for years, misrepresenting himself and his credentials to his employer and regulatory officials, using fraudulent licensing documents,” said Milinovich on Tuesday. </p><p> “As captain, the accused was considered a ‘pilot in command’ and was ultimately responsible for aircraft operation and safety during flight,” Detective Sergeant Chad Mitchell said during the press conference. <span>And while the man was licensed to fly and was a commercial pilot, Mitchell said, he was not licensed to fly passengers internationally, “you know, on 777s, 767s, 787s, and tens of thousands of passengers.”</span><strong> </strong> </p><p> “The catalyst event” leading to the regulatory and criminal investigations was a routine operational evaluation of the accused’s credentials at Pearson International Airport in March 2025, according to Mitchell. </p><p> “Anomalies were detected within the pilot license documentation he presented,” he said. </p><p> The man is no longer flying for Air Canada, the airline confirmed <a href="https://www.aircanada.com/media/air-canada-comments-on-monetary-penalty-imposed-on-former-pilot-for-incorrect-licence/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">in a statement</a> released on Tuesday. </p><p> It said that while “captains and first officers are trained to operate aircraft, regulations require that captains of large aircraft operated by airlines in Canada hold an airline transport pilot licence (APTL).” </p><p> “ <span>This individual, who had been promoted to captain, lacked the mandatory ATPL for the position,” the airline wrote. “Immediately upon Air Canada’s discovery of this, the individual was removed from active duty, and the company voluntarily reported the matter to Transport Canada.”</span> </p><p> The airline also said flight safety was not compromised” because pilots are required to “undergo mandatory recurrent training every six months to validate their flying competency, including a flight check with a certified Transport Canada check-pilot every 12 months.” </p><p> The pilot has already been fined, according to the <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/canada/former-air-canada-pilot-fined-for-flying-without-the-proper-licence/?_gl=1*btmgnz*_gcl_au*MTI5Njg1ODUyMS4xNzc5NTU4Mzk2*_ga*MTI2MTQyNDYxMS4xNzc5NTU4NDAw*_ga_CNZCQVF8JD*czE3ODEwMjMxNjYkbzU0JGcxJHQxNzgxMDIzMjc3JGo2MCRsMCRoMA.." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Montreal Gazette</a> . On June 6, <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wHxcbMLtMoJD0Wjg9dxAq9MloLXFnHjMrIM8I8l3JQ0/edit?tab=t.0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Transport Canada levelled $67,500</a> in fines for a pilot not having the “appropriate permit, licence or rating” on 18 flights between December 2024 and March 2025. </p><p> National Post has reached out to Transport Canada for confirmation of the offences and fines. </p><p> The criminal investigation included witness interviews, subject matter expert input, and forensic analysis conducted the RCMP’s National Anti-Counterfeiting Bureau in Ottawa, Mitchell said Tuesday, adding that there’s no indication that other people were involved, he added. </p><ul class="related_links"><li><a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/air-canada-to-contest-426k-fine-for-failing-to-refund-or-rebook-flyers-says-notice-is-unfounded-in-law">Air Canada to contest $426K fine for failing to refund or rebook flyers, says notice is 'unfounded in law'</a></li><li><a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/tell-me-again-why-air-canada-must-be-officially-bilingual">Jesse Kline: Tell me again why Air Canada must be officially bilingual</a></li></ul><p><em>Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark <a href="https://www.nationalpost.com" target="_blank">nationalpost.com</a> and sign up for our newsletters <a href="https://nationalpost.com/newsletters/" target="_blank">here</a>.</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Chief Justice Wagner warns against 'attacks' against courts and judges</title><link>https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/chief-justice-wagner-warns-against-attacks-against-court-and-judges</link><description>Wagner also applauded unnamed chief justices who recently spoke out after critical comments from a politician</description><dc:creator>Christopher Nardi</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:39:25 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:nationalpost.com,2026-06-09:/news/politics/chief-justice-wagner-warns-against-attacks-against-court-and-judges/20260609173925</guid><category>Canada</category><category>Canadian Politics</category><category>News</category><media:thumbnail url="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/hcp_politics_06092026_003_303619512.jpg"/><dcterms:modified>2026-06-09T20:24:09+00:00</dcterms:modified><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img alt="Chief Justice of Canada Richard Wagner attends a news conference in Ottawa on June 9, 2026." data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-license-id="80671539" data-portal-copyright="HYUNGCHEOL PARK/Postmedia" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/hcp_politics_06092026_003_303619512.jpg" title="Chief Justice of Canada Richard Wagner attends a news conference in Ottawa on June 9, 2026."/><p> OTTAWA — Chief Justice Richard Wagner warned against “attacks” against the justice system and took issue with criticism painting judges as partisan actors or obstacles to the will of the people. </p><p> During his annual press conference Tuesday, Wagner said that “rhetorical attacks” questioning the legitimacy of courts and judges weakens Canada’s judicial system. He also applauded unnamed chief justices who recently spoke out after critical comments from a politician. </p><p> “What happened in Canada most recently, if you refer to some attacks or attempts to politicize the judiciary, there was a strong reaction of the chief justices in some provinces… there were strong messages given by the chief justices, as that is their responsibility,” Wagner told reporters. </p><p> Though he refused to single out any particular criticism or critic, Wagner’s comments appeared to be thinly-veiled criticism of statements by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. </p><p> In January, the three chief justices of Alberta courts issued a rare public message emphasizing the importance of judicial independence just days after Smith said she wished she could “direct the judges” on her weekly radio show. </p><p> “The judges get very, very prickly when you criticize them, but boy… they deserve the criticism,” Smith told a caller who complained that Justin Bone was out on bail when he allegedly killed two people in Edmonton. </p><p> On Tuesday, Wagner said that criticism and questioning is part of a healthy democracy, but drew the line at what he called attempts to undermine public confidence in the justice system. </p><p> “We have seen judges and courts sometimes portrayed as partisan actors, or described as obstacles to the will of the people,” he noted. “A non-partisan judiciary, sheltered from all politicization, is essential for the rule of law.” </p><p> In April of last year, Ontario’s three chief justices also issued a rare joint statement insisting on the importance of judicial independence in response to fiercely critical comments by Premier Doug Ford. </p><p> At the time, Ford ranted that judges were being soft on crime and called judicial independence a “joke”. </p><p> “The system is broken, and there’s a lot of terrible, terrible bleeding-heart judges out there,” the premier said. </p><p> Wagner said Tuesday that he liked the way the provincial chief justices had responded to date to “attacks” on the judiciary. </p><p> “Chief justices in Canada, in every province, and the chief justice of Canada have a responsibility, not an obligation, but a responsibility to speak out about any attempts on judicial independence, attacks on independence, or the rule of law… or any events that could jeopardize the justice system,” Wagner said. </p><p> During his press conference, Wagner reiterated his concerns about a lack of resources in courts across the country and warned that it is partly to blame for growing court delays. </p><p> But the chief justice declined to comment on the federal government’s decision to reject the recommendation by a quadrennial commission to boost judges’ $429,000 compensation by at least $28,000. Two associations representing judges are currently suing the government over the decision. </p><p> Wagner also cited ongoing litigation when he declined to <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/chief-justice-richard-wagner-dismisses-request-to-recuse-from-emergencies-act-appeal" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">explain his recent, controversial decision</a> not to recuse from the Emergencies Act case currently being considered by his court. </p><p> Last month, Wagner told parties requesting his recusal that his 2022 comments about the Freedom Convoy protests had nothing to do with the issues on appeal. </p><p> In the months following the February 2022 Freedom Convoy protests, Wagner described the events as the “start of anarchy” and said participants took Ottawa residents “hostage.” </p><p> On Tuesday, Wagner also warned about growing use of artificial intelligence by parties, saying the technology is making the law more accessible but comes with considering risk of “hallucinations.” </p><p> “Artificial intelligence is now present in the courtroom in ways both promising and problematic. Just a few years ago, hallucinated legal cases were not something we imagined. Today, they are a part of our reality,” he said. </p><p> Wagner said the chances that fake cases generated by AI are submitted to the Supreme Court is “very low” because cases are “filtered” by the time they arrive at the apex court. </p><p> National Post </p><p> cnardi@postmedia.com </p><p><em>Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark <a href="https://nationalpost.com/">nationalpost.com</a> and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, <a href="https://nationalpost.com/newsletters/">here</a>.</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The terrifying day an Ontario judge and his court was held hostage in a bomb plot that was kept quiet</title><link>https://nationalpost.com/news/the-terrifying-day-an-ontario-judge-and-his-court-was-held-hostage-in-a-bomb-plot-that-was-kept-quiet</link><description>An alarming incident played out in cinematic style with high emotions, heart-pounding terror and a surprise ending when a clever judge and a heroic cop outwitted the inventive villain threatening mass mayhem</description><dc:creator>Adrian Humphreys</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 16:56:45 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:nationalpost.com,2026-06-09:/news/the-terrifying-day-an-ontario-judge-and-his-court-was-held-hostage-in-a-bomb-plot-that-was-kept-quiet/20260609165645</guid><category>Canada</category><category>News</category><media:thumbnail url="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pjt-393-university-ave-6-_303607078.jpg"/><dcterms:modified>2026-06-09T19:59:42+00:00</dcterms:modified><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img alt="The downtown Toronto courthouse where a hostage drama and attempted kidnapping took place." data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-license-id="80671453" data-portal-copyright="Peter J. Thompson/National Post" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pjt-393-university-ave-6-_303607078.jpg" title="The downtown Toronto courthouse where a hostage drama and attempted kidnapping took place."/><p> One of the wildest days in Ontario’s courts has been revealed by a short appeal decision about the day a judge and everyone in his courtroom were held hostage in a terrifying bomb plot that has largely remained a secret. </p><p> The shocking incident played out in cinematic style: twisting drama and high emotions, heart-pounding terror and a surprise happy ending when a clever judge and a heroic cop outwitted the desperate, inventive villain who was threatening mass mayhem. </p><p> Rather than movies and screaming headlines, however, there came only silence. Over the next seven years, the case — called a terrorist incident — quietly tiptoed through court with barely a public mention or disclosing the antagonist’s name. </p><p> After last week’s court hearing for the bomb plotter’s appeal, National Post has unlocked the untold details and can now reveal how the hostage drama and attempted kidnapping unfolded, how it was thwarted, and its continuing aftermath. </p><p> Shortly before 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 16, 2019, Ontario Superior Court Judge Frederick Myers called to order an acrimonious child-support hearing on the ninth floor of a downtown Toronto courthouse. </p><p> “How do we get to the bottom of this and get it settled,” Myers asked the couple who sat before him. The pair had already divorced, and the mother granted sole custody of their daughter, but they disagreed on child support and access. Along with the feuding parents and the judge, there were five court staff in the room. </p><p> “I’m afraid the settlement is not going to be the way you expect it to be,” the 37-year-old father in the case, Serkan Kesgin, replied. </p><p> “I’m leaving with my child from here today. It’s not a laptop. This is an explosive device. You can come check, sir,” he said, motioning to the computer bag he had with him in court, all while the remarkable exchange was being captured by the court’s transcription recorder. </p><p> “No one is leaving this room” he said. “If my heart rate goes below my resting rate, the device will explode. If my heart rate goes up, without my pressing the right button, device goes off. If my orientation changes too quickly without me pressing the button, right combination, device goes off. It’s a dead man’s switch. </p><p> “There is no way to stop this device.” </p><p> Kesgin gave his demands. His daughter was to be put on an airplane to Turkey within two hours. Authorities were to video call him to prove she was on the plane and one hour after she was in the air he was to be taken to the airport with his courtroom hostages and put on a second flight to Turkey, where he was born. </p><p> “Listen, sir,” Myers said, “you have to understand the police are going to be coming… You are holding people hostage in the courthouse? Really? You think this is going to work?” </p><p> “It doesn’t matter, sir,” Kesgin replied. “I died so many times you cannot imagine.” </p><p> Kesgin didn’t know it, but by then Myers had secretly pressed an emergency button under the judge’s bench and had dialled 911 on his phone. His iPhone was connected wirelessly to his hearing aid, and he could hear the emergency dispatcher’s questions and was trying to answer them as if he was speaking to Kesgin. </p><p> Myers said his staff should leave Courtroom 901 at 393 University Ave., a message also meant for the 911 dispatcher. </p><img alt=" “If my heart rate goes below my resting rate, the device will explode,” Serken Kesgin told the courtroom in August 2019." data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-license-id="80671471" data-portal-copyright="Peter J. Thompson/National Post" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pjt-393-university-ave-2_303606932.jpg" title=" “If my heart rate goes below my resting rate, the device will explode,” Serken Kesgin told the courtroom in August 2019."/><p> The man’s former wife, who sat terrified, saw that as her cue and suddenly bolted towards a door behind the judge’s bench and Kesgin chased her, allowing Toronto police court security officers who had arrived to rush in and grab him. </p><p> Myers ducked under his heavy wooden bench and braced for a blast. </p><p> “It’s going to go off,” Kesgin called to the officers. </p><p> “Well, if anybody’s dying, you’re dying too. Let’s go,” an officer can be heard saying as one officer held Kesgin and another pried his laptop bag out of one hand and a controller from the other, according to the officers’ notebooks from that day. </p><p> The court’s reporter later said she and a colleague were “like two chickens running out of the courtroom in a flight.” Staff were terrified and traumatized. Myers made sure he was the last to leave. </p><p> About 50 people from two floors of the courthouse were evacuated as police and fire crews arrived. A bomb sniffing dog searched the building and officers examined Kesgin’s bomb. </p><p> It was a fake, made of Play-Doh modelling clay, wax, wires, a 9-volt battery, circuit boards and a handheld device. Kesgin had also brought duct tape and zip ties, which can be used to restrain people. </p><p> Myers had been right. Kesgin’s bomb plot was not a good legal strategy. He was arrested and charged with possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, intimidating the justice system, hostage taking, attempted kidnapping, and failure to comply with a court order. </p><p> Kesgin’s marriage had lasted barely a year and had dissolved four years before his courthouse drama. </p><p> Long before the hearing, he was struggling with the process. He had already been found in contempt of a restraining order, in breach of child support orders, and threatened with a harassment charge if he didn’t shape up. Despite having a job as a software engineer that paid $150,000 annually, he was $30,000 behind in child support, court records said. </p><p> After his courtroom attack, Kesgin pleaded guilty to the charges in 2021 at a hearing held over Zoom without a single outside observer. He told court he understood there would be immigration ramifications to his guilty plea. “I am prepared to leave the country voluntarily,” he told the judge. </p><p> Judge Bruce Durno heard that Kesgin moved to Canada in 2010 and returned to Turkey after his marriage failed. He came back to Canada in 2018 on a work permit in a bid to regain parental rights. Kesgin presented letters from friends attesting to his intelligence, work ethic and friendly demeanour before his family turmoil. He had no criminal record. </p><p> The prosecutor, Marnie Goldenberg, called Kesgin’s crimes “an act of terrorism.” </p><p> “A free society cannot survive when activists or protestors, no matter how passionately they hold their beliefs, deliberately break the law in an effort to impose their will on others by dangerous and unlawful intimidation,” Goldenberg said. </p><p> She sought a sentence of between eight and 14 years in prison. Kesgin’s lawyer, Coulson Mills, asked for five years. </p><p> “I am frankly astonished how that device made it into the courthouse,” Mills said at one of his client’s hearings. Durno was told the courthouse didn’t have a screening device to detect such things at the time, which might be one reason authorities didn’t mention the incident. By the time Kesgin was sentenced, that had been fixed. </p><p> Mills described his client as “a man who has got many abilities, but unfortunately has been consumed, it appears, by the quest to have some contact with his daughter.” </p><p> At his sentencing hearing, victim impact statements from most of the seven he held hostage told of psychological damage from believing they might be blown to bits at work. </p><p> Mills then warned Durno his client wanted to deliver a two-hour speech. It’s an astonishing length for what is meant to be a simple allocution before sentencing. Most take a few minutes. As court discussed the prospect, Kesgin interjected with complaints of how he is treated in jail, claiming he was discriminated against and singled out for punishment. </p><p> “I have a particularly skeptical nature I guess I can attribute to my profession for the past 20 plus years, in which not only billion-dollar businesses but entire economies (and) human lives that depends on what I do, makes me a bit more cautious about things,” he said, according to a transcript of the hearing. </p><p> He said he had started an online inmate complaint service that automatically forwarded complaints to the Prime Minister, the United Nations and Amnesty International, which makes him a target of prison staff. </p><p> That, however, was not the speech he wished to make. On May 16, 2022, he had more to say. He started by apologizing to his victims. </p><p> “I said such things that make me want to throw my face on the floor and stomp on it. Things that even I find beyond outrageous today,” he said. To Myers, the judge he hijacked, he said: “The heroism you showed that day by ensuring your staff’s safety first and then remaining in ground zero to support the security officers is exemplary. </p><p> “I was a man who has finally giving in to a lifetime of tyranny, a lifetime of discrimination, a lifetime of injustice.” He said he was fearful his daughter would face the same discrimination because “I have made you a visible minority in this intolerant country. And not only a minority either, but the most unwanted kind, the Middle Eastern kind.” </p><p> Durno handed Kesgin a nine-year sentence. </p><p> “These offences have an impact on the administration of justice at large when offenders decide to terrorize a court,” Durno said. He considered the case terrorism, although it wasn’t charged as such, he said. </p><p> Since then, Kesgin has had a difficult time in prison. </p><p> In April 2025, he was denied parole. He appealed the Parole Board of Canada’s decision, and, in October, the parole appeals division also rejected his plea for early release. </p><p> Parole officials had several concerns. The board considered a letter he sent that contained “wide-ranging threats against a wide variety of people and threatened devastating consequences for the Canadian public,” according to parole records. He later said it was not a threat but a “wake-up call.” </p><p> A loud “outburst” from him at his parole hearing brought prison guards rushing to the room, according to parole records. Kesgin later said Turkish men are passionate and “raising our voices when we speak is not necessarily a sign of anger, but passion.” He railed to parole officials about “blatant and merciless discrimination” and blamed his situation on his former wife, incompetent police and mistaken court officials, according to parole records. </p><p> “The Board is satisfied that you are likely, if released, to commit an offence causing death or serious harm to another person before the expiration of your sentence,” the parole board told him. </p><p> Then, on June 2, came his court appeal of his nine-year sentence. Representing himself, Kesgin complained his sentence was disproportionate and his sentencing judge failed to apply the principle of restraint. </p><p> After hearing his arguments, the panel of three judges dismissed his appeal. </p><p> “We are not persuaded that the sentencing judge made any reversible error,” the appeal court said. </p><p> Court previously heard that when Kesgin is released, he will face immigration inadmissibility proceedings because of his convictions. </p><p> <em> • Email: <a href="mailto:ahumphreys@postmedia.com">ahumphreys@postmedia.com</a> | Twitter: <a class="twitter-follow-button" href="https://twitter.com/AD_Humphreys">AD_Humphreys</a></em> </p><ul class="related_links"><li><a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/true-crime/canadian-organizer-of-notorious-cocaine-plot-finally-loses-epic-7-year-fight-to-remain-free">Canadian organizer of notorious cocaine plot finally loses epic 7-year fight to remain free</a></li><li><a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/arsalan-chaudhary-sentenced-toronto-pearson-airport-gold-heist">Ringleader of $22M Toronto airport gold heist gets four years in prison for his spectacularly simple plan</a></li></ul><p><em>Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark <a href="https://www.nationalpost.com" target="_blank">nationalpost.com</a> and sign up for our newsletters <a href="https://nationalpost.com/newsletters/" target="_blank">here</a>.</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Canadians can switch to cheaper phone and internet plans for free starting this week</title><link>https://nationalpost.com/news/canadians-can-switch-to-cheaper-phone-and-internet-plans-for-free-starting-this-week</link><description>Telecommunications providers will no longer be allowed to charge activation, plan-change or cancellation fees from Friday</description><dc:creator>Ellie Hutchings</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 19:56:01 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:nationalpost.com,2026-06-09:/news/canadians-can-switch-to-cheaper-phone-and-internet-plans-for-free-starting-this-week/20260609195601</guid><category>Canada</category><category>News</category><media:thumbnail url="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/adobestock_1789513302_303379417.jpeg"/><dcterms:modified>2026-06-09T19:56:01+00:00</dcterms:modified><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img alt="Canada's telecom services are some of the most expensive in the G7." data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-license-id="80671602" data-portal-copyright="" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/adobestock_1789513302_303379417.jpeg" title="Canada's telecom services are some of the most expensive in the G7."/><p> A new ban on certain fees for phone and internet plans in Canada will come into effect on Friday, making it easier for consumers to switch providers or change plans without incurring extra costs. </p><p> The changes to the Consumer Protections Action Plan were announced by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in March and are intended to make it easier for Canadians to access more affordable telecommunications services. </p><p> According to the new rules, telecommunications providers will no longer be permitted to charge activation, plan-change or cancellation fees for cellphone and internet services. </p><p> The CRTC said activation fees have ranged from roughly $30 to $80, creating a barrier for Canadians looking to take advantage of competitive offers. </p><p> Beginning Friday, Canadians will be able to switch plans or providers without worrying about added fees that could offset potential savings. </p><p> The new measure is a result of changes to the Telecommunications Act that came into force on Oct. 30, 2025, which required the CRTC to put new consumer protection measures in place. </p><p> As part of this work, the CRTC held a public consultation to see how service providers could offer Canadians more ways to make changes to their internet and cellphone plans. The consultation included input from consumers, advocacy groups and telecommunications providers. </p><p> “We are taking action to give Canadians more control over their internet and cellphone services,” CRTC chairperson and CEO Vicky Eatrides said in a news release in March. </p><p> “Today’s decision removes extra fees to activate, change or cancel a plan. This means that consumers can switch to a better deal without having to pay extra just to get the service that works best for them.” </p><p> Canadian internet and cellphone bills are some of the most expensive in the G7. According to 2024 <a href="https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/strategic-policy-sector/en/telecommunications-policy/price-comparisons-wireline-wireless-and-internet-services-canada-and-foreign-jurisdictions-2024">data from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada</a> (ISED), Canadians pay the most out of the seven countries for ‘Level 7’ broadband services (defined as 900+ Mbps download speed) — the highest level available — at an average price of $113.11 per month. </p><p> The data also showed Canadians pay some of the highest mobile wireless rates in the G7, ranking first for Level 2 service (unlimited nationwide talk and text, 5+ GB of data) at $63.80 per month, second for Level 3 (with 20+ GB of data) at $65.40 per month, and third for Level 4 (50+ GB) and 5 (100+ GB) plans. </p><p> More recently, U.K.-based broadband comparison site <a href="https://www.broadband.co.uk/global-broadband-price-league">Broadband Genie</a> found Canada to be the most expensive country in North America for broadband prices, with an average cost of US$55.26 per month (roughly CAD$77). </p><p> That said, ISED’s data also showed that prices for both mobile wireless and broadband services declined across nearly all service tiers between 2020 and 2024. </p><p> And with the elimination of activation, plan-change and cancellation fees, consumers could see additional savings and greater flexibility when shopping for better telecom deals in the years ahead. </p><ul class="related_links"><li><a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadas-wireless-costs-continue-to-be-the-highest-or-among-the-highest-in-the-world-finnish-report">Canada's wireless costs 'continue to be the highest or among the highest in the world': Finnish report</a></li><li><a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/cellphone-bills-lower-telecom-ceos-tell-mps">Telecoms tell MPs mobile plans are getting cheaper despite government policy adding costs</a></li></ul><p><em>Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark <a href="https://www.nationalpost.com" target="_blank">nationalpost.com</a> and sign up for our newsletters <a href="https://nationalpost.com/newsletters/" target="_blank">here</a>.</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>10/3 podcast: Canada's World Cup moment: A look at Alphonso Davies' impact</title><link>https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/10-3-podcast-canadas-world-cup-moment-a-look-at-alphonso-davies-impact</link><description></description><dc:creator>Shawn Knox</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 19:43:12 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:nationalpost.com,2026-06-09:/news/canada/10-3-podcast-canadas-world-cup-moment-a-look-at-alphonso-davies-impact/20260609194312</guid><category>Canada</category><category>News</category><media:thumbnail url="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/alphonso-davies-soccer-world-cup-fifa-team-canada-goal-doha-2022.jpg"/><dcterms:modified>2026-06-09T19:43:12+00:00</dcterms:modified><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img alt="Alphonso Davies of Canada celebrates after scoring their team's first goal with their teammate Richie Laryea (R) during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group F match between Croatia and Canada at Khalifa International Stadium on November 27, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. " data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-license-id="80668980" data-portal-copyright="Stuart Franklin/Getty Images" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nationalpost/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/alphonso-davies-soccer-world-cup-fifa-team-canada-goal-doha-2022.jpg" title="Alphonso Davies of Canada celebrates after scoring their team's first goal with their teammate Richie Laryea (R) during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group F match between Croatia and Canada at Khalifa International Stadium on November 27, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. "/><iframe src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=POME5645306635.mp3"></iframe><p> The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off this week, with games being played in Canada for the first time. </p><p> Canadian soccer star Alphonso Davies, though plagued by injury, remains a key figure in the national program, and will be one to watch in the tournament. </p><p> Journalist Jolene Latimer joins the show to discuss the importance of Canada’s presence at the World Cup, why Davies is so integral to our soccer program, and pulls back the curtain on one of the key figures in the star player’s life. </p><p> <em>Background reading: </em><a href="https://nationalpost.com/feature/alphonso-davies-canadas-best-soccer-player-ever" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alphonso Davies is Canada’s best soccer player ever. And the biggest mystery</a> </p><h3><span>Subscribe to 10/3 on your favourite podcast app</span></h3><p> <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/10-3-canada-covered/id1396040147"><img alt="" class="alignnone wp-image-78227434 size-medium" height="73" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/montrealgazette/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/US_UK_Apple_Podcasts_Listen_Badge_RGB-1.jpg" width="300"/></a> </p><p> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4Gyt3D98PzNUqe8q3DBbIX"><img alt="" class="alignnone wp-image-78227440 size-medium" height="50" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/montrealgazette/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/spotify-podcast-badge-blk-grn-660x160-1-scaled.jpg" width="300"/></a> </p><p> <a href="https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/6bc4760b-29e4-4038-b23b-7a420342c809/10-3-canada-covered"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-78228932" height="76" src="https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/montrealgazette/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/ListenOn_AmazonMusic_button_Indigo_RGB_5X_US.png" width="300"/></a> </p><p><em>Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark <a href="https://nationalpost.com/">nationalpost.com</a> and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, <a href="https://nationalpost.com/newsletters/">here</a>.</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>