Court of Appeal decision considered if the purchaser's parent company, which is incorporated in China but whose shareholders are permanent residents of Canada, should be considered a foreign entity.

Saskatchewan Finance Minister Jim Reiter, right, speaks to members of the media, with deputy finance minister Max Hendricks, prior to the release Saskatchewan Provincial Budget in Regina on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards

Saskatchewan’s government says it will ride a strong economy to a projected razor-thin surplus in this year’s budget.

But it says turbulent headwinds of tariffs could, in the worst-case scenario, blow a billion-dollar hole in the spending plan.

Finance Minister Jim Reiter tabled the 2025-26 budget.

It projects a $12-million surplus this fiscal year on spending of $21 billion, with even larger surpluses expected in the years to follow.

However, the budget doesn't set aside money to offset potential massive losses, as Canada fights an ongoing trade war with the United States and faces one with China starting this week.

Health and education spending will stay at current levels while the budget banks on benefiting from a rising population, growing oil and uranium revenues, and stabilized markets for potash.

More Coming.

A St. John's-based tech company has launched what it says could revolutionize its core mission through artificial intelligence, and is getting a big financial boost from the oil companies behind the Hibernia and Hebron oil projects.

The London region's largest hospital is seeing more young people being admitted to hospital for mental health care as suicide attempts, self harm and drug use increases, particularly among young teenage girls.

As spring begins, Gatineau is implementing tight new restrictions on when residents can use sprinklers to water their lawns. City council adopted the changes Tuesday evening as part of a provincewide effort to reduce potable water use by 20 per cent.

The first Saskatchewan budget under Finance Minister Jim Reiter projects a $12.1-million surplus, but does not factor in tariffs.

Doug Ford’s entire campaign was based on a promise he would save us from Trump.

Who will save us from Ford?

When US President Ronald Reagan and UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher brought in their policies of tax cuts, deregulation and privatization, they promised prosperity for all. The theory being that wealth would eventually trickle down to all. Completely discredited, trickle-down economics failed dismally and never delivered prosperity as promised. 

Tax cuts, cutting red tape (deregulation) and privatization were repackaged as “The common-sense revolution” by  former premier Mike Harris who promised “all boats will be lifted by the rising tide.” Again, promising prosperity for all. Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is not the first to undermine government saying “everything is broken.” Harris famously said “We are not the government; we are here to fix government” Conservatives are again presenting the common-sense policies of tax cuts, cutting red tape and privatization as an irrefutable, indisputable fact, that will bring back prosperity.      

Trump is currently bragging about his “common sense revolution” and Poilievre’s campaign promise of “common sense” to “bring it home” is of great concern. 

Harris’s common-sense cuts were the start of our collapsing healthcare and education systems. He started as well the $7 billion a year in hydro subsidies that Ford is   using to hide and protect Harris’ failed hydro deregulation scheme.

The fact is, Ford is pursuing “common sense” policies and legislation more aggressively than Mike Harris did. 

Ford’s record has clearly shown he is fundamentally opposed to properly funding publicly provided services. Ford has deliberately cut and underfunded public services to create a crisis, so he can present privatization as the solution. 

It is no mystery, why Ford was 100 per cent happy Trump was elected. Authoritarian Ford has installed loyalists in every government tribunal and agency. Ninety-seven per cent of dispute decisions by the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) have been decided in favor of developers. 

It is now just about a virtual certainty the OLT will rule in favor of developers. The chair of the OLT is a Ford loyalist. Six of the nine senior chairs at Tribunals Ontario have either donated money to, served as a high-ranking staffer for or ran for political office as Conservatives. It is the same at tribunals like the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and the Landlord and Tenant Board. Both have reduced and restricted accessibility while huge backlogs grow and cases are dismissed by these loyalists without even notifying complainants. These loyalists are given the power to make final decisions affecting everyday people in Ontario. Do not expect a fair hearing, in Ford’s Ontario. 

In addition to installing loyalists, like Trump, Ford is deliberately dismantling democracy in Ontario. Ford has continuously used his legislation to change laws and regulations to the benefit of corporate Ontario. Very disturbing is Ford’s elimination of environmental regulations.  

Ford’s quest for authoritarian power is shown by his concentration of power in the Premier’s office, by severely reducing parliamentary scrutiny with omnibus legislation, reduced time allocation, invoking closure allowing the government to conclude debate and force a vote on any matter. 

Tax cuts are the primary policy pillar of Conservatives everywhere. According to the latest figures, since 1980 the corporate tax rate has been cut by more than 50 per cent. This has caused the tax burden to be shifted directly on to the shoulders of working people. As corporate tax rates were cut, tax payers have had to make up the difference. In 2015-2016, for every dollar that corporations paid in tax, the Canadian public paid $3.50. Since then, the gap has steadily grown. 

Practitioners of the big lie, the Conservative think tank The Fraser institute keeps telling the same tax cut lie over and over until it is accepted as the truth. Claims that tax cuts will lead to more growth, more investment, job creation and prosperity are patently false. Last year The Fraser Institute claimed that, Premier Mike Harris’s tax cuts brought in a period of prosperity is again false. In fact, Conservative “common sense’ policies have only ever ended up transferring public wealth to the wealthy.

As we have seen, only the luxury liners rise and we all sink in their wake. 

What is the answer to our problems? (1) bring back a progressive tax system. It is long past Time to reverse tax cuts on the wealthy and their corporations, to pay their fair share.  Forget the public private partnership P3 nonsense. That is just prettied up privatization.    

(2) Public investment and Crown corporations is how we got out of the economic crisis of two world wars and the Great depression and that is the answer to what we need now.

Ford and now Poilievre have promised to save us from Trump. Poilievre in particular keeps on promising “common sense” will bring it home” and bring back prosperity.                

Trump’s “common-sense revolution” should set off alarm bells  for everyone.

There is a federal election soon. Hammer your local MP and MPP with the question. What are you doing to stop Conservative “common sense” policies and act in the public interest?

The post Who will save us from Conservative ‘common sense?’ appeared first on rabble.ca.

A vehicle fire in a north London parking lot that saw a Tesla engulfed in flames on Monday night is being investigated as suspicious, London Police announced Wednesday afternoon.

Subscribe now

A Minto man accused of possessing child pornography is expected to enter a plea to the charge in a couple of weeks’ time after court heard Tuesday he now has a defence lawyer.

Tommie McGinley, 33, of Bridge Street, appeared in Fredericton provincial court Tuesday to answer to a summary count of possessing child pornography, alleged to have occurred May 22 in Minto.

Judge Pierre Gionet noted the case had previously been adjourned to give the accused time to apply for legal aid.

Duty counsel Josh Pozzolo said that application was approved, and legal-aid staff lawyer Edward Derrah had since been assigned as his counsel.

Read more

A community group dedicated to military history posted a photo of Gaston Pettigrew outlining a special request: 100 cards for the veteran's 100th birthday.

It's been 16 days since Tony Humby's trial was scheduled to start, and it's still unclear when the first witnesses will be called. The latest delay comes after a trio of applications filed by the Crown and defence.

The post ‘Lapsed liberals have come back to the party’: Shachi Kurl on the Liberals’ polling resurgence and Trump’s impact on Canadian politics appeared first on The Hub.

The Trump administration has suspended approximately $175 million US in federal funding for the University of Pennsylvania over the participation of a transgender athlete in its swimming program, the White House said Wednesday.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is promising new consequences for oil and gas operators who fail to pay their municipal taxes, as delinquent companies continue to fall behind on payments.

Star forward and leading scorer for the Duke Blue Devils. Freshman of the year. A conference title and a top two seed in March Madness. Yes, those accomplishments could describe Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. But they also belong to Toronto's Toby Fournier.

Westminster United in suburban Whitby, Ont., is a congregation that isn’t afraid to experiment.

They always say “let’s try that,” says lead minister Rev. Michelle Robinson. “They have an openness of heart that guides how the church operates.”

Even though the congregation welcomes new ideas, its commitment to inclusion is a constant.

“Our inclusivity is a huge draw,” says Robinson, who has been at Westminster since 2012. “People see our Pride flag and our Pride bench and it brings them in to worship, because they are looking for an inclusive community for themselves and their children.”

Members of Westminster United see its Affirming status as a key factor in the church’s growth, rising from 356 registered participants (members and adherents) in 2022 to 408 in 2024. With an average of 150-160 people attending each worship service, 41 children in its Sunday school and eight teenagers in the confirmation class, Westminster is an increasingly important pillar in the community.

Robinson also suspects that it’s “a search for meaning and connection” that is drawing a constant stream of new people to a place “that is not afraid to take risks and has an openness of heart.”

Want to join the Broadview community and make sure you don’t miss a story? Sign up for one of our newsletters.

In addition to its outreach programs — which include a weekly food bank that serves over 70 families and winter wear and Christmas Hamper initiatives — Westminster United actively supports the 2SLGBTQ+ community. It has created an Affirming Places of Worship group and participated in Pride events.

For Kristen Walsh, who, along with her spouse and two children, began worshipping online before attending in-person services this past September, the family’s church experience has brought them closer together. Although Walsh was not raised in the church, her husband came from a United Church background, which sparked her curiosity about the church experience. “Everything fit,” she shared in an interview. “It’s an Affirming and progressive church and the sermons resonate and are meaningful. Each Sunday after worship, she says her family reflects on what they experienced together.

Board chair Ava Tomlinson describes Westminster as family. “[Rev.] Michelle shares wonderful messages about how we are to take our faith outside into the world.” Past chair Margaret Suepaul shares this sentiment, saying, “it’s always been home and we have great leadership that is very transparent, so politics within the congregation is kept to a minimum.”

Longtime member Larry Laycock credits a history of strong leadership as a key to Westminster’s success, as well as a courteous congregational culture.

More on Broadview:

• This Saskatoon church’s big gamble paid off
• ‘By any metrics you choose,’ this northern B.C. congregation is thriving
• Want to switch your church to heat pumps? Here’s where to start

“Like any church, we have varied opinions on different issues, but all opinions are respected and given respect,” he says.

While Westminster’s Pride flag and bench attract new congregants, they have also drawn hostility — especially in the era of Trump. Robinson says that the church has received phone calls and emails attacking their pro-2SLGBTQ+ stance, and that these negative responses have only grown over the past year. Unfortunately, Westminster is not the only Affirming church facing this challenge, and it reflects a concerning trend in an increasingly polarized and hostile world.

“In times like ours, gathering together to worship, to light candles and pass the peace to people that you don’t know is huge. We are catching a glimpse of something that’s more true than the current chaos we are living in,” says Robinson.

***

Rev. Christopher White is a United Church minister in Hamilton.

Thanks for reading!

Did you know Broadview is the only media organization in Canada dedicated to covering progressive Christian news and views?

We are also a registered charity and rely on subscriptions and tax-deductible donations to keep our trustworthy, independent and award-winning journalism alive.

Please help us continue to share stories that open minds, inspire meaningful action and foster a world of compassion. Don’t wait. We can’t do it without you.

Here are some ways you can support us:

• Donate 
• Subscribe 
• Give a Gift Subscription

Thank you so very much for your generous support! Together, we can make a difference.

Jocelyn Bell, Editor/Publisher, CEO and Trisha Elliott, Executive Director

The post ‘Our inclusivity is a huge draw’: Behind one congregation’s success appeared first on Broadview Magazine.