Gay Canadian couple sues surrogate mother for refusing to abort baby over cleft lip, minor defects, and opted for home birth

https://thepostmillennial.com/gay-canadian-couple-sues-surrogate-mother-for-refusing-to-abort-baby-over-cleft-lip-minor-defects-and-opted-for-home-birth

A gay Canadian couple are suing the woman who carried their now 2-year-old son for refusing to terminate her pregnancy following a prenatal diagnosis of a treatable cleft lip and a minor heart defect.

According to a lawsuit filed in Ontario Superior Court in May and obtained by the National Post, the couple alleges the surrogate failed to properly communicate information about the pregnancy, violated confidentiality, placed the child at risk through her birth plan, and caused them emotional distress. While the filing does not specify damages, the surrogate said the couple has indicated they are seeking approximately CA$600,000.

"You know I'm a single mom, you know I have a daughter, and you're basically suing me for my house," the woman told the National Post. "I just feel used. They didn't get the perfect child they wanted and they threw me away." The surrogate said she was matched with the couple through Surrogacy in Canada Online after deciding to become a surrogate. The pregnancy was achieved through in vitro fertilization using donor eggs and embryos created with the fathers' sperm.

According to the report, the relationship deteriorated in June 2024 after a 22-week ultrasound found the unborn child had a cleft lip, a possible cleft palate and what was described as a minor heart defect. The couple subsequently demanded that the pregnancy be terminated. "Considering that medical tests indicate that the fetus has, or is likely to have, a genetic, chromosomal or other abnormality or defect… we want to inform you of our wish that the pregnancy be terminated," the letter stated. Continue…

Hamilton man facing over 130 charges of paying for, directing livestreams of child sexual abuse in Philippines

https://www.westernstandard.news/news/hamilton-man-facing-over-130-charges-of-paying-for-directing-livestreams-of-child-sexual-abuse-in-philippines/75024

A Hamilton man has been charged with paying for, orchestrating, and directing child sexual abuse in the Philippines.

Stephan Tolys, 42, has been charged with over 130 counts of a variety of child sexual abuse crimes, according to a statement released Wednesday from the Toronto Police Service (TPS).

Tolys had initially been charged in March 2026 with six counts related to child sexual abuse, but a recent investigation conducted by the TPS and the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre found his history of abuse went far deeper than they had thought.

"Cases like this depend on strong partnerships and information-sharing between agencies around the world. When those partners come together, we can identify offenders, protect children, and hold people accountable,” said Insp. Keri Fernandes of the Toronto Police Sex Crimes Unit on the assistance they received from international partners in this investigation.

The investigation found that Tolys had been sending money to an individual in the Philippines to facilitate the live-streaming of underage sexual abuse material for him. After searching his house, police say they found a "quantity" of child sexual abuse material in Tolys' Hamilton home.

In their statement, TPS says that Tolys operated under an assortment of online personas with some usernames including Tupac10, Steve101, Steve-o, Jumpinjacks666, and Mightymann66.

"Police are concerned there may be more victims and would like to speak with anyone who has been communicating with Tolys utilizing any of the usernames listed above," the statement from TPS reads.

Tolys is set to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice on Friday, July 31, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.

Global Affairs Fired 25 Diplomats Last Year, Including One Who ‘Inappropriately’ Contacted Foreign Government Officials

https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/global-affairs-fired-25-diplomats-last-year-including-one-who-inappropriately-contacted-foreign-government-6061658?ea_src=ca-frontpage&ea_med=section-1

Global Affairs Canada dismissed 25 Canadian diplomats in 2025, including one who was secretly in contact with a foreign government.

The dismissals stemmed from a range of misconduct investigations, including security concerns, unauthorized access to sensitive information, and potentially criminal activity, according to the department’s annual report on misconduct.

Among those dismissed was one who was found to be “in contact inappropriately with foreign government officials,” according to the report, which was first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter.

The report, dated June 25, said that an investigation called the employee’s reliability into question, and their employment was terminated.

Another diplomat dismissed last year had been found “working remotely in a country of concern without authorization.” The country was not named.

The department said it is relying on whistleblowers to report suspicious activities. Continue…

Pentagon Official Says Middle Powers Strategy Is a ‘Distraction’

https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/pentagon-says-middle-powers-strategy-is-a-distraction-6061685?ea_src=ca-frontpage&ea_med=section-1

A high-level official at the U.S. Department of War is dismissing the idea that middle powers can amplify their global influence by banding together, calling the strategy detached from reality.

Under Secretary of War Elbridge Colby issued a comment on the strategy on social media July 14, without pointing the finger at any particular country.

Colby said there has been a “great deal of hubbub” about the strategy recently, while adding that his department is “not concerned that this is a serious possibility.”

“Rather, we are more concerned that a few allies and partners will think it is and waste valuable time, money, and political capital on a distraction,” he wrote.

The comment comes a week after the NATO Summit in Turkey, after which U.S. President Donald Trump said there had been “tremendous unity” between leaders.

However, during the summit, Trump had also criticized the military alliance and reiterated his previous comments that his country needs to control Greenland. Continue…

Tourists Left $40M in Unpaid Medical Bills in Manitoba: Report

https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/tourists-left-40m-in-unpaid-medical-bills-in-manitoba-report-6061713?ea_src=ca-frontpage&ea_med=section-1

Foreign visitors have incurred nearly $40 million in unpaid medical expenses in Manitoba over the past five years, provincial data shows.

A report from SecondStreet.org, based on information from Manitoba’s health authority, indicates that the province has been left with $39.62 million in unpaid medical bills from fiscal 2020-2021 to fiscal 2024-2025.

SecondStreet.org President Colin Craig said the issue of tourists leaving without paying their medical bills is costing taxpayers “millions of dollars while access to health care for Manitobans continues to deteriorate.”

“If the government addressed this problem, it could have millions of dollars to actually help Manitobans,” he said in the report. “For perspective, $40 million could provide almost 3,400 patients with a unilateral hip replacement operation.”

The report outlined the losses for each fiscal year. In the fiscal year 2020-2021, the province’s losses reached $3.8 million, increasing to $8.2 million in 2021-2022, then $4.5 million in 2022-2023, $18.7 million in 2023-2024, and finally $4.5 million in 2024-2025.

The Epoch Times contacted the province’s health authority, Shared Health Manitoba, for comment but did not hear back before publication time. Continue…

Ontario Tourism Minister Promises to Reimburse $16K Spent on Local Hotel Stays

https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/ontario-tourism-minister-promises-to-reimburse-16k-spent-on-local-hotel-stays-6062120?ea_src=ca-frontpage&ea_med=section-1

An Ontario cabinet minister who serves a northern Toronto district has pledged to repay the more than $16,000 he expensed for hotel accommodations in the city.

Tourism Minister Stan Cho, who represents the Willowdale riding in the North York district of Toronto, has submitted bills to the legislature on several occasions since 2023 for city hotel lodgings.

Cho addressed the matter in a brief media statement on July 14.

“While these expenses meet the criteria for special circumstances as set out by the Legislative Guide for Member’s expenses, I will be personally reimbursing the legislature for the amount of the expenses incurred,” he said.

His office has not released a statement to detail the reasons for incurring hotel expenses, but the legislature’s website lists major snowstorms or other extreme weather conditions that paralyze traffic and local transit as an example of valid special circumstances for members living within 50 kilometres of Queen’s Park.

Public expense reports indicate that Cho spent $1,431 on Toronto lodging in 2023-2024, $3,081 the subsequent year, and $11,691 in 2025-2026. The total amounted to $16,203. Continue…

Bank of Canada Holds Interest Rates Steady, Says Outlook for Economic Growth and Inflation Is Positive

https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/bank-of-canada-holds-interest-rates-steady-says-outlook-for-economic-growth-and-inflation-is-positive-6062095?ea_src=ca-frontpage&ea_med=section-1

The Bank of Canada held its interest rate steady at 2.25 percent for a sixth straight meeting, saying that economic growth appears to be recovering and inflation looks set to fall as oil prices decline.

“The data we have received since April have increased our confidence that the economy is indeed working its way through this period of global upheaval,” Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem told reporters on July 15.

Macklem said economic growth seems to have resumed in Canada after stalling over the past year. He said U.S. trade policy has continued to add pressure, but Canadian consumers and businesses have adapted.

Macklem said that the Bank of Canada has been “looking through” the direct effects of higher oil prices due to the war in Iran and their impact on inflation in Canada.

“But the longer they remain elevated, the bigger the risk they spill over to other goods and services. As we have said before, we will not let higher oil prices become persistent inflation,” he said. Continue…

Teen who killed grandmother in random attack still relishes violence despite apology, court hears

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/eleanor-doney-teen-killer-sentencing

During his months in custody since stabbing an 83-year-old woman to death in a frenzy of unprovoked violence outside her Ontario home, the teenager killer was involved in a fight after which he declared he “hasn’t felt this alive” since he committed his murder.

His apparent deficit in remorse while relishing violence was highlighted by Crown prosecutors at his sentencing hearing on Tuesday.

Eleanor Doney, whom many friends and family called Ellie, was raking leaves outside her home in Pickering, just east of Toronto, on May 29, 2025, when she was attacked by a 14-year-old boy dressed in a black shiny trench coat, a black COVID-style mask, black gloves, overly large dress shoes and carrying a briefcase.

Because of his young age, the identity of the killer is protected by law and cannot be published. In April, he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.

In court Tuesday, the boy stood up inside the prisoner’s box and slowly unfolded a sheet of paper he pulled from the dark suit jacket he wore over a white shirt and addressed Justice Lisa Wannamaker.

He apologized to court and said people learn from knowledge.

“I’ve learned from this,” he said, asking that the murder not define who he is. Continue…

Weekend shootings in Toronto have Bradford and Chow talking tough on crime

https://nationalpost.com/news/weekend-shootings-in-toronto-have-bradford-and-chow-talking-tough-on-crime

After a bloody weekend of gunplay that left three dead and several more wounded, the likely ballot question for this fall’s mayoral election was suddenly clear: Do Torontonians feel safe in their city?

Brad Bradford, a city councillor who is challenging prominent incumbent Olivia Chow, sought to emphasize that on Tuesday, telling reporters that police officials were wrong to argue that Toronto is “extremely safe” after the shooting that sent festival-goers running in terror from Salsa on St. Clair.

“We need leadership whether it is at the Toronto police or city hall or any of our agencies that recognize that people don’t feel safe in Toronto and telling them what to think is not the right response,” he told reporters.

Bradford has made crime, safety and livability cornerstones of his campaign for the Oct. 26 election, as Toronto suffers the same post-pandemic social ills as many other Canadian cities.

Without mentioning Chow, Bradford said in a social media post that city hall had “lost touch” with the issue of gun violence, and accused local politicians of saying “crime statistics are down, everything’s fine, this is just the cost of living in a big city.” Continue…

Canada Post handed out $30.8M in management bonuses in 2025 despite $1.57B deficit

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canada-post-handed-out-30-8m-in-bonuses-despite-1-57b-deficit

Canada Post gave out $30.8 million in bonuses to its management employees in 2025, according to disclosure provided to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates.

The Crown corporation’s president and CEO Doug Ettinger conceded in an appearance before the committee on June 18 that it lost $1.57 billion in 2025, but he insisted it was a bad year due to “labour disruptions” of 220 days. And he suggested the “real deficit” was “closer to a billion.” (The $1.57 billion was admitted to in Canada Post’s 2025 annual report.)

Ettinger didn’t mention the $1.03 billion federal government bailout in early 2025. Or another $1.01 billion given to Canada Post by Ottawa in February 2026 as a “short-term financial bridge.”

The situation has drawn criticism from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

“If Canada Post is taking taxpayer-funded bailouts, then there’s no way its managers and executives should be showering themselves with bonuses,” said Franco Terrazzano, the CTF’s federal director in a July 14 statement. Continue…

Canadian who allegedly slapped a girl in 'Trump' sweatpants now in ICE custody, reports say

https://nationalpost.com/news/canadian-slaps-us-teen-in-trump-clothing

A Canadian woman who allegedly slapped a teenager wearing Trump-branded clothing is reportedly in custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to local news sources in New Jersey.

Kaitlyn E. Tracey, 33, a Canadian reportedly married to an American named Matthew Geroni, allegedly recorded herself confronting a group of four teenaged girls on the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk in New Jersey on July 3, according to court documents obtained by NJ.com.

Two of the girls were allegedly wearing sweatpants bearing the words “Trump” and “ICE,” the outlet reported.

A news release from the Point Beach Police Department states that on that evening “officers responded to and began investigating an alleged assault of a female juvenile by an adult female suspect on the boardwalk.”

It continues: “The female suspect began yelling at the female juvenile over patriotic colored sweatpants with political wording. The female suspect was then seen on video striking the juvenile female, once to the body and once to the face, with an open hand. The female suspect then left the scene without being identified.”

Police said they later identified her as Kaitlyn Tracey of Allenhurst, N.J., and that she was charged with simple assault, endangering the welfare of a child, harassment and obstruction. There were no injuries reported. Continue…