WATCH: First Nations chiefs demand public inquiry into Ontario’s wildfire response

https://www.westernstandard.news/news/watch-first-nations-chiefs-demand-public-inquiry-into-ontarios-wildfire-pesponse/75241

First Nations chiefs in Northern Ontario are demanding a public inquiry and accountability at the Ministry of Natural Resources, claiming the province failed to provide timely warnings and support as wildfires devastated communities.

At a news conference in Thunder Bay on Tuesday, Gull Bay First Nation Chief Wilfred King called for an independent investigation into systemic response issues. Multiple leaders reported receiving minimal or last-minute communication as fires rapidly intensified.

Namaygoosisagagun First Nation Chief Helen Paavola said her community had to self-evacuate in small boats, with homes ultimately destroyed. Whitewater Lake First Nation Chief Pauline Drake described notifications arriving too late to prepare adequately.

King stated that neither Premier Doug Ford nor senior ministers had reached out directly, despite ongoing evacuation orders for his community.

Liberal MPP Adil Shamji escalated the criticism in a letter to Premier Ford, arguing the government’s response falls short of past commitments.

Shamji referenced Ford’s 2021 pledge to “spare no penny” for Northern wildfires and cited firefighter concerns over budget instability and alleged shortfalls exceeding $100 million. He also highlighted retention challenges for water-bomber crews due to below-market compensation.

“Crisis doesn’t build character — it reveals it,” Shamji wrote.

He added that Ford “have always boasted that you return phone calls, but First Nations communities are discovering you won’t return theirs when they need it most,” calling on the premier to meet indigenous leaders directly and eliminate jurisdictional barriers.

In a statement from Dave Bradley, Press Secretary and Senior Communications Advisor to the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ford government rejected claims of underfunding.. Officials said the base allocation for emergency firefighting has doubled from $70 million to $150 million since 2018, enabling immediate contracts.

They pointed to a $650 million investment expanding the air fleet with six new waterbombers and five helicopters, the addition of over 170 permanent fire personnel since 2024, and increased pay for frontline staff and pilots.

The ministry said crews are collaborating with indigenous partners on values protection systems in affected communities such as Armstrong, Whitesand, and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nations.

Year-round preparedness planning continues, and the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre coordinates evacuations with Indigenous Services Canada. Air purifiers, scrubbers, and filters have been deployed, alongside support from Ontario Corps partners for food and supplies.

“Any claim that our government has cut funding for forest firefighting is absolutely false,” the statement said.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says Canada can 'dismantle the US if we wanted to'

https://thepostmillennial.com/ontario-premier-doug-ford-says-canada-can-dismantle-the-us-if-we-wanted-to

Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned that Canada could seriously hurt the United States economically if provinces and the federal government unite against President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Speaking ahead of a first ministers’ meeting in Charlottetown, Ford said Canada has spent too much time responding to decisions from Washington instead of taking a more aggressive approach.

“We are an energy powerhouse. We could dismantle the US if we wanted to, if we all worked together,” Ford said. “They need to feel the pain.” Continue…

Toronto man charged with terrorism following anti-Israel protests: police

https://nationalpost.com/news/toronto-man-terrorism-charges

The Toronto Police Service, in partnership with the RCMP, has charged a Toronto man with a terrorism offence following an investigation into alleged conduct at demonstrations in downtown Toronto, and allegedly acting “for the benefit of, and in association with, Hamas.”

Police allege that on May 25 and Sept. 7, 2024, Ahmad Hassan Hajahmad, 33, attended anti-Israel demonstrations in the area of Bay Street and Front Street West, “where he used amplification devices to make public statements that advocated for the detestation and harm against members of the Israeli and Jewish communities.”

In a press release Wednesday, Toronto Police said that on Monday the Attorney General of Ontario and the Government of Canada provided consent to proceed with the charge before the court.

The following morning, Hajahmad, of Toronto, was arrested and charged with participation in or contributing to the activities of a terrorist group.

He appeared before the Ontario Court of Justice on Tuesday morning. “Due to a court-imposed publication ban, the Toronto Police Service is unable to provide further details related to this investigation,” police said in the release, adding: “The Toronto Police Service thanks the RCMP’s INSET for their support with this investigation.”

INSET stands for Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams, which are led by the RCMP and made up of specially trained members of that group and other law enforcement and national security partners at the federal, provincial and municipal levels. Continue…

Justice Watch: Justice Aamna Afsar allows illegal migrant charged with sex crimes against 12-year-old to keep working

https://www.rebelnews.com/justice_watch_justice_aamna_afsar_allows_illegal_migrant_charged_with_sex_crimes_against_12_year_old_to_keep_working

A British Columbia judge has allowed a Colombian man who illegally returned to Canada after being deported and was later convicted of sexually interfering with a 12-year-old girl to continue working while serving a sentence of house arrest and fighting his removal from the country.

According to reporting on the case in the National Post, Justice Aamna Afsar sentenced the 31-year-old to one year of house arrest followed by one year of curfew after finding him guilty of sexual interference stemming from an incident in Surrey in January 2024.

The girl was the daughter of the man's landlady. The pair had been shovelling snow when they entered a shed to retrieve road salt. The court found the man sexually interfered with the child before she fled and reported the incident.

The man had already been deported from Canada in the summer of 2022 after an unsuccessful refugee claim. Authorities say he later re-entered the country illegally and was living in Surrey without legal status when the offence occurred.

After the incident, he filed a second refugee claim, restoring his status as an asylum claimant while the application is processed. That status also made him eligible for federally funded health coverage available to refugee claimants.

Court records show immigration authorities have been unable to carry out his removal order while both his criminal proceedings and immigration applications remain outstanding. He has also applied for a pre-removal risk assessment, which could prevent his deportation if successful.

The court heard the man has since married a protected person with permanent resident status, and the couple have a two-year-old child. If his refugee claim is unsuccessful, he may still seek to remain in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds based on his family ties.

Despite facing criminal charges, the federal government issued the man a work permit in December 2025. Justice Afsar's sentence allows him to leave his home one day each week to continue working in construction while under house arrest.

Nova Scotia refuses to disclose legal bill for unconstitutional woods ban, watchdog files privacy complaint

https://www.rebelnews.com/nova_scotia_refuses_to_disclose_legal_bill_for_unconstitutional_woods_ban_watchdog_files_privacy_complaint

The Nova Scotia government is refusing to tell taxpayers how much it spent defending its unconstitutional 2025 woods ban in court, prompting the Canadian Taxpayers Federation to challenge the decision.

The CTF says the Nova Scotia Department of Justice rejected a freedom of information request seeking the total legal costs associated with defending the ban, including payments to outside law firm McInnes Cooper. In a May 12, 2026 decision, the department cited solicitor-client privilege and withheld the records.

The taxpayer watchdog argues that while legal advice may be protected, the total amount spent on outside counsel should be public.

"The Houston government racked up legal bills defending this lawsuit, and taxpayers deserve to know what it cost them," said CTF Atlantic Director and General Counsel Devin Drover. "The government hired outside lawyers to defend a ban that a court found violated Nova Scotians' Charter rights, and now it won't even show taxpayers the bill."

The controversy stems from the province's 2025 ban on entering wooded areas, introduced during a period of heightened wildfire risk. On April 17, 2026, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia struck down the ban, ruling the government had acted unreasonably and failed to adequately consider Charter rights.

Despite losing the case, the province has declined to disclose what taxpayers spent defending the measure.

"The government lost in court, and now it's hiding the bill," Drover said. "A total dollar figure isn't legal advice. It's a bill. And taxpayers are the ones who paid it."

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says it will file a complaint with Nova Scotia's Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, seeking an order requiring the government to release the legal cost records.

Ezra Levant: Western Canada is paying for Doug Ford's trade war

https://www.rebelnews.com/ezra_levant_western_canada_is_paying_for_doug_ford_s_trade_war

The pattern is consistent: provinces with the least to lose are setting the tone, while the ones actually paying the tariffs are left absorbing the cost of other premiers' talking points. Continue…

Canada's forests burn as Carney hands out hundreds of millions abroad

https://www.rebelnews.com/canadas_forests_burn_as_carney_hands_out_hundreds_of_millions_abroad

Juno News columnist Sue-Ann Levy joined The Ezra Levant Show to discuss her story focusing on the hundreds of millions of dollars Canada has sent countries around the world, and how that money could have been used at home to prevent devastating forest fires. Continue…

I'm in court today testifying as a witness for Tamara Lich

https://www.rebelnews.com/ezra_levant_testifies_in_ottawa_in_support_of_tamara_lich

Tamara Lich's right to work suddenly vanished after her appearance at the U.S Ambassador's Fourth of July event. Continue…

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LIVE UPDATES: Tamara Lich seeking bail conditions change

https://www.rebelnews.com/live_updates_tamara_lich_in_court_seeking_bail_conditions_change

…Today, more than four years after the Freedom Convoy was ended in March 2022, Tamara's case is still being heard in a courtroom as she applyies to adjust the bail conditions placed on her.

Rebel News boss Ezra Levant is in attendance, where he will be testifying before the court as part of the case. Rebel reporter Alexa Lavoie has also made the trip to the nation's capital for the hearing, where she will be providing live updates.

Follow along below throughout the day for ongoing coverage. Continue…