ETA Canada Travel Pass News

Those hoping to apply for Canadian citizenship are facing a wait time of up to 25 months, a significant increase from six months a few years ago. Immigration lawyers attribute this primarily to the policies of the Donald Trump administration in the United States and the surge in applications triggered by the federal government’s revision of the Citizenship Act (Bill C-3).Bill C-3, which came into effect last December, removed the first-generation restriction on citizenship by bloodline, making more people with Canadian ancestors eligible to apply for citizenship, resulting in a surge in applications.

Immigration lawyer Richard Kurland stated, “The Trump effect on citizenship certificate applications has led to a significant increase in applications, resulting in a substantial increase in waiting times. What used to take only a few months now takes more than a year or even longer.” According to data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (IRCC) obtained by Kurland through information retrieval applications, there were 58,000 pending citizenship certificate applications at the end of July 2022, with an estimated waiting time of 15 months.

The waiting time was shortened to six months between November 2023 and April 2024, and the Federal Immigration Service also committed to maintaining a processing time of “12 months or less” in a document issued in December 2023.However, the situation subsequently deteriorated sharply. Ottawa immigration lawyer Cedric Marin said that the waiting time has surged from nine to ten months at the beginning of this year to the current 25 months. “I estimate that by the end of the year, the reasonable expected waiting time will reach three years.” Marin pointed out that the federal government is currently prioritizing “more urgent” cases, including applicants who are concerned about being harmed because of their gender identity, and people whose work permits are about to expire and who urgently need citizenship, which has further slowed down the processing of general applications.

Currently, approximately 121,800 applications are being processed, with applicants outside of Canada and the United States potentially experiencing longer processing times. Immigration Department spokesperson Anahita Beladi stated that the department processes applications “fairly and as quickly as possible” and confirms that they are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. However, the estimated waiting time is “not guaranteed” and will be updated monthly based on the number of applications and inventory levels. Kurland warned that if the government does not increase manpower to expedite the processing of the large backlog of applications, “there are serious problems ahead.”

According to CTV, a 13-year-old girl went missing on Saturday while paddleboarding at Cultus Lake in Chilliwack. Local search and rescue teams are continuing their search of the lake. Police reported that they received a missing person report at approximately 1:21 p.m. that day. At the time of the incident, the girl was lying face down on a paddleboard when she was suspected of experiencing a sudden medical emergency and losing control, falling into the lake.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed that the girl was not wearing a life jacket when she fell into the water. Chilliwack Fire Department, BC Emergency Medical Services, and Chilliwack Search and Rescue have responded to the scene to assist in the operation. Police are urging the public to temporarily avoid the Entrance Bay area of Lake Cultus to avoid interfering with the search and rescue operation.

As of press time, the search is still ongoing, and there has been no news of the girl being found. Cultus Lake is a well-known summer resort and camping area in the Greater Vancouver area, and the nearby Cultus Lake Waterpark and Cultus Lake Adventure Park are also popular summer family destinations. However, the waterpark is currently undergoing renovations due to an electrical accident that resulted in multiple injuries and has not yet reopened.

The inaugural Canada Investment Summit will be held in Toronto on September 14 and 15 , co-hosted by Prime Minister Carney and Canada’s two largest pension funds. The summit is expected to attract executives from nearly 100 large investment institutions in 28 countries, collectively managing nearly $120 trillion in assets. Global financial giants gather

Attendees are expected to include Jonathan Gray, president of Blackstone; Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock; and senior executives from major financial institutions such as Berkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan Chase, KKR, PIMCO, and TPG. Representatives from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Qatar Investment Authority, and Singapore’s Temasek are also expected to attend. The summit is expected to have approximately 250 participants, mostly CEOs and senior executives from Canadian and overseas companies. Canada aims to attract $500 billion in investment over five years.

The federal government hopes to attract $500 billion in new private investment over the next five years and accelerate large-scale projects in energy, infrastructure, critical minerals, cutting-edge technologies, aerospace, and defence. Carney, a former central bank governor, has extensive connections in the global financial world, and it’s reported that many guests were personally invited by him. The ongoing restructuring of the global trade order due to US policies and the US-Canada trade friction has led international investors to reconsider their capital allocations, and Canada hopes to seize this opportunity to attract more overseas capital. “Critical 24 Hours” to Win Over Investors

John Graham, CEO of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, described the fact that the world’s largest investor was willing to spend 24 hours meeting with Canadian officials as a rare investment opportunity. The summit will open with a dinner on the evening of September 14, followed by plenary sessions, panel discussions, and closed-door meetings the next day. The organizers will also arrange matchmaking meetings between businesses and investors. Canadian officials are preparing investment brochures to showcase potential opportunities to international capital. Success or failure depends not only on signing the contract on the spot

Some investment agreements may be announced during the summit, but the organizers emphasized that the real goal is not to sign agreements on the spot, but to encourage investors to invest more time and resources in researching the Canadian market after the summit and ultimately establish long-term cooperation.

Currently, Canada’s major pension funds manage approximately CAD 2.6 trillion in assets, but on average only about a quarter are invested in Canada; the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s domestic investment ratio is even lower at only 12%. Many large overseas investors allocate less than 1% of their assets to Canada. Graham argues that, based on Canada’s share of the global capital market, foreign investment in Canada should be two to three times higher than it is now. Whether Canada can absorb the funding will be a test.

Another major issue at the summit was whether Canada already had enough mature, investable projects to attract global funding. The business community believes that, in addition to large-scale infrastructure projects, Canada also needs to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence, new technologies, and innovative enterprises. The organizers hope the summit will serve as a “starting line” for more large-scale projects to be implemented. Graham stated that if Canada wants to demonstrate its ambition to the world, it needs to reduce its excessive conservatism and truly translate the current interest of international investors in Canada into funds and projects.

A Canadian supermarket has recently been exposed for a rather outrageous case of “falsifying beef prices”. An employee working in the meat department of a supermarket took advantage of his access to meat packaging and labels to repackage expensive beef, relabel it as cheaper meat, and even add a “50% OFF” discount, so that he and other employees could buy it at a lower price.

Some grilled meats that originally cost $40 to $50 were sold for only $10.52 after the label was changed; and stewed beef that cost about $20 to $30 was sold as minced beef for only $6.63. Even more outrageous, on one occasion he even put the already paid beef on top of the box, with another four unpaid beef bags underneath, and then simply carried the whole box out of the supermarket.

A Newfoundland court recently found employee Jins Joseph guilty of theft and eight counts of fraud. In his ruling, the judge went even further, describing the whole affair as a “scam” designed to gain financial benefits for himself and others. Premium beef “instantly” becomes cheap ground beef

Joseph was working at a Dominion supermarket in Corner Brook, Newfoundland at the time. After receiving an internal complaint, the supermarket assigned asset protection expert Markus Penney to investigate, and surveillance footage quickly recorded a series of unusual operations. The investigation found that Joseph would repackage higher-priced beef and then label it as lower-priced meat.

One common practice is to label stewed beef as ground beef. Investigators pointed out that stewed beef was significantly more expensive than ground beef, which was already one of the cheapest meats in the restaurant. In this way, simply changing a label can instantly cause the price of beef, which was originally high, to plummet. Joseph not only buys the meat that has been significantly discounted, but sometimes it is also given to other employees to buy. Grilled meat that cost $40-$50 ended up costing only $10.52.

One of the transactions captured by surveillance cameras was particularly outrageous. Joseph took a piece of roast from the supermarket shelf, then cut it up, repackaged it, relabelled it, and handed it to another employee to buy. The final receipt showed that the piece of meat had been mistaken for “ground beef” and sold for only $10.52. However, investigators testified that the normal price for this piece of roast meat should be around $40 to $50.

In another surveillance video, Joseph repackaged and relabelled the stewed beef before buying it himself. This time, the meat, which originally cost about $20 to $30, was once again labelled as “ground beef” and ultimately sold for only $6.63, including a $1.04 discount. Not enough? Let’s have another “50% OFF”!

In addition to labelling expensive beef as cheap beef, investigators also discovered another practice: directly applying 50% off labels. On April 2, 2025, surveillance footage showed Joseph taking a large piece of meat out of the freezer, repackaging it, labelling it, and then attaching a “50% OFF” sign to it. After his supervisor approved the discount, he bought the meat. The receipt shows that the meat was again labelled as “ground beef,” originally priced at $25.98, but after the 50% discount, you only need to pay about half the price.

However, investigators stated that this was not ground beef at all, but a “premium cut” that would normally be cut into steak or grilled meat. More importantly, the meat was still two days away from its optimal consumption date. Investigators stated that since the meat was still fresh, there was no reason to offer a 50% clearance discount. Four rib steaks were repackaged; I only paid for one package.

The surveillance footage also showed Joseph removing the original packaging from four rib steaks, repackaging them into two separate bags, changing the labels, and then taking them to the self-checkout area. He then labelled one of the packages 50% OFF. But in the end, he only paid for this one package. The actions in the other video were even more outrageous. Joseph first took a few jars of seafood sauce, weighed them on the electronic scale in the meat department, and printed the labels. He then proceeded to stick these printed labels onto four bags of ground beef that he had taken from the freezer. The final receipt shows that he bought the beef at half price, even though there was no 50% discount label on the beef packaging. Approximately $100 per week for 27 weeks

As the internal investigation deepened, Joseph was eventually interviewed by Mitchell Rose, the manager in charge of security systems at Dominion. According to Rose’s testimony in court, Joseph admitted in an interview that he had taken goods from stores without paying and had also lowered the price of goods before buying them at an even lower price. Moreover, these actions are not just for themselves, but also involve other people. Investigators said Joseph indicated that the behavior began around November 2024, with the meat involved averaging about $100 per week.

Based on a duration of approximately 27 weeks, investigators estimate that the entire incident caused Corner Brook Dominion a loss of approximately $2,700. Why does he do this? He said it’s because of the short working hours and low wages. Joseph also offered an explanation for his actions. He stated in court that he was born in India and later came to Canada to study. He felt disrespected at work by Dominion because the supermarket did not give him enough shifts and the salary was not high enough.

Joseph also claimed that the supermarket later reduced his working hours in order to “force him to leave.” He even accused the supermarket of other improper meat handling practices, including selling unsaleable meat at low prices to local restaurants and takeout shops, and argued that these practices could pose public health risks.

Joseph stated that he was aware of the numerous hidden cameras in the store and therefore had no intention of deceiving or stealing. He also admitted that some of his actions violated supermarket regulations, but claimed that he had obtained a permit. However, none of these explanations ultimately convinced the judge. Judge: This is a scam. Provincial Court Judge Wayne Gorman believes that the investigators’ testimony, surveillance footage, and shopping receipts combined are sufficient to prove that Joseph was continuously involved in repackaging meat and using false price tags, thereby artificially and significantly reducing the price of meat. The judge also pointed out a key issue: the meat was not expired, intended for disposal, or was not a product the supermarket was clearing out.

Instead, they come from regular shelves and freezers, where they could have been sold at the normal price. Before Joseph changed the price, the meat was not labeled with a discount at the supermarket. Therefore, the judge ruled that this matter was unrelated to “disposing of unsold meat”. The judgment stated: “This was a scam designed to financially benefit Joseph and others by fraudulently lowering the price of the meat purchased.” Ultimately, Joseph was convicted of theft and eight counts of fraud.

According to a CTV News report on August 2, WestJet flight attendants went on strike during the summer travel rush after failing to reach a new contract with the company and union, resulting in the complete grounding of the airline’s flights. Both the Canadian Public Employees Union (CUPE) , representing the employees, and WestJet announced the decision after the strike deadline. Contract negotiations have been taking place in Calgary, where WestJet is headquartered, with the main disagreements between the two sides including issues such as wages and compensation for ground work.

WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said: “We are disappointed with the current situation, which directly impacts travellers, employees, and the communities and businesses we serve.” He added, “We still hope to continue negotiations with the union. We proposed a contract that would make WestJet the only company in Canada to pay for all pre- and post-flight time for its crew, with a double-digit pay rise in the first year. Unfortunately, it was not accepted.”Regarding the union, Alia Hussain, president of Chapter 8125, stated in a media briefing that WestJet’s latest offer was still insufficient.

She said, “We are striking because we believe we deserve better treatment. We are ready to return to the negotiating table to resolve the issue and hope the federal government will not interfere and let the negotiations proceed naturally. Unpaid work is one of our key concerns, but we are negotiating a comprehensive contract.” “If the company had taken our concerns seriously during the nearly 11 months of negotiations, we wouldn’t be where we are today.” Hours after the strike took effect, WestJet released details of its latest plan.

The plan includes what the company calls a comprehensive salary increase, with wages rising by 13% starting in October and retroactive payments for the difference made up to January 1. In addition, it includes a new duty allowance, equivalent to a 12% pay rise. The plan also includes an immediate 13% increase in daily meal allowance, a $300 annual health expenditure account, additional vacation time, and 17 weeks of maternity leave. The plan also includes measures to improve working hours and quality of life, such as reducing maximum working days, providing extra rest time at home and in other locations, and providing additional compensation for task adjustments or hotel delays.

To prevent passengers and crew from being stranded, WestJet had already begun grounding and cancelling flights before the strike. Besides wages, compensation for ground workers is also a major obstacle in the negotiations. Less than a year ago, the same issue triggered a strike by 10,000 Air Canada cabin crew. In Calgary, negotiators spent almost the entire day in hotel conference rooms discussing new contracts. One of the key focuses of attention is whether the federal government, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, will intervene. Last August, after Air Canada flight attendants went on strike over “unpaid work,” Federal Employment Minister Patty Hajdu asked the Federal Labour Council to order employees to return to work. The union refused to comply with the order, forcing Air Canada to renegotiate, and the two sides eventually reached a provisional agreement. This move set an industry precedent and served as a wake-up call for airline executives across the country.

Employment Minister Hajdu responded swiftly to the strike, expressing regret in a social media statement that no agreement could be reached to avoid disrupting traffic. She reiterated that the most productive agreements are reached at the negotiating table, but did not disclose whether the government would intervene. Even a brief suspension of operations would cost WestJet millions of Canadian dollars during the summer peak season. The company operates more than 600 flights daily, sometimes carrying over 70,000 passengers.

The Canadian Public Employees Union has recently intensified its public relations campaign, launching “Day of Action” rallies in multiple locations across the country on July 14. Ads supporting flight attendants’ demands are ubiquitous on podcasts, TikTok, and other social media platforms. WestJet currently uses a “points-based” pay system, which integrates flight time, ground duties, delays, and other labor into a higher hourly wage, calculated on a full-day basis. The company website states that the hourly wage ranges from $28.88 to $53.61. Based on 80 points-based hours per month (full-time standard), the annual income is approximately $27,700 to $51,500. Many airlines have adopted similar pay structures.

In 2022, Delta Air Lines pioneered the reform, becoming the first airline in North America to pay separate wages for ground work. American Airlines and Alaska Airlines subsequently followed suit, paying 50% of the normal hourly wage for boarding duties. In February of this year, Air Canada secured a 70% hourly wage for ground work performed one hour before boarding (i.e., a “boarding allowance”). In August 2025, Ottawa launched an investigation into unpaid work in the airline industry. At that time, Air Canada and the cabin crew union had broken down in negotiations, leading to a strike that grounded flights and forced employees to take to the strike line.

At the heart of the strike is the union’s accusation that flight attendants often work without pay while aircraft are parked. In response, the Employment Minister has asked his department to investigate whether any employees in the aviation industry are earning below the federal minimum wage. The initial findings of the investigation, released in February of this year, showed that no widespread unpaid work was found in the industry, but investigators recommended further attention to part-time and junior flight attendants. In May of this year, Canada’s major flight attendants union criticized the pay information that airlines submitted to the government, saying that it had a narrow and misleading definition of “jobs.” In a letter, the head of the union’s aviation department pointed out that the pay data submitted by the airline this month used an overly narrow, or even “misleading,” definition of the job to prove that the crew received fair compensation.

Over the weekend, the Bradley Creek wildfire at the northern end of Okanagan Lake in British Columbia rapidly spiralled out of control, with the burned area increasing from about 10 square kilometres to about 26 square kilometres, forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes. On Saturday afternoon, the fire triggered multiple mandatory evacuation orders, affecting the Okanagan Indian Reservation, the town of Spallumcheen, and the Splatsin First Nation. Provincial wildfire operations manager Cliff Chapman stated at a press conference on Sunday that over 5,000 people had been evacuated in the past 24 hours.

Chapman stated that the current burning situation is unprecedented, with the speed and intensity of the fire’s spread never seen before in the province. Around midnight Sunday, evacuation alerts were issued for 15 properties in Armstrong; alerts were also issued for approximately 217 properties in the Columbia-Shuswape Region (CSRD), affecting about 500 people. Further south of Lake Okanagan, the Quilpituk Creek wildfire discovered on Saturday also triggered an evacuation order in the Central Okanagan Region (RDCO), covering the area from north of Nahun to south of La Casa. By Sunday afternoon, the order had been extended to all properties south of the Okanagan Indian Reservation 1 to north of Nahun, affecting approximately 81 properties, with residents instructed to evacuate south along the west side road.

The provincial wildfire service reported 31 new wildfires in the past 24 hours, nine of which have been extinguished. Data from the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Response shows that as of 9:00 AM Sunday, 42 evacuation orders covered approximately 4,000 properties, and 40 alerts covered approximately 4,500 properties, a significant increase compared to Saturday’s figures.

A wildfire in Wait Creek in East Kootenay threatens nearly 1,000 homes, prompting evacuations of approximately 972 residences, including several campsites, in the Tata Creek, Vasa Lake, and Lech Lake areas. Emergency teams began tactical evacuations on Saturday, directing residents to a support centre at Parkland High School in Cranbrook. The largest fire in the province is currently the Pear Lake wildfire, part of the Big Bar fire zone, covering an area of approximately 1,039 square kilometres. Within this fire zone, the French Bar Creek wildfire stretches approximately 371 square kilometres, leading to evacuation orders for about 10 properties on the Bonabá Plateau in the Thompson-Nicolas region.

In an update Sunday morning, the provincial wildfire service said that the intensity of the fires would decrease compared to the previous day as temperatures dropped, humidity increased, and winds weakened, but stressed that local vegetation was still severely affected by drought and could be easily ignited and fuelled once the weather cleared.

Have you ever thought that only a small fraction of the fraud cases happening around you are actually reported? According to data from the Canadian Fraud Centre (CAFC), Canadians lost more than $704 million CAD to fraud in 2025, and cumulative reported losses have exceeded $2.4 billion CAD since 2022. However, the CAFC emphasizes that this represents only a small fraction of actual damages, as only 5% to 10% of actual fraud cases are reported.

In other words, this figure of over 700 million is just the tip of the iceberg. Most victims, out of shame, not knowing where to complain, or simply unaware that they have been scammed, silently swallow their losses. If you think “fraud is far removed from my life,” this article might change your mind. The truth behind the prevalence of scams: the hidden dangers behind the data

Let’s look at the specific figures for 2024. The CAFC recorded a total of CAD 643.7 million in reported losses that year, almost four times that of 2020. The top three types of scams causing the greatest financial losses were: investment scams (accounting for 49% of total losses in 2024, reaching CAD 313 million), romance scams, and job scams. In terms of the number of cases, identity theft was the most prevalent, with 9,683 reported throughout the year.

These figures have one thing in common: they were not caused by technological vulnerabilities, but rather by exploiting human vulnerabilities—trust, fear, greed, and loneliness. Victims are not randomly distributed.

According to publicly available data compiled by Discreet Investigations, Canadians aged 60 and over, although making up only 23% of the total population, account for 40% of all fraud losses nationwide, with an average loss of $21,604 per elderly victim. Why are older people more likely to be targeted? One reason is that retirement savings are often their largest asset, making them a prime target for scammers. Another reason is that many older people are unfamiliar with online verification methods and are more easily overwhelmed by the perceived authority of “official calls.” If you have parents or elderly relatives living alone in Canada, this 40% figure is worth taking seriously. In May 2018, a Chinese man in Vancouver fell victim to an elaborate scam and lost CAD 340,000.

It all started with a phone call “from the Chinese Consulate.” The caller claimed she was involved in international money laundering and sent her a forged arrest warrant with her driver’s license photo. In a state of extreme fear, she was instructed to wire funds to Hong Kong in instalments over two weeks through four banks—TD Bank, Royal Bank (RBC), BMO, and Bank of China. The largest single transfer was a staggering CAD 178,000, and the first transfer via RBC was CAD 60,000.

The key detail is that the scammers also taught her to lie to the tellers at each bank, claiming it was a normal transfer to a “business partner”. After the money was transferred, the bank’s response was: no liability. The reason given was that the customer authorized the transfer and signed the wire transfer agreement but failed to truthfully disclose the purpose of the funds. Under the current account opening agreement and wire transfer agreement framework, banks typically do not assume liability for transactions actively authorized by the customer.

This case was later reported by CBC Go Public, sparking widespread discussion. Consumer advocates and criminologists pointed out that banks should be the “last line of defence” in protecting customers—they have a responsibility to conduct thorough questioning when wire transfers are unusually large or when customers exhibit signs of coercion. However, in actual litigation, banks often successfully defend themselves by arguing against liability clauses signed by customers. The same batch of reports also mentioned another case: a Canadian retiree whose transactions were clearly suspicious were processed by the bank, resulting in the loss of over CAD 800,000.

In addition, dozens of other customers had their funds intercepted during routine e-transfers, with the banks uniformly stating that the responsibility lay with the customers and no compensation would be offered. These three cases point to the same reality: within the existing legal agreement system of banks, victims who voluntarily remit money are often the ones who have the most difficulty in protecting their rights.

Once you understand the risks, there are four specific things you can do right now. First: If you receive a call from an “authoritative organization” requesting a transfer, hang up immediately. Consulates, the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency), police, and banks—none of these organizations will proactively call you asking for urgent money transfers, let alone threaten your arrest. If you receive such a call, do not make any decisions while emotionally charged.

Hang up, find the official number of the organization yourself, and call to verify. Second: Tell the truth to bank tellers, always tell the truth. This is crucial from a legal perspective. One of the standard tactics of scammers is to teach you to lie to the bank teller—for example, “This is a transfer to a friend” or “This is a business payment.” Once you sign the wire transfer agreement and state the false purpose, the bank has a complete alibi, making your path to protecting your rights extremely difficult.

If you feel confused or scared when making a transfer at the bank, please tell the teller your concerns directly. Third: Protect your account password and use two-factor authentication. When reviewing bank fraud cases, OBSI focuses on verifying how the account was accessed and whether the transactions correctly used a PIN or two-factor authentication (2FA). Never give your PIN to anyone, including callers claiming to be from bank customer service. Fourth: Verify the platform’s qualifications before investing. Investment scams accounted for 49% of total fraud losses in Canada in 2024, making it the most devastating single type of fraud. Any online investment platform or cryptocurrency project claiming “stable, high returns” must be verified by the official Canadian securities regulator before any investment decision is made. After being scammed: Legal framework and rights protection process

If losses have already occurred, the first step is to calmly understand the legal reality. Regarding liability allocation, the Canadian banking system distinguishes between two scenarios. The first is unauthorized transactions—account breaches, stolen card transactions, or losses occurring even after the account has been reported lost. In these cases, consumers are usually compensated, but must prove they did not intentionally disclose their PIN.

The second is transactions authorized by the consumer—i.e., cases where the consumer actively transfers money after being scammed. According to the terms of most account opening agreements and wire transfer agreements, the customer bears full responsibility for transactions authorized by themselves, and the bank typically does not compensate. Furthermore, it’s crucial to clarify one point regarding the CDIC (Canadian Deposit Insurance Corporation): the CDIC absolutely does not cover losses caused by fraud, theft, or cybercrime.

The CDIC is a free, automatic insurance policy that protects deposits in the event of a member bank’s bankruptcy, with a maximum payout of $100,000 CAD per deposit class. The CDIC has absolutely no responsibility for money lost to fraud. If you believe the bank was negligent in handling your case, here is the standard four-step process for protecting your rights: Step 1: File a complaint with the bank branch. Compile all transfer records, communication records, and police reports, and contact a bank representative or branch manager to formally file a complaint. Banks typically have a 1-2 level complaint escalation mechanism. Step 2: Request a final written response from the bank.

Under federal regulations, federally regulated banks have a mandatory 56-day period from the date you file your written complaint to process it and provide a final written response (Source: OBSI Complaints Process). Step 3: Upgrade to OBSI (Bank Services and Investments Ombudsman). If the bank does not provide a response within 56 days, or if you are dissatisfied with the bank’s final reply, you must submit an application to OBSI within 180 days (6 months) of receiving the final response. OBSI will review your case free of charge and independently.

If the bank is found to be at fault, OBSI may recommend compensation of up to CAD 350,000. However, please note that OBSI’s recommendations are not legally binding. Step 4: File a lawsuit in court. If OBSI mediation fails, or the bank refuses to enforce OBSI’s compensation recommendations, you still retain the right to pursue legal action—using OBSI services will not disqualify you from suing. For more information on the OBSI complaint process, please visit the official OBSI complaint page. For guidance on federal-level bank complaints, please refer to the Bank Complaints Guide on Canada.ca. Your vigilance is the strongest defence.

The risk of fraud objectively exists, and the law offers extremely limited protection to victims who voluntarily send money. CDIC doesn’t care about the money lost, and OBSI’s advice is not enforceable—consumers who complete the entire process may still not get a penny back. This isn’t defending banks, but rather saying that under the existing legal framework, prevention is far more important than seeking redress. In any “emergency” situation involving requests for money transfers, a second’s extra hesitation could save you a lifetime of savings.

A Chinese supermarket in Canada has recently been severely punished by regulatory authorities for repeatedly violating food hygiene regulations. It has been fined a total of CAD 8,100 within a year and its food business license has been suspended, temporarily prohibiting it from continuing to operate. Three violations in one year, all due to hygiene issues.

According to MTL Blog, the supermarket in question is Marché C&T, located in Boulevard Laurentien, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Montreal. Currently, the store is on the local regulatory list of stores with suspended food business licenses and cannot resume operations until it completes rectification and passes a re-inspection. According to food safety penalty records published by Quebec’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ), this supermarket has been penalized three times in the past year for the same issue—failing to maintain food processing facilities, equipment and utensils that meet Quebec’s hygiene and cleanliness standards.

The specific penalties are as follows: The violation occurred on March 21, 2025, and a ruling was made on February 16, 2026, imposing a fine of CAD 1,600.

The violation occurred on May 7, 2025, and a ruling was made on December 2, 2025, imposing a fine of CAD 3,000.

The violation occurred on September 16, 2025, and a ruling was made on April 15, 2026, imposing a fine of CAD 3,500.

In just one year, a total of $8,100 in fines were levied, and all three incidents were due to the same repeated hygiene issues. Under Quebec’s Food Products Act, if a regulatory authority deems a food business to pose a “high risk”—meaning the business has failed to effectively control food safety risks and inspectors have repeatedly found similar problems—it has the authority to suspend its food business license. Marché C&T was suspended from business for this reason. Another store operated by the same person was also fined.

MAPAQ records also show that another store owned by Québec Inc. (9259-7269), the company that operates Marché C&T, located on Taschereau Boulevard in Brossard, also received a fine. However, this violation was unrelated to hygiene or environmental conditions. Regulatory authorities discovered that the store was selling unpackaged live bivalve shellfish (such as oysters and mussels) without labelling the harvest zone and harvest date as required.

This information is crucial for tracing the origin of shellfish products and is mandatory labelling by law. The violation occurred on October 16, 2025, was adjudicated on February 9, 2026, resulting in a fine of CAD 500, and was officially announced on February 17, 2026.However, the Brossard store was not suspended because the violation was unrelated to the hygiene issues that led to the closure of the Montreal store. It is understood that Marché C&T currently has four stores in Quebec and is a well-known Chinese supermarket chain in the area. The food business license was suspended only for the Montreal store in question, not the entire chain. After being suspended from business, can it resume operations?

It is worth noting that the suspension of the food business license is not a permanent closure. Businesses must first complete the necessary rectifications to address the issues that led to their designation as “higher risk,” and then undergo a second inspection by MAPAQ. They can only resume operations after regulatory authorities confirm that the store has met food safety standards.

Therefore, the fact that a supermarket has been fined or even suspended from business does not mean that food safety risks still exist after it resumes operations. In fact, the store will only be allowed to reopen once MAPAQ confirms that all issues have been rectified and the store passes subsequent inspections. In other words, suspending business operations is a temporary measure taken by regulatory authorities to protect public food safety; resuming business operations means that the relevant food safety risks have been resolved.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Saskatchewan, Canada, reported 12 fatal traffic accidents in the province between July 10 and 21, resulting in 17 deaths. Police confirmed that half of the accidents involved alcohol or drugs. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Traffic Services Inspector Lee Knelson pointed out that July is not yet over, but the accident numbers have already exceeded those of the same period last year. In the past two months, fatal collisions on Saskatchewan’s highways have surged by 77% compared to June and July of last year.

At the same time, fatalities caused by drunk driving or drug driving are also on the rise. Investigations show that 52% of fatal car accidents in the province in the first half of this year were related to alcohol or drugs, a 35% increase compared to the same period last year.

Nielsen stated that people used to think drunk driving mostly happened late at night, but this is not the case; traffic enforcement officers can stop intoxicated drivers throughout the day. Bonny Stevenson’s 17-year-old son, Quinn, was killed by a drunk driver during a long weekend in 2013. She said she cannot understand why drivers still choose to drive under the influence, urging the public to plan their safe journey home in advance and urging passersby to call 911 immediately if they suspect a driver is acting abnormally.

Last month, the Saskatchewan provincial government announced plans to increase penalties for those who fail roadside breathalyzer tests. Potential measures include immediate license suspension, vehicle impoundment, and new immediate financial penalties, in an effort to deter drunk driving before tragedies occur. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) emphasizes that the four leading causes of fatal car crashes are drunk driving, speeding, distracted driving, and not wearing seatbelts.

With the August long weekend approaching, Lona Gervais, Senior Communications Officer for the CAA Saskatchewan, reminds drivers that traffic will increase significantly, urging them to plan their routes in advance, pay attention to road construction and detour information, and strictly adhere to traffic rules. She particularly emphasizes that drivers are legally required to reduce their speed to 60 km/h when encountering emergency vehicles, construction workers, or towing operations.

Toronto-based Korean travel agency Oz Tour (CEO Hyun-Sook Byun) launched the AI ​​travel assistant ‘Dorothy’ service on its website starting July 20. Oz Tour is the first in the North American Korean travel industry to introduce a conversational AI consultation service based on its own travel products to its website.

Dorothy is an AI consultation service that analyzes travel packages directly planned by Oz Tour to recommend products tailored to the customer’s age, physical condition, and travel companions. For trips with parents, it prioritizes products with comfortable mobility and minimal physical strain, while for family trips with children, it recommends packages with flexible itineraries. If further consultation is required, it connects the user to phone, KakaoTalk, or email consultation.

While traditional travel consultations were primarily conducted by visiting an office during business hours or over the phone, Dorothy is designed to allow users to receive conversational advice without restrictions on time or location. Busy professionals and Korean senior customers can also access travel information at their preferred time.

The service name ‘Dorothy’ is derived from the name of the protagonist in the novel ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ Oz Tour explained that the name embodies the meaning of accompanying customers on their journey from start to finish, making it a joyful and happy experience.

Dorothy supports several languages, including Korean, as well as Canada’s official languages ​​English and French, and can be used 24 hours a day in the homepage chat window without signing up.

Byun Hyun-sook, CEO of Oz Tour, stated, “Many customers, regardless of whether they are Korean or non-Korean, are inquiring about travel information even outside of business hours. We developed the ‘Dorothy Service’ so that we can provide consultations to customers whenever and wherever they feel comfortable making inquiries.” She added, “In line with our direction as a travel agency that always puts customers first, we will continue to expand our services to help customers prepare for their trips more easily and comfortably.”

Dorothy can be used immediately on the Oz Tour website without the registration process.