ETA Canada Travel Pass News

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has begun construction to install waist-high steel barrier fences for the first time at TMU (Toronto Metropolitan University) station to enhance subway platform safety. This pilot project, which is scheduled for completion by the end of September, is intended to reduce falls and trespassing, but political differences regarding its effectiveness and budgetary appropriateness have emerged since the installation began.

Toronto City Councillor Josh Matlow expressed scepticism regarding the budget allocation for the fence installation, noting that it offers little more than psychological reassurance and fails to effectively prevent falls or entry onto the tracks. Former mayoral candidate Brad Bradford also pointed out that fences with empty spaces are unlikely to serve as a safety measure to prevent accidents and delays. They proposed the introduction of fully enclosed platform screen doors (PEDs) linked to the subway car doors as an alternative. According to a city report, fully enclosed screen doors cost approximately $50 million per station and entail significant operational burdens, such as line suspensions or platform closures during construction. In contrast, the barrier fences being pursued as a pilot project, which include AI-based track intrusion detection technology, can be implemented quickly at a cost of around $2 million per station.

Mayor Olivia Chow Emphasizes Financial Conditions… Simultaneous Pursuit of AI Track Detection Technology. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow made it clear that she chose practical measures that can be executed using the city’s own budget. This is because introducing fully enclosed screen doors citywide requires financial support from the Ontario and federal governments. TTC CEO Mandeep Lari explained that, based on his experience operating the New York subway, the company is introducing a method to identify potential track intrusions in advance by applying AI-based detection algorithms along with the installation of fences. According to TTC data, 199 unauthorized track intrusions occurred in the first four months of this year alone, resulting in over 1,300 minutes of train delays. Given ongoing concerns regarding passenger safety, such as the push-and-run incident at Bloor Station in 2022, prompt action is required.

The decades of pages recorded by the Korea Times Canada (Publisher Kim Myung-kyu) will be permanently preserved and passed down through the library of the prestigious University of Toronto. To mark the 55th anniversary of its founding, this newspaper signed an ‘ Agreement on Digitization and Archiving of The Hankook Ilbo Print Edition ‘ with the University of Toronto’s East Asian Library (Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library, Director Kim Ha-na) on the 5th of last month.

This agreement is a historic milestone that goes beyond the mere preservation of newspapers , signifying that the entire history of Korean immigration to Canada (Korean-Canadian History) has been recognized as an official historical source .Given the vast scale of the collection stored in the archives of the University of Toronto’s East Asian Library, ranging from the inaugural issue of a daily newspaper, this project is being pursued as a multi – year initiative requiring a continuous budget and specialized personnel.

Nevertheless, the University of Toronto Library has embarked on this pre-emptive construction to preserve the historical value of the history of Korean immigration. Kim Ha-na, Director of the East Asian Library, stated, “Although it is difficult to digitize the entire volume at once with the current budget, the very act of starting the work and completing it step by step is highly valuable,” adding, “We plan to fully open the completed materials to anyone around the world so that they can be freely accessed through the Internet Archive. ”From faded paper newspapers to ‘ searchable digital assets ‘ Through this project, all pages from the first issue of the daily newspaper on June 1, 1981, which adopted a six- day-a-week daily newspaper format, to the present are scanned in high definition and constructed into a ‘ text- searchable database ‘ through Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology.

This newspaper sowed its first seeds in 1971 by delivering weekly news from Toronto in its Chicago edition, followed by the founding of the weekly magazine ‘ Canada News’ on April 25, 1975, and was reborn as an independent daily newspaper in 1981 with the introduction of a rotary press. This project is significant in that it restores the growth trajectory of the Korean media that has developed over the past 55 years. Once the project is completed, anyone, including researchers and students, will be able to check and utilize in real-time the 55- year history of Korea – Canada relations, including the formation of the Bloor Korean Town in the early 1970s, the lives and business footprints of the first generation of immigrants, and the establishment of diplomatic relations, simply by searching keywords.

Beyond the history of minority immigration, as a key historical document of Canadian multiculturalism The year Canada became the first country in the world to adopt ‘ multiculturalism ‘ as a national policy and the year this newspaper published its first issue were both 1971. The reason the University of Toronto Library focused on this archiving is that the pages of the Hankook Ilbo serve as the most complete primary source testifying to the process of East Asian minority communities settling and interacting with mainstream society.

An official from the University of Toronto Library assessed, ” The 55- year archive of the Hankook Ilbo recorded in Korean is an irreplaceable treasure trove for the study of the history of the formation of Canada’s multicultural society and an outstanding historical source demonstrating the public role of ethnic media. ” The Legacy of the First Generation, Passed On to Future Generations of the Next 50 Years The greatest significance of this agreement is that it has fully connected the legacy, imbued with the blood and sweat of first- generation immigrants, to the second and third generations and the local mainstream society. As the records of early Korean pioneers, which were in danger of being forgotten due to language barriers and generational shifts, have been digitized, a path has been opened for the next generation of Koreans to academically explore their roots at any time.

Through this agreement, this newspaper plans to go beyond being a mere media outlet and be reborn as the ” central axis of the archive of Korean history in Canada. ” The 55- year legacy accumulated in the print newspaper will now come alive on digital platforms as a vast knowledge asset that inspires future generations and mainstream society.

Another drowning incident has occurred at Cultus Lake, a popular campground near Vancouver , marking the second fatality in less than two weeks. The Upper Fraser Valley RCMP reported that around 1:10 p.m. on August 20, Chilliwack RCMP received a report of a man missing in the waters near Entrance Bay. He had previously rowed an inflatable boat in the lake. Police and multiple emergency services immediately arrived at the scene to search, and a diving rescue team was also deployed.

An air ambulance helicopter was also put on standby, ready to fly to the scene after rescuing the person. Police asked the public to avoid the area around the entrance bay, whether on land or water, so that emergency responders could safely conduct search and rescue operations. At 2:11 p.m., the man was pulled from the water and CPR was performed on him on the shore, but he was pronounced dead shortly afterward. The case has been transferred to the BC Coroner Service. Chilliwack RCMP thanked the Lake Calters Fire Department and the Chilliwack Search and Rescue Team for their assistance.

Spokesperson Carmen Kiener stated that no one wants such a tragedy to occur during water recreation and offered her condolences to the deceased’s family and friends. On August 8, a 13-year-old girl also fell into the water while paddleboarding on Lake Cultus due to a sudden illness and died because she was not wearing a life jacket.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are warning the public about potential hazards at Lake Cultus. Some sections of the lake have very steep underwater drops, which could cause swimmers to quickly enter areas of depth exceeding their own height; the lower water temperature can cause fatigue and reduce swimming ability; and strong winds can quickly form, blowing swimmers and boaters away from the shore. Earlier, an electrical leak at the nearby Cultus Lake Waterpark injured several people and is still under repair.

Another black bear has invaded and injured a person on residential property in Greater Vancouver. A woman encountered a black bear on the back balcony of her home in Anmore on Monday afternoon (17th). Both she and her dog were injured in the incident. The woman received treatment and is not in life-threatening condition.

The BC Conservation Officer Service released details of the incident on Thursday (20th), stating that conservation officers responded to a report on Monday afternoon. A preliminary investigation confirmed that the owner and their dog were on the back balcony of their residence when they encountered the black bear. By the time the conservation officers arrived, the bear had already left. Conservation officials are currently closely monitoring the situation in the area and have stated that they will take appropriate action as needed. This is the second incident in the Greater Vancouver area in eight days involving a resident being attacked and injured by a black bear on their property.

On the 9th of this month, an aggressive black bear broke into the backyard of a house in Maple Ridge and seriously injured a 3-year-old girl. Police officers who arrived at the scene fired shots to drive the bear away, and it was ultimately confirmed that it was shot and killed. The girl suffered head, neck, and back injuries and was covered in blood. She was airlifted to BC Children’s Hospital for treatment and underwent surgery that day; her life is not in danger. Authorities are urging residents to report any sightings of wild bears by calling 1-877-952-7277.

Vancouver ‘s new home starts in July fell 42% year-over-year, a stark contrast to other major cities across the country. Data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) shows that Toronto saw a 10% decline in the same period, while Montreal saw a 3% increase. Mike Drummond, CEO of the Urban Development Institute, said this is the worst housing market downturn in 30 years, truly impacting ordinary working-class families.

He believes the sharp drop in new housing starts in Vancouver indicates that the cost of building new homes has become too high. According to the CMHC definition, residential construction starts are counted from the time the concrete foundation is poured. Tania Bourassa-Ochoa, the agency’s deputy chief economist, stated that with fewer new projects starting in markets such as Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto, construction starts are likely to remain under pressure in the coming months.

She also pointed out that a large number of residential buildings under construction will continue to increase the housing supply. The decrease in new projects in the short term mainly reflects the continued difficulties in bringing housing to market. Drummond called for action to reduce construction costs and tax burdens. He estimated that the cost of building a similar structure in 2015 was about half of what it would be today, necessitating a reduction in housing-related taxes. He also mentioned that Canada’s ban on foreign buyers will expire in 2027 and suggested the Australian model as a reference. Under this model, foreign buyers can purchase newly built homes but not existing ones, in order to prevent inflated resale prices. Andy Yan, director of the Urban Program at Simon Fraser University, believes that the latest CMHC data highlights the persistent affordability issue.

Yan’s calculations revealed that approximately 70% of Vancouver’s completed but unsold apartments are priced over 1 million Canadian dollars. He stated that the existing housing stock is not commensurate with the affordability levels of local incomes. In response to Drummond’s demand to reduce construction costs, Yan pointed out that each housing unit requires approximately CAD 107,000 in infrastructure support, including roads, sewage, and water supply, and who will bear this cost remains a key issue. He also stated that Canada needs to be cautious and require more data to support its adoption of Australia’s foreign buyer policies. Simply allowing foreign capital into the residential market was one of the reasons Canada previously faced a housing crisis.

Living in Canada , almost everyone has experienced this: your cell phone suddenly rings, and the screen displays a number you’ve never seen before. Sometimes it’s a local area code like 416, 647, 604, 778, or 289, and sometimes it’s from the United States or even Europe. When you answer, no one speaks; if you don’t answer, it rings once and then hangs up; you just blocked a number, and soon another one calls. Recently, there has been a noticeable increase in similar calls from unknown numbers across Canada. On Reddit’s r/askTO community, a user said that he had received more than 40 spam calls in a week starting from Monday, including 11 by noon on just one day. “We stop one, then replace them; we can’t stop them all.”

What’s even more puzzling is that some of the incoming calls are very similar to my phone number, sometimes only the last few digits are different, making them seem like they’re from someone nearby. However, the fact that the caller ID shows a local number does not mean that the call actually came from the local area. Scammers and automated dialling systems can use caller ID spoofing to make the phone number appear as a Canadian area code such as 416, 604, 647, or 778, or even deliberately disguise it as a number very similar to yours. Therefore, manually blocking each and every unknown caller is often not the most effective solution when faced with a constant stream of calls from strangers. If you are also frequently harassed by these kinds of phone calls in Canada, you can try the following methods. First tip: Don’t rush to answer unfamiliar numbers, and definitely don’t call back casually.

The simplest method is often the most effective step.

If you don’t have an important call waiting for you, you can put the number into voicemail first. When people actually need help from hospitals, schools, banks, repairmen, or other organizations, they usually leave their information or contact you again. Especially for calls that ring only once and then hang up, don’t call back out of curiosity. Some spam and scam calls are made by using automated dialling systems to test phone numbers in batches, looking for numbers that can be reached and that are in use. Therefore, it is not necessary to verify every number you do not recognize. At the same time, do not assume that the other party is trustworthy just because the screen displays familiar local area codes such as 604, 778, 416, 647. The second trick: Turn on the built-in unknown caller filter on your phone.

Many people already have anti-harassment features on their phones, but they just haven’t turned them on. iPhones can use features such as silencing unknown calls. Once enabled, unfamiliar numbers that don’t appear in your contacts or recent contact history can be muted and transferred to voicemail, preventing them from interrupting you every time. This method is very effective for a large number of automated dialling calls. However, the drawbacks are also obvious: normal calls from hospitals, schools, delivery companies, repair companies, etc., may use phone numbers that you haven’t saved. If you are waiting for a call from a doctor, school, or other important institution, you should be a little more cautious. Android and Google Pixel

Some Android phones also offer spam call identification and filtering features. Google Pixel’s Call Screen feature is more proactive. When an unknown number calls, the system can first ask who the caller is and why they are calling, and then decide whether to answer based on their response. For automated dialling robots, this step alone can block a significant number of calls, while real doctors, repairmen, or other human callers can still explain their purpose. Therefore, if you receive a lot of calls from unknown numbers, first check your phone’s “Phone” or “Incoming Calls” settings; there may already be free tools available. Third tip: Check if your mobile carrier offers a free anti-harassment feature.

In addition to the phones themselves, Canadian carriers also offer various forms of spam call filtering. Among them, the Call Controls provided by Telus and Koodo are quite practical . Once enabled, some first-time callers to your number will need to listen to system prompts and press specific numbers before the call can be connected. For a real person, this process only takes a few seconds; but many automated dialling bots cannot complete this step and are therefore blocked. If you receive a large number of bot calls every day, this method is often much more effective than constantly blocking the numbers. Rogers and Fido offer features to identify spam and scam calls.

Some suspicious numbers may be marked as “Likely Spam” or “Likely Fraud” when they call, reminding users to be cautious when answering. Operators such as Bell and Virgin Plus also have different forms of network-level spam and scam call filtering mechanisms. Therefore, if you suddenly start receiving a lot of calls from unknown numbers every day, you can first log into your carrier account or check your phone settings to see if there is a free anti-harassment service that you can activate.

Fourth strategy: If that still doesn’t work, then consider a third-party app.

If the features provided by your phone and carrier are still insufficient, you can also consider third-party call filtering tools. For example, Truecaller, Call Control, RoboKiller, and Nomorobo all offer varying degrees of spam call identification, automatic blocking, or call filtering capabilities. These types of apps typically rely on a database of phone numbers and user reports to determine whether a number is suspicious. However, it’s not true that the more third-party apps you install, the better. Some features require a paid subscription, and some caller ID software may request permissions related to the address book, contacts, or phone numbers. Before installation, it’s best to carefully review the pricing and privacy policy. For most people, a simpler order is: First, enable the phone’s built-in filters → then enable the carrier’s free services → if that’s still not enough, then consider third-party apps.

Be especially wary if the other party claims to be from a bank, CRA, or police. The most troublesome thing about spam calls is not just the harassment. Some calls go further and impersonate agencies such as banks, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), police, courier companies, telecommunications companies, and even the Canada Border Services Agency. At this point, no matter how “legitimate” the caller ID looks, do not believe the other party’s identity based solely on the phone number.

You should be especially wary if the other party asks you to provide your bank account, online banking password, SMS verification code, SIN, or requests to transfer money, purchase gift cards, or transfer cryptocurrency. The safest way is not to continue verifying with the other party over the phone, but to hang up, find the phone number published on the organization’s official website, and then call back to confirm. The same applies to banks. Even if the caller ID shows your bank’s phone number, it doesn’t completely prove the call actually came from your bank, as the caller ID could also be spoofed. Don’t block them one by one; the key is to prevent bots from calling.

Many people’s first reaction to spam calls is to keep adding the number to their blacklist. This might be acceptable for a few numbers occasionally, but if you receive seven, eight, or even a dozen different numbers in a day, it’s not very meaningful to keep blocking them one by one. Because automated dialling systems can constantly change numbers, and scammers can also forge numbers that don’t belong to them at all. The truly effective method is to make the most of the automatic filtering mechanisms provided by mobile phones and carriers, so that a large number of robocalls are blocked before they actually ring your phone.

So, if you’ve recently started receiving frequent calls from unknown numbers, remember a few principles: Don’t rush to answer or call back unfamiliar numbers; local area codes don’t guarantee safety; use your phone’s filtering function first, then use your carrier’s anti-harassment feature; when dealing with sensitive identities such as banks, CRAs, or police, hang up and verify through official channels yourself. While doing these things may not completely eliminate spam calls, it will at least significantly reduce the number of unknown numbers ringing every day and greatly decrease the risk of falling into a phone scam trap.

Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc flew to Washington again at 12:15 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday (20th) to meet with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, along with Chief Trade Negotiator Janice Charette, to continue final negotiations on a trade agreement to avoid a new round of tariffs.

LeBlanc returned to Ottawa on Wednesday (19th) to brief Prime Minister Mark Carney on the progress of negotiations and attend a virtual cabinet meeting and a virtual meeting with the premiers of the provinces. US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday (18th) a three-day postponement of the proposed 50% tariffs on various Canadian goods, with the new deadline set for 12:01 AM Eastern Time on Saturday (22nd). A source familiar with the matter told the Canadian Press that tariff reductions on steel and aluminium are part of the agreement, but could not disclose the specific adjustments.

Some premiers are optimistic about the progress of the negotiations. Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston expressed optimism about the agreement and revealed that Carney has asked provinces to put American liquor back on the shelves. Other premiers said they are still waiting for more details of the agreement and have not made any specific comments.

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.