NEWS BLITZZ!

First of 2026!! Canada News....

Hello everyone, good afternoon, and welcome.

I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year. I know I did, my jeans are too tight, my face is a little bloated, and at this point I’m not entirely sure what day it is. But here we are, the holidays are over, and it’s time to get things fully back into gear with news and updates.

My New Year’s resolution is to grow this page even further and keep working toward making this my full-time job. I can’t wait to take you along for another year. So, let’s go.

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Ukraine–Russia: Peace Talks Back in Focus

We’ll start with Ukraine.

Prime Minister Mark Carney will be in Paris on January 5 and 6, where he will meet with other world leaders as part of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing.” The discussions will focus on next steps toward ending the war launched by Vladimir Putin and Russia, and on how to achieve a durable, lasting peace.

These renewed “peace talks” have been pushed back into the spotlight after Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week, shortly after Prime Minister Carney also met with Zelenskyy.

In a news release, Carney’s office said:

“Through the Coalition of the Willing and other partnerships, Canada is working to strengthen Ukraine’s defence capabilities, secure the return of unlawfully deported Ukrainian children, and support long-term recovery and prosperity for the Ukrainian people. Together with our allies and partners, Canada will continue to deter Russian aggression and defend peace and security.”

Canada remains one of Ukraine’s strongest international supporters, a position that continues to spark debate at home, and one I’ll keep covering closely.

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CEO Pay vs. Workers: The Numbers Are Staggering

Have you ever wondered how the pay of Canada’s top CEOs compares to your own?

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) released a new report tracking compensation for the 100 highest-paid CEOs in Canada, and the findings are eye-opening.

By 9:23 a.m. on January 2, 2025, those top 100 CEOs had already earned what the average Canadian worker earns in an entire year.

Some key findings:

• Since 2020, CEO pay has increased by 49%

• Worker wages have increased by just 15% over the same period

• The average Canadian worker earns about $65,548

• The average CEO earns $16.2 million annually, roughly 248 times more

At the same time:

• Beef prices are up 39%

• Chicken is up 27%

• Bacon is up 29%

• Pasta is up 47%

• Rent is up 26%

• Home ownership costs are up 29%

• Utilities are up 23%

This report puts hard numbers to something many Canadians already feel: wages simply are not keeping up with the cost of living.

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Return to Office: Ontario and Alberta Public Servants

If you’re a provincial public servant in Ontario or Alberta, major workplace changes are coming.

• As of January 5, Ontario provincial employees will be required to work in-office five days a week

• Alberta’s public service will return to the office five days a week starting in February

The federal government has not yet confirmed whether federal public servants will face similar requirements. Prime Minister Carney said last month that a clearer plan would “soon come into sharper view.”

This is another story I’ll continue to track.

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Alberta Separation Petitions: Clearing Up the Confusion

I recently published an article about the citizen-initiated petition led by the Alberta Prosperity Project, which is now collecting signatures in hopes of triggering a referendum on Alberta separating from Canada.

Many of you wrote to me asking:

• Why this question is allowed to proceed when a similar one was struck down by the courts

• And how it can exist alongside the already-approved Forever Canadian petition

Here’s the key clarification.

The Forever Canadian question, which has already collected the required number of signatures, asks:

“Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?”

The Alberta Prosperity Project question asks:

“Do you agree that the Province of Alberta should cease to be part of Canada to become an independent state?”

These questions are substantially the same in subject, but very different legally.

If the Forever Canadian question were to fail (which is extremely unlikely), it would not require the province to do anything at all. It has no constitutional effect and is largely symbolic.

The Alberta Prosperity Project question is different. If a clear majority voted yes, the province would be legally required to enter negotiations with the federal government and other provinces under Supreme Court precedent. That would not make Alberta independent automatically, and the process could take years, but it would trigger a formal constitutional process.

It’s also important to note that the courts originally struck down the Alberta Prosperity Project question for violating Canada’s Constitution and failing to account for treaty land. Then Danielle Smith government passed legislation allowing the province to override that court decision, enabling the question to proceed to signature collection anyway.

Even if either petition meets the signature threshold, neither is guaranteed to go to a referendum. That final decision rests with the Alberta government. And it would be impossible for both questions to appear on the same ballot, as doing so would confuse voters and violate election rules.

I hope that clears things up.

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New Immigration Rules Take Effect

Finally, major immigration changes took effect on January 1.

Canada is significantly reducing immigration levels:

• 380,000 new permanent residents in 2026, down from over 483,000 in 2024

• Priority will shift toward economic immigrants, including skilled workers

• Temporary residents will be reduced to less than 5% of the population by 2027

• Only 230,000 temporary foreign workers will be admitted in 2026 (down from 367,750 in 2025)

• International student permits will drop to 155,000 in 2026, down from over 650,000 in 2023, with further reductions planned

These changes will have major implications for housing, labour markets, and post-secondary education, and I’ll be breaking those impacts down in future pieces.

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Thank You for Being Here

Thank you so much for reading, for sharing, and for supporting my work.

This page, and this kind of independent Canadian journalism, does not exist without you. To kick off the new year, I’m offering 50% off paid Substack subscriptions for a limited time. My goal is to make this work my full-time, and yearly paid subscriptions are what make that possible.

If you’d prefer, one-time donations can also be sent via e-transfer to:
coleachielbennett@gmail.com

Thank you for being here, for trusting my reporting, and for being part of independent Canadian news and journalism.