Federal Government:1)Canada’s new grocery benefit starts today. Here’s what it replaced and what you’ll get; 2)What you need to know about the federal government’s grocery and essentials rebate; 3)Free AI training for every Canadian: here’s what Carney’s new federal strategy means for you; 4)Carney says economic plan ‘settling in’ after Canada’s economy shrinks; 5)Carney says national unity council will study surge in antisemitism 6)Canada’s EI system was built for a 9-to-5 world. Millions of workers no longer live in one; 7)Ottawa endorses plan to move Marineland’s whales to U.S. and Spain
1) Canada’s new grocery benefit starts today. Here’s what it replaced and what you’ll get
Courtesy Barrie360. com
By Logan Miller, June 5, 2026
Eligible Canadians are receiving a one-time federal payment today as the government rolls out the new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, which replaces the old GST/HST credit program.
The federal government estimates roughly 12 million Canadians qualify. If you received the GST/HST credit before, you will likely receive the new benefit automatically.
What’s happening today
Today’s payment is a one-time GST/HST top-up, designed to cover the gap between the old program and the new one. It is based on your 2024 tax return.
The amounts vary depending on household type. Single people with no children can receive up to $267, and single parents with four children can receive up to $717. Couples without children can receive a maximum of $349, while couples with four kids are eligible for the same $717 ceiling as single parents.
To qualify for the top-up, your 2024 income needs to fall below certain thresholds. For a single person with no children, the cap is $56,181. For a single person with four children, it’s $74,201. Couples without children can earn a combined $59,481 and still qualify, while a couple with four children can earn up to a combined $74,201.
When quarterly payments start
The one-time top-up is separate from the ongoing quarterly benefit, which kicks off in July. After that, payments are scheduled for October, January, and April each year. Those amounts will be based on your 2025 tax return.
The annual maximums for the quarterly benefit are higher than the top-up. Single people can receive up to $679 per year, and couples can receive up to $890. Families receive an additional $234 annually for each eligible child under 19.
What to do if you think you qualify
Because the new benefit is tied to the existing GST/HST credit system, most eligible Canadians should not need to apply separately. If you filed your taxes and received the previous credit, the transition should be automatic.
2)What you need to know about the federal government’s grocery and essentials rebate
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Canadian Press Staff, June 5, 2026
The federal government’s new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit will see its first round of quarterly payments go out today.
The benefit was known previously as the GST/HST credit, so people who were eligible for that program likely will receive the new benefit.
Here’s what you need to know about the program:
— The government estimates about 12 million Canadian are eligible.
— Before the quarterly payments of the grocery benefit begin, eligible recipients will receive a one-time GST/HST payment top-up to cover the transition period between the old program and the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit.
One-time GST/HST top-up:
— It is based on your 2024 tax return.
— The government has set maximum income levels to qualify for the top-up. The maximum 2024 income level for a single person with no children is $56,181, and $74,201 for a single person with four children.
— The maximum 2024 income level for the top-up for a married or common law couple with no children is a combined $59,481, while it’s a combined income of $74,201 for a couple with four children.
— The maximum payment for a single person with no kids is $267, while the maximum for a single person with four children is $717.
— The maximum payment for a married or common-law couple with no kids is $349, while the maximum for couples with four kids is $717.
— Eligible Canadians are set to receive their one-time top-up payment on June 5
3)Free AI training for every Canadian: here’s what Carney’s new federal strategy means for you
Source Barrie 360
By Logan Miller, June 4, 2026
AI Plan for Canada
Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled Canada’s long-awaited national AI strategy in Toronto on Thursday, built around a central problem his government says it can no longer ignore. “Globally, Canada ranks near the bottom of countries in AI training, in literacy and trust,” Carney said.
The strategy describes a “major adoption gap” and says closing it “is the foundation on which everything else depends.”
Free training and post-secondary access
A new literacy initiative will offer entry-level AI training to all Canadians at no cost. The government also committed to ensuring “all post-secondary students have access to trusted AI agents.”
“With free and trustworthy AI learning kits, including courses and modules, Canadians will better understand AI, be able to use it safely and confidently, and put it to work in their own lives,” Carney said.
New laws targeting surveillance pricing and deepfakes
Trust is a central theme throughout the strategy. The government is promising new legislation to “ensure interactions with chatbots are safe” and to prevent Canadians’ personal information from being used for surveillance pricing.
Carney also indicated the upcoming privacy bill will include measures targeting deepfakes. Speaking in French, he said legislation on the protection of children and the use of AI will be introduced in the coming weeks.
An additional $50 million will go toward Canada’s AI safety institute. The government also plans to launch a certification program for trustworthy AI and says it will pursue “AI transparency, including capabilities like watermarking of AI-generated content.”
Jobs and a ‘pro-worker’ approach
The strategy promises up to 90,000 AI-related jobs for young people and frames itself as pro-worker rather than pro-replacement.
“This means technology is designed to augment human expertise rather than displace it, helping workers move into higher-value roles while delivering the productivity gains that strengthen Canadian competitiveness,” the strategy says.
Where the money is going
The federal government is committing $500 million to expand the Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative to speed up AI adoption and commercialisation across the country.
A separate $500 million will go toward a new Canadian Tech Growth Fund, which “will provide flexible growth capital and investment support, and enable the federal government, at times, to take equity stakes in the most promising Canadian AI firms.”
The first $200 million in a new public-good AI program will focus on improving health outcomes.
The government will also grow the Canada CIFAR AI Chairs program from 130 to nearly 200 researchers.
Notably, the strategy does not include new money for compute infrastructure. It leans instead on $2 billion in previously announced investments.
Sovereignty and the push away from foreign platforms
The strategy is candid about Canada’s dependence on foreign technology.
“Canadian researchers train models on foreign cloud platforms. Canadian companies store sensitive data in foreign jurisdictions. Government operations rely on infrastructure Canada does not own. And the country’s best AI talent faces constant recruitment pressure from abroad. The risks are not abstract,” it says.
The government says it will address this by “building its key sovereign capabilities domestically whenever possible, while partnering with trusted allies or buying existing market solutions when appropriate.”
An alliance to rival U.S. big tech
Canada is also looking to build international alliances. The government announced it will expand a sovereign technology partnership launched with Germany in February.
Asked directly whether the alliance is meant as an alternative to U.S. big tech, Carney was blunt. “‘Yes’ is the short answer,” he replied.
He pointed to Toronto-based Cohere as evidence Canada is already positioned to lead, noting the country is one of only a few with a homegrown large language model. “That’s part of a broader AI ecosystem that we can build alliances around,” Carney said.
“A coalition of aligned democracies, who pool research, talent, compute, and procurement power, would offer a credible alternative to the dominant market actors that increasingly define the global AI landscape. Canada is uniquely positioned to lead such an alliance,” the strategy document states.
*With files from Hannah Alberga and CP
4)Carney says economic plan ‘settling in’ after Canada’s economy shrinks
Courtesy Barrie360.com
By David Baxter and Craig Lord, June 2, 2026
Prime Minister Mark Carney says the government’s plan to build up the economy is “settling in” as work continues on getting major projects built and expanding non-U.S. trade relationships.
In his first public comments on the state of the economy since Statistics Canada reported two consecutive quarters of economic decline last week, Carney said the numbers show signs of “weakness.”
When asked by a reporter Tuesday morning whether he thought Canada was in a recession, Carney did not answer directly.
Carney said on his way into a cabinet meeting that cuts to immigration and government spending are weighing on growth. He also said the work to pivot the economy is going to take time to pay off.
“As we do all that, the data is going to be uneven. And we see some weakness, in part because of clear decisions by the government,” he said.
“So you have these cross-currents as the economy is being fundamentally transformed. We’re going to continue to work. We are making progress but there’s more to be done.”
The prime minister pointed to positive signs in the latest economic report, including increasing business investment in machinery and equipment and household income growth outpacing inflation.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Tuesday accused Carney of not being straight with Canadians about the state of the economy.
Poilievre pointed to job losses and a rise in insolvency rates and food bank usage over the past year as signs that Canadians are worse off since Carney took office.
“They deserve a prime minister who will look them in the eye and admit that there is a recession,” he told reporters outside the Liberal cabinet meeting.
Many economists have dismissed the recession label, arguing the recent slump doesn’t have the depth or breadth to meet that bar.
Appearing before a parliamentary committee on Monday, Bank of Canada senior deputy governor Carolyn Rogers warned MPs against putting too much stake in one economic indicator — particularly when there’s a great deal of “noise” in the data.
“Two quarters of annualized contraction in GDP does meet one definition of a recession, but simply the fact that you have to put the term ‘technical’ in front of it sort of tells you that you need to really look past that one indicator,” she said.
5) Carney says national unity council will study surge in antisemitism
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Catherine Morrison, June 1, 2026
The new national unity council will assess what is driving antisemitism in Canada and improve research and data collection on hate incidents, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Monday.
Speaking at a synagogue in Toronto, Carney said “antisemitism has surged to levels not previously seen in the postwar period,” noting incidents including the firebombings of synagogues and bullets fired at Jewish schools.
He said more than two-thirds of all religion-motivated hate crimes in 2025 were directed at Jewish Canadians, who make up only one per cent of the population.
Combatting the problem starts with an admission that currently Canada is “failing Jewish Canadians,” he said.
He then listed off a number of tasks assigned to the new advisory council on rights, equality and inclusion, announced in February.
That includes studying “the nature, scale and drivers of antisemitism” in Canada, and to improve research and data collection on hate incidents.
Carney said the antisemitism crisis in Canada is “specific, severe and demands a targeted response.” He said the government is fully committed to that response.
Carney’s announcement comes less than a month after Toronto police responded to a call about three “visibly” Jewish community members being shot at with an imitation firearm.
The spike in antisemitic incidents follows the October 2023 attack by Hamas militants on Israel, which prompted Israel to bomb the Gaza Strip. Israel has drawn widespread condemnation over its aid restrictions and destruction of infrastructure in Gaza.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Carney should offer the Jewish community “a big apology.”
“Mark Carney should lay out an apology to the Jewish community for the violence, the terror and the fear that his party and his government have allowed to happen over the last decade,” he said.
Criticizing Liberal policies, Poilievre said Canada needs to secure its borders against “illegal immigration” and “deport visitors who are participating in these acts of terror and violence on our streets.”
“We need the government to condemn antisemitism in all of its forms,” he said. “I would encourage Liberals to stop the divisive rhetoric and work on uniting Canadians.”
Carney said Monday the new council will be chaired by Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller and will include Sen. Marc Gold as a member.
Miller’s department said in February the new council will look to foster social cohesion, rally Canadians around a common identity, combat racism and hate in all forms, and help guide federal efforts. Miller told reporters the advisory council would recognize Islamophobia and antisemitism but focus on national unity and “trying to bring people together.”
The government announced at the time it would drop its stand-alone federal envoys to combat Islamophobia and antisemitism and fold the two positions into the new advisory council, composed of prominent academics, experts and community leaders.
A Senate committee studying antisemitism in April called on Carney to restore the antisemitism envoy.
The Liberals have introduced Bill C-9, known as the hate crime bill, to address a stark increase in hate crimes, particularly those involving antisemitism and Islamophobia.
The bill passed the House of Commons in March and is currently before the Senate human rights committee. Carney has previously said while the bill will address all types of hate, it was born as a direct response to the spike in antisemitism.
Currently, the Criminal Code has hate propaganda provisions on advocating genocide, public incitement and wilful promotion of hatred, and wilful promotion of antisemitism. It also recognizes as an offence mischief motivated by bias, prejudice or hate.
But other hate crimes, such as those involving homicide or assault, don’t have specific offences in the Criminal Code. Instead, hate is identified as an aggravating factor at sentencing.
Among other new provisions, C-9 would create a specific hate crime offence for acts motivated by hatred.
Statistics Canada reported in March an increase in reported hate crimes between 2018 and 2024 of 169 per cent, from 1,817 reported incidents up to 4,882. The agency reported the sixth straight annual increase in 2024, though the increase over 2023 was just one per cent.
Hate crimes involving antisemitism nearly tripled from 331 reported incidents in 2018 to 920 in 2024. Incidents involving Islamophobia likewise nearly tripled, growing from 84 reported crimes to 229.
Noah Shack, the CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said events in the Middle East have fuelled hatred and violence against Jewish Canadians, and Ottawa must do more to strengthen community security and combat hate.
“Government and law enforcement must address the drivers of this crisis, including radicalization, promotion of terrorism, and terrorist entities operating here in Canada,” Shack said in a news release Sunday.
“The prime minister has an opportunity to set the tone from the highest office to make clear that nothing can justify the hatred, intimidation, and violence Jewish Canadians are experiencing and that every tool at the government’s disposal will be used to confront it.”
—With files from Anja Karadeglija and Aaron Sousa
6)Canada’s EI system was built for a 9-to-5 world. Millions of workers no longer live in one.
Courtesy Barrie360.com
By Logan Miller, June 2, 2026
Gig, part-time workers workers falling through the EI system cracks
For anyone juggling a few part-time shifts, picking up gig work between contracts, or cobbling together income from more than one employer, Canada’s employment insurance system may not have your back if things go sideways.
That’s the core finding of a new poverty report card from Food Banks Canada, released Monday, which argues that EI was designed for a workforce that no longer exists.
The labour market has shifted significantly toward part-time, temporary and contract work. EI, however, still caters primarily to workers with stable, full-time employment at a single employer.
Eligibility is at the centre of the problem. To qualify for EI, claimants need to accumulate a set number of insurable hours within a fixed period. For workers with irregular hours, multiple jobs, or contract arrangements, hitting that threshold is harder even when they’ve been working consistently.
The result is that many of the workers who face the most income instability are also the ones least likely to qualify for support when they lose work.
Food Banks Canada CEO Kirstin Beardsley called the outdated EI system “one of the greatest threats to Canada’s resiliency,” noting that unemployment remains elevated and households are still under pressure from the cost of living.
How much EI actually pays
EI replaces about 55 per cent of a claimant’s average insurable weekly earnings. For someone earning $68,900 per year, that works out to a maximum of $729 per week.
For workers who don’t qualify at all, that number is zero.
Ottawa’s response
Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said her department was reviewing the Food Banks Canada report with an eye to strengthening the social safety net.
Her office pointed to a few upcoming measures, including the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, a renamed and topped-up version of the GST benefit. Payments worth half the annual benefit value are set to go out to eligible recipients this Friday, with temporarily higher quarterly payments starting next month.
The Food Banks Canada report acknowledged the groceries benefit as one program offering “cautious optimism,” but noted that food insecurity remains a serious challenge.
Hajdu’s office also referenced recent EI reforms, though those were largely focused on giving flexibility to workers in industries hit by U.S. tariffs.
“Canada’s Government will continue to listen to Canadians and be responsive to their needs as we navigate uncertainty,” her office said in a statement.
The bigger picture
The report is a reminder that the gap between who EI was designed to help and who actually needs it has been widening for years. Gig economy growth, the rise of contract work, and the normalisation of multi-job households have all outpaced the policy.
Whether Ottawa moves to address the structural issues, or focuses on targeted short-term relief, remains to be seen.
*With files from CP
7)Ottawa endorses plan to move Marineland’s whales to U.S. and Spain
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Liam Casey, June 3, 2026
Ottawa has endorsed a plan to move Canada’s last remaining captive whales to aquariums in the U.S. and Spain.
There are 30 belugas and four dolphins at Marineland, the shuttered theme park in Niagara Falls, Ont., that still face mass euthanasia should the deal fall through.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has issued the first batch of permits to move the whales and is set to issue different permits closer to the move, which is expected to take place in the next few months.
It recently issued permits for the whales and dolphins under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, otherwise known as CITES permits.
“I think this is a positive step forward,” Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson said Wednesday.
“There’s still more work to be done, but it’s a step forward.”
Her office said the ministry is co-ordinating with the Canada Border Services Agency, Health Canada and other ministries to “ensure all requirements are met for a safe and timely transfer.”
Marineland said it is “fully committed to the safe and timely relocation of our beluga whales, and we want to be clear: this is our top priority.”
“Relocating these animals is an extraordinarily complex undertaking,” Marineland said in a statement.
“The logistical, regulatory, and financial requirements involved are significant — from securing CITES permits to co-ordinating transportation plans, animal health assessments, and cross-border requirements involving multiple government agencies. We are navigating this process as urgently as possible while ensuring the welfare of the animals remains paramount at every step.”
Ottawa has not decided whether it will provide taxpayer dollars to help move the whales.
Thompson did not answer questions about federal help for the move when asked Wednesday. “I’m concerned with permits,” she said.
Twenty whales — 19 belugas and one killer whale — have died at Marineand since 2019, according to provincial government data obtained through freedom-of-information laws and official statements.
The former Niagara Falls, Ont., tourist attraction has been closed since the summer of 2024 as the estate works to move the park’s remaining animals and sell the sprawling property near Horseshoe Falls.
The animals must be moved in order for a massive real estate deal to go through. The belugas and dolphins are set to head to five marine parks: Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, SeaWorld locations in San Antonio and San Diego and Oceanografic Valencia.
Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, where Marineland sent five belugas to in 2021, will also help with the move, the American consortium said.
The Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums, an industry group, has also been helping Marineland organize the rescue, along with its U.S. counterpart, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
“In its review, DFO concluded that moving the belugas to the aquariums — all of which are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums — is in the best interest of the animals’ well-being,” said Johnny Ford, a spokesman for Shedd Aquarium and the rest of the consortium.
“While this is an important milestone for the whales at the closed park, several additional logistical steps and permits are still required before a rescue can begin.”
The consortium shared its “rescue feasibility and animal transport plan” with Ottawa and Marineland in late March.
The plan, obtained by The Canadian Press, lays out a complex move believed to be unprecedented in scale.
It will involve a number of staff from Marineland and the American aquariums, specialized containers to hold one whale each, transport trucks and a police escort.
The finer details will be ironed out in the coming weeks.
“A rescue of this scale is extraordinarily difficult,” the plan notes.
“The proposed plan was developed with input from experts at several accredited aquariums, drawing on decades of hands‑on care experience, the latest animal‑welfare science, prior beluga rescue efforts, and direct observations of the individual whales and their needs.”
The park’s founder, John Holer, died in 2018. His wife, Marie Holer, took over operations of the park and put it up for sale in 2023, before she died in 2024.
The estate has been working since to dismantle the park, which features roller-coasters and other rides, and rehome its vast menagerie.
Marineland’s sea lions were moved to the Vancouver Aquarium in February and its last two seals went to a park in Quebec earlier this year.
Two weeks ago, Marineland sent its 12 black bears to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado, a sprawling forested park with about 1,000 large carnivores, including bears, lions and tigers.
Several hundred deer and elk remain at Marineland as it slowly moves those animals out.
Last fall, Marineland applied for export permits to move its cadre of belugas to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, an aquarium in China.
Thompson rejected Marineland’s application because she said she did not want to subject the whales to a future of performing in captivity, which is consistent with a law passed in 2019.
Marineland had worked on that deal for years, sources at the park said. Chimelong was set to buy all of the belugas for about $5 million, with the move costing at least another $5 million.
In response to Thompson’s denial, Marineland said it was quickly running out of money and needed an infusion of emergency funds to keep feeding and caring for the whales.
Without that, Marineland threatened, it would have to kill its belugas through mass euthanasia.
Marineland is now giving the whales to the U.S. consortium.
The park will be out of money within months, the sources said.
–with files from Sarah Ritchie in Ottawa