A comprehensive review into the act protecting farmers in Saskatchewan is in the works, with a final report expected to inform legislative decisions.

In this deeper dive into The Saskatchewan Farm Security Act, the province will seek out additional viewpoints from “public and stakeholder consultations,” it announced on Tuesday.

Leading up to this review, Saskatchewan sought a provincial audit before forming an advisory committee. Neither found any cases of unauthorized farmland ownership.

“(Those reports) did point to further opportunities to further strengthen the legislation and the regulatory feedback,” said Agriculture Minister David Marit.

“As the market for farmland changes, and the world sees the value of Saskatchewan’s agriculture sector, it is time once again to assess the legislative framework that protects it.”

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The act was first passed in 1989. Since then, it has seen several amendments, with the most recent being two years ago. The last in-depth review was in 2016.

Saskatchewan’s agriculture minister said the review, and any changes, will ensure regulations are evolving to meet farmers’ needs. This year’s review will focus on ensuring Saskatchewan’s farmland remains in the hands of Canadian farmers and corporations.

“The comprehensive review will explore opportunities to improve ownership verification, strengthen penalty and enforcement tools, modernize definitions, and strengthen reporting obligations and oversight of permanent residents,” the release said.

This analysis will also delve into farm security, the foreclosure process and home quarter protection, the minister added.

The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association, Wheat Growers Association, Cattle Association, and the Saskatchewan Association of Regional Municipalities spoke favourably of the changes in the news release.

“Protecting ownership of Saskatchewan’s pasture and hayland is of critical importance to our beef cattle producers,” said Chad Ross, the chair of the Saskatchewan Cattle Association in the release.

Ross said the association looks forward to participating in conversations with the reviewers. The president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities concurred.

“Our farmland is one of Saskatchewan’s greatest assets, and it’s important that the rules around who can own and use it keep pace with the realities of farming today,” said Bill Huber, the association’s president.

“This review is a good chance to make sure the act continues to protect family farms and support the future of our rural communities.”

The farm land ownership advisory committee was appointed last October, and its members spoke with representatives of the real estate, legal, financial, and agriculture sectors.

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Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon met on Tuesday with representatives of Anthropic — the company that said its latest chatbot, Mythos, is too risky for public release last week.

Anthropic released a system preview card surrounding its newest AI model, Claude Mythos, which the company stated was “substantially beyond those of any model we have previously trained” and therefore would not be released to the public, citing cybersecurity dangers.

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“Anthropic and the Canadian government are engaged in constructive, ongoing discussions,” Solomon said in an emailed statement from his office to Global News.

“I met with Anthropic this morning as part of our continued engagement with leading AI companies on safety, security, and Canada’s sovereign interests. The Government of Canada takes the protection of its systems, its critical infrastructure, and Canadians’ data with the utmost seriousness.

Solomon stated that “Anthropic’s approach of working with defenders first, rather than releasing this new model broadly, is the responsible path and gives people protecting critical systems a head start.”

Concerns about rapid AI development and ransomware have grown significantly amongst Canadians.

A January 2026 federal report by the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security stated that numerous Canadian organizations and businesses, “regardless of size or sector,” as well as individuals, are susceptible to ransomware attacks.

However, “critical infrastructure and large corporations” were found to be the top targets for ransomware activities.

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The Ford government says a plan to give students a portion of their grade for showing up to class was suggested by teachers who are struggling to manage classrooms, where a growing number of kids are skipping lessons.

As part of new legislation, Education Minister Paul Calandra unveiled plans Monday to make attendance part of final marks for students in Grades 10, 11 and 12.

The change would make participating and attending class worth 15 per cent of the final score in Grade 9 and Grade 10, as well as being worth 10 per cent for Grades 11 and 12. The province will also move to mandatory written exams.

Calandra said the idea came from teachers he had spoken to since taking over as education minister a year ago.

“It is an idea that came exclusively from my engagement with teachers; it wasn’t on my radar at all,” he said.

“I have to be honest with you, when I took over the position, I actually still thought exams were happening all over the place, I actually still thought attendance was part of the mark, and then I realized that for many, many years it had been taken out.”

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The minister said courses without participation didn’t create an incentive for students to be in class.

“One hundred per cent of their mark is based on coursework, so students can pop in and out as they like and their mark was not impacted at all,” he said on Tuesday.

“And at the same time, some kids were working really, really hard and there was no way to acknowledge their hard work as part of their marks.”

The government hasn’t provided the exact figures for absenteeism, but said it has grown since the pandemic.

Malin Leahy, a vice-president for the Ontario Secondary Teachers’ Federation, said the policy was “low-hanging fruit” that failed to address the core issues in classrooms.

“I would rather that the government funded the system properly so that we wouldn’t be seeing these gaps in attendance at all,” she told Global News, pointing out issues outside a student’s control, like transport, could impact attendance.

“This is a very small percentage of students, I would imagine,” she added. “Most of our students show up to school every day because, one, they want to learn. They show up to school because they feel safe … They’re not showing up to school because they’re being punished for not attending. And I think that this is the piece that’s missing from the minister’s announcement today.”

Ontario Liberal interim leader John Fraser echoed the concern, suggesting that children not feeling safe or supported in classrooms was behind a trend of increasing absenteeism.

“If your school is not a welcoming environment, if your class is too big, if you’re not getting the attention you need, if you have a special need, if school is not working for you because you don’t feel welcome, why are you gonna go?” he asked.

Asked why he had chosen the carrot of marks for attending rather than the stick of punishing those who don’t turn up, Calandra said the entire policy was based on what he’d heard from teachers.

“I think our teachers are professionals and they understand what they need and what their students need to achieve,” he said.

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Gavin Newsom may have the biggest microphone in California politics, but the governor has been noticeably meek in commenting on the horrifying sexual assault scandal involving Rep. Eric Swalwell — who until last week was the leading Democrat to succeed Newsom in office.

Swalwell suspended his campaign Sunday and submitted his immediate resignation from Congress on Tuesday following reports by the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN detailing allegations from several women that included harassment, sexual assault and rape.

The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday, just hours after another woman publicly stepped forward to accuse Swalwell of drugging, choking and raping her.

Newsom’s lone statement on the disturbing allegations against Swalwell came Sunday, hours before Swalwell ended his campaign.

“As we continue to learn more, these allegations from multiple sources are deeply troubling and must be taken seriously,” said Newsom, who has not endorsed anyone in the governor’s race.

In an interview last month, Newsom continued to duck commenting on the state of the race to succeed him as governor. 

“You know my position,” he said. “I don’t talk about this governor’s race.”

A crowded field of Democrats — even without Swalwell in the race — has potentially set the stage for two Republicans, former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, to emerge from the primary election in June. Progressive billionaire Tom Steyer and former congresswoman Katie Porter are now the leading Democrats in the race.

A Democratic political consultant, who spoke to The Post on the condition of anonymity, told The Post that Newsom’s muted response to the Swalwell saga was likely done to serve the governor’s own political interests.

“I assume that Gavin Newsom is doing what’s best for a presidential race right now, and engaging in this mess probably does not accrue to a presidential race,” the source said.

Among the four women who came forward with allegations against Swalwell last Friday, one former staffer alleged he raped her in a hotel in New York City in 2024, sparking an investigation from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. 

Swalwell is also accused of lewd sexual acts such as sending nudes, harassing and turning up outside one woman’s home.

Lonna Drewes, a 50-year-old fashion company entrepreneur, accused Swalqwell of drugging and raping her in a tearful news conference Tuesday in Los Angles.

“He invited me to two public events. I knew he was married at the time and that his wife was pregnant,” Drewes said. “He was my friend. On the third occasion, I believe he drugged my drink. I only had one glass of wine.”

She said she went to Swalwell’s hotel room because he needed to grab some paperwork and by the time she got there she was “incapacitated.”

“I couldn’t move my arms over my body,” Drewes said. “He raped me, and he choked me.  And while he was choking me, I lost consciousness. I thought I died.”

Swalwell has denied allegations of sexual assault and rape while vaguely admitting to indiscretions. 

In a statement released by his TV star attorney Sara Azari, Swalwell on Tuesday denied the latest allegations. 

“Congressman Eric Swalwell categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been leveled against him,” Azari said.

“The timing, nature, and coordinated rollout of these vile and heinous allegations speak for themselves. This is neither about justice, nor the truth.

“This is a ruthless and shameless attempt to smear Congressman Swalwell. Congressman Swalwell has devoted his career to defending the Constitution, protecting civil liberties, and standing up to those who abuse power.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced a temporary suspension of the federal fuel excise tax starting next week until Labour Day.

The announcement comes hours after Carney secured a majority government through Monday’s three byelections.

“We’re also removing the fuel excise tax on aviation fuels. This will remove up to $0.10 per liter on gasoline and $0.04 per liter on diesel fuel,” he said at a news conference in Ottawa.

“Combined with our earlier elimination of the consumer carbon tax, our government will have reduced fuel prices on gas by up to $0.28 per liter.”

As a result, Carney said the cost of this measure will be $2.4 billion dollars.

1:58
Iran war: Rising oil prices put financial pressure on Canadians

“We know that Canadians are feeling the pressures of everyday expenses right now. We know they need a boost today and a bridge to tomorrow,” he said.

The suspension is largely due to the ongoing U.S.-Iran war, with movement of shipments along the Strait of Hormuz have mostly been stalled. It will start on April 20 and last until Sept. 7.

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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilevre also recently called on the federal government to lift the fuel excise tax, alongside “clean fuel standard and GST surcharges from gas and diesel would save consumers about 25 cents a litre.”

The average gas prices in Canada is currently sitting at $1.73 per litre, down from $1.81 on Thursday, according to CAA. at $1.80 on Friday, down two cents a litre compared to Thursday.

Still, prices remain much higher compared to this time last year ($1.29) and even a month ago ($1.53), according to CAA.

More to come.

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Each year, roughly 20 million Americans file for tax extensions, but many may not realize that any taxes owed are still due to the IRS by April 15.

While an extension gives taxpayers until October to file, it does not delay their obligation to pay what they owe — and missing the deadline this week can trigger penalties and interest.

“The federal tax extension and most state extensions that piggyback on that simply give you six months to finalize your paperwork,” Mark Steber, chief tax officer at Jackson Hewitt Tax Services, told Fox News Digital.

TAX DAY IS THIS WEEK: AVOID THESE 5 COMMON MISTAKES THAT CAN COST YOU MONEY

Tax season is here, don’t wait until the last minute. (iStock)

“It in no way extends the amount of time that you have to pay the tax that you owe. Those are due on April 15 by midnight,” he said.

The IRS offers several ways for taxpayers to pay what they owe or set up payment plans, including short-term options and longer-term installment agreements. Missing the deadline altogether, however, can increase penalties and interest.

THE SIMPLE TAX HABIT THAT COULD SAVE YOU THOUSANDS OVER YOUR LIFETIME

Fake “refund issue” messages trick taxpayers into entering Social Security numbers and bank details on fraudulent sites. (Michael Bocchieri/Getty Images)

Experts say taxpayers who can’t pay their full bill should still file and pay as much as they can by the deadline to limit added costs.

The agency can impose multiple penalties, including a failure-to-pay penalty and interest that compounds daily, which can cause balances to grow over time.

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Identity theft and fraudulent tax filings remain top concerns for the Internal Revenue Service as criminals exploit confusion around credits and filing rules. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)

Even taxpayers who can’t pay in full are generally better off filing on time or requesting an extension, as the penalty for failing to file is typically higher than the penalty for failing to pay.

“The worst thing you can do is ignore the deadline,” Steber said. “Many people think they’ll deal with it later, but that can lead to multiple penalties and interest that quickly add up.”

It was a once-dominant force in British Columbia politics, but for more than a year and a half the party formerly known as the BC Liberals has been dormant — at least in the public eye.

Now, a scandal over dirty tricks in the run-up to the 2024 provincial election has put the party that changed its name to BC United back into the spotlight, and under scrutiny for its ongoing influence on the B.C. political scene.

The party’s annual financial report filed with Elections BC reveals that BC United continued to rake in donations made both wittingly and unwittingly, despite withdrawing all its candidates and folding up its tent in August 2024.

Last week, the independent election overseer fined BC United $4,500 for a campaign of pre-election falsehoods targeting the B.C. Conservatives.

BC United’s president, former MLA Ben Stewart, said the fate of the party won’t be decided until after the Conservatives decide on their next leader, even as some in the official Opposition complain about former BC United figures’ ongoing efforts to sway the vote.

Stewart, a veteran of B.C.’s Okanagan wine industry, said he and other party executives are watching and waiting to see the outcome of the Conservative race.

“I hope that there’s a great showing and strong outcome in terms of this leadership race, and we can move on,” Stewart said. “I would say that there is no plan at the present time to do anything with the brand in terms of running candidates in the next election, unless something — I mean, that’ll be up to the executive to decide. They have not made that decision yet.

“We don’t want to get in the way of what’s happening with the leadership race in the B.C. Conservatives.”

Stewart didn’t say who the United team preferred to see as Conservative leader — but leading contenders include BC United stalwarts Caroline Elliott and MLA Peter Milobar.

Rival candidates and former Conservative leader John Rustad have meanwhile expressed concern about the more-centrist United camp taking over the Conservatives from within. It’s a fear that has persisted for some since United leader Kevin Falcon stood beside Rustad on Aug. 28, 2024, to announce his party’s withdrawal from the election.

Despite Falcon urging voters to support Conservative candidates, BC United didn’t dissolve.

Longtime United supporter Aly Devji, CEO of a seniors care home in Langley, B.C., is one of more than 300 people who donated to the party in 2025.

The party took in more than $150,000 last year, as detailed in the party’s annual financial report filed with Elections BC.

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The fact that the vast majority of donations were recorded on the 20th of each month suggests they were being made automatically, some without the donor’s knowledge.

Devji said he didn’t know his monthly donations continued last year, only finding out from a reporter. The discovery prompted him to search his credit card statements to figure out which one was being charged.

“I’m surprised and I’m disappointed about how all that went down, but it is what it is,” Devji said.

He said he’d be contacting his neighbour, Conservative MLA Ian Paton, formerly with BC United, to help sort out and stop the payments.

David Hoff, a government relations executive with construction company Ledcor, also kept up his donations to the party in 2025, but did so knowingly.

Hoff said he’s had friends work for various political parties in B.C., calling such work a “big sacrifice” that produces more losers than winners.

“I didn’t want the people involved to be abandoned (no severance, etc.) or their vendors to get burned,” Hoff said in an online message. “Think of it like buying a ticket for a Canucks hockey game right now. You would do so because you love the game, or a particular player, or maybe you can get it at a discount.”

Stewart said BC United still had obligations to comply with election rules and pay its bills.

“Essentially what the BC United party decided was that they were not going to run candidates in the 2024 election,” he said. “That didn’t preclude the fact that we had expenses and other things.”

The party, he said, sold its software used to manage its membership rolls and it was licensed to the B.C. Conservatives, taking in $800,000 to go toward outstanding debts.

The membership names and information was not part of the sale, he said.

Falcon, who is Elliott’s brother-in-law, remains BC United’s leader.

Stewart said he hasn’t spoken to Falcon in months, and is unaware of his post-politics activities and feelings about the party’s trajectory.

“I’m sure he has lots of feelings about it. Honestly, I haven’t talked to him about it, so I tell you what, I can’t help you even find him,” Stewart said. “He would like to, you know, not be the leader.”

While many Conservative MLAs and supporters are former BC United members, the dirty tricks scandal has renewed bad blood between some.

The investigation by Elections BC that set off the fine found BC United hired an Alberta-based firm called Sovereign North Strategies Inc., which set up a website “firejohnrustad.ca” and sent out a mailer making false allegations against MLA Teresa Wat.

The website falsely purported to be the work of disgruntled Conservatives.

Rustad believes it may have cost his party the election, which brought the party to within three seats of victory.

He said in an interview that Falcon has “gone underground when it comes to politics, although he is on a daily basis making phone calls to support his sister-in-law, Caroline Elliott.”

He said Elections BC had pointed the finger at United campaign workers for the “incredibly machiavellian” website and mail out, but he believes the party’s leadership, including Falcon, was aware.

“He actually had the gall to say that Caroline Elliott winning the leadership of the Conservative Party would complete his vision of the transformation from the old BC Liberals,” Rustad said.

Elections BC said “evidence confirms” former BC United campaign manager Mark Werner, his then-deputy Adam Wilson, and Sovereign North “organized” the campaign of falsehoods.

But Werner said in an interview last week that he had no knowledge of it, and though the election regulator said it tried speaking with him, he never heard from them despite his contact information being easily found online.

Werner said he was still upset about how Falcon abandoned the party’s 2024 campaign.

“I was very bitter about what Kevin did at the time, shutting down the campaign,” he said. “When that happened — I was, you know, disgusted by it.”

Two days after Werner’s interview with The Canadian Press, Milobar announced that Werner was out as his Conservative leadership campaign manager.

The sequence of events leading to BC United dissolving its campaign still bothered Werner.

“When you get up and you tell everybody we’re going to win and you raise a bunch of money but you already know that the party is going to shut down, I don’t think that’s very cool,” Werner said of Falcon.

He said Falcon’s involvement in Elliott’s campaign is well known among members.

“He’s actively involved in Caroline’s campaign. We know that. He’s working the phones, fundraising,” he said. “I’ve heard a negative reaction by a lot of them because of what happened with BC United.”

Falcon could not be reached for comment.

For Stewart, the Elections BC penalty came as a surprise and the party executive was planning to meet to discuss a possible appeal.

He said it was a “bit of a black eye” on the style of campaign run by Werner.

Stewart said in the meantime the party is just “trying to find our way forward,” amid buzz about a potential provincial election even while the Conservative leadership race is ongoing.

“Do things get any more crazier?,” Stewart said.

Ontario is planning a massive expansion of jails over the next few decades, The Canadian Press has learned.

The province’s jails are bursting and have been significantly over capacity for years, with the situation worsening. Ontario plans to add nearly 6,000 jail beds by 2050, documents obtained by University of Ottawa researchers through freedom-of-information laws show.

The plan is broken down into three phases, with the first phase underway, says the transition binder prepared last year for Solicitor General Michael Kerzner.

Ontario’s jails “are experiencing significant capacity challenges (i.e., there are approximately 2,000 more inmates than beds — the equivalent of five large jails),” the documents say.

The ministry said the capacity problems are “complex,” but several factors are contributing to the rise, including a backlog in the court system to deal with those on remand in jail awaiting trial, inmates remaining in custody longer, bail reform and population growth.

The first phase of the province’s plan includes 1,170 new beds by 2032 at a cost of $4 billion, though the document notes only $2.9 billion has been approved.

Those efforts include the $1.2-billion project currently underway to build the new Thunder Bay Correctional Complex that will replace an aging jail, plus new, expanded or refurbished jails in Brockville, Kemptville and Napanee, and modular builds in Niagara, Milton and Sudbury, the documents show.

“Phase 1 projects will provide incremental relief in our overcrowded facilities,” the documents say. “However, the need is growing over the next 10 years, and another 3,500-4,500 beds are still required.”

Phase 2 will deliver an estimated 1,500 beds at six sites between 2033 and 2041 “through a combination of expansions and new institutions,” documents say. Phase 3 will see another “2,000-3,000” jail beds built between 2040 and 2050.

The Ministry of the Solicitor General prepared the binder for Kerzner, who was re-elected in the snap election Premier Doug Ford called in February 2025, more than a year early. Kerzner has since returned to the role of solicitor general, who is responsible for law enforcement and provincial correctional facilities across Ontario.

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“We’re going to build as many beds as we need to protect Ontario,” Kerzner said Monday. “We’ve got an aggressive plan.”

3:32
Ontario forges ahead with renovations and modular construction to boost jail capacity

He hinted the province will be expanding the modular jail builds that will accommodate 300 more beds and is looking to reopen the jails in Brantford and Walkerton.

The documents note that jail capacity as of February 2025 is 8,508 beds, which means the province is planning to increase capacity by 66 per cent.

Mackenzie Plumb, a PhD candidate in the criminology department at the University of Ottawa, obtained Kerzner’s March 2025 transition binder through a recent freedom-of-information request.

She works under Justin Piché, a criminology professor at the University of Ottawa, who researches provincial jails and federal prisons. They shared the documents with The Canadian Press.

“When I saw the numbers, my jaw hit the floor,” Piché said in an interview. “This is an unprecedented increase in jail capacity.”

The plan will be “extremely expensive,” Piché warned.

He said the proposed plan would cost at least $7 billion in today’s money to build some 6,000 new beds. He based his estimates on the cheapest build the provinces are currently doing, which are 50-bed modular jails at a cost of $1.2 million per bed.

The cost increases significantly for non-modular jails, like the new Thunder Bay jail, said Piché. That jail will double inmate capacity of the current institution and bring 345 beds with a cost of $1.2 billion.

It costs about $1.5 billion per year to operate the jails, Piché said, which would jump to more than $2 billion per year in today’s dollars when all those new beds become reality.

“As a researcher who studies prison construction and alternatives to incarceration, this is the wrong direction to be heading in,” said Piché, who is also a member of the Coalition Against Proposed Prisons.

“Imprisonment is the most costly and ineffective way to enhance community well-being and safety.”

Kerzner said he has been transparent with the public about the province’s plans, though neither he nor Ford have laid out their long-term vision for jails.

The province already “ambushed” the residents of Kemptville, a small town outside Ottawa, with news of the proposed jail back in 2020, said Victor Lachance, a local resident who founded the Coalition Against Proposed Prisons.

The documents show the province is not being transparent about its jail expansion plans, he said.

“As more communities are damaged by the Ford government’s jail boom, our Coalition Against Proposed Prisons will support residents in towns and cities across Ontario as they fight to stop prison expansion and push the province to spend more on things that actually make us safer,” Lachance said.

The province has been dealing with overcrowded jails for years now.

In September 2023, there was an average of 8,889 people in provincial jails, well over the 7,848-person capacity, data obtained by The Canadian Press shows. Overall, jails were operating at 113 per cent capacity at that time.

At the time, 81 per cent of those inmates were awaiting trial and presumptively innocent. The provincial institutions hold people who are accused of a crime but not on bail, as well as those serving sentences of two years less a day. Inmates with longer sentences are housed in the federal prison system.

In response to the 2023 story about jail capacity, Ford pledged to build more jails.

Criminal lawyers and correctional officers have said the jam-packed jails have deleterious effects on both inmates and jail guards.

The union representing correctional officers has said inmates are triple bunking in several institutions, while guards are dealing with increased assaults and struggling with their mental health. The Criminal Lawyers Association has said accused individuals are taking longer to get to a bail hearing, contributing to the rise in jail populations.

Global News published newly released data on Monday that shows Ontario’s jails are operating at 130 per cent capacity, a marked jump from 2023. The Sudbury Jail, the news outlet noted, stood at 165.7 per cent capacity as of October 2025.