OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada’s artificial intelligence strategy on Thursday, with a plan for “large-scale AI data centres” and a goal of massively increasing the country’s computing capacity by 2030.

That means lots of new AI data centres, with the hopes of increasingly keeping Canadian data within the country’s borders.

But until recently, developing these facilities has been primarily a matter of local concern for communities where they will be built. As Ottawa ramps up investment in hopes of dramatically scaling up AI compute capability across the country, the federal government is now wading into controversies involving data centres that have primarily played out at the municipal and provincial levels before now.

Here’s what you need to know about the concerns and debates involving these facilities.

What are AI data centres, and what makes them different from standard data centres?

An AI data centre is a facility designed to power artificial intelligence systems by storing data and running the massive computations needed to train and operate AI models.

Unlike traditional data centres, which mainly handle web hosting, cloud storage, email, or business software, AI data centres are built around high-performance processors such as graphics processing units and specialized AI chips. They require far more electricity, advanced cooling systems, and ultra-fast networking to manage the intense workloads created by machine learning.

AI data centres are optimized for parallel processing and large-scale data movement, making them significantly more energy- and hardware-intensive than conventional facilities.

There are just over 300 data centres operating throughout Canada, though most are located in or near major metropolitan areas.

Why is the federal government investing in AI data centres now?

When the Trudeau government announced the launch of the Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy in December 2024, the intent was to develop “cutting-edge AI solutions across all sectors of our economy helps Canada remain a destination of choice for investment and top talent.”

Then in April 2025, the first budget by the Carney government proposed to provide over $925 million during a five-year period to “support a large-scale sovereign public AI infrastructure” throughout Canada. Updated last month, the AI Compute strategy indicates the government plans to “make strategic investments in public and commercial infrastructure.”

The goal of the “sovereign AI” compute strategy is to develop and maintain technical capabilities within Canada to harness the full potential of emerging digital automation technologies.

Michel Richer, president of Bell AI, told National Post that “data sovereignty” is primarily about “two pillars.” Those involve “ensuring that no actor outside of the country” either has the ability to access data generated within Canada or to stop Canadian computer systems from operating.

According to Richer, establishing data sovereignty within the country helps “guarantee that we are in full control over our access to data and full control over which systems are running or are prevented from running.”

Announcing the sovereign AI compute strategy, the federal government said the plan “will make strategic investments in public and commercial infrastructure to ensure that Canadian innovators, businesses and researchers have access to the compute capacity they need.”

Why have AI data centres been so controversial at the local and regional level so far?

Initiatives such as zoning approval and implementing tax breaks for AI data centres have been divisive and hotly contested issues for municipal governments throughout Canada and the United States.

The small council for the rural municipality of Sherwood near Regina had to exclude the public due to repeated disruptions during a meeting in April during which a proposal for a Bell AI data centre was ultimately approved. Controversy has also erupted in Nanaimo, where an active online petition encourages community members to “push to stop” a prospective data centre “from being built.”

Similar debates are playing out across the United States as well, where a recent Gallup poll reports that seven in 10 Americans oppose having AI data centres constructed in their local area. In the small municipality of Independence, Missouri, the two city council members on the ballot for a local election who had previously supported tax breaks for an AI data centre were voted out of office last month. Staunch opposition has also emerged in states such as Virginia and Maine where these facilities have been proposed or built.

A report published by the University of Michigan in July 2025 highlights a number of issues that have plagued proposals to develop AI data centres. Increased utility rates driven by higher electricity demand, large volumes of water necessary to cool high-output electronics straining local resources, and tax breaks that fail to deliver economic benefits promised to the local community are a few of the most contentious concerns often raised about these facilities.

However, many of the most common objections are based on outdated perceptions of AI data centre models, according to Simon Ahdoot, CEO of global technology company Hypertec, which is based in Montreal. Ahdoot told National Post that “the market has adapted to” develop more efficient methods for powering and cooling advanced electronics utilized in data centres.

For example, he said many new builds today implement a “closed loop” cooling system that gets filled with a “certain amount of water” that is then recirculated rather than constantly drawing in and discharging massive amounts of liquid. Ahdoot also said Canada has an advantage compared to many places in the United States because colder temperatures provide “a lot of free cooling” that can be put to use in these facilities.

According to Ahdoot, local officials and the general public should have a realistic and updated understanding of the “practical sustainability” solutions that have been developed in recent years in response to growing concerns about AI data centres.

What’s next for AI data centres in Canada?

Heavy investment by the federal government marks a new chapter in the development of these facilities across Canada. Ottawa has so far avoided becoming entangled in disputes over approving and constructing AI data centres, though that may soon change as federal subsidies are increasingly injected to back proposed capital projects.

While demands for a moratorium on new data centres grow more popular among critics, proponents insist that onerous restrictions risk sending investment and skilled jobs elsewhere.

Riyadh Nazerally of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada told National Post that although municipal governments remain “responsible for planning and zoning decisions,” the federal government may nonetheless “engage with partners to share information and support coordination where appropriate, particularly on large infrastructure projects.”

With the rapid infusion of federal funding, it remains to be seen whether controversy over AI data centres will be increasingly directed at the Carney government rather than municipal officials as before.

As these debates continue to play out across the country, Michel Richer of Bell AI said policymakers should focus on “using the full resources of the different levels of government to help remove roadblocks and accelerate projects” to ensure data sovereignty and AI innovation “translate into economic benefits throughout Canada.”

National Post

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Fewer than half of Albertans are certain that they would continue living in their newly independent province should it separate from Canada, according to a new Postmedia-Leger poll, as a referendum later this year is set to decide if the province wants to vote on breaking from the federation.

According to the survey conducted between May 29 and June 1, 39 per cent of respondents said they would “continue to live in my new independent country” in the case of separation, while 38 per cent said they would move elsewhere in Canada. Nineteen per cent said they weren’t sure, and the remaining two per cent said they would move to another country altogether.

The proportion of those of who would remain is much larger in Quebec, where 56 per cent of respondents said they would stay in their “new independent country,” with just 24 per cent saying they would move elsewhere in Canada.

Among respondents polled outside of Alberta and Quebec, 10 per cent of respondents said they would move to an independent country of Alberta should the province separate from Canada, while just one per cent said they’d move to an independent Quebec.

Andrew Enns, executive vice-president of Leger’s central Canada operations, said the survey should serve as a loose indication of peoples’ views toward separation rather than true moving intentions. Opposition to the independence movement in the province are strong, he said, yet the number of people who would actually pack up and leave might be lower in reality than the results suggest.

“I would fully expect that that number will be less,” Enns said. “I think that number is more of a temperature gauge on peoples’ emotions. This is a big deal for people.”

Respondents widely viewed Alberta’s hypothetical separation from Canada as having a much greater economic impact on the rest of the country than Quebec’s, with 33 per cent saying Alberta’s would have the biggest negative impact of the two. Just eight per cent of respondents said Quebec’s separation would have the greater economic impact, while 45 per cent said it would be equal. The remaining 14 per cent said they didn’t know.

Enns said those results were hardly surprising given the amount of focus on the Alberta economy over the last year under Prime Minister Mark Carney, including Ottawa’s emphasis on using natural resources to combat Canada’s overdependence on U.S. trade.

“We’ve heard a lot of talk, especially in the last 18 months, about how important our natural resources sector — particularly the Alberta energy sector — is for Canada’s economy,” he said.

On the question of which province’s exit would have the greatest impact on “Canada’s national identity,” 17 per cent said Quebec and 15 per cent said Alberta. A majority (54 per cent) said the impact would be equal, while the remainder (14 per cent) didn’t know.

The poll results come just as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has confirmed that the province will see a separation-related question in its October referendum, appearing alongside nine other questions on issues like immigration and Senate reform. Separatist sentiments in Alberta have hit new highs in recent years, as frustrations over the province’s perceived place in Confederation are reviving resentments that have lingered for decades.

Smith’s referendum question will ask voters whether they wish to remain in Canada, or have a second, “binding” referendum that could trigger separation negotiations with Ottawa. Support for the referendum still seems somewhat narrow: According to public polls, about 70 per cent of Albertans appear to prefer staying in Canada, with the remaining 30 per cent saying they are either deeply supportive or somewhat supportive of separation.

Despite the separatist sentiment in the province, most respondents to the Postmedia-Leger survey from Alberta still appeared to think the province is appropriately represented by the federal government. Among those in Alberta, 33 per cent said Ottawa was doing a “good job” of representing their interests, while 16 per cent said it was doing a “poor job.” Fifteen per cent said they do a “very poor job,” and the remaining 11 per cent said the government is doing “very good.” Twenty-six per cent said they didn’t know.

One of the biggest sources of Western frustration is the federal government’s treatment of its oil and gas sector, which has prompted Smith to seek an energy alliance, or memorandum of understanding (MOU), with Carney.

The deal, aimed at helping to unlock fossil fuel investment by cutting back proposed environmental restrictions and building a new West Coast pipeline, appears to have broad support, based on the results of the Postmedia-Leger poll.

Among those surveyed, a majority (66 per cent) support measures to expand Alberta’s oil and gas sector, compared with 17 per cent opposed. The remaining 17 per cent said they did not know. Those who “strongly support” that expansion were most prominent in Alberta (80 per cent), and the lowest in Quebec (58 per cent).

Notably, the “strong” supporters of such policies were also almost equally distributed between Conservative and Liberal respondents: 77 per cent of people who intended to vote for the Conservative Party of Canada in the next election were highly supportive of expansion, compared with 76 per cent who back the Liberal Party of Canada. Just 41 per cent of NDP supporters expressed strong support, and 40 per cent of Bloc Québécois voters.

Enns said the near-equal split between Liberal and Conservative supporters underscores the major policy shift of the Liberal caucus during Carney’s leadership, which has seen the government pivot sharply from environmental to energy security priorities.

“I don’t have any sort of party affiliation to draw on, but I would suggest that a couple of years ago Liberal voters wouldn’t have been as keen on expanding the energy sector in Alberta by a long shot,” he said.

The Postmedia-Leger poll drew from 1,532 Canadians using an online survey. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of the same number of respondents would have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 per cent, 19 times of out 20.

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This year’s Walk will begin at the Temple Sinai Congregation, travel north on Bathurst Street. Then end at UJA’s Sherman Campus for the Walk Festival, a gathering with food, activities, and entertainment.

This Sunday, thousands of people are expected to attend the annual Walk with Israel. We have been working closely with organizers and our policing partners to prepare for the event and support public safety throughout the day.

Listen to @TPSMyronDemkiw discuss our approach. https://t.co/6zsWwXVruK

— Toronto Police (@TorontoPolice) June 5, 2026

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a meeting with his Russian counterpart to negotiate an end to the war face to face.

In a rare open letter to President Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy renewed his appeal for “direct engagement,” acknowledging the U.S. has become “fully focused on the issue of Iran.”

In the letter, Zelenskyy said he was ready for a “full ceasefire” and “all-for-all exchange of prisoners of war” ahead of in-person negotiations. He also called for the return of Ukrainian civilians and children who have been taken during the war.

At times combative in tone, Zelenskyy cashed in on recent Ukraine’s battlefield successes and reproached his foe’s time in power.

“Yes, you can still force Russians to exist this way. But your resources are shrinking significantly ,” he wrote. “You will not have enough money or political capital to keep buying the loyalty of Russians the way you have for the past 26 years.”

Zelenskyy’s letter said the meeting would have to take place in a neutral country. Any peace deal would have to involve Europe and the U.S., which would “monitor a ceasefire along the line where hostilities stop,” he added.

“We in Ukraine do not want a permanent war. We know very well that life without war is infinitely better. And we want to achieve that,” Zelenskyy wrote.

Zelenskyy, who has previously said that the war is “all about the land,” rejected the idea of giving up more territory as part of a deal. “The front line today is the line from which diplomacy must begin,” he wrote.

Putin rebuffed Zelenskyy’s request on Friday. Speaking at St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, he said: “I see no sense” in a meeting. Putin said he skimmed over the letter, noting that it came across as rude.

“Is it a way to create conditions for a personal meeting and negotiations, or is it creating an environment in which it’s impossible to hold any personal meetings at all? I think it’s the latter,” he said, according to Bloomberg .

Zelenskyy has rejected a peace proposal reached by Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska last year, which required Ukraine to give up land to end the conflict.

“You can see for yourself that Ukrainian and European issues are not decided in Anchorage,” Zelenskyy wrote in the letter. Previous trilateral talks in Istanbul, Abu Dhabi and Geneva have failed. Neither leader participated in the talks and have not met face to face since the war began in February 2022.

On Thursday, Trump told reporters he was in support of Putin and Zelenskyy brokering peace directly.

“I’m glad that they’re maybe talking about meeting, I think we had a lot to do with it,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “But I think it would be great if they met, they should get it done.”

Zelenskyy cited Ukrainian figures that say more than 30,000 Russian soldiers were killed or seriously wounded in May.

“We have been maintaining that level month after month, and we have video confirmation of every one of your losses — these are not empty claims,” he said. “In the 21st century, no army can afford such a ratio. And the share of those killed will continue to grow.”

Long-range Ukrainian drones have also brought the war into Russian soil, Zelenskyy noted, dragging Russian civilians into the war, which Putin has tried to avoid. “They do not like our drones and missiles,” he wrote.

Putin addressed the matter speaking to reporters on Wednesday. “To our regret, some of them break through,” he said of the strikes, according to a translation by the Associated Press. “Russia has an air defence system, we need to improve it, strengthen it, and we will do that.”

Talks have stalled since late February as the U.S. is increasingly preoccupied with the Iran war.

The letter could help talks resume, but a peace deal won’t be immediate, said Alex Kokcharov, geoeconomics analyst at Bloomberg Economics.

“Zelenskyy is using Ukraine’s improved battlefield position to push for talks, while Putin still appears to view diplomacy as a way to secure Russian territorial gains and gain time,” he said .

The more likely outcome is intensified coercive bargaining, with more long-range strikes, Russian air attacks, and pressure on both sides’ domestic and external support bases, he said.

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National Post

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OTTAWA — Some Liberals are defending Prime Minister Mark Carney’s leadership style, saying he can be tough when needed but has always stayed respectful in their experience.

Carney’s caucus management has been under close scrutiny ever since a report by the Toronto Star came out alleging he has lashed out at caucus members — with one saying he’s yelled at them — or made them feel like he is not interested in their concerns.

Ministers and MPs said this week they have never heard Carney yell at them or others.

Speaking on his way to question period, Charlottetown MP Sean Casey said the prime minister can be “tough when appropriate” but “not tough for the sake of being tough.”

“He has a good way with people, I would absolutely say that, and it’s genuine,” he said.

“He’s a no bullsh-t kind of person. If he says it, he means it.”

Élisabeth Brière, MP for Sherbrooke, said “no, never” when asked if she had ever heard Carney yell. But she said the 61-year-old former central banker has high standards for his caucus.

“Of course, he’s demanding,” she said. “As prime minister, you have to be.”

The National Post has reported that Carney rapidly imposed his leadership style upon taking office last year. Insiders described him as running a tight ship, starting meetings on time, and not being afraid to call out underperforming members of his entourage.

As one person described it at the time, Carney “does not suffer fools.”

Montreal MP Anthony Housefather said he has never seen Carney act anything other than “respectfully” with caucus and that he appreciates the “back-and-forth” with him.

Winnipeg MP Doug Eyolfson was mentioned in the Toronto Star piece as having been told to not come to Carney with his concerns over the lack of federal response to controversial Alberta legislation that creates a two-tier health care system in the province.

Eyolfson acknowledged he had a disagreement with Carney but did not make light of it.

“I’m glad that we can disagree and still have a good working relationship,” he said.

Other examples cited by the Toronto Star included Nova Scotia MP Jaime Battiste receiving a rebuke for raising concerns over the government’s changes to the Indian Act and Laval MP Angelo Iacono asking Carney to visit his riding with Carney insisting he’d already been.

Culture Minister Marc Miller dismissed the report as “gossip,” while Whitby MP Ryan Turnbull said he had never seen Carney act in the ways that were described in the article.

“He respects caucus, he regularly meets with us, and I think he would have a lot of trust in our caucus,” said Turnbull.

Speaking in Shawinigan, Que., on Friday, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said that Carney has “inspired” Canadians, judging by a recent Postmedia-Léger poll that found the Liberal government now has the support of half of all Canadians.

The last time the federal government topped 50 per cent in support was over two decades ago, when Prime Minister Jean Chrétien said Canada would not take part in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reached 49 per cent in the polls in 2016, during his first year in the top job.

“Listen, it’s rare in the history of the country where you have a leader of a party, a prime minister who can create unanimity,” Champagne said in French, adding that the polls prove “the extent to which people appreciate the work of Mr. Carney.”

Government House leader Steven MacKinnon claimed that while Carney has “great expectations,” the Liberal caucus is united on the government’s objectives.

Despite complaints from anonymous sources, Casey said the mood in caucus has improved since Trudeau’s tenure.

“Everybody loves a winner.”

National Post
calevesque@postmedia.com

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A new elementary school set to open in August will be named after former Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) announced on Friday.

Education Minister Paul Calandra said the board’s newest elementary school will be named Brian Mulroney Elementary School, in honour of Canada’s 18th prime minister and his lasting contributions to Canada and the world.

The school will welcome close to 700 students when it opens and will be the first public school in Canada named after Brian Mulroney.

“Brian Mulroney was one of the most consequential leaders in modern Canadian history,” said Calandra. “He strengthened Canada’s economy, championed the French language and francophone communities, led on the environment as the greenest prime minister in Canadian history, and earned international respect for his leadership on human rights and the fight against apartheid.

“It is fitting that a new generation of students will learn in a school that bears his name, and I hope they will be inspired by his commitment to public service and nation-building.”

Mulroney’s daughter, Caroline Mulroney, who has just stepped down as Ontario’s Treasury Board president and MPP for Ontario’s York-Simcoe riding, said her family is “deeply honoured” by the naming of the school.

“We are grateful that future generations of students will carry this legacy as they learn and grow within its walls,” she said in a social media post.

My family and I are deeply honoured that a new school in Orléans will open this fall bearing my father’s name.

With strong English and French programming, it reflects his lifelong belief that bilingualism strengthens Canada and helps bring communities together.

He dedicated his… https://t.co/HhE2EpS0rI

— Caroline Mulroney (@C_Mulroney) June 5, 2026

The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney served as prime minister from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993, and passed away on February 29, 2024.

Caroline Mulroney said in a letter to constituents that her father’s death two years ago, as well as her four grown children leaving home, were major factors in her decision to leave Ontario’s legislature.

She said in the letter: “Two years ago, I lost my father. Last year, my husband Andrew and I became empty nesters. These are the kinds of moments that clarify what matters. Together, they have led me to the conclusion that now is the right time to step back from elected life and begin a new chapter, one I am genuinely excited about.”

I was honoured to make my final announcement as York—Simcoe’s MPP in Bradford, where I shared progress on bringing care closer to home in the community.

Thank you, York—Simcoe, for eight incredible years! 💙 pic.twitter.com/5eg8h5idNp

— Caroline Mulroney (@C_Mulroney) June 4, 2026

The OCDSB has previously named seven schools after Canadian prime ministers and governors general, as well as after Sir Winston Churchill, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth II.

The school is located in Ottawa’s east urban community near Mer Bleue and serves a growing area with a strong francophone presence.

In a news release, the OCDSB said the naming of the school recognizes Mulroney’s contributions to Canada, including his support for the French language and francophone communities, his role in advancing free trade and economic growth, his environmental leadership, and his advocacy for human rights on the international stage.

“Teaching Canadian history is an important element of our curriculum. I hope the students of Brian Mulroney Elementary School and students across the OCDSB district will be inspired to learn more about Canada and the importance of public service,” said OCDSB Supervisor Robert Plamondon.

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Millions of Canadians will receive a top-up payment of as much as $717 from the federal government directly into their bank accounts this week.

The top-up is part of the new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, formerly known as the Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST) credit, and is equal to 50 per cent of the annual value of the GST/HST credit from July 2025 to June 2026.

The federal government said the new benefit will provide relief to more than 12 million low- and modest-income Canadians by helping them afford day-to-day essentials. Eligible individuals will receive the payment on Friday, June 5.

According to the Department of Finance, Bill C-19, the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit Act, will deliver $3.1 billion in immediate assistance through the top-up.

Anyone who received the January 2026 GST/HST credit — or was eligible for it — will automatically receive the one-time payment into their bank account, as long as they have a direct deposit set up with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). If not, they will receive a cheque in the mail.

The Department of Finance also outlined how much eligible Canadians can expect to receive.

A single individual with no children will receive a one-time top-up of up to $267, while those who are married or have a common-law partner could get a maximum payment of up to $349.

Those eligible with children will receive up to $441 if they have one child, $533 with two children, $625 with three children, or up to $717 with four children.

Those who have shared custody of a child will get half of the amount they would have received if they had full custody of the child.

Meanwhile, Bill C-19 also increases the value of the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit by 25 per cent for five years, starting in July 2026 — a change the government says will deliver $8.6 billion in additional support over the 2026-27 to 2030-31 period, including to 500,000 additional individuals and families.

However, while eligibility for this week’s top-up is determined by 2024 tax returns, the increased quarterly payments are based on 2025 returns.

This year’s upcoming quarterly payment dates are July 3 and October 5.

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A trans prisoner was convicted of assaulting a 12-year-old girl and two women in 1998. Amanda Joy Cooper was living as a biological male at the time of the crimes.

Cooper grabbed the girl while she was rollerskating in a parking lot, and told her, “I’ll rape you,” according to Quebec court documents. Days later, Cooper attacked a young woman at the same location. Two days after that, Cooper assaulted a 19-year-old woman at a bus shelter.

Prior to those incidents, Cooper had been convicted of sexual assault multiple times. While in federal custody for the first time in 1986, Cooper sexually touched female prison staff and sexually assaulted a female parole officer. Cooper was designated a dangerous offender in 2001.

Cooper now identifies as a woman and, while in prison, had gender-affirming surgery, described by the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons as surgery to help a person “physically actualize their internal sense of self.”

Cooper wants to be transferred from Millhaven Institution, a maximum-security prison for men west of Kingston, Ont., to the Fraser Valley Institution for Women in British Columbia.

Cooper’s case, which will be reviewed by a federal court judge on June 15, is part of a growing debate over how to handle inmates who request prison placement based on gender identity, rather than anatomy.

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The debate pits the wishes of transgender women to be in an institution that matches their gender identity with the concerns of other women in those institutions over their own safety and privacy.

The issue stems from a policy change by Correctional Services Canada (CSC) in 2017 to align with federal legislation prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity. Nearly a decade later, transfer requests made by transgender women are being increasingly rejected, an Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB) investigation has found.

While the rate of transfer approvals reached 80 per cent in the first few years following the 2017 policy, it has since fallen to 23 per cent, according to data obtained by the IJB. In 2018-19, for instance, 10 individuals applied; eight requests were approved. In 2024-25, 13 people applied; three requests were approved (the rest were either rejected or withdrawn). The number of individuals making requests has numbered between eight and 15 annually, according to a breakdown from CSC.

“I think this speaks to the question of the policy on paper versus the policy in reality,” said Nicole Kief, executive director of Prisoners’ Legal Services, based in British Columbia.

“Women who are trans or Two Spirit or gender non-conforming in another way, who feel that an institution for women best aligns with their gender, are being prevented from having that placement.”

Heather Mason, a non-trans woman, was in and out of prison for drug-related offences between 2014 and 2018. The former inmate told the IJB that while she was incarcerated, a sex offender — a trans woman — saw her naked while she was being strip searched. Mason screamed and grabbed her shirt, trying to cover her body. She said the offender was pulled away by a guard.

“I felt very violated, and I also felt that it’s the duty of the correctional system to provide safety for us, because we are locked in an institution where we cannot leave and we have no recourse to protect ourselves.”

She said that incident occurred in March 2015 at South West Detention Centre, a provincial facility in Windsor, Ont., not under CSC’s jurisdiction. Only months earlier, the province said prison placement would be based on “self-identified gender or housing preference.”

Ontario’s Ministry of the Solicitor General did not respond to a request for comment.

In an unattributed statement, CSC said it recognizes that the placement of gender-diverse offenders in its institutions “is a complex and evolving area of operations” and it “continues to adapt its practices and respond to emerging issues.” CSC falls under the ambit of the federal minister of Public Safety (currently Gary Anandasangaree).

Each transfer request is “assessed on a case-by-case basis,” says the statement. The agency added that it considers risks to other offenders and staff “particularly in relation to a history of gender-based violence or sexual violence,” and “risks to the offender’s personal safety.”

Transfer requests and denials

From 2017 to 2025, 57 trans women made 129 requests to transfer to a women’s prison and 35 requests were approved. More than 70 requests were denied by CSC in that period. (An offender can make more than one request, resulting in several decisions over the course of their incarceration, CSC said. If the application is denied, another can be submitted within six months, or sooner depending on the circumstances.)

There were 90 transgender women in federal prison as of October 2025, according to CSC data, 73 of them housed in men’s prisons and 17 in women’s prisons. Of the 17, eight have had gender-affirming surgery.

The list of offences committed by those 17 transgender women include murder in the first and second degree, assault with a weapon, manslaughter, arson, forcible confinement, sexual interference of minors and printing or publishing child pornography, CSC said. Two of the 17 trans women are dangerous offenders, which means they were convicted of a serious violent or sexual crime and may pose a threat to others.

A 2022 study by CSC found trans women made up 80 per cent of gender-diverse offenders with sexual offence histories. The majority of offences happened while the offenders were “living as their biological sex” and most victims were women and children.

Most female offenders are accused of nonviolent crimes, with property crimes making up the largest proportion, followed by drug offences, according to a 2019 Statistics Canada report.

CSC said it has not seen “an increased risk level to offenders” when a gender-diverse person is placed in an institution that better aligns with their identity.

Stacey Love-Jolicoeur, a trans woman and advocate, has visited 35 Canadian prisons to meet with incarcerated trans people since 2012.

“They’re still human beings, that’s the bottom line,” said Love-Jolicoeur, who is familiar with Cooper’s case. The reason Cooper should be in a women’s prison is “pretty simple,” she says. “Amanda is a post-op trans woman with no male anatomy.”

According to court documents, Cooper said she “has been harassed, bullied, threatened, and assaulted by other inmates because of her gender identity” while in the men’s prison.

A previous transfer request was denied by CSC due to “overriding safety concerns” including concerns that Cooper’s transfer would “jeopardize the health and safety of the inmate population and staff,” court documents show.

A lawyer for Cooper declined comment. CSC would not comment on Cooper’s case, saying it is before the courts.

Transferred back

At least one trans woman has been removed from a federal women’s prison after being transferred, the IJB found.

Michelle Autumn, a trans woman, started a life sentence in 2007 for first-degree murder. The offence involved luring a 13-year-old Edmonton girl to a golf course, where she was sexually assaulted and killed by a group that included Autumn, court documents show. The crime was committed when Autumn was 17 and living as a man.

Autumn was transferred to Grand Valley Institution for Women on March 6, 2025, according to court documents. During a strip search, Autumn exhibited “highly inappropriate behaviour,” including playing with her genitalia “in a sexually suggestive manner.”

When staff decided to move Autumn to a single occupancy cell, she barricaded herself in a common room and tried to use a broken television remote as a weapon, court documents say. The incident ended when a chemical irritant grenade was deployed.

Autumn was transferred back to a men’s prison on March 10, 2025, and did not respond to a request for comment.

“CSC has the authority to transfer an offender to a more suitable institution at any point, if deemed necessary,” the agency said in its statement. CSC said involuntary transfer decisions “are not automatic and are not based on gender identity.”

Mason, the former prisoner, insists women are being silenced about their experiences in prison.

“It’s not transphobic to speak about reality, and women deserve to be protected. And it’s also not transphobic to say, ‘Hey, this isn’t working.’ You have two groups of people who have competing rights here, and it’s women that are being harmed.”

Canada’s first trans woman transfer

Fallon Aubee was Canada’s first trans woman to be transferred to a federal women’s prison after spending more than 15 years at various men’s facilities. In 2017, she was moved to B.C.’s Fraser Valley Institution, where she completed her first-degree murder sentence. She was released on day parole in 2023 after serving 22 years.

Before her conviction, Aubee was privately exploring her feminine side while publicly presenting as male, she said. Being in prison forced her to reflect on how she wanted to live her life.

After she told prison officials at Saskatchewan Penitentiary that she was transgender, she was held in segregation for six months. She was told it was due to her maximum-security rating but she believes it was because of her gender identity.

She said she was harassed and her food was contaminated after she disclosed she was transgender.

“I was threatened (by inmates) with being set on fire, stabbed, (having) my cell burned out, thrown over a balcony, (having my) head caved in with a weight bar.”

CSC said it was not aware of these allegations.

Aubee said she spoke to the prison doctor, a psychologist and her case manager about identifying as a woman. “I just kept telling myself I’m not going to live 25 years (in prison) and not be able to just be who I am,” she said. It took more than a decade of fighting, but she made it to Fraser Valley, where she said she was “treated exceptionally well.”

Coming out as trans is “one of the most difficult things, the most emotionally stressful, painful things you’re ever going to go through,” she said.

The Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB) at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health is a collaborative investigative newsroom supported by Postmedia that partners with academics, researchers and journalists while training the next generation of investigative reporters.

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Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon has commented publicly on an airport bag tag scheme in which airport employees have been allegedly using unsuspecting travellers as drug mules.

He was challenged by Conservative MP Dan Albas in committee testimony this week, who asked: “How is it that people right now are being detained, arrested, and then caught up in the CBSA system forevermore for something they didn’t do? It is your responsibility to make sure bad people can’t get those jobs and stay in those jobs.”

MacKinnon responded by saying that credentials for airport workers are revoked on a regular basis. “We have a constant system of ongoing revocation of credentials,” he said.

“Many of the people who were the objects of interest in the recent television report all had their credentials revoked.”

He added: “The system that we implement requires us to assess the risk to aviation safety. I’ve asked my officials to examine whether that is an appropriate test,” and said that his officials have gone “very deep” in their review of the system.

But when pressed on specific measures he has taken in response to the scam, MacKinnon was unable to provide an example.

“What one concrete measure have you done beyond talk to your officials?” Albas asked.

MacKinnon responded by saying that “these are very intricate and delicate interconnected systems” and that he wasn’t going to do anything “rash.”

“But I can tell you that in federal transportation infrastructure, security is something that preoccupies me,” he said.

It’s been two weeks since a CTV News investigation revealed a widespread criminal operation involving airport workers swapping passengers’ luggage tags onto suitcases loaded with drugs.

The report found that at least 17 passengers on flights out of Canada were detained on drug smuggling allegations in the past year as a result of the scam.

In instances where the drug shipments were discovered by foreign customs officials, the innocent passengers whose names appeared on the luggage were arrested.

In one such case , RCMP officers were called after the Canada Border Services Agency found 33 kilograms of cannabis in each checked bag of two German citizens scheduled to depart on a commercial flight from Toronto to Germany.

The RCMP arrested the pair, but each denied ownership of the luggage. Investigators then found that an Air Canada employee working in the baggage room had allegedly placed luggage tags bearing the passengers’ names onto suitcases that contained cannabis. Both passengers were released, and the Air Canada worker was arrested and charged.

National Post previously spoke to Mitesh Shah, CEO of Ontario-based professional security company Empire Protection , about steps airports can take to prevent similar incidents in the future.

He said that he would like to see more screening of airport personnel. “Airport employees don’t go through the same scrutiny that travellers do,” he commented.

Meanwhile, a security expert interviewed by CTV for its investigation said that workers in secure baggage areas should wear body cameras and be prohibited from carrying personal cellphones while on duty.

When it comes to passengers protecting themselves, Shah recommended taking pictures of personal luggage before it’s checked in at the airports and adding a ribbon or something else unique to make each bag stand out.

Such measures could help travellers demonstrate ownership if authorities mistakenly link them to a different suitcase.

• How Canadian flyers can stop their luggage from turning into a drug shipment due to airport bag tag swaps
• Chris Selley: The chilling airport bag-switching scandal suggests Canada still lacks adult supervision

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.

University of Toronto law professor Peter Biro has resigned his fellowship from Massey College after he says the institution wanted an “advisory committee” to vet an antisemitism conference he was organizing.

“A good portion of Canadian society is utterly oblivious to the fact that our current age represents the next great transmutation of jew-hatred in human history,” Biro wrote in his resignation letter dated May 31. “That only underscores the critical importance of this conference.”

The one-day conference titled Antisemitism in Our ‘Free and Democratic Society’: A Canary’s Song was scheduled for Sept. 15 at Massey, a college affiliated with — but independent of — the University of Toronto. The event, according to Biro’s resignation letter, was set to feature Canada’s former special envoy on Holocaust remembrance and combatting antisemitism Deborah Lyons, Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights founder Irwin Cotler, as well as American Holocaust historian and diplomat Deborah Lipstadt.

This is far longer than my typical post, but it tells an important story of what appears to be an attempt by leadership at Massey College to censor a major conference on antisemitism, leading to the resignation of one of its senior fellows.

The disappointment that greeted Mark… pic.twitter.com/31D7bWPUUO

— Michael Geist (@mgeist) June 3, 2026

“Massey College accepts with regret the resignation of Mr. Biro. Massey College condemns antisemitism in any form and is committed to playing its role in addressing it,” Massey College Principal James Orbinski said in a written statement.

Biro wrote that Massey’s concerns stemmed from a lack of coordination with the college and questions surrounding the appropriateness of “partner organizations.” The conference was due to be co-hosted with the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.

Biro dismissed the Massey College president’s concerns as “absolutely false,” writing that everything was developed with “full cooperation with and the full contemporaneous knowledge of the Principal, beginning in mid-January and continuing through to May 27.”

He wrote that he had previously chaired and participated in other conferences at Massey without any issue.

Orbinski said that he “cannot comment on prior processes” given that he only became principal of Massey College in 2025 .

“When Massey was first approached by Mr. Biro with his written draft conference proposal on antisemitism, after some conversation, I agreed to hold a programmed conference on antisemitism. I welcomed the initiative and told Mr. Biro that Massey would engage in a process of consultation about the proposed conference,” Orbinski said.

Orbinski told National Post that he and Biro had “two meetings on the proposed conference,” during which he “particularly emphasized the centrality of consultation and collaboration in defining the agenda and speakers, and my responsibility as Principal to seek appropriate advice, and that I would do this.”

“Unfortunately, Mr. Biro did not check back on the process of consultation,” he wrote. “I had begun that process of consultation with colleagues, when I was informed by email that all Mr. Biro’s proposed speakers had been invited, that the Prime Minister of Canada had been invited, and that a partnership with another organization had been established. Much of the necessary collaborative process was ignored. In a subsequent phone call with Mr. Biro, he informed me that the agenda was fixed, that he was moving the conference to another venue, and that he was resigning from the College.”

Biro called Massey’s concern “one of substance rather than one of process” from “undisclosed senior members of the College about whether the subject of antisemitism is being curated in an appropriate fashion, (and) about whether the salient issues are being framed in a politically and socially appropriate way.”

Orbinski said “no substantive concerns were identified” so far, given the “process of consultation was in process.”

News of Biro’s resignation, and the uncertainty it cast over the future of the conference, provoked strong reactions from other professors. Michael Geist, a University of Ottawa law professor, called the incident “an important story of what appears to be an attempt by leadership at Massey College to censor a major conference on antisemitism.”

“Massey College, much like Mark Carney, had a chance to lead, but both failed to meet the moment,” Geist wrote in an X post on Wednesday, referring to the prime minister’s recent visit to a Toronto synagogue to address antisemitism in Canada earlier this week. “The stain on Massey College will not come off as easily.”

University of Toronto chemistry professor Dvira Segal commented on Geist’s post, saying, “Our academic institutions and government are willing to address antisemitism only insofar as the discussion sanitizes the connection between Judaism and the land of Israel.”

“That clearly is the oversight they wanted, that the conference not touch the historical, cultural, and religious connections of Jews to the land of Israel, nor the extent to which the denial and politicized erasure of those ties has become a modern form of antisemitism,” Segal wrote.

Biro said that life on campus at the University of Toronto, where he is an adjunct professor, has materially changed in recent years, particularly after the Hamas atrocities of October 7.

“There’s been a radical change in the atmosphere and in the civic culture of campus,” he told the Post on Thursday. “But it’s a microcosm of what’s occurring in the broader society, accentuated significantly on campuses across the country. And U of T is no exception.”

Biro said the changing spirit of academic life has been driven by higher education shifting “from being a research institution, particularly in the social sciences, to being a driver of social justice agendas.”

“Activism has supplanted truth-seeking as the dominant spirit and driving force of much of the work, both on the research side, (and) even on the teaching side,” he said. “Israel vilification has become the currency, cornerstone and language of much of what transpires in the social sciences.”

• Chris Selley: U of T college's odd and troubling reaction to a racist joke
• Ramy Elitzur: The boycott demands of U of T's violent encampment mob simply can't be met

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