Circling The Drain

Unaffordable housing creates a lot more problems than declining provincial education funding as families move to cheaper abodes. But then again, the same people bemoaning this problem are likely the same ones who cheered for zero percent interest rates that sparked the housing bubble to begin with.

Families aren’t just moving to a different neighbourhood; they’re leaving the region entirely. Driven by a cost of living that has become unsustainable for many young parents, the “Surrey dream” is being packed into moving trucks and headed further east — out of the valley and, in many cases, out of the province.

Left Coast, Lost Cause

Also: The B.C. Hotel Association says FIFA organizers have cancelled between 70 and 80 per cent of the hotel rooms they booked in the 16 cities hosting World Cup games. In Vancouver alone, about 15,000 nightly room bookings have been cancelled. As the CBC’s Janella Hamilton reports, while Vancouver’s mayor said the World Cup would be a huge payout for the city, some tour operators are skeptical.

Our Diversities

From our burgeoning Import The Third World files…

But wait, there’s more! The Home Depot receipt found in the rubble belongs to a Regina based company, Xpert Construction. According to the company director, Baljinder Singh, Xpert had been hired by Dhami to supply his job site with these materials. Hence a PST exemption number was used on the Home Depot receipt (A common practice for contractors who order materials for customers so that when the job is billed the PST is only collected once).

Diversity Is Our Strength

If only there had been warning signs.

The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) has charged a 21-year-old daycare employee following a sexual assault investigation and believe there may be more complainants.

On April 8, 2026, a parent called police to report an incident involving their child at a west Edmonton daycare. Through investigative measures, officers identified a teaching assistant as the suspect, who was then suspended by his employer. His childcare certification has also been suspended.

On April 21, 2026, Kulraj Singh, 21, was arrested and charged with sexual assault and sexual interference.

China Is Asshole

Eh… how bad must it be for the RCMP to get involved?

Alberta RCMP is investigating major international construction equipment company XCMG as part of a fraud investigation, searching the Canadian headquarters in Edmonton Tuesday morning.

Police were seen outside the XCMG Canada building in northwest Edmonton off the Yellowhead and 184 Street, the headquarters for the Chinese company’s Canadian arm in Western Canada. XCMG is the fourth-largest heavy equipment manufacturer in the world, according to the company’s website.

A drone hovered behind the office building where heavy equipment the company makes — excavators, mining, drilling, forestry, and general construction equipment — is stored.

Officers wearing plain clothes entered and left the building throughout the morning and in the afternoon. When CityNews approached the entrance, a police officer said the building was closed.

Related history, according to Grok;

1. Canadian civil fraud allegations and asset freeze (March 2026)

In Wild Timber Industries Ltd. et al. v. XCMG Canada Ltd. et al., plaintiffs (including Wild Timber and related entities) filed suit in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. They allege fraudulent schemes involving serial-plate tampering on heavy equipment (used in forestry and mining) and related financial improprieties, including fraudulent inducements to investors.

On March 11, 2026, the court granted a Canada-wide Mareva injunction (asset-freezing order) worth approximately $32.5 million. This prevents XCMG Canada and affiliated entities from dissipating assets (including inventory) anywhere in Canada, to preserve value pending the lawsuit. The order also binds other XCMG affiliates.

These claims remain unproven in court. The RCMP’s recent fraud probe (by the auto theft unit, which often handles equipment-related tampering) appears potentially connected in timing and theme, but the civil case predates the April search warrant by about a month. XCMG Canada has previously described related matters as financial disputes with no determined liability.

2. U.S. Customs investigation into duty evasion (initiated October 2025)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) opened EAPA Case 8133 against XCMG North America Corporation on October 10, 2025.

The agency is investigating alleged evasion of antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on certain mobile access equipment (e.g., scissor lifts and subassemblies) originating from China. The probe focuses on whether goods were transshipped through Mexico to avoid duties.
CBP imposed interim measures due to “reasonable suspicion” of evasion. No final determination has been publicly issued yet (as of available records).

This is a regulatory/trade enforcement matter, not a criminal fraud case, but duty evasion is a form of questionable import practice that can carry significant penalties.

3. Historical/internal issues with the parent company (pre-2020s)XCMG’s early history (1990s–2010s) included references to management corruption that was reportedly addressed internally during restructuring. One account notes a leader who “eliminated corruption among XCMG’s management personnel” while consolidating unprofitable operations.

Child’s Play

There’s a simple option for people alarmed about the high cost of raising kids: don’t have any. But if you have enough political sway, maybe you can coerce that magical entity known as “others” to shoulder the burden for you. To be fair, California is really just following Canada’s lead on this matter.

The number of 4-year-olds attending state-funded preschools reached record highs last school year, driven by states embracing universal access and an unprecedented $14.4 billion in spending.

More than half the nation’s public preschool enrollment gain — some 25,000 students — came in California, which this year made every 4-year-old eligible for its “ transitional kindergarten ” program, or “TK.”

“Transitional kindergarten”? I wonder who came up with that title.

If It Weren’t For Fake Hate

Continued…

We already knew that the “fine people” hoax was based on the lie that Trump called white supremacists “fine people,” instead of, as he did, condemning them. But until yesterday, we didn’t know that the white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville and whose protest led to the death of one person were bused there on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s dime, and were organized to be there by an SPLC “informer.”

This sounds like a job for Warren Kinsella.

Navigation