Users of Toronto transit may soon be compensated if they are left waiting too long for their ride.

On Wednesday, Toronto City Council voted to explore the possibility of refunding TTC riders if they are delayed 15 minutes or longer.

The motion was proposed by Councillor Brad Bradford.

Bradford intended his proposed measure to be a full money-back guarantee, but council voted to amend the proposal. Now, the TTC Board will “evaluate and consider” how a refund program could work.

Transit riders deserve better than what they are getting today, Bradford said during the council discussion.

“We’ve all had the experience when … you go down into the subway, and then the subway’s not running. And people amass on the platform, and it gets increasingly crowded and increasingly uncomfortable. You’re looking around for an information update, and it’s always a question of how long am I going to stay here waiting before I head up to the surface and then, elbows up, try to compete with everybody to get jammed on a bus?”

When somebody is paying for a service, said Bradford, that service “ought to be delivered.”

Other cities such as London, Philadelphia and

Washington D.C

. already offer refunds to commuters who experience significant delays.

Back in the Toronto region, the GO Transit system has also implemented a similar policy. 
 

Meanwhile, said Bradford, the TTC collects two thirds of its revenue from the fare box, but ridership still hasn’t returned to pre-covid 19 levels. “Fare box revenue is really important. So we need to get people back to transit.”

The council vote came amid rider complaints about slow and delayed service on a newly opened light rapid transit line in the northern part of the city.

Toronto engineer Asha Asvathaman recently launched a website called TTC Delay Insights, aiming to bridge the gap between TTC data and commuters by exploring patterns and station stats and highlighting problematic hotspots.

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A 77-year-old woman with advanced Alzheimer’s has been granted protection “against the likelihood of death at the hands of her husband” by the B.C. Supreme Court.

The case involves a woman, identified as E.W., and her husband, identified as T.W., in court documents. T.W. is a strong advocate for medical assistance in dying (MAID) and even spoke openly about a “Death Plan” for his wife, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2017, Justice B. Smith wrote in his

reasons for judgment

.

The “Death Plan,” as it was described by T.W. to family, friends and healthcare workers, was to “end” E.W.’s life if she became ineligible for MAID (which she eventually did) and then “take his own life.”

The issue was brought to the Supreme Court after the Vancouver Island Health Authority, a publicly funded health care provider, raised concerns about the well-being of E.W. “E.W. never expressed agreement with the Death Plan. On the contrary, E.W. was understandably upset by it. E.W. expressed to (their daughter) S.T. that T.W. was trying to kill her,” the court document says.

After E.W.’s diagnosis, healthcare providers suggested that she and her husband plan for future care, as her illness was progressing.

In November 2018, the couple and their daughter, S.T., made a representation agreement — a legal document that authorizes a person to be a substitute decision maker in B.C. law if a person cannot speak for themselves, according to B.C. Centre for Palliative Care.

T.W. was selected as E.W.’s authorized representative, and their daughter was an alternative.

E.W. was deemed eligible for MAID in the summer of 2020, according to the judgment. However, in September 2021, she told one of the doctors who assessed her “that she was not interested in receiving MAID in circumstances related to worsening memory or confusion.”

In a report from the doctor to Island Health, E.W. was later assessed as ineligible because “she was incapable of providing the requisite consent.”

The report determined that if “T.W. learned that E.W. was ineligible for MAID, he planned to carry out the Death Plan, which he referred to as a “dignicide.” It also said that at the time, E.W. “expressed that she was not ready to die” and that due to her “cognitive impairment…she was a vulnerable adult at risk of abuse and neglect.”

Island Health decided to petition for E.W.’s protection.

“Island Health did not believe that E.W. was then being abused or neglected by T.W., but was concerned that E.W. did not perceive herself as having any cognitive or functional limitations and therefore was unable to take care of herself in relation to the Death Plan,” wrote Smith in the judgment.

During wellness checks, T.W. told nurses about plans he was actively involved in to prepare for both his and his wife’s deaths. This included “paying for funeral services and grave sites, selling assets and distributing the proceeds, preparing obituaries and creating memorabilia as part of their collective legacy.”

In 2022, Island Health exercised its emergency powers to move E.W. from their home to a nearby hospital, as specialists said her condition was worsening. She remains in a facility.

In court documents, T.W. was described as “dominating” discussions about end-of-life planning. The couple’s daughter spoke to her mother alone to determine what she wanted. E.W. told her daughter that “if she ever became highly dependent on others, she wished to go into long-term care, as she would ‘not want to burden family with her care.’”

In the Dec. 17 document, the court ordered that the couple’s daughter replace her father as E.W.’s personal representative. T.W. was found to be unsuitable.

Critics of MAID have pointed to how it can affect vulnerable people. Commenting on a post about the case on X, British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society

wrote

: “Pretty sure this is what they told all of us…They caught this case, but how many other ‘dignicide’ (that’s apparently a new slang for murder) cases did they miss.”

Advocates say it allows eligible people the

option to die with dignity on their own terms

.

Parliament

passed federal legislation

allowing eligible adults in Canada to request MAID in June 2016.

• More than 16,000 Canadians died by MAID in 2024 — 5% of all deaths in Canada: report
• Dementia patient gets MAID after family member brought forward the request

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.

A 26-year-old Toronto man has been arrested and charged with ISIS-linked terrorism offences and two other men are charged for alleged hate-motivated extremism targeting women and members of the Jewish community.

The federal terrorism investigation and related probes by Toronto police and Peel police follow violent incidents of armed men trying to abduct women from the street, one in May and two in June.

The RCMP charged Waleed Khan, 26, of Toronto with various terrorism charges including participating in the activities of a terrorist group and conspiracy to commit murder, for the benefit of, at the direction of or in association with a terrorist group.

The charging information names ISIS as the terrorist entity, also known as the Islamic State or ISIL.

Khan was also charged by Toronto police and Peel police, along with two other Toronto men — Osman Azizov, 18, Fahad Sadaat, 19.

The Peel charges, in August, are for kidnapping, firearms, auto theft, and others.

Toronto police also charged the three men for separate but similar attacks. The Toronto charges include kidnapping, attempted kidnapping with firearms, conspiracy to commit sexual assault, and hostage taking classed as hate-motivated extremism.

Khan has additional Toronto police charges including possession of weapons, assault with a weapon, careless use of a firearm and other weapon and theft charges.

The arrests are related to attacks in Toronto where armed men appeared to be hunting women for capture and abuse.

“We have arrested three individuals for offences targeting women and members of the Jewish community,” said Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw.

On May 31, a woman was approached by three men, one of whom was armed with a handgun and another with a knife, in the Don Mills Road and Rochefort Drive area of Toronto, police said. The suspects attempted to force her into a vehicle but fled when interrupted by a passing motorist.

On June 24, two young women were targeted in Mississauga on Ellesboro Drive near Swanhurst Boulevard. Three masked men pulled up in an Audi SUV armed with a handgun, a rifle, and knife, and chased the women and tried to grab them, police said. The men again fled after being interrupted by a passerby.

Peel Regional Police connected the two attacks and a joint investigation identified and arrested the suspects, police said. The joint probe was codenamed Project Neapolitan.

Khan was arrested for the Mississauga incident on Aug. 18, and at the time, Peel police said they were searching for two more suspects, described as Middle Eastern males, late teens to mid-twenties.

In Khan’s Toronto home, police said, they found two loaded prohibited firearms: an AR-style rifle capable of automatic fire and a pistol, both equipped with prohibited high-capacity magazines, along with over 110 rounds of ammunition. At the time of arrest, Khan was on probation for prior violent offences and prohibited from possessing firearms.

In late August, the two other men, Sadaat and Azizov were arrested.

“The evidence gathered expanded the scope of the investigation to include additional offences motivated by hate — particularly targeting women and members of the Jewish community. Investigators also uncovered links to terrorism, prompting a separate but parallel RCMP investigation,” Toronto police said in a release.

Friday’s announcement comes five days after the devastating massacre at Bondi Beach in Australia when two suspected jihadists shot and killed 15 people and wounded dozens more at a Jewish community event celebrating Hanukkah.

A court-imposed publication ban is in place in the Canadian charges preventing publication of some details in the case.

Khan’s terror-linked charges focus on alleged actions between June 17 and August 17.

“Waleed Khan did participate in the activities of a terrorist group by making himself, in response to instructions from any of the persons who constitute a terrorist group, available to facilitate or commit a terrorism offence or an act or omission outside Canada,” reads one charge.

“Khan did commit an indictable offence, to wit conspiracy to commit murder, for the benefit of, at the direction of or in association with a terrorist group,” reads another.

A charge of participating in the activities of a terrorist group alleges he provided property to be used to carry out terrorist activity or benefit someone carry out a terror activity, and another to fund a terrorist group. One charge alleges providing property to fund a terrorist group and another for using social media accounts to the benefit of a terrorist group.

He is also charge with conspiring with persons known and unknown to commit murder.

The federal charges were laid by the Central Region’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), which is an RCMP-led joint task force focussing on threats to national security, criminal extremism and terrorism.

The RCMP said the investigation is ongoing.

Jewish community leaders are grateful for police arrests but fear danger looms.

“The details of the investigation indicate a grave threat, involving the Islamic State and attempts to target women and Jewish Canadians in the Greater Toronto Area,” said Noah Shack, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.

“This goes far beyond the safety of any one group. It is a matter of national security and public safety. There is a ticking time bomb in our country that our leaders must confront before it’s too late. As we saw in Sydney, we are one intelligence failure away from a devastating loss of life. A lack of urgency on the part of our leaders puts Canadians in danger.”

• Terry Newman: Liberals give $100K to antisemitic group to fight antisemitism
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• Email: ahumphreys@postmedia.com | X: AD_Humphreys

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The Jewish community is afraid to use Uber after “disturbing reports of mistreatment and intimidation by drivers,” says the founder of Canadian Women Against Antisemitism, as the rideshare company tells National Post it’s in “listening mode.”

While scrolling on Facebook recently, Esther Mordechai said she noticed posts by Jewish Canadians concerned about using Uber. She has been an activist and advocate for the community for decades. She is also the executive director of

B.A.M. Canada

, an organization dedicated to supporting marginalized Jewish women and the community.

“I had seen dozens of posts of people asking for alternatives (to Uber), and this is not okay,” she said. “The government is silent, and silence normalizes hate. History shows where that leads: 1930s Germany. Intimidation, denial, indifference. Calling it out is how we protect Jewish lives, and we’re also protecting and defending democracy and ensuring Canada never repeats that shameful path.”

Mordechai decided to write a letter to Uber because she felt “compelled to demand accountability and concrete action … to ensure passenger safety.”

National Post has reported on three separate incidents involving Canadian Jews using Uber. A

Canadian-Slovakian model said she was kicked out of a vehicle in Toronto

in November for being Jewish. She has since received

death threats on social media

after speaking out. A Canadian couple said they were

refused a ride while travelling in Europe

in August after they told the driver they were from Israel, and another Canadian couple said that after a driver heard them speaking Hebrew in February he would not take them home from Toronto Pearson Airport.

A spokesperson for Uber apologized for the riders’ experiences and said appropriate action was being taken.

Speaking to National Post, Uber’s head of public policy and communications for the U.S. and Canada Adam Blinick said drivers receive anti-discrimination training, adding that the company “recently re-sent to drivers the community guidelines to ensure that they understand that they do have an obligation.”

“Discrimination on our platform has no place,” he said.

When asked if Uber would say, definitively, that it is against antisemitism, or hate of any kind, and that the company would root it out, Blinick responded: “I don’t think there’s an issue with us saying that.”

The company has been speaking with Jewish leaders in the community, Blinick said. “I would say at a high level that we’re there in listening mode,” he said.

The main purpose of the discussions is to “understand the sensitivities and how people are feeling about things, and if we can be better partners in order to further enhance either communication or relationships or look at our policies again,” he said. He did not disclose when the discussions took place or with which Jewish organizations, citing that Uber did not get permission to share those details publicly.

The intention “was meaningful dialogue,” Blinick said.

Mordechai shared her letter to Uber with National Post.

“In Canada today, people are afraid to speak Hebrew in public, afraid to identify as Jewish, and afraid to disclose their identity while using ride-sharing services. This is not an abstract fear. It is a lived reality for many in the Jewish community. Following the recent tragic antisemitic incident in Australia, it is painfully clear that Canada is not immune to the same dangerous trajectory if institutions fail to act decisively,” she wrote.

“Uber has a legal and moral responsibility to ensure that all passengers without exception are safe and treated with dignity.”

She demanded that Uber “take immediate and visible action,” including enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for antisemitism, permanently removing drivers who engage in discriminatory or threatening behaviour, implementing mandatory training on antisemitism, and establishing a transparent and effective reporting and accountability mechanism.

Blinick said both drivers and passengers have to adhere to the community guidelines to use the platform. “It’s a two way street, and we want to make sure everyone on the platform feels safe and respected,” he said.

While the guidelines do not include language specific to antisemitism, they

say online

: “Do not discriminate against someone or act in a disparaging manner toward someone based on traits such as their age, skin colour, disability, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy, national origin, race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, language, geographical location, or any other characteristic protected under relevant law.”

Blinick said the company has been told by lawmakers that it has been “too quick to deactivate or to cause drivers to lose access to the platform.”

“We think we take a very balanced approach,” he said. “There is equal pressure on the other side of things, where there are advocates, drivers themselves, and others that … want to ensure that our system is equally fair and does not side with one or the other.”

When an incident is reported, there is a team of dedicated staff who conduct a review, which can include speaking to the driver, the passenger and reviewing relevant footage or audio recordings. Blinick said Uber does not share information about the outcome of an investigation, barring an “extraordinarily definitive” incident.

“If we confirm behaviour that violates our guidelines, consequences may include permanent loss of access to the platform,” an Uber spokesperson said.

Blinick highlighted tools to help passengers feel safe, including an audio recording tool through the app that was launched in 2023. It is encrypted and only shared with the company if the passenger wants to do so.

“We do have a sizeable team that is charged with investigating all of these complaints, and are not shy about taking action,” he said.

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• Jewish model who spoke out about antisemitic Uber incident in Toronto receives death threats on social media

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.

Good news, cheese lovers. A study out of Sweden has found that eating high-fat cheese is associated with a lower risk of all forms of dementia.

Published in the

journal Neurology

under the somewhat staid title “High- and Low-Fat Dairy Consumption and Long-Term Risk of Dementia,” the long-term study followed the lives (and sometimes deaths) of 27,670 Swedes over a period of about 25 years.

The participants were 61 per cent female, with an average age of 58.1 years when they started the study between 1991 and 1996. The dementia research team piggybacked on the

Malmö Diet and Cancer

cohort, which was originally set up in the 1990s to study long-term connections between nutrition and cancer.

Dietary intake was evaluated using a comprehensive diet history method that combined a seven-day food diary, a food frequency questionnaire and a dietary interview. Dementia cases were identified through the Swedish National Patient Register until Dec. 31, 2020. The researchers looked for all-cause dementia, a blanket term that includes Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia and other conditions.

They found that eating 50 grams or more of high-fat cheese daily correlates with a lower risk of developing dementia. High-fat cheeses are those with more than 20 per cent fat content, including cheddar, brie, parmesan, mozzarella and gruyere.

More specifically, the risk of developing dementia was calculated at about

10 per cent for those who ate 50 grams or more of high-fat cheese per day, compared to about 13 per cent of people who ate less than 15 grams a day.

Even after adjusting for age, sex, education and overall diet, people who ate more than 50 grams of high-fat cheese per day had a 13 per cent lower all-cause dementia risk than those who ate less than 15 grams.

“For decades, the debate over high-fat versus low-fat diets has shaped health advice, sometimes even categorizing cheese as an unhealthy food to limit,” said nutrition epidemiologist Emily Sonestedt of Sweden’s Lund University in a

press release

about the findings.

“Our study found that some high-fat dairy products may actually lower the risk of dementia, challenging some long-held assumptions about fat and brain health.”

No such association appeared for low-fat cheese or cream, any kind of milk, or fermented milk products such as yogurt and kefir. Butter showed mixed results, including a possible increased Alzheimer’s risk at high intake compared to people who did not eat butter.

“Not all dairy products are equal when it comes to brain health,” said Sonestedt. “The few studies that have investigated this have found a correlation with cheese, so more research is needed to confirm our results and investigate whether certain high-fat dairy products really do provide some protection for the brain.”

The

World Health Organization

estimates that 57 million people were living with dementia in 2021, with an estimated 10 million new cases diagnosed each year. A 2022 study in

The Lancet

medical journal estimated cases could rise to more than 150 million by mid-century.

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