Latest news with #CBCToronto
5 days ago
- Business
Complaints pile up against only agency providing Indian consular services in Canada
Every time Prashant Vashista thinks of BLS International — the sole company sanctioned by the Indian consulate to handle services like visas and passport renewals in Canada — his mind goes back two years to his mother's death. Grief-stricken, he drove an hour to BLS's Brampton location to arrange for emergency visas so he could see his family in India. Even though he picked up the visas himself, Vashista said employees demanded he pay a $45 courier fee for himself, his daughter and his wife, totalling $135. I was in dire need. So I had to pay, he told CBC Toronto. It wasn't the first or last time BLS allegedly pushed him to pay for services he didn't need — and his experience isn't unique. CBC spoke with numerous people who described being pressured to pay extra charges at BLS, many of whom felt their ability to visit India or legally stay in Canada depended on it. Former employees at one BLS branch say they're not surprised, saying staff were encouraged to charge clients as much as possible and find minor errors in their forms or photos to sell services or reduce the backlog of applications. I knew 100 per cent that we are wrong… and we are [over]charging the clients, said one former supervisor. BLS says it has reputation for 'service excellence' BLS has locations across the country that provide services like passport renewal, police criminal record checks, and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards, which function as lifelong visas. A quick web search reveals a trove of public Facebook posts, Reddit threads and online petitions — one of which has more than 7,000 signatures — created by frustrated BLS clients. The company has also been awarded an F rating by the Better Business Bureau. In response to CBC Toronto's questions about the complaints, BLS said the company has a longstanding reputation for transparency, compliance, and service excellence. Enlarge image (new window) BLS's Brampton location, where Prashant Vashista says he was pressured to pay for unnecessary courier fees. Photo: CBC / Saloni Bhugra We remain fully aligned with the standards and expectations of the governments and authorities we work alongside, BLS communications manager Pooja Arora wrote. Where concerns are raised, we will always investigate them thoroughly and take appropriate steps to improve. For its part, the Consulate General of India in Toronto says it is committed to prompt, efficient service, adding that BLS International was selected through a competitive bidding process. Client describes 'legalized plunder' During a visit to the Mississauga location in April, one client says his OCI application ran aground when staff pressed him for extra documents not mentioned on the BLS website and found minor issues with his photos and application forms. CBC Toronto has agreed to protect his identity because he fears repercussions from BLS during future visits. In a complaint he later sent to the company, he says staff used scare tactics to push him to pay for extra fees, called his wife dumb and threatened to blacklist him when he asked to see an itemized receipt before paying. Harpreet Hora, a lawyer based in Kenora, Ont., says he had similar experiences during two separate visits to Toronto BLS locations. They forced me to take a courier service… which I had never asked for, he said. Shivam Nehra says he had to make multiple trips to the BLS offices, with new mistakes on his form being pointed out each time. Photo: CBC / Paul Smith Though he later received refunds after complaining to both the company and the consulate, he described the ordeals as obviously stressful and a sort of harassment. You see that this is legalized plunder from people, Hora said, pointing out that few people have the time or patience to pursue refunds. Another client, Shivam Nehra of Oakville, says he was pressured to pay $100 for a premium lounge service to bypass the long lineups outside while he faced down a looming permanent residency application deadline. I went there three to four times to get my documents corrected and every time, these guys will point out any different mistake, he said. The story on the inside It appears the situation wasn't better on the other side of the counter. Three former employees, all of whom worked in the Brampton location within the last five years, say they were kept on short-term contracts and felt pressured to find issues with applications or add extra charges. CBC Toronto has agreed to protect their identities over concerns about impacts to their careers. You need to find a reason where you can take out money from a client, one said. If you're not selling, you will be kicked off, they continued, describing internal staff competitions over who could sell the most services, with gift baskets going to the winners. Enlarge image (new window) An image from inside of Brampton's BLS office, shared by a former employee, that appears to show a sign displaying internal staff competitions. Photo: Submitted With little guidance on official standards, reasons to reject applications could be as minor as a missing comma or writing ave. instead of avenue on a form. They also said some mistakes were unavoidable because of how the company's own online application forms were formatted. Two employees also said they would push unwilling clients to use their courier service and charge families multiple times, despite deliveries going to the same address. 'I know what you're doing' The same employee who described looking for misplaced commas said they ultimately left the company because they were disturbed by having to lie to clients they often sympathized with. There are students who are doing their applications for their permanent residency, not having jobs… or getting minimum wage, but still BLS is charging them like two or three hundred dollars [for] a thing which could be done [for] $40. All three also say they eventually found themselves returning to BLS for services, where they or their families were charged for add-ons they didn't want. I was like, 'Man, I have worked at this location and I know what you're doing,' the same employee recalled telling a Brampton staff member, who charged them an unnecessary courier fee, which they say they had no choice but to pay. The search for accountability As a private company contracted by a non-Canadian consulate in Canada, BLS operates outside of the purview of any federal or provincial immigration ministry. Global Affairs Canada says that while it authorizes the establishment of consular posts, it has no authority over a company contracted by a foreign state, recommending instead that people with issues reach out to their local consumer protection office, or, in the event of a criminal complaint, the police. Consumer Protection Ontario, meanwhile, says it has received just one complaint related to BLS International in the last three years, but declined to comment on the outcome. An overnight lineup outside the Brampton BLS office in 2023, during a rush to apply for OCI cards following India's suspension of visa services for Canadians. Photo: Radio-Canada / Saloni Bhugra The only body with authority to fire or discipline BLS is the Consulate General of India, who said in a statement to CBC Toronto that every effort is being made — including through internal reviews, coordination with BLS, and process improvements — to ensure that service standards continuously improve. Former client Harpreet Hora isn't so sure. For the last three years, he's found himself researching BLS, including several right-to-information requests with the Indian government over how many complaints they've received about the company. Much to my surprise, the Indian consulate says they do not have data of this, he said. The consulate did not comment on Hora's claim that it had no data on complaints, when asked by CBC Toronto. I feel cheated by the Indian consulate, said Hora. Reason being… I'm making complaints to you, and you're not taking action. Naama Weingarten (new window) · CBC News · Reporter Naama Weingarten is a reporter with CBC News based in Toronto. You can reach her at or follow her on X @NaamaWeingarten.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
Toronto police report fewer youth gun arrests, but worry gang recruitment online rising
Toronto police say youth firearm arrests have declined so far this year — a welcome shift after last year's spike, though major concerns remain, including the rise of gang recruitment on social media. So far in 2025, police say they have made 83 youth firearm arrests, compared to 105 over the same period last year — a drop of 21 per cent. However, Insp. Paul Krawczyk isn't celebrating just yet. This is still the second-worst year for such arrests in the last five, he told CBC Toronto. "I worry that [last year] is not just a spike, but obviously I don't have a crystal ball." Police say there were 175 total youth firearm arrests in 2024, which was 59 per cent higher than the 110 arrests made in 2023. In 2022, there were 94 youth firearm arrests, and 83 in 2021. But while arrests are down so far this year, there have already been a number of high profile crimes involving teens. In January, Toronto police arrested and charged four teenage boys they believed were behind a carjacking and two robberies that month. Three teens were charged with first-degree murder in connection with a fatal double shooting in Toronto's Riverdale neighbourhood in April, and last month, a 15-year-old boy was killed in a shooting in York. WATCH | Toronto's youth firearm arrests spiked in 2024, up 161% in 2 years: Krawczyk says police are a major partner in FOCUS Toronto — a program made up of several agencies and community groups that come together to help prevent crime and connect with youth in vulnerable communities. The hope, he says, is to help stop gang recruitment before it happens. "I do worry that youth, through social media, through the apps on their phones, are getting contracted to do some of these shootings," said Krawczyk. "A lot of money is being thrown at them, and we may not see a decrease without the combined efforts of everyone." Those efforts include community programs like the One by One Movement. Founder Marcell Wilson says the non-profit organization is focused on decreasing acts of violence and connecting with vulnerable youth before they're potentially exposed to crime. A former gang leader-turned-anti-violence advocate, Wilson says the issue of vulnerable young people being recruited on social media platforms by gang members is underaddressed. His organization has a program dedicated to the issue, targeted at parents and community members. It starts with the basics of social media and how the platforms work, and goes into some of the language youth use that their parents may be unfamiliar with, aiming to close the generational disconnect when it comes to what young people are doing on their phones. "It's about teaching them the nuances of the platforms being used and even sometimes language," Wilson said. "You'll have a parent who doesn't understand the language being used and because of that, they have no idea their children are involved in certain activities." Krawczyk says to deal with gun violence overall, police have been strategically deploying more resources to specific areas, based on crime data across Toronto. "Clearly if police are out there, you know it's going to make a difference and deter some of these shootings and discharges," he said. Last month, the city announced an extra $5 million in funding for anti-violence programs for young people. Mayor Olivia Chow said the safety plan will help 3,000 young people and more than 500 families participate in summer recreation and youth violence prevention programs. Initiatives like that are applauded by Toronto police and organizations like Wilson's, but both say parents should also keep on top of their kids' social media presence, and tech giants should also put more resources into combatting youth crime on their platforms. "There's not enough cohesion between the different entities, between the community, the organizations, law enforcement and the decision makers," Wilson said. "We'd like to see much more investment in the preventative space … putting a lot more focus on social media would make a huge difference for sure."
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Did Trump make Canada Day great again? Some observers say, in a way, yes
Just a few years ago, Canada Day was going through a serious identity crisis. Calls to #CancelCanadaDay were trending in 2021 after preliminary findings from a ground-penetrating radar survey at a former residential school in British Columbia had found some 200 potential unmarked graves at the now-national historic site. In 2017, protesters with Idle No More descended on Parliament Hill, calling for a national day of action called UNsettling Canada 150 on the country's 150th birthday. Enter, Donald Trump and his threats to annex Canada if the country doesn't voluntarily become the 51st state — something that's dominated headlines this year. "There is a switch this year suddenly," said historian Matthew Hayday. The threat to Canadian sovereignty has galvanized Canadians, the University of Guelph department chair said. This year, he expects celebrations with "the whole rhetoric of 'elbows up' and championing Canada." Trump's taunts and very real tariffs may be driving a resurgence of patriotism, but while some Torontonians are heading to Ottawa to celebrate, some Indigenous people say their concerns remain and shouldn't be forgotten. "July 1 can, in some ways, be a microcosm of a given year of what the national mood looks like," Hayday said. Earlier this year, Canadians across the country were boycotting American products and cancelling vacations plans to the U.S. Those sentiments may not be as potent now, but for many the sentiment lingers. Yao Ameyaw told CBC Toronto he's still avoiding spending money south of the border, and he'll be travelling to Ottawa for Canada Day. "There is a bit of bad blood whether spoken or not, between us and America," he said. Patrick Shea and his wife will also be heading from Toronto to the nation's capital. He agrees Canada-U.S. relations have "reinvigorated [Canadians] sense of nation and our sense of belonging together," but hopes the tensions die down soon. "It may pass like a kidney stone, but it's going to pass." For Tira Cardinal, who is Indigenous, the holiday is an opportunity to spend time with friends, but she won't be celebrating. "I'm going to be wearing an orange shirt on Canada Day," she said, adding that she isn't surprised Indigenous issues aren't front of mind for many Canadians this year. "People hop on the bandwagon for a lot of things. Unfortunately, I think that's how people in society are going to be." Brianna Olson-Pitawanakwat, a member of the member of Wiikwemkoong Unceded First Nation, said she'll be spending the day rallying around her community and highlighting their resilience and resistance. She's the co-founder of the Native Arts Society in Toronto, an art gallery and studio space dedicated to celebrating and showcasing Indigenous artists, many of whom are survivors of residential schools or the Sixties Scoop. "[They] are struggling with displacement, and deserve to be honoured on this day," Olson-Pitawanakwat said. "There's been a big push with what's happening south of the border for Canada to kind of relish in this hyper-nationalism. I think it's really important to recognize that like the boundaries of what we call Canada today would not exist without Indigenous peoples." Already, the surge in patriotism — and protectionism — has led to threats against Indigenous sovereignty, Olson-Pitawanakwat said. She compares Bill 5 in Ontario to Stephen Harper's Bill C-45, a controversial omnibus bill that made changes to the Indian Act, the Environmental Protections Act and Navigation Protection Act to make it easier for pipelines to be approved on Indigenous land without the consent of affected First Nations. That 2012 bill was part of what sparked the Idle No More movement that drove protests across the country and calls for Canada Day to be cancelled. Olson-Pitawanakwat says, like C-45, the Ford government's Bill 5 will also allow the government to expedite and approve energy project in Indigenous territories without local approval, namely when it comes to mining in the Ring of Fire. "We cannot approve these things without free, prior-informed consent," Olson-Pitawanakwat said. Similar tensions are playing out at national level, too. Prime Minister Mark Carney has signalled Bill C-5 could be used to greenlight and fast-track new energy projects, including pipelines, mines and other resource-related initiatives. There's already fear and pushback in some Indigenous communities about what it'll mean for the consultation process — though both Carney and Ford have vowed their governments will consult. "Right now, there is a lot more leeway for various actors to do things in the name of Canada," Hayday said. And as a result, "Indigenous concerns more broadly are kind of getting shunted," he said. With the pendulum in one direction, this could be the moment that it starts to move the other way, Olson-Pitawanakwat said. "This bill and the response are huge… and it's only going to become more present."
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
'Pretty evil birds' are dive-bombing pedestrians in Etobicoke, residents say
Red-winged blackbirds are dive-bombing residents of one Toronto neighbourhood, swooping down and pecking at their heads, but an expert says there's not too much the locals can do as the birds protect their nests. On one street in Etobicoke, near Kipling Avenue and Dundas Street W., the birds with the distinctive markings are annoying and even frightening residents. In some cases, if the pedestrians flee, the birds will chase. Ron Glatt, a local resident who has lived in the area for four years, said on Thursday that the attacks seem to be worse this year than last. He said the red-winged blackbirds live in the trees in the area, including outside his house. "We've just really been seeing them be more aggressive than usual," Glatt said. "When people are running, it seems to make things worse. The birds will follow them down the street. We've seen delivery drivers get repeatedly attacked while they're trying to deliver packages. So yeah, they're pretty evil birds." Glatt said his home security camera footage has shown instances where people have been attacked to the point where they have fallen over. Glatt said it would be good if the birds found another area in which to nest. But failing that, he said he has found that staring at the birds, or making eye contact, is one way to lessen attacks. "Walking backwards and looking at the birds tends to work pretty well," he said. One of the homeowners who lives in the neighbourhood told CBC Toronto that her family stopped using the front door to avoid getting attacked. 'A territorial bird just protecting its eggs' Tristan Boswell, another resident, said he was pecked in the head earlier this week in the evening when he was not wearing anything on his head. "It's a territorial bird just protecting its eggs. And it's annoying," he said. "I've seen people, when people are just passing through, get swooped on and they're like, they're being attacked by some invisible enemy, but it's just a bird nesting and trying to protect its little ones." Boswell said he thinks the birds' behaviour is more of an inconvenience rather than a major problem, but he said the city could perhaps put decoys of hawks or owls or blue jays in the trees to ward the red-winged blackbirds off. "Nothing invasive or anything like that... because life is life, you know," he said. Shane Abernethy, bander-in-charge at the Tommy Thompson Park Bird Research Station, an initiative of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, said the nests are "extremely vulnerable" because the eggs have hatched and they now contain live chicks. Abernethy said bird nests and their eggs are protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, an international treaty. Moving them is not possible, he said. 'They're not out for blood' "These birds are defending their nests so this is a purely defensive action. They're not out for blood. This is nesting season for red-winged blackbirds and, in fact, the peak of it," Abernethy said. "As a result, they're aggressively driving away anything they perceive as a threat, which will include any potential predators as well people who have wandered a little bit too close to the nest sites themselves," he said. Abernethy said the attacks should end in the next few weeks. He said the birds attack from behind and he recommends that people make eye contact if a bird is spotted close by, avoid getting close to the birds and consider wearing a hat for protection. In a statement, a city spokesperson said the city can't anticipate where nests are being built or how a bird might react to a person's proximity to one. "We encourage the public, if they see or encounter an aggressive red-winged blackbird, to please keep their distance because they're protecting their young and their nest."
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Do West Fest takes over stretch of west end street in Toronto
A festival that bills itself as "Toronto's start to the summer" has taken over a stretch of a major west end street this weekend. Now in its 12th year, Do West Fest celebrates the rich culture of the city's Little Portugal neighbourhood. Sixteen blocks are closed to traffic across Dundas Street W. between Lansdowne Avenue and Shaw Street. The streets are now filled with food trucks and local vendors instead of cars. Organizers have set up three music stages — Lulaworld, Community and Transmit Presents — throughout the festival. "All of them bring a bit of a different flavor," Kristyn Gelfand, the event's lead producer told CBC Toronto on Friday. "Lulaworld has bands from as far away as Ecuador and Brazil. The Community Stage is programmed hyper-locally, so all the artists on that stage have a direct connection to this neighbourhood, whether they live or work or rehearse in this right here on Dundas," Gelfand said.. "And then [there's] the Transmit Stage, which brings in the best of Canadian indie rock from all across the country." The festival will wrap up at 6 pm. on Saturday, but road closures on Dundas Street W. will stay in effect until midnight.
