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Hamilton Spectator
22-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Ford emphasizes ‘need to get moving'
Premier Doug Ford says the message from the prime minister, business leaders and Indigenous groups is the same: 'we need to get moving.' Ford told reporters in Huntsville that Trump has done Canada a solid by forcing Canadians to look to each other for solutions to our economic challenges instead of relying upon the U.S. 'We're all standing united right now,' the Ontarian said.
Hamilton Spectator
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
How OnlyFans obsession is affecting men and their relationships: ‘Things started to get weird'
It started innocently enough with some yellow lingerie. Margaret* had been dating Justin* for almost two years in Toronto when he stopped offering to pay for their dinners out. The only thing he would happily buy for her was highlighter yellow lingerie — multiple different types of it. One day, Margaret looked through her boyfriend's phone. 'There were Instagram DMs from someone named Andrea, some OnlyFans girl,' she said. It took just one look at Andrea's social media for Margaret to understand what had gone awry in her relationship. 'He would only have sex with me when I looked like this girl,' Margaret said. 'Her Twitter was filled with photos of her in highlighter yellow lingerie.' 'There were Instagram DMs from someone named Andrea, some OnlyFans girl. He would only have sex with me when I looked like this girl.' OnlyFans is a content subscription service with 305 million subscribers as of 2023, up 27 per cent from the year prior. Used largely for pay-to-watch adult content , it has been praised for allowing sex workers to set their own prices, control their own schedules, and earn income directly from subscribers without relying on exploitative studios or intermediaries. OnlyFans creators often sell personalized content to their subscribers, who can directly message and interact with them. This unique feature has sent some users down the path of preoccupation, even obsession — some are calling it a new form of porn addiction. Jonah*, a 32-year-old Ontarian, cut himself off from using OnlyFans after spending thousands of dollars on the app over four years. 'I don't want to know the actual number, but I know it was in the thousands,' he said. 'I think about things I could have done with that money instead — travelled, or something more responsible.' Jonah was initially drawn to the site when one of his favourite porn stars advertised her page online. 'I like the idea of being able to interact with [a porn star] directly, being able to message with her and order custom videos.' Though he knows those 'custom' messages are often actually mass-distributed and sometimes even written by hired copywriters, he said the 'quasi-personal element' still seeped through. But then the shine wore off. 'The parasocial relationships I had with these women, where I knew who they were but they didn't know who I was, started to feel very empty,' he said. 'After a while, it just didn't feel as if there was a lot of value or adrenalin left to have.' Cynthia*, who lives in Montreal, discovered a charge to OnlyFans on her shared credit card with her husband of 21 years. 'He said he was just checking it out, and I let it go, but then things started to get weird,' she recalled. Months later, another charge appeared, this time for $100. When Cynthia filed for divorce after discovering her husband had also been addicted to drugs, she found out he'd spent thousands on OnlyFans over the years — enough that some months, she'd had trouble making their mortgage payments. 'It kills me to hear people joke about starting an account to raise money because this s—t messes with your head,' she said. 'It wasn't OnlyFans that destroyed our marriage, but it was definitely part of the problem.' 'OnlyFans drives these lonely men further into addiction. The app is always pushing to the 'next big thing' that's just one payment, one subscription, one pay-per-view away.' Marissa*, a 28-year-old Canadian OnlyFans creator, has seen such behaviour firsthand. 'I've had customers message me in a panic because they need content and they're on their last 10 dollars in their bank account,' she said. 'People confess to me that they're in credit card debt they cannot pay because they can't stop [watching my videos]. Some customers drop thousands of dollars on content in one week.' Marissa sometimes refuses to sell content to people she knows are choosing her one-minute video over eating dinner that day. 'They thank me for denying them, but 20 minutes later, they try to bargain again,' she said. '[They'll say], 'What if I just got something on your menu for five dollars?'' Another Canadian OnlyFans creator, 19-year-old Kayla*, began to notice the app's addictiveness when one of her regular subscribers, who worked a low-level office job, started paying her $1,000 a month, plus regular gifts. When she asked him how he could afford it, he told her he'd started taking out loans. After five months and thousands of dollars, Kayla woke up to a message from the client saying he had dug himself too deep into a financial hole and needed to stop. After that, he blocked her. 'This man in his mid-40s made me feel like I was his friend,' Kayla said. 'He shared personal parts of his life with me: his divorce, his kids, his career.' While the impulsive spending was his own responsibility, Kayla feels the platform is at fault as well: 'OnlyFans drives these lonely men further into addiction. The app is always pushing to the 'next big thing' that's just one payment, one subscription, one pay-per-view away, when in reality, all these women are the same.' Since OnlyFans took off, some men in their prime dating years — 20s and 30s — seem to be less interested in seeking in-person romantic connections. 'OnlyFans offers instant gratification without risking the vulnerability that comes with actual intimacy,'' said Niloufar Esmaeilpour, a registered clinical counsellor at Hamilton's Lotus Therapy and Counselling Centre. 'They'll say, 'Why go through the stress of dating when I can just log in and feel desirable?'' 'It's not uncommon for someone to compare their partner to creators they follow, which erodes self-esteem and intimacy in the relationship.' But this approach does not come without cost. 'The ability to handle emotional closeness, conflict, and evolution as a couple can atrophy over time,'' Esmaeilpour said, adding that OnlyFans addicts often struggle more with the rejection and compromise that real relationships require. In more extreme cases, it could contribute to sexual dysfunction, such as problems with arousal or performance with a partner. 'Users become so accustomed to highly stimulating, curated content,' Esmaeilpour said. 'It's not uncommon for someone to compare their partner to creators they follow, which erodes self-esteem and intimacy in the relationship.' Like many obsessions, OnlyFans addiction can be a sign of deeper inner turmoil for which a person can get help. ''Beneath the behaviour is almost always a part of the person trying to cope, soothe or feel something they don't feel elsewhere: valued, desired, in control, and less alone. Therapy helps explore what the behaviour is protecting,'' said Ken Fierheller of Alberta's One Life Counselling and Coaching. 'From there, people can start to heal the root causes, reconnect with themselves, and rebuild the capability for authentic intimacy.' *Names have been changed upon request.
Hamilton Spectator
18-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Doug Ford and Danielle Smith ink deal to promote pipelines and rail links
CALGARY—Putting pressure on Prime Minister Mark Carney, Doug Ford and Danielle Smith want new pipelines and rail links built with Ontario steel to get Alberta oil to market. The Ontario premier and his Alberta counterpart signed two memorandums of understanding on Monday that they said would also boost mining development in the Ring of Fire 500 km northeast of Thunder Bay. Their agreement comes against the backdrop of Carney vowing to make Canada 'an energy superpower' despite concerns from some Indigenous groups, environmentalists and opposition to a westward pipeline through British Columbia. Asked by a reporter whether she believes the new Liberal prime minister 'is actually going to play ball' and back oil pipelines, Smith said: 'There'll be a moment where the rubber hits the road.' 'You can only talk the talk for so long before you start putting some real action around it,' the United Conservative Alberta premier said, adding she would like to see some movement this fall, including a lifting of the oil tanker moratorium in place since 2019. Ford, for his part, rallied to Carney's defence. 'I'll tell you one thing, Prime Minister Carney is no Justin Trudeau,' the Progressive Conservative Ontarian said, referring to the former prime minister whose policies were unpopular in the oilpatch. 'He's a business mind. He's run massive, multibillion dollar businesses, and he's bringing a business approach to the federal government that hasn't had that approach in the last 10 years,' said Ford. 'He wants to get things going. He comes from Alberta. He believes in prosperity and opportunity. He believes in cutting waste, because we've seen the ... federal government grow by 40 per cent so I have all the confidence that he's going to listen to the premiers and straighten out the federal government once and for all,' he said. 'I'm giving Prime Minister Carney the benefit of the doubt.' In a weekend interview with the Calgary Herald, Carney was asked if a new oil pipeline through B.C. would be included in Ottawa's list of projects of national importance. 'It's highly, highly likely that that will be the case. And the only reason why I don't say it definitively is this is not a top-down approach from the federal government saying, 'We want this, we want that,'' the prime minister said. His comments came as U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff war against Canada is forcing Ottawa and the provinces to work together to increase internal trade while looking to new markets in Asia and Europe. Ford — who attended a private barbecue Friday night at the midtown Toronto home of Transport and Internal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland with Intergovernmental Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Mayor Olivia Chow and former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien, among others — stressed the need to set aside partisan differences. 'The days of relying on the United States 100 per cent, they're done, they're gone. We're going to start being ... self reliant,' he said. B.C. Premier David Eby has said he would prefer to focus on 'shovel-ready projects' rather than Smith's dream of an oil pipeline to Pacific tidewater, which has no current private-sector proponent. The Alberta premier countered that 'government must get out of the way, partner with industry and support the projects this country needs to grow.' Smith said Ontario and Alberta would soon launch a feasibility study to map out routes for the energy corridors that Carney has promised. According the text of the 'co-operation' MOU, it is for 'advancing the safe transportation and export of: critical minerals, mined and processed in Canada; and Western Canadian oil and natural gas via pipelines to refineries, seaports, and storage facilities, including but not limited to sites in James Bay and southern Ontario.' Carney's contentious Bill C-5 — the One Canadian Economy Act, the federal version of Ontario's controversial Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act — gives Ottawa the power to ram through major energy projects. 'Canada's new government is breaking down trade barriers and building one strong economy — connected by Canadian projects, powered by Canadian energy, and crafted by Canadian workers,' the prime minister insisted last week. Ontario Green Leader Mike Schreiner, for his part, blasted Ford for 'a dangerous escalation in his fossil fuel agenda.' 'Climate change is already driving up the cost of health care, infrastructure, and emergency response, and Ford's plan will only deepen that crisis,' said Schreiner. While Ford's relations with Smith have been strained in the past — he questioned her appeasement of Trump early in the trade war and expressed concerns about a referendum on Alberta secession — they appear to have developed a warm rapport. When she presented him with a new Alberta belt buckle at Monday's press conference, he immediately and enthusiastically swapped it out with the custom-made 'Ford Nation' one he had been sporting at his visit to the Calgary Stampede.
Hamilton Spectator
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Callander resident joins Poilievre's by-election ballot protest
Although he lives in Callander, Dillon Anderson is running against Pierre Poilievre in the Aug. 18 federal by-election to represent Alberta's Battle River–Crowfoot riding. Anderson understands that an Ontarian running in Alberta is unconventional and even controversial, and that's the point. He's running to protest Canada's electoral system that allows any Canadian resident to run in any Canadian riding. He told BayToday, 'We have to change because somebody from Ontario shouldn't be able to run in an Alberta riding.' If the name is familiar, Anderson ran for Callander's Municipal Council in 2022 but did not earn a seat. See: Dillon Anderson is ready to run for Callander council His current candidacy is part of the Longest Ballot Committee, organized by Tomas Szuchewycz, who also serves as Anderson's Official Agent. At the time of writing, Elections Canada lists 29 candidates in Battle River-Crowfoot, many of whom list Szuchewycz as their agent. Anderson mentioned the committee expects to reach 126 candidates by the close of nominations on July 30, 2025. In a post on the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada's website, Szuchewycz emphasized that former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau broke his 2015 election promise to reform electoral practices, and the longest ballot aims to protest the current system which allows for parachute candidates to run in any riding they or their party choose. Szuchewycz noted in his statement, 'Some will call the longest ballot frivolous, inappropriate, or just ballot clutter. We must disagree. There is nothing inappropriate about having regular Canadians exercising their charter rights and engaging directly in politics.' Anderson agreed, emphasizing that what he and other Long Ballotters are doing is no different than what Poilievre is doing. 'I would argue that Mr. Poilievre is doing the same thing. He had a riding in Carleton that he represented for 20 years and abandoned, and the people effectively fired him and now he's replacing a respected MP, Damien Kurek.' 'I don't think that's right,' Anderson said. However, he added, 'If by the off-chance Poilievre is reading this today, I don't want him to think that it's an attack against him.' It's an attack against the entire electoral system, Anderson emphasized. Similar long ballot protests have occurred in Liberal strongholds as well, he noted. 'It's been used against other parties in the past. It's not just a conservative attack.' While Anderson exercises his right to run in a largely rural riding with a population hovering around 110,000, he has experienced backlash, especially on social media. Online he's been called a political terrorist, disgraceful, despicable, and has been told he reeks of liberal interference. For those thinking Anderson and his like are ruining democracy, Anderson said, 'It's in the constitution that we have democratic rights. If you want to do something about it write to the head of Elections Canada,' said Anderson, who is also a northern hockey scout with the Powassan Voodoos. 'More importantly, write to your MP so that we can get a private member's bill passed to stop this from happening,' Anderson said. 'I don't want to do this again, but I will if I have to.' Anderson mentioned he has a platform and even has a handful of people on the ground in the riding. He doesn't expect to win, but he wouldn't be surprised to receive 10 or 13 votes. If he does win, he will pack his bags and head to Battle River-Crowfoot to represent the people. However, he's sure it won't come to that, and he's proud to continue his protest regardless of results. 'It's sad that our democracy allows somebody from outside the region to parachute in, like Mr. Poilievre and myself.' David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
05-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Doug Ford heads west to meet with Danielle Smith and promote pipelines
Premier Doug Ford is stampeding west to promote pipelines. Ford will be at the Calgary Stampede on Monday and is to sign a memorandum of understanding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to build new energy and trade infrastructure. 'I've never seen a country more united. I'm going to be flying out to see Premier Smith and we're going to have a great conversation about building pipelines right across our great country,' he told reporters two weeks ago. Because of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff war against Canada, the prime minister and premiers have been forced to work together to reduce interprovincial trade barriers and look to boost trade with Asia and Europe. While any new westward oil pipeline appears to be a non-starter for British Columbia Premier David Eby — who wants to focus on 'shovel-ready projects' rather than Smith's longer-term schemes — Ford maintains momentum is building nationally for such infrastructure. 'I know one thing, we're all onside going east. We're going north,' the Ontarian said, referring to Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew's push for a pipeline to tidewater in Churchill on Hudson Bay. A rare alliance between Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals and Pierre Poilievre's 'That's up to Premier Eby to decide if they're going west or not. But we have to really diversify our trade as well,' said Ford, who wants Ontario's steel industry, battered by Trump's punishing tariffs, to benefit from the next generation of pipelines. Prime Minister Mark Carney's controversial Bill C-5 — the One Canadian Economy Act, the federal counterpart to Ontario's equally contentious Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act — empowers Ottawa to rush through major energy projects despite concerns from some Indigenous groups and environmentalists. 'Canada's new government is breaking down trade barriers and building one strong economy — connected by Canadian projects, powered by Canadian energy, and crafted by Canadian workers,' Carney said Monday. 'Together, we can give ourselves more than any foreign nation can take away,' the prime minister added. Proponents argue that the controversial bill is essential for Ontario's economy amid U.S. Federal Transport and Internal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland, a close Ford ally, pointed out last week's passage of Bill C-5 would 'eliminate internal trade barriers and cut red tape for Canadian businesses.' 'We are moving quickly on commitments to improve labour mobility for workers across the country, implement mutual recognition agreements to gets goods and services moving, and removing duplication of requirements which for too long have created extra costs and delays for Canadian businesses and workers,' said Freeland. 'We will create one Canadian economy; one with more opportunities for Canadian businesses and Canadian workers, an economy that will put more money in the pocket of every Canadian.' Freeland meets Tuesday in Quebec City with her provincial ministerial counterparts from across the country to discuss the next phase of red tape reduction. Ford, for his part, has inked memorandums of understanding for Ontario to scrap interprovincial trade barriers with Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. That leaves British Columbia, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador yet to sign pacts with Queen's Park. As Ford gears up to host the premiers at their annual Council of the Federation summer confab in Huntsville later this month, there are hopes Ontario could soon reach agreements with those remaining three provinces. Carney has said that eliminating protectionist internal barriers to trade could inject $200 billion annually into the Canadian economy. According to Ottawa, in 2023, more than $530 billion of goods and services moved across provincial and territorial borders, which represented almost 20 per cent of the nation's gross domestic product. Despite the rhetoric from political leaders, some trade barriers, such as supply management for dairy products that are subject to provincial quotas, will persist. With files from Alex Ballingall
