
Canada facilitating commercial flights home for citizens fleeing Israel, Iran: Anand
OTTAWA - The federal government will help Canadians in Israel and Iran to fly home once they reach neighbouring countries, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Thursday.
'We are planning commercial options for Canadians in Israel and Iran to leave the region through certain neighbouring jurisdictions,' Anand told The Canadian Press in an interview.

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Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
U.K. pulls embassy staff from Iran as countries work to evacuate citizens
The United Kingdom on Friday became the latest country to withdraw staff from its embassy in Iran amid a week-long conflict with Israel, as foreign governments scrambled to get their citizens out of the region. An updated U.K. travel advisory for Iran said the government had temporarily pulled diplomatic staff as a 'precautionary measure.' It added the British embassy in Tehran will continue to operate remotely. 'U.K. government support is extremely limited in Iran,' the notice said. 'No face-to-face consular assistance will be possible in an emergency and the U.K. government will not be able to help you if you get into difficulty in Iran.' Switzerland — which provides consular services to Americans in Iran on behalf of the U.S. — also said Friday it was temporarily closing its embassy due to the 'intensity of military operations' and the unstable situation on the ground. Story continues below advertisement All Swiss diplomatic staff have safely left Iran, the government said. The closures and evacuations of staff came amid renewed diplomatic efforts with Iran to seek an end to the conflict. U.S. President Donald Trump, who is currently weighing whether to send American military forces into Iran, has been leading calls for Tehran to dismantle its nuclear program entirely to eliminate the possibility of the regime developing a nuclear weapon. 1:54 How Iranian-Canadians feel about Israel's war Canada, which does not have a diplomatic presence in Iran, is among dozens of countries working on plans to help its citizens evacuate the country despite airspace being closed since last Friday. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Global Affairs Canada said Thursday evening that almost 5,000 people in Iran are registered with the government's Registration of Canadians Abroad Service. That number has gone up by about 1,500 since Monday. Story continues below advertisement The department says the number of voluntary registrants in the region — including more than 6,600 in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, a number that has barely changed since last week — may not accurately reflect the number of Canadians that require assistance. There have been no reports of Canadians injured or killed due to the conflict, Global Affairs Canada confirmed. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Thursday that the federal government was planning commercial flight options to help Canadians in Iran, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza to leave the region from certain neighbouring countries. Canadians are being advised to leave Iran through land border crossings into Turkey or Armenia. Access into Azerbaijan through its land border crossing at Astara requires special entry authorization from the Canadian embassy in Ankara. 'Many Canadians have exited Iran via various land borders,' Global Affairs Canada said Thursday, without providing exact numbers. Although Israel's main international airport remains closed to flights, Canadians seeking to leave Israel can do so through border crossings into Jordan or Egypt, as well as by maritime routes to Cyprus. 'Hundreds of Canadians are currently leaving Israel and the West Bank on their own through various routes,' Global Affairs Canada said. It added Canadian staff were on hand in Cyprus to help a group of Canadians who travelled by ship from Israel in recent days. Story continues below advertisement 3:28 Canadians stranded amid rising tensions in the Middle East Non-essential staff and their families were relocated from Canada's embassy in Tel Aviv and its consular office in Ramallah earlier this week. Canada has deployed additional consular officers to Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia to provide support to Canadians in the region. Global Affairs Canada said Thursday that a Canada-led international crisis co-ordination group call with 'like-minded partners' was held Wednesday to co-ordinate consular support efforts and discuss the evolving security situation. Several other countries, including China, Japan, Australia, Germany and India, have evacuated hundreds of its citizens from Iran and the surrounding region. The U.S., France, Italy and others are planning assisted charter flights and other evacuation options in the coming days.


Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
Buying a house got costlier in May. What should your household income be?
Signs of a rebound may be emerging in Canada's real estate market after months of declining home prices. While buyer-friendly conditions persist in some markets, many Canadians will have to shell out more for their monthly mortgage payments, a new report shows. The monthly home affordability report by looked at home prices and mortgage rates from 13 Canadian cities. In eight of those cities, mortgage affordability got worse in May. Penelope Graham, mortgage expert at said the buyer-friendly market conditions are unlikely to last for very long. 'While buyers have enjoyed attractive housing affordability conditions throughout the spring, those days may be numbered. The latest May national housing data reveals sales are firming up over the short term,' she said. While mortgage rates remained largely unchanged, rising home prices mean you'd have to spend more money on your monthly mortgage payments, depending on where you live. For most Canadian cities, the annual household income you'd need to get approved for a mortgage has also gone up. Story continues below advertisement In May, the price of the average Canadian home was $691,299. While that is still down 1.8 per cent compared with this time last year, it is an increase of 1.9 per cent compared with April this year. A Royal Bank of Canada report said buyers are expected to dive back into the market as the uncertainty around U.S. tariffs becomes clearer. 'We expect housing market confidence to gradually rebuild as tariff de-escalation lifts some of the uncertainty that hindered activity earlier this year,' RBC economist Robert Hogue said in the report. 1:54 Business Matters: Canada's housing market in holding pattern, CREA data shows Costlier mortgages The data from Ratehub's report is based on a 10 per cent down payment with a 25-year amortization. The city that saw the highest increase in monthly mortgage payments was St. John's, N.L., where someone locking down their mortgage in May would have to pay $45 more and would need an annual household income of $86,450. Story continues below advertisement 'St. John's saw the most significant increase, with $1,690 in additional income required to purchase the average home. This is due to home prices rising ($8,900), the biggest increase of all the cities,' Graham said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Halifax also saw affordability worsen, with the average resident paying an additional $38 a month for their mortgage. They would need a household income of $122,830 (an increase of $1,430) to buy a house. Regina (increase of $27) and Montreal (increase of $26) both saw monthly mortgage costs go up. In Regina, you would need an annual household income of $79,350 (an increase of $1,020 since April) and in Montreal, you'd need $124,620 (an increase of $980 since April). After a drop in home prices in April, the price for an average home in Toronto rose $3,400 to $1,012,800 in May. A Torontonian would have to spend $17 more ($5,139 a month) and need an annual household income of $206,500 to be able to afford a home. Winnipeg saw monthly mortgage costs rise by $13 a month to $1,968 and the average Winnipegger would need $88,250 annually to be able to buy a house. Edmonton ($7) and Fredericton ($5) both saw minor increases in monthly mortgage costs. In Edmonton, you'd need an annual household income of $96,670, while in Fredericton, you'd need $78,200. The only city that saw no change in affordability was Calgary. The average home price in the city remained the same as in April ($583,000), as did the monthly mortgage cost ($2,958) and annual income needed to buy a house ($125,170). Story continues below advertisement 2:21 Business Matters: May 'another sleepy month' for homebuyers. Will a rate cut wake them up? Where did affordability improve? 'While the majority of the cities saw affordability worsen, the biggest change was actually in Hamilton, where affordability saw a massive improvement, with $3,480 less income required to purchase the average home,' Graham said. The average home price in Hamilton was $183,100 — a drop of $7,500 since May. Story continues below advertisement A Hamilton homebuyer would need an annual income of $163,020 to be able to buy a house. With a 10 per cent down payment and a 25-year amortization, their monthly mortgage rate came down to $3,973 a month. This means that a Hamilton mortgage buyer who locked down their rate in May would save $93 a month compared with someone who locked it down in April. The decline in home prices comes amid the U.S. trade war and President Donald Trump's 50 per cent tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum. Hamilton is home to major Canadian steel producers and faces growing concerns about the potential for layoffs and plant closures as a result of the tariffs. While Vancouver saw the second biggest decline in home prices, with a decline of $7,500, it remains Canada's most expensive housing market by far, with an average home in May costing $1,177,100. Vancouverites also need the highest annual income of any city in Canada at $237,550 a year. They would also have to pay the highest monthly mortgage of $5,973 with a 10 per cent down payment, although it dropped $38 from April. In May, Victoria came in as the third most expensive housing market in Canada after Vancouver and Toronto, though average home prices dropped to $892,700, with the average homebuyer needing an annual salary of $183,750. Monthly mortgage costs dropped $38 to $4,530 a month. Story continues below advertisement Affordability also improved in the nation's capital, with the average Ottawa home price dropping to $629,800. An Ottawa resident would save $7 on their mortgage payment if they bought in May ($3,196 a month) and would need an annual household income of $134,020 to be able to buy a house.


Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Conservatives set January dates for convention, review of Poilievre's leadership
OTTAWA – Members of the Conservative party will hold a national convention in late January, where they'll vote on Pierre Poilievre's leadership. The party's national council has scheduled the convention for Jan. 29 and 31 in Calgary. Poilievre, who lost his seat in the House of Commons in the April election, will face a secret ballot vote on his continued leadership. Such reviews happen automatically after the party loses an election and Poilievre will need to secure the support of more than half of voters at the convention to stay on. Poilievre will also provide a report to delegates at the convention and hold an accountability session. He'll likely be back in Parliament by January, as he intends to run in a byelection in a rural Alberta riding — a Conservative stronghold — this summer. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.