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Putin foe describes 'crazy' investigation into his Canadian citizenship after police search – CBC.ca

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As an activist with an intense dislike for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pyotr Verzilov says having his Moscow apartment searched and his life turned upside down by police is something he’s grown used to.

But three weeks ago when the latest knock came at his door, Verzilov was caught off-guard after being accused of an unexpected crime: failing to officially declare himself a Canadian.

“I got a special notice saying that a criminal case has been opened up against me for not declaring my Canadian passport,” he told CBC News in an interview at his home.

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Verzilov, 33, is the publisher of an opposition website called Mediazona that bills itself as a watchdog on Russian police and law enforcement.

Verzilov gives an interview to CBC News in his Moscow apartment. (Alexei Sergeev/CBC)

Police search for Canadian ‘evidence’

When CBC News visited, his natural-brick walled apartment in a fashionable Moscow neighbourhood was still strewn with belongings that investigators had pulled out of his drawers and cupboards.

And the federal police sent in one of their crack teams to do the search — members of the anti-extremism unit, who are usually reserved for only the most serious crimes, such as terrorism.

“It seems quite crazy — and funny,” Verzilov said, noting that even the police doing the search appeared embarrassed that he was being harassed for what amounts to a minor paperwork technicality.

“The investigators were joking about these things — about [finding] hockey sticks and that maybe you have a beaver living in a compartment somewhere.”

The only beaver they found was a stuffed toy that’s now on his couch.

Members of Russia’s anti-extremism police stand outside Verzilov’s Moscow apartment building during a recent search. He’s accused of failing to officially declare himself a Canadian. (Courtesy of Pyotr Verzilov)

Verzilov said he’s never tried to hide “evidence” of his Canadian-ness.    

He’s been arrested more than 50 times in Russia, and most of the accompanying news articles on the internet refer to his dual citizenship.

Still, he said investigators appeared to be looking for “proof.”

“They seized several photocopies of letters sent by the Ontario government that were documents related to OHIP,” the province’s public health plan, Verzilov said.

“They seemed very interested in that.”

Security services cracking down on opposition

But coming under the scrutiny of the country’s security services for being part of Russia’s liberal, Western-leaning opposition has never been something to laugh at, especially now.

The days since the Kremlin stage-managed a resounding victory for the “yes” side in a July 1 referendum to reform the constitution have been punctuated by the arrest of government opponents and journalists.

The vote, which had been moved back by several months because of the coronavirus pandemic, was the mechanism used by Putin to ensure he can remain as Russia’s president for essentially as long as he wants.

Last week, prominent defence journalist Ivan Safronov, who had just recently taken up a new position with Russia’s space agency, was arrested and charged with treason in a move journalists’ organizations claim is meant to deter critics from publishing negative stories about the government.

Police officers in Moscow detain a man with a press badge during a protest against amendments to Russia’s constitution and the results of a nationwide vote on constitutional reforms, on July 15. (Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters)

Nineteen other journalists who protested Safronov’s arrest outside of Russia’s Federal Police building were also taken into custody.

Then, a few days later, another Putin foe — Sergei Furgal, the right-leaning governor of Khabarovsk in Russia’s Far East — was hauled into court and charged with more serious crimes: murder and attempted murder in cases going back to 2003.

All week long in the city, thousands of supporters have taken to the streets shouting “Putin is a thief” and calling for Furgal to be released.

Verzilov had just finished serving a 15-day jail term on what he claims was another trumped-up charge of “hooliganism”  after a man confronted him outside his home and the pair engaged in a yelling match.     

He said he believes both incidents are the security service’s way of sending him a warning.

“Russian authorities are very scared that something new will happen, and they will basically have to answer for that … to their superiors and to Putin directly.”

Verzilov is detained by police after storming into a courtroom in Moscow on July 12, 2010, and letting out dozens of cockroaches from a bag as the court prepared to hear the verdict in the case of two Russian curators for their 2007 Forbidden Art exhibit, which mixed religious icons with sexual and pop-culture images. (Denis Sinyakov/Reuters)

Activist formed punk group Pussy Riot

As a child and teenager, Verzilov said, he moved around with his father — who was a “distinguished nuclear scientist” and held many overseas positions, including a four-year stint in Toronto. When his father, who still lives in Canada, became a Canadian citizen, he did as well.

It was after university in Moscow that Verzilov started getting noticed for his political activism — including the time in 2008 when he engaged in public sex acts with with his then-wife Nadezhda Tolokonnikova at a Moscow museum as part of an anti-government protest.

Yekaterina Samutsevich, left, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, three members of the Russian feminist punk group Pussy Riot, sit behind bars in a Moscow courtroom on July 20, 2012. The women were arrested after an anti-Putin performance at Moscow’s main Orthodox cathedral in February 2012. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters)

He went on to form the punk group Pussy Riot, which became synonymous with political protest in Russia after it staged an obscenity-laced anti-Putin performance in Moscow’s main Orthodox cathedral in February 2012.

Putin himself has never directly mentioned either Pussy Riot or Verzilov by name, though his criticisms of their actions have been widely reported.

“We have red lines beyond which starts the destruction of the moral foundations of our society,” Putin said in 2012, Reuters reported. “If people cross this line, they should be made responsible in line with the law.” 

A poll taken by the independent Levada Center in the aftermath of the cathedral incident also showed wide popular support for the two-year sentence in a penal colony that was handed down to the three band members, including Tolokonnikova. 

Verzilov gestures during a court hearing in Moscow on July 16, 2018, after he was arrested with other Pussy Riot members for storming the pitch during a World Cup soccer match in Moscow between Croatia and France as Russian President Vladimir Putin watched from the stands. (Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters)

In 2018, Verzilov and other Pussy Riot members were arrested after storming the pitch during a World Cup soccer match in Moscow between Croatia and France as Putin watched from the stands. That stunt landed him 15 days in jail and earned him the wrath of many players and fans.

“Obviously, the protest culture gradually rises and falls — and we believe that there will definitely be a tipping point when that will hit the “enough is enough” point that will force the regime to adopt the political freedoms we are fighting for,” Verzilov told CBC News.

Canadian Embassy has been ‘helpful’

Global Affairs in Ottawa said it could not comment on Verzilov’s passport case out of privacy considerations. 

While the Canadian Embassy in Moscow has been “helpful,” Verzilov said he doesn’t expect the issue of his Canadian citizenship to be resolved until later this summer after a trial and a guilty conviction.

He said he expects that as punishment, he’ll have to perform many hours of community service.

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Alberta's population surges by record-setting 202,000 people: Here's where they all came from – CBC.ca

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Alberta smashed population-growth records in the past year, mainly due to people moving to the province from across Canada and around the world.

The province’s population surged to just over 4.8 million as of Jan. 1, according to new estimates released Wednesday by Statistics Canada.

That’s an increase of 202,324 residents compared with a year earlier, which marks — by far — the largest annual increase on record.

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Alberta also broke a national record in 2023 for interprovincial migration, with a net gain of 55,107 people.

“This was the largest gain in interprovincial migration nationally since comparable data became available in 1972,” Statistics Canada said in a release.


Most of the interprovincial migrants came from Ontario and British Columbia.

Statistics Canada estimates that 38,236 Ontarians moved to Alberta last year, versus 14,860 Albertans who moved to Ontario, for a net gain of 23,376 people.

Similarly, an estimated 37,650 British Columbians moved to Alberta, compared to 22,400 Albertans who moved to B.C., for a net gain of 15,250.


All told, interprovincial migration accounted for 27 per cent of Alberta’s population growth over the past year.

That put it just ahead of permanent immigration, which accounted for 26 per cent, and well ahead of natural population increase (more births than deaths), which accounted for eight per cent.

The largest component, however, was temporary international migration.

Non-permanent residents from other countries accounted for 39 per cent of the province’s population growth in the past year, reflecting a national trend.


Canada’s population reached 40,769,890 on Jan. 1, according to Statistics Canada estimates, which is up 3.2 per cent from a year ago.

“Most of Canada’s 3.2-per-cent population growth rate stemmed from temporary immigration in 2023,” Statistics Canada noted.

“Without temporary immigration, that is, relying solely on permanent immigration and natural increase (births minus deaths), Canada’s population growth would have been almost three times less (1.2 per cent).”

Alberta’s population, meanwhile, grew by 4.4 per cent year-over-year.

Alberta now represents 11.8 per cent of the country’s population, its largest proportion on record. 

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Why Canada's record population growth is helping – and hurting – the economy – CTV News

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Canada has recorded the fastest population growth in 66 years, increasing by 1.3 million people, or 3.2 per cent, in 2023, according to a new report from Statistics Canada.

The country has not seen such growth since 1957, when the spike was attributed to the baby boom and an influx of immigrants fleeing Hungary.

The vast majority of Canada’s growth last year was due to immigration, with temporary residents — which includes foreign workers and international students — making up the largest proportion of newcomers.

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“We need people coming to Canada to help with our economy,” says Matti Siemiatycki, a professor of planning at the University of Toronto. “There are many jobs and professions where there are vacancies, and that is having an impact, whether in the healthcare sector or trades and construction sector.”

Siemiatycki adds immigrants also bring “ingenuity… resources… and culture” to Canada.

Newcomers are relied on to help keep pace with Canada’s aging population and declining fertility rates, but the influx also presents a challenge for a country struggling to build the homes and infrastructure needed for immigrants.

“It’s an incredibly large shock for the economic system to absorb because of just the sheer number of people coming into the country in a short period of time,” says Robert Kavcic. a senior economist and director with BMO Capital Markets.

“The reality is population can grow extremely fast, but the supply side of the economy like housing and service infrastructure, think health care and schools, can only catch up at a really gradual pace,” Kavcic says. “So there is a mismatch right now.”

The impact of that mismatch can most acutely be seen in the cost of rent, services and housing.

In December, Kavcic wrote in a note that Canada needs to build 170,000 new housing units every three months to keep up with population growth, noting the industry is struggling to complete 220,000 units in a full year.

To address this, Ottawa has announced plans to cap the number of new temporary residents while also reducing the number of international student visas, a move economists say could offer some relief when it comes to housing and the cost of living.

“The arithmetic on the caps actual works relatively well because it would take us back down to 1 per cent population growth which we have been used to over the last decade and which is more or less absorbable by the economy,” Kavcic says. “The question is whether or not we see policy makers follow through and hit those numbers.”

Economists believe these changes could help ease inflationary pressures and may make a Bank of Canada rate cut more likely, but could also lead to slower GDP growth.

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Canada’s population hits 41M months after breaking 40M threshold – Global News

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Nine months after reaching a population of 40 million, Canada has cracked a new threshold.

As of Wednesday morning, it’s estimated 41 million people now call the country home, according to Statistics Canada’s live population tracker.

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The speed at which Canada’s population is growing was also reflected in new data released Wednesday by the federal agency: between Jan. 1 2023 and Jan. 1 2024, Canada added 1,271,872 inhabitants, a 3.2 per cent growth rate — the highest since 1957.

Most of Canada’s 3.2 per cent population growth rate stemmed from temporary immigration. Without it, Canada’s population growth would have been 1.2 per cent, Statistics Canada said.


Click to play video: 'Business News: Job growth fails to keep pace with population'

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Business News: Job growth fails to keep pace with population


From Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2023, Canada’s population increased by 241,494 people (0.6 per cent), the highest rate of growth in a fourth quarter since 1956.

Usha George, a professor at the Toronto Metropolitan Centre for Immigration and Settlement at Toronto Metropolitan University, told Global News in June a booming population can benefit the economy.

“It is not the bodies we are bringing in; these are bodies that fill in the empty spaces in the labour market,” she said.

“They bring a very-high level of skills.”


Click to play video: 'Canadian millennials surpass baby boomers as dominant generation: StatCan'

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Canadian millennials surpass baby boomers as dominant generation: StatCan


However, Ottawa has recently sought to ease the flow of temporary immigration in a bid to ease cost-of-living woes.


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Immigration Minister Marc Miller said on March 21 Ottawa would set targets for temporary residents allowed into Canada to ensure “sustainable” growth in the number of temporary residents entering the nation.

The next day, BMO economist Robert Kavcic in a note to clients the new limits will have a positive impact on Canada’s rental market and overall housing crisis.

“We’ve been firm in our argument that Canada has had an excess demand problem in housing, and this is maybe the clearest example,” Kavcic said.

“Non-permanent resident inflows, on net, have swelled to about 800K in the latest year, with few checks and balances in place, putting tremendous stress on housing supply and infrastructure.”

Alberta gains, Ontario loses: A look at Canadian migration in 2023

If Alberta is truly calling, then it appears more Canadians are choosing to answer.

Putting the pun on the provincial government’s attraction campaign aside, Canada’s wild rose country saw the largest net gain in interprovincial migration in 2023, Statistics Canada said in Wednesday’s report.


Click to play video: 'Is Alberta ready for population growth?'

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Is Alberta ready for population growth?


The agency said 55,107 Canadians moved to Alberta last year, which was the largest gain in interprovincial migration nationally since comparable data become available in 1972.

“Alberta has been recording gains in population from interprovincial migration since 2022, a reverse of the trend seen from 2016 to 2021, when more people left the province than arrived from other parts of Canada,” Statistics Canada said.

“Approximately 333,000 Canadians moved from one province or territory to another in 2023, the second-highest number recorded since the 1990s and the third straight year that interprovincial migration topped 300,000.”

Meanwhile, British Columbia had 8,624 more residents move out than in in 2023, meaning net interprovincial migration was negative for the first time since 2012, Statistics Canada said.

In general, the largest migration flows for British Columbia and Alberta are with each other, and most of the net loss from British Columbia in 2023 was to Alberta, it added.


Click to play video: '‘Enormous pressure’ expected in Ontario home care due to high growth of senior population'

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‘Enormous pressure’ expected in Ontario home care due to high growth of senior population


It also seems that good things may no longer be growing in Ontario; Canada’s most populous province lost 36,197 people to other regions in 2023, the biggest regional loss in 2023, Statistics Canada said.

That followed a loss of 38,816 people in 2022; the only other times a province has lost more than 35,000 people due to migration to other parts of Canada occurred in Quebec in 1977 and 1978.

Alberta aside, net interprovincial migration was also up in Nova Scotia (+6,169 people), New Brunswick (+4,790) and Prince Edward Island (+818), although all three Maritime provinces gained fewer interprovincial migrants in 2023 than in the two previous years, Statistics Canada said.

— with files from Uday Rana and Sean Previl

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