Evidence leader Adila Hassim has put it to the Madlanga Commission in Pretoria that North West businessman Sulliman Carrim was offered witness protection by the Inquiry.
The Madlanga Commission was hearing an application from Carrim requesting that his testimony be heard in camera and not in an open session.
Carrim’s legal counsel has argued that his client has been subjected to death threats ahead of his testimony at the Commission on Monday.
“I want to clarify and place on record that I’ve been advised by the Commission’s head of security that the Commission has previously offered the witness protection services. I understand that he declined the offer as they already had arrangements in place. The offer, however, remains. And I would go so far as to propose, Chair that in light of the threats received, the Commission could better protect the witness in other ways, not through an in-camera application, but by renewing its offer of protection services that was made earlier.”
MADLANGA COMMISSION | Evidence leader Hassim says it would be glib not to take threats seriously, but there is an issue of insufficient evidence. pic.twitter.com/nDl2iGKDan
<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/a-rent-sign-outside-a-montreal-apartment.jpg?id=51411988&width=1500&height=2000&coordinates=337%2C0%2C338%2C0"/><br/><br/><p><strong></strong>As we ring in the new year, renters across Montreal may notice a slight bump in their cost of living.</p><p>While the price of rent across the country has gone down over the past month, <a href="https://www.zumperrentals.com/blog/rental-price-data-canada/" target="_blank">Zumper's January 2025 Canadian Rent Report</a> reveals that Montreal is close to becoming one of Canada's 10 most expensive cities to rent an apartment in.</p><p>According to the new index published on Thursday, Vancouver, Toronto and Burnaby remain the three most expensive cities in Canada, but all saw their rents decline both monthly and annually.</p><p>Montreal, on the other hand, experienced a 2.9% annual increase in the price of one-bedroom apartments and a 3.7% increase for two-bedroom units over the past year. Thankfully, the changes have been gradual, with one-bedroom rents holding steady since December, and two-bedroom rents actually dipping by 0.9% over the last month.</p><p>This keeps Montreal ranked 11th, sandwiched between Kitchener and London, Ontario. It's also worth noting that a two-bedroom in Montreal remains cheaper than the median one-bedroom in Toronto.</p><p>Meanwhile, Quebec City recorded the largest monthly rent drop in the country, with one-bedroom prices falling by 6%. However, Quebec's capital also saw the highest rent increase on two-bedroom units this month, with a 5.1% jump.</p><p>With that in mind, here's a breakdown of what rent costs in Montreal and every other city that ranks higher on the list.</p><h3>Median rent for one-bedroom apartments</h3><br/><ol>
<li><strong>Vancouver, BC</strong>: $2,550 (-1.9% M/M, -5.6% Y/Y)</li>
<li><strong>Toronto, ON</strong>: $2,380 (-0.4% M/M, -4.8% Y/Y)</li>
<li><strong>Burnaby, BC</strong>: $2,330 (-1.3% M/M, -6.4% Y/Y)</li>
<li><strong>Victoria, BC</strong>: $2,070 (-1.4% M/M, +2.5% Y/Y)</li>
<li><strong>Ottawa, ON</strong>: $1,990 (-0.5% M/M, +2.1% Y/Y)</li>
<li><strong>Barrie, ON</strong>: $1,960 (-1.0% M/M, +12.0% Y/Y)</li>
<li><strong>Halifax, NS</strong>: $1,930 (-5.9% M/M, -3.5% Y/Y)</li>
<li value="7"><strong>Kelowna, BC</strong>: $1,930 (+0.5% M/M, -0.5% Y/Y)</li>
<li value="9"><strong>Oshawa, ON</strong>: $1,790 (-0.6% M/M, -3.8% Y/Y)</li>
<li><strong>Kitchener, ON</strong>: $1,770 (-1.7% M/M, -8.3% Y/Y)</li>
<li><strong>Montreal, QC</strong>: $1,750 (0.0% M/M, +2.9% Y/Y)</li>
</ol><h3>Median rent for two-bedroom apartments</h3><br/><ol>
<li><strong>Vancouver, BC</strong>: $3,460 (-1.1% M/M, -10.4% Y/Y)</li>
<li><strong>Toronto, ON</strong>: $2,950 (-1.7% M/M, -8.7% Y/Y)</li>
<li><strong>Burnaby, BC</strong>: $2,900 (-1.7% M/M, -9.4% Y/Y)</li>
<li><strong>Victoria, BC</strong>: $2,760 (-1.1% M/M, +1.1% Y/Y)</li>
<li><strong>Ottawa, ON</strong>: $2,400 (0.0% M/M, 0.0% Y/Y)</li>
<li value="5"><strong>Halifax, NS</strong>: $2,400 (-5.1% M/M, -7.0% Y/Y)</li>
<li value="7"><strong>Montreal, QC</strong>: $2,250 (-0.9% M/M, +3.7% Y/Y)</li>
</ol>
<p>A deadly Russian strike on a passenger bus in Ukraine’s Sumy region has killed nine and injured four people</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.arise.tv/nine-killed-in-russian-drone-strike-on-ukrainian-bus-hours-after-peace-talks/">Nine Killed in Russian Drone Strike on Ukrainian Bus Hours After Peace Talks</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.arise.tv">Arise News</a>.</p>
