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Holy Days in the Crossfire: Jerusalem’s Passover and Easter Fall Silent

  The faithful attend a Palm Sunday mass at the Monastery of Saint Saviour in Jerusalem's Old City on March 29, 2026. | Jerusalem is entering what should be one of its most vibrant seasons under an unusually heavy pall, as the ongoing Iran war forces the city’s sacred spaces into lockdown and its residents into a subdued observance of Passover and Easter.  Major holy sites across the Old City—normally alive with worshippers, pilgrims, and tourists—now sit shuttered behind metal doors. The narrow stone alleyways echo with only the occasional footsteps, a stark contrast to the typical spring surge of visitors celebrating the Jewish and Christian holidays. Families, exhausted by weeks of conflict, face a season traditionally marked by renewal with a sense of fatigue and uncertainty.  The war’s reach has been felt even in areas historically spared from direct attack. Intercepted Iranian missiles have scattered shrapnel near the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and along the roa...
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New CPP rules mean higher deductions and benefits for Canadians



Starting Monday, Canadians will see a change in their paycheques as the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) introduces a new earnings ceiling for higher-income earners.

The new ceiling, which applies to anyone earning more than $68,500 in 2024, is part of a broader pension revamp that began in 2019. The goal is to provide more financial support for Canadians after they retire, by increasing both the contributions and the benefits of the CPP.

Under the new rules, workers and employers will pay an additional four per cent on the amount they earn between $68,500 and $73,200. This means a maximum of $188 more in payroll deductions for 2024. Self-employed people will pay both portions, or eight per cent.

The trade-off is that Canadians will eventually receive higher payouts once they start collecting their pensions. The enhanced CPP is designed to replace one-third of a person’s eligible income, up from one-quarter under the old system.

The full effects of the CPP changes will take decades to materialize, so the youngest workers stand to gain the most. People retiring 40 years from now will see their income go up by more than 50 per cent compared to the current pension beneficiaries.

The CPP changes do not affect the eligibility criteria for retirement pension, post-retirement benefits, disability pension and survivor’s pension.


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