If you’ve noticed a massive uptick in seizures of unstamped, contraband tobacco in recent years, you’re not alone.

According to Rick Barnum, a retired deputy commissioner for the Ontario Provincial Police, the trade in black market cigarettes has become a cash cow for nearly every major criminal organization in Canada, and he says it’s costing the Saskatchewan government millions in unpaid tax revenues every year.

According to revenue data from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Finance, the government received over $122 million from the sale of tobacco in 2024-25, and it’s projecting revenue of $150 million for 2025-26.

“The reality is, they’re not making half of that,” said Barnum, who now serves as director of Stop Contraband Tobacco, an industry-funded group intent on snuffing out this smoldering black market.

“Governments are losing millions and millions of dollars every year.”

Instead, he says the money is going to the approximately 145 criminal groups actively manufacturing and smuggling tobacco products across Canada.

“All the organized motorcycle crime groups, all Italian organized crime, Asian organized crime … Russian; they’ll all be in that space in a big way.”

Illegal cigarettes can also be purchased online, making Canada Post staff the unwitting smugglers, says Barnum.

In October 2024, the Saskatchewan government started requiring law enforcement officers to report all seizures of illicit tobacco to the Ministry of Finance — a sign of a growing awareness of the problem and an effort to measure the cost.

One year later, a semi driver from Brampton, Ont., drove through a check stop at the weigh scale outside Langham, Sask. — about 20 minutes northwest of Saskatoon. RCMP officers pulled it over and escorted it back.

In the trailer, they found 24 pallets of unstamped tobacco. According to the RCMP, that’s 9.3 million illegal cigarettes that could have generated over $4.4 million in tax revenue.

“That one tractor trailer is just over $1 million for organized crime groups,” says Barnum.

In Saskatchewan, the penalty for an individual getting caught with more than 1,000 unstamped cigarettes is $10,000, two years in jail, or both.

When you compare that to the risks associated with trafficking other illicit products like cocaine or fentanyl — potentially up to life in prison — Barnum says the illicit tobacco trade looks like easy money.

“There’s nothing else that could make them as much money as contraband tobacco.”

In a statement to CTV News, an RCMP spokesperson said its federal police work closely with domestic and international partners to disrupt the illicit market, including through the gathering of intelligence and enforcement activities.

“Illicit tobacco has significant negative economic and health impacts on our communities and diminishes the success of tobacco control initiatives.”

Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, a health advocacy group, tracked the early rise in the contraband market in a 2008 report on trends in Canada’s tobacco growing industry.

In the wake of 2001 Sask. legislation prohibiting smoking indoors and the introduction of stronger public health labelling about the consequences of the addictive and deadly product, Smoke-Free Canada noted a sharp rise in the illicit trade.

“It has been estimated that contraband accounted for 10 per cent of consumption in 2005, 16.5 per cent in 2006 and 22 per cent in 2007,” the report said.

“Contraband further depresses the demand for legal purchases of tobacco leaf for legal tobacco manufacturing.”

Now, Stop Contraband Tobacco estimates up to 45 per cent of smokers across the country are opting for the untaxed version.

Who is buying unstamped cigarettes?

It’s not hard to see the appeal of illicit tobacco, from a consumer perspective.

A carton of 200 cigarettes sells for between $140 to $160, depending on the brand. With a tobacco tax in Saskatchewan of about 29 cents per “stick,” or cigarette, that’s $58 in tax per carton — and that’s not including federal excise taxes and duties.

One online vendor identified by CTV News offered cartons for about $50, with free shipping for orders over $100.

For an addicted smoker with a pack-a-day habit, those savings add up.

If they’re buying taxed cigarettes by the carton — the least expensive route — they’re still spending well over $5,000 per year, compared to just under $2,000 a year for someone smoking one pack every day who buys the illicit brands by the carton.

A 2011 study from the Fraser Institute — also a member of Stop Contraband Tobacco — argues that relatively high tobacco taxes in Canada enable the flourishing trade in bootleg cigarettes.

In the study, Combatting the Contraband Tobacco Trade in Canada, the conservative-leaning economic think-tank suggests a suite of policies to mitigate the illicit market, including tax partnerships with First Nations communities, the revocation or reduction of tobacco taxes, better record keeping by the RCMP, educational campaigns and increased enforcement.

No matter what products consumers smoke, however, taxpayers are on the hook for increased healthcare expenses.

Like illegal drugs, Barnum says unstamped tobacco is often sold hand-to-hand, with someone one or two steps removed from the criminal organization buying a bulk amount and distributing it.

But in Saskatoon, CTV News has observed at least one convenience store in the city’s west side that sells untaxed tobacco over the counter. The shop sells packs of “Canadian Classics Original” for $5, held by the till in a repurposed box of Rice Krispies Squares.

The packs bear a Health Canada warning about second-hand smoke but lack a federal excise stamp. On the side, they have a label that says “Made in First Nations Territory.”

Where do illegal cigarettes come from?

The RCMP told CTV News the tobacco is generally grown in the United States and purchased by manufacturers on First Nations territory in the U.S. and Canada.

“It is then processed/transformed into fine cut tobacco and a finished product (i.e. cigarettes), and smuggled into Canada by transport truck, van or pickup truck, through Customs or by boat via the St-Lawrence River,” the RCMP said in the statement.

According to Barnum, 90 per cent of the untaxed cigarettes sold in Canada are made in Six Nations of the Grand River, Ont., or Kahnawake, Que.

Six Nations is Canada’s largest reserve and home to the largest First Nation-owned private cigarette manufacturer in the country, Grand River Enterprises.

According to a 2019 report from Toronto Life Magazine, Grand River Enterprises initially fought the federal government in court arguing it was not required to pay duties and excise taxes on its products under the terms of the Indian Act, but after several years operating without a licence, agreed to cooperate, incorporate and pay the tobacco tax.

Barnum is quick to point out those First Nation communities are not responsible for the black-market trade, but generally a few members who collude with criminal organizations and operate under the radar.

“It’s not the entire community, it’s a few select millionaires from those communities,” he said.

In a recent bust of an illegal tobacco manufacturer in Six Nations, provincial and Six Nations police said much the same thing — the enterprise was “operated by a non-Indigenous criminal network who do not reside on the territory.”

The deer population in Saskatchewan has dropped over 50 percent since 2021, caused by harsher winters and the presence of chronic wasting disease (CWD).

CWD is a neurological disease, which leads to weight loss, poor coordination, and eventual death in cervid populations.

“It’s similar to mad cow disease, in bovine herds, or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans,” said Todd Smith, the executive director of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation. “It’s a prion and is a misshapen protein that once infected, it gets into the nervous system. If you could paint a picture, it would be like making Swiss cheese out of the brain.”

Of Saskatchewan’s 83 wildlife management zones, CWD has been found in 62 regions, with the most prevalent areas in the southwest and central parts of the province.

“Once an animal is infected, there’s no cure for it. It’s 100 per cent fatal, so once they’re infected, it’s a matter of time before the deer population or the deer that is infected, eventually succumbs to the illness.”

Smith also noted that some deer were lost due to vehicle accidents.

In the 2024-25 year, the Government of Saskatchewan received 2,258 submissions to the CWD Hunter Surveillance Program. Of those, 386 were positive cases, including 259 mule deer, 133 white tailed deer, 12 elk, and two moose.

Reports of CWD to the Hunter Surveillance Program have dropped this year, but Smith said the winters in 2022 and 2023 were too severe for the deer.

It’s a similar situation to around 12 years ago. According to Smith, experts found that it takes multiple mild winters to rebuild the deer population.

“We had a series of three or four really hard winters where we had late snows and freeze thaw cycles,” he said. “Those are always hard on the deer population. After that, it took about 10 years to rebuild.”

The Ministry of Environment says no human cases of CWD have ever been found, although hunters are advised to not consume the meat until it’s tested.

The Regina Police Service (RPS) arrested two people who are allegedly linked to a country-wide phone call scam targeting seniors.

Fifty-year-old Ciprian Teodor and 40-year-old Alexandra Condurache of Quebec have been jointly charged with five counts of fraud.

According to RCMP, there are five confirmed victims in Regina, and one in the White Butte area.

RPS, Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) and RCMP all had a hand in investigating and making the arrests.

“[SPS] were able to obtain a possible suspect photo, and we continued our investigation here and ended up finding that same individual,” said Sgt. David Krieger from RPS.

“[We] were able to determine that they were responsible for picking up cash from a number of victims,” he concluded.

Grandparent scams are fraudulent calls made where the caller describes a false emergency involving a loved one to an unsuspecting victim. Funds are demanded immediately to fix the situation.

Arrangements are then made to pick up money from the victim.

“These types of crimes cross borders and jurisdictions, whether it be international or provincial,” said Staff Sgt. Micheal Shortland, from the RCMP.

“It is crucial for the police to be working together to identify victims and suspects and be able to successfully conclude those files,” he added.

Police say there has been over $70,000 defrauded in Saskatchewan, with approximately $20,000 recovered so far.

It is possible there may be more grandparent scams unaccounted for and police encourage people to come forward.

“A lot of times victims do feel traumatized. They feel shamed. That is one of the challenges we have as police to report,” Shortland said.

“If we don’t know it’s going on, we can’t investigate,” he added.

Police said to educate family members on the reality of phone scams, and to be aware of anyone asking for personal and payment information.

Police also said any funds sent out are hard to recover in phone scams and to be aware before sending anything out.

Michael Annett, a former racecar driver who made 436 combined starts in NASCAR’s three national touring series, has died. He was 39.

JR Motorsports, one of Annett’s former teams, posted the news on social media on Friday. No cause of death was announced.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family with the passing of our friend Michael Annett,” the team wrote. “Michael was a key member of JRM from 2017 until he retired in 2021 and was an important part in turning us into the four-car organization we remain today.”

According to NASCAR, Annett made 321 starts in the Xfinity Series, 158 of which came with JRM.

In 2019, Annett won the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway in the No. 1 JRM Chevrolet for his only win at the national level.

Annett, a native of Des Moines, Iowa, was also a two-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series. He won at Talladega Superspeedway in 2007 and then took the series opener at Daytona in 2008.

“NASCAR is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former NASCAR driver Michael Annett,” the racing body said in a statement. ”Michael was a respected competitor whose determination, professionalism, and positive spirit were felt by everyone in the garage. Throughout his career, he represented our sport with integrity and the passion of a true racer. NASCAR extends its condolences to Michael’s family and many friends.”

The northeastern U.S. is expected to be blasted with a frigid mid-December, right before Christmas, according to a new forecast predicted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) climatologist Judah Cohen.

According to a social media post Cohen wrote in November, a sub-seasonal AI model created by a team of researchers from multiple universities, predicted that “the most expansive region of most likely extreme #cold on earth stretches from the Canadian Plains to the U.S. East Coast” in the third week of December.

The use of “extreme cold on earth” has garnered the climatologist more than a few eyeballs, making everyone wonder how true the statement is.

Cohen told CTVNews.ca Friday that when climatologists use the word “extreme,” it’s in reference to conditions that are unusual for that region.

“I’m not predicting that (in the) U.S. and Canada – which is much colder – it’s going to be colder than Siberia in the next few weeks, or colder than Greenland or Antarctica,” Cohen explained. “But relative to normal, it is the most extreme.”

According to his arctic oscillation and polar vortex analysis, posted on his blog Nov. 24, “below normal temperatures” are expected to build in Western Canada, moving across Central and Eastern Canada and into the central and eastern U.S.

“During the second week of December cold air could build in Alaska and Northwestern Canada and spread south and east,” the analysis read.

According to Cohen, the forecast is based on the behaviour of the infamous polar vortex that affects the jet stream and weather patterns across the world.

When a polar vortex goes off balance or its rotation slows down, it can release icy air into lower latitudes.

“If you’re at the North Pole, outward means southward,” Cohen added. “That means into the lower latitudes – into L.A., Southern Canada, northern U.S., Europe and Asia … different times, different places.”

However, there are two kinds of polar vortex disruptions, he explained.

“This is what I refer to as a stretch pull of vortex,” Cohen said.

The vortex acts somewhat like a rubber band that can stretch and be pulled in many different directions, releasing the cold air trapped inside, he explained.

“When you get these events ... one stretch goes to Asia and the other stretch goes to North America,” Cohen said. “Canada first and then into the U.S. The cold air follows that stretching.”

These events, however, do not last for long periods, he said, adding that December could include the possibility of more “stretching” events that can create frigid temperatures across the country.

“The most intense or extreme winter weather happens with these stretching events,” Cohen said. “It’s both U.S. and Canada.”

The cold air originates in Siberia and is rushed across the pole, he noted. The same air then slides down into Canada and the U.S.

Environment Canada’s Dave Phillips told CTVNews.ca Saturday that the extreme cold air from the polar vortex, that is typically seen in late January, or early February in Canada, has indeed appeared too early.

“It just sort of sits there, and it’s very heavy air, very dense air. It pours out of the north,” Phillips said. “The centre of it is over Hudson Bay.”

The frigid, “brutal” air encouraged by a northwesterly flow from Alaska and the Yukon has settled in Canada, with no melting or precipitation, he added, having a significant impact on peoples’ day-to-day activities.

“There is going to be frostbite; there’s going to be hypothermia,” Phillips said, adding that this is not a “one-off” event.

“This is not just two or three days of cold air,” he said. “These (cold winds) are very persistent. They don’t go away.”

According to Phillips, the rest of December indicated colder than normal temperatures for most of Canada, with January and February potentially seeing more cold air in similar waves.

“The one thing that’s good news for people, it almost guarantees a white Christmas,” he said.

However, Phillips added that this is not necessarily an indication of a harsh winter season.

“It’s uncertain. It could go either way,” he said. “It could be a little warmer than normal, it could be more cold or could be in-between.”

Areas like Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Quebec City will experience more cold than usual in the coming couple of weeks, Phillips added.

Provinces under yellow warnings this weekend

Meanwhile, multiple regions across the country are currently under yellow warnings for snow squalls, wind and blizzards, according to Environment Canada.

In Eastern Canada, Ontario is under a “special weather statement” warning residents about “lake effect” snow that could amount to up to 15 cm of snow through Saturday afternoon.

“Roads and walkways may be difficult to navigate,” the statement read.

Parts of Quebec are under a snow squall watch, with “heavy” flurries expected along with blowing snow starting Saturday afternoon through the evening.

Visibility could be reduced to near zero, the weather agency alert said.

Areas in Western Canada, including B.C. are under a weather alert for 20 cm of snowfall expected on Saturday, tapering off towards the evening.

“Visibility will likely be reduced at times,” the alert warned.

The weather agency has cold warnings in effect for Alberta, including wind chill near -40 that is expected to reduce later in the day.

“Extreme cold puts everyone at risk,” the warnings state.

Saskatchewan residents have been issued a cold warning, as Saturday brings a wind chill of -40 in the morning.

Areas in Yukon, including Teslin and Whitehorse are under a snowfall warning through Saturday, cautioning residents about a frontal system that will bring up to 20 cm of snow.

Dempster, meanwhile, will see blizzard conditions complete with gusty winds, blowing snow and near-zero visibility.

Pangnirtung in Nunavut in the north is expected to see a “series of disturbances” that will come over the Davis Strait with an additional 15 cm of snow by Sunday morning.

“Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions,” the weather agency said.

Environment Canada has advised all Canadians to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by the agency.

The Liberal government’s pipeline agreement with Alberta will take centre stage in the House of Commons next week — this time through a Conservative opposition motion.

The memorandum of understanding signed last month between Ottawa and Alberta is one both governments were happy with.

But the federal conservatives want to put Prime Minister Mark Carney’s pipeline pledge to the test.

“Liberals have to unify behind the words they promised in the MOU they signed,” said Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in an interview with CTV News.

A Conservative opposition motion expected in the House of Commons on Tuesday, and shared online by Poilievre, shows they’ll use almost the same wording as the agreement between Ottawa and Alberta and force a vote on it in the House.

“It’s really going to be a moment for the Liberals. I think they’re going to have to whip this vote, specifically because it’s their MOU that they signed with Alberta,” said Sharan Kaur, CTV News political analyst and former chief of staff to Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

“The interesting part here is this is essentially Pierre Poilievre and his party kind of endorsing the MOU in (their) own way,” added Kaur.

Asked whether this means he supports the agreement, Poilievre would only say Conservatives support a pipeline.

“Mark Carney has got to stop speaking out of both sides of his mouth, stop saying one thing in Alberta and the opposite in British Columbia, and get his Liberal MPs to vote unanimously in favour of approving a pipeline to the Pacific,” Poilievre told CTV News.

‘The final straw’

The vote next week will come as Carney’s government has already faced political backlash from the deal.

Steven Guilbeault resigned from cabinet over it, and two of the government’s climate advisors quit this week too.

“The MOU was the final straw, absolutely, but this wasn’t the first step we’ve seen toward the suspension, the delay, the dismantling of climate policy in Canada,” said Catherine Abreau of the International Climate Politics Hub and former member of the expert-appointed body advising the government on the path to net-zero emissions.

Tuesday’s vote will be on a Conservative motion – but also indirectly a test of support for the government’s pipeline agreement with Alberta.

A failure by the Liberals to whip the vote could be another political blow for the party.

A Canadian woman trying to board a flight south to visit a California fertility clinic was recently denied entry into the United States by American customs and border officers.

Still in disbelief, Melody - who asked that we only use her first name - says she was in shock as two armed officers escorted her out of Calgary International Airport.

Melody is a Canadian surrogate who’s been trying for months to carry a second child for an American family unable to have a child on their own.

On Oct. 12, Melody arrived at Calgary International Airport’s U.S. customs preclearance area, and says she shared all her paperwork as a surrogate to travel to a fertility clinic in California, where the embryo is being stored. She also had her return ticket to Canada booked for the day after the procedure, with plans to remain pregnant in Canada and deliver the child on Canadian soil.

That’s when a U.S. customs and border agent told her what she was doing was “illegal, which isn’t”, Melody said. Surrogacy isn’t illegal in Canada, nor is it prohibited in the state of California.

She says the U.S. border agent also alleged she “was going down to California for financial benefit.”

Surrogates visiting fertility clinics in America isn’t uncommon. In an email to CTV News, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson wrote that a Canadian “surrogate for an American family, particularly if compensation is involved, would likely be classified as employment under U.S. immigration law. Employment in the United States typically requires a work visa, such as an H-2B or another suitable visa category, depending on the specific situation.”

Melody said she wasn’t going to work in the United States, and she’s never made any money from being a surrogate.

Canadian law prohibits profiting from being a surrogate.

Melody said she is aware of the rules around receiving compensation as a surrogate. She’d previously delivered a child for the same California-based family. During that pregnancy in 2018, she only accepted payment for costs associated with carrying their child.

“We are allowed (in Canada) to reimburse surrogates for expenses they incur as a result of the surrogacy, as long as we have receipts and documentation,” said fertility lawyer Sara Cohen, who highlighted that in Canada surrogacy isn’t a money-making operation. “For example, her travel, medication, life insurance, legal fees, her hotel while visiting the fertility clinic in California, those are perfectly legitimate under Canadian law.”

“This surrogate is like an angel who’s going to help a family have a child, a child who is going to be so loved,” Cohen added.

The California couple trying to complete their family with Melody’s help are in a same-sex marriage. One of the spouses agreed to speak with CTV National News but asked that his real name not be used out of concern that going public may create more problems for Melody at U.S. customs. For this story, he is being called Paul Smith.

Smith says when Melody successfully carried and delivered their first son in 2018, they created a special bond.

“We’ve been really lucky to find Melody. We have this deep connection with her personally,” Smith said, adding that “our family loves Canada, and Canadians are this whole other breed of just genuinely good human beings.”

Melody agreed to carry a second child for them, but the pandemic put those plans on hold.

“We’ve been trying to have a second child ever since to complete what we consider our family,” Smith said.

On Oct. 12, when Melody messaged to say her entry to the U.S. had been denied by border agents, Smith says he initially thought she was joking.

“I’m not very political, but no one is trying to immigrate to the U.S. right now — especially from Canada,” Smith joked.

He knows, however, that the situation is no laughing matter. The stress of the unknown has weighed heavily on Smith and his husband, who say the future of their family now rests on the decision of a border agent on any given day.

“I hope she can come down. We’re not going to give up,” Smith said, wiping away tears.

Speaking to CTV National News, Melody, a Calgary resident, says U.S. customs officers also said she was an immigrant without paperwork, even though she says she provided all the appropriate travel documents.

“I’m a Canadian citizen; I work at a hospital. I have my own children in Canada. I’m not trying to immigrate; I’m just trying to go down to the U.S. for an appointment and come back home,” she said.“ Trying to have a family isn’t a criminal offence. Being a surrogate isn’t a criminal offence.”

Multiple lawyers who have recently spoken to CTV News about Canadians being turned away at the U.S. border say some of the politics in Washington are playing out at the Canada-U.S. border.

“It’s so disappointing that a (U.S.) governmental institution would interfere with such a relationship,” Cohen said. “This surrogate is doing everything completely legitimately, from what I can tell everything has been done by the book.”

Cohen said she has had hundreds of clients cross the border to visit American fertility clinics without issue, and called Melody’s case alarming.

“She’s trying to give this couple the most beautiful gift and is being led out of an airport by armed officers,” Cohen said.

Melody has booked another flight and plans to try again to clear U.S. customs and fly to the fertility clinic in California this Sunday, in hopes of helping the American family complete their dream.

“I hope that what happened was just an error, a mistake, and wasn’t done out of malice, and that this time I will be allowed to enter the United States for my appointment,” Melody said.

When pressed by CTV News, a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection declined to say whether Melody will be allowed to cross the border when she tries again.

The provincial government is moving forward with compassionate intervention legislation for addictions treatment.

The Compassionate Intervention Act, which would allow for involuntary addictions treatment, was introduced Friday by Saskatchewan’s provincial government. According to a media release, the legislation is to support individuals with severe addictions who are not capable of seeking help despite serious health and safety risks.

“Individuals struggling with addiction need our support on their path to recovery,” Mental Health and Addictions Minister Lori Carr said in the media release. “They need a safe space, support and compassionate intervention. We are focused on meaningful long-term recovery for Saskatchewan residents.”

The current legislation requires voluntary participation and does not support addiction intervention.

The proposed legislation includes strict criteria for entering someone into involuntary treatment. Family members would be allowed to request treatment for a loved one through the court. Law enforcement could also intervene, should a person’s substance use be putting their own life or the lives of others at serious risk.

Methods in which individuals can be brought to a Compassionate Interventions Assessment Centre are:

• By a police or peace officer
• Referred by a medical professional
• Through a judge’s warrant

The Government of Saskatchewan will be seeking feedback from stakeholders, partners, and the public on how the legislation should be implemented. Information will be available on the Government of Saskatchewan website.

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