Good morning! It’s Tamara Baluja and Hanna Lee. 

Suspected bots on social media and Indian pro-Modi news outlets are amplifying misinformation about Canadian institutions, a CBC investigation has found. Some are concerned that this wave of false information is worsening relations between Sikhs and Hindus in this country.

We’ll also break down why Christmas trees are so much cheaper in Europe and learn about the latest disruption on Toronto transit: a scared cat.

Bots and Indian TV push fake news about Canada in wake of Hindu temple clashes

Last month, demonstrations at Hindu temples in Surrey, B.C., and Brampton, Ont., were met by counter-protesters. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

Our colleagues reviewed hundreds of posts on X and dozens of hours of footage streamed on YouTube in the days before and after clashes outside Hindu temples in Surrey, B.C., and Brampton, Ont., in November.

What the CBC analysis found:

• Several posts containing misleading and inflammatory comments about the Khalistan movement — which advocates for an independent state for Sikhs — and Sikh Canadians in general that were recirculated by suspicious accounts. 
• Some of these claims were then repeated on Indian media outlets sympathetic to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In related news: A TikTok account sharing AI-generated videos of explosions and burning cities has disappeared from the platform. But the type of content it hosted — what experts call “AI slop” — is still going strong. Read more.

Why Christmas trees in Europe are so much cheaper than in Canada

A grocery store in Padua, Italy, was recently selling two-metre (6½-foot) Nordmann fir trees for 15 euros ($22 Cdn). (John Last/CBC)

The price gap: In Europe, Christmas tree prices have been falling for the better part of the last decade — in Padua, Italy, for example, you can expect to pay the equivalent of $22 Cdn for a two-metre tree. In Canada, meanwhile, the average price in some regions for a 1.8-metre tree is $75 or more.

The reasons:

• Unlike in Europe, where demand for Christmas trees is fairly static, Canadian demand for Christmas trees is skyrocketing at the same time that supply is shrinking.
• The average age of a Canadian Christmas tree farmer is between 65 and 85. Many are just retiring and there's no one to take over the business.
• Canadian farmers are under other price pressures, too: Increases in the cost of equipment and fertilizer have driven inflation across the economy. 

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

'There's no regrets. Nothing I would change': P.E.I. kiteboarder on life after surviving shark attack

LISA XING

Professional kiteboarder Lucas Arsenault lost his right leg in a shark attack. Six months later, he's back on his board. (Lisa Xing/CBC)

Mornings are the toughest — waking up, realizing he can't just get out of bed, there are extra steps he must take to start the day.

But then, Lucas Arsenault remembers he should not have survived. 

Half a year ago, the 27-year-old professional kiteboarder from the Acadian community of Mont Carmel, P.E.I., was attacked by a shark while snorkelling in the Caribbean. His right leg was amputated. Arsenault thought he would never be back on the board, but through positivity and drive he's again doing what he loves. 

It was supposed to be a quick trip to Turks and Caicos in late May, where Arsenault once taught kiteboarding, where he had swam and surfed hundreds of times.

It was there, about a kilometre off the northern coast, that something struck him in the chest. 

"I got smoked in the ribs really hard," he said, thinking a boat had hit him. 

"But then I turned around and I saw this face of a shark." 

In case you missed it

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's working relationships with women and his attitude about gender dynamics have been under scrutiny for more than a decade. After Chrystia Freeland's cabinet resignation pushed him to his lowest political moment, these topics are being used against him.
• In response to Donald Trump’s tariff threat, Ottawa is proposing spending $1.3 billion on new measures for the Canada-U.S. border, including 24/7 drone surveillance and AI to detect illegal drugs before they enter the country. 
• Luigi Mangione, 26, has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism in New York in connection with the Dec. 4 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. 
• The loonie fell below 70 cents US yesterday for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It follows what’s already a tumultuous week in Canadian politics after the sudden resignation of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland. Read our analysis on what Justin Trudeau’s options are now. 

And some good news to wrap up this email... 

Toronto commuters save a cat stuck under a streetcar

A group of strangers worked together to rescue a cat that was trapped under a Toronto streetcar. (Submitted by Ian Clarke)

Passersby in downtown Toronto may have seen a strange sight last week: A group of strangers on their hands and knees on the road, shouting and making hand gestures at a stopped streetcar. 

But it was for good reason — they were trying to free a woman’s cat from under the vehicle. People bought brooms and cat treats in an attempt to coax the scared pet out. 

“It's heartwarming,” said Ian Clarke, an eyewitness. “It really just goes to show that there's good people out there.”