- The ridiculous size of the top-selling American vehicles is a product of decades of faulty regulation. A big part of the problem is that American vehicle safety ratings, unlike those in other countries, don't take into account the safety of anyone who isn't actually inside the car, and this leads to a sort of arms race of larger and larger vehicles. Unfortunately fixing the matter now will not be easy, since the major US automakers make a lot more profit on those big monstrosities than on smaller cars - and Michigan is a critical swing state.
- McGill University, dealing with an encampment of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, is threatening to "consider other options" if the protesters don't leave. University officials claim to have video evidence of "people using unequivocally antisemitic language and intimidating behaviour" but have not responded to CBC's request for a copy of the video. Members of Independent Jewish Voices participating in the process deny having seen such behaviour (though admittedly drawing the line on this matter is not always easy).. Meanwhile in the US, mass arrests are already happening, and students are being warned that they could face suspension or worse, but the protesters at Columbia aren't backing down. Perhaps activists at different schools should be coordinating, so that students protest at schools they don't attend to avoid that risk.
- Shared Health is dropping masking requirements for visitors to healthcare facilities in Manitoba, though not for staff. One wonders if this isn't partly motivated by a desire to prevent unruly behaviour.
- Health Canada is evaluating the exemption given to BC to allow it to effectively decriminalize hard drugs; meanwhile the province is backing off on allowing public consumption following a backlash from the public, though possession in private spaces will be permitted.
- The US National Weather Service is warning that this summer could be an extremely hot one.
- The World Health Organization is increasingly concerned about the rise in measles cases around the world, from 170,000 cases in 2022 to over 320,000 in 2023. Vaccination rates for the disease are now back to 2008 levels.
- On another alarming public health note, an explosion of avian influenza in cattle is causing concerns in the US, and a lack of surveillance in Canada means we have no idea how prevalent it is on this side of the border.
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