- Several Israeli military officers have been fired following the airstrikes on the World Central Kitchen convoy that killed seven aid workers. Officially it's because they violated military operating procedures, but we all know that it's really because they embarrassed the country.
- A redevelopment plan for the troubled Portage Place mall has been presented by the Manitoba government, the Southern Chiefs' Organization, and True North Real Estate Development. This will involve a 15 storey residential tower at the west end of the mall and a 12 storey healthcare facility at the east end.
- The Kinew government is being criticized by the opposition for cutting the budget for some infrastructure upgrades in provincial parks. Putting things into perspective, though, this is not a cut to things important to conservation so much as tourism. If you want to criticize something they're doing, it should be their trying to get out of the federal carbon tax - except the Tories no doubt approve of that. University of Winnipeg biologist Scott Forbes certainly is not pulling his punches on the issue, though. In any case, the federal government says that any alternative to the federal levy must include carbon pricing. Maybe the provincial NDP knew that all along and are just making a show of opposing the tax to score points; still, it's unfortunate.
- The cyberattack at the University of Winnipeg seems to have been more than just vandalism - it could have an impact on all students enrolled there since 2018 and all staff since 2003. The university will be covering the cost of credit monitoring for two years, but one wonders if the stolen data might still be floating around after that.
- A report presented to Winnipeg city council by transportation planning staff is recommending against the proposal to convert the intersection of River and Osborne into a scramble crossing. They do acknowledge that it would improve safety, but they say that it could cause delays of up to 30 seconds, plus the expenses involved in things like resynchronizing nearby traffic signals. And what's a few dead pedestrians compared to that?
- The legalization of marijuana in various US states has been a mixed bag in terms of results. In some states, like California, legalization has done little to put a dent in the black market, while in others, like Washington, legalization was accompanied by a strong crackdown on illegal sales, giving the legal market time to get on its feet. Sadly, Canada seems to have followed the California model rather than the Washington one.
No comments:
Post a Comment