News roundup, 29 May 2026

- Just in case you needed another reason to think twice about taking an international flight, numerous people have fallen victim to "baggage tag switching", in which airline insiders switch the tags on baggage filled with drugs or other contraband with those of innocent passengers in case they get searched. The airlines are refusing to cover the huge expenses people have incurred in order to be exonerated. Maybe just stay home and read a book or play a video game; it's safer as well as greener.

- A Russian drone involved in the attack on Ukraine strayed across the Romanian border and crashed into an apartment building, injuring two people.

- Manitoba's health minister, Uzoma Asagwara, just returned from the UK where they have been recruiting healthcare workers. Asagwara says that as many as 24 doctors and 29 paramedics may be on their way to the province soon. Reportedly several of them almost didn't show up to the recruitment sessions because they thought it sounded too good to be true.

- The Unifor locals representing about 5,000 employees at TransLink, which provides transit services in Metro Vancouver, have voted 99% in favour of strike action. Affected services include buses as well as the SeaBus ferry service, though not the SkyTrain which is a different bargaining unit.

- Manitoba removed Tesla from the electric vehicle rebate program last year as part of efforts to "Trump-proof" the economy. The company is now threatening legal action in response. An awkward fact is that the province had previously signed IT contracts with SpaceX, and the amount was increased last year, although the province says that this was an emergency procurement related to last year's wildfire season.

- Ferrari has launched its first fully electric vehicle on Tuesday. In response, stock in the company dropped 8.4%. Evidently investors think that the kind of person who would buy a Ferrari won't be satisfied to just go fast, they want everyone around to hear how fast they're going.

- A daycare in southwest Winnipeg had to shut down due to the heat on Wednesday because its air conditioning system had been disabled over the winter by someone stealing copper wire. Some are calling for provincial legislation on scrap dealers to apply the same requirements for accepting wire as for accepting catalytic converters, something that has significantly reduced converter theft.

- The moribund town of Leaf Rapids, Manitoba, whose population has declined from 1,500 in the 1970s to no more than 250 today as a result of a mine closure, is losing its only grocery store. The local co-op is heavily indebted to Federated Co-operatives and seems not to be viable anymore. Employment and Income Assistance is offering to help welfare recipients move out of there, but many don't see that as a satisfactory solution, especially those who have lived there all their lives. I don't know what can realistically be done, though; the town is 1,000 kilometres from Winnipeg and over 200 kilometres from Thompson, and it's hard to salvage such an isolated community that has lost its raison d'être.

- The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has released its report on a 2023 accident in Smithers, BC in 2023 in which a helicopter undergoing ground tests suddenly rotated violently, causing the tail rotor to strike two workers, killing one and severely injuring the other. The TSB has concluded that the pilot skipped parts of a checklist because he was distracted by his cellphone, resulting in the antitorque pedals not being deactivated, and evidently he bumped one of the pedals, causing the rotation. I daresay this was not a good career move on the pilot's part.

New roundup, 28 Feb 2025

- Doug Ford's "Progressive" Conservative Party has won its third straight majority, projected to win 80 seats (from 79 at time of dissolution) in the 124 seat legislature. The NDP holds onto Official Opposition status with 27 seats (previously 28). The Liberals are projected to regain official party status with 14 seats (from 9), but their leader Bonnie Crombie was defeated in her own constituency of Mississauga East–Cooksville. The Greens reelected their 2 MPPs, while only one of the six independent members in the old legislature, Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady, was reelected. Full results, including an interactive map, can be found here. One statement in the CBC article stands out as a bit weird though:

When Ford triggered the $189-million election he asked Ontario voters give him "the largest mandate in Ontario's history" to combat continued economic threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.

On that front, it may prove a bittersweet night for Ford and his PCs, who are likely to return to Queen's Park with roughly the same number of seats after a campaign his rivals called a cynical and unnecessary power play.

I guess it's "bittersweet" in that he didn't win every seat in the legislature (which Frank McKenna actually did in New Brunswick in 1987) but for a government on its third time around, who have presided over the province becoming, by some measures, the worst province in the entire country to live in, the only way it could possibly be bittersweet for Doug and co. is because of the hangovers they'll have this morning for all the cheap American wine and bourbon they drank in celebration.

 - Donald Trump insists that the 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico will go ahead as planned, claiming that drugs are still "pouring" across the borders. Or maybe not. We'll know in a few days I guess. One note from the second article, though:

When asked if the Canadian government is doing enough to meet Trump's bar, Klobuchar, a Democrat, said she can't predict everything Trump is going to do, "but what I can say is that it's enough to meet my bar."

I can't say I find that particularly reassuring. Then again, Trump is so unpredictable that maybe he will let us off the hook - or defer it for another month. The thing about Trump and those influencing him is that, while they're nowhere near as smart as they think they are, they're smarter than they look - and far more cunning. I think Trump and Musk got where they are now largely by throwing their opponents off balance with chaos, and they'll keep doing so as long as it continues to work for them, probably longer.

- Manitoba has become the first province to sign onto the national pharmacare program. The province will receive $219 million over four years to cover diabetes medication, contraceptives, and certain other products. Contraceptives are already covered by the province but many more will benefit from this - assuming the Cons don't win the federal election and claw back the money.

- In Thailand, over 40 Uyghurs who had been detained for a decade after fleeing China have been deported back to Xi Jinping's welcoming arms. Of cousre it couldn't be Thailand caving to Chinese pressure, could it?

- Speaking of caving to a more powerful overlord, UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer seems to share Tony Blair's fear of doing anything, anything, to offend the United States, no matter who is in charge in that country. Starmer refused to answer questions about Trump's proposed annexation of Canada on a visit to Washington on Thursday, accusing the reporter of "trying to find a divide between us that doesn’t exist". And Romanian authorities have permitted Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan to leave Romania as they await their trials for rape and sex trafficking. There had been reports of pressure from the Trump regime to allow this, though of course the Romanians are denying that this had anything to do with their decision.

News roundup, 28 Nov 2024

- The Canadian dollar has dropped to its lowest level in four years following Donald Trump's threats to impose massive tariffs. Meanwhile, many are pointing out that if these tariffs are imposed, the damage will not be limited to Canada and Mexico; the American auto industry is highly integrated with that of its NAFTA partners.

- The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505, which represents Winnipeg Transit drivers, is calling for an expansion of the community safety team, as well as improvements for the shields that protect drivers from attacks. However, there are concerns about whether there's enough money in the budget for this. On a related note, the city is testing shatterproof glass in bus shelters to limit vandalism, something that's long overdue.

- Labour negotiations at Canada Post are not going well; the federally appointed mediator is backing away until the two sides can come up with positions that can be worked with.

- The German government is probably hoping that Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't set foot in their country, as they seem to be tying themselves in knots trying to reconcile their support for the International Criminal Court with their efforts to atone for the Holocaust by their unconditional support of Israel.

- Calin Georgescu, a far-right candidate who is running as an independent, has come out on top in the first round of presidential elections. The second round will be held on 8 December.

- Nova Scotia's Conservatives won their second successive majority government on Tuesday. The opposition Liberals suffered severe losses and have fallen into third place behind the NDP; their leader lost his own seat.

- The Winnipeg couple charged with killing and torturing animals and selling footage on the "dark web" now face additional charges; these include bestiality and accessing child pornography. In addition, there is evidence that they planned to torture a child. I daresay this lends support to my initial suspicion that they are not good people.

- Oddly enough, Winnipeg is the only municipality in Manitoba that is authorized to use photo radar enforcement. The mayor of Brandon would like that to change.

- A city councillor in Sarnia, Ontario has been expelled from a council meeting following an unhinged, profanity-laden rant in which he insulted most of his colleagues. He will not be allowed back until he apologizes, something he has so far refused to do. He apparently intends to run for mayor in the next municipal election; some folks on Reddit fear that his behaviour will help his cause more than it hurts him. Sadly, they may be right; Sarnia is not a big city and its economy is dependent on very dirty industries, both of which make for a lot of the kind of people who see this kind of rude and childish behaviour as a sign of authenticity.