News roundup, 20 June 2024

- Three Manitoba credit unions (Assiniboine, Westoba, and Caisse Financial Group) have agreed to a merger which will take effect in the new year; the new institution will be called Assiniboine Credit Union / Caisse Assiniboine and will be the province's largest.

- Researchers have confirmed that the storm system that hit western Manitoba last week spawned five tornadoes; fortunately nobody was hurt and damage was minor.

- Manitoba Conservatives have been making themselves scarce since their defeat in the Tuxedo byelection. They now only hold two seats inside Winnipeg (really 1 ½ since the Roblin constituency includes the RM of Headingley). On the other hand, their grip on rural southern Manitoba is stronger now than it was 20 years ago; they now hold constituencies like Interlake-Gimli (formerly an NDP stronghold) and Swan River (formerly a swing constituency).

- At the federal level, a byelection in the Toronto riding of Toronto-St Paul's is a much bigger fight for the Liberals than expected. The Liberals have held the seat for over 30 years, and won by more than 20 points in the last election, but the Conservatives are surging even there. Dissatisfaction among the Jewish community with the government's failure to completely, unquestioningly support Israel is being cited as a reason.

- The federal government has announced a ban on open-net salmon farming in BC; this is a good move but one has to wonder why they waited so long to do it. A smarter move would have been to ban it earlier in their mandate; as things stand, the Conservatives, who are almost certain to take power next year, will likely reinstate open-net farming long before any impact on wild salmon populations can be assessed.

- Some UK Conservatives are being investigated for placing bets on the election date shortly before Rishi Sunak called it.

- A strike has been averted at WestJet after mechanics agreed to return to the bargaining table.

- Russia's scorched-earth approach in eastern Ukraine is being interpreted by some as an attempt to make sure that there's nothing worth continuing to defend in the area.

News roundup, 19 June 2024

- The NDP's Carla Compton won the Tuxedo byelection by 602 votes. This would have been unimaginable a year ago, and shows just how unpopular the Conservatives are in the city.

- Winnipeg's overall crime rate actually decreased in 2023 compared to previous years, however the rate of violent crime as well as hate crimes have increased significantly.

- Federal health minister Mark Holland accuses the Conservatives of "bullying" dental associations, alleging that they are calling these associations and yelling at them. Holland believes the Tories are trying to keep dentists from signing onto the federal dental program, and thus sabotage the program.

- The benefits of Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act disproportionately go to Republican areas. The reason is pretty straightforward - things like solar and wind farms require a lot of land, and thus generally go to rural areas. This has led to hopes that the Republicans won't kill all these initiatives; that remains to be seen.

- The Winnipeg neighbourhood of Wolseley has long had a reputation for being lefty, greeny types, but perhaps what they really are is NIMBY types, given the hostile reaction from many residents to an increase in the number of buses going through parts of the neighbourhood.

- While some shark species are in decline, the Great White Shark appears to be doing well in the Atlantic - to the point where warning signs are being considered for Nova Scotia beaches similar to those already seen in parts of New England.

- A Hamilton man walked into a mosque and yelled slurs at a Grade 3 gym class while tearing up a copy of the Quran. He has been charged with criminal harassment.

News roundup, 15 May 2024

- The gag order that's supposed to prevent Trump from attacking jurors, witnesses, and the judge's family does not apply to his supporters, who have been loudly shouting what their hero isn't allowed to say. The judge, however, plans to look into whether any of this behaviour was instigated by Trump himself, something which might well constitute a violation of the order. In other Trump news, following rumours that Trump has to wear adult diapers, some of his supporters have taken it upon themselves to declare that "real men wear diapers". No, you really can't make this shit up.

- Israeli settlers in the West Bank attacked an aid convoy bound for Gaza, destroying and scattering the food. The White House has condemned the attack, and even some Israelis say that this is "not in line with our movement", though the military seems to hit aid convoys and buildings far more than they have any excuse to do. Meanwhile, in Paris, some overly enthusiastic pro-Palestinian protesters thought it would be a good idea to vandalize a Holocaust memorial with red handprints, which cannot be reasonably called a legitimate target and only adds to the impression that antisemitism is part of their motivation.

- The Free Press and Brandon Sun columnist Deveryn Ross thinks that the NDP actually has a good chance of taking Tuxedo when the byelection to replace Heather Stefanson occurs. Given what I've seen of Ross' opinion pieces, I don't think this is wishful thinking either, though it could still be wrong.

- A patient who had been taken to Health Sciences Centre's mental health crisis response centre appears to have killed himself while awaiting treatment.

- United Food and Commercial Workers Local 832, which represents the workers at the No Frills store on Notre Dame Avenue, has filed a grievance following the stabbing of an employee, saying that the store has not provided a safe workplace as required in their collective agreement. A valid complaint, but it's an interesting question how to resolve this. Should the store do what the Liquor Marts do and require ID to enter? For the safety of the workers, maybe - but food is a necessity in a way that liquor isn't, and this will inevitably mean that some people who don't have ID won't be able to shop there. Of course, they can always go elsewhere, at least until other stores do the same thing - but I could see this becoming a human rights issue of its own.

- The cost to Canadian taxpayers for the protection of MPs has skyrocketed since the pandemic and convoy protest. At current rates, costs for the RCMP alone for protecting MPs could hit $3.4 million by the end of this fiscal year - and that doesn't include the protection of the prime minister, which has hit over $30 million a year.

- The head of personnel at Russia's defense ministry has been arrested on suspicion of taking bribes, following the discovery of over a million dollars' worth of cash and valuables in his home. Unfortunately stuff like this hasn't stopped Russia from making substantial gains in Ukraine; I'm not sure that the conquest of that unfortunate country can be prevented at this point. Perhaps the best hope is that any conquest will be incomplete and will lead to a drawn-out guerilla campaign that will wear away at Russia over the years, much like Afghanistan did in the 1980s; this will at least keep Russia from attacking anyone else. Certainly Ukraine deserves better than to serve as Europe's sacrificial anode, but that's the world we live in I guess.

- Georgia's much reviled "foreign agents" legislation has been passed, though not before one of their traditional parliament brawls occurred.

- Wastewater surveillance has been extremely useful in tracking the spread of several diseases, including COVID-19, mpox, and polio - yet the US Centers for Disease Control have apparently discouraged its use for tracking avian influenza, much to the consternation of many experts. One researcher says he was told not to use a virus assay he'd developed specifically for that purpose - ostensibly because it would "add to the confusion". One can't help but wonder if the real reason is that factory farming is a big factor in the spread of the disease, and that if the extent of the disease in livestock were known, it would force the government to take measures to control it. And as we know, such measures would infuriate the farmers who are so good at milking populist rage - and in an election year.

- A two-way video portal between public spaces in New York and Dublin has been temporarily shut down following reports of "inappropriate behaviour". This apparently included "flashing body parts" and "displaying images of 9/11 and swear words on phone screens" as well as one woman who was escorted away by Dublin police after being seen "grinding" against the portal.