News roundup, 25 Sept 2026

- Mark Carney said in an interview with the New York Times that he has investigated the possibility of a US invasion of Canada. Carney says that while he does not consider this to be a high probability event (so far at least) it would be irresponsible not to look into the matter given the consequences, given that Trump has repeatedly mused about annexing the country. For obvious reasons he did not reveal what exactly had been investigated in terms of countermeasures.

- A new poll suggests that support for Alberta independence has declined. With less than a month before the referendum, only 23% of respondents said they supported separation, with only 4% unsure. This is down from 27% support for secession in the spring. This is definitely good news, but it should be noted that these people aren't going to go away, and if anything rural Alberta will likely become an even more hostile environment for reasonable people than it already is.

- The suspect in the shooting at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario has died. It appears he was a former member of the Canadian Armed Forces, serving from 2017 to 2022. A childhood friend of his reports that he had alluded to antisemitic violence before; he'd created the username "kitekiller" for an online video game after his initial version, which had a K where the T is in that word, was rejected.

- The nominations for this fall's municipal elections in Manitoba have closed. A substantial number of positions, including the mayors of the cities of Portage La Prairie and Winkler and the town of Niverville, are getting in by acclamation since no opponents have registered to run. In the RMs of Argyle and Cartwright-Roblin, entire councils are getting in unopposed. Niverville mayor Myron Dyck expressed concern over the lack of willingness among citizens to run. This is a valid concern, though he does not come out and say that the toxic nature of municipal politics in rural and small-town Manitoba might be a factor.

- Toronto police are investigating a suspected arson at a store that sold Hells Angels merchandise. And in neighbouring Mississauga, two flatbed tow trucks were torched; while there is no indication of a direct connection between the incidents, it's reasonable to suspect that organized crime was involved in both cases (the towing industry in this country has long had a problem with that).

News roundup, 22 Sept 2026

- The US military appears to have nearly boarded a Chinese ship somewhere in the Middle East based on an intelligence report generated using AI tools. The report indicated that the ship might be carrying nuclear weapons components. The military was preparing to intercept and board the vessel before issues were discovered with the report.

- A man opened fire on a police officer guarding a synagogue that was preparing for a Yom Kippur service in Belleville, Ontario on Sunday. Both the suspect and the cop were seriously wounded. The suspect is a man named Sean Ward who apparently lives with his mother in the nearby city of Quinte West.

- The Trump regime is trying to make a deal to buy potash from Belarus so that they don't have to buy it from Canada. 

- The federal Conservative Party has appointed Brantford mayor Kevin Davis as its candidate in a byelection in the riding of Branford-Brant South, bypassing the normal nomination process. The seat became vacant when incumbent MP Larry Brock stepped down; Brock had endorsed local pastor Dave Carrol for the nomination. According to someone in this Reddit thread, Davis is considered a moderate while Carrol is an extreme social conservative; I suspect the party decided that Carrol would be too much of a liability (especially if he were to actually win and start shooting his mouth off in Parliament).

- Winnipeg city councillor Russ Wyatt is running again, despite facing multiple sexual assault charges. Wyatt denies the charges and has said that "the establishment" wants to get rid of him.

- The US National Archives and Records Administration has seen a surge in requests for records after a change in Canada's citizenship rules that allows people to become citizens if they can prove Canadian ancestry.