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May 16 2024

Catastrophic claims. B.C.’s deal. Water measures: The Roundup

May 16, 2024
David Akin's Roundup
Clippings of #cdnpoli, #media, and #tech content aimed at those with an interest in Canadian politics and policy. And sometimes Canadian postage stamps.
Canada
Canada’s extreme weather events are costing billions, new data shows
From 1983 to 2008, insurance companies in the country spent about $400 million on average annually on catastrophic claims, but since 2009 that number's risen to almost $2 billion. [Global]
Recent tensions brought on by the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and the resulting humanitarian crisis, have changed the political landscape. New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds the Liberals’ balancing act in addressing the Israel-Gaza conflict costing it support among two key constituencies. Trudeau’s party trails the NDP (41% to 31%) in vote intent among Canadian Muslims and the CPC (42% to 33%) among Canadian Jews. [Angus Reid Institute]
Poilievre's Conservatives on track for landslide in B.C., while the race is looking closer at the provincial level. My model (and many other seat model makers) shows the same trend Eric Grénier writes about here though everyone's numbers are bit different. in my model, for instance, if an election were held this month, I'd say CPC wins 33 seats in BC; NDP have 6; LPC drops to 3 and Elizabeth May holds on for the Greens. Eric  detects a gloomier picture for both the red and orange teams in BC.  [The Writ]
From the Provinces
Workers react to details of Alberta health-care system restructuring plan
After the government of Alberta released details about its plan to overhaul the healthcare system, frontline workers say the transition needs to be done properly to avoid disaster. [Global]
The British Columbia government and social media giants have made what they call a "historic collaboration" for youth safety online. [Global]
Elsewhere
Slovakia PM Robert Fico in stable but serious condition after shooting, doctors say
[Deputy PM] Taraba said Mr Fico was "not in [a] life-threatening situation at this moment".  He added the prime minister was shot "from very close" and that "one bullet went through the stomach and the second one hit the joint". [BBC]

Donald Trump and his allies are laying the groundwork to contest a potential loss in November, stoking doubts about the election's legitimacy even as opinion polls show the Republican presidential candidate leading in battleground states. [Reuters]
Johnson, who is second in line for the presidency, called the court system “corrupt.”  Outside the New York courthouse, he decried “this ridiculous prosecution that is not about justice.” He said, “It’s all about politics.” [AP]
A Democratic group is rolling out a new $140 million ad campaign that aims to chip away at Donald Trump’s support among rural voters, one of his most loyal voting blocs. [AP]

Operatives working for the Chinese and Iranian governments prepared fake, AI-generated content as part of a campaign to influence US voters in the closing weeks of the 2020 election campaign, current and former US officials briefed on the intelligence told CNN. [CNN]
Countries like China, which are near-peer rivals to the United States and possess a robust scientific and technological innovation base—as well as an increasingly modern military—are threatening American aircraft carriers as never before. [National Interest]
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Media
This study found that both entertainment and socialisation motivations are positively related to willingness to pay for news, while surveillance motivation was not. The analysis also found that perceiving news to be personally important is positively related to willingness to pay for news; in contrast, perceiving news to be important to society was unrelated to willingness to pay for it. [Journalism]
If you write the words "cis" or "cisgender" on X, you might be served this full-screen message: "This post contains language that may be considered a slur.
Science and Tech
How to measure all the world’s fresh water
Remote sensing has made it easier for climate scientists and hydrologists to monitor rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Will it help us be smarter about how we manage them? [MIT Technology Review]
Checking if a column contains a specific string can be a crucial task. Today, I’ll show you how to do this using both str_detect() from the stringr package and base R methods. We’ll also tackle finding partial strings and counting occurrences. [Steve’s Data Tips and Tricks]
The Calendar
  • 0800 ET: Shawinigan, QC - Innovation Min François-Philippe Champagne speaks at a summit on the future of batteries.
  • 0900 ET: Carleton-sur-Mer - Fisheries Min Diane Lebouthillier  makes an infrastructure funding announcement.
  • 0930 ET: Montreal - Environment Min Steven Guilbeault and LPC MP Sameer Zuberi  makes an infrastructure funding announcement.
  • 1010 ET: Northern New Brunswick - PM Trudeau , Families and Social Development Min Jenna Sudds, Public Safety Min Dominic LeBlanc, and Veterans Affairs Min Ginette Petitpas Taylor speak about the National School Lunch program.
  • 1100 ET: Edmonton - CEDQR Min Soraya Martinez Ferrada speaks about Destination Canada's new strategy.
  • 1100 ET: Mississauga - LPC MP Charles Sousa makes an announcement.
  • 1200 ET: Vancouver, BC - Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to reporters.
  • 1200 ET: Edmonton - Employment Min Randy Boissonnault speaks about federal child care subsidies.
  • 1400 ET: Sherbrooke, QC - BQ Leader Yves-François Blanchet and BQ MP Martin Champoux meet with Mayor Évelyne Beaudin.
  • 1530 ET: Victoria - Citizen Services Min Terry Beech speaks about federal child care subsidies.
  • 1700 ET: Whitehorse - Heritage Min Pascale St-Onge makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1830 ET: Toronto - Labour Min Seamus O'Regan speaks to an event hosted by the retired teachers of Ontario.
  • 2015 ET: Winnipeg, - PM Trudeau speaks at an LPC fundraising event.
Issued this day ...
… in 2008: Scott #2269: Founding of Quebec City. Design: Fugazi.
Issued to mark the 400th anniversary of the capital of Québec. A joint issue with France.

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