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Jun 8 2023

Fire centre. Dam advice. Trudeau disinterest.

Jun 8, 2023
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
‘Cost of living, food, gasoline’: Bank of Canada’s interest rate change a worry for some
The latest interest rate hike was designed to help prevent inflation from getting stuck above the bank's 2.0 per cent target, but higher rates will have an impact on families. [Global]
Poor air quality is forecast to persist into the weekend across parts of Ontario, as wildfire smoke blankets the province and prompt school boards to limit outdoor activities. [Global]
When fire season begins, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre is the epicentre for decisions about how firefighting resources will be shared across the country. [Global]
Air quality levels in parts of Canada and the US have nosedived in recent days as winds have carried smoke from wildfires in Quebec and Nova Scotia across the continent. [Endgadget]
Committee Report No. 12 - (44-1) - House of Commons of Canada Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.
Committee Report No. 4 -  (44-1) - House of Commons of Canada Standing Committee on Science and Research.
From the provinces
Premiers’ Performance: Smith approval static after election win, Stefanson struggles ahead of October contest
With a fall election looming, Manitoba premier’s approval remains at one-quarter for sixth consecutive quarter. [Angus Reid Institute]
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is to name her new cabinet Friday, with a lot of jobs to fill, fewer people to fill them and a conspicuous urban-rural divide to bridge. [Global]
Quebec has adopted a new law that expands access to medical aid in dying and allows early requests for the procedure. [TorStar]
The latest public opinion poll in Toronto's mayoral race has Anthony Furey gaining ground among decided voters, with the longtime conservative newspaper columnist even edging out several high-profile rivals. [CBC]
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Elsewhere
Robocalls claiming voters would get “mandatory vaccines” result in $5M fine
Black people targeted with conspiracy theory about voting and mandatory vaccines. [Ars Technica]

Rep. Jim Jordan is demanding emails and meetings with leading disinformation researchers, part of a flurry of records requests, subpoenas and lawsuits that academics say have become tools of harassment. [WaPo]
Yale historian Timothy Snyder, a specialist in the history of Ukraine, has some advice for journalists: Ten guidelines for writing about catastrophe..
'Fascism is a word that’s been used a great deal these last few years,' says the article pictured above (scanned in full here at the Internet Archive). [Open Culture[
Media
The Liberal government's Bill C-18 would see companies like Meta and Google pay for Canadian journalism that helps them generate revenue. [Global]
Researchers analysed 2.6 million posts on popular social media network Nextdoor and accurately predicted individuals’ income by solely examining the posts they’ve published [Queen Mary University of London]
Tech
Ok this is kind of incredible: Brick Technology built a solar-powered Lego clock that will keep time for a billion years.  [Kottke.org]
Writing efficient code was turned into a game, and the AI played to win. [Ars Technica]
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Issued this day ...
Issued this day in 1990: Sc 1277a se-tenant block of 4: Cultural Treasures — Dolls. Design: Nita Wallace.
All the dolls on these stamps are Canadian and are grouped by era. From top left, going clockwise, from my collection; Sc 1277 Commercial dolls (1940-1960); Sc 1276 Commercial dolls (1917-1936); Sc 1274 Native [to use the term Canada Post used as the time of issue] dolls (1840-1916); Sc 1275 Settlers’ dolls (1840-1900)

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