Past issues Subscribe

Jan 22 2024

GenZ politics. Northern wall. Astronaut woes: The Roundup

Jan 22, 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
In Generation Z, a new kind of voter emerges, focused more on issues, less on parties
There will be about 4.5 million eligible voters under the age of 30, a cohort demographers call Generation Z and they engage in politics in different ways than older voters. [Global]
Immigration Minister Marc Miller is expected to outline a plan today to reduce the number of international students issued permits to study in Canada. [CP]
Health Minister Mark Holland says the remaining nine health transfer deals should be complete over the next two months, a year after the program received a major expansion. [Global]
The union that represents Canadian diplomats abroad says Global Affairs Canada should consider boosting compensation for those posted to the United States because they face increased risk of of gun crime and difficulty accessing health care. [CP]
From the provinces
Ontario municipalities push for frank talk with province on who pays for what
Steep property tax increases being proposed across the province are partly the result of Ontario offloading various costs to local governments in the 1990s, municipalities say, and it's  and it's time for a frank talk about who pays for what. [CP]

An internal email related to the Greenbelt scandal suggests Ford's office "was far more involved" in the land swap than the premier has maintained. [TorStar]

The results show that wearing a mask led to a reduction of 2.76 cases per 100,000 people, and a 0.19 per cent reduction in the mortality rate worldwide. [Global]
In accordance with the Election Act, Recall and Initiative Act and Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, Elections BC has calculated and adjusted contribution limits for 2024. *The provincial political contribution limit does not include fees of up to $410 paid to attend a leadership convention or other convention of a political party. [Elections BC]
Elsewhere
A Border Wall to the North? Republicans Want to Discuss.
Presidential candidates, warning of terrorists, criminals and traffickers, have drawn a national spotlight to the nation’s border with Canada. But proposals for a southern-style wall have not exactly appeared to catch on. [NYT]

As Nikki Haley celebrated Ron DeSantis’s departure from the Republican primary, Donald J. Trump turned his firepower toward his final rival. [NYT]
Vladimir Putin’s campaign has presented scores of boxes filled with signed petitions supporting his run in Russia's March presidential election, which he's almost certain to win. [AP]
Media
How an alliance between psychologists and advertisers at the turn of the 20th century taught us how to measure (and monetize) human attention. [Asterisk Mag]
YouTube making money off new breed of climate denial, monitoring group says
YouTube is making millions of dollars a year from advertising on channels that make false claims about climate change because content creators are using new tactics that evade the social media platform's policies to combat misinformation, according to a report published on Tuesday. [Reuters]
Can u spare $5 a month for this newsletter? Click now!
Sci/Tech
What happens when an astronaut in orbit says he’s not coming back?
"If you guys don't give me a chance to repair my instrument, I'm not going back." Fascinating piece. [Ars Technica]

Meta hits the gas pedal on its AI developments, revving up investments in infrastructure. [ZDNet]
Microsoft’s next batch of Windows 11 feature updates is taking shape. [Ars Technica]
Kremlin-backed hackers are serving up encrypted PDFs to manipulate victims into installing a decryption utility that's actually malware, Google says. [PCMag]
The Calendar
  • Montreal - PM Trudeau meets with his cabinet.
  • 1000 ET: Fredericton - LPC MP Jenica Atwin makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1030 ET: Winnipeg - LPC MP Terry Duguid makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1130 ET: Vancouver  - LPC MP Marc Serré speaks at the AME Roundup.
  • 1400 ET: Airdrie, AB - LPC MP George Chahal makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1700 ET: Edmonton  - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and NDP MPs Heather McPherson and Blake Desjarlais visit area neighborhoods.
Issued this day ...
Issued this day in 2021: Scott #3273: Black History Month - Amber Valley AB. Design: Lara Minja of Lime Design Inc.
[Adapted from the Canada Post press release of the day] The Alberta town of Amber Valley was established early in the 20th century  by 30 Black families who had journeyed from the American South to flee the escalating violence and segregation laws. They faced many challenges including bone-chilling winters, inhospitable land and the racial discrimination they had hoped to leave behind.

But the population actively challenged racial discrimination and built schools, churches and other community organizations. Amber Valley would go on to became a vibrant community whose baseball team was famous throughout the province.”

Previous Issues

Load More