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Apr 26 2024

Historic billions. Trustee trouble. Nuclear Belarus: The Roundup

Apr 26, 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.
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Canada
Japanese automaker Honda has announced a $15-billion plan to build four new electric vehicle manufacturing plants in Ontario. Mike Drolet reports on the federal government's efforts to re-energize Canada's auto sector, and the reasons why Honda chose Ontario. [Global National]

American troops will be spending more time training in the Far North, the new commander of Norad says, a strategy that fits "hand-in-glove" with Canada's renewed focus on Arctic defence. [CP]
A recent spring food drive in Barrie, Ont. fell $100,000 short on their financial goal. It's part of a growing trend across Canada. [Global]
Conservative member of Parliament Colin Carrie, who represents Oshawa, Ont., says he will not run in the next election. Akin's riding note: Carrie, who just turned 62,  has won this riding in every general election since 2004. That's a run of six straight. Some guy named Ed Broadbent used to be Oshawa's MP and he won in seven general elections. When Broadbent passed the torch, the Liberals ended up taking Oshawa during the Chrétien years. But as Carrie hands it over, it seems the CPC are in the driver's seat. Latest model, with new polling data, has the CPC winning by 22 points right now.   Carrie won by 11 points in 2021 over the 2nd place New Democrats.  [CP]
Church, who has been campaigning for the nomination since the fall, is facing Emma Richardson, a bureaucrat with Global Affairs Canada. Sources close to the party told iPolitics that Richardson isn’t well-known in Liberal circles and faces a monumental challenge in trying to beat Church. [iPolitics] 
From the Provinces

A controversial presentation by a school trustee in western Manitoba has members of nearby communities in disbelief. [Global]
The first debate in the Alberta NDP leadership race was mostly a civil affair Thursday but it wasn't all smooth sailing for former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi. [CP]
The bill would give the province the right to fire councillors, overturn bylaws, postpone elections and allow political parties to run on municipal ballots in Edmonton and Calgary. [Global]
The black and white checkered scarf, typically worn in Arab cultures and often used to symbolize solidarity with Palestinians, was banned by the Speaker as a 'political' symbol. [Global]
In West Kelowna, even-addressed properties can only irrigate on Saturdays and Tuesdays, while odd-addressed properties can only irrigate on Sundays and Wednesdays.
Elsewhere
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that “several dozen” Russian tactical nuclear weapons have been deployed in Belarus. This is a video of Lukashenko's speech to the  Belarusian People's Congress. Spooky and scare. More details on his speech from Reuters here. [Global]
The rail could connect Los Angeles and Las Vegas by the end of the decade. [Popular Science]

Oil consumption in China’s transport sector will peak next year ‘at the latest’ as rapid adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) pulls the plug on petrol consumption, according to [China]’s largest oil and gas producer. [South China Morning Post]
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Media
Meta’s Threads app now has more than 150 million monthly users, an increase of about 20 million new users since February. [Endgadget]
The Associated Press presents original research on the state of generative AI usage and views in a survey conducted with journalists around the world. [AP]
Elle Griffin: Everything we learned about the publishing industry from Penguin vs. DOJ. [The Elysian]
Science and Tech
Learn how to use keyboard shortcuts in Word to add accent marks, special characters, symbols, and more. I work mostly on a Mac but finally looked up how to insert French characters in Word or Outlook when I'm working on a Windows machine.  [Microsoft]
The Calendar
  • 1000 ET: Thorold, ON - LPC MP Vance Badawey makes an infrastructure announcement.
  • 1020 ET: Bromont, QC - PM Trudeau , Innovation, Science and Industry Min Francois-Philippe Champagne, and Revenue Min Marie-Claude Bibeau speak about Canada's automotive supply chain.
  • 1030 ET: Winnipeg - Employment Min Randy Boissonnault speaks about Budget 2024.
  • 1045 ET: Toronto - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and NDP MP Leah Gazan speak about pharmacare.
  • 1200 ET: Toronto - LPC MP Julie Dzerowicz speaks about Budget 2024.
  • 1200 ET: Mississauga, ON - Deputy PM and Fin Min Chrystia Freeland speaks about Budget 2024.
  • 1230 ET: Toronto - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks at the Day of Mourning ceremony.
  • 1245 ET: St John's - Labour Min Seamus O'Regan and LPC MP Joanne Thompson speak about Budget 2024.
  • 1300 ET: Regina - Foreign Affairs Min Melanie Joly speaks about Budget 2024.
  • 1330 ET: Coquitlam, BC - Energy and Natural Resources Min Jonathan Wilkinson and Small Business Min Rechie Valdez speak about Budget 2024. 
  • 1330 ET: Toronto - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh attends the annual OPSEU convention.
Issued this day ...
… in 1978: Scott #764aii - se-tenant pair. Captain James Cook. Design: William Rueter and John Webber.
Issued to mark the bicentenary of the anchorage of Captain James Cook (1728-1779) at Anchorage, Alaska.

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