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Aug 9 2023

New roots. Doctor shortages. Trump secret.

Aug 9, 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
Conservative Party launches ad blitz featuring Poilievre's: “His wife is really a secret weapon”
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has built his reputation as an outspoken critic of the federal Liberal government and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Now, the party is trying to showcase Poilievre's softer side, looking to capitalize on the Conservatives’ growing lead over the Liberals in the polls. Mackenzie Gray explains how Poilievre's family is a part of this advertising blitz and the key voters being pursued. [Global National]

Residents are flooding out of provinces like Ontario and B.C. in search of greener — more affordable — pastures. That's driving a fundamental shift in Canadian housing markets. [Global]
Committing to a net-zero electricity grid is an easy move for six of the provinces, which are already more than 90 per cent of the way there.
Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz said the federal scheme amounts to more of a threat than an incentive. [Edmonton Journal]
The arrival of commercially available genetics to produce dairy cattle that emit less methane could help reduce one of the biggest sources of the potent greenhouse gas, scientists and cattle industry experts say. [CBC]
From the provinces
Preston switches to blue as Progressive Conservatives’ Twila Grosse wins byelection
The byelection for the Preston riding became necessary after Liberal Angela Simmonds stepped down in April. The governing Progressive Conservatives now have 32 seats. [Global]
Communities aim to recruit 350 physicians as doctor shortage across Northern Ontario is straining the region’s emergency rooms. [Globe and Mail]
Ontario is proposing regulations to protect workers in the province from heat-related illnesses amid a rise in extreme heat events across Canada due to climate change. [Global]
NASA is in the process of mapping air pollution over some of North America's largest cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Toronto. [Global]
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Elsewhere
Poland parliamentary election campaign begins in shadow of Ukraine war
President Andrzej Duda said in a statement posted on X that the elections for the lower house of parliament and for the Senate will both take place in October on the same date. [Global]
The U.K.'s Electoral Commission has been hacked by 'hostile actors' who had access to its system and emails unknowingly for over a year, the agency said Tuesday. [Global]
The House Jan. 6 committee’s investigation did not uncover the memo, whose existence first came to light in last week’s indictment. [NYT]
Tech
GM will enable vehicle-to-home charging on all Ultium-based EVs
GM is one of several automakers that are adopting vehicle-to-home technology, which enables owners to power their home in a pinch using their EV's battery. [Endgadget]
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Media
Canadian news publishers want the Competition Bureau to investigate Meta’s move to block Canadian news content from Facebook and Instagram. [National Post]
Michael Geist: "...this complaint is exceptionally weak as it misstates Bill C-18, implausibly claims that Meta has substantial control over the news industry in Canada, contradicts the government on the choices presented by its legislation, and risks creating a mandated requirement to link that could result in other sectors forcing platforms to display more contentious content." [Michael Geist]
The company formerly known as Twitter introduced new “sensitivity settings” that allow advertisers to choose between different types of content filtering for their ads. [Endgadget]
Threads is not a Twitter killer, at least not yet. Use of the app has dropped by more than half from its peak. But looked at one way, the new platform appears to be giving users what they crave at a moment that X’s M.O. is to take those things away or charge extra for them. [Slate]

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