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Jun 5 2023

Wildfire battles. Ship video. Bible banned.

Jun 5, 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
Canada's slowing home building is bad news for buyers and Trudeau
Canada's residential construction activity has slowed in recent months due to a tight labor market and higher borrowing costs, a factor that could thwart government plans to reduce a housing shortfall and add to the recovery in home prices. [Reuters]
The NDP leader said he was disappointed David Johnston would not step down as special rapporteur, but said they were using the tools they had to push for a change. [Global]
 La lutte contre les changements climatiques doit être au cœur des débats parlementaire à Ottawa, estime le député indépendant et ancien lieutenant politique du Parti conservateur au Québec, Alain Rayes. [La Presse]
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to provide an update on the wildfires that have forced thousands of people from their homes in several provinces. [Global]
From the provinces
Wildfires in western Quebec prompt thousands more evacuees to relocate
Wildfires in western Quebec have prompted thousands to evacuate the area as the Canadian Armed Forces gear up to help fight the 141 ongoing forest fires in the province. [Global]
The province announced on Sunday that the fire in Tantallon, which destroyed about 200 buildings and caused thousands to evacuate, is now under control. [Global]
The newly re-elected Alberta premier dismissed concerns over her party's lost seats and smaller vote share, arguing the results are a sign of broad support across the province. [Global]

Members of the New Brunswick legislature return to the chamber this week for a final two weeks of pre-summer business that will include a vote on raising their own salaries. [CBC]
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Elsewhere
US releases video showing close-call in Taiwan Strait with Chinese destroyer
The United States military has released video of what it called an “unsafe” Chinese maneuver in the Taiwan Strait on the weekend, in which a Chinese navy ship cut sharply across the path of an American destroyer, forcing the U.S. vessel to slow to avoid a collision. The incident occurred Saturday as the American destroyer USS Chung-Hoon and Canadian frigate HMCS Montreal were conducting a so-called “freedom of navigation” transit of the strait between Taiwan and mainland China.  [AP]
Retired vice-admiral Mark Norman told Global News the Chinese captain 'knew exactly what he was doing' in nearly hitting a U.S. warship in the Taiwan Strait. [Global]
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says representatives from Turkey and Sweden will meet in just over a week to try to bridge their differences about the Nordic country joining the military alliance. Stoltenberg made no breakthrough on the membership impasse during meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other senior Turkish officials over the weekend.  [AP]
Goods producers increase their capital expenditure and employment in response to a cut in marginal corporate income tax rates or an increase in investment tax credits. In contrast, companies in the service sector mostly use any tax windfall to increase dividend payouts. [National Bureau of Economic Research]
Davis School District’s book review committee made the determination, though it’s already being appealed by another parent. [Salt Lake City Tribune]
Media

The transition will happen in September, a major change at one of broadcast television oldest institutions. [WaPo]

"We will continue to maintain a presence on the platform," the ice cream maker says. [The Wrap]
Tech
Sabrine Ortiz: There are so many different AI tools that can increase your everyday productivity. Here are the ones I use. [ZDNet]
Stephen Wolfram explores the broader picture of what's going on inside ChatGPT and why it produces meaningful text. Discusses models, training neural nets, embeddings, tokens, transformers, language syntax. [Wolfram Writings]
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Issued this day ...
... in 1957: Sc # 370: David Thompson. Design: George Arthur Gunderson
Issued on the 100th anniversary of the death of the explorer and cartographer David Thompson (1770-1857).

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