Dave Sanderson 🇨🇦🍁

“The same slogans, the same outrage and the same certainty that everything is getting worse.” #canpoli #cdapoli #PierrePoilevre #NeverVoteConservativehttps://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2026/09/18/desperate-poilievre-wants-canadians-to-believe-the-sky-is-falling-when-its-just-cloudy-outside

@randahl@mastodon.social Season 5 of Reacher is in production (in Canada, land of the freer) so it appears Ritchson is not dropping out of the stories. Whether that series involving the white supremacists is ever produced is probably up in the air, at least until 2029. https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2026/09/17/an-update-on-the-reacher-season-5-release-date-after-the-finale/

@david_chisnall@infosec.exchange Hopefully the reserves will last… https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/canadian-maple-syrup-exports-rising-9.7338834

@McWabbit@tenforward.social @randahl@mastodon.social That sentiment was bluntly stated at the Halifax International Security Forum last December: 'We will never fucking trust you again' https://www.readtheline.ca/p/matt-gurney-we-will-never-fucking

RE: https://flipboard.com/@cbcnews/ottawa-dpigmqdrz/-/a-0-NdRd3UQ4KJPWEwBqbnRA%3Aa%3A107108217-%2F0 Grey Power in action! #canpoli #cdapoli #ClimateChange

“Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives Jack Bergman, John James, Lisa McClain and John Moolenaar penned a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, and reportedly sent it on Wednesday ‘demanding immediate action from the Canadian government,’ a press release said. ‘American lungs are paying the price for Canadian inaction, year after year,’ the letter said. ‘Sovereignty comes with responsibility, and the responsibility to prevent a foreseeable disaster from crossing into another country’s airspace has not been met.’” https://globalnews.ca/news/11968608/wildfires-united-states-canada/ Perhaps the United States could stop sending its world leading CO₂ emissions into other countries’ airspace as a show of good faith and reciprocity. #uspoli #CarbonEmissions #ClimateChange

RE: https://mstdn.ca/@thetyee/116977537582139180 “‘Remember,’ Doctorow warns, ‘seven giant AI companies account for 35 per cent of the U.S. stock market. Amputating 35 per cent of the market is going to destroy a ton of innocent bystanders, including people whose retirement savings are invested in index funds considered the safest of all safe bets. We’re talking about a crash that will put 2008 in the shade and meet or exceed the pandemic sell-off.’”

@sbourne@mastodon.social As report by CTV News: “A spokesperson for the railway wrote back to confirm ‘that the crew was safely evacuated from the area,’ but offered no other details.” @Chigaze@cosocial.ca @Phosphenes@mastodon.social @flyhigh@universeodon.com @dbattistella@mstdn.cahttps://www.ctvnews.ca/northern-ontario/article/were-encased-in-flames-rail-worker-captures-harrowing-video-as-wildfire-closes-in-on-cn-train/

@chad@mstdn.ca “Today’s weather forecast is brought to you by Tim Hortons.” Titleist’s contract has run out.

@Chigaze@cosocial.ca At least (some of) the media is reporting it. The Teamsters had it on their website yesterday. @Greg@socialbc.ca @sbourne@mastodon.social @Phosphenes@mastodon.social @flyhigh@universeodon.com @dbattistella@mstdn.cahttps://teamsters.ca/blog/2026/07/15/teamsters-commend-crew-after-cn-train-catches-fire-in-northern-ontario-wildfire-zone/

Admittedly there are times AI has its uses…

@Chigaze@cosocial.ca @Greg@socialbc.ca Also consider the speed of the fire spreading in a remote area was probably a condition no one expected, until the trains were in the midst of it. As for the no phones rule, I found the policy for Via Rail in Canada (that CN Rail likely has as well) that would apply here where the use of a ‘communications device’ is permitted: “At any time to transmit an emergency situation or to advise others of an unsafe condition;” https://www.viarail.ca/sites/all/files/media/pdfs/About_VIA/Program%20for%20the%20Safe%20Usage%20of%20Electronic%20Devices.pdf @sbourne@mastodon.social @Phosphenes@mastodon.social @flyhigh@universeodon.com @dbattistella@mstdn.ca

In an opinion piece in The Star the author bemoans the fact that “Carney won’t release the text of his arrangement with Trump and Canadian officials are refusing to brief the media.” Further down in their opinion they note that “Trump is now calling the bridge deal ‘great, and fair’…” Given the way Trump trumpets everything he does as immensely great (he’s ended ten wars after all) it’s very likely the deal he negotiated has limited value for the US with a stipulation that the Canadians keep quiet about it. “It now looks as if Carney’s strategy with the mob boss in the White House is to wait until Trump gets whacked, whether that’s in this year’s midterm elections, or at some later time.” True, but Carney may not want to accused of accelerating the whacking. #uspoli #canpoli https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/on-this-bridge-its-clear-that-mark-carney-is-no-gordie-howe/article_9bf02bcf-54fd-4cd8-b6cb-932edd8d5c75.html https://archive.ph/a08q0

“Meta Platforms (META.O), reported a precipitous 91% drop in free cash flow ​on Wednesday, underscoring the financial strain of the social media giant's ‌costly AI buildout despite an uncertain payoff.” So much for the $13 billion data centre in Alberta?? #Meta #AIDataCenter #Alberta https://www.reuters.com/business/meta-narrows-annual-capex-forecast-ai-buildout-grows-2026-07-29/

@ZenHeathen@beige.party A significant cause of the overcrowding is due to people being held on remand because the courts are so backed up due to a shortage of judges and prosecutors. The money for new jails would be better spent fixing that. Meanwhile Ford wants bail conditions tightened up which would only make it worse so his solution is more jails.

@DemocracyMattersALot@mstdn.social “One of America’s largest produce suppliers visited the White House days before the administration walked back a warning suggesting the company’s lettuce could be linked to an outbreak of explosive diarrhea.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/taylor-farms-visited-white-house-before-getting-outbreak-reprieve/

@chris@mstdn.chrisalemany.ca Spain (among many other European countries) attended. How do some of your family and friends there feel about the impact on their democracy by attending? https://time.com/article/2026/07/16/far-left-terrorism-conference-us-rubio/

@Greg@socialbc.ca According to the Rogers Mobility coverage map there is nothing around Armstrong near where the fire is said to have accorded. Bell Mobility has some coverage in and around Armstrong. @Chigaze@cosocial.ca @sbourne@mastodon.social @Phosphenes@mastodon.social @flyhigh@universeodon.com @dbattistella@mstdn.ca

@Chigaze@cosocial.ca Case in point, from Politico regarding the trade talks: “‘I’ve given lots of proposals to the Canadians on things that could be done immediately to put us in a better position,’ [U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer] said before suggesting any breakthrough in talks hinges on Carney and President Donald Trump first coming to an ‘understanding.’ Carney said the same last month, telling reporters that any turning point in trade talks will be the result of high-level discussions directly with Trump.” It’s clear the final decisions on anything lie with Trump so as long as he thinks he’s winning, which require plenty of give and take on Carney’s part. It does mean complete capitulation from “elbows up” especially when Trump’s losses need to be kept quiet, or else. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/16/canada-usmca-trade-talks-01000507?cid=apn

@chris@mstdn.chrisalemany.ca I got those briefly in Safari (it’s the browser my Mastodon app uses), so I opened the pages in Brave. Then I stopped getting those in Safari a couple days later. 🤷🏻‍♂️ If you have a VPN try opening them in the UK. That’s how I watch the iPlayer.

RE: https://flipboard.com/@natobserver/canada-s-national-observer-3fli7fiuz/-/a-jKfrVpLKTzS207N00C2KEA%3Aa%3A2723035079-%2F0 “Doug Ford’s ‘Northern Shield’ pipeline isn’t going to happen. Even so, his decision to propose it speaks to a mindset, and a worldview, that still hasn’t reckoned with the economic realities bearing down on his province and its people. Ontario can, and should, take energy security seriously, and it should be thinking about how that interacts with the economic interests of its manufacturing sector — especially what those look like 50 years down the road. It would help if its premier actually focused on the road in front of him for a change.” #onpoli #DougFord

@Phosphenes@mastodon.social They’re on a siding waiting for the train coming from the opposite direction to pass so they can move again to get out of the flames. Not all rail lines are double tracked. @flyhigh@universeodon.com @dbattistella@mstdn.ca

@chad@mstdn.ca Any of my TekSavvy issues were invariably due to outages on the carrier (Rogers) they used for backhaul to their nearest POP. @teksavvy@mstdn.ca @andykm@mstdn.ca

Has Pete Hegseth thought this through? “Pete Hegseth sends heads rolling after noticing his no-beard policy is going unenforced” — Raw Story July 10 “Hegseth Plans to Screen All Troops, Including Women, for Low Testosterone” — New York Times July 15 He wants them clean shaven while limiting their readiness by having them shaving all the time (including women apparently). #uspoli #PeteHegseth

@samloonie@mstdn.ca Good. They’ll learn that words are easy but actions are frequently difficult.

@coloradosun@mstdn.social It’s around 50% in Canada: “Analysis from 1995 to 2024 shows that human activity accounts for just under half (49%) of all fire ignitions, whereas natural causes account for 47%, with the remaining 4% attributed to unspecified causes (Table 1). However, natural-caused fires are responsible for a large share of area burned (89%; Table 2).” https://natural-resources.canada.ca/sites/admin/files/documents/2026-06/Comp-item-3-Fire-prevention-EN-accessible.pdf

@chris@mstdn.chrisalemany.ca Until our economy is less dependent on trade with the US, like Spain.

“The criticism from Trump and his ambassador comes despite the administration’s own moves to scale back U.S. climate action, even as scientists continue to link climate warming to more frequent and intense wildfire conditions.” Go figure. #uspoli #DonaldTrump #ClimateChangehttps://globalnews.ca/news/11970645/hoekstra-trump-tariffs-wildfire-smoke/

“Over the first five months of 2026 [in the United States], utility-scale solar output rose 21.6 percent from a year earlier, while coal generation dropped 10.9 percent. The agency projects that solar, wind, and battery storage will add about 83 gigawatts of new capacity by May 2027. Fossil and nuclear capacity are set to slip by nearly 4.7 gigawatts over the same period.” Nuclear power may be cleaner than fossil fuels but it takes years to implement and the costs are exorbitant, not to mention what to do with the radioactive waste. Wind and solar should be the focus now. “[Google and Meta] moved for the same reason. Solar is now the cheapest and fastest new power they can buy, and they need staggering amounts of it for their datacenters. That appetite is the driver of the curve.” #FossilFuels #RenewableEnergy https://www.inc.com/soren-kaplan/the-biggest-solar-story-isnt-that-it-passed-coal-and-wind-its-what-happens-next/91386698

@randahl@mastodon.social Mark Carney agreed to stay in the UK for an extra year during the initial Brexit negotiations, then seven more months to help in the transition from the EU, plus two more months for the handover to his successor. He did what he could there in the time he had.

“Oh, god, am I ever going to get mail for this one.” No shit… https://www.davidmoscrop.com/p/the-case-for-stornoway-in-defence

@chris@mstdn.chrisalemany.ca At least the liberal attendees are in a position to report on their stand during the conference and fact check any statements that come out.

@randahl@mastodon.social I was born and raised in Manitoba. There we just called it flour…. 😉

@chris@mstdn.chrisalemany.ca In a perfect world we could quite rightly say to an American administration that left wing terrorism is not a problem that needs to be resolved whereas right wing terrorism is so we politely refuse to attend your gathering until you convene one that is directed to dealing with the right wing issue. However this is not a perfect world and to try and politely decline an invitation from Rubio at this time is fraught with negative implications beyond delaying the opening of a bridge. You and I both know this is stupid but we’ve been dealing with stupid since Trump was re-elected. That’s all I’m saying.

RE: https://flipboard.com/@ctvnews/toronto-eeqmkds1z/-/a-vM9_6x0qQZSjVZEu8kjDzg%3Aa%3A2823982346-%2F0 Doug Ford: “We need more jails to protect Ontario.” #onpoli #DougFord #NeverVoteConservative

@emd@cosocial.ca I expect it would be more acceptable at this time if there was a different opposition leader living there, ie a Jack Layton type.

“Like Donald Trump, Mr. Poilievre appears to own a mirror that tells him every day he is the fairest leader of them all. It is inevitable, however, that one day he will have to come face-to-face with an unpleasant reality: He’s not the person who should be leading the federal Conservatives.” #PierrePoilievre #NeverVoteConservativehttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-help-wanted-the-federal-conservatives-are-in-need-of-an-adult/ https://archive.ph/izysq

“But the John Howard Society captured the real dynamic: ‘Crime is down in Canada, but you'd never know it.’ A recent survey found GTA residents were convinced crime is rising even as every major police service in the region reports declines. Media saturation creates fear and the constant coverage induces what researchers call vicarious trauma. That's when perception becomes reality. That's precisely what these [Ontario taxpayer funded] ads amplify.” #onpoli #DougFord #NeverVoteConservativehttps://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/doug-ford-stars-in-season-2-of-the-protector/article_f0f0e18b-7bce-4aef-b118-2cec9fe555fa.html https://archive.ph/Ue1f3

@GGMcBG@mstdn.plus With only one ball?? @fsinn@mas.to

“Let’s be clear about what Smith, Carney and the oilsands companies really are saying with their latest MOU. They are embracing a dubious, dangerous technology because it helps them pretend they are tackling the climate crisis that poses an existential threat to coming generations. Isn’t it time to call their bluff?” #canpoli #cdapoli #FossilFuels #ClimateChangehttps://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2026/07/27/Calling-Carney-Carbon-Capture-Bluff/

@0xabad1dea@infosec.exchange This quote from the Dutch Review website is particularly appropriate: “The woman apparently told the BOAs that she found the python at her Amsterdam hotel…” A BOA is a Buitengewoon Opsporingsambtenaar or Special Investigations Officer. @at5RSSbot@mastodon.nlhttps://dutchreview.com/news/schiphol-catches-woman-with-python-hidden-in-bra/

RE: https://flipboard.com/@ctvnews/world-ga9dq8i9z/-/a-4tTTNsfFTheG-Jis_ehjgA%3Aa%3A2823982346-%2F0 It’s sad that Environmental Ministers (Catherine McKenna, Steven Guilbeault and now Monique Barbut in France) need to quit in order to feel they can achieve more for the environment outside of government. “However, Macron did not accept her resignation, and Barbut will stay in her post due to the ‘urgency to address the consequences of climate change,’ her team said in comments carried by the AFP news agency.” Sure.

RE: https://flipboard.com/@ctvnews/toronto-eeqmkds1z/-/a-t4Taby0KSQCqKlElgX5f1g%3Aa%3A2823982346-%2F0 “‘Well, as my colleagues know, unacceptable. Believe it or not, totally unacceptable,’ Ford said Thursday in Windsor, Ont.” Clearly Doug knew it was unacceptable as well yet let it persist until, like so many other occasions, the unacceptable activity was reported. Shades of some Conservatives in the UK using their MP benefits to build a duck house on an island in a pond on their property or a moat around their substantial house in the country. #onpoli #DougFord #NeverVoteConservative

@chris@mstdn.chrisalemany.ca I have no idea what he thinks, but he certainly isn’t such a thug that he’d resort to spouting the same vitriol as “communications director” Cosmin Dzsurdzsa.

Of course he is… #DonaldTrump #DementiaDonhttps://www.ctvnews.ca/world/trumps-tariffs/article/trump-threatens-to-raise-tariffs-over-canadian-wildfire-smoke/

@aaron.rupar Always projecting…

@Rickd6@mstdn.ca With the exception of some exteriors that include US landmarks or ocean scenes, I believe the bulk of it is filmed in and around the GTHA (Greater Toronto Hamilton Area. @randahl@mastodon.social

@pinhman@humanwords.party Nah. This current government would just continue to pump out oil “for the economy”. Besides, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the effects of oil and gas production in the US. However, there’s smoke from wildfires in northern Minnesota affecting the eastern US as well so the Republicans could use that to demonstrate just exactly how containing wildfire smoke is done.

@chris@mstdn.chrisalemany.ca “Stephanie Carvin, a professor at Carleton University and a former national security analyst for the federal government, said Canada’s attendance can be valuable to understand the U.S. perspective, and does not mean the Carney government or our national security agencies agree with the Trump administration. But it does pose a risk of legitimizing their rhetoric, Carvin added.” Damned if they do. Damned if they don’t. The optics are bad to any clear thinking person, of which there’s a complete lack in the Trump administration who can make life even more miserable for us. https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/canada-attends-trump-summit-targeting-left-wing-extremism/article_206567ca-63e4-45cf-8355-9616dd443713.html