Some of the coolest #Toronto city election swag is being produced by community activist candidate Jenny Worden in the Beaches East York ward.
Everyone in this town knows these critters well. :)
#topoli #torontoelections
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LeftyLabourTechToronto
@leftylabourtech@mstdn.social
mastodon 4.7.2(Retiree) Toronto-based lefty labour & free/libre software activist. amateur (ham) radio operator. Dyed in the wool socialist.
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Joined November 13, 2022
The Bank of Canada governor defends using scab labour. The fucker.
Scabbing is "supposed" to be illegal now in Canadian federal labour jurisdiction.
#canlab #unions #labour #labor #scabs #strikes #generalstrike #Canada #cdnpoli #workersrightshttps://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/bank-of-canada-governor-defends-replacement-workers-9.7292965
I love this from @pluralistic@mamot.fr !!! In a back handed way, the "Orange Terror" has accidentally become the "best friend" of clean energy around the world.
We're watching #Cuba making one of the world's most rapid transitions to solar power at gunpoint.
In #Canada (where I am), newly elected NDP leader #AviLewis has said that the cheapest way to produce electricity these days is to "point a piece of glass at the sun".
While Wab Kinew's move to ban algorithmic pricing was a good one, this move is an extremely BAD one. It's impossible to implement privacy respecting age verification as @pluralistic@mamot.fr describes here.
#privacy #cdnpoli #Manitoba #mbpoli #surveillance #surveillancecapitaliism
https://doctorow.medium.com/privacy-preserving-age-verification-is-bullshit-0aefd53019e0
Replying to
@danneau @zazzoo @pluralistic But this isn't going after the "titans of tech", this is going after the end user in the name of going after big tech and they have to provide "proof of age" to the titans of tech, on leaky platforms.
Imagine the admin of every Mastodon server instance having to compile age verification info on individuals or else face heavy fines.
Big tech can easily implement this stuff. It's the little folks who can't.
While many governments in Europe are migrating away from US software towards #Linux and various #FLOSS alternatives, back in January, the Government of #Canada renewed their contract with Microsoft for another 7 years at a cost of $940 million.
The idea that #MarkCarney is trying to promote #digitalsovereignty is complete and total bullshit.
#cdnpolihttps://www.canada.ca/en/shared-services/corporate/about-us/transparency/publications/enables-modern-accessible-service.html
So, it would appear that the neo-fascist, US-backed Alberta separatist gang have doxxed every voter in #Alberta.
Under Carney, is Medicare still a Canadian value?
American dark money-backed think tanks are applauding the PM’s hands-off approach to Alberta’s health care privatization
Christopher Holcroft / July 2, 2026
#Canada #Alberta #privatization #healthcare #neoliberalism #austerity #cdnpoli #abpolihttps://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/under-carney-is-medicare-still-a-canadian-value
Replying to
@zazzoo @pluralistic Hell, there's already been a scandal around Discord's handling of age verification.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8jmzd972leo
#FightFord #DougFord #Ontario #onpoli #Etobicoke #EtobicokeNorth #Toronto
April 25th - Etobicoke North (Doug Ford's home constituency office)
Another casualty of the Epstein War.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/spirit-airlines-ceasing-operations-9.7185446
Replying to
@hoco @danneau @zazzoo @pluralistic When you're doing something good, I'm going to say so.
But when you're doing something bad, I'm also going to say so.
Much of the goodwill the Manitoba government got from the ban on surveillance pricing, it's throwing out the window on age verification.
Replying to
@microblogc @danneau @zazzoo @pluralistic Exactly! If I were running a Mastodon server would I be wanting to also collect/save age verification data and making sure that personal data was stored securely on top of everything else for audit purposes?
It would seem that Carney has lost Liberal-oriented columnist Althia Raj
Opinion | Mark Carney has forgotten who helped get him elected
May 2, 2026
By Althia RajNational Columnist
Althia Raj is a national politics columnist for the Star.
An interesting discussion of the issues around various #ageverification laws that are popping up in various places around the world on the "Techlore" podcast with Jithendra Palepu, a legal expert from the #FSFE (Free Software Foundation in Europe).
Lately relevant in #Canada with the province of #Manitoba announcing age verification for social media & AI chatbots.
#mbpoli #cdnpoli #surveillancecapitalism
https://techlore.tech/age-verification-laws-and-free-software-fsfe-interview-techlore-talks/
Replying to
@markgrieveson @pluralistic You should actually read Cory's article. Implementing age verification in a manner that respects privacy is an impossibility.
Ford is a dangerous authoritarian
by Paul Kahnert April 20, 2026
Doug Ford is seeking to hide his actions and from accountability by gutting the Freedom of Information request system.
#Canada #Ontario #onpoli #DougFord
https://rabble.ca/politics/canadian-politics/ford-is-a-dangerous-authoritarian/
#FightFord #DougFord #Ontario #onpoli #Elmira
April 25th - Elmira, Ontario
#FightFord #DougFord #Ontario #onpoli #Guelph
April 25th - Guelph, Ontario
Replying to
@markgrieveson Would you want Bell, Rogers or Telus to decide what content to block and what content not to block?
Replying to
@markgrieveson Again, Kinew's moves against algorithmic pricing I totally support. But this, is horrible. And an indication of that is that the federal Liberals (who recently passed this at their policy convention), are looking to implement this across Canada.
I would say that this move undoes the goodwill there was towards the Kinew government in Manitoba that they gained through the algorithmic pricing ban.
Replying to
@markgrieveson The best way to keep personal information secure is to not collect it in the first place.
Replying to
@markgrieveson @pluralistic That, and I reject the idea that if they've been allowed to cut off your hand, they should be able to cut off your whole arm.
Replying to
@aarparca @pluralistic While this will impact folks in #Manitoba first, stupid ideas like this tend to be picked up by other Canadian provincies. Also, the federal Liberal Party recently passed age verification at their policy convention.
So yes, writing to your MLA as you have done is a good idea. Thanks on behalf of everyone else.
Replying to
@MarcBernard That's at least something I don't have to worry about. My MPP, Peter Tabuns from the NDP goes door to door in the constituency just about 365 days of the year, so I see him at minimum a couple of times a year on my front door step.
Replying to
@MarcBernard Seriously????? LOL!!!
"IT did you turn it off and on again?"
I am always amazed by how many computer/electronics issues are solved by this or some variation of this. :)
Replying to
@markgrieveson You might want to have a listen to this episode of the "Techlore" podcast with a legal expert from the #FSFE (Free Software Foundation in Europe) where they deal with #ageverficiation issues around the world.
https://techlore.tech/age-verification-laws-and-free-software-fsfe-interview-techlore-talks/
Replying to
@dan_ballard@kolektiva.social @votetanille@socialbc.ca
They advertise their integrations with Google and Microsoft software, stuff that we should be moving AWAY from as part of digital sovereignty.
For example the Danish government is migrating to Linux and Libre Office as party of data sovereignty.
These kinds of integrations entrench Google and Microsoft.
For those of you following #DougFord 's efforts to rip out the bicycle lanes in #Toronto, this is an interesting article indeed about #Ontario's RFP for the project.
EXCLUSIVE: Inside the contract to rip out Toronto’s bike lanes
Spacing obtained the RFP for the Ford government's bike lane removal, and it looks even worse than thought
By John Lorinc
#topoli #onpoli #cyclinghttps://spacing.ca/toronto/2026/09/28/exclusive-inside-the-contract-to-rip-out-torontos-bike-lanes/
Replying to
@markgrieveson @pluralistic That, and as an operator it requires you to keep a shit ton of personal information about your end users that you have to somehow keep secure and chances are you won't.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8jmzd972leo
Replying to
@markgrieveson And the right-wing "moral panic" ultimately feeds the big tech oligarchs but in a neo-liberal way.
Ultimately the neo-fascist right-wing and the neo-liberals are both authoritarian and serve the same interests.
Replying to
@markgrieveson What's needed is media literacy and critical education around big tech and AI slop...that not everything you see is real and that there are nefarious actors online.
And the calls for various bans come at a time of neo-liberal austerity in public education systems world-wide.
Replying to
@markgrieveson I think that's an entirely different issue and the change in culture over the years that somehow everything outside is "scary" and another big moral panic.
I used to roam all over the place as a kid without adult supervision and that isn't done anymore.
But I don't think you can change that through legislation. It requires cultural changes, and also program changes so that young folks can afford to do stuff.
Replying to
@markgrieveson Or in the case of big tech operators they'll likely outsource age verification to a third party and when you do that,, this is the kind of thing that can happen.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8jmzd972leo
Replying to
@markgrieveson @pluralistic If you were running a Mastodon server instance on a box in your closet would you like to be responsible for collecting and maintaining the personal data of your server instance users? (I know someone who is literally running a Mastodon instance from their closet).
Replying to
So it would appear that #pierrepoillievre #DougFord and #MarkCarney are joined at the hip on jets at #BillyBishop airport in #Toronto
Replying to
@markgrieveson High school kids are often concerned with things like climate change and have organized "Fridays for Future" rallies. What if big telecom blocked them from promoting their rallies?
In Ontario, high school kids have been rallying against Doug Ford's cuts to OSAP. What if their stuff was blocked?