Ottawa Observations: Thursday-Friday, August 24/25, 2023

Our compilation of some of the stories of note from the day, reviewing the political developments from the Federal scene for  Thursday-Friday, August 24/25, 2023

BC, NWT Wildfires

Trudeau in Okanagan to meet firefighters, as final travel ban lifted for Kelowna area

The awful fires in the Northwest Territories can light the way to a better, healthier future

NWT Premier says she's done 'begging'  for infrastructure help as wildfires rage 

Answering at a moment's notice: How volunteer firefighting works in Canada

After eerily similar fires 20 years apart, frustrated experts say advice for Kelowna is much the same

Convoy protest highlights the different levels of disagreement tin Shuswap wildfire

Evacuees in BC's Shuswap struggle to cope with anxiety, angst over wildfire threat

Hay River, NWT at threat as weather conditions form a 'recipe for extreme fire behaviour' 

'Now I'm angry': NWT premier calls on Ottawa to provide services in the North 

131 structures destroyed but no lives lost in Shuswap wildfire 

Support pours in for firefighters in BC brigade whose own homes burned down

'I watched my home burn': On the front line with firefighters during BC's worst fire week

Conspiracy theories swirl around wildfires amid record season in Canada 

A Fire Tornado? ye, they're real  - and dangerous

A deserted Northern City faces down a 'Monster' Wildfire

Some BC Residents stayed to fight wildfires amid resource shortage, defying evacuation orders

Ukraine/Russia War           

Ukraine launches air attack on Crimea, Moscow with drones, missiles, Russia says 

Kremlin denies role in plane crash believes to have killed Russian mercenary leader Prigozhin 

Prigozhin's apparent death is at once a signal of Putin's power and sign of his lingering weakness

Ukraine seeks Canada's help in selling peace plan to skeptical states, more demining

Trudeau 'disappointed' Ukraine not invited to G20, vows to bring Kyiv's concerns to the table

Kremlin says it didn't order Prigozhin's killing and won't confirm his death

Ukraine seeks Canada's 'diplomatic muscle' in selling peace plan to sceptical states

Globe and Mail

Ontario reverses latest proposal to include Greenbelt land n development project 

Ford 'confident' RCMP will find no criminality in Greenbelt land swap

Doug Ford has yet to do the bare minimum on the Greenbelt development scandal

Expert panel tells Ottawa to move faster on corporate disclosure of climate risks 

The difficult necessity of claiming climate victories

Oil companies need to be pushed on climate

TIFF and Bell clarify end of 28 year sponsorship partnership 

The bear trap of incumbency snaps shut on the Trudeau cabinet in Charlottetown

New Heritage Minister holds 'positive' talks with Meta executives, but won't 'roll back' on Bill C18 

RCMP alerted, Jewish groups alarmed after US White Supremacist league makes inroads in Canada

Canada benefits from a world order that empires built. As the latest one declines, so does our economy

CBC

Trudeau says government should rethink infrastructure funding in wake of wildfires

Canada appoints Natalia Cmoc as new ambassador to Ukraine

Keith Spicer, Canada's first official languages commissioner, has died

Ottawa says industry's challenge of single-use plastics ban will have no 'practical effect'

After thee years, Peter MacKay says he's finally paid off $1.7M in leadership debts

Some Conservative grassroots supporters press Poilievre to take on the gender debate 

The politics of housing now defines both Trudeau and Poilievre 

What a blow! Kleenex pulling out of Canadian consumer market 

Toronto/Vancouver Star

Agreement between province and Ontario's public high school teachers would keep students in class

A developer close to Doug Ford bought this farmland and got special permission to build 'desperately needed homes.' Then he sold a chunk for what appears to be a huge profit

Doug Ford says he's 'not worried' that Greenbelt scandal is hurting his Tories  

The Auto Talks: Inside one of Canada's most powerful union battles in history

Courtesy 101: Dr. Jordan Peterson goes back to class 

A new alliance has emerged that will overtake NATO

How to fix Canada's international student system? These experts have a plan

Bonnie Crombie has raised more money for Liberal leadership race than all her rivals combined

Trudeau minister says online news deal for Meta is within reach - but tech giant remains  doubtful

Ozempic - prescribed for diabetes and popular among celebrities - now shows promise for heart failure, study shows 

UK Police are investigating the deaths of 88 people linked to Canadian self-harm sites

Justin Trudeau  should step down before next election, majority of survey respondents say 

'Cracks beginning to show' Consumer spending plunges in Ontario as Interest rate hikes start to hurt 

Doug Ford hurt by Greenbelt controversy, poll suggests 

Canada confirms it changed land claim process, mulls Indian Act changes 

China wants more Canada flights after COVID-19 turbulence, despite tour group-ban

Canadian ministers vow to accelerate action at global environment conference in BC

Prevent illegal mass data extraction, privacy authorities tell social media firms 

Nagarano-Karabakh: Azerbaijan chides Joly for 'uncacceptable' comments to Armenians

Toronto Sun

Trudeau's climate hypocrisy among many things annoying voters 

Ontario secondary teachers reach tentative deal on process to avert strike 

A serial transit attack and the sad revolving door of justice 

A royal pain in the public purse 

Top Ontario bureaucrat picking sides in injection-site review 

Calls for huge tax hikes at Toronto begins budget planning  

Trudeau's Double Standard: Green rules crushing to Canada's economy, while China pollutes at will

RCMP again falsely claimed politicians under investigation 

Metro battle could redefine Canada's grocery industry

Jordan Peterson in a fighting mood after court ruling 

National Post

Chrystia Freeland, this is no time to start a Formula 1 racing career

Toronto schools' anti-racism trainer demands religious blind faith

Ontario high school teachers can avert strike if they accept binding arbitration deal

'Canada's favourite facial tissues' Kleenex to be pulled from shelves

Federal government confirms it changed First Nation land claim process, is considering changes to Indian Act

Fear mongering over forest fires and climate change isn't rooted in reality

Conservative convention to join culture wars with debates on trans issues, vaccines and diversity training

Quebec nationalists have common enemies with Canadian Conservatives  - but few common values

Time for Ford to act on Ontario's reliance on international students for post-secondary funding

Jordan Peterson against the tyranny of the administrative state 

Ontario to Jordan Peterson - you have the right to remain tweetless 

Supervised injection sites fuel crime unless accompanied by massive police presence 

No time for partisanship': Parties have moved away from combative tone on foreign interference talks, observers say

Melanie Joly accused of undermining peace, supporting Azerbaijan separatists with 'unacceptable' comments

Global          

Trudeau says clime change will make insurance 'more difficult' to get

Higher prices are driving some resort community residents to leave: "There is sadness"

Kleen-Exit: Iconic tissue brand to be wiped from Canadian shelves

Large number of COVID-19 reinfections in Northern Hemisphere 'concerning': WHO

Police lay attempted murder charge in connection to University of Waterloo stabbing 

'Previously unidentified' landfill woes boost Trans Mountain pipeline costs 

British Lord to give keynote at Conservative convention as Poilievre pushes 'common people' message 

First Nations say they're 'shutting down' public access to Joffre Lakes to harvest 

BC in talks with First Nations amid confusion over closure of Joffre Lakes park

Eritrean community tension boiling over in Canada. What's behind it?

'Appalling'  BC Mayor unimpressed with Ottawa amid foreign meddling claim 

As tone on foreign interference inquiry turns positive, could it happen soon?

Is Housing Accelerator Fund enough as calls grow for 'wartime' push

Miscellaneous            

In Northwest BC, the case of the Missing Nuke  

The Hotel Union making noise

In Climate Crisis, We need to de-grow higher ed

Renewable Energy Pause could cost $33 Billion in investment, says Pembina Institute 

How Rainways Could restore 'Raincouver'

Squabbling over the last Fish