Voting in Toronto: Chrystia Freeland vs Jennifer Hollet

#cdnpoli #elxn42 Advance voting for the October 19, 2015 Federal election is starting today, continuing throughout the Thanksgiving long weekend, and with that in mind, we'll be taking a brief look at our candidates and the issues of this election.

Working for Elections Canada

When I voted, I had good things to say about the people working at the polling station, as I was not sure whether they were volunteers or they were getting paid. It turns out that they were generally getting paid and that they were unnecessarily strict with my ID.

Food and Booze Online in Toronto

I recently tried to help a sick friend with some grocery purchases. She is renting and has some weird arrangements with her landlord and, long story short, I ended up knocking and messaging her for almost 1h before finally being able to get in. I want to help my friend, but I'd rather not repeat this experience, so I decided to investigate on her behalf the ways one can order food in Toronto, both groceries and cooked food.

Stockwell Day redefines reality

In our first ever roundup of Canadian political news, aptly titled "free lunch coffee", we're looking at the news du jour. We don't like what we find, but maybe you will.

posting photos and videos without permission

A while back, I was contacted by a friend of mine from another country asking for my help regarding a former (or existing? can’t remember) colleague who had created a page on Facebook titled “the incompetent ~”, where ~ was her real name, and also using her photo. She had filed a request with Facebook to have it removed, but Facebook refused, citing free speech rights that did not exist in that country’s legislation. More recently, here in Canada, a friend of mine told me a story of similar blackmail and I decided to take a more serious look at what can you post and cannot post.

MEC elections 2014

I purchased my first piece of specialized equipment from MEC many years ago, before going backpacking in Europe. It was a backpack I could not find anywhere else, a backpack I still have and find useful. And ever since, I voted in their elections. This year I thought it would not hurt to write about this particular experience.

Jared Lee Loughner and Gun Crime

A subject often debated by libertarians is gun ownership and gun control. Though I suspect most libertarians would, like me, prefer as few restrictions on gun ownership as possible, I suspect that left libertarians might actually prefer outlawing guns altogether, which would mean that Second Amendment issues are not necessarily a Libertarian universal cause.

The Pauperization Of Toronto Food Delivery Scene

With news of Favor Delivery closing and Uber Toronto slashing the fees it pays its drivers, is there any future left for courier work or pleasant, cheap deliveries?

Rabbits and Black-Footed Ferrets

We discussed in a recent article the proposed rabbit cull at the University of Victoria, BC. Recently, the provincial Supreme Court granted an injunction preventing it. In unrelated news, an insanely cute and crazy threatened species, the black-footed ferrets, show signs of having gained a foothold in a national park.

Marching toward a Police State

Some recent disturbing news seem to indicate that although Canada is nowhere near being the Orwellian society UK has become, privacy is increasingly losing ground.

Toronto Abortion and Sexual Health Information

I was recently asked to help a friend with choosing whether to keep a foetus or to have an abortion. As a former sex and relationship counsellor, I am appalled at how bad and out-dated the advice she got was.

The Debt Ceiling Debacle and the World Economy

The recent debt ceiling Kabuki theater and subsequent poor critical reception from S&P is a good case study and launchpad into an analysis of the political theater. Using RTBM, we will first look at the economic issues and then at the composition of the ruling class.

Canada’s March To Corporatist Fascism I - Fintrac

I have been planning a series on Canadian fascism for a long time, and now events have far surpassed me.

Electric Toothbrush via Flex Delivery

I purchased my first electric toothbrush a few years back, from Costco. It worked great and I even traveled with it. However, a few months back, while traveling, my charger was stolen, so I found myself forced to look for a new one.

France enforces burqa ban

In yet another sign that Europeans are increasingly afraid of “the Muslim threat”, France has started to enforce its ban on the burqa (niqab). It is the only European country to do so but it may soon be followed by other countries.

Ontario Provincial Elections 2018 (June 7)

On June 6, Ontario elected a new premier and made the governing party unofficial. More importantly for me, it was the first election with “electronic polling”, in an act pioneered by the municipal government and soon to be followed by the feds.

Toronto and Niagara Falls deals for two

Some of my friends are coming to visit Toronto and they might want to know what is the cost of a hotel room for two. I was happy to oblige and look at such deals for anyone who might be interested.

Ontario premier resigns and the Legislature is prorogued

The timing of this news is rather strange, though as the Liberals have justified it, there's never a right time (“prorogued” means “suspended / freeze”).

I once was a “Savage Man God” I

I was recently contacted by a former housemate who will be in Toronto temporarily. We were housemates in the Lowther co-op housing division, in Toronto downtown, somewhere close to Bloor, between Spadina and Bay St.

Oslo bombed

I am quite upset to learn about this terrorist attack in Oslo, particularly since years ago I traveled through that country. Though at least 7 people died and more were harmed, it’s a small relief that the Prime Minister, who was seemingly the target of these attacks, was not hurt.