Canada
How do you solve a problem like Canada Post? Even Ottawa isn’t sure
'Something's got to happen and it's got to happen quick,' one expert warned as the clock ticks amid continued steep financial losses for Canada Post.
Visitors can no longer apply for work permits while in Canada
The federal government ended the COVID-19-era policy that was introduced to help visitors who couldn’t leave the country due to pandemic-related travel restrictions.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wraps up Sault Ste. Marie visit by meeting workers at Algoma Steel
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrapped up a visit to the northern Ontario city of Sault Ste. Marie on Friday with a stop at one of the city's biggest employers, Algoma Steel.
A campaigning Justin Trudeau stopped to speak with Jewish community leaders in Winnipeg
The meeting, which was organized by Winnipeg South Centre MP Ben Carr, was attended by a dozen others. “It was a chance for leaders and grassroots members to express how they are feeling, while also providing meaningful ways in which bridges can be built together to address the rise in antisemitism,” [Liberal MP and host Ben ] Carr said.
Le bloquiste Jean-Denis Garon ne se représentera pas aux prochaines élections
«J’ai dû y réfléchir pendant des mois et ça a été une décision très difficile», explique M. Garon, qui a franchi le cap de la quarantaine l’année dernière. «Aujourd’hui, mon épouse et moi souhaitons entamer de nouveaux projets familiaux auxquels j’ai décidé de donner priorité.»
![](https://dxj7eshgz03ln.cloudfront.net/production/link/image/980302/twenty_by_nine_extra_large_36ebd9eb-e5e2-48d5-914e-1991e7a9b8f3.jpeg "Halifax MP Fillmore officially resigns federal seat \")
Halifax MP Fillmore officially resigns federal seat \
Andy Fillmore will officially begin his campaign for mayor of HRM next week following his resignation as member of Parliament for Halifax effective Saturday.
Federal Court to review public service’s return to office mandate
The mandate, which is set to begin on Sept. 9, was made by the federal government in May to the ire of the union tasked with representing the workers.
The Provinces
Election 2024: BC NDP, Conservatives in statistical tie as United’s withdrawal leaves one-in-ten undecided -
The aftershocks of B.C. United’s departure from the election are still being felt – many candidates in both the United and BC Conservative camps face uncertain electoral futures – and many British Columbians are still evaluating the options left on the table. Among the general population, one-in-ten (11%) say they are currently undecided with no lean to any particular party. This includes one-in-six (16%) women older than 54, one of the more reliable groups of ballot casters in Canadian elections.
NDP 44%, Conservatives 43%, Greens 11%: Pallas BC poll
“The first look at the British Columbia political landscape since Kevin Falcon’s decision to join forces with the BC Conservatives did not have the intended effect of giving the Conservatives a bigger lead over the NDP, at least not immediately,” said Dr. Joseph Angolano, founder and CEO of Pallas Data.
How Pierre Poilievre is reshaping B.C. politics
Shachi Kurl: The collapse in recent days of what was, for nearly 20 years, B.C.’s natural governing party, is a political earthquake of such magnitude, it has not only levelled the ground in the upcoming provincial election campaign but also realigned the west coast political scene into something much more familiar to people outside the province. And depending on how you feel about it all, one may thank — or curse — Pierre Poilievre.
Antoine Tardif renonce à la direction du PLQ
« Je vous avoue y avoir réfléchi, car j’aime mon Québec, et je suis convaincu que nous pouvons faire mieux. Je crois aussi qu’un PLQ capable de rassembler nos régions, notre capitale nationale et notre métropole retrouverait sa pertinence sur l’échiquier politique. Mais force est de constater que le moment n’est pas opportun pour moi », a écrit le politicien de 34 ans dans une publication sur Facebook vendredi.
Elsewhere
Ukrainian air force commander fired after fatal F-16 crash
"We need to protect people. Protect personnel. Take care of all our soldiers," Zelenskyy said in an address minutes after the order was published. He said Ukraine needs to strengthen its army on the command level.
“Canada is a Big Deal Here”: The eFP Battle Group and Host Nation Public Opinion
Andris Banka and Margit Bussmann: In 2023, upwards of 800 Canadian troops were stationed in Latvia. Using original survey data, we measure local citizens' attitudes towards the Canadian-led battlegroup. Our results speak to the fact that Canadian and other foreign armed forces' presence in Latvia is generally accepted by the wider society. Despite Moscow's active attempts to cultivate anti-NATO sentiments, the Latvian public welcomes the stationing of Canadian troops on the country's soil.
A U.S. port strike looms, and it would be ‘devastating’ for supply chains
Roughly 45,000 dockworkers at three dozen seaports from Texas to Maine have threatened to walk off the job on Oct. 1 if they don't reach a new contract agreement.
How Donald Trump’s campaign is using AI-generated memes
Donald Trump has repeatedly shared AI-generated content on social media in the latest example of how artificial intelligence is showing up in the 2024 election.
Media
More American than the Americans
Ken Whyte: The real problem is that our obsession with US news appears to be coming at the expense of Canadian news. Canadians not only watching a lot of US cable, but US conventional TV, too. They spend a lot of time on US-based social media platforms that distribute mostly US news, and they read a lot of American newspapers, magazines, and books. This week, like most weeks, you’ll find several American political titles among the top fifty bestsellers on Amazon.ca, and no Canadian entries.
Hong Kong court convicts former Stand News editors of sedition
The two editors, Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, could be jailed for up to two years when they are sentenced on Sept. 26. Their conviction is the first for sedition against any journalist or editor since Hong Kong's handover from Britain to China in 1997.
Reader Notes
You can help keep this newsletter going with a monthly pledge -- Just $5 would do it -- via Patreon or, if you want to make a one-time donation, send an e-transfer to jda@davidakin.com. Thanks for all your help -- and have a great long weekend!
Science and tech
What’s Really Going On in Machine Learning? Some Minimal Models
Well, what I’m going to try to do here is to get “underneath” this—and to “strip things down” as much as possible. I’m going to explore some very minimal models—that, among other things, are more directly amenable to visualization. At the outset, I wasn’t at all sure that these minimal models would be able to reproduce any of the kinds of things we see in machine learning. But, rather surprisingly, it seems they can. Been following Wolfram since the late 1990s when I’d see him at tech conferences. Here, in this weekend long-read, he tries to explain machine learning to us arts graduates.
Best AI Image Generators of 2024
CNET reviewers have spent months with these programs, generating hundreds of images and creating everything from cartoon rainbow safaris to dramatic sci-fi scenes and photorealistic stock imagery. At some point, every service on this list spits out a wonky or unusable image. The test of a truly superior AI image generator is how well-equipped it is to handle those quirks and remediate flaws. Editing tools and customization options are a big part of that, which is why we test those extensively. Privacy policies, including how generators potentially train on your content, are also important considerations when selecting the best services. Here’s what made the cut. The other day, this newsletter featured the work of Google's new image generator -- I asked it to create a picture of a Canadian senator and the results were hilarious -- so, today, using CNET's picks, I gave these AI image generators the following text prompt: "Create an album cover for a reggae band called "Sugar Reggae". Dall-E's efforts (left) and Leonardo.ai were the only two to produce anything useful. Dall-E (via ChatGPT) took about 1 minute to come up with what I think is a very credible effort; Leonardo.ai's offering was almost instantaneous but there are imperfections in the image.
Issued this day ...
… in 1984: Scott #1030: Papal Visit. Design: Louis-André Rivard.
Pope John Paul II became the first Pope to set foot on Canadian soil when he landed in Quebec city on Sept 9 1984 and Canada Post issued two stamps to mark the occasion. (There is a 64¢ version of this 32¢ design). JP II would spend 12 days in Canada and travelled 15,000 kilometres during his stay visiting all the dark red dots you see on this stamp. -DA