Canadian Politics: The Surreality of Life under King Corona

[Caligula_K3]

Cool - thanks for the extended debrief, all (especially @JEORDHl and @Fragile Bird). All that you've said confirms my impressions that this is all barely worth talking about and mainly a way for the Conservatives and NDP to revive their fortunes at a time of government popularity (and I say this as an NDP voter).

The Alberta environmental protections issue is scary. As is whatever happened with the Nova Scotia shooter that the RCMP clearly doesn't want us to know about.

[JGP]

Eh, can't tell if this is greenwashing, ill considered haste to publish, or what, but now I'm not sure what to believe. 

Can't tell if this

[Fragile Bird]

The government has negotiated contracts for the supply of Covid-19 vaccines from two of the leading companies involved. People have been getting nervous as they've watched the US lock-up supply. Since the US has in fact contracted to get the first 100 M doses  produced by these companies, or more, I wonder if a company will be licensed in Canada to produce vaccine to get around that. No details have been given, because negotiations are apparntly continuing.

Quote

The federal government has entered into two agreements to secure millions of doses of potential COVID-19 vaccines.

Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand announced that the Government of Canada has deals with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and biotechnology firm Moderna. Pfizer will supply its BNT162 mRNA-based vaccine candidate, while Moderna will provide its mRNA-1273 vaccine candidate.

Both companies began Phase 3 clinical trials of their vaccine candidates in the last week, large-scale tests to determine how well the vaccines work.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/vaccine-procurement-anand-bains-1.5674820

[TrueMetis]

On 8/4/2020 at 12:17 PM, JEORDHl said:

Eh, can't tell if this is greenwashing, ill considered haste to publish, or what, but now I'm not sure what to believe. 

Can't tell if this

Bit more on that from the same person.

https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-no-deal-to-cut-environmental-monitoring-of-oilsands

[JGP]

1 hour ago, TrueMetis said:

Bit more on that from the same person.

https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-no-deal-to-cut-environmental-monitoring-of-oilsands

Sure, but [from the article]

'monitoring plan that was approved by the committee took into account the loss of some fieldwork opportunities during the spring and summer when Environment and Climate Change Canada was unable to deploy staff to the field and key lab facilities required to do water-quality testing were closed — in accordance with the guidance of provincial and federal health authorities... '

How in the high flying, psychedelic, flashdance fuck were these not deemed essential work? 

Granted I've got zero chill or patience lately [due to the near daily rightwing fuckery from the UCP in AB] but this reads like damage control equivocation to me. 

edit: please don't take my frustration as anything other than frustration/anger at the situation. I feel like I'm getting it from all sides right now, I want to punch Kenney in the throat, and I'm among those with the least cause to actually complain. I can't imagine how awful it must be to be dealing with all of this, out of work, possibly facing eviction or the loss of your home, your kids going to school, kids with special needs and less access, less funding--and your government appearing to actively be working against the best interests of all. I swear to fucking GOD, if I could break this system over my knee...

[Fragile Bird]

I feel like I should keep my head down about a lot of stuff, because I have no children and I am comfortably retired (in that I own my house and don't spend a lot of money). All I can do is say I have a lot of sympathy for people with children trying to make it through this pandemic without going insane with worry and fear. 

[Fragile Bird]

Update

Aug         1       2       3       4       5       6       7       8       9      

BC            -       -    118     28     47     47     53       -        -  

AB            -       -    303     65     94     56   134       -        -    

SK          15       8     17       9       8      11     22     24      15

MB          2      18       7       2       2      30     17     16      35

ON      124    116     88      91     86     95     88     70      79

PQ       146    141   123    123   155   133   108   126    104

M-4         0        2       0        0       4       2       1       0       0        

Total     287   285    656    313   395   374   423    236   233 

Looks like the M-4 are still in the first wave, hopefully they can avoid the second, PQ and ON are still levelling off from the first wave, and everyone west of ON has launched into the second wave early. AB was very early, or maybe they never really got out of the first. BC has lost it's golden girl status, methinks, and needs to crack down now. SK had it's communal group issue with the Hutterites, and now MB has hit an all time high with 35. It's all about an outbreak that's gotten into the community of Brandon, first at a meat-packing plant and now further into the community. Apparently it can all be traced to someone who 'went East for a visit', which province not mentioned, and then failed to self-isolate. They are not being charged because the province considers it not to be a deliberate act.

ON had a nice run of fewer than 100 cases a day, but today we're back up to 115. I think that's the Civic Holiday weekend, and I expect to see a couple of days of higher numbers now.

People are freaking out about ON's back-to-school plans here as well.

[JGP]

54 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

I feel like I should keep my head down about a lot of stuff, because I have no children and I am comfortably retired (in that I own my house and don't spend a lot of money). All I can do is say I have a lot of sympathy for people with children trying to make it through this pandemic without going insane with worry and fear. 

I wouldn't worry about that. I likewise have nothing to worry about [beyond children] but I really feel that everyone who can speak up should be speaking up, regardless of current straits.

The Liberals are doing... Ok, but our rightwing and even leftwing nuts [Singh, Angus] aren't helping the cause here.

[Fragile Bird]

1 hour ago, JEORDHl said:

I wouldn't worry about that. I likewise have nothing to worry about [beyond children] but I really feel that everyone who can speak up should be speaking up, regardless of current straits.

The Liberals are doing... Ok, but our rightwing and even leftwing nuts [Singh, Angus] aren't helping the cause here.

I’ve encountered, “If you don’t have children, just STFU”.  People are testy, which I really do understand, even if I don’t have kids.

[Paxter]

4 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

I’ve encountered, “If you don’t have children, just STFU”.  People are testy, which I really do understand, even if I don’t have kids.

Yeah I have to be careful of that in my workplace. I am finding remote work relatively straightforward (though I do wish I had a bigger condo!) Lots of my colleagues are finding it really tough managing work and family responsibilities.

The more I think about it, the more I think that "the office" is really just a quiet sanctuary for working parents. 

[JGP]

59 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

I’ve encountered, “If you don’t have children, just STFU”.  People are testy, which I really do understand, even if I don’t have kids.

[sigh]

The lines in the sand are polemical. 

You don't need to have raised children to be concerned about the back to school plans. If the work Canada has done to flatten the curve is going to be blown up, it'll predominantly [imo] be due to schools reopening irresponsibly, and that'll affect everyone.

Stressful times though, you're right. 

I've venmo'd and paypaled and etransfered more money to people in need in the last few months than I did the entire previous two years, Shit is hard out there.  

[JGP]

1 hour ago, Paxter said:

The more I think about it, the more I think that "the office" is really just a quiet sanctuary for working parents. 

Truth. And also a really good argument for subsidizing childcare. For parents, sure, but maybe even moreso for the economy in general, with the added benefit of dealing more equitably with the gender disparity in how well Canada has 'gone back to work.'    

[Fragile Bird]

27 minutes ago, JEORDHl said:

Truth. And also a really good argument for subsidizing childcare. For parents, sure, but maybe even moreso for the economy in general, with the added benefit of dealing more equitably with the gender disparity in how well Canada has 'gone back to work.'    

I would really like to see a system of childcare across the country, but you know how Harper fought a campaign against it. "Paul Martin's deal was written on the back of an envelope! You should have choice! Many of you stay home to rasise your children instead of handing them over to strangers! We'll send you $100 a month instead!"

And many seniors, the people who come out and vote, have the attitude of 'I never got that kind of help, and I don't want to pay for it now'.

Of course, Covid-19 will delay any thoughts of daycare for at least 2 or 3 years.

[JGP]

Hmn... Not sure if my wires are getting crossed here, but didn't Layton help tank that too?

[Fragile Bird]

1 minute ago, JEORDHl said:

Hmn... Not sure if my wires are getting crossed here, but didn't Layton help tank that as well?

I'd have to look that up, but that was the election where the NDP took a record number of seats, right? I vaguely think he was trying to cut a deal with Harper for other stuff, but I don't remember he got a lot of stuff out of Harper. Of greater interest to both Harper and Layton was trying to wipe the Liberal party off the face of the earth, the way the PCs were wiped out. I think Layton imagined Liberals folding into the NDP the way the PCs folded into the Alliance/Reform. I wonder if he planned to create the New Liberal Party after that?

[JGP]

1 hour ago, Fragile Bird said:

I'd have to look that up, but that was the election where the NDP took a record number of seats, right? I vaguely think he was trying to cut a deal with Harper for other stuff, but I don't remember he got a lot of stuff out of Harper. Of greater interest to both Harper and Layton was trying to wipe the Liberal party off the face of the earth, the way the PCs were wiped out. I think Layton imagined Liberals folding into the NDP the way the PCs folded into the Alliance/Reform. I wonder if he planned to create the New Liberal Party after that?

Maybe, I don't know. I'd have to do some research too. It really rung a bell though, Layton et defeating universal childcare. Anyway, I don't know what his plans were. I liked him though. 

While I prefer minority governments, there are certainly times when I think the only way to realistically drag the Liberals further to the left is to get them, the NDP, and the Greens into one party. Like, Canadians have this default mode of being thankful we're not Americans, but in most respects our government is just as much a mess as theirs. Well, the potential for mess is there.

The thought of Prime Minister Andrew Scheer gave me night sweats, I swear lol 

[Ser Reptitious]

1 hour ago, JEORDHl said:

While I prefer minority governments, there are certainly times when I think the only way to realistically drag the Liberals further to the left is to get them, the NDP, and the Greens into one party. Like, Canadians have this default mode of being thankful we're not Americans, but in most respects our government is just as much a mess as theirs. Well, the potential for mess is there.

That might drag them a bit leftwards initially, but soon enough every strategist for them would stress being just to the left of the Conservatives enough to vacuum up the maximum amount of votes. True left wingers will grumble, but they will have nowhere else to go, and if they threaten to withhold their vote they can be yelled at for indirectly helping the bigger (instead of the lesser) evil. See: U.S. Democrats

[JGP]

1 hour ago, Ser Reptitious said:

That might drag them a bit leftwards initially, but soon enough every strategist for them would stress being just to the left of the Conservatives enough to vacuum up the maximum amount of votes. True left wingers will grumble, but they will have nowhere else to go, and if they threaten to withhold their vote they can be yelled at for indirectly helping the bigger (instead of the lesser) evil. See: U.S. Democrats

The Libs are arguably barely left now, but I catch your drift.

Those more progressive [NDP, Greens] have leverage in a minority, but next to none in a majority-- and the NDPs chance of forming government may have, for the foreseable future, passed. I think I'd rather progressives have a bit more sway all the time as opposed to only during the relatively rare minority instances, but you're probably right.   

[JGP]

Not politics related [hopefully not, anyway, could very well be]

That's it for me for a while. I can't with this shit.

Fucking awful.

I'm going to put some music on and draw for a while.

[Fragile Bird]

Update

Aug         7       8       9      10      11      12      13     14      

BC          53       -        -    131     46      85      76

AB        134       -        -    257     85     121     78 

SK          22     24      15       5     29         5     27

MB         17     16      35     16       4       16     25

ON         88     70      79   115      33      95     78      92

PQ        108   126    104   156      91      95    104     87

M-4          1       0        0       1        0        5        2       1

Total     423    236    233   681    289    423    390   

BC and AB continue to have higher numbers of cases than previously experienced. I think SK is still finding cases in religious communities, and MB in Brandon community cases. Ontario had that low number last week, but apparently Toronto failed to report one day, so I wonder if that was the day. Still, it was only 12 cases, which have now been added to today, so today's number is actually 80 (note, I originally posted 78 as the day's number, but CTV apparently made an entry error. Toronto did not submit on Thursday, so the 78 should have been 90). I noticed in my last couple of trips to Costco, when I drive past the testing centre at St. Joseph's, the line-ups aren't too long. And ON is steadily averaging about 30,000 tests a day. Toronto's positivity rate is 0.3%, the province's has been ranging between 0.3 and 0.6%.

PQ cleared up a backlog of recoveries again, so active cases in Canada are down to about 4,600. PEI had a bad day earlier this week, reporting 5 cases. The story said they were 5 returning essential workers - what kind, I don't know. Firefighters helping out in the US? Hydro workers? NB had 2 cases for the first time in ages, and NS and NL had a case as well.

BC and AB are worrisome, as possible harbingers for ON in the next month. Pockets of infection have been traced back to people who holidayed in Muskoka.

eta: I went downtown yesterday for the first time in forever, going with my brother to the dentist so we could then drive out to Oakville to pick up the used car he just bought. His dentist is in one of the big towers, and I stepped outside to Adelaide St. to take pictures of the nearly deserted street. Normally at 2:00 pm the street would be bumper-to-bumper in traffic and the halls on the PATH system underground would be teeming with people. We only saw a handful of folks walking from our City Hall parking spot, the food courts are still closed and most of the shops were closed as well. Going to Oakville he foolishly chose University Ave. to get on the Gardiner expressway, and that was a horrible traffic jam. I would have headed west to get on. Rush hour was almost normal, but I think that was more about construction bottlenecks.