Doug Ford’s bee swallowing silly season

You can’t buy buzz like this got

CNN @CNN

It's not easy to get a politician to shut his mouth, but nature found a way in Canada when Ontario Premier Doug Ford swallowed a bee in the middle of a press conference. cnn.it/3c4gkPl

The bee-swallowing experience probed by CNN legend Jeanne Moos reflects how Doug Ford’s second term is already bringing the memes amidst actual concerns like fixing health care. But his recent rivals are back on campaign trails: Andrea Horwath is running for mayor of Hamilton, while Steven Del Duca suddenly wants to be mayor of Vaughan.

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A different outage around Rogers

CP24 @CP24

The city's integrity commissioner says he will not be able to complete his investigation into a complaint that alleged Mayor John Tory violated conflict of interest rules before the deadline on Friday.

cp24.comToronto’s integrity commissioner ends conflict of interest investigation into Mayor Tory, says can’t complete by deadlineThe city’s integrity commissioner says he will not be able to complete his investigation into a complaint that alleged Mayor John Tory violated conflict of interest rules before the deadline on Friday.

The registration deadline for Toronto’s next election is when any ongoing integrity commissioner investigations must be terminated, and so that’s the end of probing if John Tory displayed a conflict of interest due to his ties to Rogers Communications. But it also suits the mood of an election looking unlikely to inspire much voter attention.

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“Lisa LaFlamme ‘going grey’ questioned by CTV executive, says senior company official.” A new Globe and Mail story on alleged remarks by Michael Melling also reports LaFlamme rejected a chance to say goodbye from the studio. Meanwhile, the Toronto Star noted the recent death of her longtime newscast director, Allan Myers.

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The day the presses stopped

Now Magazine‘s uncertain condition originated with its December 2019 sale to a Toronto company called Media Central, which acquired Vancouver’s Georgia Straight the following March. But what began with hyperbolic claims devolved to the point of bills remaining unpaid. Still, a new issue has been laid out for printing:

Radheyan Simonpillai @JustSayRad

If this is our last issue, I couldn't be prouder. It's my favourite one yet with the the best collaborators and such powerful voices: @LamarJohnsonn + Kiana Madeira @realsarahpolley + Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers @kdeveryjacobs @samchizanga @nataliamanzocco @clevack & on & on ...

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A publication with a more defined finish line. Taddle Creek is wrapping a 25-year run with a 50th issue set for release in September. Stories will include a follow-up on Alfred Holden’s 1998 piece on Toronto’s Dupont Street as it approached the brink of gentrification. The round-number ending will be followed by a retrospective book.

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Finally, live from a high place

“Closer to the Heart” was played with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson at the second of two Denver, Colorado, concerts commemorating the 25th anniversary of South Park, co-starring Primus and Ween. The cameo was prefaced with a new animation featuring the Rush duo—and then everybody seemed extremely emotional about being on stage together: