Erin O’Toole starts a search for tomorrow
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A machinery malfunction meant that it was after 1 a.m. when Erin O’Toole learned he’d be the new federal Conservative leader, following a race extended due to the pandemic. Yet his familiarity to the wider electorate is arguably limited. Nonetheless, his strategy led to O’Toole beating Peter MacKay on the third round of ranked ballots.
Swiping right at the old media
The outgoing Conservative leader used a CBC interview to complain about the network’s limited attention to Leslyn Lewis, whose formidable leadership vote finish makes her likely to be a future influencer. Andrew Scheer later praised right-leaning “objective organizations” Post Millennial and True North, but didn’t mention Rebel News.
“For love is more powerful than hate. Hope is more powerful than fear. And light is more powerful than dark.” Joe Biden’s final address to the Democratic National Convention raised Canadian eyebrows for words that paralleled Jack Layton’s last letter. Meanwhile, the Liberal MPs tweeting kudos to Kamala Harris were told to stop.
An extremely absentee CNE
Opening ceremonies for a virtual version of the Canadian National Exhibition were held on location at the Princes’ Gates, where Tiny Tom Donuts could be bought. But the efforts can’t replace summer sunset sensations of the Toronto fair, which has become another missing tradition to feel saudade about now:
Chair Girl seems to skirt quarantine after returning to Toronto from Tahiti. Not long after avoiding jail time, Marcella Zoia shared Instagram shots tagged from the St. Regis resort in Bora Bora. But when posting subsequent shots tagged at home, 14 days of self-isolation didn’t appear to be on Chair Girl’s brain.
Finally, a new wave Woodstock
Heatwave, the music festival held in Bowmanville, Ontario, on August 23, 1980, got an anniversary wave of nostalgia in this concert-deprived time. After the B-52’s, Talking Heads, the Pretenders, and Elvis Costello and the Attractions, the show was closed by Toronto band the Kings, whose professionally shot set is newly restored: