May Day brings a war on honking your horn
Processions of more than five vehicles are officially discouraged in Burlington, Ontario, out of concern for what honking inspires. Yet, Mayor Marianne Meed Ward participated in a big celebratory convoy two weeks ago. Meanwhile, the second parade to support Toronto hospital workers proceeded, despite concern over crowds the first one drew.
Queen’s Park sees some light
With a list of 61 sector-specific guidelines, and 58 inspectors hired to enforce them, Ontario promises to lift restrictions soon if COVID-19 cases decline through next week. While encouraging optimism, Doug Ford reserved his rage for Ottawa’s ban on visiting nursing homes through the window, on top of other overzealous enforcement moments.
Politics as usual return to the federal Conservative leadership race. Peter MacKay raised about $1 million in three months, compared to $785,000 raised by Erin O’Toole, who had more individual donors. The email response from MacKay’s campaign took a strangely strategic swipe at O’Toole’s support of transgender rights.
More than they could chew
Amidst the tales of restaurants facing economic frustrations due to COVID-19 came Berlin-based Foodora announcing its exit from Canada—which will bring additional financial blows. The food delivery app filed for insolvency due to its hundreds of creditors, which include independent eateries owed thousands of dollars:
Felicity Huffman’s quietly Canadian cinematic comeback. Tammy’s Always Dying got a round of mostly average reviews to mark its video-on-demand debut. The domestic film premiered at TIFF, before its star was sentenced to 14 days in prison, then served 11. Huffman’s daughter has now been accepted to college, without any bribes.
Finally, the no-rights of spring
BloomCam is the official name of the definitive symbol of Canadian coronavirus closures. Rather than trusting cherry blossom enthusiasts to observe from an acceptable social distance, the city of Toronto has closed off all 399 acres of High Park. Still, you can rewind to see Sakura trees blossom if you’re too busy outside: