The arrests of two organizers of Freedom Convoy 2022 coincided with an Ontario judge freezing millions in donated funds—including ones held in cryptocurrency. As police in Ottawa put demonstrators on notice, parliamentary meetings were axed, although a passage of the Emergencies Act would also be dealing with at least two court challenges.
The soundtrack of our lives
Canada’s most virally vulgar hit of 2022 is “Ram Ranch,” which Toronto resident Grant MacDonald composed a decade ago in response to rejection by the Nashville establishment for being “too gay.” But the Ram Ranch Resistance garnered him a newspaper profile and inspired some new music.
Postmedia is the new owner of Brunswick News. Media will no longer be part of the Irving family empire, as theTelegraph-Journal and other New Brunswick outlets set to join a national network. Jamie Irving has recently held the chair of News Media Canada, which involved lobbying the government to get Big Tech platforms to pay for linking to articles.
Chips hit differently than bread
The snack subsidiary of PepsiCo has enlisted Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd to revive marketing Lay’s as a brand synonymous with joy. Potato chip flavours designed in China have also appeared in Canada. But bags are vanishing from all stores owned by Loblaw, reportedly because Frito-Lay requested a price increase:
Dallas Good of the Sadies has died. The singer and guitarist, performing alongside his brother Travis, gained early attention in Toronto as the sons of Bruce Good of the Good Brothers. But the Sadies developed their own legacy in the subsequent decades, including New Year’s Eves at the Horseshoe Tavern.
Finally, duets for a new mood
Stars frontman Torquil Campbell recently offered to write a custom song for any fan that paid him $1,000, after two years of pondering the future of artistic economics on a podcast, Soft Revolution. But his band is getting back to business with an upcoming album, From Capelton Hill, and a West Coast tour announced with two songs and this trailer: