Slamming the pandemic party bus brake

No chill about the resurgent curves

Doug Ford @fordnation

We will take every step necessary to protect the health and safety of all Ontarians. We showed what we can achieve when we work together, so please remember the golden rules: ✅ Wash your hands ✅ Wear a mask ✅ Practice physical distancing

September 15th 2020

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Doug Ford raised the spectre of renewed lockdowns in parts of Ontario if COVID-19 cases continue to increase as schools trepidatiously return. The trigger was a weekend case count bringing on fears of a second wave. Toronto’s renewed caution comes with strip club outbreaks as a hook, along with sightings of illegal party buses.

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Seven figures of contemplation

Charlie Angus NDP @CharlieAngusNDP

Owing money is a pretty lousy reason to run for public office. With $1M in campaign debt, ex-Conservative leadership contender Peter MacKay mulls a return to politics | CBC NewsStill recovering from the blow of losing the Conservative leadership race, Peter MacKay has quite a to-do list ahead of him: figure out why he lost, retire roughly $1 million in campaign debt and find a new job — or try to get his old one back.cbc.ca

September 15th 2020

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Peter MacKay is still lurking, wondering if running for office again is the best move after losing the Conservative leadership, especially since he needs to pay down debt greater than what Kevin O’Leary accrued. Meanwhile, a trip to meet François Legault found Erin O’Toole expressing support for Quebec’s secularism law.

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Mountain Equipment Co-op is primed for a buy by American private equity. The $5 lifetime membership model carried no weight in the director decision to sell MEC to Kingswood Capital Management. Financial problems for the co-op, founded in 1971, were exacerbated by building their new flagship stores in Toronto and Vancouver.

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Alex Trebek hasn’t exited yet

Jeopardy came back with a new socially distanced set and producers explaining that GOAT contender Ken Jennings wasn’t recruited for the show to succeed Alex Trebek as the host. Rather, despite his pancreatic cancer battle, Trebek urged a return to recording as usual, even if current contestants are limited to driving distance:

The Ringer @ringer

The story of how @Jeopardy came back in a pandemic, from @clairemcnear Set Redesigns, Zoom Auditions, and the Same Host: How ‘Jeopardy!’ Came Back Amid a PandemicAfter shutting down production in March, ‘Jeopardy!’ is finally back with new episodes. What will the celebrated quiz show look like in the time of COVID-19?therin.gr

September 14th 2020

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Netflix decided to skip the Toronto International Film Festival. After a string of prominent gala premieres, the biggest streamer conspicuously pulled back from 2020’s predominantly virtual version, although Netflix broke out its chequebook to buy titles unveiled there. But, then again, much about TIFF may never seem the same.

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Finally, whatever a devil wears

Colter Wall, the country music outlaw whose father was a premier of Saskatchewan, scored a footnote in the U.S. presidential election thanks to Joe Rogan. The podcaster floated the idea of moderating a four-hour debate, an invitation that Donald Trump accepted. Rogan’s reaction to this involved quoting lyrics from Wall’s ominous song: