Sweet smell of spending on the Sussexes
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Now that they’re officially relocating to Canada, financial independence for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex may come with costs that Finance Minister Bill Morneau claims to have given no thought to. And while Prince Harry may not get special treatment otherwise, Meghan Markle’s friend Jessica Mulroney is more of a paparazzi magnet.
Cold cuts on the hot seat
Michael McCain brought greater scrutiny upon himself with tweets drawing a line between the shooting down of Flight 752 and the White House—including the leak of a note that he sent to senators asking them to spare censuring China. A week ago, the only thing Maple Leaf Foods was making news for was its corporate logo ending up on a cake.
“I think if there were no tensions, if there was no escalation recently in the region, those Canadians would be right now home with their families.” Justin Trudeau shared his view on the shoot-down of the Ukrainian International Airlines plane with Global News, before Iran announced arrests in the misfire.
Tanner Z couldn’t be saved
The pending $2.8-billion takeover of Cineplex by U.K. company Cineworld has possibly claimed its first victim: Tanner Zipchen, the Saskatoon DJ who won a 2015 contest to host the Cineplex pre-show, earned a #SaveTanner hashtag soon after the deal was announced. The fears of his imminent dismissal weren’t so unfounded:
World’s Largest Rubber Duck returning to its best bathtub. Toronto embraced the six-storey tall inflatable in 2017. The duck was credited with injecting an estimated $7.6 million of economic activity, after Queen’s Park was criticized for the $120,000 grant to help bring it in. This time, the Redpath Waterfront Festival is footing the duck bill.
The winter misery news season
Scotiabank is baiting media attention with a survey showing Canadians spend an average of two hours a day worrying about their finances. It’s that time of year, after all: Queen’s University PhD student Galen Watts struck a forlorn pose for a Canadian Press story about how social media isn’t helping:
Neil Peart looks sure to be somehow honoured in Lakeside Park. Politicians in St. Catharines concur with a petition calling for the late Rush drummer to be recognized with a plaque or statue in the park he wrote lyrics about in 1975. Meanwhile, adding to libertarian columnist tributes to Peart’s individualism, here’s one from Colby Cosh.
Finally, more chill for Chair Girl
Marcella Zoia showed up for sentencing at Old City Hall, along with a mangled Ikea chair wrapped in plastic, which was presumably the one she admitted to tossing off a 45th floor balcony in Toronto. But the Crown wants to call a witness to show that Chair Girl posted the infamous video herself. So, the case was put over to February 7:
