The churches were burning on Canada Day
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B.C. Civil Liberties Association executive director Harsha Walia caught much flack for cheering on the burning down of Roman Catholic churches in response to the discovery of unmarked graves on former residential school sites. A more common sight on Canada’s birthday was red paint splattered on houses of worship being called on to pay survivors a promised settlement.
Dreams of a polite internet
Just before Canada Day came “Guiding Principles on Diversity of Content Online,” a document in which heritage minister Steven Guilbeault presented four key themes developed with an international working group that included Google and Netflix.
Toronto Blue Jays await federal approval to come home to their dome. Provincial and municipal enthusiasm has been secured for a return to play at the Rogers Centre on July 30—one more nod that would end Major League Baseball’s run in Buffalo. Meanwhile, a comeback for Porter Airlines flights is now slated for September, starting in Canada.
A least-expected new chapter
A memoir by the Toronto woman who brought Bill Cosby to justice was slated for publication in September, but Andrea Constand’s The Moment involves a narrative that now has a different ending. While no details were forthcoming about the status of the already excerpted book, she commented on Cosby’s surprising release from prison:
“Happy 🇨🇦 Day. If it’s so bad move elsewhere, many others ready to take your spot.” Toronto radio veteran Joey Vendetta tweeted this to unfavourable reaction from others working in sports media, which led to a qualifier—an then an apology before Vendetta deleted his account. His show for Sportsnet Radio took the weekend off, but it remains listed online.
Finally, bluer waves of airplay
Majid Jordan shared credit with Drake for “Hold On, We’re Going Home” in 2013. But like most of the OVO Sound label acts, the kicks at having their own mainstream hits fell short of expectation. The latest attempt at cultivating a smash started in April: “Waves of Blue” has a music video that doesn’t look too different from their remote TV debut: