The colour of summer drama in Ottawa
An election date must be looming
An emergency meeting of Green party federal council ended in reprieve for Annamie Paul. But a non-confidence vote over her leadership could still come this summer, as she rejected calls to resign. Jenica Atwin, the MP who crossed the floor to the Liberals, adjusted her own position on Israel—but Elizabeth May wants Atwin back.
Ready for retirement at 27
Nunavut’s sole MP, Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, announced she won’t seek re-election prior to a farewell speech to parliament about how she never felt welcome in less than two years as an Indigenous politician with the NDP.
Ottawa Redblacks defensive lineman Chris Larsen cleared over an alleged homophobic assault. Social media postings identified the CFL player at the scene of a brutal assault at a Toronto Islands ferry dock, which led to a suspension as police investigated. Larsen’s lawyer said his client might be considered a witness to the attack.
A frustrated return from Florida
The end is near for Canada’s quarantine program for returning travellers, as reflected in Justin Trudeau getting a quick hotel check-out. But the fully vaccinated are still required to spend 14 days in isolation, an absurdity that Steven Page recently sang about. Enraged by the rules is the urbanist who lived free before returning to Toronto:
VerticalScope’s initial public offering created a windfall for Torstar. Debuting on the Toronto Stock Exchange at $22 per share proved lucrative for new owners who inherited a 56 per cent stake in the Toronto-based online message board company. And that stake ended the day worth three times the $60 million that Torstar was sold for.
Finally, a spot is marked again
RBCx is the name of Royal Bank’s new platform for technology entrepreneurs, launched to serve what’s become a booming sector. But attaching an “x” to the branding of a bank is a tactic that the Bank of Montreal tried 25 years ago. The four-year run of “mbanx” notably began with buying Bob Dylan’s most famous protest song: