The growing list of lockdown dissenters
Peter Youngren is the pastor who filed a constitutional challenge over COVID-19 restrictions in Toronto that limit 10 people to his 1,110-capacity church. Hudson’s Bay Company is seeking a court review of the Ontario lockdown that forced its stores closed. And the owner of Adamson Barbecue is currently defending himself via email.
China cupfuls of mea culpas
Global Affairs Canada said a bad translation was to blame for initial reports that Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were convicted for spying in China, where they nonetheless remain jailed. And files that revealed how Chinese troops were invited to train with the Canadian military forced a confirmation from Harjit Sajjan that it’s not happening now.
The credit cards are now declining Pornhub. A week after New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wondered why Canada was harbouring videos of exploitation and assault, Visa and Mastercard aren’t buying into policy changes by Montreal-based owner MindGeek. Kristof still considers their response a good thing.
Time travels around the CBC
With the CRTC saying a hearing will address the Tandem branded content initiative, it’s the perfect time for the National Post to revive its “CBC Watch” and Canadaland to feast on the fact that CBC president Catherine Tait has been living in Brooklyn, New York. At least the TV strategies of a decade ago are still good for something:
Denis Villeneuve is lashing back at being dispatched to HBO Max. The director is displeased that his version of Dune will debut via the streaming service, even if that won’t be the case in his home country. Meanwhile, demand for more Star Wars on Disney Plus rescued Hayden Christiansen from an eternity of movies like Little Italy.
Finally, the only song of 2020
Robert Michaels is the Toronto guitarist whose 1998 instrumental “Memento” has spent seven months as the hold music at Service Canada, where calls about pandemic benefits require an average wait of 55 minutes. The story behind a flamenco salve is provided by Vice, including the fact that Michaels just recently learned of its use: