The long weekend cleaning of Ottawa

And the memes that were left behind

Feb 22, 2022

Here is the headline in the @nytimes The newspaper that’s supposed to be the standard bearer for the industry. Truckers Arrested at Gunpoint as Police Advance Against Ottawa Protest

nytimes.comOttawa Protesters Cleared From Parliament EncampmentA central area of the protest that roiled Canada’s capital for three weeks was cleared of demonstrators.

Reporting from the streets of Ottawa became a story of its own for the New York Times, as Canadian journalists cast doubt upon those who came to town to observe the blockade’s end with 170 arrests. Freedom Convoy co-organizer Tamara Lich’s husband cited the “first amendment” at her hearing for bail that’s now been denied.

The search party for Briane

Mark Strahl, MP @markstrahl

Briane is a single mom from Chilliwack working a minimum wage job. She gave $50 to the convoy when it was 100% legal. She hasn’t participated in any other way. Her bank account has now been frozen. This is who Justin Trudeau is actually targeting with his Emergencies Act orders.

The RCMP refuted the claim by B.C. Conservative MP Mark Strahl that Canada invoking the Emergencies Act led Freedom Convoy donors to have accounts frozen for past donations. (MP Marilyn Gladu alleged a similar story from a constituent.) Strahl said Briane from Chilliwack is a real person whose identity he’s protecting.

Evangeline Lilly’s message to Justin Trudeau arrived via Lethbridge, Alberta. Bridge City News, a newscast that airs on the Miracle Channel, was the source for international showbiz news involving the Marvel movie star. Her plea for the PM to talk to the truckers continued her streak of publicly advocating against vaccine mandates.

What keeps coming back to Peg

The return of The Handmaid’s Tale to shooting around Toronto coincides with author Margaret Atwood making the media rounds about Burning Questions, a collection of writings from 2004 to 2021. Promotion included guest editing a piece in The Guardian about the state of reproductive rights, and contemplating the social media battlefield:

Margaret E. Atwood @MargaretAtwood

In prep for #BurningQuestions I guest-edited today’s @GdnSaturday. An interview, Changemakers of the Future +projects supporting women who inspire me: bit.ly/3JFpwFa Plus some dressup pics: Not Hold My Beer, more Hold My Arsenic! I wouldn't want to meet me in that woods!

bit.lyMargaret Atwood on feminism, culture wars and speaking her mind: ‘I’m very willing to listen, but not to be scammed’At 82, the Canadian author has seen it all - and her novels predicted most of it. Just don’t presume you know what she thinks

Steve Fonyo dead at 56. Inspired by Terry Fox’s suspended Marathon of Hope, he completed his “Journey For Lives” run across Canada with a similar artificial leg in 1985. Fonyo was awarded the Order of Canada, only to have it revoked amid multiple criminal convictions. (The story was chronicled in two films directed by Alan Zweig.)

Finally, the last from Dallas Good

The Sadies will release their final album this spring, produced by Arcade Fire member Richard Reed Parry, who posted to Instagram about his experiences with Dallas Good. Many other tributes poured in for the musician who died at age 48 after being diagnosed with coronary illness, a month after debuting the latest Sadies single: