More politicians joined the international travel list, including Conservative senate leader Don Plett, who only reflected on his own advice upon arrival in Mexico. CPC MP David Sweet, who was found in the U.S., now plans to step away from politics. But it seems Alberta MLA Tracy Allard has gained peak infamy due to taking her yearly trip to Hawaii.
A cottage industry of shaming
Christmas week at the cottage in Peterborough County met with censure from local politicians for Ontario MPP Gila Martow, who’s also currently aspiring to run for the federal Conservatives. Meanwhile, as Doug Ford promises to accelerate vaccinations, the province now has its first field hospital for the pandemic opening in Burlington.
Toronto is publicly posting a list of workplace outbreaks. The city’s updates on the status of cases are adding data about businesses where two or more employees tested positive for COVID-19. The debut of that dashboard came with three initial company names: TTM Technologies, Sofina Foods, and the beauty brand Deciem.
Let’s talk about these moves
Bell Media is now headed by veteran BCE telecom executive Wade Oosterman, as his predecessor Randy Lennox wrapped a half-decade at the helm of the division. The shift to increased national radio strategy at Bell also advanced in late December, as 10 adult pop stations across the country changed their branding to a more unified theory:
Alex Trebek’s last week on the job. The final five episodes with him hosting Jeopardy were rescheduled for January, which has enabled more reflection on his life and legacy. (Trebek also taped a message urging support for victims of COVID-19.) And while Ken Jennings will initially take over as host, he’s become too tangled up with Twitter.
Finally, for the love of cowboys
They Just Seem a Little Weird is a new book by Toronto writer Doug Brod about the intertwined history of four 1970s rock bands: Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, Kiss and Starz. These connections also detour to the tale of the Skatt Brothers, an act produced by Toronto’s primary disco wranglers of the era, whose innuendo played best in Australia: