Where is the convoy’s GoFundMe going?
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Donations continue to get accepted by the GoFundMe dedicated to Freedom Convoy 2022 amid reports that the funds would be frozen until a plan was presented to explain what they’d be used for, and a growing curiosity about the donors. The convoy to Ottawa in protest of vaccine mandates is also a magnet for extremist rhetoric.
Strings will linger in spring
An interview with a Belleville radio station took a day to reach the rest of Ontario, as it was there that Doug Ford conceded he can’t see mask mandates ending anytime soon. (A timeline last October pegged freedom at the end of March.) Now, rival party leaders are advocating mandatory vaccination requirements to enter LCBO and cannabis stores.
“Pizza Hut faces $150 million class action over alleged misclassification of delivery drivers.” The Toronto Star highlights a statement of claim of employment law violations that the chain denies. Pizza Hut Canada started 2022 with a viral moment at the expense of Doug Ford, which led Liberal leader Steven Del Duca to place an order.
Time for this talk has passed
Bell Media was found to be at the forefront of firms that successfully pushed Heritage Canada to embrace the Australian model of requiring Big Tech to compensate news companies for content. Some publishers have already struck deals with Facebook and Google. What ends up forced for the rest will allegedly be set in motion any day now:
Elton John’s next concerts in Toronto fall on the eve of a full reopening. The fate of two Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour dates postponed from two years ago is unclear, as they landed just before a full capacity return on March 14. Maybe that can change due to Elton’s local links, because by then at least he’ll have fully recovered from Omicron.
Finally, a horse left this barn
Neil Young taking a stand against Spotify over COVID-19 misinformation hosted by Joe Rogan became big news, even if the original statement was deleted and his music hasn’t been. And now, Young’s album Barn has been ranked the best of 2021 by rock critic dean Robert Christgau. Daryl Hannah’s documentary about it was also set free: