Death threats, Jordan Peterson and me: My journey into the world of Pitchfork Politics

Many have written about the huge deterioration of online political discourse. It cuts across the political spectrum. As does the spread of conspiracy theory and political paranoia. But on the far right there is a disturbing pattern of how toxic online fights turn to threat.

In my case, I ran afoul of the conspiracy movement for reposting a tweet calling out Conservative candidate Roman Baber and Pierre Poilievre for exploiting the death of Sheila Lewis. Hers is the sad story. She was refused a life-saving transplant because of her paranoia over getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Ms Lewis spent her last years fighting a series of losing battles with the courts over her freedom.

It wasn’t surprising that Baber, who had been kicked out of Doug Ford’s caucus for refusing to support reasonable pandemic efforts, had championed Lewis online. What concerned me was that his post was promoted by Conservative party leader Poilievre.

“Disinformation and conspiracy costs lives,” I wrote in response.

The result was an avalanche of abuse. Then the death threats started… |Read more https://www.thestar.com/opinion/death-threats-jordan-peterson-and-me-my-journey-into-the-world-of-pitchfork-politics/article_7a0bae9a-9bed-5f17-b742-377ed69d5875.amp.html| www.thestar.com/opinion/death-…

#politics #death #threats #violence #PitchforkPolitics #attacks #safety #extremist #registry

An Alberta Pension Plan (APP): Your Plan, Their Choice

“This report shows a made-in-Alberta pension plan could put more money in the pockets of hard-working families and business owners and improve retirement security for seniors. We want to hear from you because it’s your pension, your choice. I’m so excited to hear what Albertans think about a provincial pension plan that could benefit Albertans now as well as our future generations.”

Before the Lifeworks Report was released at 11 a.m. on Thursday, 21 September there were already commentaries and studies using information that had been provided to various parties.

In the Globe and Mail report on 21 September from Emma Graney and James Bradshaw

The day before the release, the National Post published an opinion piece by Jack Mintz, former president of the C.D. Howe Institute and erstwhile director of the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary. Mintz is a highly prolific author of academic articles and opinion pieces and believed to be associated closely with members of Danielle Smith’s inner circle. Mintz believes the APP is a “no-brainer” and is possibly a negotiating tool to use in bargaining emission reduction targets with the federal government.

After eight years of confrontation over energy regulation and climate policies, Ottawa-Alberta relations are at rock bottom. If the Trudeau government wants to avoid the further fracturing of national arrangements like the CPP, it could try reducing tensions rather than stoking them. A good start would be bilateral agreement to negotiate a realistic path to reducing emissions without the unilateral federal regulation that is squandering Canada’s resource wealth despite our allies’ obvious need for secure energy.

On the day preceding the announcement (20 September) The Globe led with an exclusive entitled “Alberta eyes more than half of CPP’s assets in report on provincial plan.” The authors James Bradshaw the institutional investing reporter and Kelly Cryderman which identified the exact number of the controversial $334-billion asset claim by the report’s authors and promoted by Alberta positions.
|Read more https://abpolecon.ca/2023/09/24/an-alberta-pension-plan-app-your-plan-their-choice| abpolecon.ca/2023/09/24/an-alb…

#abpoli #CPP #pension #ucp #LifeworksReport #misinformation #AIMco

COMMENTARY: When a big lead in the polls isn’t quite what it seems

Ipsos’s most recent poll for Global News shows that Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party is significantly ahead of Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party.

This nine-point lead is the largest we have seen for the Conservatives since the Liberal Party’s support plummeted after the SNC Lavalin scandal before the 2019 election. If an election were to take place tomorrow, a nine-point lead should likely place the Conservatives comfortably in the majority.

However, is a Conservative majority guaranteed? Not yet.

The Conservatives still face a significant vote efficiency problem. As we observed in 2019 and 2021, the Liberals were able to win both elections despite the Conservatives receiving roughly 200,000 more votes each time.

Winning the popular vote but losing the seat count is akin to winning battles but losing the war in politics. The weakness in the Conservative’s nine-point lead lies not in its magnitude but in its distribution. Read more https://globalnews.ca/news/9977534/pierre-poilievre-ipsos-poll/ globalnews.ca/news/9977534/pie…

#cdnpoli #politics #voting #poll

A Canadian first: Rogers fights climate change, wildfires with technology

As the country deals with its worst wildfire season on record, a leading Canadian telecom is taking steps to fight climate change.

Rogers announced Thursday it’s investing in new technology to capture smoke before wildfire flames erupt.

He explains this is a three-pronged attack that includes three initiatives: detection, prevention, and management.

Staffieri explains that on top of Rogers cell towers in parts of northern B.C., specifically near Fort St. James, Smithers, and Chetwynd, Artificial Intelligence cameras are being installed that can detect smoke up to 20 kilometres away.

“The second phase is the prevention of the forest fires. We are installing SpaceX sensors in the ground that will detect soil conditions, as well as weather conditions, so that they can predict [in] real-time where these forest fires are likely to erupt, and the last is making sure that our first responders have what they need to stay connected,” said Staffieri.

The company has also donated satellite phones to the BC Search and Rescue Association to help them communicate, in case of emergency. |Read more https://halifax.citynews.ca/2023/09/21/canada-wildfires-climate-change-rogers-technology/| halifax.citynews.ca/2023/09/21…

#wildfires #climateChange #bcpoli #canada #technology #AI #environment

Humanity has ‘opened the gates of hell’: UN climate summit hears grim warning

The United Nations’ secretary-general issued another stark warning to world leaders on Wednesday, telling them “humanity has opened the gates of hell” and action must be taken in the wake of accelerating extreme weather.

Guterres spoke about what he called “horrendous heat” having impacts on the world, ranging from farmers seeing their crops washed away by flooding, diseases being spawned by sweltering temperatures, and thousands fleeing historic fires.

With the increasing number of climate-related disasters, Guterres said world leaders are still not doing enough to curb pollution and wean off fossil fuels.

The summit was organized with the aim that only world leaders who came with new concrete actions would be able to address their peers on the issue.

Countries that produce the most heat-trapping gases themselves decided not to attend. Heads of state from China, India, Russia, the U.K. and France all skipped the summit.

The U.S. sent climate envoy, John Kerry, but he wasn’t given a speaking spot — instead California Gov. Gavin Newsom was able to speak about his state’s efforts.

There were 32 national leaders who were able to speak, but they represent only 11 per cent of the world’s carbon dioxide pollution. |Read more https://globalnews.ca/news/9973700/un-climate-summit-guterres-gates-of-hell/| globalnews.ca/news/9973700/un-…

#ClimateSummit #AntonioGuterres #extremeWeather #ClimateCrisis #environment #cdnpoli