We’ve reached a breaking point: Online hate threatens our democracy:

Federal Liberal cabinet ministers are trading in their summer
barbecue bibs for crisp autumn button-downs this week as they gather for
a three-day work retreat in Vancouver before beginning their pilgrimage back to Ottawa for the opening of Parliament’s next legislative session.

Having
fanned out across the country over the past 10 weeks, ministers will
have heard many common themes from Canadians. They’ll, no doubt, report
back about how they’ve been told by constituents to do more to address
critical issues like affordability and the skyrocketing prices for
consumer goods, global warming and refugee resettlement, to name just a
few.

But when ministers convene to compare notes on their summer
dispatches, there’s another far more insidious problem that needs to be
brought to the cabinet table for deliberation. It’s one, in fact, that
threatens the very fabric of our democracy: anger, aggression and hate
spurred by increasing social polarization.

We’ve reached a breaking point: Online hate threatens our democracy: Federal Liberal cabinet ministers are trading in their summer
barbecue bibs for crisp autumn button-downs this week as they gather for
a three-day work retreat in Vancouver before beginning their pilgrimage back to Ottawa for the opening of Parliament’s next legislative session.Having
fanned out across the country over the past 10 weeks, ministers will
have heard many common themes from Canadians. They’ll, no doubt, report
back about how they’ve been told by constituents to do more to address
critical issues like affordability and the skyrocketing prices for
consumer goods, global warming and refugee resettlement, to name just a
few.But when ministers convene to compare notes on their summer
dispatches, there’s another far more insidious problem that needs to be
brought to the cabinet table for deliberation. It’s one, in fact, that
threatens the very fabric of our democracy: anger, aggression and hate
spurred by increasing social polarization.Read More

Saskatchewan stabbings: Here are the names of all the victims of the tragedy | Globalnews.ca:

The names of the victims in the mass stabbing in Saskatchewan have
been released, painting a picture of the tragedy that ripped through two
small communities.

A total of 11 people including one of the suspects were slain during the series of stabbings in both James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon,
Sask., on Sunday, making it one of Canada’s worst-ever mass killings.
Nineteen people, including the second of the two suspects, were injured.

“Our
hearts continue to go out to all the families and loved ones impacted
by this immense tragedy,” read the press release from the Saskatchewan
Coroner’s Service and Saskatchewan RCMP.

Here are the names of the deceased.

Saskatchewan stabbings: Here are the names of all the victims of the tragedy | Globalnews.ca: The names of the victims in the mass stabbing in Saskatchewan have
been released, painting a picture of the tragedy that ripped through two
small communities.A total of 11 people including one of the suspects were slain during the series of stabbings in both James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon,
Sask., on Sunday, making it one of Canada’s worst-ever mass killings.
Nineteen people, including the second of the two suspects, were injured.“Our
hearts continue to go out to all the families and loved ones impacted
by this immense tragedy,” read the press release from the Saskatchewan
Coroner’s Service and Saskatchewan RCMP.Here are the names of the deceased.Read More

Poilievre popular among Conservative voters, but not all Canadians feel the same: poll – National | Globalnews.ca:

With the next
leader of the Conservative party set to be announced at a convention on
Sept. 10, Bricker says, “all the indications are looking like
[Poilievre] is in pretty good shape.”

Fifty-seven per cent of
self-identified Conservative voters now have a favourable impression of
Poilievre, the poll indicated. This number is up eight points since a
similar poll was conducted in mid-July.

One in four Tory voters, however, said they don’t know enough about Poilievre to form an opinion.

A
total of 1,001 Canadians aged 18 and older were interviewed for the
Ipsos poll, conducted between Aug. 29 and Aug. 31. The poll has a margin
of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Despite
Poilievre being the widely perceived frontrunner for leader among
Conservative voters, less than one in four Canadians appear to have a
positive impression of him, the poll suggests. That’s a drop of two
points from July.

Poilievre popular among Conservative voters, but not all Canadians feel the same: poll – National | Globalnews.ca: With the next
leader of the Conservative party set to be announced at a convention on
Sept. 10, Bricker says, “all the indications are looking like
[Poilievre] is in pretty good shape.”Fifty-seven per cent of
self-identified Conservative voters now have a favourable impression of
Poilievre, the poll indicated. This number is up eight points since a
similar poll was conducted in mid-July.One in four Tory voters, however, said they don’t know enough about Poilievre to form an opinion.A
total of 1,001 Canadians aged 18 and older were interviewed for the
Ipsos poll, conducted between Aug. 29 and Aug. 31. The poll has a margin
of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.Despite
Poilievre being the widely perceived frontrunner for leader among
Conservative voters, less than one in four Canadians appear to have a
positive impression of him, the poll suggests. That’s a drop of two
points from July.Read More

Living in a city with no water: ‘This is unbearable’:

JACKSON, Miss. — What stood out this week was the calm. The streets were quiet, and residents queued expectantly for resources.

The
entire city of more than 150,000 was without safe drinking water, with
no end in sight. Many residents here say they adapted long ago to
catastrophic government failure.

“Jackson’s
water’s been messed up; I don’t even feel like they should be issuing
people bills,” said Roshonda Snell, 32, who works at a local hotel.
“It’s infected, and you can’t even do nothing with it.”

Snell
is a beneficiary of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program and says she has been using most of the money she receives from
it to buy water for her family for a while. “I spend about $200 on
bottled water every month. That’s mainly what I use that money for, to
buy five big cases of water for the month,” said Snell, a Jackson
native. “I really want to leave Jackson so bad.”

Living in a city with no water: ‘This is unbearable’: JACKSON, Miss. — What stood out this week was the calm. The streets were quiet, and residents queued expectantly for resources.The
entire city of more than 150,000 was without safe drinking water, with
no end in sight. Many residents here say they adapted long ago to
catastrophic government failure.“Jackson’s
water’s been messed up; I don’t even feel like they should be issuing
people bills,” said Roshonda Snell, 32, who works at a local hotel.
“It’s infected, and you can’t even do nothing with it.”Snell
is a beneficiary of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program and says she has been using most of the money she receives from
it to buy water for her family for a while. “I spend about $200 on
bottled water every month. That’s mainly what I use that money for, to
buy five big cases of water for the month,” said Snell, a Jackson
native. “I really want to leave Jackson so bad.”Read More

Ontario Youth Climate Lawsuit Relies on Charter of Rights:

The Energy Mix: We’ve seen several climate justice cases
in Canada rejected by the courts before they could be heard. Yours is
the first one to advance to a hearing. What makes it different?

Thomson: This
case is obviously historic. It’s the first climate lawsuit based on
Charter-protected rights to reach a full hearing in any Canadian court.
In 2020, when the Ontario Superior Court dismissed the province’s
attempts to stop this case, it made a landmark ruling
that fundamental rights protected under the Charter of Rights and
Freedoms can be threatened by climate change, and citizens have the
ability to challenge a Canadian government’s contributions to the
climate crisis under the highest law of the land. So for the first time
in Canadian legal history, a government’s climate record will be put on
trial. That’s a pivotal moment in the fight for justice.

In the
past, the Charter has been fundamental in securing rights to same-sex
marriage, abortion, and numerous other rights. We know that the climate
crisis will be one of the greatest threats of the 21st century, and our
clients’ case is the first time a court will determine whether
Charter-protected rights are violated by that threat.

Ontario Youth Climate Lawsuit Relies on Charter of Rights: The Energy Mix: We’ve seen several climate justice cases
in Canada rejected by the courts before they could be heard. Yours is
the first one to advance to a hearing. What makes it different?Thomson: This
case is obviously historic. It’s the first climate lawsuit based on
Charter-protected rights to reach a full hearing in any Canadian court.
In 2020, when the Ontario Superior Court dismissed the province’s
attempts to stop this case, it made a landmark ruling
that fundamental rights protected under the Charter of Rights and
Freedoms can be threatened by climate change, and citizens have the
ability to challenge a Canadian government’s contributions to the
climate crisis under the highest law of the land. So for the first time
in Canadian legal history, a government’s climate record will be put on
trial. That’s a pivotal moment in the fight for justice.In the
past, the Charter has been fundamental in securing rights to same-sex
marriage, abortion, and numerous other rights. We know that the climate
crisis will be one of the greatest threats of the 21st century, and our
clients’ case is the first time a court will determine whether
Charter-protected rights are violated by that threat.Read More