1. ROBOCALLS FINAL REPORT: NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO LAY CHARGES Commissioner of elections Yves Cote says there’s not enough proof that robocalls were deliberately used to suppress voter turnout. Cote says some parties did not cooperate with investigators, and that Elections Canada needs the power to compel testimony. That power is not included in the Harper government’s controversial election reform legislation. More takes on this story here and here. There’s also a petition against the Fair Elections Act that’s gathered 50,000 signatures, which to me seems like a tenth of what it should get. The petition is here.
2. NURSES WALK AMONG US Saskatchewan has more nurses than ever. Where do they come from? What is their agenda? Should we be alarmed? Nurses: friend or foe? Menace? Or threat? And what can you do if you see nurses in your neighbourhood? Educate yourself here.
3. PUTIN UTTERS VAGUE THREATS Ukraine conflict continues. People have died. Bad.
4. ISRAEL QUITS PALESTINIAN PEACE TALKS IN A SNOTTY HUFF Well. Maybe Israel’s government should spend less time being outraged and more time worrying about the welfare of refugees in territories they control.
5. RESTAURANT THAT FIRED ITS ENTIRE STAFF DENIES FIRING WAITRESSES Look, it’s really, really important to get the business owner’s side of this explosive story and we should be cautious to automatically accept the worker’s statements at face value. That said, the restaurant laid off its entire staff and then offered to re-hire them to work fewer hours. It’s going to be hard to spin that as a reasonable thing to do.
6. EDMONTON HAS THE WORST GENDER WAGE GAP IN CANADA Story here. Regina is in the middle of the pack.
7. HEY, DECHENE: ESTEVAN VOTED TO CONTINUE TO FLUORIDATE WATER Good. As I understand it, that’s what the bulk of the evidence says should be done. Paul Dechene should be happy.
8. THE ENERGY WIZARDS OF OREGON STAND UP FOR FETUSES, OR SOMETHING Just a ridiculous story about lunatics whose obsessive anti-abortion views are inexplicably taken seriously by anyone living in the 21st century.
9. WOLFCOP GETS A SOUNDTRACK Shooting Guns will write and perform the upcoming movie’s score.
10. MEANWHILE IN AMERICA Evil corporations are trying to fuck up the Internet, a conservative rancher supported by Republicans is spectacularly racist and a family was awarded $3 million in a guaranteed-to-be-appealed-by-the-evil-oil-company fracking case.
REMINDER: ONE WEEK LEFT TO VOTE IN BEST OF FOOD! Polls close on Thursday, May 1 at noon, so get your votes in! Already voted and want to make changes? You can do that too.
KATY PERRY HAS A NEW VIDEO COMING OUT TODAY. THE VIDEO HAS A TEASER TRAILER. And it’s great. Perry says she was tired of making sexual videos, and now she’s apparently going for wackaloon. I strongly approve.