Thorben Wieditz
@twieditz.bsky.social
📤 612
📥 473
📝 380
urban geographer | researcher and campaigner | co-founder of
https://metstrat.ca
| doer of things
pinned post!
Good morning! It's Bluesky time. I'll be coming here to replace Twitter/X for my scans of news and connecting with researchers, campaigners and reporters. Expect posts about politics at the intersection of community, digital platforms, labour & the environment, possibly with a side of cycling.
over 1 year ago
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Now we can all finally switch channels and watch Omloop Nieuwsblad, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, Samyn Classic and Strade Bianchi in the warm-up to the first monument of 2026.
4 days ago
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“71,194 drivers who worked for Uber between 2019 and 2022 on independent-contractor agreements should have been defined as employees. The agency was seeking 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in social security contributions, a further 512 million euros in penalties.”
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
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Uber in talks with French social security agency after driver status dispute
Uber said on Monday it was in talks with French social security agency Urssaf, which a media report said had concluded the U.S.-based company should treat its drivers as employees.
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/uber-talks-with-french-social-security-agency-after-driver-status-dispute-2026-02-02/
18 days ago
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Thorben Wieditz
Stephanie Carvin
about 1 month ago
There is not a lot Canadians can do about ICE, but we can ask Parliament to investigate Canadian companies doing business with them, like Hootsuite. Call or email your MP - or contact the INDU House committee MPs. Will post link below.
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
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Hootsuite CEO says ICE contract will stand as long as agency honours terms and conditions
‘We did nothing wrong here,’ head of Vancouver social media company said in internal call with employees
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-hootsuite-ceo-says-ice-contract-will-stand-as-long-as-agency-honours/
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"Premier Doug Ford’s job approval remains sharply negative. The PCs have lost 5 points since a high of 47% in October."
press.liaisonstrategies.ca/ontario-pcs-...
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Ontario: PCs Lead, But 65% Disapprove of Ford
January 23, 2026 (Toronto, ON) – New Liaison Strategies tracking data shows the Progressive Conservatives continue to lead province-wide, but the political environment is increasingly defined by broad...
https://press.liaisonstrategies.ca/ontario-pcs-lead-but-65-disapprove-of-ford/
about 1 month ago
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AtkinsRéalis
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
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Former SNC-Lavalin CEO to be stripped of professional licence
Jacques Lamarre also ordered to pay $75,000 in fines after being found guilty of several transgressions
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-snc-lavalin-jacques-lamarre-penalty-licence/
about 2 months ago
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Good!
vancouversun.com/news/bc-appe...
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B.C. Appeal Court dismisses appeal by short-term rental owners over restrictions
Victoria short-term rental owners had sought to be exempt from a new law that limits home rentals — or be compensated for their losses.
https://vancouversun.com/news/bc-appeal-court-dismisses-appeal-by-short-term-rental-owners-over-new-restrictions
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Thorben Wieditz
Jon Woodward
2 months ago
NEW investigation from me! The
#ontpoli
gov't swears an "adult entertainment club" didn't get taxpayer money... but documents we obtained suggest further connections. ‘Adult entertainment club’ faces new questions after business licence filing and millions in provincial cash
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Every time Brad Bradford cosplays mayor, remember: “In the 2023 mayoral byelection […] Bradford received just over 1% of the vote.” lhttps://www.thestar.com/news/gta/how-olivia-chow-and-john-tory-might-do-with-voters-if-an-election-were-held/article_ee93da13-3934-4386-9dff-02edf140e477.html
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How Olivia Chow and John Tory might do with voters if an election were held today
A poll by Liaison Strategies on Tuesday asked respondents how they might vote if the election were held today.
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/how-olivia-chow-and-john-tory-might-do-with-voters-if-an-election-were-held/article_ee93da13-3934-4386-9dff-02edf140e477.html
2 months ago
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reposted by
Thorben Wieditz
Jacobin
2 months ago
The New School was founded as an institution dedicated to critical inquiry and the free exchange of ideas. The current austerity measures at the university are dismantling the radical democratic aspirations it once represented.
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The Dismantling of the New School
The New School was founded as an institution dedicated to critical inquiry and the free exchange of ideas. The current austerity measures at the university are dismantling the radical democratic aspirations it once represented.
https://jacobin.com/2025/12/new-school-cuts-crisis?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign&utm_content=ap_leclx3o8jp
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reposted by
Thorben Wieditz
The Narwhal
2 months ago
Today is the last day for Ontarians to weigh in on the Doug Ford government's plan to consolidate 36 conservations authorities into seven regional ones. Here's everything you need to know about it:
thenarwhal.ca/ontario-cons...
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Inside Ontario’s plan to merge 36 conservation authorities to 7 | The Narwhal
Doug Ford’s government is seeking public feedback on its plan to overhaul Ontario’s conservation authorities, reducing local agencies from 36 to 7
https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-conservation-authorities-consolidation/
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reposted by
Thorben Wieditz
Oliver Moore
2 months ago
Spotted this little tableau in a tree box on Queen, near Bellwoods. Just in case anyone wondered if Canadians were getting any less pissed off with the US
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Love the sound of this.
www.thestar.com/politics/pro...
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Ethics watchdog to investigate David Piccini over Skills Development Fund
Integrity commissioner's office confirmed the probe after the New Democrats and Liberals complained the minister violated the Members' Integrity Act.
https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/ethics-watchdog-to-investigate-david-piccini-over-skills-development-fund/article_32444550-6f35-46db-ac8d-35cac02dd818.html
2 months ago
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Thorben Wieditz
Anthony LaMesa
2 months ago
Italian regions will now have more freedom to crack down on Airbnb. "Italy’s Constitutional Court has rejected the national government’s appeal against Tuscany’s new tourism law, confirming the region’s right to regulate short-term rentals..."
www.florencedailynews.com/2025/12/17/c...
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Constitutional Court upholds Tuscany’s tourism law on short-term rentals | Florence Daily News
Judges reject government appeal, confirming regional powers to regulate short lets.
https://www.florencedailynews.com/2025/12/17/constitutional-court-upholds-tuscanys-tourism-law-on-short-term-rentals/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
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Thorben Wieditz
2 months ago
I did this interview at Yonge & St Clair, the reporter hoping he'd catch a gig worker bombing down the sidewalk. Instead a pickup truck was parked in the bike lane behind us, and for the entire conversation rider after rider was forced into traffic.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
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Ontario pumps money into a fraud to develop chat bots with funds meant to help actual workers develop skills.
www.thetrillium.ca/news/politics/two-companies-under-firm-of-ontario-securities-commission-sanctioned-ceo-got-skills-development-fund-grants-11603743
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Two companies listed under portfolio of Ontario Securities Commission-sanctioned CEO's firm got Skills Development Fund grants
Another of Sayan Navaratnam’s companies was hit with hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties for allegedly ‘misleading’ investors
https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/politics/two-companies-under-firm-of-ontario-securities-commission-sanctioned-ceo-got-skills-development-fund-grants-11603743
2 months ago
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Way to go.
www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/202...
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Spain fines Airbnb $75 million for unlicensed tourist rentals
MADRID (AP) — Spain’s government has fined Airbnb 64 million euros ($75 million) for advertising unlicensed tourist rentals, officials said Monday. The move is the latest government action in Sp...
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/2025/12/15/spain-fines-airbnb-75-million-for-unlicensed-tourist-rentals
2 months ago
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Here we go.
add a skeleton here at some point
3 months ago
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Thorben Wieditz
John Bowker
3 months ago
Fishing expedition or improper shield? Doug Ford personal cellphone fight heads to court
globalnews.ca/news/1157267...
#onpoli
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Fishing expedition or improper shield? Doug Ford personal cellphone fight heads to court | Globalnews.ca
A panel of three Ontario judges heard arguments on a request by the provincial government for a judicial review of a decision handed down by the IPC last year.
https://globalnews.ca/news/11572670/doug-ford-personal-phone-number-release-court-hears-arguments/
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Vancouver and community benefit agreements …
vancouversun.com/news/local-n...
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In surprise move, ABC Vancouver scraps local procurement requirement for mega-developments
Community benefits deal "looks great on paper and it sounds great, but it doesn't ... accomplish anything additional," said Coun. Montague
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/abc-vancouver-scraps-local-procurement-requirement-for-mega-developments
3 months ago
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What could go wrong?
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
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American-owned consortium assumes control of Canada’s premier nuclear research facility
Nuclear Laboratory Partners of Canada Inc. will also be responsible for cleaning up the federal government’s inventory of radioactive waste
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-nuclear-laboratory-partners-chalk-river-laboratories-cnl-atomic-energy/
3 months ago
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“New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani won in part because he had an obsessive focus on improving life for transit users. His promises included free bus trips – an idea that is controversial in transit circles – but also making these vehicles faster and their arrival more predictable.”
add a skeleton here at some point
3 months ago
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Oh!
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit...
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Globe editorial: The slow death of public transit service
Allowing expensive infrastructure to underperform makes it harder to convince higher levels of government to invest in the next round of transit expansion
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-the-slow-death-of-public-transit-service/?utm_source=Shared+Article+Sent+to+User&utm_medium=LinkCopy&utm_campaign=Shared+Web+Article+Links
3 months ago
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If Ford’s gig work reform that lets Uber get away with paying workers for “engaged” time only apply to his caucus, they would see a signific pay cut.
#ONpoli
www.thestar.com/politics/ont...
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Ontario legislature to take 14-week winter break, following 19-week summer break
TORONTO - Ontario's legislature is set to take a 14-week winter break, less than two months after resuming from a 19-week summer break.
https://www.thestar.com/politics/ontario-legislature-to-take-14-week-winter-break-following-19-week-summer-break/article_45730b25-fc75-52c7-834f-aae9fa435a7e.html
3 months ago
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reposted by
Thorben Wieditz
Jon Woodward
3 months ago
NEW investigation from me! Millions flowed to PC party from some King Charles III Coronation Medal recipients — including people whose companies got millions from Ontario’s Skills Development Fund.
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Thorben Wieditz
Larry Savage
3 months ago
Steve Tufts
@stufts.bsky.social
on the how the
#AirTransat
chaos reflects deep, structural problems for the industry.
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com...
#canlab
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Opinion: Air Transat chaos reflects deep, structural problems for the industry
Long-term labour contracts, wage gaps and expectations of government intervention fuel the turbulence in sector
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-air-transat-strike-airline-industry-air-canada-union-labour-dispute/
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Here we go again, another story about Silicon Valley’s corporate assholes Maple washing their operations in Canada. Airbnb's new Canadian country manager has plenty of experience working for U.S.-based companies, so getting her to do the job tracks.
www.thestar.com/business/can...
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Can a home-sharing app strengthen communities? Airbnb’s new Canadian country manager thinks so
Airbnb is seeking to return to its roots of empowering individuals and their communities with two products in Canada.
https://www.thestar.com/business/can-a-home-sharing-app-strengthen-communities-airbnbs-new-canadian-country-manager-thinks-so/article_f2284ec2-37e9-4cd2-b518-ba13778f5a1d.html
3 months ago
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“Piccini himself told NewsTalk1010 that he had personally intervened to approve the grant to Keel.”
www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/poli...
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OPP to investigate company that got millions from provincial jobs fund, ministries
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are proceeding with a formal investigation into a company that received grants from a controversial multi-billion dollar jobs training fund as well as contracts with th...
https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/politics/queens-park/article/opp-to-investigate-company-that-got-millions-from-provincial-jobs-fund-ministries/
3 months ago
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Pretty sure you can do that in Toronto as well.
add a skeleton here at some point
3 months ago
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Uber, Airbnb, Sidewalk Labs, Waymo… Silicon Valley keeps promising us the future
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
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Matt Elliott: Waymo has its sights set on Toronto for driverless cars. The city’s history with Big Tech suggests that’s cause for alarm
Waymo has registered as a lobbyist at city hall to talk to lawmakers and officials about self-driving cars.
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/waymo-has-its-sights-set-on-toronto-for-driverless-cars-the-citys-history-with-big/article_464fbf6d-dd15-4223-b224-c8408df9e369.html
3 months ago
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There is still some good news coming out of Ontario every once in a while.
www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
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https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-112-ontario-morning/clip/16185462-bruce-trail-conservancy-purchases-land-former-talisman-ski
3 months ago
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You can’t make that shit up.
add a skeleton here at some point
3 months ago
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reposted by
Thorben Wieditz
Adam Tranter
3 months ago
Just as you thought food delivery companies couldn't inflict any more misery on society: Instead of using lowly-paid gig economy contractors to deliver groceries, they're replacing humans with robots, who, in turn, force humans off the pavement into road traffic.
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Thorben Wieditz
Mary Gillis
3 months ago
"Imagine you stole all of the intellectual property in the world. And you're using it to help people write middling emails and make revenge porn about women, and also children. And you're powering this plagiarism and non-consensual porn machine by eating up what's left of humanity's carbon budget."
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How to explain AI to your family this holiday season | CNN Business
Politics, football and movies are among the many topics that tend to come up around Thanksgiving. In 2025, a new question may arise at the table: Why the heck is everyone talking about AI, and what sh...
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/26/tech/ai-holiday-explainer
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Thorben Wieditz
Larry Savage
3 months ago
Research on strikes and lockouts depends on consistent longitudinal data. We need it to identify trends & shifts in labour relations. Without good data, you can’t properly analyze, compare & contextualize current labour conflicts.
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
#canlab
#cdnpoli
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Federal government takes down labour strike data relied upon by unions, researchers
Ministry says ‘stakeholders raised concerns’ about data on its website, gives no timeline for republishing
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-federal-government-labour-strike-data-unions-workers/
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3 months ago
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Airbnb is at it again… Whitehorse is experiencing a housing crisis, with very low vacancy rates, rising rents, and growing homelessness, yet the U.S. platform giant tells locals to oppose housing protective rules that restrict short-term rentals to principal residences.
www.cbc.ca/player/play/...
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Airbnb urges Whitehorse host to oppose proposed short-term rental changes
One motel operator who lists with Airbnb says they received an email from the company titled, "Protect hosting in Whitehorse". An Airbnb spokesperson told CBC the proposed rules, “over-regulate a smal...
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6994054
3 months ago
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Thorben Wieditz
Sean Marshall
3 months ago
The Fall-Winter 2025 legislative session is a full assault on municipalities, schools, pedestrians, cyclists, local democracy, and accountability.
add a skeleton here at some point
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Well done. That’s the kind of environmental policy review to contextualize the Ford government’s environmental track record in light of current policy proposals/legislative changes. We need the same for labour policies and the incremental loss of democratic oversight/ transparency in this province.
add a skeleton here at some point
3 months ago
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Thank you
@ricochetmedia.bsky.social
for publishing my analysis of
#Onpoli’s
Skills Development scandal. Has the nature of political scandals shifted in the past decade under populist right-wing governments? I do think so.
add a skeleton here at some point
3 months ago
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Thorben Wieditz
Erika Shaker
3 months ago
“We are deeply concerned about this concentration of power in the Minister of Education’s office, regardless of who is in power at Queen’s Park”
apple.news/AB1zcw4PuSpq...
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Ontario passes controversial bill giving the province more power over schools — The Globe and Mail
Bill 33 allows the government to more easily remove elected trustees and temporarily take over school boards
https://apple.news/AB1zcw4PuSpqiZbcjD3ZB4A
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corporateknights-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/corporat...
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The condo model is collapsing. What comes next? | Corporate Knights
Condo prices have crumbled and speculators are scrambling for the exits. Can we finally have housing that meets our real needs?
https://corporateknights-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/corporateknights.com/buildings/the-condo-model-is-collapsing-what-comes-next/?amp
3 months ago
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Wow. It doesn't sound like this person wasted your time,
@nickhunebrown.bsky.social
. It made for a really great story and a fascinating read. It reminds me of people offering services to write assignments for students willing to pay, except this is now reaching an entirely different level of fraud.
add a skeleton here at some point
3 months ago
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Thorben Wieditz
Oliver Moore
3 months ago
Hot take: It's a bad thing for a ride-hailing driver to work 139 hours in a week. Bad for him, bad for traffic safety. Just bad
www.thestar.com/news/gta/thi...
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This GTA rideshare driver says his earnings have never been lower. Why he and others say Ontario’s new minimum wage law isn’t helping
Rules guarantee minimum wage $17.20/hour for “engaged time” — spent actively completing trips or deliveries — but ignore time spent waiting for work.
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/this-gta-rideshare-driver-says-his-earnings-have-never-been-lower-why-he-and-others/article_509381c7-8e29-4519-aa86-b9709ed89a04.html?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=email&utm_email=63A171D734DCE8F661EC713758176879&utm_campaign=frst_25456&utm_campaign_id=sub
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Ford’s so-called Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act doesn’t protect workers — it protects Uber. All it really does is help U.S. platform giants suppress wages, with Ford and Piccini setting up the system for them. Thank you, Captain Canada.
www.thestar.com/news/gta/thi...
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This GTA rideshare driver says his earnings have never been lower. Why he and others say Ontario’s new minimum wage law isn’t helping
Rules guarantee minimum wage $17.20/hour for “engaged time” — spent actively completing trips or deliveries — but ignore time spent waiting for work.
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/this-gta-rideshare-driver-says-his-earnings-have-never-been-lower-why-he-and-others/article_509381c7-8e29-4519-aa86-b9709ed89a04.html
3 months ago
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Thorben Wieditz
Fatima Syed
3 months ago
ICYMI: I spoke to 12 staff from 12 conservation authorities (many of them anonymously for fear of government retribution) who say Doug Ford's plan to consolidate the unique agencies from 36 to 7 may ‘slow approvals, create confusion’ over development & flood protections
thenarwhal.ca/ontario-cons...
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Inside Ontario’s plan to merge 36 conservation authorities to 7 | The Narwhal
Doug Ford’s government is seeking public feedback on its plan to overhaul Ontario’s conservation authorities, reducing local agencies from 36 to 7
https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-conservation-authorities-consolidation/
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What an incredible article. I feel like I read it before, but for anyone interested in greenbelt legislation and the Ford government’s consistent undermining of environmental protections in ON, take a few minutes and read this piece.
thepointer.com/article/2025...
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After secretly working to destroy it, Ford government silent on long overdue review of Ontario’s Greenbelt
After secretly working to destroy it, Ford government silent on long overdue review of Ontario’s Greenbelt
https://thepointer.com/article/2025-10-05/after-secretly-working-to-destroy-it-ford-government-silent-on-long-overdue-review-of-ontario-s-greenbelt?utm_source=perplexity
3 months ago
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Thorben Wieditz
The Narwhal
3 months ago
The Doug Ford government is setting its sites on conservation authorities for the fifth time, merging the watershed protection agencies. Staff tell
@fatimabsyed.bsky.social
it may ‘slow approvals, create confusion’ — not to mention it's leaving them with ‘whiplash.’
thenarwhal.ca/ontario-cons...
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Inside Ontario’s plan to merge 36 conservation authorities to 7 | The Narwhal
Doug Ford’s government is seeking public feedback on its plan to overhaul Ontario’s conservation authorities, reducing local agencies from 36 to 7
https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-conservation-authorities-consolidation/
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Just realized Ford was about to cut a deal with the same nightclub operator and labour union at Ontario Place that scored tens of millions in SDF money. No wonder those names looked familiar. Small world, huh.🤔
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
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PC government abandons controversial Ontario Place vendor plan backed by Ford-supporting union
Restaurants and bars proposal also involved nightclub operator who provided alcohol for ‘Ford Fest’ events a decade ago
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ford-government-scraps-liuna-backed-plan-for-restaurants-and-bars-at/
3 months ago
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Thorben Wieditz
Isaac Callan
3 months ago
Superb skills development fund scoop from the Toronto Star, which has got its hands on a database of scores for applications. It reveals several with scores of 50 or less where the minister overruled civil servants to hand out the money anyway.
#OnPoli
www.thestar.com/politics/pro...
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Secret data reveals which low-scoring applicants still received millions of dollars from the Ford government’s skills fund
Secret government data obtained by the Star shows 26 applicants scoring 50 per cent or lower received $36.6 million from Premier Doug Ford's controversial Skills Development Fund earlier this year.
https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/secret-data-reveals-which-low-scoring-applicants-still-received-millions-of-dollars-from-the-ford/article_8e6b59ef-8352-43cc-9434-c9d9c04bb65d.html
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What a racket. “Before McNaughton stepped down as labour minister shortly before leaving elected politics altogether in the fall of 2023, the ministry paid about $5.1 million to Carlo Biasucci’s Elite Practice business.”
www.thetrillium.ca/news/politic...
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Another dental sector biz that got millions in Ontario labour funds had ties to then-minister’s wife
The company of a dentist-turned-businessman who worked with the ex-minister’s wife through another organization received $5.1 million of taxpayer funds
https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/politics/another-dental-sector-biz-that-got-millions-in-ontario-labour-funds-had-ties-to-then-ministers-wife-11487745
3 months ago
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