Blacklock's Reporter

Poet Shai Ben-Shalom writes: "At Walmart, passed on the self-checkout and stood in line for the cashier. Followed her red-and-purple nail polish as she placed my socks, toothbrush, and cat food in the plastic bag..." READ MORE

For anyone who's driven the Trans-Canada Highway from Winnipeg to Toronto by the north shore of Lake Superior, where your only companions are 2,000 kilometres of rocks and trees, an arresting thought: “Canada and Europe rank among the most urbanized areas in the world.” So Governing Cities Through Regions draws readers into a compelling conflict that’s escaped the attention of most pundits and politicians. “There are now increasing tensions between the demands of more complex urban cities and economies, and the political constitutions and institutions of national affairs,” editors write. Canada has no Minister of Urban Development. Alberta in 1994 shut down its regional planning commissions as an austerity measure. Planning was strictly voluntary. As Prof. Pierre Hamel of the Université de Montréal puts it, “This standpoint is anything but awkward to observers of the urban scene, as Canadians are increasingly living in cities and have never been more concentrated in city-regions.” READ MORE

Cabinet has quietly begun testing digital ID apps on an experimental basis, says a Department of Employment briefing note. It repeated assurances that no mandatory national ID system was contemplated, a measure long opposed by Canadians "distrustful of public institutions." READ MORE

A portion of Canadian tolls on the Gordie Howe International Bridge at Windsor, Ont. will now be used to create jobs in Michigan, Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged yesterday. What was good for Michigan “is also good for Canada,” he said. READ MORE

Newly-declassified records show the RCMP spied on 1970s anti-apartheid groups in Canada including the Toronto chapter of Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress. Police in secret memos described participants as campus activists with a “Marxist perspective.” READ MORE

A New Democrat photographed while smiling pleasantly with the Israeli Ambassador yesterday said he felt compelled to apologize to supporters over “the immense hurt” he caused. Federal Party leader Avi Lewis did not comment, but earlier said New Democrats must beware of an “incredibly active” Jewish lobby. READ MORE

Housing starts are on track to fall below 2025 levels and remain nowhere near targeted construction rates needed to restore affordability, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation figures confirmed yesterday. Data follow in-house research indicating Canadian are skeptical of federal promises on housing: "It would take a long time for actions taken by the federal government on this front to begin to produce tangible results." READ MORE