The South Bayview Bulldog

The singular act of dissolution will set Canada on an election campaign towards voting day, Monday October 19, 2015. Reuters  CBC writes of eleven things that are different this time over the 2011 election. Only the first two — redistribution and the shakeup of the old debate structure seem important. Take a look.  

There will be no one alive who can recall when our wheat was not sold by the Canadian Wheat Board. This week that ended. The government finalized the sale of the CWB  It is now a private company called Canada G3 Ltd and is partly owned by Saudi Arabia.  Calgary Herald

Premier Wynne said Saturday she will call a byelection in the riding of Simcoe North for Thursday, September 3, 2015. It will be a chance for Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown’ to win a seat in the Legislature. Previously, the premier said she would not call an early byelection.

Beijing has been awarded the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Most candidate cities dropped out of the competition because of the cost. In such circumstances, it is a great advantage to China that millions of citizens will be inspired by patriotism to work essentially for nothing to make the Olympics a success. Reuters 

Toronto’s 680 News has written a snarky story about how the TTC has caved in to political pressure from City Hall to close King Street and disrupt the 504 streetcar line from University Ave to Peter St for the five-day Toronto International Film Festival. No doubt residents will assess the story according to their own prejudices about TIFF and the mayoralty of John Tory. But the radio station tartly remarks on its website that his worship is all in favour of the street closure notwithstanding his election pledge to “keep this city moving”  For the TTC, it appears to mean the 504 route will be split in two — an east and west division, so to speak. There is an additional political element not mentioned by the Rogers-owned 680 News. It’s that Bell Canada is the Prime Sponsor of TIFF. Rogers and Bell are coiled business opponents. Here is part what 680 said:

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) board brushed aside its own staff report on Wednesday night, voting in favour of a plan to close King Street for four days during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The plan to close King Street from University Avenue to Peter Street between Sept. 10 and 13, has the backing of Mayor John Tory, despite his election vow to “get this city moving.” Shortly after taking office, Tory released a six-point plan to ease congestion, which included a crackdown on the seemingly endless series of event road closures that plague motorists, notably marathons. But when it comes to rolling out the red carpet for Hollywood heavyweights and film buffs, Tory’s hot to trot. The mayor, and councillor Joe Cressy, penned a letter to TTC board members, pressing for the closure.“We are pleased to write to the TTC board in support of (TIFF’s) request to close King Street … to create the pedestrian friendly hub known as “Festival Street,” the letter stated.

An Ontario government survey done by Pollara Strategic Insights indicates that almost three-quarters of Ontarians don’t like its plan to sell a 60 per cent stake in Hydro One. The New Democrats obtained the results through freedom of information means. It is said to show 73 per cent of respondents believe the Crown electricity transmission utility should definitely or probably stay in public hands.

Medical Journal The Lancet carries news today that a vaccine produced last year at Canada’s national laboratory in Winnipeg is an effective and fast immunization against Ebola.  It is the first time an experimental Ebola vaccine has been shown to protect people against the deadly disease. There had been high hopes that this vaccine, called rVSV-ZEBOV.  Now data from a field trial conducted in Guinea is said to show the vaccine “works pretty quickly, and it works well,” according to Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny of the World Health Organization