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John Woodside

@woodsideful.bsky.social
5.5K followers 633 following 689 posts

Ottawa Bureau Chief with @nationalobserver.com. Covering the money and politics fuelling the climate crisis.

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Reposted by John Woodside
Toronto Star @thestar.com · 4h
A Star analysis reveals U.S. firms dominated federal contracts despite PM Mark Carney’s ‘Buy Canadian’ promise.
thestar.com
PM Mark Carney pledged to ‘Buy Canadian.’ Since then, $7.8 billion in contracts went to American corporations
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
If we had high environmental standards in this country we wouldn’t be in the business of building a new oil pipeline in 2026
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Canada's National Observer @nationalobserver.com · 28/09/2026
This morning — following two investigations into Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford's use of an app that rewards supporters for posting AI-generated comments and sharing contacts — Bradford called our reporting "inaccurate." We're now releasing the recording that proves our reporting.
nationalobserver.com
Bradford calls CNO reporting of AI app rewards ‘inaccurate.’ Here’s the recording proving our reporting.
Canada’s National Observer has decided to publish the segment of the Zoom call that corroborates its reporting.
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Carney continues to repeat this incorrect and misleading line that projects weren’t being built under the previous government to justify the sweeping environmental deregulation agenda he is pursuing. But as I reported a year ago, hundreds of billions of dollars worth of projects were happening.
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Judy Trinh @judytrinh.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Seniors who were protesting Mark Carney’s Bill c39 and fast tracking of environmental reviews arrested and charged with trespassing on Parliament Hill.
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Canada's National Observer @nationalobserver.com · 21/09/2026
The way the app works is this: -Supporters sign up and download the app -Soon, they begin receiving notifications, known in the app as "Digital Fighters Tasks" -The app auto-generates text for the supporter to post, and offers a reward in exchange for copying it on to social media
nationalobserver.com
Toronto mayoral candidate Bradford using Israeli app that feeds supporters AI-generated comments
The Victory App, a campaign tool built by the Israeli company LogiVote, prompted users to participate in a mission to post AI-written comments supportive of Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford.
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Must read story here from @rorywh.bsky.social about the Bradford campaign using an app that uses AI to launder its talking points through real people.
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Carney obliterated the country's climate plan, and unsurprisingly, new analysis finds Canada would be lucky to hit its 2030 targets in 2050 (let alone net-zero the way it continues to claim with no evidence.)
440megatonnes.ca
2030 target and net zero: Canada is 20 years behind
This analysis shows that the country’s current climate policy package would leave emissions stubbornly high through mid-century.
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Jimmy Thomson @jameswsthomson.com · 04/09/2026
This story is a big deal. Please give it a read, even if you need to sign up for a one-dollar subscription. This tactic — manipulating chatbots as a backdoor to human beings — is only going to get worse, and Alberta separatism appears to be just a testing ground for these people.
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Jimmy Thomson @jameswsthomson.com · 04/09/2026
Picture the "there's an alien invasion" press conference from the movies. That's what this calls for. Not this weasel shit, releasing it with no announcement, the day before a long weekend. The comms director for the environment minister is on fucking vacation.
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Jimmy Thomson @jameswsthomson.com · 04/09/2026
This kind of report should be accompanied by a press conference—not with some low-level bureaucrat, but with the prime minister. Flanked by all of his ministers. In prime time, with technical briefings. This report says we're facing unimaginable disaster, yet we didn't even get a briefing.
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Same story, but CBC chooses a headline that actually misrepresents the study and frames climate change as a now irreversible problem. The actual study, as AP notes, describes going over 1.5C and how to get back under that threshold.
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Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
My editor asked me to write about what happened to summer:
theguardian.com
We launched a war on nature. Now we are in a climate warzone | Rebecca Solnit
Summer is not what it once was. We have been robbed of one of life’s great joys
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Reposted by John Woodside
Blayne Haggart @bhaggart.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
New from me, in which I invite the federal government and others to abandon the belief that the way to deal with a bad-faith partner who ripped up your trade agreement is another, better trade agreement. Canada needs a reality-based strategy. And a Royal Commission is the best way to develop it.
thestar.com
In order to face the reality of Trump, Mark Carney will have to abandon his magical thinking
Prime Minister Mark Carney has thus far behaved as if President Trump is a rational actor. He is not, and it is costing Canadians.
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Nothing against power grid interties, in fact they're needed, but with the Alberta west coast pipeline deal coming soon it's fair to say we're seeing a pattern of the Carney gov timing electricity updates with pipeline updates - presumably flooding the zone to mitigate blow back.
cbc.ca
Energy minister to name 5 priority power-line projects for federal backing today | CBC News
The federal government is expected to announce on Friday that it will prioritize infrastructure upgrades that allow provinces to share excess electricity more cheaply and easily.
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Just to be clear, eliminating the CORE instead of improving it is Carney abdicating responsibility for human rights abuses committed by Canadian companies.
cbc.ca
Carney says feds are eliminating watchdog that oversees companies operating abroad | CBC News
Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government is eliminating a watchdog position responsible for investigating allegations of human rights violations committed by Canadian companies operating abroad.
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Feds are being taken to court over climate rollbacks. Issue here is actually pretty simple. The Net-Zero Accountability Act requires the gov's Emissions Reduction Plan actually aligns with Canada's target to cut emissions, and it no longer does thanks to the wholesale shredding of climate policies.
ecojustice.ca
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Reading between the lines: a fraction of the environmental caucus was willing to speak up (majority unwilling says a lot), but still to keep names private underscores the grip Carney has on the party and the fear most Liberal MPs have of being offside his agenda.
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Reposted by John Woodside
Canada's National Observer @nationalobserver.com · 21/05/2026
BREAKING: Alberta voter data has appeared on the website of a US company named repeatedly by separatist David Parker. After @rorywh.bsky.social discovered the breach, the website was taken down amid questions from Elections Alberta.
nationalobserver.com
Alberta voter data found on website of US company linked to Centurion Project
Elections Alberta is already investigating a breach of voter data obtained by separatist David Parker. The US company, 10XVotes, has been repeatedly mentioned by Parker as having been involved in the ...
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Worth paying attention to the evolution of climate denial Carney is innovating here. First wave: deny climate change is real Second wave: admit it’s real, but downplay its significance or ability to address it Third wave: reframe fossil fuels as a climate solution
cbc.ca
Alberta pipeline agreement 'is climate action,' Carney tells environmental groups
Prime Minister Mark Carney says the new energy agreement with Alberta is a step toward his government's commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, and 'more than compensates' for emissions created by o...
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
The Feds are being put on legal notice that Charter challenges are around the corner if they follow through on their plans to subsidize new fossil fuel infrastructure like LNG plants and pipelines.
ecojustice.ca
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
In just one year, Carney has wrecked a decade's worth of progress. The old climate strategy wasn't enough, but rather than strengthen it he dismantled every meaningful policy, stomped on the gas to deliver more fossil fuels, and concentrated power to run roughshod over opposition to his agenda.
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Reposted by John Woodside
Sara Hastings-Simon 🇨🇦 @shastingssimon.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
The article includes a few of the common discourses of climate delay (and actually specifically calls it delay) including: - whataboutisim/our emissions are too small - emphasize the downsides/cant afford -technological optimism - fossil fuel solutionism www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
figure from https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/global-sustainability/article/discourses-of-climate-delay/7B11B722E3E3454BB6212378E32985A7 showing discourses of climate delay as described in the paper
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Reposted by John Woodside
Sara Hastings-Simon 🇨🇦 @shastingssimon.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Former Pathways leader/proponent arguing that we shouldn't do CCS. Not surprised. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
theglobeandmail.com
Opinion: Canada should back away from carbon capture and storage and focus on infrastructure like pipelines
The time might come to build CCUS, but right now we need to focus on economic and national sovereignty
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Carney's new fund is fuelling fear of 'back door' oil and gas subsidies.
nationalobserver.com
Canada's new $25B nation-building projects fund fuels fear of 'back door' oil and gas subsidies
The Canada Strong Fund, the country's first national sovereign wealth fund, has launched to underwrite nation-building projects and enable individual Canadians to invest. Green groups warn it could be...
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Hadrian @hadrianmk.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
But cutting the gas tax doesn't solve the actual problem. It might even make it worse by propping up oil demand. The real long-term affordability solution is to reduce oil dependence. Public transit, remote work, electric vehicles, heat pumps, etc. That's the first way you beat the oil profiteers.
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Reposted by John Woodside
Hadrian @hadrianmk.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Hey it's Friday and the Canadian oil industry made $1.5 billion in profits this week. 🧵 Thread...
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Winnipeg Free Press @winnipegfreepress.com · 03/04/2026
A leaked transcript of a meeting between Indigenous leaders and British Columbia Premier David Eby, about his plan to suspend the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, or DRIPA, shows them accusing him of “absolute betrayal” and colonialism.
winnipegfreepress.com
'Absolute betrayal': First Nations blast Eby in leaked transcript of DRIPA meeting
A leaked transcript of a meeting between Indigenous leaders and British Columbia Premier David Eby, about his plan to suspend the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, or DRIPA, shows them accusing him of “absolute betrayal” and colonialism.
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Canada in a nutshell: the Weston’s new media venture Be Giant has an editorial mission to be optimistic and solutions oriented… and today published a story about Big Oil’s Pathways Alliance project that treats the “decarbonized oil” lie as a genuine opportunity. www.begiant.ca/stories/plac...
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Canada is attending this month’s fossil fuel phaseout summit in Colombia. Normally this would be a good sign, but given Carney is a fossil fuel expansionist, skeptics would be right to be concerned this might be a maneuver to derail the necessary energy transition other countries are planning for.
climatechangenews.com
Major oil producers among 46 nations joining fossil fuel phase-out summit
Canada, Australia, Brazil and Norway are set to attend the Santa Marta summit, but the world’s biggest fossil fuel producers are missing from the list
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Reposted by John Woodside
Stand.earth @stand.earth · 30/03/2026
BREAKING: The Canada Pension Plan, other Canadian public pensions, and banks attempt to profit from sinking $35 billion into ICE contractors ‼️ 🧵 #GreenSky
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
The government’s latest energy futures report drops modelling for a 1.5C scenario and assumes Canada remains a major oil and gas supplier for decades to come. More climate denial dressed up as serious analysis to invent a rationale for Carney’s fossil fuel expansionist plans.
cer-rec.gc.ca
CER – Canada’s Energy Future 2026: Energy Supply and Demand Projections to 2050
Canada’s Energy Future 2026: Energy Supply and Demand Projections to 2050
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Dr. Genevieve Guenther (she/they) @doctorvive.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
This is the cloud of oil currently hovering over Tehran, released when the US bombed the city's oil depots. A stew of particulate matter, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, heavy metals & volatile organic compounds is raining down into the city right now. 1/2
a picture of a huge, low, heavy cloud of black oil over Tehran
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Alleen Brown @alleenbrown.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
My latest for @grist.org: Pipeline giant Enbridge will pay for police to respond to potential Indigenous-led protests as it begins construction of the controversial Line 5 reroute around the Bad River reservation grist.org/indigenous/e...
grist.org
Enbridge paid police to protect one pipeline. Now it wants to do it again in Wisconsin.
The Bad River Band is fighting to stop Line 5 and protect its watershed. Meanwhile, local sheriffs are already tallying the cost of riot gear.
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Reposted by John Woodside
Luke LeBrun @lukelebrun.ca · 01/03/2026
“It is highly likely that members of the Canadian military, on exchange with the United States, were involved in the planning and co-ordinating of airstrikes on Iran, says a former senior Canadian general”
cbc.ca
Members of Canada's military may have been involved in planning U.S. strikes on Iran, retired general says | CBC News
A retired Canadian major-general says personnel on exchange with U.S. Central Command were likely involved in planning and targeting airstrikes on Iran unless Ottawa explicitly barred participation. A...
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Reposted by John Woodside
Stephen Thomas @stephenjwt.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Carney Government Knew Carbon Capture Was ‘Very Limited,’ Docs Show www.desmog.com/2026/02/20/c...
desmog.com
Carney Government Knew Carbon Capture Was ‘Very Limited,’ Docs Show
Briefing notes obtained by DeSmog reveal the Carney government had major knowledge gaps about CCS even as it made the technology central to its climate plan.
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Reposted by John Woodside
Richard Delevan @richard.wickedproblems.earth · 16/02/2026
"From: "jeffrey E." <jeevacation@gmail.com> To: Joscha Bach Date: Sun, 10 Jul 2016 re taboo , maybe climate change is a good way of dealing with overpopulation. the earths forest fire. potentailly a good thing for the species".. 1/2
From: "jeffrey E." <jeevacation@gmail.com>
To: Joscha Bach
Subject: Re: Mechanisms for learning
Date: Sun, 10 Jul 2016 11:31:09 +0000
no worry,
if i understand correctly you are suggsting there are layers 1 through N. lets cal them L 1 - Ln. there are times T 1- Tn/ and then conjecture that changing the time. correlations ( by genetic swtch or other method., you might be able to make blacks smarter by changing the time for motor layer development and changing the time for other layers.. ). like telemeres for the cell, are their equivalents for the layers.. as you talked about culling the unused neurons in each layer, each neuron in each layer would get dfferent (kill yourself if you are not being used instructions). and CONCEPTS could be layer to layer communicaiton.. are gender differences also a matter of time, and structure of interactions.. i my self believe that african music, westrn music, chinese music are a window into the the structure of those layers. . western rigid, african
primitve, chinese nature based,. I belive that synphoic movments best describe your layering.
they open with a basic simple melody, , after it is learned, it is repeated and " developed "
, inverted, distorted, related, etc. the development stage take a long time. then there is a recapitlaltion of the whole. and its inter and intra actions. • african musci has lots of beats. and little development. - no accident, it mirrors their learning
process.
re taboo , maybe climate change is a good way of dealing with overpopulation. the earths forest fire. potentailly a
good thing for the species
too many people, so many mass executions of the elderly and infirm make sense is the fundamental fact that everyone dies at some time make it imporrisbole to ask so why not earlier. if
the brain discards unused neurons, why shold society keep their equivalent
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
A high-stakes electricity strategy is in the works, and Prime Minister Mark Carney's government will soon seek premiers' input as provinces and territories jostle for major infrastructure support.
nationalobserver.com
Feds to seek input on electricity plans from country’s premiers
A high-stakes electricity strategy is in the works, and Prime Minister Mark Carney's government will soon seek premiers' input as provinces and territories jostle for major infrastructure support.
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Hundreds of workers responsible for pollution prevention, weather forecasting, conservation and environmental disaster response are set to be cut from ECCC as Prime Minister Mark Carney's government takes a chainsaw to the public service.
nationalobserver.com
Feds target hundreds of Environment and Climate Change Canada workers putting 'public safety and the environment at risk'
Hundreds of workers responsible for pollution prevention, weather forecasting, conservation and environmental disaster response are being at Environment and Climate Change Canada received workforce ad...
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
After dismantling many of the climate policies put in place by the previous government, Mark Carney has quietly directed his government to craft a national electricity strategy. Expect PCO clerk Michael Sabia, the former Hydro-Quebec exec, to be heavily involved.
nationalobserver.com
Ottawa plotting a high stakes clean energy strategy
After dismantling many of the climate policies put in place by the previous government, Prime Minister Mark Carney has quietly directed his government to craft a national electricity strategy.
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Carney’s speech at Davos today was a clear articulation of what we called the Carney method in a piece published yesterday. It’s a great unravelling from the United States, and the world order it set to dominate others. But tests for the strategy are here — and we don’t yet know how far he will go
nationalobserver.com
From Beijing to Greenland, the Carney method is coming into focus
Prime Minister Mark Carney is betting on ad-hoc alliances and strategic partnerships across a constellation of countries to replace the US-led world order, setting a new foreign policy for Canada that...
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Reposted by John Woodside
Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 20/01/2026
Russian authorities have detained an Indigenous climate advocate, accusing her of participating in a terrorist organization in what international observers are calling “retribution” for her United Nations advocacy on behalf of Indigenous peoples. From our colleagues at @grist.org:
motherjones.com
She fought forIndigenous voices at the UN. Now she’s in a Russian jail cell.
Observers say Daria Egereva’s case highlights the risks Native advocates face when they challenge the powerful.
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Carney is betting on ad-hoc alliances to circumvent the US led world order, setting a new foreign policy for Canada that could run head-first into the Trump doctrine. The Carney method is an opportunity to unravel, and Greenland is an immediate test for how far he is willing to go.
nationalobserver.com
From Beijing to Greenland, the Carney method is coming into focus
Prime Minister Mark Carney is betting on ad-hoc alliances and strategic partnerships across a constellation of countries to replace the US-led world order, setting a new foreign policy for Canada that...
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Reposted by John Woodside
Cloe Logan @cloelogan.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Very useful piece from @woodsideful.bsky.social. Tim Hodgson's briefing materials reveal points of leverage and opportunities for collaboration, offering an unprecedented view into the complex terrain of major project negotiations. It shows what the provinces and territories want most.
nationalobserver.com
Hodgson’s briefing binder reveals provincial asks for new fossil fuels, critical minerals and electricity
In 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government began building the architecture to develop major projects, but 2026 is when the rubber meets the road. Here’s what the provinces and territories want t...
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Coastal First Nation leaders remain opposed to a new pipeline, and said Carney in the closed door meeting said he will seek free, prior and informed consent... but with political pressure ramping up on him (and his own apparent pipeline interest) very unclear how this will shake out.
nationalobserver.com
Coastal First Nations say they are open to cooperation, not pipelines
Following a closed-door meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday, Coastal First Nations leaders said their opposition to a new oil pipeline hasn’t changed.
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Wild find from @cloelogan.bsky.social: A freedom of information request reveals the province’s PR budget for the Ring of Fire with money spent on TV, radio, newspapers and more — including nearly $60,000 for “additional costs as a result of eliminating shoe scene from TV spot.”
nationalobserver.com
Documents reveal Ontario's $7M Ring of Fire ad bill
These ads are pushing the controversial mega-project through a campaign it has dubbed “Protect Ontario,” which Canada’s National Observer has learned is earmarked with a budget of more than $7 million...
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Amber Bracken & The Narwhal are suing the RCMP for wrongfully arresting and detaining her while on assignment and violating both her and the publication’s Charter rights in a high-stakes press freedom case set to unfold over the course of five weeks via @natashabulowski.bsky.social
nationalobserver.com
Photojournalist Amber Bracken takes the stand in press freedom trial
On Tuesday, photojournalist Amber Bracken took the witness stand in her joint trial against the RCMP. Bracken and The Narwhal are suing the RCMP for Bracken's wrongful arrest and detention and violati...
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Canada's National Observer @nationalobserver.com · 13/01/2026
Tim Hodgson's briefing materials reveal points of leverage and opportunities for collaboration, offering an unprecedented view into the complex terrain of major project negotiations.  @woodsideful.bsky.social reports on what the provinces and territories want most.
nationalobserver.com
Hodgson’s briefing binder reveals provincial asks for new fossil fuels, critical minerals and electricity
In 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government began building the architecture to develop major projects, but 2026 is when the rubber meets the road. Here’s what the provinces and territories want t...
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
The case has the potential to produce something journalists in Canada have long sought: a clear, unambiguous message to police about the rights of journalists in covering matters of public importance. Via @arnokopecky.bsky.social
nationalobserver.com
A historic fight for press freedom begins
Four years after a dramatic arrest, Amber Bracken and The Narwhal are turning the tables and suing the RCMP. The trial starts today.
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John Woodside @woodsideful.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
As the federal major projects agenda ramps up, we obtained Tim Hodgson's briefing materials, offering an unprecedented view into the complex terrain of negotiations. Here are what the provinces and territories want most.
nationalobserver.com
Hodgson’s briefing binder reveals provincial asks for new fossil fuels, critical minerals and electricity
In 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government began building the architecture to develop major projects, but 2026 is when the rubber meets the road. Here’s what the provinces and territories want t...
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