David Akin's Roundup: Election strategy. B.C. burning. China's spies.
MON AUG 3
Canada
With four vacant ridings, why did Carney call just three byelections?
Liberal strategists would clearly have advised the prime minister that, given the unique political circumstances of the ridings that are currently vacant, the Liberals could give themselves a boatload more money to spend fighting off the Bloc Québecois in one vacant Québec seat by calling three byelections while depriving the BQ of cash it could use by holding off on that fourth by-election to fill a second vacant Québec seat. | Globalnews.ca
Data point: Comparing ridings on shelter costs
The percentage of homeowners and renters in the three ridings in play are roughly similar but only in North Van is the median monthly rent higher than the median monthly shelter cost for owners. Owners have the highest monthly shelter costs in Beaches and renters are highest in North Van. - DA
Liberals Maintain Six-Point Lead as Trump Tariff Threat and Wildfires Reshape the Public Agenda
The Liberals continue to lead the Conservatives by six points. Government approval remains above 50%. Mark Carney retains a substantial personal advantage over Pierre Poilievre. But what Canadians are focused on has shifted. Concern about Donald Trump and his administration has risen six points, making it the second most frequently selected issue facing the country. Concern about climate change and the environment has increased three points (7 over a month), as wildfires evacuations and smoke became more prominent. | Abacus Data
Canada counted on immigrants to have babies. It’s not working
Over the last two decades, fertility rates among immigrants and their children have shifted markedly, researchers say, and the trend affects debates over immigration levels, which streams to prioritize, and which source countries best support long-term population growth. “Population aging is about the relative size of different generations,” said Rachel Margolis, a professor in demography and sociology at Western University. “If we add in a lot of working-age people and they have a lot of kids, it adds to both. But if we add a lot of working-age people and they don’t have that many kids, we still have a smaller kid generation and it contributes even more to population aging.” | TorStar (🎁 link)
Briefing Binders: Foreign Affairs Min Anita Anand committee appearances
Just posted via the government’s Open Data Portal:
Oct 30 2025 appearance at FAAE | Global Affairs Canada
Briefing Binder: International Trade Min Maninder Sidhu before Committee of the Whole
“You will appear before a Committee of the Whole meeting of the House of Commons on the Main Estimates 2025-26 for a four-hour session on the evening of Tuesday, June 10, following adjournment proceedings (roughly 6:30-7pm for a maximum of up to (4) four hours)”. | Global Affairs Canada
The Provinces
Thousands under evacuation orders as BC wildfires flare up
The West Coast is in the grips of an unrelenting wildfire fight, with more than 40 evacuation orders and just as many alerts in place across British Columbia Sunday night. More than 130 active fires are burning across the province – more than 30 of those ignited just this weekend. Though strong winds had been in the forecast, they were nowhere close to the strength of what materialized. In the province’s interior tonight, Jordan Armstrong reports on our top story.
Elsewhere
How China Keeps Tabs on Foreigners
Fascinating piece. China monitors its 1.4 billion people on an unparalleled scale, with the help of cameras, cellphone signals and national IDs. The database Mr. Hofer found offered a rare window into how extensively the Chinese authorities also surveil foreigners, displaying entries about people categorized by nationality, with their birth date, sex, marital status, address and occupation, and sometimes their religion. It also included instances when they were captured on camera at traffic intersections, markets, shopping malls or other locations, including a mosque. | NYT (🎁 link)
Heatwave forces nuclear shutdown in Hungary
Hungary says a heatwave is forcing the shutdown of its largest nuclear power plant for the first time in 44 years. Scorching temperatures and drought have caused record-low water levels in the Danube river, disrupting reactor cooling systems. | Al Jazeera
How rigid return-to-office policies fuel employee attrition
A stat-filled op-ed to consider as the Canadian government ramps up back-to-work policies for its employees: A recent EnhancV survey of 1,000 full-time U.S. workers subject to new or stricter return-to-office policies found that 72 percent suspect these mandates are really a voluntary attrition strategy — a strategy by their own employers to make them quit their jobs. A full 46 percent admit to the practice of coffee-badging. Thirty-six percent have applied for a new job while sitting at their current office desk. Thirty-six percent have started a side hustle since the mandate was announced, in anticipation of being let go or quitting. Those numbers do not prove that employees reject collaboration. They show that many employees no longer trust the official story. And if you are an employer, this should horrify you. | The Hill
Marjorie Taylor Greene heralds new anti-Trump posse with Tucker Carlson and Thomas Massie: “The movement has begun”
A pic shows her sitting at a long table with fellow Trump targets, far-right commentator Tucker Carlson, Rep. Thomas Massie, and former counterterrorism official Joe Kent. “We said no more foreign wars and we meant it and supported Donald Trump because he made that promise. But he's betrayed us all,” she wrote | TAG24
Media
As Reddit stock falls, CEO questions value of Google’s AI Overviews
Like any company, Reddit reports quarterly earnings, and its CEO, Steve Huffman, addresses investors during those reports. It’s not always about just sharing numbers, though: This quarter, Huffman took the opportunity to voice concerns and criticisms about Google’s AI Overviews feature, which automatically summarizes search results on most user queries. | Ars Technica
Science and Technology
In a first, ‘super-Earth’ rocky exoplanet may have an atmosphere
Called LHS 1140b, the object is about five times the mass of our planet, or a “super-Earth.” This planet orbits around its star in the “Goldilocks zone,” also known as the habitable zone, meaning its surface temperature is not too hot or too cold for liquid water to exist. | CNN
Set a Custom EQ for Your AirPods in iOS 27
It’s worth noting that iOS has had an EQ setting for years – it’s buried in Settings ➝ Apps ➝ Music, but it applies only to Apple Music playback, and works on any pair of headphones. In iOS 27, the new EQ is specifically tied to your AirPods, so it applies to everything you listen to. Your custom EQ profile also carries over to iPad and Mac when you pair your AirPods with them. | MacRumors
Issued this day …
… in 1982. Sc 967. Regina Centenary. Design: Kim Martin and Robert Russell.
