Jimmy Thomson
@jameswsthomson.com
Environment and climate journalist | Editor in Chief at @nationalobserver.com | Work in The Globe and Mail, The Narwhal, The Guardian | www.jameswsthomson.com
Reposted by Jimmy Thomson
Not sure what to make of CBC's ongoing transit violence series on The National. It's selling it with headlines saying it's "rising" even as the text notes that the peak was in 2023. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Transit violence rising across Canada — in some cities by nearly 300% | CBC News
A joint investigation by CBC News and the Investigative Journalism Foundation has found that transit violence in some of Canada's biggest municipalities remains well above pre-pandemic levels, despite...
www.cbc.ca
January 13, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Not sure what to make of CBC's ongoing transit violence series on The National. It's selling it with headlines saying it's "rising" even as the text notes that the peak was in 2023. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Live your life in a way that when you die people don't post the Death-at-a-claw-machine meme
Live your life in a way that when you die you aren't praised by Trump.
January 13, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Live your life in a way that when you die people don't post the Death-at-a-claw-machine meme
Mob behaviour
I pulled up next to one at 10:17am yesterday an snapped a photo. By 10:27 the agents I photographed were in front of my house, along with another vehicle that met them there. It's a 10 minute drive from where I took the photo to my house - so they got the data *instantly*
bsky.app/profile/mitc...
bsky.app/profile/mitc...
Guys I think they're instantly getting DVS data.
Pulled up next to this guy on central going south in Columbia heights, followed him, they turned around, got on 694, crossed the river, and went straight to my house in Brooklyn center.
Pulled up next to this guy on central going south in Columbia heights, followed him, they turned around, got on 694, crossed the river, and went straight to my house in Brooklyn center.
January 13, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Mob behaviour
Reposted by Jimmy Thomson
American-owned Toronto Sun advocating for US annexation of Greenland
January 13, 2026 at 2:19 PM
American-owned Toronto Sun advocating for US annexation of Greenland
Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can't take it, and my heart is just going to cave in
To an extent I appreciate the need to take the Alberta Independence movement seriously but the irony of trying to host your separatist event at “Canadian” Brewhouse to be told to leave and then pivoting to “Swamp Donkey” needs to be highlighted.
January 13, 2026 at 3:51 PM
Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can't take it, and my heart is just going to cave in
Reposted by Jimmy Thomson
"We don't have the infrastructure to be able to take up an investigation, to be able to levy fines or to ban social media companies," said Kaitlynn Mendes, a professor in inequality and gender at Western University "This is a huge problem."
Canada won't ban X. But experts say it has few other options
Elon Musk is applauding the federal government after Canada's minister of AI announced the country will not ban X or Musk's AI over the tech's snowballing "nudification" problem.
www.nationalobserver.com
January 13, 2026 at 2:01 AM
"We don't have the infrastructure to be able to take up an investigation, to be able to levy fines or to ban social media companies," said Kaitlynn Mendes, a professor in inequality and gender at Western University "This is a huge problem."
I've been to Greenland a bunch of times over the years. I loved it. Beautiful place, lovely people, very peaceful. Didn't see a lot of Americans there. Hope it stays that way for a long long time.
January 12, 2026 at 11:10 PM
I've been to Greenland a bunch of times over the years. I loved it. Beautiful place, lovely people, very peaceful. Didn't see a lot of Americans there. Hope it stays that way for a long long time.
Reposted by Jimmy Thomson
Canada has 41.5 million people, and its governing party is posting messages on a platform that are on average viewed by only a few hundred people
What do Canadian MPs actually gain from using X?
What would Canadian MPs stand to lose by leaving X?
What do Canadian MPs actually gain from using X?
What would Canadian MPs stand to lose by leaving X?
January 12, 2026 at 1:27 PM
Canada has 41.5 million people, and its governing party is posting messages on a platform that are on average viewed by only a few hundred people
What do Canadian MPs actually gain from using X?
What would Canadian MPs stand to lose by leaving X?
What do Canadian MPs actually gain from using X?
What would Canadian MPs stand to lose by leaving X?
This morning in Vancouver, Amber Bracken will take on the RCMP in a historic lawsuit brought by @thenarwhal.ca over her arrest while working in the field. @arnokopecky.bsky.social on why this lawsuit matters.
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.
www.nationalobserver.com
January 12, 2026 at 2:56 PM
This morning in Vancouver, Amber Bracken will take on the RCMP in a historic lawsuit brought by @thenarwhal.ca over her arrest while working in the field. @arnokopecky.bsky.social on why this lawsuit matters.
Catherine Hickson was trying to save her geothermal company from certain death just as Kevin O'Leary was coming to town.
Then, with the announcement of the Wonder Valley data megaproject — to be powered in part by geothermal — she thought her prayers were answered.
They weren't.
Then, with the announcement of the Wonder Valley data megaproject — to be powered in part by geothermal — she thought her prayers were answered.
They weren't.
She thought Kevin O'Leary's Wonder Valley data centre would save her geothermal company. She was wrong
Catherine Hickson was just beginning to accept that her dream of building Alberta's first geothermal power plant was probably dead when Kevin O'Leary announced he was building a data centre partly pow...
www.nationalobserver.com
January 12, 2026 at 2:54 PM
Catherine Hickson was trying to save her geothermal company from certain death just as Kevin O'Leary was coming to town.
Then, with the announcement of the Wonder Valley data megaproject — to be powered in part by geothermal — she thought her prayers were answered.
They weren't.
Then, with the announcement of the Wonder Valley data megaproject — to be powered in part by geothermal — she thought her prayers were answered.
They weren't.
Not to say they shouldn't!
January 12, 2026 at 5:08 AM
Not to say they shouldn't!
They verify accounts all the time. Why wouldn't they verify a Canadian party? I just don't think this points to anything WRT a ban of X.
January 12, 2026 at 5:08 AM
They verify accounts all the time. Why wouldn't they verify a Canadian party? I just don't think this points to anything WRT a ban of X.
I dunno man. The minister for AI has said it's not happening — and the NDP wields no power whatsoever at the federal level.
January 12, 2026 at 4:55 AM
I dunno man. The minister for AI has said it's not happening — and the NDP wields no power whatsoever at the federal level.
The timing of Powell's announcement — as close as possible to markets opening Monday — seems pretty clever.
January 12, 2026 at 4:47 AM
The timing of Powell's announcement — as close as possible to markets opening Monday — seems pretty clever.
It would actually be a dereliction of my duty to Canadians to not buy everyone in this Nazi bar a round and to make sure I tip my Nazi server as I exclusively tell these Nazis important information related to my job
January 11, 2026 at 9:44 PM
It would actually be a dereliction of my duty to Canadians to not buy everyone in this Nazi bar a round and to make sure I tip my Nazi server as I exclusively tell these Nazis important information related to my job
Hanging out at a Nazi bar and telling them about my job over the Nazi music and the sieg heils because I have to reach the people where they are
January 11, 2026 at 9:41 PM
Hanging out at a Nazi bar and telling them about my job over the Nazi music and the sieg heils because I have to reach the people where they are
B) hits hard here: what, if any, are the limits and criteria the government has set for where they communicate? Would they post bulletins to Stormfront? Should they do live cam press conferences on Pornhub?
I imagine a government's argument for remaining on Twitter would be that they should be communicating where people are, but...
a) I would wonder how many people are still on Twitter
and b) there is surely some limit on where the government feels it's appropriate to communicate.
a) I would wonder how many people are still on Twitter
and b) there is surely some limit on where the government feels it's appropriate to communicate.
January 11, 2026 at 9:20 PM
B) hits hard here: what, if any, are the limits and criteria the government has set for where they communicate? Would they post bulletins to Stormfront? Should they do live cam press conferences on Pornhub?
Reposted by Jimmy Thomson
Canada isn't banning X and its ministers continue to use it. Ok. What are the consequences of creating child sex abuse material and deepfake porn? www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
Canada not considering a ban on X over deepfake controversy, AI minister says
The platform, which is owned by Elon Musk, has been embroiled in controversy over sexualized deepfakes of women and children created by X’s chatbot Grok.
www.thestar.com
January 11, 2026 at 8:20 PM
Canada isn't banning X and its ministers continue to use it. Ok. What are the consequences of creating child sex abuse material and deepfake porn? www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
These AI images coming out of X depicting Greenland with strip malls and huge parking lots — the proud, aggressive memeification of the worst symbol of American life — is so odd. Is this intended to represent a threat? An actual hope? A self-aware joke? I truly can't tell with Americans.
January 11, 2026 at 5:11 PM
These AI images coming out of X depicting Greenland with strip malls and huge parking lots — the proud, aggressive memeification of the worst symbol of American life — is so odd. Is this intended to represent a threat? An actual hope? A self-aware joke? I truly can't tell with Americans.
Reposted by Jimmy Thomson
The concept of posting “Canada is not considering a ban of X” as a QUOTE of your post condemning deepfake sexual abuse happening **ON X** of women and kids………….
January 11, 2026 at 5:51 AM
The concept of posting “Canada is not considering a ban of X” as a QUOTE of your post condemning deepfake sexual abuse happening **ON X** of women and kids………….
I'm not sure what the mechanism is.
January 10, 2026 at 4:37 PM
I'm not sure what the mechanism is.
Ok Canada, time to show the same level of global leadership as (checks notes) Indonesia
Indonesian minister says deepfakes are a 'serious violation of human rights, dignity, and security of citizens' online.
Indonesia blocks access to Musk's AI chatbot Grok over deepfake images
Indonesian minister says deepfakes are a 'serious violation of human rights, dignity, and security of citizens' online.
www.aljazeera.com
January 10, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Ok Canada, time to show the same level of global leadership as (checks notes) Indonesia
Reposted by Jimmy Thomson
Beautiful, beautiful piece - what a love letter to local journalism and gorgeous meditation on the passage of time
Dan Zakreski has covered Saskatoon since 1981. Today he is retiring. In his own words he says farewell.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
A long, strange trip: Reporting the news, from rotary dial phones to Reddit | CBC News
Dan Zakreski began reporting in Saskatoon in 1981. Four decades later, he returns to his very first story and asks: What's up with wall calendars?
www.cbc.ca
January 9, 2026 at 8:59 PM
Beautiful, beautiful piece - what a love letter to local journalism and gorgeous meditation on the passage of time
An update you didn't know you needed: the guy who flew from Montreal to Old Crow, Yukon to escape pandemic lockdowns has now registered to trademark... um, this, for use in NFTs and whatnot ised-isde.canada.ca/cipo/tradema...
January 9, 2026 at 9:32 PM
An update you didn't know you needed: the guy who flew from Montreal to Old Crow, Yukon to escape pandemic lockdowns has now registered to trademark... um, this, for use in NFTs and whatnot ised-isde.canada.ca/cipo/tradema...
Reposted by Jimmy Thomson
Canada should do the same
Elon Musk’s X threatened with UK ban over wave of indecent AI images www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Elon Musk’s X threatened with UK ban over wave of indecent AI images
Platform has restricted image creation on the Grok AI tool to paying subscribers, but victims and experts say this does not go far enough
www.theguardian.com
January 9, 2026 at 9:27 PM
Canada should do the same