Michael J. Armstrong

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 1d

Quebec's cash-strapped universities are cancelling varsity sports for students & sabbaticals for profs, along with many other things.

www.ctvnews.ca/canada/artic...

How university cuts impact campus life

University professors and students are learning tough lessons about the impact of cuts on their campuses as cash-strapped universities across Canada struggle to find ways to drive down costs.

www.ctvnews.ca

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 2d

Thanks to CBC Moncton & CBC Calgary for interviewing me last week about the legal cannabis industry.

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 5d

Alberta collects more cannabis taxes per capita because it has many licensed stores & charges a higher excise tax than any other province.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Since legalization, Alberta has collected most cannabis tax revenue per capita of any province | CBC News

Ontario took in the greatest provincial share of revenue — $1.5 billion — with Alberta coming in second at just over $1 billion, despite having less than a third of Ontario's population.

www.cbc.ca

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 6d

Here's an article I wrote about government cannabis revenues 2 years ago.

policyoptions.irpp.org/2023/11/onta...

Ontario Cannabis Store earned $234 million but taxpayers got nothing

The Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) is now the most lucrative provincial cannabis agency in Canada, thanks to four consecutive profitable years selling recreational cannabis. Yet throughout that time, it...

policyoptions.irpp.org

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 6d

Since recreational cannabis became legal in 2018, the Canadian government has collected $1.2 billion in taxes while the provinces got $4.2 billion.

Ontario got the largest total $ amount, while Alberta got the most per capita.

www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

Canada collected over $5.4B in cannabis tax revenue since legalization | CBC News

Ottawa and the provinces raked in more than $5.4 billion in cannabis tax revenue since the drug was legalized for recreational use in October 2018.

www.cbc.ca

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 6d

“recent regulatory changes in the U.S. have made it much more challenging for international students, who have become the majority of the school’s student body, to attend classes in person.”

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Prestigious Chicago brewing school relocating to Montreal amid U.S. regulatory changes | CBC News

The Siebel Institute of Technology, North America’s oldest brewing school, is moving from Chicago to Montreal in January 2026. The relocation is aimed at improving accessibility for international stud...

www.cbc.ca

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 7d

"Alcohol is still a direct or indirect state monopoly that generates money for the province. And so the removal of those barriers threatens their ability to make money."

www.cbc.ca/news/busines...

Alcohol industry disappointed to be left out of interprovincial trade agreement | CBC News

Some in the alcohol industry say they’re perplexed and disappointed that booze was left out of a recent agreement between provinces to drop interprovincial trade barriers.

www.cbc.ca

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 11d

FYI #EpiSky

Maria L. Andersen @mlandersen.com · 11d

New preprint📈📉

What happens to health and work when people become grandparents? Using Norwegian register data on all individuals born 1950-1960, we use event-study models comparing grandparents to not-yet grandparents to track changes in health and labour supply.

🔗 www.ssrn.com/abstract=571...

Figure showing event-study plots centred around the birth of one's first grandchild. The left plot shows health changes, the right shows labour market changes (separated by grandparent gender).

The image shows the following abstract:

The Cost of Caring: Gendered Health and Labour Market Effects of Grandparenthood

While the effects of the transition to parenthood are well-researched, less is known about how the transition to grandparenthood affects health and labour market outcomes. Using comprehensive Norwegian register data covering the entire population born between 1950 and 1960, we examine the effects of first-born grandchildren born during 2007–2018. Employing event-study models with person-year records, we compare grandparents to not-yet grandparents. Our findings reveal a sharp increase in the likelihood of respiratory infections during the first two years of grandparenthood, with infections increasing by 56% for women and 31% for men. Additionally, grandparenthood modestly reduces the likelihood of doctor’s visits related to mental disorders (4.5%) and cardiovascular health (3.3%). Grandmothers also see a decline in musculoskeletal-related visits (3.8%). These health-related changes coincide with notable gendered effects on labour market participation. Ten years after the birth of their first grandchild, employed women are 12% less likely to hold full-time positions compared to a 2% reduction for men. Overall, our findings demonstrate that the transition to grandparenthood significantly reshapes health and economic outcomes for both women and men. The larger effects observed for women likely reflect their greater involvement in informal childcare provision. Our results underscore the intersection of health, family dynamics, and gendered labour market behaviours in late adulthood.

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 11d

Canadian college & university enrollments rose 5.8% in 2023-2024. That was the last year before the federal government began limiting international student visas. Business, social sciences, & health care remained the 3 biggest fields.

www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quo...

This line chart shows enrollment trends at Canadian colleges and universities from 2013-2014 to 2023-2024. The top 3 field of study all showed increases: business, social sciences, and health care. Note that 2023-2024 was the last year before the federal government imposed caps on international student enrollments.

Maria L. Andersen @mlandersen.com · 11d

New preprint📈📉

What happens to health and work when people become grandparents? Using Norwegian register data on all individuals born 1950-1960, we use event-study models comparing grandparents to not-yet grandparents to track changes in health and labour supply.

🔗 www.ssrn.com/abstract=571...

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 11d

FYI @bretdevereaux.bsky.social

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 12d

"the exhibit connects Niagara’s modern wine industry with its roots, going all the back to the 1800s, and showcases how science and education helped grow a world class wine region" 🍷

brocku.ca/brock-news/2...

Exhibit digs into Niagara wine industry’s historic roots

A new Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre exhibit is bringing Niagara’s winemaking heritage to life with support from several Brock University departments. Modeled after similar exhibits in museums in ...

brocku.ca

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 12d

This article by @brocku.ca coworker Martin Danahay describes how Trump's form of “murder by necessity,” was essentially outlawed in a landmark case in 1884'.

theconversation.com/trumps-aggre...

Trump’s aggression in the Caribbean could violate a Victorian-era court ruling on cannibalism at sea

A landmark 1884 court ruling essentially outlawed ‘murder by necessity’ on the high seas. Is Donald Trump running afoul of the law with his boat strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific?

theconversation.com

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 17d

'"If you increase the number of scientists that will apply for the same budget, it will be a terrible type of situation," he said, with even tougher competition and even more excellent proposals left unfunded'

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Canada seeks star academics from abroad, but stable funding for higher education remains a concern | CBC News

Proponents believe a current push to recruit star researchers from abroad will mean top-tier learning for Canadian students and a boost to research innovation and excellence. Yet concerns remain about...

www.cbc.ca

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 18d

12% fewer Canadians have visited the USA by air.

This line plot displays Statistics Canada's estimates of the number of Canadian travelers returning from the USA by airplane each month. For each month, the count was lower in 2025 than in 2024. The solid line represents final counts and the dashed line represents leading indicator estimates.

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 18d

30% fewer Canadians have visited the USA by land in 2025 so far, compared to 2024.

This line plot displays Statistics Canada estimates of the number of Canadian travelers returning from the USA by land (e.g., by car) each month. For each month from February onward, the count was lower in 2025 than in 2024. The solid line represents final counts and the dashed line represents leading indicator estimates.

Patrick Cain @patrickcain.bsky.social · 21d

Here is a working link to the original Poppy File map, which shows about 3,300 of Toronto's Second World War war dead at the household level. Click on a home to see details. The First World War map follows in the thread /1 t.co/4P9GUkl8m0

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 24d

"of Mamdani’s campaign commitments, free high-quality child care for every New Yorker from 6 weeks to 5 years old – while boosting child care workers’ wages to match that of the city’s public school teachers – could be the most transformative."
@brocku.ca
theconversation.com/zohran-mamda...

Zohran Mamdani’s transformative child care plan builds on a history of NYC social innovations

Mamdani’s child care plans could set an example for other policymakers to follow, as Democratic and Republican voters say child care costs are a major problem.

theconversation.com

Canuckstan @jonchevreau.bsky.social · 24d

'Manufactured crisis': Fentanyl seized at Canadian border by U.S. authorities plummets #CanadaSky #USpol #EconSky #cdnpoli #Canada nationalpost.com/news/canada/...

'Manufactured crisis': Fentanyl seized at Canadian border by U.S. authorities plummets

After a brief spike in the volume of fentanyl seized in April and May, the numbers have plummeted to their lowest level since 2023.

nationalpost.com

Jakob Manthey @mantheyjakob.bsky.social · 25d

Good morning!
Our new paper compared different types of cannabis sources in a sample of 1500 users after cannabis #legalisation in DEU.

At the time of data collection in Dec 2024, about 50% of users have obtained at least some of their cannabis from legal sources.
doi.org/10.1007/s11469-025-01574-3

Legal and Illegal Sources of Cannabis in Germany Shortly After Legalisation - International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

The aim of this study is to examine cannabis sources shortly after the legalisation of recreational cannabis possession and cultivation and liberalisation of medical cannabis prescription in Germany i...

doi.org

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 26d

The Canadian government is cutting its reimbursement to veterans for medically prescribed cannabis from $8.50 to $6 per gram.

www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

They're not the big-ticket items, but these 5 budget items could impact you | CBC News

They might not get the flashy headlines, but sprinkled throughout Tuesday’s budget and its digital-only annexes are several measures that could impact the lives of many Canadians. We take a closer loo...

www.cbc.ca

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 26d

If the feds cut international student enrollment my 65%, there'll be no point in spending billions to attract new professors. Universities will be doing mass layoffs of their existing ones.

universityaffairs.ca/news/budget-...

Budget cuts international student permits by 65 per cent in 2026 - University Affairs

Carney government also proposes $1.7 billion to recruit international researchers.

universityaffairs.ca

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 27d

"some researchers have raised concerns regarding the quality and student outcomes associated with asynchronous online courses. As well, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has exposed fundamental challenges to this mode of delivery"
@brocku.ca

theconversation.com/how-ai-is-ch...

How AI is challenging the credibility of some online courses

AI agents can navigate course sites, consume materials and complete assignments, effectively simulating student engagement.

theconversation.com

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 27d

Or if you prefer the story in Russian:
могла ли атака легкой кавалерии в Балаклавском сражении завершиться успехом?

inosmi.ru/20191028/246...

Британские ученые доказали: в 1854 году в Крыму их генерал не ошибся (The Conversation) (The Conversation, Австралия)

Реконструкцию известного эпизода Крымской войны вывели на математический уровень. Была ли смелая атака британской кавалерии, в которой погибли две трети... | 28.10.2019, ИноСМИ

inosmi.ru

Michael J Armstrong @profmjarmstrong.bsky.social · 27d

In fairness, the British didn't do much better in that Crimean conflict ...

theconversation.com/could-the-ch...

Could the Charge of the Light Brigade have worked?

The Charge of the Light Brigade was brave but fruitless. Could it have worked if the feuding British leaders had interpreted their orders differently?

theconversation.com

Christopher Waters @waters-wine.bsky.social · 29d

The changing climate in Bordeaux has led the industry to welcome new grape varieties to maintain quality winemaking in the future, but Château Mouton Rothschild and other properties in Pauillac welcome “the golden age of cabernet sauvignon.”
www.theglobeandmail.com/life/style/f...