Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Alex Ballingall

@aballinga.bsky.social

1.8K followers 550 following 310 posts

Deputy Ottawa Bureau Chief for the Toronto Star. Government/political people, please tell me everything: [email protected] https://www.thestar.com/

www.thestar.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Alex Ballingall @aballinga.bsky.social · Dec 11

😀

YouTube video by Bob Dylan - Topic

www.youtube.com

Reposted by Alex Ballingall

Judy Trinh @judytrinh.bsky.social · 1d

Supporters of Freedom Convoy leaders- Chris Barber and Tamara Lich get into a scuffle ahead of their sentencing today. Both have been found guilty of mischief. Their lawyers want full discharge, crown seeking 8yrs for Barber and 7years for Lich.

Reposted by Alex Ballingall

Jack Hauen @jackhauen.bsky.social · 2d

New: Clients of lobbying firms with close connections to Premier Doug Ford and his nephew have been hugely successful in applying to the province’s Skills Development Fund.

Full analysis: www.thetrillium.ca/news/politic...

#onpoli

Clients of lobby firms connected to premier, his nephew given tens of millions in training funds

Groups represented by a lobbying firm owned by the premier’s campaign manager got more than $100 million in grant money, a Trillium analysis has found

www.thetrillium.ca

Reposted by Alex Ballingall

Canadian Paintings @canadianpaintings.bsky.social · 12d

Autumn, Digby Neck
Maud Lewis
c. 1962

Alex Ballingall @aballinga.bsky.social · 13d

Some concern us also present inside the Liberals’ women’s caucus, where some are pressing their government to make sure programs started under the previous government continue to receive money, two Liberal insiders told the Star.

Mark Carney’s austerity budget raising fears gender equality programs will end

Members of the Liberals' women's caucus of MPs are pressing their government to make sure funding for programs started under the previous government continue to receive funding, two Liberal insiders

www.thestar.com

Alex Ballingall @aballinga.bsky.social · 16d

@markramzy.bsky.social reports

Liberals’ push for gun buyback program fuelled by pressure from Quebec, public safety minister says in leaked audio

A gun-owning tenant recorded a conversation with Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree without the minister’s knowledge.

www.thestar.com

Alex Ballingall @aballinga.bsky.social · 23d

Parliament is back and the Star will be covering it all. To get primed on the big storylines, here's our bureau chief Tonda MacCharles with a good survey of the political landscape at the start of the fall sesh:
www.thestar.com/politics/fed...

What to watch, who’s hot and who’s not as MPs return to Parliament

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre each have certain advantages as the 45th Parliament resumes Monday.

www.thestar.com

Alex Ballingall @aballinga.bsky.social · 23d

This is very much worth reading.

Justin Ling @justinling.ca · 26d

I put together a primer on Charlie Kirk — and paid some special attention to his relationship with Nick Fuentes and the Groyper movement.

There's no hot takes or sweeping declarations. Just some useful background. www.bugeyedandshameless.com/p/who-was-ch...

Who Was Charlie Kirk, Anyway?

Kirk occupied a uniquely powerful place in the MAGA movement

www.bugeyedandshameless.com

Reposted by Alex Ballingall

Toronto Star @thestar.com · Aug 18

Prime Minister Mark Carney said his government had no choice but to impose binding arbitration on Air Canada flight attendants this weekend because negotiations were not ending the dispute.

Mark Carney says he had no choice but to end the Air Canada impasse

Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu issued an order calling on the industrial relations board to end the strike and impose binding arbitration on Air Canada and CUPE.

www.thestar.com

Reposted by Alex Ballingall

National Newswatch @nationalnewswatch.com · Aug 17

Pierre Poilievre’s political exile is expected to end within days. Then the real fight begins, @aballinga.bsky.social reports. www.thestar.com/politics/fed...

Find out more at nationalnewswatch.com

Pierre Poilievre’s political exile is expected to end within days. Then the real fight begins

Greater challenges are waiting for him, Conservative insiders and analysts say, as the Tory leader tries to keep his broader voting base intact, and set the stage for the victory

www.thestar.com

Reposted by Alex Ballingall

Toronto Star @thestar.com · Aug 14

Gun-control advocates fear Mark Carney will delay buyback program

Gun-control advocates fear Mark Carney will delay buyback program

An imminent delay, a lack of updates from Ottawa, and Mark Carney's attempts to keep premiers happy, vow to drastically cut spending, and emphasis on border security, are raising questions

www.thestar.com

Reposted by Alex Ballingall

Toronto Star @thestar.com · Jul 30

#Breaking: Mark Carney says Canada will recognize Palestine as a state

Canada will recognize Palestine in September, Mark Carney says

The move comes amid increasing international pressure and outcry over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

www.thestar.com

Reposted by Alex Ballingall

Toronto Star @thestar.com · Jul 30

Donald Trump’s tariff war with Canada is escalating with new measures from the U.S. and retaliatory responses from Canada.

We’re tracking what’s active, what’s coming and how Canada has responded.

Trump’s tariff threats keep changing. We’re tracking what’s active, what’s coming and how Canada has responded

Donald Trump’s tariff war with Canada is escalating with new measures from the U.S. and retaliatory responses from Canada. Here’s what’s in effect.

www.thestar.com

Reposted by Alex Ballingall

The Wren News @thewrennews.ca · Jul 10

#Kamloops’ archival parade photos show how early Canada Day celebrations evolved — from attempts to erase Indigenous and immigrant contributions to the city, to embracing them. The latest from @lyssamartin.bsky.social

In photos: Kamloops historial Canada Day parade photos

Old Kamloops parade photos show how Canada Day evolved from attempts to erase Indigenous and immigrant contributions to embracing them.

Reposted by Alex Ballingall

Ben Spurr @benspurr.bsky.social · Jul 23

‘No compromises’: Ottawa issues warning to Toronto about housing funding over sixplex vote www.thestar.com/news/gta/no-...

‘No compromises’: Ottawa issues warning to Toronto about housing funding over sixplex vote

Housing Minister Gregor Robertson expressed his “disappointment” with city council’s decision last month to not allow sixplexes citywide in a letter to Mayor Olivia Chow.

www.thestar.com

Reposted by Alex Ballingall

Robert Benzie @robertbenzie.bsky.social · Jul 22

The ⁦‪@TorontoStar‬⁩ has complete coverage of the first ministers’ meeting and the Council of the Federation conference at Deerhurst Resort on Peninsula Lake in Huntsville.
#onpoli
#cdnpoli

www.thestar.com/politics/fed...

Live updates: Carney meeting with premiers in Muskoka; Doug Ford announces agreement with Alberta, Saskatchewan

Canada’s leaders are sitting down in cottage country days before U.S. tariffs are threatened to take effect on Aug. 1.

www.thestar.com

Reposted by Alex Ballingall

News Eye @newseye.bsky.social · Jul 21

🚨BREAKING: The last journalists working for AFP in Gaza have said they can no longer work for the news agency.

They are out of energy and they are starving to death.

I have never seen a statement from a news organisation like it.

🧵

Sans intervention immédiate, les derniers reporters de Gaza vont mourir
21 juillet 2025
L'AFP travaille avec une pigiste texte, trois photographes et six pigistes vidéo dans la Bande de Gaza depuis le départ de ses journalistes staff courant 2024.
Avec quelques autres, ils sont aujourd'hui les seuls à rapporter ce qu'il se passe dans la Bande de Gaza. La presse internationale est interdite d'entrer dans ce territoire depuis près de deux ans.
Nous refusons de les voir mourir.
L'un deux, Bashar, collabore pour l'AFP depuis 2010, d'abord comme fixeur, ensuite comme photographe pigiste, et depuis 2024 comme principal photographe.
Samedi 19 juillet, il est parvenu à poster un message sur Facebook: « Je n'ai plus la force de travailler pour les médias.
Mon corps est maigre et je ne peux plus travailler ».
Bashar, 30 ans, travaille et vit dans des conditions égales à celles de tous les Gazaouis, allant d'un camp de réfugiés à un autre camp au gré des bombardements israéliens. Depuis plus d'un an il vit dans le dénuement le plus total et travaille en prenant d'énormes risques pour sa vie. L'hygiène est pour lui un problème majeur, avec des périodes de maladies intestinales sévères.
Bashar vit depuis février dans les ruines de sa maison de Gaza City avec sa mère, ses quatre frères et sœurs et la famille d'un de ses frères. Leur maison est vide de tout aménagement et confort, à part quelques coussins. Dimanche matin, il a rapporté que son frère aîné était « tombé, à cause de la faim ».
Même si ces journalistes reçoivent un salaire mensuel de l'AFP, il n'y a rien à acheter ou alors à des prix totalement exorbitants. Le système bancaire a disparu, et ceux qui pratiquent le change entre les comptes bancaires en ligne et l'argent liquide prennent une commission de près de 40%.
L'AFP n'a plus la possibilité d'avoir un véhicule et encore moins de l'essence pour permettre à ses journalistes de se déplacer pour leurs reportages. Circuler en voiture équivaut de toutes les façons à pre…

Alex Ballingall @aballinga.bsky.social · Jul 22

Apparently we share an ancestor from mid-19th century Scotland, but we're not related in any meaningful sense.

Alex Ballingall @aballinga.bsky.social · Jul 9

www.thestar.com/politics/fed...

Brace for layoffs, budget watchdog says, as Carney government aims to slash spending by $25B

The Liberal government wants to find roughly $25 billion in annual savings from the federal budget within the next three years, the Star has confirmed, a higher than expected target

www.thestar.com

Alex Ballingall @aballinga.bsky.social · Jul 4

It is still the law, they're just not collecting the tax and committing to rescinding it. www.canada.ca/en/departmen...

Canada rescinds digital services tax to advance broader trade negotiations with the United States - Canada.ca

The DST was announced in 2020 to address the fact that many large technology companies operating in Canada may not otherwise pay tax on revenues generated from Canadians. Canada’s preference has alway...

Alex Ballingall @aballinga.bsky.social · Jul 4

Here's an analysis of the decision to dump the Digital Services Tax, and what it might say about the Trump World we're living in.

What if killing Canada’s digital tax is just the beginning for Donald Trump?

The mercurial nature of the U.S. president means what happens next is anyone's guess.

www.thestar.com

Reposted by Alex Ballingall

Toronto Star @thestar.com · Jun 26

Over half of Canada’s 2025 study permits going to international students already here.

Postsecondary education sector will continue to see enrolment drop for at least the next three years, analysis warns.

Over half of Canada’s 2025 study permits going to international students already here

Postsecondary education sector will continue to see enrolment drop for at least the next three years, analysis warns.

www.thestar.com

Alex Ballingall @aballinga.bsky.social · Jun 25

www.thestar.com/politics/fed...

www.thestar.com

Reposted by Alex Ballingall

National Newswatch @nationalnewswatch.com · Jun 20

Mark Carney’s government reviewing suggested changes to infrastructure bill, @aballinga.bsky.social reports. www.thestar.com/politics/fed...

Find out more at nationalnewswatch.com

Mark Carney’s government reviewing suggested changes to infrastructure bill

The proposed law, Bill C-5, has sparked warnings of Indigenous resistance in the coming weeks, along with condemnation from environmental groups, and some reservations within the Liberal caucus.

www.thestar.com

Alex Ballingall @aballinga.bsky.social · Jun 19

Some Liberals have reservations about Bill C-5, which would give cabinet special powers to fast-track development projects like mines, pipelines and ports, and to approve them by skirting environmental laws and regulations. Our story here:

Mark Carney makes some Liberals uneasy with parliamentary hustle for infrastructure bill

Some Liberal MPs are expressing reservations about Prime Minister Mark Carney’s push to fast-track major development projects.

www.thestar.com

Reposted by Alex Ballingall

The New Yorker @newyorker.com · Jun 13

An advance look at “On Parade,” David Plunkert’s cover for next week's issue. #NewYorkerCovers