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Mike Hager

@mikehager.bsky.social

7.7K followers 740 following 160 posts

Journalist at @theglobeandmail.com covering the political, economic and social issues that affect us all. News tips, please: [email protected] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/authors/mike-hager/

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Mike Hager @mikehager.bsky.social · Oct 17

Last spring, local reporters were given a tour of BC's flagship facility for people with complex mental health and addictions issues, many of whom found no relief from their local hospitals and outreach clinics. No patients were offered up for interviews: www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/briti...

As mental health, addiction crises surge in cities, B.C. looks to involuntary treatment for aid

B.C.’s Red Fish Healing Centre for Mental Health and Addiction in Coquitlam offers an alternative but controversial vision for treatment

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Mike Hager @mikehager.bsky.social · 6h

B.C. prisoners with complex mental illness aren’t getting necessary treatment: Review Board’s annual report. Outgoing chair’s scathing intro included this: “In my view, these shortages put the safety of the public and the rights of individuals at risk” www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/briti... #bcpoli

B.C. prisoners with complex mental illness aren’t getting necessary treatment, report says

British Columbia Review Board chair Brenda Edwards says chronic underfunding has brought the forensic health care system to a breaking point

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Mike Hager @mikehager.bsky.social · 15h

From two years ago: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqzG...

'Don't stop, don't stop': Inside a Supernova festivalgoer's escape from the concert attack

YouTube video by The Globe and Mail

www.youtube.com

Reposted by Mike Hager

Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 15h

Last week we @citizenlab.ca published an investigation into a likely Israeli-directed AI influence op targeting Iranians citizenlab.ca/2025/10/ai-e...

This superb analysis by @jacksapoch.bsky.social & colleagues of 43 official IDF videos found recycled 3D animations and spatial inaccuracies 👇

Jack Sapoch @jacksapoch.bsky.social · 18h

NEW: Since October 2023, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit has released dozens of 3D animations illustrating alleged Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian sites

The style is now unmistakable: satellite zoom-ins, black & white wireframes, and red-textured houses - a new visual language of war

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Mike Hager @mikehager.bsky.social · 16h

Superlatives are high-risk! Great work though guys!

Reposted by Mike Hager

Jimmy Thomson @jameswsthomson.com · 18h

As climate disinformation groups move into the shadows, @nationalobserver.com has developed an unprecedented new tool: Civic Searchlight. To build it, we assembled a database of council meetings in more than 550 municipalities.

How Canada's National Observer tracked a climate misinfo group going 'under the radar'

As KICLEI's campaign moves into the shadows, Canada’s National Observer has developed an unprecedented new tool: Civic Searchlight. To build it, we assembled a database of council meetings in more tha...

www.nationalobserver.com

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Mike Hager @mikehager.bsky.social · 16h

Here’s one of the signs that violated BC election rules. H/t @wendelschwab.bsky.social

Reposted by Mike Hager

Rafferty Baker @rafferty.bsky.social · 2d

47 VPD officers were paid more than $100K in OT last year, including 7 constables who more than doubled their possible $140K salaries. One sergeant raked in $239K in OT on top of possible $158K salary.

Meanwhile, the force went $6.5M over its $400M+ budget.

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

47 VPD officers made over $100K in OT last year — and one banked $239K, FOI data shows | CBC News

A single Vancouver police sergeant was paid $239,258 in overtime alone last year, on top of the rank's base pay of up to $158,000. The figure comes from a freedom of information request filed with the...

www.cbc.ca

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Reposted by Mike Hager

Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) @cajournalists.bsky.social · 1d

Good news! The deadline to apply for the CAJ mentorship program has been extended to Oct 14. Apply now while there's still time!!
caj.ca/programs/mentorship

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Mike Hager @mikehager.bsky.social · 16h

Billionaire Lululemon founder Chip Wilson has been fined $600 by B.C.’s election watchdog for erecting three illegal signs on his waterfront mansion last October decrying the “communist” provincial NDP and their leader @davidebybc.bsky.social. ElectionsBC says it was 1st violation and he cooperated

ELECTIONSBC description of the three illegal election ads Chip Wilson erected on his waterfront mansion last Pctober decrying the “Communist” NDP premier.

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Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 10d

An early version of the first US News college rankings awarded points for diversity & didn't put the usual suspects on top. So the magazine got rid of the statistician responsible & changed the algorithm to affirm the "conventional wisdom of the meritocracy."
washingtonmonthly.com/2000/09/01/p...

There’s a certain irony to the way that universities trip over themselves to improve their rankings. Not only are many of the best minds at colleges across the country preoccupied with what is essentially a silly enterprise, the books were cooked to begin with. Since the beginning, U.S. News has operated a system with the top schools pre-selected and the rest jumbled behind.

When Elfin was first charged with creating a ranking system, he seems to have known that the only believable methodology would be one that confirmed the prejudices of the meritocracy: The schools that the most prestigious journalists and their friends had gone to would have to come out on top. The first time that the staff had drafted up a numerical ranking system to test internally–a formula that, most controversially, awarded points for diversity–a college that Elfin cannot even remember the name of came out on top. He told me: “When you’re picking the most valuable player in baseball and a utility player hitting .220 comes up as the MVP, it’s not right.”

Elfin subsequently removed the first statistician who had created the algorithm and brought in Morse, a statistician with very limited educational reporting experience. Morse rewrote the algorithm and ran it through the computers. Yale came out on top, and Elfin accepted this more persuasive formula. At the time, there was internal debate about whether the methodology was as good as it could be. According to Lucia Solorzano, who helped create the original U.S. News rankings in 1983, worked on the guide until 1988, and now edits Barron’s Best Buys in College Education, “It’s a college guide and the minute you start to have people in charge of it who have little understanding of education, you’re asking for trouble.”

To Elfin, however, who has a Harvard master’s diploma on his wall, there’s a kind of circular logic to it all: The schools that the conventional wisdom of the meritocracy regards as the best, are in fact the best–as confirmed by the methodology, itself conclusively ratified by the presence of the most prestigious schools at the top of the list. In 1997, he told The New York Times: “We’ve produced a list that puts Harvard, Yale and Princeton, in whatever order, at the top. This is a nutty list? Something we pulled out of the sky?”

The walls around the system that confirmed the top Ivies began to crack in 1996 when Zuckerman hired James Fallows (a contributing editor of The Washington Monthly) to edit the magazine. Fallows hired former New Yorker writer Lincoln Caplan and, when Elfin left in January of ’97, Fallows put Caplan in charge of special projects at the magazine, which included the annual development of the rankings. The two began to make a series of changes that improved the rankings, most noticeably by eliminating one decimal place in the scoring (schools now get grades like 77 instead of 76.8) to create more ties and reduce a spurious air of precision. Caplan also hired a statistical expert named Amy Graham to direct the magazine’s data gathering and analysis. Although both Caplan and Graham have left the magazine, and both declined to be interviewed, sources within U.S. News claim that, after looking deeply into the methodology of the rankings, Graham found that U.S. News had essentially put its thumb on the scale to make sure that Harvard, Yale, and Princeton continued to come out on top, as they did every year until 1999 after Elfin selected a formula.

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Mike Hager @mikehager.bsky.social · 3d

Just got a class email about our kid’s upcoming show & tell schedule and, as a journalist, I’m very conflicted…

Reposted by Mike Hager

The Globe and Mail @theglobeandmail.com · 5d

How a gang run from an Indian jail became listed as a terrorist group in Canada

Police say the Bishnoi Gang has been increasingly targeting Canada’s South Asian community with extortion threats

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Reposted by Mike Hager

Jimmy Thomson @jameswsthomson.com · 5d

Freelancers based on Vancouver Island or the BC coast, please get in touch if you're available over the next few weeks!

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Reposted by Mike Hager

Michelle Cyca @michellecyca.com · 6d

Oct 30! Talking to Julian Brave NoiseCat about his memoir, which everyone should read, just an incredible gorgeous heartrending work. Tickets are free but limited: www.eventbrite.ca/e/we-survive...

We Survived the Night: An Indigenous Reckoning

Join Massy, SFU Indigenous Studies, Michelle Cyca, and Julian Brave NoiseCat for the launch of "We Survived the Night" on Oct 30th!

www.eventbrite.ca

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Reposted by Mike Hager

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 6d

Bari Weiss is set to be named the editor in chief of CBS News, the New York Post reports

Paramount Skydance is poised to name Bari Weiss as editor in chief of CBS News in the coming days — giving the hard-charging journalist unusual clout to revamp the struggling network as it also acquires her scrappy news site the Free Press, The Post has learned.

Weiss — a 41-year-old former New York Times opinion writer who has built the Free Press into a buzzworthy site with a contrarian bent — is expected to be named to the top post in a Monday announcement, although the talks are in flux and the timing could change, a source close to the situation said.

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Winnipeg Free Press @winnipegfreepress.com · 7d

In a polarized and divided world, where many may feel lonely and isolated, Paul Jenkinson has a message: “You are not alone. I will listen.”

‘You are not alone’: retired social worker promises to listen during cross-Canada trek

Pandemic, cellphones, society have made it difficult for some to make connections, Nova Scotia man says

www.winnipegfreepress.com

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Mike Hager @mikehager.bsky.social · 7d

Here's a screengrab of the incident in question (which unfortunately is obscured by a cell door). Head to the @theglobeandmail.com to watch the full video of the interaction Amber Bracken FOIed and received from the Prince George jail: www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

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Reposted by Mike Hager

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 8d

NEW: Des Moines schools superintendent Ian Roberts was told by his immigration attorney in March that his immigration case had "reached a successful resolution" and been closed.

On Friday he was arrested by ICE.

Mr. Ian Andre Roberts
I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to inform you of the closure of your immigration case. It has been my pleasure to represent you throughout this process, and I am pleased to report that your case has reached a successful resolution.
Should you have any further questions or require assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Once again, thank you for choosing Jackeline Gonzalez, Attorney at Law, PLLC for your immigration representation. I wish you continued success and happiness in all your endeavors.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 281-984-4146 or jg@attorneyjg.com
Respectfutly.
Jackeline Gonzalez, Esq.
Founding Partner
Jackeline Gonzalez Attorney at Law, PLLC

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Mike Hager @mikehager.bsky.social · 8d

Amber Bracken's lawyer says she pushed a finger into the sheriff's chest. The sheriff told RCMP she “struck him in the left shoulder with an aggressive punching/pushing motion." He said that evening that his shoulder hurt but he declined medical attention. Crown never approved a charge. #cdnpoli

The Globe and Mail @theglobeandmail.com · 9d

RCMP tried to get photojournalist Amber Bracken charged and detained without bail, documents show

Bracken was arrested in 2021 after Mounties removed protesters blocking access to a Coastal GasLink construction site in B.C.

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Reposted by Mike Hager

eileen chengyin chow @chowleen.bsky.social · 11d

The South Korean Ministry of Defense has awarded medals of merit to 11 officers for disobeying direct orders of superiors during the martial law fiasco, orders that they deemed to be contrary to the constitution and endangerment to democracy.
www.chosun.com/english/nati...

National Defense Ministry Honors 11 Soldiers for Refusing Illegal Orders

National Defense Ministry Honors 11 Soldiers for Refusing Illegal Orders Honored for rejecting illegal orders during martial law, Marine death probe

www.chosun.com

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Reposted by Mike Hager

The Globe and Mail @theglobeandmail.com · 11d

Risk that B.C. ostriches could spread flu is low, but cull is still warranted, experts say

Virologist says it is possible to test the birds for avian flu, but it would be difficult and expensive

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Reposted by Mike Hager

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 11d

Doctors Without Borders has suspended operations in Gaza City because of the danger to its staff caused by the Israeli military’s ground offensive. The announcement came on the same day that the UN said four hospitals had been rendered unusable in the north of the territory over the past month.

Doctors Without Borders Closes in Gaza City as Israel Intensifies Offensive

Doctors Without Borders pulled its staff from Gaza City as the medical system buckled. The U.N. has warned that more hospitals may have to close.

nyti.ms

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Euan Thomson @drugdatadecoded.ca · 13d

🧵 My story, "What's Wrong With Rehab?" won Gold for Long-Form at Alberta Magazine Awards last night!

Thanks to @albertaviews.bsky.social & all who shared expertise: Brandon Shaw, Esther Tailfeathers, @ehyshka.bsky.social, David Hodgins & recovery workers. 1/
albertaviews.ca/whats-wrong-...

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Erin Wraithburn 👻 @erinraeburn.bsky.social · 12d

"In some places, French postal workers now pick up prescriptions, return library books, and deliver flowers. Last year, only twenty eight per cent of La Poste’s revenue came from sending mail."

Services can evolve in positive ways to meet new and growing needs.

Julienne Danvers (WE WANT TRAINS!! 🚂) @juliennedanvers.bsky.social · 13d

For those who wonder what a modern postal service could look like, one example is in France, where letter carriers provide check-ins on the elderly for very affordable rates, while completing their routes.

I encourage everyone to read the whole thing

#CanadaPost

www.newyorker.com/culture/anna...

In France, Elder Care Comes with the Mail

Carriers for La Poste have a new job: checking in on the aged.

www.newyorker.com

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Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 12d

Assata Shakur has "died in Havana, Cuba, as a result of health conditions and her advanced age."

She was 78.

Assata Shakur, political activist and ex-Black Liberation Army member, has died

Assata Shakur “died in Havana, Cuba, as a result of health conditions and her advanced age,” according to Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

www.whatimreading.net

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