Industrious1

In that case the mods can do their jobs and prune whatever posts they do not feel are adding to the discussion. I have no issues with that. Silencing the conversations however, is not the answer.

The covid thread is just about the most toxic thing I've ever seen on an internet forum. Even got mods jumping all over people in there. This is supposed to be about the protests, but of course some discussion will spill over. Debate and discussion are good things, even if all opinions do not line up nicely and neatly.

Tried to find this on CBC but apparently they aren't covering it. Here is a BBC article on one of the big protests going on in Europe at the moment. Covid: Thousands protest in France against proposed new vaccine pass Published 1 day ago IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, About 18,000 people attended the protest in the capital Paris French authorities say more than 105,000 people have taken part in protests across the country against the introduction of a new coronavirus pass. A new draft law would in effect ban unvaccinated people from public life. Demonstrators in the capital, Paris, held placards emblazoned with phrases like "no to vaccine passes". Interior Ministry officials said 34 people were arrested and some 10 police officers were injured after the protests turned violent in some places. The bill, which passed its first reading in the lower house of France's parliament on Thursday, would remove the option of showing a negative Covid-19 test to gain access to a host of public venues. Instead, people would have to be fully vaccinated to visit a range of spaces, including bars and restaurants. The government says it expects the new rules to come into force on 15 January, although the opposition-dominated Senate could delay the process. But demonstrators on Saturday accused the government of trampling on their freedoms and treating citizens unequally. Others targeted their anger at the president, Emmanuel Macron, over comments he made earlier this week in relation to unvaccinated citizens, telling Le Parisian newspaper that he wanted to "piss them off". One protester, hospital administrator Virginie Houget, told the Reuters news agency that Mr Macron's remarks were "the last straw". And in Paris, where some 18,000 people marched against the new law, demonstrators responded to his coarse language by chanting: "We'll piss you off". French MPs get death threats over Covid-19 pass Covid vaccination centres vandalised in France TV images showed altercations between protesters and police turning violent in some places. In Montpellier officers used teargas during clashes with the demonstrators. Turnout for the protests was estimated to be about four times higher than the last major demonstrations on 18 December, when some 25,500 people marched across the country. But despite the vocal protests, opposition to the new measures is not widespread and recent polling suggests the vast majority of people back the vaccine pass. France is one of the most highly vaccinated countries in Europe, with more than 90% of over-12s eligible for the shot fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, new coronavirus infections are rising rapidly across France as the new Omicron variant takes hold. The country recorded more than 300,000 new cases for the second time in a week on Friday and admissions to intensive care wards are rising steadily, putting healthcare systems under strain. Some hospitals have reported that some 85% of ICU patients are not vaccinated against Covid-19.

Sad to see. Bob had a ton of respect in the industry and helped a lot of guys with their careers. Pretty funny guy too if you've ever seen his 'real' stuff. Heart goes out to his friends and family.

Interesting chatter, but nothing I'd jump at if I was making the call (I wish lol). Anyone know what Dale Tallon is up to these days?

Well this mushroomed into a 'White-Knight' thread awfully quickly. If anyone needs a synopsis I can save you about 10 pages worth of reading. Vaccines : Good Not taking vaccine : Bad Obligatory Alberta hate : Check Fear of Uncertainly : Crank it up! Debate on Covid : Bad Canadians fighting Canadians : You bet I am certain I missed some stuff, but I am ready to be taken to account by whatever forum posse has time to pick apart this post.

Great news. Happy for Kyle and hope this helps him have a very Merry Christmas. Now for the media to maintain the current level of vigilance to ensure this never happens again because lets be honest...Bettman, Fehr and apparently (most) players/clubs won't police this themselves.

I thought most of your exchanges were civil and courteous. Kudos to the both of you for a little bit of actual debate. In contrast...post in this thread that you are unsure/confused about vaccination and then wait for the usual suspects to form up a posse and come for you lol.

Many governments in the world have had a taste of power beyond the scope of 'regular' democracy. Canada has had some of these issues (mild ones, admittedly) but if you look at a fellow commonwealth partner such as Australia...things get a bit darker. History would tell us those that have such power/privilege rarely give it up easily (referencing history is so passe these days, I know). Something tells me after covid there will be a lull and then another medical style emergency that will sweep the world. The coronavirus has shown officials that using a casus belli of a medical nature (IE a plague) is highly effective in instituting strong control over a population. I'm going to hold onto my hat and hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

Little bit of a follow up here, since all these stories tend to be interconnected when you throw carbon tax on top of everything. Outlook seems a bit rosy (It is Aaron Wherry, after all), but that is the narrative these days. Inflation isn't a major political problem for the Liberals — not yet, at any rate Social Sharing \ The cost of living upended the politics of the West in the 1980s. It could happen again. Aaron Wherry · CBC News · Posted: Dec 15, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: 7 hours ago A commuter buys gas at a Esso gas station in Toronto on Tuesday, June 15, 2021. The cost of living isn't a pressing threat to the Liberal government yet — but that could change quickly if the problem gets worse. (Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press) Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland softly touted Tuesday's economic and fiscal update as a document that does what it says on the tin. "Look, this fiscal update is what the title says. It's a fiscal update of where we are in the economy today and it includes the measures that we believe are urgent and necessary right now," she told reporters shortly before appearing before the House of Commons. This was "not the master plan for the Canadian economy going forward," she said. That plan, she added, "will be in the budget." Freeland pledges billions in new COVID-19 supports as omicron cases rise Liberals offer up to $742 million to low income seniors whose GIS was clawed back this year Ottawa earmarks $40B for Indigenous child welfare compensation, program reform Tuesday's update is a bridge between the 2021 and 2022 budgets and represents a brief chapter in a longer story about the role of government in the post-pandemic world. Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative finance critic, called Freeland the "minister for inflation" yesterday and repeated his claim that "half a trillion dollars of inflationary deficits means more dollars chasing fewer goods and higher prices." WATCH: Opposition MPs respond to the fiscal update Opposition MPs respond to the Liberal government's economic and fiscal update 17 hours ago Duration10:21 Conservative Finance Critic Pierre Poilievre and NDP Finance Critic Daniel Blaikie joined Power & Politics Tuesday to react to the Liberal government's economic and fiscal update. 10:21 Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole called the fiscal update "another hollow economic statement" of "empty promises, massive debt, higher taxes and no real economic plan." There was new spending in Tuesday's update — the kind Freeland's opponents might find hard to attack. As promised on Monday, the fiscal update earmarks $40 billion to address Canada's failure to provide for Indigenous children and to reform the child welfare system. It sets aside $5 billion to respond to flooding in British Columbia and another $4.5 billion to deal with whatever the omicron variant brings. There's also $7.4 billion for vaccine procurement, $1.7 billion for rapid tests and $2 billion for therapeutics. "I don't think any Canadian will regret our spending on things like rapid tests, on things like therapeutics," Freeland told reporters. WATCH: Freeland presents fiscal update Finance minister presents fall fiscal update 18 hours ago Duration2:05 Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland presented a fall fiscal update focused on COVID-19 measures to support the economy. 2:05 Higher-than-expected revenues more than offset the new spending, resulting in deficit projections smaller than the ones Freeland tabled in the spring. The Liberal government now projects a deficit of $144.5 billion for the current fiscal year and $58.4 billion for next year. By 2025-2026, the shortfall could be down to $22.7 billion — just slightly more than it was in 2018. Deficits in that range would also be smaller than those the Conservatives said they would run if they formed a government after the last election. But those deficit projections are also provisional — the government's accounting does not yet include any of the new tax or spending commitments the Liberals presented in their own election platform. Sooner or later, the federal government might also be compelled to deal with the perennial plea from the provinces for a new long-term agreement on health care funding. A 'global phenomenon' with local consequences In the meantime, Freeland said, the government is "mindful" of the great pocketbook issue of the moment: "elevated inflation." But Freeland also continues to point out that the problem is a "global phenomenon" that can be traced back to the pandemic, choked supply lines and high gas prices. So it shouldn't be surprising that the government isn't rewriting its entire approach to the Canadian economy. There is $50 million to help ease supply chain problems, but for now the Liberals are emphasizing what they've been doing: making deals with almost every province to expand child care access, indexing major social supports to inflation and renewing the Bank of Canada's mandate to target two per cent inflation. It helps the Liberal cause that the Conservatives don't have easy answers to inflation either. Poilievre has suggested freezing Canadian Pension Plan premiums and delaying an increase in the federal carbon price (the carbon price is largely revenue neutral because it's returned to consumers through a federal rebate). But if inflation is still burning holes in Canadians' pockets next spring, it might get harder for the government to insist that this too shall pass. Throwback politics High inflation in the 1970s (much higher than it is now) helped to usher in the austerity politics of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. While the pandemic might mark the end of the Reagan-Thatcher consensus, Poilievre and O'Toole now seem keen to revive the argument that government spending is at the root of all problems — no matter how many economists say federal spending is not to blame for the current inflation. Complaining about too much spending is always easier in the abstract. U.S. President Ronald Reagan stands with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (left) and Prime Minister Brian Mulroney for the group photo at the annual G7 Summit in Toronto in June 1988. (Gary Hershorn/Reuters) According to figures in the last budget, annual federal funding for Indigenous peoples and communities was set to increase from a little over $11 billion in 2015-2016 to more than $24 billion in 2021-2022 — and that was before the latest commitment to fix child welfare. Should that funding be deferred? A few months ago, the Conservatives campaigned against the Liberal promise of new funding for child care. By the next election, those new child care spaces should be much less theoretical. But no government can assume it's always perfectly safe to spend even a dollar more. The Liberal government has only slightly reversed a three-decade long decline in federal program spending as a share of GDP — it was 18.3 per cent in 1984, fell to 12.3 in 2014 and is now projected at 14.9 for 2026. But the political and fiscal shibboleths of the 1980s and 1990s won't go quietly. And this new rush of inflation is a reminder that economic troubles like higher prices or slow growth can turn government spending into an inviting target. All of which means the political stakes that hang over next year's budget might be nearly as heavy as the very real problems — from the pandemic to housing costs to climate change — that Freeland's master plan will have to confront.

I wish to hear more of these ongoing adventures!

This is more a place for talking points and less for debating, I've noticed. You can find some facts on CBC but they got their own narrative to follow so its kind of a 'pick your poison' type thing. Good luck, and stay safe.

Something getting built? Better get started on the 2846 consultations that will need to take place...hopefully 10 years is enough time.

I remember not minding Volpatti. Bitz and Mancari were disasters though. Who was the big guy we brought in that absolutely refused to defend any of his teammates in the 2011 run...Oreskevitch? Or something like that. He was even worse.

I mean, can we see how he does before we crap all over him?

Like this hiring to add some credibility to a spiraling Canucks front office. Even better that he's President of Hockey Ops and can put up a shield from outside influence (if that is a thing). I've mentioned before that JR has a history of helping teams take 'the next step' and I'm hoping that is exactly what happens in Vancouver. It also helps that he is ingratiated into the upper echelons of the 'old boys' club and can use those connections to actually help the Canucks and not pigeon hole them like has happened in the past. I was actually musing on if Vancouver gets hit with that Luongo recapture penalty if someone like Rutherford is in charge to talk the NHL brass out of it. I mean if Hossa can get out of recapture on something like an equipment allergy.....certainly JR could have pulled some strings to help his club out. Speculation certainly, but also food for thought.

From one Jim to the next. Some would hate this move, but if you wanted someone in management with experience...look no further. Edit : Merged, comment no longer makes much sense.

Many believe that Xi has compromised the federal government in some way or another. Partisans will tow the company line but logic would tell us the math does not add up. Huawei, exclusion in certain traditional alliances, the Winnipeg lab fiasco. I'm sure there are other things I'm missing but as the old saying goes..."Where there is smoke, there is fire". It is a strange time to be a Canadian on the international stage.

This is probably more true than many of us think. The Winnipeg lab debacle comes to mind. As I recall, the liberal speaker of the house ended up taking his own government to court regarding that file....and it still never got resolved, to my knowledge.

If Linden isn't being asked to or paid, why would he insert himself into a leadership position? Ownership had their chance to pick between his plan and Benning's and they went with the other guy...Trevor has moved on, as he should.

That is not a popular opinion to have in this day and age, Mr. Blunt. People want a place to put their blame and it just so happens that "white" people are up in the rotation this time around. Don't know if there is much to do but ride it out and hope that it doesn't effect the kids overly much as they begin to enter society looking for their piece of the pie. Edit : Syntax

Security issues in Canada. Can Trudeau fix this? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spy agency warned Trudeau China's tactics becoming more 'sophisticated ... insidious' | CBC News Loaded Politics Spy agency warned Trudeau China's tactics becoming more 'sophisticated ... insidious' Social Sharing CSIS says foreign interference operations 'have become normalized' Catharine Tunney · CBC News · Posted: Dec 07, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: 2 hours ago China's President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attend a working session at the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan on June 29, 2019. (Kazuhiro Nogi/pool via Reuters) As Canada's spy agency warns that China's efforts to distort the news and influence media outlets in Canada "have become normalized," critics are renewing calls for Ottawa to take a far tougher approach to foreign media interference. The warning is contained in briefing documents drafted for Canadian Security Intelligence Service Director David Vigneault in preparation for a meeting he had with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier this year. That meeting focused on the rise of foreign interference in Canada — something CSIS says has become "more sophisticated, frequent, and insidious." One way foreign states — including the People's Republic of China (PRC) — try to exert pressure on other countries is through media outlets, say the documents, obtained through an access to information request. "In particular, PRC media influence activities in Canada have become normalized," it reads. "Chinese-language media outlets operating in Canada and members of the Chinese-Canadian community are primary targets of PRC-directed foreign influenced activities." CSIS director David Vigneault holds a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, July 16, 2020. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) CSIS spokesperson John Townsend said foreign states target both mainstream media outlets — print publications, radio and television programs — and non-traditional online outlets and social media channels to pursue their goals. "Mainstream news outlets, as well as community sources, may also be targeted by foreign states who attempt to shape public opinion, debate, and covertly influence participation in the democratic process," he said. "Considering Canada's rich multicultural makeup, foreign states may try to leverage or coerce individuals within communities to help influence to their benefit what is being reported by Canadian media outlets." China has an effective influence network, report finds It's a tactic former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu said he knows all too well. He said he was targeted during the recent federal election by a misinformation campaign run through Chinese language media outlets and social media. "If that's the normal behaviour, then we should really become concerned," he said. Chiu said he was attacked online as anti-Chinese after introducing a private member's bill that would require agents of foreign governments to register and report on their activities. He lost the B.C. riding of Steveston-Richmond East to Liberal Parm Bains by almost 3,000 votes. "I just felt, first of all, very sad. I feel ridiculous. I feel sad because some of my fellow Canadians of Chinese descent, why would they even believe in this information?" he said. Former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu says he felt targeted by misinformation during the last election campaign. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) Earlier this year, Alliance Canada Hong Kong — an umbrella group for Hong Kong pro-democracy activists in this country — released a report alleging the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) runs a sophisticated network that inserts Beijing-friendly narratives into various media outlets. The report says China has been exploiting a lack of oversight in short-staffed newsrooms to push the party line abroad. It says China sometimes pushes those narratives in the open — through sponsored posts or advertorial inserts written by Chinese party-state media — while groups closely tied to Chinese authorities buy digital or print ads parroting party rhetoric. "It's meant to portray that it's indicative they're the group that speaks on behalf of all Chinese folks, all the Canadian Chinese, which is just not true," said Ai-Men Lau, an adviser with Alliance Canada Hong Kong. China also uses its toehold in Canadian ethnic Chinese media to keep journalists in line, she said. State actors could use blackmail, threats to influence voters, politicians in the next election, CSIS warns State actors are looking to join political parties to 'exert influence,' chair of security committee warns "For years, reporters in ethnic media are often required to self-censor themselves or face uprisings. We've seen journalists being fired. If they take a certain line, they don't get their columns posted anymore in ethnic media," she said. Alliance Canada Hong Kong's report says Beijing influences voices in mainstream media outlets as well. "In the mainstream media, vocal supporters wooed through elite capture deliver Beijing's messages in op-eds and media appearances, helping to sway popular perceptions," says the report. The CSIS briefing note said a number of countries (their names are blacked-out in the note) work to undermine Canada's political processes at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, and within Indigenous governments. 'Persistent targeting' ongoing says CSIS The heavily redacted document says that politicians and party riding associations are targeted by these foreign influence operations, along with members of Chinese-Canadian communities. Earlier this year, CSIS reported that foreign states were looking to bribe or blackmail voters and politicians. That same report said some such operations also rely on flattery, money and even romantic entanglements to push their agenda. Ai-Men Lau said she expects to see China's harassment of dissidents abroad continue. "You see out of Hong Kong, people are leaving and they're leaving because of the national security law. It's kind of like baggage — whether you want it or not, it follows you," she said. "So that's something that I think Canadian officials or decision makers and policymakers and politicians need to think of when we talk about addressing these issues ... It's going to stay with us for a while." Townsend said CSIS is reaching out to communities under pressure. "While I cannot speak in detail about the specifics of our assessments and investigations, I can say that CSIS has observed persistent targeting of specific communities here in Canada, both in person and through the use of online campaigns, by foreign state actors," he said. 'Sunlight' policy needed: Vigneault In his meeting with Trudeau, Vigneault said Canada has a role to play in calling out media influence tactics in public. "Canada can make use of a policy that is grounded in transparency and sunlight in order to highlight the point that foreign interference should be exposed to the public and clandestine practices are not equivalent to public diplomacy," the CSIS briefing documents said. "Various state actors are currently using foreign interference activities with limited impunity to undermine Canada's interests." Chiu said he wants to see a stronger approach from the federal government. Representatives of Chinese dissident groups reject Trudeau's comments on racism CSIS says 2020 was a banner year for espionage operations targeting Canada "The Chinese government controls WeChat, has a monopoly on many Canadians' lives and their ears and their brains ... we need to find a solution to that," he said. "We also need to monitor and make sure that our regulators ... make sure that ... broadcasters and the commentators are held responsible for this information they help spread, especially during the election or before the election." Ai-Men Lau also called for more oversight to make sure China isn't manipulating media and threatening journalists. CSIS said it recently increased its investigative efforts and triggered threat reduction measures — a term referring to its broad legal powers to reduce threats to the security of Canada. The main restriction on CSIS's threat reduction powers is that the service can't intentionally — or by criminal negligence — cause death or bodily harm, violate sexual integrity or willfully obstruct justice.

His record after 8 seasons at the helm is...not good. That alone is worth the firing, owner wouldn't even have to get into the details. Natural part of hockey.

Does this mean we are going to hold onto our 2nd round draft picks again?

Even when the Canucks seem to be outplaying the opposition I've noticed that their scoring opportunities are usually fairly lackluster. No traffic/weak traffic. Lack of willingness to battle it out in front of the net. Flyby shots into the chest of the goalie...no follow up if the puck is loose. And so on and so forth. Once this gets sorted out we will begin to see some real dividends on carrying the play.