Weekly Round-Up: July 5

Every Friday, CIVIX provides a digest of the major events in Canadian and international politics. For ongoing updates about the latest news in government, follow us on Twitter at @CIVIX_Canada.

Ontario By-Elections

The writ has dropped! On August 1, Ontario voters in the provincial ridings of Etobicoke-Lakeshore, London West, Ottawa South, Scarborough-Guildwood, and Windsor-Tecumseh will all head to the polls to select their new representatives for the legislative assembly. Don’t worry if you”ll be heading out early for the long weekend, as advanced voting will begin on July 21^st.

Al Gretzky (yep, Wayne’s uncle) has been nominated as the Freedom Party’s candidate for the by-election in the London West riding. According to his bio, Al’s key focuses are on fiscal responsibility and lowering the provincial debt.

Another high profile candidate is deputy mayor Doug Holyday, who’s set his sights on the Etobicoke-Lakeshore riding. If Holyday wins, it would be a major game changer for the Conservatives: they haven’t elected anyone in Toronto since 1999.

A New, New Mayor for Laval

In the future, everyone will be a Canadian mayor for fifteen minutes. Martine Beaugrand has been named Laval’s new interim mayor after running in an unopposed election. Martine, Laval’s first female mayor, will replace previous interim mayor Alexandre Duplessis, who resigned on June 28 after allegations of extortion.

Google Takes Us Inside Parliament Hill

We were seriously excited when news first broke about Google’s street view team hitting Parliament Hill, and now we’re finally able to explore the hallowed halls of the House of Commons, the Senate, and the Library of Parliament.

Surprises in the Nova Scotia Legislature

There will be no paramedic strike in Nova Scotia this weekend, as the House has sent the dispute to binding arbitration. MLAs were called back to the legislature to discuss the issue in a rare emergency sitting. No deal has been reached with the province’s 800 unionized paramedics. 

In other Nova Scotia news, MLA and professional mustache cultivator Percy Paris stepped down from his cabinet position after being charged with assault and uttering threats against Liberal MLA Keith Colwell during what has charmingly been described as a “scuffle” in the men’s bathroom at Province House. 

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