At a Time of Crisis, Canadians Rush to Vote
When I traveled around Canada during the 2021 election campaign, the prevailing mood among voters I spoke with was one of ennui. Even some of those involved in many of the campaigns weren't obviously excited about the election.
That's certainly not the case this year. Advance polls opened on Friday. At the one near my house in Ottawa, there was an hourlong wait during the morning, and poll workers arranged chairs outside the community center hosting the voting to ease the wait. In Montreal that morning, I saw people going into a Chinese community center to cast ballots just after it had opened for voting. Some of that rush may have occurred because the first day of advance voting was a statutory holiday for many Canadians. But there are other signs of election interest. After we published a special edition of this newsletter following the political party leaders' debate on Thursday evening, a large number of you took the time to send considered examinations of the discussion and thoughts about your voting plans. [In case you missed it: 5 Takeaways From Canada's Election Debate] [Read: Canada Reschedules Political Debate That Conflicted With a Hockey Game] In many respects, voters in Canadian federal elections have it easy. They're generally not confronted by long lists of candidates, they don't have to vote for numerous offices, and there's no long list of referendums. Also there's no possibility of hanging chads or conspiracy theories about voting machine fraud. Elections Canada, the independent agency that runs the vote nationally, has stuck with paper ballots, which are still counted by hand and tallied on paper. (A tiny bit of election trivia: All of the ballots are printed on paper made in Saint Jérôme, Quebec. To minimize counterfeiting, the paper is a special thickness and color and has an ultraviolet coating.) This week, I wrote a guide to how the voting process works. Some key deadlines are looming for Canadians who live outside the country but who wish to vote. [Read: Paper Ballots, Hand Counting, No Machines: Canadians Go to the Polls] President Trump is not the only person who is not on the ballot but who will be on many Canadians' minds as they vote. Matina Stevis-Gridneff, our Toronto bureau chief, was in Alberta to profile Danielle Smith, the premier. [Read: In Canada's Fight With Trump, She's Playing Good Cop]
"Even before Mr. Trump's re-election, Ms. Smith had been key in shaping the evolution of Canada's broader conservative movement," Matina writes, adding that over the past few months, "Ms. Smith has defended her pro-Trump overtures as a diplomatic approach that complements the more aggressive stance taken by the federal government. "Simply put, she said of her Trump ties, 'I'm happy to be good cop.'" Over the final week of the campaign, we'll bring you stories about how the election has played out regionally, the issues that have risen and those that have not, and the leaders. And we'll all see if the enthusiasm to vote on the first day will be sustained. On the Waterfront
Matina Stevis-Gridneff and Rebecca R. Ruiz have investigated Therme, the company that plans to transform part of Ontario Place, the province's once-grand exhibition space and amusement park, into a privately owned spa and indoor water park. "The investigation, based on corporate filings in three countries and interviews with a dozen people involved in the company's operations and the bidding process, found that Therme falsely presented itself as an industry player that operated as many as half a dozen spas in Europe," they write, adding: "In fact, it had built and operated just one, outside Bucharest, Romania. And as it pitched its vision for Toronto, Therme's finances appeared to be shaky. Auditors found it was losing money and had less than 1 million euros (about $1.1 million) in equity." [Read: A Wellness Company With False Claims, Global Aims and a Toronto Island] After their investigation appeared, Doug Ford, Ontario's premier, ordered officials to "double- and triple-check the contract." [Read: Ontario Premier Orders Review of Major Toronto Waterfront Lease] A day later, Mr. Ford announced that he was "very satisfied" with the agreement. The criticisms of the spa plan are not just financial. As Matina wrote in another article, the project raises questions about the commercialization of prime public land. [Read: In Toronto, Waterfront Development Is the End of an Era] Trans Canada
Ian Austen reports on Canada for The Times based in Ottawa. He covers politics, culture and the people of Canada and has reported on the country for two decades. He can be reached at austen@nytimes.com. How are we doing? Like this email?
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