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Newsstand: August 7, 2015
Happy Friday! Campaign 2015 had its first debate, a petition seeks to prohibit a so-called pickup artist from entering the country, and a Pickering neighbour doesn't like fun.
The first debate of the 2015 federal election has come and gone, with the pundit-consensus agreeing that no knockout blows were delivered. The federal leaders debate, which featured Stephen Harper, Thomas Mulcair, Justin Trudeau, and Elizabeth May, was surprisingly policy heavy. Candidates knocked heads over austerity economics and the environmental assessment process. In particular, the Prime Minister saw heavy criticism on his handling of the economy and environmental issues.
A petition to prohibit pickup artist Daryush Valizadeh from entering the country is gaining momentum online, and has garnered over 13,000 names. The petition claims that his misogynistic views target an identifiable group, and thus qualify as hate speech. Valizadeh, also known as Roosh V., runs the controversial website Return of Kings, which argues that men are no longer allowed to be men, publishes questionable articles about sexual consent, and argues that you shouldn’t see Mad Max: Fury Road. Valizadeh is scheduled to hold a Toronto event on August 15. But the location is undisclosed, so as to “prevent unattractive feminists from petitioning.”
A different kind of NIMBY outrage is in the news today, as a Pickering resident filed a noise complaint complaining of excessive splashing and noise by three children in a neighbouring backyard pool. The bylaw in question bans “persistent yelling, hooting, shouting, whistling or singing” that can be heard inside other residences after 9 p.m., but the mom of the kids insists they don’t swim that late.