YouTube changes policy to allow false claims about past US presidential elections

Ticked off by Trump’s tantrums

U.S. President Donald Trump recently threatened tariffs on Canadian products for the wildfire smoke that wafts across the border.

We have failed to manage our forests properly, he says, causing the smoke choking America’s big cities. And many of his Republican colleagues have joined the chorus, demanding sanctions against Canada for our unneighbourly behaviour. We north of the border should all be outdoors, rakes in hand, to clear combustible debris from our forest floors. Quite right.

Canada is missing a major economic opportunity. Just imagine an army of rake-equipped forestry workers. What a boost to rake manufacturers!

Canada’s boreal forest is only 2.7 million square kilometres. If we gave each Canadian, including infants and the elderly, a rake, each would only have to clear 6.6 hectares (about 16 acres). Piece of cake! Many, of course, would be raking the more than two-thirds of remote boreal forest without road access. This would boost the employment of highly trained search and rescue workers!

YouTube changes policy to allow false claims about past US presidential elections

YouTube said Friday it will stop removing content that falsely claims the 2020 election or other past U.S. presidential elections were marred by “widespread fraud, errors or glitches."

The change is a reversal for the Google-owned video service, which said a month after the 2020 election that it would start removing new posts that falsely claimed widespread voter fraud or errors changed the outcome.

YouTube said in a blog post that the updated policy was an attempt to protect the ability to “openly debate political ideas, even those that are controversial or based on disproven assumptions.”

“In the current environment, we find that while removing this content does curb some misinformation, it could also have the unintended effect of curtailing political speech without meaningfully reducing the risk of violence or other real-world harm,” the blog post said.

What’s open, what’s closed, what’s up in Winnipeg on Terry Fox Day

The first Monday in August marks Terry Fox Day in Manitoba, honouring the legendary Canadian who was born in Winnipeg in 1958. 

Western Warrior finishes strong

The smile — not to mention the relief — on Dane Nelson’s face said it all.

“A perfect race,” declared the veteran jockey, moments after riding Western Warrior to a dramatic victory in the 78th running of the Manitoba Derby on Monday night at Assiniboia Downs.

Indeed it was for the morning line favourite (2-1), who actually had slipped to 8-1 (fifth-best) by post time. He sat sixth in the nine-horse field at the midway point of the one-and-one-eighth mile marathon and really turned it on and found his stride down the stretch.

Nelson expertly manoeuvered the three-year-old colt through traffic as they approached the final turn, moving from fifth to first in the blink of an eye. Western Warrior then held on as longshot Quarry (20-1 on the morning line) — who he’d just overtaken for the lead — had a frantic, final push and nearly passed him at the wire.

240 WestJet flight attendants picket in Winnipeg

Winnipeg’s WestJet flight attendants took to the picket line outside of Richardson International Airport on the first day of nationwide strikes Sunday, while inside, frustrated flyers scrambled to re-route cancelled long-weekend flights.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees’ Ontario arm and the airline announced the strike would commence after the strike deadline was passed without a deal early Sunday morning. WestJet attendants have been without a contract since Dec. 31, 2025.

Hours later, the 240 WestJet flight attendants based in Winnipeg had walked off the job and were marching outside of the airport terminal, some carrying signs with slogans including “Tired with WestJet? So are We!” and “Unpaid Work Won’t Fly.”

Key issues causing the stalemate are wages and pay for work on the ground: the union says flight attendants are not being paid for some of that work, while the company says they pay for the work through a “credit hour” system rather than an hourly rate.