Ottawa

Tease the day: Tories protect lakes in their own backyards

Ontario’s cottage country well-protected by amended legislation

CP/Sean Kilpatrick

Every so often, a data journalist comes up with a story that, without requiring anonymous sources or leaked documents, still manages to capture the attention of the national agenda. Recall the work of Glen McGregor and Stephen Maher, they of “McMaher” robocalls fame, a few years ago when the federal government was doling out stimulus funding to thousands of projects across Canada. The reporters found the money disproportionately ended up in Conservative ridings, which fuelled opposition fury about perceived pork barrelling. McGregor’s at it again today, reporting that 90 percent of lakes protected by the amended Navigation Protection Act sit in Conservative-held ridings, including a dozen in Treasury Board President Tony Clement’s riding. That’s the same riding where millions of dollars were spent in advance of the 2010 G8 summit to refurbish, among other municipal infrastructure, gazebos. Will McGregor’s latest data work catch the attention of the opposition? We’re curious what NDP MP Megan Leslie will ask the government when she stands in Question Period today.


What’s above the fold this morning?

The Globe and Mail leads with Hurricane Sandy’s disastrous impact on New York City. So does the National Post. So does the Toronto Star. So does the Ottawa Citizen, which headlined the “mayhem” left in Sandy’s wake. iPolitics fronts Canada’s modest gains in a think tank’s economic index. National Newswatch leads with The Globe and Mail‘s story about incumbent parties likely winning three upcoming federal byelections.

Stories that will be (mostly) missed

1. PM’s India trip. Postmedia’s Matthew Fisher teases Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s six-day trip to India, arguing the PM will be warmly welcomed by the “energy-thirsty” country. 2. Charbonneau Commission. It isn’t, strictly speaking, a federal issue. But the inquiry into corruption in Quebec’s construction industry continues to hear extraordinary testimony.
3. Bridge to Michigan. A Michigan billionaire who owns the Ambassador Bridge hopes to block the construction of a new crossing between Detroit and Windsor with a multi-million dollar campaign. 4. Defence cuts. Canada’s new chief of the defence staff, Tom Lawson, says there isn’t much fat to be cut at DND. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is urging the top soldier to find it, anyway.

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