# Canadope 2015: Battlestar Canadica **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 1, 2015, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655 "2015-01-01T01:49:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/261 "2015-05-06T21:45:30Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > \ > And the head of PCL Construction also told his employees how to vote. I don’t know about you, but when if boss told me how to vote, I would tend to get a little pissed. As a former employee of PCL, I can confirm that this type of direction from one level of management or other isn’t uncommon. A few years ago I was involved in a conversation with a senior construction manager who stated that any PCL employee who didn’t vote for the correct candidate should be fired on the spot. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/262 "2015-05-06T22:48:35Z")
> [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](#): > > As a former employee of PCL, I can confirm that this type of direction from one level of management or other isn’t uncommon. A few years ago I was involved in a conversation with a senior construction manager who stated that any PCL employee who didn’t vote for the correct candidate should be fired on the spot. Not at all surprising… thank God for the secret ballot! I think that PCL might be a little worried, as may some other companies who have operated in Alberta for some time. Something tells me that some details on sweetheart single-sourced contracts may be coming to light in the near future… ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/263 "2015-05-06T23:11:52Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > The fact that it was evident that Postmedia dictated an editorial (from the corporate boardroom in Toronto) to every major paper in the province did not sit well. Albertans do not like to be told what to do by people from Toronto. > > The last minute fear campaign went over like a lead balloon. Especially egregious were the CEO’s from Edmonton who threatened to stop donating to a children’s hospital. Classy guys. And the head of PCL Construction also told his employees how to vote. I don’t know about you, but when if boss told me how to vote, I would tend to get a little pissed. Could you point me to some news articles that talk about these points? I’ve seen mention on the board, but not in the media. Am I just missing it somewhere? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/264 "2015-05-06T23:47:33Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Could you point me to some news articles that talk about these points? I’ve seen mention on the board, but not in the media. Am I just missing it somewhere? Here’s a piece on the reaction to the corporate folks threatening to pull donations… It seems that a lot of people started donating to the hospital: [http://globalnews.ca/news/1975741/albertans-show-support-for-stollery-childrens-hospital-following-comment-by-business-leader/](http://globalnews.ca/news/1975741/albertans-show-support-for-stollery-childrens-hospital-following-comment-by-business-leader/) Can’t find a link at the moment for the Postmedia owned Alberta papers all running the same editorial … but Ezra Levant of all people posted a video RANT about it. ETA: Here are a whole pile of twitter rants from Levant: [URL=“[x.com](https://twitter.com/sladurantaye/timelines/594888478648762368)”] ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/265 "2015-05-07T02:58:40Z")
I just know Rachel Notley as the sister of the guy who draws [Bob the Angry Flower](http://www.angryflower.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/266 "2015-05-07T03:42:17Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I just know Rachel Notley as the sister of the guy who draws [Bob the Angry Flower](http://www.angryflower.com/). Seriously? Small world… ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/267 "2015-05-07T20:40:53Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > The Stollery Children’s Hospital was appreciative of the donations that that little stunt caused, judging from what I read (sorry, can’t find a link at the moment). I don’t normally donate to them (I have other favourite charities), but I gave them $50 because of that. > [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Here’s a piece on the reaction to the corporate folks threatening to pull donations… It seems that a lot of people started donating to the hospital: > > [http://globalnews.ca/news/1975741/albertans-show-support-for-stollery-childrens-hospital-following-comment-by-business-leader/](http://globalnews.ca/news/1975741/albertans-show-support-for-stollery-childrens-hospital-following-comment-by-business-leader/) Thankyou! Exactly the article I had in mind - I was just to lazy to hunt it down. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/268 "2015-05-12T16:11:16Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > \ > > Can’t find a link at the moment for the Postmedia owned Alberta papers all running the same editorial … but Ezra Levant of all people posted a video RANT about it. > > ETA: Here are a whole pile of twitter rants from Levant: [URL=“[x.com](https://twitter.com/sladurantaye/timelines/594888478648762368)”] Ezra Levant can suck it. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/269 "2015-05-12T17:09:23Z")
Apparently parts of Eastern Quebec are getting snow today. I wonder if there’s any snow still on the ground in Nova Scotia. No snow on the ground here in Montreal. My sister and I went to Ottawa on Saturday. It was enjoyable. Lots of tulips everywhere around town, though we didn’t go to the actual Tulip Festival. Also, a nice thing that I saw was that many stores had water bowls outside for passing dogs, something I haven’t seen much of anywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/270 "2015-05-17T21:06:59Z")
I don’t normally care about the world hockey championships because Canada usually has its top talent tied up in the NHL playoffs, but this year was different. I think Canada has just such an abundance of talent now that it’s a game changer. Last Olympics it was said that Canada could have iced two teams and played against one another for gold. Well done Canada. Beauty, eh? ETA: Tretiak handing out silver medals to Russia. Cool. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/271 "2015-05-18T21:46:16Z")
We’ve had a pretty good Victoria Day weekend here in Toronto. Yesterday we had a cookout with lamb skewers, corn on the cob, sweet potatoes and sangria, and we capped it off with 18 holes of golf. Today we biked along the lake shore and we saw debris from a small plane crash on Yonge Street. I’m pretty sure that last bit was a film set for “Suicide Squad”, though. I’ve lived in Toronto for 15 years and I’ve never seen too much evidence of films or TV shows being shot around here (the Total Recall remake and maybe the occasional episode of Flashpoint come to mind). But for whatever reason, for the past month it seems like everywhere I turn they’re setting up a scene for Suicide Squad. Week 1: “Did it always say ‘Midway Sewing Machine Company’ on the side of Bardi’s steakhouse?” Week 2: “What kind of name for a store is ‘Midway City Public Works’? Hang on – isn’t somebody shooting a movie around here?” Week 3: “There sure are a lot of army trucks on University Avenue. Wait a sec…I’m pretty sure this is not really the ‘John Ostrander Federal Building’. Must be Suicide Squad.” Week 4: “Yonge Street closed for a plane crash? Ho hum.” ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/272 "2015-05-21T04:55:33Z")
Well, the audits into the good Senators’ expenses is done, and has uncovered approximately $100,000 in questionable claims, for 10 senators, which will be referred to the Mounties for investigation into possible criminal misconduct. Price tag for the audits? A mere $21 million. Eh?!? > **[Senate audit cost $21M, another 10 senators will be referred to RCMP: sources](https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/politics/senate-audit-cost-21m-another-10-senators-will-be-referred-to-rcmp-sources-1.2381537)** > > A sweeping Auditor General’s audit of the Senate has cost taxpayers $21 million, and uncovered troubling expense claims from 10 more sitting and former senators, CTV News has learned. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/273 "2015-05-21T14:54:54Z")
Thanks **Piper** for the link. When I heard the news this morning I heard they found $21 million in expenses, not that the cost of the audit was $21 million. That seems like a lot of coin and I understand that forensic accountants and auditors don’t come cheap, but this seems a little excessive. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/274 "2015-05-21T17:12:36Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > Apparently parts of Eastern Quebec are getting snow today. I wonder if there’s any snow still on the ground in Nova Scotia. > > No snow on the ground here in Montreal. > > My sister and I went to Ottawa on Saturday. It was enjoyable. Lots of tulips everywhere around town, though we didn’t go to the actual Tulip Festival. Also, a nice thing that I saw was that many stores had water bowls outside for passing dogs, something I haven’t seen much of anywhere else. One of my wife’s Facebook friends posted a picture Wednesday of her kids playing in the snow still left from their winter storms. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/275 "2015-05-26T06:16:14Z")
Posted over in Café Society: [Wes Humboldt from Corner Gas dies of Cancer](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=757787). ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/276 "2015-05-29T13:29:16Z")
Interesting development in the run-up to the federal election: [Peter MacKay leaving politics.](http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/peter-mckay-leaving-politics-reports) Given his important role in the PC-Alliance merger, MacKay has always been a key player in the new Conservative Party and then in the Harper government. With Baird also having left, that’s a couple of big holes in the front bench. News article says it’s because MacKay and his wife have baby # 2 on the way, and he wants time with his family. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/277 "2015-05-29T14:31:40Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Interesting development in the run-up to the federal election: [Peter MacKay leaving politics.](http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/peter-mckay-leaving-politics-reports) > > Given his important role in the PC-Alliance merger, MacKay has always been a key player in the new Conservative Party and then in the Harper government. With Baird also having left, that’s a couple of big holes in the front bench. > > News article says it’s because MacKay and his wife have baby # 2 on the way, and he wants time with his family. When a man leaves politics that is really the only stock answer that is given. He probably has better offers elsewhere. If Harper fails to get a majority (very likely) he can throw his fresh hat back in the ring too for a leadership bid. In politics it’s all angles (or maybe I’m a cynic). ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/278 "2015-05-31T14:43:32Z")
Come one, come all, and see (suspended) Canadian senator Patrick Brazeau [pile-driven through a table](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I1d-ctlgSk). It’s surprisingly satisfying. ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/279 "2015-06-03T15:43:06Z")
Did anyone else feel news overload yesterday? Between the release of the Truth and Reconcilliation Commission report, the verdict on the Attempted bombing of the BC Legislature, the new Astronauts, the report on the Parliament Shootings last October, FIFA president resigning and not coming to open the Women’s World Cup here in Canada, the bad turf in our stadiums, and the other stuff in local regional news (not to mention all the international things) I felt overwhelmed. I felt sure there was a water skiing squirrel and a lady with the image of St Francis of Assisi in her fried eggs that were bumped and not very happy about it. Joking aside, I had a horrible session explaining “genocide” to my 11-year-old. He’s pretty news savvy but watching his face grow pale and his eyes brim up hurt more than I ever expected. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655/280 "2015-06-03T15:54:53Z")
Throw in the death of Jacques Parizeau too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadope-2015-battlestar-canadica/708655.md?page=15)