They were running Kanye West’s shop, which has been selling Nazi shit lately.
The Globe had an article yesterday. Former Shopify execs were critical of their decision to prioritize “freedom” over not hosting troubled celebrities selling shirts with swastikae.
Nanos has the CCP at 38% (below safe majority territory). Huh, they’ll wait for the election but if PP can’t turn this around the Tory base will eat him for lunch (like they did with O’Toole).
My biggest issue with Shopify was not with their urging of restraint, but the characterization that Canada was some how delinquent in this dispute.
Trumps justication of tarrifs as a response to the Canadian border being a significant vector for fentanyl and illegal immigration was pulled out of his ass.
I’d love to see a future where the crazies break apart the CPC and migrate to the PPC where they end up in the wilderness. I’m a Liberal supporter but I think a strong but sane small-c conservative party should be part of our elected officials.
Careful what you wish for. The last time they did that was how we went from the likes of Diefenbaker, Mulroney, and Clark to Polievre and Andrew Scheer.
Has anybody noticed an emphasis on Canadianness in recent TV commercials?
Doritos has its “Bold” campaign, featuring people in hockey sweaters, and a token “Sorry,” and the circle in the letter O in “Bold” is a maple leaf. An ad for cookware stresses that “You pay in Canadian dollars, and your cookware ships from our warehouse in Canada!” Kraft-Heinz has one out, emphasizing the company’s Canadian roots (J.L. Kraft was from Fort Erie, Ontario, originally), and how they use Canadian ingredients to make their products in their Montreal plant, which employs a thousand Canadians.
Nothing wrong with any of the above, but I don’t recall such an emphasis on Canadianness in TV commercials before Trump started all his threats of tariffs and his “51st state” stuff.
I think we got here when PRESSSTTOON MANNNINNNG and the Reform Party took over the old Progressive Conservatives. The PPC is just the rump end of the far-right crazies that didn’t go more mainstream.
Supposedly Molson’s “The Rant” was also making a comeback. No big surprise.
I see where Peter Rabbitskin wants to defund the CBC. Tragically stupid. Just like the Orange Menace and PBS. CBC is one of the best things Canada has.
Yes, especially on Super Bowl.
There was one from Montanas saying « Hey Canada come to us for real ribs » or something.
I sent them a comment that I saw no reason to spend any money at a US-themed restaurant. Used to est there from time to time, but not anymore.
They haven’t replied.
Montana’s originated in Ontario. I think it’s a bit mean to boycott them because of the theme they chose 30 years ago.
I’ve always assumed they’re American. So they’re vendus then.
Leger’s latest poll (pdf)
If an election were held today, CPC 40% Lib 31%. BUT, voting intentions if Libs led by Carney CPC 37%, Lib 37%. Also, Carney holds massive lead over Freeland as preferred leader among Liberal voters (i.e. those who intend to vote Lib, not actual Lib party members who get to vote for Carney or Freeland).
A bit more shitting on our country by Trump and we may yet avoid PM Polievre.
Right. They’ve always been as Canadian as such non-Canadian sounding chains as Swiss Chalet (from Toronto) and Boston Pizza (from Edmonton).
Maybe, though, they could benefit from a name change in our current times. @Northern_Piper , would you return to Montana’s, if they changed their name to “Saskatchewan’s”? (I’d like to suggest “Alberta’s,” but that would likely be just as damaging in the ROC as “Montana’s” is nowadays.)
The American names just reflect the infiltration of American culture into Canada, once considered both harmless and inevitable but the Orange Menace has me rethinking that. I wonder if we’re about to experience a rapid sea change in our culture and a new resurgence of Canadian nationalism. I’m certainly behind that.
I haven’t been to Montana’s in years but they did at one time have really good ribs, and you could even buy their rib sauce right in the lobby or in some grocery stores. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve been enshittified over the years like most restaurants.
Swiss Chalet around here still makes great rotisserie chicken, tasty gravy, and some of the best fries of any takeout. Though I don’t know that a chalet in the Swiss Alps is the best way to convey that concept. To me it conjures images of Saint Bernards and Bernese Mountain Dogs!
Boston Pizza is OK but grossly overpriced. There’s a reason that Jim Treliving is so damn rich! When I still lived in Toronto a local pizzeria offered far superior and more authentic pizza for half the price.
We had a small chain out here in western Canada, called Red Devil, that did real southern American ribs the way they should be done. Sadly, they didn’t survive. Montana’s was a very poor substitute. Since the demise of a local independent that specialized in southern BBQ, there are no other alternates. Sigh.
As an aside, we in Lethbridge had the best Montreal Smoked Meat west of Montreal. The place was run by a Montrealer who had been in the business for years, even back in Montreal, and you’d hear him shouting in French at the kitchen staff as you waited. But rumours were that he had some connection with somebody, who … Well, let’s just say that his business was destroyed by fire. That was ten years ago. Arson is still suspected, but nothing has been proven.
In our little city, we no longer have Swiss Chalet, East Side Mario’s, Montana’s, or Harvey’s. You want me to buy Canadian (i.e. no McDonald’s or Burger King or Denny’s), you’re making it damn difficult by closing Canadian places.
Here’s a scary thought – every single one of those places you mentioned – and a lot more – are all owned by the same company, Recipe Unlimited Corporation – which is indeed Canadian but is a gigantic conglomerate that owns virtually all of the chain restaurants in Canada, as well as the airline catering business. As if that wasn’t enough monopolistic conglomeration, in 2022 Recipe Unlimited was itself purchased by the insurance and re-insurance giant Fairfax Financial Holdings.
Kind of a side note, but rather shocking to learn about this degree of financial aggregation. Fairfax is also a Canadian company, based in Toronto, but all it would take would be one single purchase of either the now-private Recipe Unlimited or the entirety of Fairfax for the whole damn thing to suddenly become American owned! It’s not like it hasn’t happened before!
If we’re going to start asserting our sovereignty, we’d better start enacting regulations against this sort of takeover. The Alberta oil sands are already mostly foreign owned, and so is the 407 toll road in Ontario.
I cannot speak to Fairfax right now (but you’ve inspired me to look further), but I can speak to the boondoggle that is the 407.
Really, the province of Ontario should say to the operators, “You fucked up, you treated the people of Ontario badly with unreasonable tolls, and we’re taking our highway back, under the doctrine of eminent domain. You don’t like it? Tough.”
Yes, I know there’s a contract and a lease, but as a lawyer, I also know that there are ways around that. Let the lawsuits fly, all the Ontario government has to do is to say to the Spanish company that technically owns the road, “Fuck you.” Now, it’s open to all drivers, and the Spanish company is tied up in lawsuits while the road is open to all, for free. And their horrible customer service agents are out of jobs. Because, having experience with the 407 customer agents, they really are horrible. The 407 is always right, and you are always wrong, and you wind up wanting to punch the 407 rep in the face. Repeatedly, using brass knuckles. Except you can’t, because of their security cameras.
Fuck the 407. My tax dollars built it, and yet, I cannot use it when I visit Toronto. Go to hell, 407. There are other ways to get where I need to go.
I rarely use the 407 but ended up on it due to traffic a few weeks ago driving home from Buffalo after getting an MRI to bypass the wait here. I took it from Burlington to the 400, about 70km in total. Got my bill - $47 - and nearly shit my pants.