Cloe Logan

Politicians are being sold AI-powered 'digital fighters' A new app gets around bot bans by recruiting real people to post political messages generated by AI.

Chilling article from @rorywh.bsky.social. A new tool is being marketed by a little-known Israeli company (LogiVote) to Cdn political strategists + elected officials. You'll need to read the story to get the full rundown, but the tool uses *real voters* armed with AI-generated social media messages.

Four decades of road salt take their toll on Toronto’s waterways After a record-breaking snowstorm, melting ice is flushing tonnes of road salt into Toronto’s waterways. New data shows how much the city uses and why experts say the real problem may lie in the priva...

This follows a story I put out last week, which digs into the impact of salt on Toronto's waterways. For the story, I got salt figures from the city going back to the 80s: nearly five million tonnes of salt over the past four decades.

Ford government faces calls to tackle 'salt pollution hot spots' in Toronto and beyond At Queen’s Park on Tuesday, advocates called on the province to reform a liability ecosystem that they say pushes private contractors to overuse salt in winter, driving up costs and contaminating wate...

At Queen’s Park on Tuesday, advocates called on the province to reform a liability ecosystem that they say pushes private contractors to overuse salt in winter, driving up costs and contaminating waterways in an effort to avoid injury. For @nationalobserver.com

just a staggering figure, and great reporting from @cloelogan.bsky.social.

"no matter what the city does, there is another major salt user: the private sector, which is unregulated and has little incentive to cut back."

Four decades of road salt take their toll on Toronto’s waterways After a record-breaking snowstorm, melting ice is flushing tonnes of road salt into Toronto’s waterways. New data shows how much the city uses and why experts say the real problem may lie in the priva...

However, the city is just one part of a larger story. There is also the private sector, which is unregulated and has little incentive to cut back. But there's an interesting example of New Hampshire finding a way around that, explained here:

Four decades of road salt take their toll on Toronto’s waterways After a record-breaking snowstorm, melting ice is flushing tonnes of road salt into Toronto’s waterways. New data shows how much the city uses and why experts say the real problem may lie in the priva...

Toronto is covered with road salt right now, which will eventually end up in the city's waterways, where it disrupts ecosystems. To get an idea of how much we're talking, I got salt figures from the city going back to the 80s: nearly 5 million tonnes. For @nationalobserver.com

Back when it was Telehealth Ontario, callers could speak with a nurse within seconds or minutes. Now that the service has been replaced by Health811, the average wait time can be many hours #onthealth

Documents reveal Ontario's $7M Ring of Fire ad bill These ads are pushing the controversial mega-project through a campaign it has dubbed “Protect Ontario,” which Canada’s National Observer has learned is earmarked with a budget of more than $7 million...

Reporting from @cloelogan.bsky.social earlier this year pegged the cost of the government's Ring of Fire commercials (everywhere during the World Series) at around $7 million. #OnPoli www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/13/n...

Important reporting from my colleague @matinsarfraz.bsky.social

Carney replaces EV sales mandate with rebates Prime Minister Mark Carney is doing away with the EV availability standard, promising to replace it with more stringent tailpipe regulations and rebates to encourage Canadians to buy EVs.

PM Carney's new auto strategy dropped Feb. 5.

Out: the EV availability standard (which would have required 100% EV sales by 2035)

In: a $2.3B EV rebate program and more stringent tailpipe emissions regs (aiming for 75 percent EV adoption rate by 2035)

Appeal court ruling backs Discovery Islands salmon farm closures A federal court ruling affirming fish farm closures in Discovery Islands now shifts spotlight to government action and future of industry on the West Coast.

The latest in the loooong fish farm saga on the West Coast from @rochellebaker1.bsky.social

New U of T tool gives cities a roadmap to cut construction-related emissions A new open-source tool from University of Toronto researchers helps cities measure and limit the greenhouse gas emissions tied to construction materials like steel and concrete.

I wrote about a new open-source tool from @utoronto.ca researchers that allows 1,000 cities around the world, including Toronto, to keep track of their construction-related greenhouse gas emission budgets. For @nationalobserver.com

Glad to see the partnership between @nationalobserver.com and @ledevoir.com pick up again! Here's an article of mine translated for the Le Devoir audience ☺️

Michael Longfield, of @cycletoronto.bsky.social previously told @nationalobserver.com: “Ripping out bike lanes that were put in through proper city processes won’t fix congestion — it puts people’s lives at risk ... that’s true whether it’s in Toronto or anywhere in Ontario.”

Ontario aware bike lane removals may not reduce congestion, could make people less safe: internal documents | CBC News Ontario’s premier and transportation minister have said for months that removing bike lanes is a necessary measure to reduce traffic in the GTA. But hundreds of pages of internal ministry documents, r...

The province argued that there is no connection between bike lanes + constitutional rights + pushed back on another key part of the ruling: congestion, which Bill 212 aims to reduce. Prov says it's reasonable to assume that more lanes = more traffic flow. Lawyers on the other side point to this:

Ford government's battle with bike lanes reaches Ontario's highest court In their opening arguments, government lawyers told the Court of Appeal that removing protected cycling lanes is a policy choice, not a constitutional issue.

Here's what went down in court yesterday, as the province + cycling advocates both had their say before three judges at the Court of Appeal. The province was appealing a previous ruling, which found that the removal of three major bike routes in Toronto is unconstitutional. For @nationalobserver.com

CivicSearchlight - by Canada's National Observer Search transcripts of municipal meetings across Canada. Find discussions about topics that matter to your community with Canada's National Observer's search tool.

I was able to sort through municipal meetings and check which ones were talking about Bill 212 and 60 using @nationalobserver.com's Civic Searchlight tool, which transcribes and indexes local government meetings across Canada.

Waterloo confirmed that Bill 212 could impede planned cycling infrastructure. In Point Edward, a councillor said that smaller municipalities are also impacted by the province’s cycling bills. South Frontenac council recently submitted a formal objection letter to the province about Bill 60.

Municipalities have been pushing back against Bill 212 + Bill 60. Burlington has urged the province to reverse Bill 212, “recognizing that local governments are best positioned to make decisions about cycling infrastructure in a way that reflects the needs of the community.”

The move to remove the bike lanes is tied to the Ford government’s Bill 212, also known as the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, which Michael Longfield of @cycletoronto.bsky.social says contributes to a larger culture war using bike lanes as political scapegoats.

Ford’s war on bike lanes heads back to court This week, the province will return to court to challenge a decision that ruled that taking out bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue in an effort to reduce traffic congestion...

I am in court this morning, covering the latest on the court battle between the Ford government and cycling advocates. The province is challenging a decision that ruled taking out major bike lanes to reduce traffic congestion is unconstitutional. Here's a primer for @nationalobserver.com

Fish are flooding back into Toronto’s Don River This month, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority shared its findings from the Don River in 2025, which included documenting over 20 fish species. For the first time since 2012, an Atlantic Salmon...

The Don River was once so polluted with waste, garbage + chemicals that it caught on fire. The water itself, which flows towards Lake Ontario, was so inhospitable that it hosted life’s very antithesis. Now, researchers are starting to see a rebirth. For @nationalobserver.com

Feds target hundreds of Environment and Climate Change Canada workers putting 'public safety and the environment at risk' Hundreds of workers responsible for pollution prevention, weather forecasting, conservation and environmental disaster response are being at Environment and Climate Change Canada received workforce ad...

Hundreds of workers responsible for pollution prevention, weather forecasting, conservation and environmental disaster response are set to be cut from ECCC as Prime Minister Mark Carney's government takes a chainsaw to the public service.

How Privatized Cataract Surgery Helped Ontario’s Wealthiest—and Left Others Behind | The Local Why a routine surgery offers a window into the possible future of care in this province.

Great kickoff to a new series from @thelocal.to on healthcare + $ in Ontario by @alisonmotluk.bsky.social. Super illuminating piece on the creeping privatization of healthcare, narrowing in on cataract surgery.

Former Ford government staffer challenges watchdog order for Greenbelt interview under oath | Globalnews.ca Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner has been trying to compel a former senior government staffer to turn over personal emails related to the Greenbelt decision-making.

ICYMI: The Information and Privacy Commissioner has taken the relatively rare step of ordering a former Progressive Conservative staffer to be examined under oath as part of one of our Greenbelt FOI appeals. #onpoli
globalnews.ca/news/1162160...

Ottawa plotting a high stakes clean energy strategy After dismantling many of the climate policies put in place by the previous government, Prime Minister Mark Carney has quietly directed his government to craft a national electricity strategy.

After dismantling many of the climate policies put in place by the previous government, Prime Minister Mark Carney has quietly directed his government to craft a national electricity strategy.

Can't say enough good things about this program!!

Photojournalist Amber Bracken takes the stand in press freedom trial On Tuesday, photojournalist Amber Bracken took the witness stand in her joint trial against the RCMP. Bracken and The Narwhal are suing the RCMP for Bracken's wrongful arrest and detention and violati...

From @natashabulowski.bsky.social on this important case being put forward by @amberbracken.bsky.social and @thenarwhal.ca. They are suing the RCMP for wrongfully arresting + detaining Bracken while on assignment and violating both her and the publication’s Charter rights.

Hodgson’s briefing binder reveals provincial asks for new fossil fuels, critical minerals and electricity In 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government began building the architecture to develop major projects, but 2026 is when the rubber meets the road. Here’s what the provinces and territories want t...

Very useful piece from @woodsideful.bsky.social. Tim Hodgson's briefing materials reveal points of leverage and opportunities for collaboration, offering an unprecedented view into the complex terrain of major project negotiations. It shows what the provinces and territories want most.

Canada’s National Observer has repeatedly reached out to the province of Ontario to ask for clarification on the campaign — including why a “shoe scene” removal was so expensive — and has not received any response.

This story is about how much the gov is willing to spend on an ad campaign for a project that is facing opposition from many local First Nations, has been criticized for being misleading etc., but also! It's about gov reluctance to answer questions.