Facebook and Facebook-owned apps Instagram and WhatsApp were up and running again late Monday after being hit by an outage that affected users around the world. The social media giant said the disruption to network traffic "had a cascading effect on the way our data centres communicate, bringing our services to a halt." It said there is no evidence that user data was comprised. It was the largest such outage ever tracked by the web monitoring group Downdetector, which collates complaints about web outages.

Classified as: McGill experts, social media, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Social Networks, Samuel Veissière, Department of Psychiatry, culture, Mind, and Brain, Department of Anthropology
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Published on: 6 Oct 2021

Amazon.com Inc. could be facing its first unionization battle in Canada after a Teamsters local filed for a union vote for workers at the e-commerce giant’s fulfilment centre near Edmonton. If the Alberta Labour Relations Board verifies application, all workers at the YEG 1 fulfilment centre in Nisku, Alberta, who were employed as of September 13 will be able to vote on joining the union. In order to have a union vote filing approved in Alberta, the union must demonstrate 40 per cent of workers at a given job site have signed a petition for union representation.

Classified as: McGill experts, labour force, labour issues, labour market, Amazon, barry eidlin, Department of Sociology, labour unions
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Published on: 27 Sep 2021

Climate change is a hot-button issue in this federal campaign, and data shows that a party’s environmental strategy could help influence its results in at least 9 ridings where races were neck-and-neck in the last election. Environics Analytics analyzed all 338 Canada’s federal electoral districts and found environmental issues are important to a wide swath of Canadians. The data and analytics firm found that voters in 46 ridings had above average concerns – compared to the national average – for the way their lifestyles have an impact on the world around them.

Classified as: McGill experts, Christopher Ross, department of political science, Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship, federal election, Canadian Politics, climate change, climate change policy, Sustainabilty
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Published on: 17 Sep 2021

Misinformation linked to the COVID-19 pandemic is playing a larger-than-expected role in the federal election, fuelling protests and support for the People’s Party of Canada, experts say. Throughout the election, hostile protests have dogged the campaign of Liberal leader Justin Trudeau. On Monday, anti-vaccination protests targeted hospitals across the country – the ongoing protests have also garnered significant media coverage, getting more attention than issues like Afghanistan or gun control.

Classified as: McGill experts, department of political science, Aengus Bridgman, Centre for Democratic Citizenship, media ecosystem observatory, misinformation, Canadian Election Misinformation Project, federal elections, Canadian Politics
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Published on: 16 Sep 2021

As the federal election campaign heats up, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is calling on all parties to work with cities and communities of all sizes to drive a stronger, more inclusive nationwide recovery—releasing a package of achievable frontline solutions to pressing challenges, from job creation to climate change to the housing crisis. (FCM

Classified as: McGill experts, Katharine McCoy, department of political science, Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship, agrarian and rural issues, rural development, federal election, rural voters
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Published on: 16 Sep 2021

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has emerged as the most likable of the federal party leaders as Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s popularity sinks amid the election campaign, a new poll suggests. The Ipsos poll conducted exclusively for Global News found Singh was the only party leader who was viewed more positively than negatively, with 45 per cent approval versus 39 per cent disapproval among those surveyed. (Global News)

Classified as: McGill experts, federal election, voter turnout, Canadian Politics, Rupinder Liddar, department of political science, max bell school of public policy, Canadian Election Misinformation Project, Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship, Jagmeet Singh, sikh
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Published on: 15 Sep 2021

Canadian voters will be hearing a similar message from each of the major federal parties during the current election campaign: housing has grown too expensive, and we have a plan to fix it. The consensus reflects the increasingly dire state of housing in Canada, experts say, which affects everyone from prospective homeowners feeling squeezed out of the market to lower-income families languishing on waiting lists for affordable housing. (CBC News)

Classified as: McGill experts, Avi Friedman, Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture, affordable housing, federal election, Canadian Politics, real estate, housing markets, Canadian housing market
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Published on: 15 Sep 2021

A record number of Indigenous candidates are running in the federal election this year with what they say is a goal of advancing meaningful change in Canada's relationship with First Nations, Inuit and Metis. The Canadian Press analyzed party websites, as well as reached out to each party, to determine how many Indigenous candidates are hoping to get elected in Canada's 338 ridings on Sept. 20. The analysis determined there are at least 77 candidates this year compared with 62 in 2019.

Classified as: McGill experts, department of political science, Chadwick Cowie, Indigenous, Indigenous politics, federal elections, 2021 federal elections
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Published on: 8 Sep 2021

Taliban insurgents entered Kabul after previously taking control of all of Afghanistan's other major cities apart from the capital. Prior talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government on a political understanding that could lead to a peace deal, backed by the United States and its allies, have failed to make significant progress. (CBC News)

Here is an expert from McGill University that can provide comment on this issue:

Classified as: McGill experts, Afghanistan, NATO, U.S. politics, international relations, Safia Amiry, Department of Integrated Studies in Education, Define the Line, sexual violence, gender based violence
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Published on: 19 Aug 2021

Following a meeting with Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau this morning, Governor General Mary Simon approved his request to dissolve Parliament, triggering the issuing of the election writs and formally beginning Canada's 44th federal election. The campaign will last 36 days — the minimum campaign length permitted by law. (CBC News)

Here is an expert from McGill University that can provide comment on this issue:

Classified as: McGill experts, Daniel Béland, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC), department of political science, Canadian Politics, federal elections
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Published on: 17 Aug 2021

More than 130 forest fires were burning in northwestern Ontario on Sunday, July 25, with Environment Canada issuing air quality statements for much of the region due to smoke. (CBC News)

Here are some experts from McGill University that can provide comment on this issue:

Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, PhD candidate, Department of Bioresource Engineering

Classified as: Forest fires, wildfires, smog, air quality, smoke, climate change, Sustainability, BC, Quebec, ontario
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Published on: 28 Jul 2021

The federal government quietly tested facial recognition technology on millions of unsuspecting travellers at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport in 2016. The six-month initiative, meant to pick out people the Canada Border Services Agency suspected might try to enter the country using fake identification, is detailed in a document obtained by The Globe and Mail through a freedom of information request. The project is the largest known government deployment of the technology in Canada to date.

Classified as: McGill experts, privacy, facial recognition, facial recognition software, facial recognition technology, security, Ignacio Cofone, Faculty of Law, Benjamin Fung, School of Information Studies, Sonja Solomun, max bell school of public policy, Centre for Media Technology and Democracy
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Published on: 22 Jul 2021

The world needs to see that Japan can stage a safe Olympics, the country's prime minister told sports officials on Tuesday, July 20 ahead of the Tokyo Games. Tens of thousands of athletes, officials, games staff and media have arrived in Japan amid a local state of emergency and widespread opposition from the general public. Health experts in Japan have questioned allowing so many international visitors for the games. (CBC News)

Classified as: McGill experts, olympic games, Olympics, Tokyo, Bruno Delorme, School of Continuing Studies, Desautels Faculty of Management, Sports, sports management, sports marketing, Marketing, management, entrepreneurship
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Published on: 21 Jul 2021

Inuk leader Mary Simon has been chosen as the next governor general — the first Indigenous person ever to be appointed as the Queen's representative in Canada. During a news conference at the Canadian Museum of History, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the Queen has accepted his recommendation to appoint Simon — a past president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national Inuit organization — as the 30th governor general. (CBC News)

Classified as: McGill experts, Daniel Béland, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC), department of political science, Canadian Politics, governor general
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Published on: 9 Jul 2021

Some technologists are telling the Bank of Canada (BoC) that its wait-and-see approach when it comes to issuing digital currencies runs the risk of leaving it behind in the race to innovate globally. Although its Governor Tiff Macklem said in April that the pandemic has accelerated the digital economy and “the case for a digital currency becomes more compelling,” the central bank says it has no immediate plans to launch a digital loonie. (Global News)

Classified as: McGill experts, Katrin Tinn, Desautels Faculty of Management, cryptocurrency, Digital Currency, Bank of Canada
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Published on: 23 Jun 2021

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