Leah Piltz

This image shows gauges with the Feb 28 - Mar 13, 2026 COVID Forecast scores for Canada, the provinces, and territories. From left to right: Canada: HIGH - 6.7 Alberta: HIGH - 6.5 British Columbia: MODERATE - 4.4 Manitoba: VERY HIGH - 10.0 New Brunswick: HIGH - 7.1 Newfoundland & Labrador: MODERATE - 4.7 North: HIGH - 6.7 Nova Scotia: HIGH - 6.0 Ontario: HIGH - 7.7 Prince Edward Island: MODERATE - 4.9 Quebec: HIGH - 6.6 Saskatchewan: HIGH - 8.1 A text box reads: 'The COVID Forecast is calculated from 3 equally weighted categories: 1) Current infections and spread; 2) Healthcare system impact; 3) Mortality. Within each category there is one sub-category for trends over the most recent week (Trends) and one sub-category for current parameter values relative to a specified baseline (Current values). Trends and current values are weighted equally when determining the final score for a category. All Forecast input data and sources are available here (https://datastudio.google.com/embed/u/0/reporting/42b886cf-d661-488e-b7d8-5c5836b55ab6/page/p_2yqs028mwc). Past Forecast scores are available in the table below. Forecast scores are grouped into 4 ranges: MODERATE (1 to <5, white), HIGH (6 to <10, yellow), VERY HIGH (10 to <15, orange), SEVERE (>15 red).'

Canadian COVID Forecast: Feb 28 - Mar 13, 2026

SEVERE: none
VERY HIGH: MB
HIGH: CAN, AB, NB, North, NS, ON, QC, SK
MODERATE: BC, NL, PEI

About 1 in 99 people in Canada are CURRENTLY infected.

Canada ‘abandoning’ international law with support for U.S. strikes on Iran, say former diplomats Though Canada's approach to Iran has been 'well-aligned' with the United States for many years, Prime Minister Mark Carney's government has been reluctant to condemn any suspected violations of…

UNLOCKED | Canada ‘abandoning’ international law with support for U.S. strikes on Iran, say former diplomats

www.hilltimes.com/story/2026/0...

Under Trump, the United States does whatever it wants, stops only when it wants to, and walks away from the carnage without looking back. trib.al/zUpDTnp

Tropical plants flowering months earlier or later because of climate crisis – study Changes threaten ecosystems as flowering falls out of sync with fruit-eating, seed-dispersing animals and pollinators

Tropical plants flowering months earlier or later because of climate crisis – study

CANADIAN LONG COVID COMMUNITY

Please join us by participating and sharing your story as patient and/or caregiver. All hearts will be displayed at our in-person events on March 15. Help us share far and wide! We all deserve to be seen.
#LongCovid #LongCovidHeartbeats #LongCovidAwarenessDay

Behold: the first-ever list of news outlets that have banned generative AI in their reporting. As of today, this is literally information that you cannot find on Google.

My goal is to fill the starter pack, so please send over suggestions with supporting evidence!

go.bsky.app/8cn1XfT

This image shows gauges with the Jan 31 - Feb 13, 2026 COVID Forecast scores for Canada, the provinces, and territories. From left to right: Canada: VERY HIGH - 13.1 Alberta: SEVERE - 18.6 British Columbia: HIGH - 6.3 Manitoba: SEVERE - 18.4 New Brunswick: SEVERE - 19.2 Newfoundland & Labrador: HIGH - 7.7 North: VERY HIGH - 13.9 Nova Scotia: VERY HIGH - 10.4 Ontario: VERY HIGH - 14.5 Prince Edward Island: SEVERE - 18.9 Quebec: VERY HIGH - 10.0 Saskatchewan: SEVERE - 18.7 A text box reads: 'The COVID Forecast is calculated from 3 equally weighted categories: 1) Current infections and spread; 2) Healthcare system impact; 3) Mortality. Within each category there is one sub-category for trends over the most recent week (Trends) and one sub-category for current parameter values relative to a specified baseline (Current values). Trends and current values are weighted equally when determining the final score for a category. All Forecast input data and sources are available here (https://datastudio.google.com/embed/u/0/reporting/42b886cf-d661-488e-b7d8-5c5836b55ab6/page/p_2yqs028mwc). Past Forecast scores are available in the table below. Forecast scores are grouped into 4 ranges: MODERATE (1 to <5, white), HIGH (6 to <10, yellow), VERY HIGH (10 to <15, orange), SEVERE (>15 red).'

Canadian COVID Forecast: Jan 31 - Feb 13, 2026

SEVERE: AB, MB, NB, PEI, SK
VERY HIGH: CAN, North, NS, ON, QC
HIGH: BC, NL
MODERATE: none

About 1 in 122 people in Canada are CURRENTLY infected.

If you're in the US and are looking for Girl Scout cookies, these are the kids to support!

What we’ve been getting wrong about AI’s truth crisis Even when content is revealed to be manipulated, it still shapes our beliefs. The defenders of truth are hopelessly behind.

AI content can dupe us, shape our beliefs even when we catch the lie, and erode societal trust in the process. The tools we were sold as a cure for this crisis are failing miserably

www.technologyreview.com/2026/02/02/1...

The destruction of public health and rising fascism forever hand in hand.

US opens probe after a Waymo self-driving car hit a child near a school The child ran across the street from behind a double-parked SUV towards the school and sustained minor injuries.

The child ran across the street from behind a double-parked SUV towards the school and sustained minor injuries.

Column | I let ChatGPT analyze a decade of my Apple Watch data. Then I called my doctor. I gave the new ChatGPT Health access to 29 million steps and 6 million heartbeat measurements. It drew questionable conclusions that changed each time I asked.

Moral of this story: Don't rely on Dr. AI to diagnose your health issues (gift article; free account required).

Canada will require refugees and asylum seekers to co-pay for health care starting in May They will have to pay 30 per cent of the costs of services such as dental, optometry and physiotherapy and a $4 flat rate on each prescription.

This came in the same budget that axed a luxury tax on yachts. www.thestar.com/news/canada/...

Family of Boat Strike Victims Sue U.S. for “Manifestly Unlawful” Killings A lawsuit aims to hold the Trump administration accountable for killing two Trinidadian men in an airstrike in the Caribbean.

BREAKING: Family of Boat Strike Victims Sue U.S. for “Manifestly Unlawful” Killings

A lawsuit aims to hold the Trump administration accountable for killing two Trinidadian men in an airstrike in the Caribbean.

theintercept.com/2026/01/27/b...

British crown was world’s largest buyer of enslaved people by 1807, book reveals Exclusive: Author of The Crown’s Silence tells how navy and monarchy protected slave trade for hundreds of years The British crown and the navy expanded and protected the trade in enslaved African people for hundreds of years, unprecedented research into the monarchy’s historical ties to slavery has found. The Crown’s Silence, a book by the historian Brooke Newman, follows the Guardian’s 2023 Cost of the crown report, which explored the British monarchy’s hidden ties to transatlantic slavery. Continue reading...

British crown was world’s largest buyer of enslaved people by 1807, book reveals

Black Bird Commons: from Pop-Ups and Dreams 2 brick-n-mortar Help bring an inclusive, Community-Built Bookshop + Art Market + 3rd Space to reality on Treaty 4 Territory in Regina, SK

I just backed Black Bird Commons: from Pop-Ups and Dreams 2 brick-n-mortar on @kickstarter.com. Please consider helping this independent bookshop get off the ground! They also have some great rewards for supporters.

Read the full report here: collections.unu.edu/eserv/UNU:10...

World enters era of ‘global water bankruptcy’ The world has moved beyond a water crisis and into a state of global water bankruptcy, says a new flagship report released on Tuesday by UN researchers.

With everything going on right now, this news is getting buried, and it’s arguably the most important. We’re now experiencing global water bankruptcy. Expect more wars, famine, and economic hardships. Don’t forget that we also have AI competing for what little water is left.

This image shows gauges with the Jan 17 - Jan 30, 2026 COVID Forecast scores for Canada, the provinces, and territories. From left to right: Canada: VERY HIGH - 12.1 Alberta: VERY HIGH - 12.3 British Columbia: HIGH - 8.1 Manitoba: SEVERE - 19.2 New Brunswick: VERY HIGH - 11.2 Newfoundland & Labrador: VERY HIGH - 11.3 North: VERY HIGH - 12.9 Nova Scotia: SEVERE - 17.6 Ontario: VERY HIGH - 10.9 Prince Edward Island: HIGH - 9.8 Quebec: VERY HIGH - 12.3 Saskatchewan: SEVERE - 17.9 A text box reads: 'The COVID Forecast is calculated from 3 equally weighted categories: 1) Current infections and spread; 2) Healthcare system impact; 3) Mortality. Within each category there is one sub-category for trends over the most recent week (Trends) and one sub-category for current parameter values relative to a specified baseline (Current values). Trends and current values are weighted equally when determining the final score for a category. All Forecast input data and sources are available here (https://datastudio.google.com/embed/u/0/reporting/42b886cf-d661-488e-b7d8-5c5836b55ab6/page/p_2yqs028mwc). Past Forecast scores are available in the table below. Forecast scores are grouped into 4 ranges: MODERATE (1 to <5, white), HIGH (6 to <10, yellow), VERY HIGH (10 to <15, orange), SEVERE (>15 red).'

Canadian COVID Forecast: Jan 17 - Jan 30, 2026

SEVERE: MB, NS, SK
VERY HIGH: CAN, AB, NB, NL, North, ON, QC
HIGH: BC, PEI
MODERATE: none

About 1 in 95 people in Canada are CURRENTLY infected.

The School Engine Behind Flu and COVID — and Why Clean Air for Kids Is the Missing Public Health Tool Every winter we treat flu season as if it were driven by weather, chance, or holiday travel.

Important read on schools and transmission of viral illnesses.
substack.com/home/post/p-...

Growing up in a small town, the closest movie theatre was 80 km away. We were fortunate enough to go often. But a lot of people couldn't afford it, even back when gas was cheap. Theatres aren't really for rural people, I agree. But the majority of people live in cities, so it shouldn't even matter!

My friend
who keeps getting sick
says he knows that he should
wear a mask and take precautions
but he says that doing so
is just too inconvenient,
and I cannot imagine
a better epitaph for humanity
than: we could have
saved ourselves
but doing so
was just too inconvenient.

Easimask FSM18 FFP3 Mask | MRI Safe Mask | The Face Mask Store Easimask FSM18 FFP3 Unvalved Face Mask provides MRI Safe FFP3 protection and is strong and durable. It features an adjustable strap, is latex, fibreglass and metal free and has Type IIR splash resista...

I think I've only previously posted about these on The Bad Place when I had an account there, but for everyone here on Bluesky: If you're looking for an MRI-safe respirator that ships to Canada, I recommend these. I've successfully worn them for MRI and PET scans, with no issues.

‘It’s AI blackface’: social media account hailed as the Aboriginal Steve Irwin is an AI character created in New Zealand More than 180,000 people follow the Bush Legend’s accounts across Meta platforms, but its Aboriginal host is a work of digital fiction * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast With a mop of dark curls and brown eyes, Jarren stands in the thick of the Australian outback, red dirt at his feet, a snake unfurling in front of him. In a series of online videos, the social media star, known online as the Bush Legend, walks through dense forests or drives along deserted roads on the hunt for wedge-tailed eagles. Many of the videos are set to pulsating percussion instruments and yidakis (didgeridoo). Continue reading...

‘It’s AI blackface’: social media account hailed as the Aboriginal Steve Irwin is an AI character created in New Zealand

Four migrants die in ICE custody in 10 days in grim start to year Four migrants die in ICE custody in 10 days in grim start to year

Four migrants die in ICE custody in 10 days in grim start to year

Grok Is Being Used to Mock and Strip Women in Hijabs and Sarees A substantial number of AI images generated or edited with Grok are targeting women in religious and cultural clothing.

New from @kattenbarge.bsky.social: X influencers are using Grok to unveil Muslim women in hijabs and show them being beaten by men. Women in sarees are also being stripped: www.wired.com/story/grok-i...

Trump's Apocalypse Mindset: Becoming The Annihilator, Sarah Kendzior YouTube video by The Mark Thompson Show

"One of Trump's most consistent beliefs is that the world will end in nuclear annihilation. He mentions this often in older interviews. He fears it. I worry the way he copes with his fear of annihilation is by becoming the annihilator. The man who can end the world." www.youtube.com/watch?v=htdw...

Grok is undressing women and children. Don’t expect the US to take action | Moira Donegan Elon Musk’s reckless and degrading AI could be built differently. But Americans will have to speak up

Grok is undressing women and children. Don’t expect the US to take action | Moira Donegan

NEW: "How Trump’s Attack On Venezuela May Have Boosted His Net Worth"—

"Since the Venezuela raid, Forbes estimates that the value of his crypto-related holdings is up about $140 million in all.

@kylekhanmullins.bsky.social for @forbes.com

www.forbes.com/sites/kylemu...

Viral WestJet video sparks debate over shrinking legroom A viral video filmed aboard a WestJet flight departing Edmonton has ignited a national debate over airline legroom.

The government needs to step in and legislate a minimum seat pitch for passenger jets. WestJet is now offering 28”, which is completely inhumane and worse than the low bar set by Air Canada Rouge.