Will there be any media left to cover the WE fallout?

It's Wednesday! Or should we say WEdnesday. If this our biggest scandal right now, let's be thankful.

E-Sports

LOL, That's The Name

League of Legends is out with new branding for it's e-sports league which sits atop 12 regional groupings. The name? LOL E-Sports. It's easy to LOL at League of Legends for sticking with moniker but it hasn't harmed them so far, they and their parent company Riot Games, are doing pretty well.

What It Means:

Regional League of Legends leagues will continue to exist and operate under their own names.
LOL will be rolling out three new shows across YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, but snubbing Twitch.
The new brand is part of LOL's mission to bring e-sports to a billion people, which requires "it starts with building a thriving global esports ecosystem supported by electrifying competition, sustainable growth, cutting-edge tech."

COVID

Dude Where's My Contract Tracing App

As re-opening continues across the country and cases rise in concert, people are asking where is the contract tracing app that we were promised months ago? Premier Ford's response "possibly..Friday." The Premier blames the federal government for dragging their feet on approving the rollout, perhaps over privacy concerns that stirring up trouble in other countries.

Tracing Mistakes

A number of European nations who have built their tracing apps using Google's platform are now pushing back on the tech giant for tracking users' locations after indicating they wouldn't do that.

South Korea's tracing app apparently had "major security flaws" which would have allowed hackers to view and expose the identities and locations of those in quarantine. Hackers could have manipulated the data to show that a person was breaking quarantine or that they were still in quarantine in reality they weren't, two scenarios with dangerous consequences. The issue has now been resolved, but South Korea is though of as a leader in digital public health, if they're making mistakes it's bound to happen here.

POLITICS

WE Scream for Scandal

The Kielburgers and Trudeaus are as tight as a King West sidewalk on a pandemic summer day. Each day it seems like another stumble or back room deal is slipping out of each of the leaky organizations, here's the latest:

The Feds suggested the grants be used to pay students less than minimum wage. The government scheme intended to pay student recipients about $10 and hour, well below the $15 minimum wage by blending volunteer and work hours. An approach legal experts and students are rejecting as poorly though out.
The minister responsible for the grant program met with WE days before the program was announced, muddying the waters around claims of this being a bureaucratic decision.
The Kielburgers are being dubbed 'The Property Brothers' as it was revealed their organizations control a $50M property portfolio in downtown Toronto.

BUSINESS

Fire Sale for Canadian Media

Shareholders of Torstar have approved a takeover bid which will see the publisher of the Toronto Star, a number of regional papers, and other media properties be taken private. The winning bidder, Nordstar Group, is backed by Jordan Bitove, most well known for bringing the Raptors to Toronto, and Paul Rivett. The group upped their bid from an initial $0.63 to $0.74 a share to fend of a rival bid of $0.80 per share. At the meeting no shareholders questioned the wisdom of rejecting the higher bid. The approved deal is valued at $60M.

The Times is On It!
Meanwhile, America's paper of record is keeping a close eye on the ownership of Canadian media. The New York Times recently investigated the slash and burn approach the hedge fund Chatham Asset Management took to Postmedia as a warning of what might happen now that the same fund has purchased the McClatchy chain of papers.

The Big Picture
The Canadian media landscape is looking bleak, we've seen consolidation over from coast to coast over the last decade leading to local newsrooms shuttering and layoffs at the big papers. The take private of Torstar should allow it's new owners to find efficiencies before going public once again.

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LEFTOVERS

Clothing retailer Mendocino is shuttering all of its 28 GTA stores. The brand which has been around since 1987 will be moving to an e-commerce only model.
BC Premier John Horgan is calling on the federal government to decriminalize all drugs.
Some Covid-19 Survivors are still dealing with the long term effects of the disease.

PEAK PICKS

Before the Tiger King there was the Parrot King. The stakes are just as high but the characters aren't quite as kooky.
Canada's worst mass shooting could have been prevented, the Halifax Examiner takes a deep dive into the RCMP's failure to stop the tragedy.
ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ(ɔ◔‿◔)ɔ ♥≧◠‿◠≦✌ Copy and Paste, you're welcome

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July 22, 2020