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Grant LaFleche Profile picture
Grant LaFleche
@GrantRants
Associate Producer @cbcfifth. Investigative journalist. Formerly @theSpec @torontostar investigations team and @StCatStandard.
Feb 7 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
So metadata can be a very valuable tool for investigative reporting, because it can show who wrote critical documents and when, and sometimes that document's history. 🧵 In an age of misinformation and AI fakery, being able to dig into the digit finger prints left behind in the creation of digital files is something we need to be versed in. It can A) prevent misinformation from being uncritically reported and b) open doors to new investigations.
Dec 8, 2023 • 13 tweets • 4 min read
This is a significant story for those watching white nationalist developments in Canada 🧵:

2 Ontario men arrested on charges linked to neo-Nazi terrorist movement
cbc.ca/news/canada/to… The men arrested on terrorism charges by the RCMP are part of the "Active Club Canada" network, which is also part of the "White Lives Matters" white nationalist network on Telegram.
These networks have "real world" groups, including the ones we investigated at @TheSpec
Oct 18, 2023 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
I am a graduate of @BishopsU and what the government of Quebec is doing is overtly threatening that university's existence, which would deprive so many Canadians of an excellent education. The idea, as Legault claims, that students from the rest of Canada are a "threat" to the French language or culture in Quebec is insane, dangerous and utterly untrue. @BishopsU and its students is a net contributor to Quebec culture, not a threat to it!
Oct 18, 2023 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
Please read this post by @sabaeitizaz. Journalists are facing increasing levels of threats, and this gives you an idea of what reporters face on a shockingly regular basis. The attempt is to threaten journalists into silence, so all you are left with are insane social media feeds And as world events become chaotic and deeply troubling, those threats have become even more vitriolic and vivid. Female and BIPOC reporters face a particular kind of threats the rest of us often do not, making the entire situation even more awful.
Sep 12, 2023 • 13 tweets • 3 min read
A follow-up to my thread yesterday, since the new COVID vaccine was approved today. A Niagara PPC account posted this in response to my pointing out that "rest and soup" was never, and is not, an effective way to combat viruses, as claimed by some freedom convoy groups: Image Let's put aside that my threat was about the ludicrous claim that "rest and soup" used to be effective until "communism" came along, and look at what this PPC account is claiming about the COVID vaccines. Image
Jun 21, 2023 • 13 tweets • 6 min read
This video was uploaded to Twitter tonight by Rob Primo, one of the louder "freedom convoy" protesters in Niagara, harassing my long-time colleague @BobTym, a fantastic photojournalist who has served the community for decades.

There is no excuse for harassing journalists.🧵 In this video, Primo screams at Bob, calling him a liar and a "piece of shit.," in a barrage of vulgar insults.

The truth is Bob Tymczyszyn is one of the best photojournalists in the country, who does an exemplary job for this community and is a pillar of the @StCatStandard
Jun 20, 2023 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
Well this is different: police cannot determine if the threat came from within Canada.

Niagara Catholic schools in hold and secure ‘out of an abundance of caution’ after unidentified threat stcatharinesstandard.ca/news/niagara-r… By way of a follow to the above: there is still not much information, but does this mean some foreign entity is messing around with the school board? Maybe?

It is not difficult (using a VPN for instance) to send a message that shields where a person is sending that message from.
Jun 19, 2023 • 17 tweets • 6 min read
Every Catholic school in Niagara is in lockdown following an "unverified threat."

Follow @StCatStandard for more as details become known. Also of note, anti-LGBTQ+ protesters are planning a protest tomorrow outside the Niagara Catholic Board's offices and one at the Hamilton public board tonight.

This is what happened when they targeted the Niagara public board last week:
Apr 17, 2023 • 11 tweets • 3 min read
A few thoughts on Twitter labelling select public broadcasters as "gov funded media" including the CBC English, BBC, NPR and ABC (Australia) which is, frankly, an attempt to discredit legit journalism. 🧵 The move to label CBC this way comes after Poillivere asked Twitter to do so and is now behaving as though some kind of secret has been exposed...instead of the reality that CBC's funding model has been public record for its ENTIRE existence of 90 years. Image
Sep 4, 2022 • 11 tweets • 9 min read
NEW from me from the @TorontoStar investigations team: Harassment and threats against journalists are on the rise in Canada, particularly against female and BIPOC reporters, including @sabaeitizaz @atRachelGilmore @wickdchiq
thestar.com/news/investiga… A recent vicious hate campaign directed at those female journalists has highlighted the extent of the problem which exists in a rage-filled ecosystem fueled by populist politicians and "freedom movement" figures alike.
Jun 22, 2022 • 10 tweets • 4 min read
Of interest to Niagara readers, the MP on the far left is Niagara's West's Dean Allison. This was taken at the meeting of some MPs with the anti-vax, "freedom" movement reps in Ottawa today. Follow @Justin_Ling's thread for more details. Allison has had a history of promoting misinformation during the pandemic, including calling #COVID19 "the flu". And there was also this:

Conservative MP invites scientists challenging the widespread use of COVID-19 vaccines to appear on his TV show thestar.com/politics/feder…
Apr 18, 2022 • 37 tweets • 12 min read
Good morning Niagara. Here is a local #COVID19 data snapshot. There remain those claiming the pandemic is over, but the data says otherwise. Nearly all major indicators are moving ⬆️⬆️ at a brisk pace. (thread) Keep in mind the usual reminder: Extreme limits on PCR testing and less than robust contact tracing result in less accurate, and likely vast under counts, metrics including new cases per day, total cases etc.
Dec 7, 2021 • 25 tweets • 8 min read
A quick side trip into local #COVID19 data, because it is going to come up this afternoon at a @NiagaraRegion public health committee. Specifically, a local anti-vaxer is attempting to use data I present on this account regularly to falsely claim there is no crisis. (thread) This afternoon, one time PPC candidate and local anti-vaxer Rebecca Hahn is presenting to the committee, claiming masks are ineffective, vaccines are bad, and there is no crisis in hospitals. Part of her presentation will include this chart:
Dec 5, 2021 • 16 tweets • 6 min read
Good afternoon Niagara, it has been a while, but here is your local #COVID19 data snapshot. And there isn't a lot of good news locally of late as most metrics trend ⬆️⬆️⬆️ (thread) Starting with the new cases per day, you can see the tilt upward is becoming increasingly pronounced. Still nothing like past waves, but you can see the wave intensity increasing.

COVID-19 Niagara: New cases per day public.flourish.studio/visualisation/… Visualised with @f_l_o_u_r_i_s_h
Sep 17, 2021 • 6 tweets • 4 min read
Good afternoon. We took a deep dive into the social media universe of @peoplespca candidate social media accounts to see how they interact with the ongoing anti-vax protests targeting hospitals and Trudeau:

thestar.com/politics/feder… We found at least 20% of PPC candidates are participants, and sometimes organizers of these protests, legitimatizing the conspiracy theories on display and providing a lift to the party.

thestar.com/politics/feder… via @torontostar
Apr 21, 2021 • 19 tweets • 10 min read
Ok, Niagara, here is your local, weekly #COVID19 data deep dive. And, well, it is not looking good. The very preventable🌊3 is still growing. So let's break it down and look at where the region is at. (thread) Active cases are now at a new record high of 2,020. With yesterday's two new deaths, the total loss in our community is at least 389 people (12 since April 1)

Niagara COVID-19 Infection curve public.flourish.studio/visualisation/… Visualised with @f_l_o_u_r_i_s_h
Apr 21, 2021 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
NEW: #COVID19 has claimed two more lives in Niagara.

That is 12 people, members of this community, who have died with the virus since April 1. As with 🌊2, Niagara politicians are silent as the death toll grows.

COVID-19 in Niagara: deaths over time public.flourish.studio/visualisation/… I am not saying things like the George Floyd verdict are unimportant. They are very important. But this is 12 lives lost in this community in another pandemic that was entirely preventable had politicians at the provincial and local levels listened to the experts.
Apr 20, 2021 • 18 tweets • 7 min read
Good afternoon, Niagara. Here is your quick Tuesday #COVID19 data snapshot. Remember, tomorrow is Wednesday, which is when we do our weekly data deep dive. (thread(

COVID-19 Niagara: New cases per day public.flourish.studio/visualisation/… Visualised with @f_l_o_u_r_i_s_h So that's 144 new cases confirmed today, which as you can see above, shows the 3rd is shaping up to have a greater overall volume of infections than its predecessor wave. There is also no sign the trend is waning yet.
Feb 13, 2021 • 18 tweets • 6 min read
The political #COVID19 debate has heated up in Niagara, on social media at least, with people attacking @mustafahirji and at least one regional councillor caught between questioning the MoH, pushing back against those who threaten to vote her out and pushing misinformation. In a local hospitality Facebook page that has a lot of cross over with an anti-masker group, people are calling @mustafahirji names, calling for him to be fired and representing the data. Welland reg. coun, Leanna Villella is in the thick of it.
Feb 13, 2021 • 16 tweets • 4 min read
So, some folks and politicians are reacting today's grey zone news by saying, in effect, "cases are very low, we should be red or orange zone."
This overstates where Niagara is, underestimates the 2nd wave, and redefines "low" when it comes to #COVID19 cases. (thread) So let's look at some data. This chart is very helpful, looking at new cases per day, and can be a useful way to track the general path of the pandemic locally.

COVID-19 Niagara: New cases per day public.flourish.studio/visualisation/… Visualised with @f_l_o_u_r_i_s_h
Feb 12, 2021 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
"Not having those vaccines in time created the perfect storm," says @WSendzik, in talking about how Niagara's second #COVID19 wave claimed so many lives. The mayor says "we have really got a handle on #COVID19."
This is not what yesterday's science table modelling showed, which indicated that without strong measures in place, we are headed for a spring 3rd wave.