Ready to crack over late-night ‘snacks’

The Manitoba government recently held public forums to discuss regulations for Bill 51, the Public Sector Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Governance Act. I was able to participate in the meeting in Brandon and there was also a session in Winnipeg.

I was a bit fired up, ready to rail about data centres and phone terms and conditions and generally give it to big tech. The discussion, however, was focused on what the public sector responses should be regarding cybersecurity, data and privacy protections, and AI usage in government.

With all the recent attention on social media bans, the harms of AI, misinformation and the like, I was somewhat disappointed that these would not be tackled directly in this meeting. Those issues may be discussed at future forums.

At this event, as focus groups developed responses, the discussion between private companies and public governance kept getting mixed in, pointing out the reliance of government services on private companies in running their digital operations. As government operations become more dependent on digital infrastructure and towards AI agency and control, rethinking how technology is implemented may be crucial to our democracy.

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: My new love has a seriously annoying habit that could break us up now that we’re actually living together.

I’m not getting much sleep, and it has nothing to do with having too much sex!Every night at about 2 a.m., my man gets up and goes to the fridge, makes a giant sandwich and pours a huge glass of apple juice, then sits there scarfing it down, with music on for a bit of entertainment. This often wakes me up, and when I complain he just invites me to join him “for a bite.”

Really? The last thing I need is to eat a fourth meal of the day in the middle of the night. He says it’s an old habit from his football days, when he was so hungry all the time and he still enjoys it. He says he isn’t about to change that for me, so, tough luck.

It’s a big problem as I can’t just fall back to sleep after he rattles around the kitchen and then comes back and jumps back into bed with me.

I add my voice to Erna Buffie’s Think Tank piece “Democracy is a civic election issue” (Aug. 13) by asserting that democracy is a public education issue. Put another way, this fall’s municipal and school board elections are a test of public education — educating democratic citizens who appreciate our democratic inheritance enough to take responsibility for renewing it.

Voter turnouts for elections in Canada are abysmal. Where there should be 100 per cent participation, it often approaches 50 per cent federally and provincially, 25 per cent in local elections. The explanations given seem insufficient and unsatisfying, as are the reasons given by those who decide not to bother.

Some say they feel disempowered and alienated from the political process, feeling they have no say in governmental decisions which rule their lives.

Others appear resigned to the fact that, if they were to speak, they would simply be passed over or ignored, choosing not to vote because their votes, like their voices, make no difference and count for nothing. Still others say they’re too busy or just don’t care.

Old-fashioned news

I scrolled through the comment section of the online news story, my eyes darting through differing opinions until I landed on one that caught my attention. I felt my shoulders tense and my breath quicken as I read the fiery thoughts of a stranger.

Surely, there must be a better way to read the news?

I thought back to the ’90s. Every morning, my mother would open the front door to retrieve the Winnipeg Free Press. I would jump at the Arts section until I found the comics and giggle while I ate my cereal. My parents absorbed the news while getting ready for their day, and eventually the newspaper found its way to the top of the paper pile in the garage. The next morning, the cycle would repeat itself.