Cara Martin (C. K. Kelly Martin)

I'm thrilled to see so many people I followed at the Bad Place swimming to more civilized shores. Looking to follow the covid conscious, egalitarians, folks who understand the danger Pierre Poilievre represents to Canada, animal lovers, writers, readers, film fans.

From Lula’s victory speech. Hard to argue. 🇧🇷 “We had to overcome foreign interference through digital platforms, which we will have to regulate. We cannot have monstrously large corporations earning millions and billions, paying no taxes to this country and trying to steer our election results.”

Very disappointed but not surprised that Ottawa re-elected Mark Sutcliffe and in my ward, Matthew Luloff. So 4 more years of city infrastructure crumbling to dust due to austerity and a complete absence of vision. At least Toronto understood the assignment. Congrats, Mayor Chow!

Canadian stock market outperforming U.S. for second consecutive year

Trump says he expects trade war with Canada to end ‘pretty soon’ Riiiight, like the war with Iran? Got it. www.thestar.com/news/canada/...

Getting my latest covid shot tomorrow and I'm 15 years overdue for a Tdap so hoping they can give me that too. If not, I'll ask them for the flu shot. Either way this is ultimately looking like 2 appointments because I'm not getting 3 shots at the same time; my line in the sand is 2.

My husband's voting letter never showed up and my mail-in ballot arrived with me a day after the deadline. Luckily we were both able to vote anyway, but 😣. If you're in Ottawa & need voting info for today have a look here. elections.ottawa.ca/VotingLocati...

Ottawa, today we get to vote for Jeff Leiper. We pay a lot in city taxes. In exchange, we have a right to expect a city that works. Jeff has the experience and vision to fix Ottawa. Transit. Housing. Street safety. Ending corporate welfare to Porsche dealerships and OSEG. Join me to vote for Jeff!

Brazil, thank you for winning 👍

BC Cons win majority in an election Eby never needed to call. New gov't plans include repealing the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act & repealing a program that make schools inclusive & safe for students of all sexual orientations & gender identities. www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/ar...

🏆 A Canadian classic takes the world stage. Chapman’s Pecan Butter Tart Premium Ice Cream earned the Best Ice Cream award at the International Ice Cream Conference in Argentina. 🇦🇷 Inspired by an iconic Canadian dessert, this flavour proved that a true Canadian favourite could win hearts globally. 🌎

Thank you to everyone who still makes the courageous choice to mask, even if it’s not what everyone else is doing

This horror show is eventually coming for us all if we don't force the fascists and their collaborators to stop. Their unrelenting greed and cruelty knows no bounds. www.cnn.com/2026/10/21/p...

Love to see this support for Sally Rooney. www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/ar...

Every COVID-19 infection is another opportunity for long-term complications. COVID-19 is more than a respiratory illness. COVID can affect multiple organs and systems throughout the body, with potential consequences that extend far beyond the initial infection. (...)

I talked to my dad earlier today and reminded him and his girlfriend (both in their 80s) to get their covid and flu shots. I was pleasantly surprised to get a call back from him about an hour ago saying that they were at the pharmacy and had just gotten both.

Trying to come to terms with the Wordpress dashboard in order to design new author websites is killing me. If you don't see me around here for several days I've gotten lost in an obscure submenu.

Nearly half of Ottawa's mail in ballots weren't received in time before the deadline and won't be counted. Those folks were notified, but what a gong-show! My ballot reached me late because Canada Post which I'm sure is the issue here as well. www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/artic...

Gambling ads should never have been permitted in the first place. Gambling addiction and gambling related suicides has tripled in Ontario since 2018 and that's on Doug Ford. The data on harm is stark.

The Newfoundland and Labrador govt are still trying to collect money owed them by the company that wants to set up a massive Anthropic data centre in Nova Scotia. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

He’s threatening congress.

This is and should be an election issue. I know @jleiper.bsky.social has been an advocate for pedestrian/cycling infrastructure and safety whereas incumbent (and predecessors) have been largely performative; want safer #PlacesForPeople across the city? Get out and vote

In This Magazine Canadian writer Lisa Timpf (@lisatimpf.bsky.social) talks about how books helped her process her 51st state fears. A very relevant read for Canadians, and my 2024 sci-fi, Rise, Tomorrow Girl, gets a mention. this.org/2026/10/19/s....

One new poll shows Sutcliffe with just a 4% lead over Leiper. Let's flip those numbers and start funding Ottawa's roads, transit & other city infrastructure properly again. That just won't happen with austerity mayor Sutcliffe. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Cartoon by @deadder.bsky.social. Trump Knives.

Sometimes abandoned houses aren't actually empty! Now that October's here I've updated the cover of my horror Shantallow and put e-copies on sale for $2.99 until the end of the month. You can find it all the regular places. | More book info here: www.caramartin.ca/p/shantallow...

Ottawa is really struggling and although job losses are mostly down to the feds (and the trade war), the city is crumbling due to shitty municipal leadership. Public transit & roads are in absolute bits. If you want more of that, the incumbent mayor is your guy. ottawacitizen.com/public-servi...

NYT: 'How Bad Is Another Case of Covid?' “Every time there’s a wave, there’s another wave that’s going to follow with patients developing new onset long Covid,” said Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University www.nytimes.com/2026/10/19/w...

When people tell me they “don’t do politics,” I get it. It’s not pretty and it can be totally exhausting. But here’s the thing: billionaires and giant corporations are certainly doing politics — and they’re going to keep doing it regardless of how you feel.

Mark Carney: "Don't be fooled by the idea that you can send a message with your vote. This is not poker. A vote against Canada is a dangerous bluff. Our country, your futures, are too precious to play games with."

At Ottawa's Petrie Island yesterday. And an equally gorgeous day in Ottawa again today. I'm savouring fall as much as possible while this exceedingly pleasant spell lasts!

Please excuse the mess at my author websites for the next couple of months. I'm in the process of moving them off U.S. webhosting to a fully Canadian host with servers in Quebec. I'm trying to work in a redesign as well but for the next weeks will be in a state of flux. Images might go missing.

Canada forever. Thank you, Edmonton. 🇨🇦

Running true to form, every accusation is a confession with MAGA. Repeat ad infinitum.

What is the authoritarian playbook? It is really simple: You get into power on an issue of common concern. Once you win, you accumulate power, enrich yourself, your family, and your closest allies, and go after anyone who disagrees with you.

Women ‘more likely to be told autoimmune conditions are psychological’

Definitely Canadians please get your updated covid & flu shots as soon as you're eligible. Every year around this time I'm miffed that I have to wait until the end of October to do so. Certainly high risk people should have early access but c'mon, the end of the month???

Hey, Canadians, does anyone have a 🇨🇦 web hosting provider they're happy with that doesn't cost megabucks? I was with Hypermart forever, then they got taken over by another company that's now been swallowed up by a different one I'm not impressed with.

Finland orders halt to work on Google data centers over environmental concerns

Would love to see this happen all around the globe. Wherever you are, put pressure on your government to follow Norway's lead.

Findings suggest that the appeal of Christian nationalist ideology relates to lower cognitive ability and not simply differences in education. An earlier study also found lower cognitive ability predicts higher social conservatism. www.psypost.org/lower-cognit...

Sometimes abandoned houses aren't actually empty! Now that October's here I've updated the cover of my horror Shantallow and put e-copies on sale for $2.99 until the end of the month. You can find it all the regular places. | More book info here: www.caramartin.ca/p/shantallow...

This is your occasional reminder that generative "AI" in particular could have been developed on public domain materials and/or licensed and compensated works but the major players intentionally, methodically and systemically chose to steal labor from working creative folks instead

"Brain Scans of 24 People With Long COVID Reveal Signs of Injury to Dopamine Neurons" A small Canadian study of 24 people with Long COVID found signs that dopamine-releasing neurons may be damaged. Those with bigger changes had worse memory, slower movement and less motivation.