> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.onthetrail.info/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # War injuries inflicted on French protesters; Danielle Smith inflicts injuries on her political career - The Loop - URL: https://www.onthetrail.info/latest/war-injuries-inflicted-on-french-protesters-while-danielle-smith-inflicts-war-injuries-on-her-own-political-career-the-loop/ - Published: 2026-10-24T12:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T12:00:00.000Z - Description: There’s some big stuff this week between the extreme police violence in France, the protests spreading here, plus Danielle Smith potentially self-immolating her political career. - Author: Isaac Peltz - Tags: The Loop When you’re being chased by the police, it’s exhilarating and horrifying. Hearing the sounds of their grenade launchers firing, the tear gas exploding, all of it makes my heart palpate just thinking about it. It’s not a *fun* time. You know for a fact that you’re in danger, regardless of your innocence, or[ status as a protected class.](https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/rfc-dlc/ccrf-ccdl/check/art2b.html?ref=onthetrail.info) It hurts much less when you get assaulted by a police baton in the moment than it will in 24 hours. I’ve been chased down and assaulted by the police no less than 3 times this past year. William Wilson, my colleague and friend, has had much worse than I have. A few weeks ago, he was concussed and hospitalized for doing his job. We are in conversation with a lawyer right now, in discussion with our professional order, and considering how to pursue the police in court. The police are seriously investigating what happened to William, and things are advancing slowly, but with a gravity that is reassuring. I suspect the police might assault us again, but they will regret it. In France, that’s not the case. Last Saturday, between [550,000 and 880,000](https://www.france24.com/fr/france/20261017-france-en-direct-mobilisation-17-octobre-gilets-jaunes-lyceens-font-converger-leurs-coleres-dans-la-rue?ref=onthetrail.info) people hit the streets to protest the cost of living and underfunded education. The police were unprepared, order was not preserved. Riots took place, with [1500 businesses getting looted.](https://www.businessinsider.com/paris-france-riots-looting-small-business-2026-10?ref=onthetrail.info) Of course, the looting was the only thing the media talked about for an entire week now. What the media hasn’t been talking about is that the French government declared war on protesters, 95 percent of whom were completely peaceful. The police were so exceptionally violent that people went home with injuries that looked like they returned from a war. [Mediapart has done an unbelievable investigation into it.](https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/france/231026/j-ai-cru-mourir-enquete-sur-les-blesses-du-17-octobre?ref=onthetrail.info) A lawyer went on the record: “My client was the victim of a war injury inflicted by a weapon of war,” said one lawyer. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/69/ce/69cefb51-a7c6-4dce-b8fa-39ad2b36a6e0/content/images/2026/10/data-src-image-44749f53-c8a1-45e7-a89a-f02e4d9f396e.png) Skulls were cut open, someone’s leg was ripped apart and broken, grenades exploded next to people, possibly crippling them. As we’ve already covered *On the Trail*, during the student protests, one child had their [hand blown up](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9zrdmxp4vy6o?ref=onthetrail.info), [another was blinded,](https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16210239/French-police-charged-student-blinded-bullet-protest.html?ref=onthetrail.info) and many more are permanently injured with[ at least 36 investigations going into the extreme violence conducted by them.](https://www.sudouest.fr/societe/colere-des-lyceens-36-enquetes-ouvertes-par-l-igpn-pour-des-violences-policieres-presumees-dont-quatre-pour-des-blessures-mutilantes-31058460.php?ref=onthetrail.info) [Macron has responded by warning people not to protest, banning public gatherings (except by unions) and imposing curfews.](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/politics/article/2026/10/23/bans-on-protests-rain-down-across-france-raising-concerns-for-the-rule-of-law%5F6762142%5F5.html?ref=onthetrail.info) Concerns have been raised about democratic rights, since these bans go explicitly against the constitution of the fifth republic. All of this is happening as the far right appears poised to win the next presidential election in France, and as five people were shot and another killed on Friday in what Macron called a racist terrorist attack. “What happened today is a turning point in the life of our Republic and our nation,” Macron said. And yet, the rise of extremists is in part his doing, as many of his government’s policies have led to the education crisis and the weakening of the social fabric in France. But more importantly to this audience, the protests are starting to make their way over here, and authorities are scared. [78 students were suspended in Saint-Jerome for protesting last week.](https://www.noovo.info/nouvelles/societe/article/blocus-et-chaos-75-etudiants-suspendus-a-lecole-polyvalente-de-saint-jerome/?ref=onthetrail.info) Students have equal rights to adults to protest peacefully, by the way. Their reaction seems to be to try and scare off further action. [Hundreds of people protested in solidarity with the French students](https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/grand-montreal/2026-10-17/centre-ville-de-montreal/des-centaines-de-manifestants-en-solidarite-a-la-mobilisation-en-france.php?ref=onthetrail.info) last week. In November[, a CEGEP will start a protest and lockout the gym at their college.](https://www.instagram.com/p/DeztyEkqJlI/?ref=onthetrail.info) I am in contact with them, and will obviously be covering it. According to (excellent) journalist, Axel Tardeau, “The Federation of CEGEPs and the CEGEPs are requesting $75 million in funding for their operations and $950 million for their infrastructure and equipment. Their network is experiencing a historic demographic boom. There are already 213,000 students, but more than 30,000 more are expected by 2029.” Montreal’s history with student strikes is rich, and 213,000 students are already in this network of students, demanding millions in funding and nearly a billion for infrastructure. To be clear, that is not very expensive for the government to do. They could easily fix every school across the province with an influx of several billion over several years, but 30 years of austerity has seriously hurt the province’s infrastructure. [$22.5 billion is needed to repair all the roads](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-road-infrastructure-9.7128306?ref=onthetrail.info), [$2 billion to fix the hospitals,](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-hospital-9.7093809?ref=onthetrail.info) but remember that the federal government promised [$10 billion for public transport already– more than we need to fix the metro](https://lactualite.com/actualites/le-federal-promet-10-milliards-au-quebec-pour-des-projets-notamment-en-transports/?ref=onthetrail.info). We have a massive economy– more than $600 billion in GDP. We have the money to do all of these projects, and *much more*. Fix stuff, and people might suddenly believe in government management again, and [stop voting for the extremists in Quebec city.](https://www.ledevoir.com/politique/quebec/1014818/sont-19-deputes-conservateurs?ref=onthetrail.info) [Already, the new Parti Quebecois government is being faced with a reality that they might not be able to do “new” projects,](https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2026/10/23/rapport-accablant-pspp-devrait-abandonner-deux-promesses-de-grands-projets-routiers-pour-financer-le-reseau-qui-se-degrade?ref=onthetrail.info) but their money might go into fixing and maintaining. And if they don’t start now, the student movements might grow, and we could easily have another Maple Spring in the province. Cegep students aren’t kidding around, and they’re the future of the province. If the PQ was to spend their minority mandate dumping money and time into fixing the province, they very well could win the confidence of Quebecers for future mandates. Right now, I don’t think Quebecers want any huge new projects like the disastrous [SAAQ-Cliq](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/saaqclic-over-budget-1.7463880?ref=onthetrail.info), [Lion Electrique](https://www.lapresse.ca/affaires/entreprises/2026-10-21/allegations-de-fraude-a-l-investissement/lion-electrique-dans-la-ligne-de-mire-de-la-grc.php?ref=onthetrail.info) or [Northvolt projects](https://www.lapresse.ca/affaires/entreprises/2025-03-12/northvolt-en-faillite/du-reve-au-cauchemar.php?ref=onthetrail.info) under the CAQ. It seems like the ideal time to invest in repairing and rebuilding everything for the next three or four years, win that “[good government](https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/rene-levesque?ref=onthetrail.info)” cred, and then do an election. The province is primed for a premier to just do the dirty clean up job, and I donèt think people will mind if there isn’t a huge vision or new major project if suddenly our hospitals work, and our schools can teach. Right now, Quebecers want things to work right, and the PQ has an opportunity to be great managers, and repair the trust that was broken. So, let’s hope they get it right! [Already they’ve announced an excellent initiative of funding for helping unhoused people.](https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/politique/2026-10-23/crise-de-l-itinerance/st-pierre-plamondon-accorde-une-aide-d-urgence-de-28-millions.php?ref=onthetrail.info) Let’s see more of that, and take advantage of that big wallet that Carney keeps opening up for the provinces. I mean, René Levesque’s sovereignty project was built with the support of young people. Maybe if a bunch of young people saw that a sovereigntist government was the one building the streets and assuring them of a good future they would want their own nation as well. Just saying. **Bioware Shuts down: Aedan’s perspective** I originally studied to be a Game Developer, and at the start of my career I worked for BioWare. It was a summer position doing quality assurance for Dragon Age: Inquisition – and while it was a fairly low stakes role of no serious import, I will never forget the magic of that place. Everyone at BioWare was passionate about their work, and you could feel it in every conversation you had. There was a freezer full of ice cream, people wore sweat pants and headphones. Joy permeated the decorations and memorabilia on everyone's desks. The walls of the Edmonton office were plastered with concept art or references to past hits, even the meeting rooms themselves were named after past releases. There was a pub on the ground floor, and no matter how bad the crunch hours were, you could almost always find a chatty group of developers there after work reveling at just how much fun they were having. Electronic Arts, a video game giant, had purchased the studio in 2008 but was largely hands off with how the company approached development. You didn’t feel their presence during day-to-day operations, but you could sense it in all hands meetings or big announcements, or when certain teams were let go. You could feel their influence when crunch hours were extended. Or when the collectors edition I was told I would receive was never delivered. Or perhaps years later Anthem, their ambitious but failed project, was released in a completely unrecognizable state compared to what I had seen during my tenure. [Mark Darrah and other high profile](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y65eoBVF0Y&ref=onthetrail.info) former BioWare staff have spoken publicly about where things went wrong at the studio in greater detail than I ever could, but it is a shame to see it finally go.Working at BioWare was the aspiration of countless people who studied in the University of Alberta’s Computing Science Department. Edmonton is often treated as a footnote compared to other Canadian cities, let alone on the world stage but games like *Mass Effect* and *Dragon Age* were globally recognized hits. BioWare in many ways made me truly proud of my home city. Edmonton is a source of incredible talent and creativity and while BioWare is gone, I hope people won’t forget that. This is another tough day for a Canadian industry. Although it seemed obvious that it would happen eventually, this is another 50 people who’ve lost their work in Canada, labourers who have families, lives, and houses. 50 more people who matter more than we realize. **ALBERTA’S 10 REFERENDUM QUESTIONS BACKFIRE ON DANIELLE SMITH** Oh boy, Danielle Smith spoke too soon on Tuesday. Counting the questions went late, and so final results *have still not come in* from her questionnaire. Albertans *overwhelmingly* voted no on starting the process for a binding referendum on separation, and the numbers are even worse for Smith when we look at them with scrutiny. While 25 percent of Albertans voted to start the process for a binding referendum on separation, estimates are saying that half of that 25 percent don’t want to separate– they just wanted to send a message to Ottawa. This means that there’s probably closer to 10-15 percent of Albertans who want to separate. That’s a disaster for the separatists' cause, [who remain the worst campaigners in the history of Canada](https://www.instagram.com/p/DeumnCwIT7y/?ref=onthetrail.info)! [But much worse was Smith’s statement that she would take the fight to Ottawa](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ovcyf5dsUY&ref=onthetrail.info) the day after the initial counts were in. You see, there were [nine questions beyond the separation question.](https://tenquestions.ca/?ref=onthetrail.info) When Smith made her speech, eight out of nine questions were “yes.” [Today, four out of nine are “no.”](https://alberta.io/election/results?ref=onthetrail.info) Most of the other questions, on immigration, are within the margin of error. These aren’t strong mandates. This is an embarrassment for Smith, especially after her speech. With this referendum, she has done more damage to her own reputation and future as leader of the UCP than anyone else could have. And sadly for her, the UCP is one of the most democratic parties in the country, and it seems they might be smelling blood in the water. **THE LEFT WINS BIG IN BC MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS** That’s it. The title. The left won across the province, but particularly in BC’s largest city– Vancouver. The first Green Party mayor of a major city, and 9/10 councillors are left wing, and their park board is left wing as well. They do have a big task in front of them– they have super majorities and can essentially do anything. Left wing governments don’t get very much wiggle room in Canada, and so this left wing domination needs to be doing amazing work and getting those headlines like they have in New York City– there are no excuses to do incremental, mediocre governance. And people will notice. The complete reversal of the previous municipal elections in Vancouver was the biggest takeaway, but left wing municipal governments swept the whole province. In the face of the provincial election, this might not matter however. The Conservatives look set to win tonight, and we will update you on this– next week! **TOP ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS** [**Ottawa uses AI to teach people** about AI, and keeps it secret.](https://www.ledevoir.com/politique/canada/1017332/ottawa-garde-secret-usage-fait-ia-formation-ia?ref=onthetrail.info) [Earth to heat 2.6 C above pre industrial levels, a disastrous number.](https://www.ledevoir.com/actualites/environnement/1018424/monde-dirige-vers-rechauffement-2-6-c-selon-onu?ref=onthetrail.info) [Europes summer heat wave killed 50,000 people.](https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/europe-heat-deaths-2026-9.7392816?ref=onthetrail.info) **TOP HEADLINES** [Montreal police officer urinates on homeless man.](https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2293212/policier-itinerant-allegations-graves-spvm-urine?ref=onthetrail.info) [Inflation increased mostly from Gas prices.](https://lp.ca/l023vW?sharing=true&ref=onthetrail.info) [Accidents from electric scooters have tripled in Quebec.](https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2026/10/19/le-nombre-daccidents-impliquant-les-trottinettes-electriques-a-presque-quadruple-en-trois-ans-selon-la-saaq?ref=onthetrail.info) [The referendum promise prevented PQ from winning a huge majority.](https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2026/10/20/sondage-leger--la-promesse-de-tenir-un-referendum-a-prive-pspp-dun-gouvernement-majoritaire?ref=onthetrail.info) [Millions of Canadians visiting food banks per month, a new record high.](https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/more-canadians-are-visiting-food-banks-than-ever-with-monthly-visits-hitting-record-high/?ref=onthetrail.info) [Housing market “on its knees” ](https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/real-estate-bank-of-canada-9.7389322?ref=onthetrail.info) [Pope should be cancer free.](https://apnews.com/article/pope-leo-lung-cancer-operation-c03a9973ecd529a17193c23ac7585050?utm%5Fsource=app&utm%5Fmedium=android%5Fshare&utm%5Fcampaign=copy%5Flink) PHP weakness prompts major sites, [including Canadian government sites, to go offline.](https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/canadian-apps-and-government-websites-go-offline-to-ward-off-online-danger/?ref=onthetrail.info) [What the hell is PHP?](https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/php-cybersecurity-vulnerability-explainer-9.7392394?ref=onthetrail.info) [QUEBEC STRATEGIC MAPLE SYRUP RESERVE RUNNING DRY. RED ALERT, RED ALERT!](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/quebec-maple-syrup-reserve-explainer-9.7389758?ref=onthetrail.info) [Feds move to restrict gambling ads.](https://www.cbc.ca/news/investigates/gambling-ads-restrictions-canada-9.7388888?ref=onthetrail.info) This week there is the Brazilian presidential election, the Ontario municipals, and the BC election– not to mention protests expanding across Europe and likely to expand in Canada over the cost of living. So, uh, keep your head up, and next week’s newsletter is going to be huge. See you soon.