When the scandal first broke the PM released a statement expressing support for Wright.  But today it was announced that Wright had resigned from his position as chief of staff. With Harper set to jet to South America on Tuesday for an official visit to Peru and the Pacific Alliance Leaders Summit in Cali, Columbia May 22-23, the PMO released this statement concerning Wright’s resignation:

“It is with great regret that I have accepted the resignation of Nigel Wright as my Chief of Staff.  I accept that Nigel believed he was acting in the public interest, but I understand the decision he has taken to resign.  I want to thank Nigel for his tremendous contribution to our Government over the past two and a half years.

“Our Government’s top priority is, and will continue to be, securing jobs and economic growth for Canada.  This is the focus of all our efforts and attention.”

Both Duffy, and senator Pamela Wallin from Saskatchewan, whose expense account claims are also being scrutinized by an auditor, have withdrawn from the Conservative caucus.  The Opposition, meanwhile, is pressing for further investigation of what it regards as a serious breach of ethics.

As for the government, maybe the Conservatives should consider expanding the scope of their mandate beyond “securing jobs and economic growth for Canada [or at least their backers in the resource sector]” to include principles like honesty, integrity, compassion, peace, stewardship of the environment, promotion of knowledge, creativity and innovation and other ideals that have  served this country reasonably well over its 140 plus year history.

Tonight, Penner is in town to play a show at Artesian on 13th (show at 8 p.m., tickets $12 advance and $15 door). To close, here’s video of Penner performing “Driftwood” with guitarist John Wood:

Doors are at 7 p.m., and tickets are $17 advance and $20 door. To get you pumped up for the show here’s  video of the band’s drummer playing along to tracks laid down by other band members for the song “In Pursuit Of”:

As you may have heard, Rob Ford, the mayor of Toronto, smokes crack cocaine. We’ve seen a video of him smoking crack cocaine, and the people who have the video would like to sell it. Through the miracle of crowdfunding, you can help. Please consider donating to the Rob Ford Crackstarter.

How Much Do We Need? $200,000. That’s what the owners of the video want. That sounds like a lot of money. The good people at Indiegogo believe that, with the appropriate amount ofvirality, that goal is achievable.

Christ, That’s a Lot of Money. Yes, it is. But they’ve got the video! And it’s not all about greed, though of course most of it is. The owners of this video fear for their safety, and want enough money to pay for a chance to get out of Toronto and set up in a new town. Their fear is not entirely unwarranted. Rob Ford is a powerful if buffoonish man, and he was wrapped up in a drug scene that purportedly involved many other prominent Toronto figures.

What Will We Get? A crystal clear, well-lit video of the mayor of Toronto smoking crack cocaine, published on Gawker for the world to see. We will also be throwing in some perks, for specific donation amounts. But the main thing is the video of the mayor of Toronto smoking crack cocaine.

This is going to end with Ford fighting biplanes at the top of the CN tower, isn’t it? Oh Gawker. Oh Internet. Oh Rob Ford.

Today, we received an e-mail at our office announcing that the Rage will be holding a tryout camp at O’Neill High School (136 Argyle St.) on May 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. To de-emphasize the sport’s more salacious aspects the league’s name has been changed to the Legends Football League although when the 2013 season starts in September I believe the players will still be outfitted in lingerie-type uniforms.

The Riot, by the way, are off to a 2W-0L start to their season after wins over the Manitoba Fearless (35-0) and Saskatoon Valkyries (15-7). On Sunday, they’ll play their first road game of 2013 against the Nomads in Winnipeg.

2 EARTHQUAKE IN EASTERN CANADA! And it isn’t even the top news story thanks to Hurricane Ford.

3 R.I.P. ELIJAH HARPER The Manitoba politician and First Nations leader passes away at the too-young age of 64.

4 MIKE DUFFY QUITS CONSERVATIVES The Canadian senator who accepted a $90,000 loan/gift/whatever from Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief of staff has resigned from his caucus and will sit as an independent. There’s also a chance his controversial travel expenses could get a second audit.

5 MEANWHILE IN THE MIDDLE EAST Russia sends modern weapons to Syria, dozens of people were killed in a mosque bombing and Iran says it’s unconstitutional for women to be president.

6 THE POTHOLE TOUR 2013 Regina Mayor Michael Fougere inspects road holes.

MANDATORY NEW STAR TREK MOVIE DAY VIDEO Ding!

I couldn’t find much in the way of good quality video, but here’s a performance of “Something to Live For” from a 2011 concert in Stanley Park: