TORONTO — After years of confusion over the precise journalistic methodology employed by ProtestMania, Ward 14 council candidate Caryma Sa’d has finally cleared things up: the important part is observing and recording stuff.

In an open letter to Toronto Police, Sa’d described journalists as having the “straightforward task of observing and recording public events,” bringing much-needed clarity to a project that has documented hundreds of protests while occasionally leaving viewers uncertain what anyone was protesting.

The revelation also appears consistent with an early description of ProtestMania as an archive of selected footage featuring “minimal writing, just descriptions of video.”

Journalism scholars immediately expressed relief.

“For centuries we've burdened reporters with unnecessary tasks like interviewing people, researching context, verifying claims and explaining why events are happening,” said one journalism professor who does not exist.

“Turns out we needed a guy with an iPhone.”

Five Ws streamlined to one

Traditional journalism has historically relied on five questions:

Who? What? When? Where? Why?

ProtestMania appears to have developed a more efficient system:

Who is that guy?

Once identified, investigators can determine where else the guy has protested, who he stood beside, whether those people have attended other protests, and whether any of them became irritated when the same videographer appeared to film them again.

Researchers say the system provides substantially more time for journalism by eliminating unnecessary questions such as what is happening and why.

The breakthrough could also resolve a longstanding source of confusion within the profession: the difference between recording something and reporting on it.

“A security camera observes and records public events all day,” explained another expert.

“Until now, nobody realized it was a journalist.”

Major investigation underway

Sa’d's open letter identifies a “relatively small, recurring network of activists,” including two people she says appeared at at least nine separate events in September.

Investigators have already confirmed the “recurring” portion after discovering that the people recurred.

Work continues on “network.”

So far, researchers have uncovered compelling evidence that people who regularly attend protests sometimes know other people who regularly attend protests.

Experts caution that further investigation could reveal organization, coordination or shared structure.

It could also reveal activists.

Previous ProtestMania breakthroughs have established that protest marshals attend protests, legal observers observe things, unions participate in collective political action, and people interested in political causes occasionally remain interested in them for more than one afternoon.

Researchers say the findings are beginning to form a pattern.

Reporting remains under investigation

At press time, ProtestMania had successfully observed the event, recorded the event, identified several people who had attended other events, and uploaded a 4-minute-and-43-second video of the event.

The gathering itself was an Emergency Jewish Community Security meeting with Toronto Police, where Sa’d discussed the very open letter at the centre of the video.

Fortunately, explaining what the event was about would have required reporting.

TORONTO — Caryma Sa’d’s ongoing investigation into Toronto’s mysterious “protest circuit” has produced its most alarming discovery yet: labour unions have been showing up at protests.

Sa’d revealed that public-sector unions “play a significant role in the protest circuit,” noting that their participation does more than “add numbers” and can lend legitimacy to causes and activists.

Historians were reportedly stunned to learn this has been happening.

Until now, organized labour was widely believed to have emerged from workers politely submitting individual feedback forms to management and awaiting a response within three to five business days.

Researchers examining the ProtestMania archives have instead uncovered troubling evidence that workers have historically organized, marched, picketed, gone on strike and engaged in collective political action.

In an extraordinary coincidence, these activities appear to be closely related to the invention of unions.

Investigation closes in on solidarity

The revelation follows earlier ProtestMania breakthroughs establishing that activists sometimes attend multiple protests and that people involved in activism occasionally know other people involved in activism.

Now investigators are examining why unions would deliberately stand alongside people advocating for political causes.

One disturbing theory has emerged:

They may be doing it on purpose.

Researchers have tentatively identified the phenomenon as “solidarity,” an obscure labour concept in which people stand together rather than each worker conducting a separate protest at a mutually convenient time.

Investigators are also examining whether the word “union” itself might refer to people uniting.

Sources described the linguistic coincidence as “almost too perfect.”

Historical implications could be enormous

If confirmed, the findings could force ProtestMania to reconsider virtually everything it knows about organized labour.

Strikes may have involved unions.

Picket lines may have contained union members.

The eight-hour workday may not have resulted from employers spontaneously deciding everyone looked tired.

Even Labour Day is now under investigation after researchers noticed the suspicious appearance of the word “Labour.”

At press time, Sa’d was reportedly preparing the next phase of her investigation after receiving a disturbing tip that women may have been involved in the women’s suffrage movement.

ProtestMania could not independently confirm the connection.

TORONTO — Ward 14 candidate Caryma Sa’d has unveiled the “unique combination of skills and experiences” she says qualifies her for Toronto City Council, including graduating from university, previously operating businesses, and currently observing things.

According to her campaign biography, Sa’d attended McMaster University before going to the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law.

She graduated.

This places her among an exclusive group known as people with degrees.

Sa’d subsequently practised law and launched several business ventures, which have since closed. Her former law-office presence has also been substantially streamlined, with its physical-office era giving way to the operational efficiency of a PO box.

But where others might see professional contraction, the campaign sees evolution.

Acclaimed documentarian enters public service

Sa’d now describes herself as a “documentarian,” producing an extensive body of work in the emerging short-form documentary medium known as posting videos to Twitter.

To accomplish this demanding work, Sa’d also has a videographer, who frequently attends events and films them without her even being there.

This has allowed Sa’d to pioneer an exciting new frontier in documentary filmmaking:

not necessarily holding the camera, filming the event, or attending the event.

The resulting films typically range from several seconds to several minutes and are distributed through a prestigious international streaming platform known as Twitter.

Unlike traditional documentary filmmakers, Sa’d has pioneered a remarkably efficient production model:

she doesn't even need to be there.

Her videographer can film an event independently, Sa’d can add her own editorial framing, distribute the resulting clips on Twitter, and block viewers who question that framing — eliminating the traditional documentary filmmaker’s greatest inefficiency: making documentaries.

A unique combination of skills

Sa’d's campaign says these experiences provide her with “a unique combination of skills” for public office.

And unique they certainly are.

Toronto City Council oversees an enormous municipal government responsible for housing, transit, roads, emergency services, planning, infrastructure, community services and billions of dollars in public spending.

Sa’d brings no professional municipal-government experience to that list.

She does, however, have extensive experience watching people who do.

For years, she has watched politicians make decisions.

Watched activists demand decisions.

Watched police respond to decisions.

Watched courts review decisions.

And, critically, posted videos of these activities to Twitter.

Sometimes someone else even took them.

Ready for the next challenge

After years of graduating and observing, Sa’d is now asking Ward 14 residents to support the most ambitious professional transition of her career:

gaining relevant experience.

At press time, Sa’d's campaign had yet to identify any previous experience governing a city.

Campaign officials stressed that she has personally witnessed Toronto on thousands of occasions.

TORONTO — A years-long investigation into Toronto's shadowy protest infrastructure reached a stunning breakthrough this week after Caryma Sa’d discovered that people who regularly attend protests sometimes attend other protests.

The discovery came during the annual Grassy Narrows demonstration over mercury contamination. Sa’d noted that some participants travelled roughly 1,700 kilometres from Grassy Narrows to Toronto.

But investigators quickly uncovered something apparently more important:

Some Toronto activists were also there.

Sa’d identified familiar members of Toronto's “protest circuit” acting as “marshals” and “legal observers.”

For inexperienced readers, a marshal helps keep a demonstration organized and may liaise with police.

A legal observer observes.

Both become considerably more sinister when quotation marks are added.

ProtestMania blows the case wide open

Until now, Torontonians may have assumed that every demonstration recruits an entirely new group of politically engaged people who have never previously expressed an opinion outdoors.

ProtestMania suggests otherwise.

Sources now believe Toronto may contain a finite number of people who are particularly interested in activism and consequently attend multiple activist events.

Some may even know each other.

Investigators are calling this phenomenon “having a community.”

The implications could extend far beyond activists.

The same police officers have reportedly been spotted at multiple protests. Journalists have covered more than one demonstration. There are even unconfirmed reports of TTC vehicles transporting people to completely unrelated political events.

Researchers fear the network could eventually encompass anyone with a PRESTO card.

Meanwhile, the demonstration's actual subject — mercury contamination in Grassy Narrows — briefly resurfaced before investigators returned their attention to the Toronto volunteers helping people who had travelled 1,700 kilometres to protest it.

Scientists have reportedly ordered a larger corkboard and more red string.

At press time, Caryma’s ProtestMania investigation was getting dangerously close to discovering the concept of a volunteer.

TORONTO — An investigation into homelessness on the Danforth entered approximately its fourth or fifth day this week after Ward 14 council candidate Caryma Sa’d announced that she had received a “tip” alerting her to activity at a location where unhoused people had already been repeatedly filmed.

“I got a tip that this was happening,” Sa’d says at the beginning of the video.

A tip.

By this point, the unhoused people of the Danforth had been filmed so many times they were approaching recurring-cast-member status.

Sa’d had been there. Other videographers had been there. Joe Warmington had been there. The Toronto Sun had declared the area a “No-Go Zone.”

And yet, somehow, intelligence still had to come in.

Somewhere in Toronto, a confidential source apparently picked up the phone.

“Caryma. It’s happening again.”

“What?”

“The homeless people.”

“My God.”

“They’re still homeless.”

Sa’d immediately returned to the No-Go Zone, marking approximately the fourth or fifth successful occasion on which people had managed to go there.

Details surrounding the source remain scarce. It is unclear whether the information arrived through an encrypted messaging app, a manila envelope left beneath a park bench, or someone simply looking down the street.

What is known is that the operation appears to have uncovered something few Torontonians could have anticipated: unhoused people can sometimes be found outside.

The discovery comes after days of extensive fieldwork in the area by candidates, videographers, residents and journalists, all of whom have repeatedly penetrated the so-called No-Go Zone and, against extraordinary odds, successfully come back out.

The operation has already produced videos, interviews, social-media posts and Toronto Sun coverage. The story was even syndicated on Yahoo News.

Still, questions remain.

How did the source know?

How long had they been monitoring the sidewalk?

And why did Canada's largest city apparently require a confidential informant to locate homelessness?

Journalism experts contacted for this article were unavailable, presumably because they had just received an urgent tip that there was traffic on the Gardiner.

Other developing stories expected to require anonymous sourcing include:

“Sources: TTC Experiencing Delays”

“Insider Claims Rent in Toronto Is Expensive”

“Confidential Informant Reports Pigeons Near Nathan Phillips Square”

“Exclusive: Person Seen Waiting for Streetcar”

Meanwhile, the situation on the Danforth remains fluid.

At press time, reporters, candidates, videographers and members of the general public continued entering and leaving Toronto’s feared “No-Go Zone” with such regularity that officials were reportedly considering renaming it the “Everybody Keeps Going There Zone.”

TORONTO — Ward 14 council candidate Caryma Sa’d has issued an unsolicited defence of Pape Village against allegations that, as far as anyone can tell, nobody has made.

“Say what you will, but Pape Village has got soul in abundance,” Sa’d wrote Saturday.

It was an intriguing choice of words from a person currently asking voters to let her represent Pape Village at Toronto City Hall.

“Say what you will” is, after all, a phrase generally used when everyone already knows what you’re politely avoiding mentioning.

Say what you will about that restaurant, but the bread was excellent.

Say what you will about Uncle Gary, but he never forgets a birthday.

Say what you will about Pape Village, but it has got soul in abundance.

This naturally raises an important municipal election question:

Wait. What are we saying about Pape Village?

Fortunately, someone who actually lives in the ward asked.

“Who ever said it didn’t?” Mark Candler replied.

Sa’d did not answer.

This has only deepened the mystery.

Residents who, until Saturday, believed Pape Village to be a perfectly pleasant Toronto neighbourhood are now left wondering what their prospective councillor has heard.

Does Pape Village have enemies?

Has there been a long-running dispute over the village’s soul levels?

Was soul previously believed to be in short supply, prompting Sa’d to conduct an independent soul audit and discover that reserves are, in fact, abundant?

At press time, there was no indication.

What is known is that Pape Village has soul. Lots of it. This has now been confirmed by a candidate for Toronto City Council.

Everything preceding the word “but” remains classified.

Until Sa’d answers Candler’s extremely reasonable question, residents are advised to continue shopping, eating and going about their lives normally.

Say what you will about Pape Village.

Apparently, Caryma Sa’d already has.

Well, this is interesting.

Juno News published an exclusive interview with Caryma Sa’d yesterday. The hero image is a very familiar campaign photo: Sa’d standing with her scooter in front of a “ROAD CLOSED” sign.

Except Juno put a rather fascinating caption underneath it:

>“Photo altered using ChatGPT (Source: votesad.ca)”

The source Juno attributes the photograph to is Sa’d's own campaign website.

https://preview.redd.it/w9enuawntqph1.png?width=1630&format=png&auto=webp&s=5c51c8755b6a66430293aab9f134d1c846f699ee

So we went to votesad.ca.

And… that's the same photo, just a different resolution.

https://preview.redd.it/yfa8kl6stqph1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7a43a3371bbe25a980b84d6c18a17ab018b7c5e

Same pose. Same scooter. Same road sign. Same cones. Same background. Same everything. The versions are presented at different dimensions/crops, but this isn't a case where Juno obviously generated some fantastical new background or turned her scooter into a horse.

Which raises a pretty obvious question:

What exactly was “altered using ChatGPT”?

Because if Juno received or sourced an already-altered campaign photograph and simply disclosed that fact in its caption, it would appear Juno has done something Sa’d's own campaign didn't:

told us the photo was altered using AI.

And that's especially funny given how heavily the campaign leans into the aesthetic of Caryma out in Toronto, seeing the city with her own eyes.

“In the open.”

On the streets.

Documenting reality.

Apparently reality may require a little help from ChatGPT. 😂

To be clear, Juno's caption alone doesn't tell us who performed the alteration or what was altered. It could have been Juno. It could have been the campaign. It could have been Bob from accounting. There could be some completely mundane explanation.

But that's precisely why the wording is so intriguing.

Juno doesn't caption it “AI-generated image.”

It says:

“Photo altered using ChatGPT (Source: votesad.ca).”

So, uh...

What was altered, who altered it, and why does Juno know it was ChatGPT?

For a campaign built around showing us Toronto #InTheOpen, that seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to put... in the open.

EDIT

On second look, this is 100% AI. At this point, is she even in the ward, or is she just telling ChatGPT: “Put me on my scooter in the middle of the intersection at… checks Google Maps… Danforth & Pape.”

https://preview.redd.it/ysv8fp95qxph1.png?width=148&format=png&auto=webp&s=93bb016f7ab0474a3d08990349fbfe25c6d9e808

Caryma Sa’d recently said she was “grateful to have been endorsed by Donald Smith.”

🔗 https://x.com/CarymaRules/status/2097074501607420260

CONTENT WARNING:

Since endorsements tell voters something about the people a candidate is proud to have supporting them, some context seems warranted.

This isn't an endorsement from some random person whose history Sa’d couldn't reasonably be expected to know. Smith has publicly called Sa’d his friend. Sa’d has called Smith her friend. His conduct has also been raised repeatedly.

Below are just two examples of Smith's own content.

In one, he repeatedly uses anti-LGBTQIA2S+ slurs.

In another, he appears on camera holding a hammer. The title he chose for the video:

>“Antifa i am wondering if i can come over and do some renos of your places and faces”

That is particularly remarkable given Sa’d's own rhetoric about “Antifa.” Someone she calls a friend — and whose endorsement she is “grateful” to have — is addressing “Antifa” while holding a hammer and talking about doing “renos” to their “places and faces.”

And this isn't based solely on a couple of videos.

In December 2021, North Shore News quoted lawyer Mark Jackson describing Smith's conduct as:

>“An endless list of homophobic, anti-COVID attacks, threats on individuals, threats of violence and constant harassment …”

These are just a few examples from the mountain of footage of Smith already online.

Sa’d has made public safety, threatening behaviour, harassment, civility and accountability recurring themes of her campaign. She regularly points to the conduct and rhetoric of others as evidence of broader problems in Toronto.

Those standards don't become less relevant when the person happens to be your friend and supporter.

And that's the important distinction here: the question isn't whether Sa’d knew who was endorsing her.

She knows Donald Smith. She has publicly called him her friend. His conduct has been repeatedly raised.

And she publicly said she was “grateful” for his endorsement anyway.

When you're asking voters to trust your judgment on public safety, harassment and threatening behaviour, the standards you apply to your own friends and supporters matter.

Apparently Donald Smith meets hers.

Sa’d has also spent a considerable time questioning why critics outside Ward 14 are so “invested” in her candidacy.

Apparently geographic interest in Ward 14 is only suspicious when you're opposing Caryma Sa’d. If you're an out-of-province friend endorsing her, she's “grateful” for the involvement.

https://reddit.com/link/1wh917d/video/nm7o7w539qph1/player

https://reddit.com/link/1wh917d/video/te9jbv7j9qph1/player

I'm constituent-centric. Transparency and accountability are part of my platform. We will figure it all out together.

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