What we have observed so far is , the moment we reached 440 on 23rd May , there was a draw skip following it , which added 7 more days of fresh Entries. Next time when we were too close to 440 i.e on 11th July , the pool was flooded with long pending nominations from Ontario. So, we may call it tough luck this year around , series of events have kept <442 group at bay.
If this is not a coincidence (I hope it is), then it appears to be a 'finger on the scale approach' that's not fair to those that have been in the pool for so long, and those that'll be loosing vital points due to age.
Unfortunately, by the time they realise they might not meet this year's target with this approach - which is not guaranteed as they can very much meet targets regardless by just waiting for the highest crs to get in the pool - it might be too late for some of us. As 6 points would've been deducted from our scores.
A better approach would've been to conduct the draws at fixed intervals (except for public holidays, which is understandable). Then increase/decrease ITA issuance as the year progresses based on immigration targets. Then there'll be no room for assumptions of conspiracies. Unsuccessful candidates would accept that the competition was fair and justified.
A disheartening analogy for this approach is, being on a queue with stringent criteria for so long, however each time it's your turn, the queue is put on hold for new entrants to be placed in front of you. In this case the idea of creating a pool at all is defeated, when they can just decide to conduct selective draws only when the number of applications have been received from the highest scoring candidates of their own choosing.
The express entry might gradually becoming similar to provincial nominations where selection criteria is unclear and fraught with lopsided conditions due to their varying, distinct and sometimes elitist needs.
On a lighter note the express entry has been a blessing to lots of great folks that have benefited from it. Moreover, the logistics and strategies involved up until how ITAs are issued this year have been excellent and unparalleled internationally.
However, there's always room for improvement, particularly on the optics of what appears to be an expression of bias in draw intervals/timelines.