The so-called “Morneau Scandal” has been a farce in many ways, with mainstream media failing to recognize the real scandal plaguing the government’s financial control system. First, the tempest in a teapot. While he wasn’t legally required to do so, Finance Minister Bill Morneau made the mistake of not putting
Continue readingAuthor: Nick Fillmore
A Different Point of View....: Here’s why YOU need to give climate groups a ‘kick-in-the-butt’
Introduction: This article is for the many thousands of individual Canadians who give $-millions each year to environmental and conservation groups. When it comes to fighting climate change*, you’re not getting your money’s worth. I’ve monitored the environmental movement for five years and draw the conclusion that the biggest and
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: Angry CBC listeners demand fewer mindless personal-story programs
Note from Nick: Because I worked with CBC for more than 25 years and have great loyalty to quality public broadcasting, I regret that I need to take CBC Radio One management to task in an aggressive manner. But when considerable damage is being done to the network and managers refuse
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: Who is wrecking CBC Radio and why are they doing it?
During CBC Radio’s 81 years the public broadcaster has been the country’s most important life-line, unifying the nation and helping us understand each other and the important issues of the day. I am lucky to have worked at the CBC for more than 25 years. I held several positions, including
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: Do you know a community that might like to have a new newspaper?
(Note: Please forward to any folks that might like to look into setting up a paper.) News outlets in Canadian communities are falling like bowling pins. At least 171 media organizations in 138 communities closed between 2008 and this January, says the Local News Research Project, a project led by
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: Corporations are beating us up; can we develop a more just system?
Aggressive capitalism is kicking the crap out of us, so we should see if we can start a public conversation about the need for an alternative political and social system. It’s shocking that capitalist businesses have become so dominant. They literally rule the world. In Canada, the low-profile Canadian Council
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: Newspapers don’t deserve support: money should go to independent news sites
News Media Canada – formerly the Canadian Association of Newspapers – has submitted a proposal to Minister of Canadian Heritage Mélanie Joly for a whopping $350-million a year to prop up the journalism of the country’s struggling 105 dailies. The publishers are asking for: $175-million of our tax dollars per
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: Liberals take first small step toward rebuilding the CBC, but there are many miles to go
The federal government has taken the first step on a long road toward what hopefully will be the restoration of the CBC as Canada’s most important public interest and cultural institution. For nearly 10 years the Harper government forced the CBC off track from its original goals of promoting culture
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: Ineffective 350.org divestment campaign should give way to direct corporate actions
Students at Dalhousie University in Halifax are a determined lot. Campaigning against the burning of fossil fuels, they have occupied the office of school president Richard Florizone. The students also created a six-foot-high dinosaur to signify that investing in pollution-causing industries is a skeleton in the university’s closet. Divest Dal is
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: Ineffective 350.org divestment campaign should give way to direct corporate actions
Students at Dalhousie University in Halifax are a determined lot. Campaigning against the burning of fossil fuels, they have occupied the office of school president Richard Florizone. The students also created a six-foot-high dinosaur to signify that investing in pollution-causing industries is a skeleton in the university’s closet. Divest Dal is
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: We shouldn’t weep for broke but lying mainstream media
What a difference some 50 years has made in one of Canada’s most important and powerful industries! Back in 1970, the Senate of Canada called an inquiry to investigate the exorbitant profits made by Canada’s handful of media barons. Skinflint media mogul Roy Thomson had declared that owning a radio
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: We shouldn’t weep for broke but dishonest mainstream media
What a difference some 50 years has made in one of Canada’s most important and powerful industries! Back in 1970, the Senate of Canada called an inquiry to investigate the exorbitant profits made by Canada’s handful of media barons. Skinflint media mogul Roy Thomson had declared that owning a radio
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: I’ll bet you didn’t know you own billions of dollars in coal stocks
Sometimes huge issues just slide along under the radar until, all of a sudden, they blow up. The shock can come from a brown envelope slid under a door, a “scoop” in the media, or an opposition politician discovering a serious failure in government. I’m waiting for an explosion to
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: I’ll bet you didn’t know you ownbillions of dollars in coal stocks
Sometimes huge issues just slide along under the radar until, all of a sudden, they blow up. The shock can come from a brown envelope slid under a door, a “scoop” in the media, or an opposition politician discovering a serious failure in government. I’m waiting for an explosion to
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: I’ll bet you didn’t know you ownbillions of dollars in coal stocks
Sometimes huge issues just slide along under the radar until, all of a sudden, they blow up. The shock can come from a brown envelope slid under a door, a “scoop” in the media, or an opposition politician discovering a serious failure in government. I’m waiting for an explosion to
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: Why are our environmental groups supporting weak climate targets?
Canada is far behind many other countries when it comes to meeting its carbon reduction targets. We have an “inadequate” ranking on the international mechanism tracking carbon emitters, says Climate Action Tracker. Many other countries/regions, such as Norway, the European Union, the United States and China, are well ahead of
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: Environmental Groups failing by not lobbying Ottawa over climate change
Canada is far behind many other countries when it comes to meeting its carbon reduction targets. We have an “inadequate” ranking on the international mechanism tracking carbon emitters, says Climate Action Tracker. Many other countries/regions, such as Norway, the European Union, the United States and China, are well ahead of
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: Environmental Groups failing by not lobbying Ottawa over climate change
Canada is far behind many other countries when it comes to meeting its carbon reduction targets. We have an “inadequate” ranking on the international mechanism tracking carbon emitters, says Climate Action Tracker. Many other countries/regions, such as Norway, the European Union, the United States and China, are well ahead of
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: Why are our environmental groups supporting weak climate targets?
Canada is far behind many other countries when it comes to meeting its carbon reduction targets. We have an “inadequate” ranking on the international mechanism tracking carbon emitters, says Climate Action Tracker. Many other countries/regions, such as Norway, the European Union, the United States and China, are well ahead of
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: Young activists win ‘badge of honour’ with civil disobedience in Ottawa
Ninety-nine young environmental activists achieved their goal on Parliament Hill on Monday by carrying out acts of civil disobedience. The boisterous group climbed over restricted-area police barricades near the Peace Tower. Those arrested were part of a group of 200 protesting the possible construction of the Alberta to B.C. Kinder
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