Supporters of education workers demonstrate in Toronto, November 1, 2022. Photo courtesy CUPE Ontario/Twitter. It has been whirlwind week for labour in Ontario. On November 2, Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government passed a bill to ban 55,000 education workers from striking after mediation between the province and the Canadian Union of
Continue readingAuthor: Ryan Kelpin
Canadian Dimension: Doug Ford’s ‘strong mayor’ system is an anti-democratic power play
Doug Ford and John Tory pose for a photo during a charity cricket match in 2014. Photo courtesy Toronto Sun. “If I ever get to the provincial level of politics, municipal affairs is the first thing I would want to change. I think mayors across the province deserve stronger powers.
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: How Doug Ford hid from dealing with the Freedom Convoy
We are now into the third week of the ‘Freedom Convoy’ that has besieged downtown Ottawa, inspiring similar protests at border bridges across Canada and throughout the province of Ontario. What we have witnessed is a total abdication of responsibility by all levels of government, evidenced by their failure to
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Mike Harris does not deserve the Order of Ontario
On the first day of 2021, the Province of Ontario quietly used the holiday season to appoint former premier Mike Harris to the Order of Ontario. This is a feeble attempt to cast Harris as a benevolent Ontarian, whitewash his disastrous neoliberal policies, and sweep under the rug his role
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Doug Ford and neoliberalism: ‘Opening Ontario’ by shutting down democratic process
Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks with reporters, March 20, 2020. Photo courtesy of FordNation/Twitter. One of the main tensions that has come to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic is the relationship between public health, neoliberalism, and democratic institutions in Ontario. There have been many questions regarding what the balance
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