If, like me, you believe that personnel decisions are among the most important decisions that management can make, you really have to be shaking your head at Stephen Harper at this point. He’s had a knack for picking winners. The former head of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal abused and
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Yet More Proof That Keystone XL Won’t Reduce Gas Prices
There are four days left to submit a public comment to the State Department on the Keystone XL pipeline. As we’ve reported time and time again here on DeSmogBlog, the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline would not improve America’s energy security as proponents of the pipeline insist. Nor would
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: The Federal Health Minister is not Steve Outhouse
Where is Leona Aglukkaq? Do you know who Leona Aglukkaq is? Perhaps you are more familiar with Steve Outhouse? He’s the spokesperson every time the Federal government is called upon to respond to a rather embarrassing issue related to Canada’s … Continue reading →
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Victory!
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: heartwarming nature crap
Continue readingPolitics Canada: Trudeau ends hope for Canada with decision not to fight attack ads
I am in complete and utter shock and sadness at the news that Justin Trudeau will become the third Liberal Party leader in a row defined by the formidable Reform-Conservative attack ad machine. This means that Stephen Harper has just won the 2015 election campaign. I can not believe
Continue readingPolygonic: Old Entish Soldier
Along the base of Emeishan in Sichuan Province, a network of forest trails connect temples, pavilions, and spots of tranquil contemplation (despite the heaving crowds!). This solitary figure continues to stand tall – though the tree has died, it’s a home to lots of other new life.
Continue readingRecreating Eden: Something Not at All Political: A Short Story in Queen’s Quarterly….
Shameless self-promotion department: my story “Ancient Faults” has just been published in the Spring 2013 Queen’s Quarterly, Canada’s oldest literary magazine. Here’s an excerpt: The tide is out and Rebecca sees immediately that she can walk out as far as the rock, which at high tide is a sort of
Continue readingMorton's Musings: Expert evidence on the frailties of eyewitness evidence not admissible
R. v. Frimpong, 2013 ONCA 243 holds: [23] The appellant has two submissions in respect of the expert’s evidence, one broad and one more narrow. The broad submission asks this court to depart from its pronouncement in R. v. McIntosh (1997), 117 C.C.C. (3d) 385 and hold admissible expert evidence explaining in general
Continue readingLeDaro: Erik Rush: Another Fox News Crazy
This idiot on Fox News thinks the Boston Marathon should be a call to kill all Muslims? Aside from the fact we don’t even know who the perpetrator was, responding to tragedy with hate and vengence, with blatant discrimination, is wrong. This amounts to adopting the very same attitude as
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: A Few Thousand Dead Indians
What makes me mad? People like Saskatchewan’s infamous shock-talk-jock John Gormley, who thinks the world needs fewer “activists”. Here’s the resulting story from a recently released PLUSD cable from the Kissinger Files fit together with a Cablegate cable. Then US Ambassador David Mulford urged the Indian government to “drop its
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Still Islamophic States of America
The the greater scheme of things the Boston Marathon bombing was a fart in a hurricane. Except, of course, it happened in Boston during a notable footrace run mainly by white people. But the bombing was all it took to get America’s Islamophobia stoked for all to see. The New
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: A tangible response to physiotherapy cuts – the province finally adds community capacity
After significantly cutting outpatient physiotherapy at hospitals across Ontario, the government is finally putting something back. The Ministry of Health says it is making a major investment in community-based physiotherapy, exercise classes and falls prevention services that will benefit up … Continue reading →
Continue readingMorton's Musings: Sentencing for criminal negligence causing death in alcohol-related circumstances
R v Smith 2013 BCCA 173 is a tragic case of death resulting from impaired driving. The trial judge gave a sentence of one day because of the circumstances and rehabilitation of the offender. The Court of Appeal imposed a much longer sentence holding: [34] The fundamental principle is
Continue readingWise Law Blog: Work-Life Balance On The Beach
My SlawTips post this week considers the thorny question of maintaining work-life balance – with a bit of ocean breeze on the side. True confession time – I still work a bit while I’m away. I’d rather set aside an hour or so a day while I’m on vacation to
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Sierra Club Canada: Great Lakes ‘do nothing’ plan unacceptable
By: Sierra Club Canada | Press Release: Restore Our Water International (ROWI) and Sierra Club Canada criticize the International Joint Commission (IJC) Draft Great Lakes Regional Adaptive Management Plan as being insufficient for solving the current low water crisis on Lakes Michigan and Huron. The IJC recently finished conducting webinars on
Continue readingThe Moncton Times@Transcript - Good and Bad: April 18: I’m actually starting this on April 17….
…guessing what won’t be in tomorrow’s TandT. You won’t find any mention of the pipeline spill of Alberta tarsands oil in Arkansas. It’s hard enough to find much even on the web, and police are keeping the press at a distance. The spillage is huge, covering miles of land, lakes
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Next Time Someone Chides Anonymous
…for their allegedly reckless approach to the Rehtaeh Parsons case, remind them how professional news organizations like the NY Post and CNN covered the Boston bombings. Then tell them to get bent.PS. Haven’t been writing much lately. Am in the middle of a move. Hopefully things will be a bit more
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Allan Gregg on Attack Ads
I have written about Allan Gregg on this blog before; probably his most noteworthy recent contribution to political discourse came in his speech to Carleton University’s School of Public Affairs, in which he denounced the Orwellian bent of the Harper regime in its promotion of ignorance in place information and
Continue readingWarren Kinsella: Pinball wizard
And I am, by the way. Didn’t know that about me, did you? When the other kids were playing Pong and its succedents, Your Humble Narrator was whiling away the hours with the silver ball. If any of you cared about me, which you don’t, you’d get me a nice
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Harper cut to Health Council of Canada could signal end of national health care
By: Canadian Health Coalition | Press Release: OTTAWA, April 17, 2013 – The Canadian Health Coalition issued an urgent alert to Canadians in light of today’s news that the Harper Government is terminating its funding of the Health Council of Canada. “This announcement signals Harper’s intention to withdraw essential federal leadership from
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