The takeover deal comes a month after the national broadcaster unveiled an earlier, now-abandoned affiliate agreement with the provincial educational broadcaster.
Continue readingThe Stephen Harper Government…Listeriosis ‘R Us.
WordsAndActionsMatter GovernmentPolicyVille That was then: …The Canadian Medical Association Journal (ie. a journal published by real doctors) has just published an editorial that places the de-regulation ethos at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency squarely in the lap of Mr. Stephen Harper’s government (warning: pdf): Last November (2007) the Canadian government
Continue readingStaffroom Confidential: BCTF presents reduced set of proposals
In an effort to get bargaining moving, the BCTF provincial bargaining team is presenting a new set of proposals at the table today. The proposals represent a significant reduction: * reducing “wage parity” with Alberta/Ontario (roughly 20%) to a Cost of Living increase of 3% in each of three years
Continue readingThe Moncton Times@Transcript - Good and Bad: Jan. 17: The no-news snooze
Again, there’s little to say about The Moncton Times and Transcript because so little is in it. There’s the usual ad disguised as news about a new act at the casino. There’s a good deal of space devoted to a story about the choice of a new location for Moncton
Continue readingTrashy's World: Double A Baseball in O Dot?
Personally, I would LOVE to see a Jays farm team locate here… but I’m not hopeful given that the City does not seem to be taking the idea seriously. Besides, I’m not even sure Double A would be successful here. This town couldn’t keep the Lynx, lost the Riders way
Continue readingThe Sixth Estate: BS Fraser Institute Study Advocates Privatization of Minority Language Rights
The Fraser Institute’s first report of the new year is a strident attack on provincial bilingualism policies which attempts to count the costs of providing services to minority populations and, predictably, argues that the best solution is to “privatize” these services, meaning that either the government or, preferably, private citizens
Continue readingThe Equivocator: Nokha Dakroub: A Family Reunited – And No, We’re Not Dead!
Nokha Dakrou (Delegate Mississauga-East Cooksville.) The convention that took place this past weekend felt like a much-needed family reunion after a period of mourning and grief. With 3200 delegates present, it was more than I had even hoped for or anticipated. It was difficult to find people amongst the crowds,
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Winnipeg’s North End – the good, the bad and the unspoken
Winnipeg’s fabled North End, long known for its contributions to the arts, popular culture and radical politics, has always had a reputation for being a tough place to grow up. These days, however, crime, violence, gangs and poverty seem to be its defining characteristics, at least in the minds of
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: “Real” Youth Unemployment Rate Close to 20%
Statistics Canada’s “real” (R8 supplementary) unemployment rate adds to unemployed persons some labour force dropouts (discouraged job seekers who have given up looking for a job in the belief that no work is available) and the hours of work lost by part-time workers who would rather have worked full-time. In
Continue readingMorton's Musings: Peter Paul & Mary – Blowin in the wind (1966)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW6NVcqcRVE&feature=related
Continue readinggritchik: Anti-choice group at it again
Campaign Life Coalition is at it again, handing out a slick flyer this past weekend, full of unattributed “facts,” demanding the government defund abortion because “it is an elective procedure and not medically necessary.” These pro-life zealots don’t believe that abortion should be funded in any case. If the woman
Continue readingthe woodshed: Street curling
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Continue readingDeSmogBlog: The Classroom Climate Battle: A New Heavy Hitter Joins the Fray
Teacher-writing-on-blackb-007.jpg For a year now, I’ve been covering the growing fight over the teaching of accurate climate science in American classrooms. The conflict is being driven by politics, of course, but also by the fact that school districts are, increasingly, bringing information about global warming into the educational curriculum—leading, inevitably,
Continue readingCritical Brain Candy: Bob Rae for the Liberal Leadership
I’ve never understood why there was a supposed agreement that Rae wouldn’t run for the leadership. Doesn’t that seem a bit un-democratic? I have no idea if him running would be a good thing, but if he ran and won, who should argue with that?
Continue readingCuriosityCat: The half-bold, half-timid Liberal Party Convention
There are three primary lessons from this Convention. First, the Liberal Party of Canada is well on the way to a renewal that will stun Stephen Harper (who believes he has hammered in the final nail on its coffin with the elimination of direct public political party funding), and disconcert
Continue readingBut Mitt Romney is the moderate one
Palling around with white supremacists? Hey, call it outreach. The GOP is a big tent! [H/t SherryBGood via deBeauxOs]
Continue readingthe woodshed: Oh the weather outside is frightful…
and I don’t have a goddamn fireplace to curl up in front of with a good book while it drizzles outside (Rain? in January? in Canada? Are you shitting me? There ought to be a foot-and-a-half of snow outside by now at least, not this filthy mud.) So I decided
Continue readingCanadian Dimension Feed: Lula: Son of Brazil
In the press notes for “Lula: Son of Brazil,” screenwriter Denise Paraná, upon whose biography (originally a PhD dissertation) the script is based, advises: “This is not a political film but a human story about overcoming great odds.” Just so everybody gets the picture, director Fabio Barreto replies as follows
Continue readingThe Enlightened Savage: Leadership in Calgary-Fish Creek
On Saturday, January 14th, my team of dedicated volunteers (whom have dubbed themselves the “O-Team”) and I spent the daylight hours knocking on every door we could find, blanketing 2 communities in Calgary-Fish Creek. I heard a lot of good ideas and strong opinions. About health care. Policing. Seniors care.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Repetition for effect
Since Aaron Wherry has rightly connected the NDP’s response to Lise St-Denis’ floor-crossing to its efforts to engage constituents on other issues, I may as well offer a similar bit of reiteration. So here’s what I had to say last time it was noted that the NDP was working on
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