Who would’ve thought we’d find a suitable reference to Riders Nation and Ethical Cannabis in one photograph? But courtesy the Calgary Sun, there it is! Note the hat, bottom right. Just saying. Below: Some guy standing in front of Rob Ford’s office. Those of us who don’t regularly wear melons
Continue readingTag: British Columbia
The Disaffected Lib: What’ll It Be, Christy – Alberta or Norway?
A report came out this week concluding that British Columbia’s reserves of natural gas may be twice as great as previously thought. The numbers, if accurate, would put British Columbia right up there with Alberta in the “money for nothing” club only our wealth would be in a windfall
Continue readingThe West Coast steps up on global warming
Earlier this week, the governors of California, Oregon and Washington and B.C. Premier Christy Clark announced their Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy, “committing their governments, and a region that represents the world’s fifth largest economy, to a comprehensive and far-reaching strategic alignment to combat climate change and
Continue readingB.C. ‘s "textbook example" of good climate policy
High praise indeed from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In a recent speech, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría praised B.C.’s carbon tax as being “as close to a textbook example as we have.” The praise is well deserved. A paper published in the journal Canadian Public Policy by
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: BC’s Child Support Clawback Hurts Kids
British Columbia’s Child Support Clawback for Children of Parents on Government Assistance Hurts Kids When I bring up the issue of the child support clawback in British Columbia affecting single parents on temporary or disability assistance through the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation, most people are completely unaware
Continue readingMelissa Fong: “Micro-brothels” in BC: Are we still criminalizing prostitution?
“Micro-brothels” in BC: Are we still criminalizing prostitution? The short answer: YES. Now the long answer: I’ve seen a couple articles in Vancouver’s 24hr News about how micro-brothels are a booming and we should be really scared because micro-brothels are dangerous. See here and here. First article: Sex-worker activist Sue
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: British Columbia’s Position – Enbridge Cannot Be Trusted, No to Northern Gateway
The British Columbia government, it seems, has spoken out loud and clear in opposition to the Northern Gateway pipeline. Even Christy Clark would be in peril if she tried to step down from this stand. Here are excerpts from the government’s brief. “Many parts of the pipeline will be
Continue readingCanadian Political Viewpoints: Accentuate the Positive
I’ve been giving a lot of thought on what to talk next about on the blog, and with news of the Saskatchewan Party’s newest round of attack ads, I thought that would be a good place to start. But first, we need to have a small detour before we discuss
Continue readingCanadian Political Viewpoints: Accentuate the Positive
I’ve been giving a lot of thought on what to talk next about on the blog, and with news of the Saskatchewan Party’s newest round of attack ads, I thought that would be a good place to start. But first, we need to have a small detour before we discuss a…
Continue readingCanadian Political Viewpoints: Accentuate the Positive
I’ve been giving a lot of thought on what to talk next about on the blog, and with news of the Saskatchewan Party’s newest round of attack ads, I thought that would be a good place to start. But first, we need to have a small detour before we discuss
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: You’ll pay more to BC Hydro to Balance the BC Budget
There were reports this morning that BC Hydro would be raising its rates by up to 26% to meet its revenue targets for the coming year. Why? Because the BC Government is using BC Hydro to balance its budget. Via CKNW, this is a pretty fascinating quote from Minister Bill
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Untangling the Temporary Foreign Worker Knot
Banks as predators? Surely, no! Temporary foreign workers have become a lightning-rod topic in Canadian labour in recent months with the high-profile news of the Royal Bank of Canada replacing staff with TFWs. But the issue is not about RBC, which is merely the latest flashpoint. The temporary foreign worker
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Labour Day 2013: Say Hello to the Pavement!
Workers in Canada and around the world have been under assault for decades, but most of our recent tactics to stop the bleeding have been ineffective. Are we lazy, complacent, overworked, obedient, compliant, subdued, afraid, docile, or fully tamed and intimidated by the one per cent? If we don’t get
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Canada: Violence Against Indigenous Women Demands Inquiry
The recent visit by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights shows that violence against indigenous women in Canada demands inquiry, says Human Rights Watch. The post Canada: Violence Against Indigenous Women Demands Inquiry appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Altruism + Community
“It almost hurts me to walk down a road and have people grab my hand and ask for my autograph and not sit and talk. When I’m finished I’m not going to be on the front page, but I’m going to be just as happy without the publicity.” – Terry
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Online Surveys, No Longer Much Fun
Once upon a time, it was fun to take online polls. For lots of reasons. But one of my favourites was to watch how poorly polls could be constructed. Once, six years ago, Innovative Research Group put a racist poll into the field. It included questions about whether I had
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Ice Crisis at the Poles: Ice, Ice, Baby
What continent is this, anyway? And why does it matter? The arctic ice cap will be fully melting in the next few summers, likely. There is a lake on top of the ice at the North Pole. Santa is getting worried. “On August 26, 2012, the Arctic sea ice extent
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: BC’s wheelchair fee for seniors in long-term care facilities not fair: Researcher
Janine Farrell, a seniors care researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, explains why the recently announced $25/month user fee for wheelchairs used by people in long-term care facilities in BC is not fair. The post BC’s wheelchair fee for seniors in long-term care facilities not fair: Researcher appeared
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: IKEA’s (Sad) Spin Reply to My Boycott Letter
Solidarity means an attack on one is an offense to all! So if you have sent your letter to IKEA explaining why you are boycotting them for locking out their Richmond workers for 10 weeks, you may have received this precious reply from the corporation, below. I will re-spin it
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: It’s 12 O’Clock, Have You Boycotted IKEA Yet Today?
$3.85 billion in profit is just not enough. Union busting and global greed now! Gratitude, then and now. It used to include a t-shirt and more, for all employees around the world. Now, union busting. The best part of the Teamster Local 213 rally in Richmond on Saturday was the
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