So the Queen is 96. A good age. Happy birthday, Your Majesty. Her birthday once again prompts the usual question. Do we want to continue with the monarchy? Or is it time to move on from an archaic institution? According to an Angus Reid survey, the answer is yes we
Continue readingTag: Canada
The Progressive Economics Forum: Canada’s 2022 federal budget
Canada’s 2022 federal budget had a very strong housing focus. I’ve written a ‘top 10’ overview of the budget here: https://nickfalvo.ca/canadas-2022-federal-budget-was-a-housing-budget/
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: How much for defence?
Chrystia Freehand’s recent budget, although modest, did have some goodies in it for the military, including more than $8-billion in new funding over five years. While less than expected, perhaps, it’s not a bad raise. It is expected to bring our defence spending up to 1.5 percent of our GDP,
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Finally—a Bill to end news theft
It’s taken a while, and the loss of a third of journalism jobs and 451 news outlets since 2008, along with the migration of billions of advertising dollars to tech platforms, but finally the government has taken a big step to halt the bleeding. This week Bill C-18 (the Online
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: What can municipalities do about homelessness?
I recently contributed an essay to a paper series published by the University of Toronto’s Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance. The focus of my own essay is the role Canadian municipalities can play in addressing homelessness. A ‘top 10’ overview of the essay can be found here (in English):
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Another day, another carbon plan
Is there any issue that has had more plans and less action than global warming? Now the feds have presented us with another. And like its predecessors, it looks good on paper. The big promise is cutting emissions by 40 to 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, to be
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Hey Canada, Let’s Do Better in 2022 and not Kill so Many Canadian Women
Not the infographics we want, but the ones we need to see.
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: It is Unlawful and Unethical To Have Males in Female Prisons
Canadians need to be exposed to the end product of inducting the concept of gender identity into Charter and laws. The end result is that we have incarcerated male rapists in female prisons. It is the ultimate expression of placing the feelings of males above the *safety* of females
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Guest editorial: Homelessness in Canada
I’ve written the guest editorial for a special edition of the International Journal on Homelessness. The guest editorial provides a general overview of homelessness in Canada (and I believe it serves as a helpful stand-alone reading for practitioners, researchers, students and advocates). My guest editorial can be found here (in
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Majority government – who would have thought?
I was pleased indeed to read about the agreement between the Liberals and the NDP to create a stable government until 2025. This will be the first time in almost 40 years that we will have a federal government that represents a majority of the voters. One might almost think
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: A Great Day For Canada
About fricken time the Liberals and NDP came to an agreement to stop the never-ending short election cycle. This should have happened last year. Now let’s get some movement on electoral reform, the #ClimateCrisis, and reconciliation, among many other files the parties can agree on. The Greens are also likely
Continue readingThings Are Good: Canadians Need to Know Snow-washing
Us Canadians need to live up to the stereotype that we are a nice, peaceful, and safe country. Clearly the so-called trucker protest tarnished our reputation, but in financial circles our reputation is tarnished thanks to our neglect of corporate accountability. Internationally Canada is seen as a great place to
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Canadian Bill C-16 – The Criticisms
The first ten minutes encapsulate so much of what is wrong with this legislation.
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Freedom of the Press?
The bitter partisan environment that dominates US politics is coming here. Three examples are have been captured and posted to Twitter – here the ‘freedom rallies’ exhibit hostility toward media crews on the ground who are there covering the event. These two incidents may not be typical of the all
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: What is happening has happened Before – The Canadian Reactionary ‘Freedom’ Convoy/Protests
It certainly seems like the religious, libertarian hard right fringe has made its way from the US to Canada. The illegal occupation of Ottawa and border crossings are prime examples of the profoundly undemocratic/reactionary roots of this ‘movement’. The police are reacting with a glacial slowness that is exacerbating the
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The Limits of Toleration and Compromise in A Representative Democracy (Canadian “Freedom” Convoys)- Tim Abray
I agree with Tim’s analysis of what is going on in Ottawa and in Alberta. People are circumventing the ways that make a functioning democracy work, and it should be a serious concern to everyone. “It has been said, often, during this crisis that you can’t live in downtown
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Plague Update: Stupidity With Brain, Not Of Brain
I went to the protest of Scott Moe’s government at the Legislature today. Simultaneously down the blocked-off street there was a #FluTruxKlan protest by the anti-waxxers, and over by the lake a few people attending the skating rink for a Frost party. I went up to the dwindling crowd about
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Plague Update: #FluTruxKlan rally loses $9M from GoFundMe, and sued for $10M more
GoFundMe has frozen further donations from going to the convoy organizers. This was at the request of the Mayor of Ottawa, among other authorities becoming desperate to end the blockade peacefully. GoFundMe announces freeze of the fascists’ funding: GoFundMe supports peaceful protests and we believe that was the intention of
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Trans Rights are not Apex Rights.
Thank you justdad7 for writing such urgently necessary thoughts. This is the context we need to make any progress with the gender religious, as most seem to be under the notion that the rights they claim happen to be ‘apex rights’ – in other words gender identity should
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Trucker Freedum Rally Plagues Edmonton
Did you ever need to see what ignorance and a banal level of patriotism looks like? Here ya be. The Rally for Freedom in my hometown. It is so very disheartening to see this level of absolute farce on display. These individuals are demonstrating their absolute lack of social responsibility
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