The provincial government has finally relented in its dignity-crushing stance of continuing to allow a developer to pursue building condos on top of a Musqueam burial ground. And while this change of provincial policy does not extend to a solution of land ownership, this is a critical first step to
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Politics, Re-Spun: So Did YOU Get a 3% Raise Last Year?
So, did you get a 3% raise last year? The average Canadian did. See the first chart below. If not, you’re behind the average Canadian. And even with a small offset of increased hours worked going up by only 1% for the 12 months ending last June, at worst, the
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Imagine if the Olympics Really Benefited the People of the Host City
The London Olympics games closed with the words of “Imagine” by John Lennon and “Freedom” by George Michael. John Lennon sang “Imagine all the people living life in peace.” And then Eric Idle sang “Always look at the Bright Side of Life.” But what did the Olympic Games really bring
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Bravery in a Time of Struggle
I was but wee when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. It must have been quite trying: a feat of technological innovation, cooperative efforts by thousands of mostly anonymous people and the global fame of a few astonishingly brave people who would be willing to sit atop a huge bomb
Continue readingCanadian Progressive World: What We Missed: OWS Declaration of the Occupation of New York City
This document was accepted by the NYC General Assembly on September 29, 2011, with minor updates made on October 1, 2011. It is the first official, collective statement of the protesters in Zuccotti Park. As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not
Continue readingCanadian Progressive World: Duly Quoted: Chris Hedges On Occupy Wall Street And “The Canadian Prime Minister”
This is a quote from a popular article on Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, U.S. President Barack Obama and the corrupting influence of corporate power, by award-winning journalist & activist, Chris Hedges. In the article, Hedges asks the same questions Canadian progressives now ask themselves everyday: What happened to Canada? “Global financiers
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Gentleman! Step Up and Reclaim Your Wife! Pesky Newborns Be Damned!
Chattel. That’s all you are, women. The personal property of men. If you dare to turn your attention to something as trivial as…a newborn baby? YOU ARE LETTING YOUR KEEPER DOWN. Your breasts are ALL his. All. Stick some plastic in that kid’s cry-hole, STAT! Then get back to doing
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: Enbridge executive’s company awarded first crime Bill C-10 $38.5-million prison project
Executive and company have strong and lucrative ties with the Canadian military and Harper government. Opponents of the Conservative government’s crime Bill C-10 were justified to argue that private companies would profiteer from the new jail system the legislation proposed for Canada. On Tuesday, the Canadian Press reported that a
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: Meet The University Of Ottawa’s Ecojustice Clinic
From William Amos, director of the clinic: “A lot of ecojustice cases end up being David vs. Goliath battles; and that’s simply because the clients we serve in small communities and in cities across the country don’t have the funds to hire high-priced lawyers and lots of experts to provide
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: How Dare You Drones Resist?!
It is truly stunning to see how the elites react when people dare speak out against “austerity” – that is, to squeeze even more profits out of workers, students, and citizens in general. Almost as appalling is the way that the corporate media (and often the CBC) follow the party
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: We Must Force the Politicians to Go Post-Carbon
We need to leave the tarsands oil in the ground. We need an increasing carbon tax. We need to stop subsidizing carbon energy producers. We need public money invested in post-carbon energy. We need to do it now. I say all this, as does this NASA physicist: The science of
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Re: Huffington Post & the Quebec Spring (Again!)
I had previously been under the impression that the Huffington Post was a generally a left-liberal sort of enterprise. However, it appears that one does not win a Pulitzer these days without some token “dissent.” After all, we know how difficult it is for right-wing perspectives to be heard in
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Let’s Have an End to People Dying at Work
Ben Isitt is a Victoria city councillor, historian, professor, lawyer and optimist. Rarely have I been so moved by an account of the struggle working people have in the face of this new world order of anti-worker 1%ism. We are so effectively trained to accept the balance of power is
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Shaw Cable’s Dismissive, Dodging Customer Service
Shaw, the Corporation If you are a lower mainland Shaw Cable customer you may have noticed a quite vague notification of a $5 [plus HST] bill increase coming in June. It is followed by a great deal of vague advertising fluff indicating that something awesome was about to happen, but
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Deconstructing the Wildrose Effect
So what happened in Alberta’s election yesterday, other than people telling pollsters that they want change, then chickening out when it came time to mark an X. The Politics, Re-spun crew deconstructs the Wildrose effect here: Are you surprised that the Wildrose Party did not win? No. Discontent polls well,
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Vic Toews’ Prison Shock Doctrine Recipe
Closing prisons from the 19th century is surely a good idea, but I have no faith that the Conservative Party cares to replace them with anything progressive based on research from any time since the 19th century. So here’s a Canadian prison Shock Doctrine perfect storm: The Conservatives [Reform Party]
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Musqueam Midden Burial Site Compromise
It’s very interesting to see the work that has gone into a possible compromise to deal with the competing demands around the Musqueam midden burial site. See below. Several weeks ago there was quite a contentious debate about what to do with the site from the Musqueam perspective and from
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Boycott the National Headshot League (#NHL)
Before I get into my increasingly radical antipathy towards the NHL and NHLPA and their callous disregard for brain injury risks, I’d like you to spend a few moments watching this gratuitous display of intent to injure at a bantam hockey game in Kelowna last month involving teenagers. It will
Continue readingThe Happy Wanderer: We are More Genourose Then I thought.
According to a new poll done recently a vast Majority of Canadians are willing to pay higher taxes to combat income inequality. As we know income inequality has risen over the past 30 years in Canada and it is something we must tackle and apparently the country as a whole
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Joe Fresh & Loblaws: Perpetuating the Early Marginalization of Women
Not so long ago, my friend Becca was shopping at her local Loblaws store (Real Canadian Superstore, for those of us who live in the West.) Like many people I know, Becca approves of their Joe Fresh clothing line, which offers Canadians the opportunity to buy stylish and seasonal clothing
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