Yesterday afternoon, when onlookers in the crowd spotted Ford staffers handing out voting sheets to ‘Fordnation,’ as the right wing of Council is known, we who were there to support bike lanes should have guessed the issue was dead in the water. The slim chance that cyclists and their advocates on Council had in retaining … Continue reading »
Continue readingTag: Daily Politics
the reeves report: Fighting for Bike Lanes at Toronto City Hall: Pt. I
“Dammit. My phone died.” “You can use mine.” “That’s okay. I kinda knew it would happen. I didn’t have time to charge my phone today on my morning off. ‘Cause I spent it here.” Andrea Garcia, Advocacy Director with the Toronto Cyclists Union, had already had a long day when I left Council at 7:00 … Continue reading »
Continue readingthe reeves report: Out on a Limb: In Defence of the (Political) Moral High Ground
This may be terribly naive of me (and I’m not ruling out that possibility, to be fair), but I am going to go out on a limb and make the following two statements: 1) the (political) moral high-ground is (often) worth defending; and 2) two wrongs do not make a right. I know, I know. … Continue reading »
Continue readingthe reeves report: Thespian as Politician ≥ the Political Theatre Press Conference
It is amazing the lengths that politicians will go to in order to give a rather mundane message a twist, a hook, a pull, some pizzazz, or often, a point. Sometimes they can do it all – and sometimes the assembled media are left scratching their heads while the political hangers-on clap wildly at the … Continue reading »
Continue readingthe reeves report: Feature: Questions remain on the future of eco fees in Ontario
It’s not often I sympathize with Tim Hudak and the Conservative Party of Ontario, but on the future of eco fees, they have their work cut out for them. To recap, last summer, the Liberal government in Ontario introduced an eco fee on select electronics and household hazardous materials, which was Phase 1 of a … Continue reading »
Continue readingthe reeves report: RCMP finally investigates Muskoka’s G8 ‘Legacy Infrastructure’
Uh oh – time for Tony Clement to get all huffy and defiant again because dammit, we just wont go away with the questions about how $50M was distributed throughout Muskoka! Circle the wagons, ’cause the RCMP are coming, Tony! First off, it’s about damn time someone looked into this! Chances are when something looks … Continue reading »
Continue readingthe reeves report: Layton swears allegiance to Marx, vows to crush capitalism: just kidding…
I think before any journalist sits down in front of their computer to write something, they must ask themselves the following question: will what I am about to write constructively improve the dialogue on that topic? Or dig deeper: will it speak rationally to those who disagree with me, and/or passionately to those who may … Continue reading »
Continue readingthe reeves report: NDP wakes up to hypocrisy of asbestos mining and export from Quebec
CBC is reporting through the Access to Information Act, that the Harper government rejected a 2006 recommendation from Health Canada to support a global ban on asbestos. Health Canada suggested that the government reverse their previous commitment to keep asbestos off the UN list of banned hazardous materials, and Harper refused. The 2006 Rotterdam Convention … Continue reading »
Continue readingthe reeves report: On Senate reform, Rae should choose his battles more carefully
For the record, I am still trying to figure out how I think Canada could best tackle the problem of a 19th Century Senate in the 21st Century. I am not convinced that outright abolishing it would be wise, nor am I certain that half-measures like fixed-terms and fixed-seats is the way to go. I … Continue reading »
Continue readingthe reeves report: US Dept. of Transportation orders TransCanada to halt activity on Keystone I
Effective immediately, the US Department of Transportation has ordered TransCanada to suspend all activity on the Keystone I pipeline. According to the New York Times, the order was issued by the Transportation department’s Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. “Effective immediately,” the PHMSA claims, “this order prevents TransCanada from restarting operations on their Keystone crude … Continue reading »
Continue readingthe reeves report: No one can deny DePape the courage of her convictions
That was one way to start a conversation! In a country with an electorate difficult to fire up (livid over raccoon abuse in Toronto, indifferent to Canada’s involvement in Libya, according to the National Post), Senate page Brigette DePape has certainly got people talking, and not only to condemn her actions, or at least the … Continue reading »
Continue readingthe reeves report: Re-imagining Canada in the World: Start by tackling Tall Poppy Syndrome
The Globe and Mail has been choc-a-bloc lately with guest columnists (academics, NATO ambassadors, think-tank CEO’s) talking about where the debate over Canada’s foreign policy has gone. It was conspicuously absent in the recent federal election campaign, as noted by Jeffrey Simpson back on April 6 when he wrote that “there is plenty to talk … Continue reading »
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