This and that for your Tuesday reading. – The Canadian Press reports on new Leger polling showing that over two-thirds of Canadians want to see COVID-19 protections remain in place – even as Scott Moe and Jason Kenney barge ahead in slashing public health measures. Mark Lautens warns against treating
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Accidental Deliberations: Monday Afternoon Links
Assorted content to start your week. – Josh Taylor reports on contact tracing which has revealed that “fleeting contact” can be enough to result in the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant. And Chris MacIntyre reports on some of the Yukon’s largest outbreaks yet even in the face of widespread
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – As Jason Kenney and Scott Moe rush to slash public health protections including mask mandates, Gavin Leech et al. study how important masking has been in slowing the spread of COVID-19. Sarah Bridge, Ioanna Roumeliotis and Joseph Loiero highlight how rules which
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading. – Jenna Gettings et al. study the massive effect masking and improved ventilation have in reducing the spread of the coronavirus in elementary schools. But Sheila Wang reports on the outdated assumptions still being used to inform public health advice about COVID-19. And Michael
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Kenney vs Freeland: National Child Care
“…this is going to be the most powerful step change in the Canadian economy since we did the NAFTA deal. It will really drive our economic productivity, our growth.” – Chrystia Freeland describing the Feds $10/day child care plan.* You’d think Jason Kenney, the premier who says the economy is
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: A Man of Half-Measures
“The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays is coming to its close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences.”—Winston Churchill. Lives and… When he’s not on the front line fighting covid, Dr Joe Vipond is busy analyzing the data and
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Ontario’s COVID-19 Disaster in Five Words
The Ontario government would like to blame the behaviour of Ontario’s citizens for this disaster implying somehow we are so much worse than the citizens of other countries, and even other provinces, that are at the end of this crisis as we enter the worst of it. The fact is
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Afternoon Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Alex Hemingway writes about the massive concentration of wealth among the richest few Canadians while most people have struggled through the pandemic. And Derrick O’Keefe follows up by pointing out how that accumulation highlights the need for a wealth tax, while Linda McQuaig
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Robyn Urback criticizes the Ford PCs’ habit (matched by other conservative governments) of responding to COVID-19 with continued cycles of procrastination followed by panic. And Rachel McLay highlights how political will has been the key factor in Atlantic Canada’s success in suppressing
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Does Mr Kenney Lie Awake at Night?
“With respect to MLAs who have stated their position, in this province we believe in freedom of speech. We believe in democracy.” – Jason Kenney after 16 UCP MLAs challenged his public health measures. Does Premier Kenney lie awake at night wondering how he got here? He should, because
Continue readingThings Are Good: A Net-Zero Economy will Save $30 Trillion a Year
Economist argue that efficiency produces profits, which is why we see mass layoffs and (bizarrely) large payouts for executives. 20th century economists ignored a lot of opportunities for more efficient operations because the costs weren’t put on corporations themselves. The costs of running the business were covered by the governments.
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Easter in Alberta
Whether you observe Easter, Passover, or the rising of the first full moon after the spring equinox, this is the time of year when we emerge from the gloom of winter with renewed hope for the spring. Sadly, some of us are crawling out of a pit that is darker
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Decentralization Or Collapse
To halt the decline of our civilization and stop our race toward ecological, economic and social collapse, we must sow and create a paradigm shift, a shift in the dominant world view, a shift in consciousness. That requires consciousness raising, media activism, and education. But we also need a fundamental
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – John Smith discusses the importance of recognizing and repairing the weaknesses in our social fabric which have been laid bare by the coronavirus pandemic. And George Monbiot discusses how the force of consumerism has warped the way we live. – Rachel Aiello reports
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The Bigfoot Blog
“Here’s a Hollywood production that depicts an oil company … as wanting to murder children to oppose environmental progress…The NDP, that’s who they’re defending…They’ve always been against our largest industry.” – Jason Kenney doubling down on the War Room’s anti-Bigfoot campaign Sigh. Here we are, bracing for the third wave
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – David Macdonald and Martha Friendly examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has put even more strain on a Canadian child care system which was already under severe stress. And the Broadbent Institute offers a look at how a COVID recovery plan can help remediate
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Afternoon Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Noah Ivers writes that people need to take the first COVID-19 vaccine available in support of everybody’s health, rather than assuming that consumerist philosophy applies to vaccinations. Arthur White-Crummey reports on new modelling showing how Saskatchewan is at grave risk of seeing our
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Mr Toews Advises the Feds on Economic Recovery
The UCP government is nothing if not brazen. Having failed to explain how the UCP government was going to set Alberta on the path to economic recovery Mr Toews, Alberta’s finance minister and treasury board president, decided to lecture the federal government what it must do to get the country
Continue readingThings Are Good: Solar Panels are Undervalued by Traditional Markets
Solar panels are getting more efficient and the cost to produce them are decreasing by the day, already solar is cheaper than coal. Yet, due to previous policies and outdated economic models the real value of solar is underappreciated. While people wake up to the reality around the economics of
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