In case there was any doubt how much of a gap there is between the Moe government’s propensity for making promises about COVID-19 control and its capacity to delivery, how’s this for a timeline? August 10, 2020: Having just hired 90 additional staff to deal with a massive backlog in
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Accidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Jennifer Robson examines the lessons we should learn from EI’s failures which required a less-onerous and more-widely-available income support system to bail Canadian workers out through the coronavirus pandemic. – Michael Harris surveys some of the actions of governments – including that
Continue readingAlberta Politics: The COVID-19 emergency may not be over, but your hospital parking fee holiday is
It was a big deal back in April when the government of Alberta suspended hospital parking fees for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. Health Minister Tyler Shandro was Johnny on the Spot, telling media reporters that “health-care workers and the general public should not have to worry about paying
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: The Answer To Cancer – Important Video
Extremely important – and FREE VIEWING this afternoon. (Wed, Aug. 5, 2020) Video will be taken offline at 9pm ET, when Episode Two goes live. Episode One is two hours, eight minutes; plus there is a one hour additional video. So start watching before 6pm! The first episode starts with
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: Kidney March 2020
Hello out there in Blog Land! I realize I haven’t posted in a while, but for a change of pace I thought I’d let you know that I am participating in this year’s Kidney March, a 100 km walk to raise funds for The Kidney Foundation of Canada. The money
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: Kidney March 2020
Hello out there in Blog Land! I realize I haven’t posted in a while, but for a change of pace I thought I’d let you know that I am participating in this year’s Kidney March, a 100 km walk to raise funds for The Kidney Foundation of Canada. The money
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Crawford Kilian examines a few crucial questions as to what Canada needs to keep, throw away and modify based on the lessons learned from COVID-19. And the Globe and Mail’s editorial board agrees with Kilian that austerity belongs on the scrap heap. –
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Murray Mandryk writes about the history behind the possibility of a large-scale irrigation project. But Jason Warick reports that in trying to make a snap decision, Scott Moe completely failed to consult with First Nations who stand to yet again lose land to
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Christine Berry offers a reminder that protecting public health is absolutely necessary for us to see any economic recovery in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. And Mike Moffitt reports on the prospect that widespread mask use could prevent future waves of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Andrew Niikiforuk discusses why we shouldn’t count on a COVID-19 vaccine to emerge at all – nor to fully resolve the dangers of the coronavirus even if it is eventually developed. – David Suzuki argues that a mere return to normal isn’t
Continue readingwmtc: rest in power, larry kramer
We activists like to paraphrase the legendary labour activist Joe Hill by saying “First mourn, then organize”. Larry Kramer, who died yesterday at the age of 84, defined the phrase. He taught a generation — he taught an entire culture — how to use grief as fuel, how to channel anger
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On breaches of trust
Among other lessons to be learned from the coronavirus pandemic, we should be taking the opportunity to ask ourselves what we expect from our leaders – and whether they’re living up to the standards we need to set for the public good. That represents more than a matter of choosing
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Jason Warick reports on the concern of doctors that Scott Moe’s insistence on reducing protections against the spread of COVID-19 doesn’t take into account the health of older or less healthy residents. And Sheri Lecker notes that the social isolation imposed so
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Hard to believe keeping meatpacking and oilsands plants running hasn’t contributed to COVID-19 spread
If you listened carefully to yesterday’s COVID-19 briefing in Edmonton, it was difficult to avoid the conclusion the Kenney Government’s reluctance to regulate certain industries has contributed to the spread of the disease, and not just inside this province. Particularly interesting was Chief Medical Officer of Health Deena Hinshaw’s carefully
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Bruce Campbell writes that we have a needed opportunity to reimagine how our economy and society are organized, while Gregory Beatty rightly argues that we need to push for better than merely getting back to the previous normal. Alfredo Saad-Filho points out how
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Dan Gardner writes that the COVID-19 pandemic is exactly the type of rare but severe event which should be the subject of thorough public preparation. And Eric Neudorf explains why so many governments failed to appreciate and act on the severity of the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Miles Corak weighs in on how COVID-19 is revealing and exacerbating existing inequality rather than serving as any leveling force. – Jessica Yun reports on how the ability to work from home reflects existing privilege, while Sara Mojtehedzadeh notes that already-vulnerable migrant
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Afternoon Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Paul Wells highlights the futility in telling people to stay home when they lack a home to stay in. And Robyn Urback discusses the simple test of character involved in the choice of some leaders to abandon people at sea. – Megan Linton
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Layoffs one day, billion-dollar pipeline giveaways the next — it’s not easy keeping up with the Kenneys!
Keeping up with the Kenneys will make your head spin. Yesterday, the Kenney Government was justifying the layoffs of 26,000 public-sector education workers by claiming there are limits to Alberta’s capacity to borrow during an economic downturn caused by a global pandemic. Alberta Finance Minister Travis Toews (Photo: David J.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Noam Scheiber, Nelson Schwartz and Tiffany Hsu point out how the social isolation required in response to COVID-19 is only confirming and exacerbating the U.S.’ class divide. And Shawn Micallef highlights the vast difference between social isolation in a large home as opposed
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