PHOTOS: The Canadian newspaper industry celebrates the coming of tax subsidies from the federal government. Actual Canadian newspaper publishers may not appear exactly as illustrated – in this case, by Jean-Francois le Troy in 1735 – but readers will get the general idea. Below: Federal Heritage Minister Melanie Joy (Photo:
Continue readingTag: Ontario politics
Mind Bending Politics: Political Coup and The Dangers of Knee Jerk Reactions to Unproven Allegations
Former Ontario PC Leader Patrick Brown Faces Unproven Allegations of Misconduct Like many when I first heard the news about the allegations made against Patrick Brown, I jumped on the bandwagon. My first thought was how disgusting a man he is, but when I actually saw the reports and those
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Tim Hortons brew-haha shows how the fast-food industry doesn’t get PR, Economics 101, or what Canadians think
PHOTOS: Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne in a very old picture that has the dual advantages of showing her wearing a smile appropriate to the occasion being discussed and of having been taken by your blogger. Below: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives analyst Michal Rozworski (Photo: Twitter), the late but actual
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: Ontario NDP Digs Huge Hole With Millennial Vote Over College Strike
(Andrea Horwath Looks Tone Deaf on Biggest Voting Demographic) The decision by Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne to order striking college workers back to work was a decision that was based purely on politics geared towards getting the millennial vote ahead of provincial election. Wynne has seemingly backed the Ontario NDP
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: Ombudsman to Ontario Parents and Students – We Don’t Believe You!
(Ontario Ombudsman Taking A Hands Off Approach To Systemic Issues With Ontario’s School Boards) Just as the Ministry of Education’s probe of more mishandling of public funds at the York Region District School Board becomes clearer, the Ontario Ombudsman has sent a strong message to tax payers that it will
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: CUPE Blasts Help For Autistic Kids And Puts Its Members First
(CUPE Says Money Should Go To Its Members Rather Than Autistic Kids) CUPE who is the union representing educational assistants (EA) in the province of Ontario released a press release this week in which it has lambasted the provincial government for piloting a project which will allow autistic kids to
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: New Poll Suggests Ontario Is Heading For A Change Of Government
A new poll conducted by Ipsos found that 76% of Ontarians want a new party in the Ontario Legislature in 2018. The Ontario Liberals have long ignored calls from people across the province and from members of their own party that current leader and premier Kathleen Wynne needs to be
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: Ontario Minimum Wage Increase A Good Idea
(Businesses Across Ontario Are Being Too Penny Wise With The Proposed Wage Increase) Scary clowns are a big hit these days at the box office, and while the people of Ontario get acquainted with a clown called Pennywise from the latest version of Stephen Kings IT, the Financial Accountability Office
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: NDP Could End Up Winning Ontario In 2018
(Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath Could Be the Strongest Leader In Contention For 2018) With the next provincial election coming into view in Ontario, have the Liberals made a fatal mistake on keeping Kathleen Wynne at the helm? Recent polls put Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown up front, however
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Happy Canada Day! Nice to welcome a new NDP government, though some caveats may apply here in Alberta
PHOTOS: British Columbia’s NDP Premier-Designate John Horgan with your blogger, not so very long ago. Below: Alberta NDP Premier Rachel Notley, a Vancouver take on a Canada Day flag, and B.C. premier W.A.C. Bennett in his heyday. Happy Canada Day, people, and after more than 50 days of waiting to
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: Parents Set To Protest New Autism Announcement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ———– June 14th, 2017 TORONTO – The parents of several autistic kids will be rallying at Minister Children and Youth Services Michael Coteau’s constituency office on Friday, June 16th, 2017 at 1:00pm. Parents are concerned that transitional services over the past year to the new Ontario Autism
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: Human Rights Appears To Be An Issue In New Ontario Autism Program
Minister of Children and Youth Services Micheal Coteau has been a champion of human rights especially in the black community and around racism, but when it comes to autistic kids it may be a different story. Coteau made an announcement yesterday that was very short on detail regarding the
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: New Autism Announcement: Self Congratulatory And Very Short on Details
(Micheal Coteau Announces “Milestones” For New Autism Program With No Details and No Questions From Media) Today the Minister of Children and Youth Services Micheal Coteau made an “announcement” on what the new Ontario Autism Program (OAP) will look like. The announcement was made at one of the regional service
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: Minister Coteau Finally Sighted By Parents On The Autism File
Micheal Coteau the Ontario Minister of Children and Youth Services as been somewhat like a Sasquatch to many in the autism community. There have been reported sightings, but often those reports come with fuzzy details, and then he seems to vanish into the wilderness of Queen’s Park. Almost a year
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Re-stating the obvious: elections matter, and the Alberta NDP victory on May 5, 2015, proves it
PHOTOS: Rachel Notley celebrates her victory on the night of May 5, 2015. Below: Ms. Notley again, the same night, still celebrating; defeated Progressive Conservative Premier Jim Prentice as seen via TV at NDP headquarters conceding to the NDP; a small corner of the crowd at NDP election headquarters in
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: On Keeping Ms. Wynne As OLP Leader
This is from an email from Ontario Proud, who may be a PCPO front group: And it’s true. I cannot see a party led by some coup leader doing better than the current leader. As for recent polls, McGuinty was down 15% back in 2011, which is similar to today’s
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: Autism Parents Say They’ve Been Duped In Open Letter To Coteau
(Autism Parents Say MCYS is still cutting therapy from kids 5 and up) In an open letter to the Ontario Minister of Children and Youth Services, several parents of autistic kids say they’ve been duped by the province into thinking that funding was restored for intensive therapy for kids over
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Laughing At Absurdity
I believe that the older we get, the more important it is not only to recognize and acknowledge the tragedies of life, be they social, economic, political or environmental, but also the many absurdities that abound within those realms. Call it dark humour, whistling past the graveyard, or just being
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Laughing At Absurdity
I believe that the older we get, the more important it is not only to recognize and acknowledge the tragedies of life, be they social, economic, political or environmental, but also the many absurdities that abound within those realms. Call it dark humour, whistling past the graveyard, or just being
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Something for the NDP to think about: How about bringing Alberta’s labour laws into the 20th Century? (Never mind the 21st)
PHOTOS: Alberta Labour Minister Christina Gray. Below: Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, Athabasca University Labour Studies Professor Bob Barnetson and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. The CBC says the province’s businesses are “spooked.” The Chamber of Commerce is deeply worried by the prospect of “sweeping reforms.” Naturally,
Continue reading