Last week, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released my policy brief on Saskatchewan job-creation. Using Statistics Canada figures, it demonstrated that “workforce growth has been almost identical during the premierships of Brad Wall and Lorne Calvert.” Unsurprisingly, the main explanatory variable for Saskatchewan employment appears to be commodity prices
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Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Lafleche Centennial, 100 Years of Awesome
June 29, 2013 I’ve been at the Lafleche 100 celebration on Canada Day long weekend. There were few people my age who I knew, and many of the oldest generation who I grew up with has passed away in the past decades. Cliff Day, who I remember from even the
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Aurora in Wood Mountain
One of the advantages to small-town Saskatchewan, is that it’s easier to escape light pollution than it is in a city like Regina. I was fortunate to be out of the city on June 29th in the very early morning, so have many fantastic aurora (Northern Lights) photos and animations
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: The Great Wall Ties Chairman Calvert’s Five-Year Plan
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has released my policy brief (PDF) on Saskatchewan employment growth. It is covered on the front pages of today’s Regina Leader-Post and Saskatoon StarPhoenix business sections. The press release follows: Premier Wall’s Employment Record Lags Calvert and Blakeney Regina – A new policy brief
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Photographing Old Saskatchewan
Churches in Saskatchewan are closing down, and being abandoned at an increasing rate it seems. Active churches in my hometown have dwindled from four during my childhood, to maybe one or two now. There’s an effort underway to document these buildings and the relics inside, before they are all vandalized
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Dark Sky Preserve at Wood Mountain
I found a new way to appreciate my home town through the eyes of astronomers this weekend. Also, I used the astronomers’ telescopes, which is a great way to look from their perspective on the universe. Wood Mountain is the gateway to the East Block of the Grasslands National Park
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: All Eggheads In One Laundry Basket #skpoli
The Sask Party is putting all of the province’s health related laundry into one laundry basket, in Regina. If you don’t know Saskatchewan geography, this borders on insanity. We’re going to be trucking bed sheets 1000km round trip in some cases. Besides costing jobs for the existing employees, a single
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Coal Hard Truth #skpoli
“We depend too much on coal” — @MayorMandel #p2syyc; glad someone said that too— Chris Turner (@theturner) May 29, 2013 .@MMandryk IEA says we have ~3 years left (worldwide) to stop building coal power to avoid 450ppm. SaskParty renewables investment is poor.— Saskboy K. (@saskboy) May 29, 2013 The Leader-Post
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Lafleche Loses Another Building: Flying Goose Inn
Another accidental fire in Lafleche last night, this one attributed initially to careless smoking (is there any other kind?). The Flying Goose Inn, the only bar and hotel in town, burned to the ground. Months ago, M.O.M, the bus station, also burned. The hotel, a few weeks ago, in April.
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Regina Hosed by P3 Waste Water
Regina City Council has voted to proceed with a 30-year public-private partnership (P3) in which a private company would design, build, finance, operate and maintain the city’s new waste water treatment facility. The municipal administration’s rationale has been that, although a P3 will be more expensive than traditional public financing,
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Cycling In Regina Isn’t Always Easy
What’s it like for a Regina cyclist to go see a movie? Besides homicidal/comical drivers (from Alberta), there are flooded Multi Use Pathways, and underpasses that are creeks. Persist past those hazards, and there are gravelly “Shared” bike lanes with parked cars ready to give you the “door-prize”. Can you
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Don’t Privatize ISC
My op-ed in today’s Saskatoon StarPhoenix (page A11): Privatizing ISC is a poor deal for Saskatchewan The provincial government estimates that selling 60 per cent of the Information Services Corporation will raise up to $120 million for infrastructure investment. Is that a good deal for the people of Saskatchewan? Last
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Saskatchewan: A beachhead of labour law reform?
By: Andrew Stevens | First published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives on May 3, 2013: Sweeping changes to Saskatchewan’s labour relations and employment standards legislation are on the verge of being passed. Bill 85, the Saskatchewan Employment Act, will dramatically transform the laws governing trade unions and industrial relations in the province. The
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Saskatchewan: A beachhead of labour law reform?
By: Andrew Stevens | First published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives on May 3, 2013: Sweeping changes to Saskatchewan’s labour relations and employment standards legislation are on the verge of being passed. Bill 85, the Saskatchewan Employment Act, will dramatically transform the laws governing trade unions and industrial relations in the province. The
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Abandoned Community Pastures At Risk #cdnpoli #skpoli
The last remnants of a unique ecosystem on Earth are entering what is potentially their last years of natural existence. This will lead to the extinctions of some plants and animals that exist only on the Canadian prairies. Extinctions destabilize an ecosystem, and it’s an ecosystem where humans cannot be
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Deer-Tour Around Saskatchewan
Saturday’s road trip through the mist and fog yielded me the best wildlife photos I’ve ever had the privilege of shooting. Some photos from the earlier part of the trip I posted on Sunday morning. -Glentworth, SK Less than a few kms north of Glentworth, just turning toward the highway
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Mini Solar Tour in the Fog of Wood Mountain and Glentworth
I went on a road trip Saturday with my friend Adam K., down to my parents’ place, and his grandparents’ farm. On the way around southern Saskatchewan, we saw close to 150 deer and antelope, a snowy owl, a dozen hawks, a handful of Canada Geese, smaller birds, two dead
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Oil Spills Create Jobs
I’m severely disappointed in the lack of vision that conservatives have regarding our economy. Faced with information that burning a lot of fossil fuel is not able to be sustained without Catastrophic, Repulsive, Atmospheric Pollution (CRAP), their response tends toward ignoring evidence of damage to their environment in favour of
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Forward Together #UofR: Buffy St. Marie – Live Blog
Buffy St. Marie tackled the subject of Aboriginal peoples’ self image. What has been the basis for it? In many cases in popular culture, it’s from philosophers in Europe who never met the First Peoples in their life! #Buffy event at #FNUniv is almost full 10 min to start. http://t.co/TNO8jZ4K0a—
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Doing What’s Right Doesn’t Always Look Cool
“Finish your food; there are children starving in… Regina.” When I first started recovering items from dumpsters, I was of course keenly aware of the social stigma implications. I consoled myself against the probable eventual ridicule by having a personal code, of things I would not salvage. I certainly wouldn’t
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