New Jersey Senate Passes Fracking Ban
Lawmakers in the New Jersey Senate voted 33-1 today to ban hydraulic fracturing (fracking), in a move to protect the Delaware River from potential contamination from the risky unconventional gas…
June 2011
$15 million for AECL
"Ottawa sells AECL to SNC-Lavalin." The federal government is selling Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.’s Candu division for $15-million and future royalties, after pouring billions of dollars into the troubled…
Join Us For the Unveiling of a Headstone In Memory of Nick Schaack
Join Us For the Unveiling of a Headstone In Memory of Nick SchaackWhat: Unveiling of a commemorative headstone for Nick Schaack, who died as a result of his participation in…
On selloffs
Sure, it takes some effort to pull a sweetheart deal out of the wreckage of AECL. But we probably shouldn't be surprised that the Cons seem to have pulled off…
Stephane Dion & Michael Ignatieff: A Study In Contrasts
The headlines speak volumes: "The Resurrection Of Stephane Dion"; "Stephane Dion Steps Out Of The Shadows". In either case, the meaning is the same: Mr. Dion has returned form a…
The Filibuster Comes To Canada
Last week's postal filibuster is the first real case study of the new political reality. If it's a preview of the next four years, I'd say Stephen Harper's 2015 re-elected…
Toronto theatre fest gets funding pulled – A conversation with Artistic Producer Michael Rubenfeld
Toronto’s indie theatre festival SummerWorks has recently reported that core funding from Heritage Canada has been pulled at the last minute. Given the ire the festival drew from the government…
Tahrir Square, June 28 Post-Script
Yesterday’s clashes in Tahrir square were covered here at WHR as breaking news. A more complete picture of the context and extent of the situation has emerged. As mentioned in…
Ottawa funds clinical trials of controversial MS treatment
The treatment is effective or is not effective. Clinical trials will answer the question. With so many Canadians suffering MS the Federal Government did the right thing -- even a…
Pelican Bay Prisoners Go On Hunger Strike to Protest Grave Conditions: Lawyers, Advocates, Organizations Hold Press Conference, Voice Prisoner Demands
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—June 29, 2011Press Contact: Isaac OntiverosCommunications Director, Critical ResistanceOffice: 510 444 0484Cell: 510 517 6612What: Press ConferenceWhen: Thursday, June 30, 2011, 11:00amWhere: Elihu M.&nb...
Fund-Raising Review By Province – NDP
Following up on my previous post, let's take a look at the NDP's partial fund-raising numbers from 2007 to 2010. (I've kept the 2010 data in the chart as an…
Poverty on the rise in Harper’s Canada
New data released by StatsCan shows the national rate for low income earners rose in 2009, for the second straight year, up from 9.2 to 9.6 %. To put that…
This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Teen charged with First Degree Murder in death of York Region Police Officer
Presumably this is because the death of the officer took place while the officer was acting in the course of duty, while the youth was committing an indictable crime and…
Sure, It’s A Great Time To Cut Government Spending
Just before the housing boom goes bust. Start hording food supplies, this is going to get ugly.
The Underground Economy and Business Tax Evasion
Statscan have produced interesting and important new estimates of the upper bound size of the “underground” or “non observed” economy, putting it at a seemingly modest 2.2% of GDP in…
Sixth Estate Returns as Conservatives Reward Ridings
I apologize for dropping off the face of the planet over the past week. I’ve been swamped with work on a research contract and, even for crazy left-wing loonies like…
Voters Strongly Oppose Michele Bachmann’s Proposal to Abolish the EPA
Building on an idea that seems to have originated with Newt Gingrich, Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann has spent the past few weeks calling for the Environmental Protection Agency to be…
On trashing the long form census—Stats Can on my tail
Shortly before the Canada Post lockout, Statistics Canada mailed me a copy of the 2011 National Household Survey, formerly known as the long form census, to dutifully fill out. I…
Canada’s Venture Into America’s Corporate Militarism Cabal, the F-35
In an alternate universe, let's call it Planet Sane, eyes would roll, heads would shake and tongues would wag over how a bloated project, like Lockheed's F-35 joint strike fighter…