Housing in the Northwest Territories
Last week, I was in Yellowknife, where I released results of new research on affordable housing in the Northwest Territories (NWT). The research project was sponsored by the Social Economy…
2011
Who Funds the Right-Wing Think Tanks in Canada
Earlier this week, David Climenhaga seized on the ludicrously suggestive “freedom of information” campaign being waged by conservative forces in this country (CBC and unions should have to open their…
polygamy ruling: why are the courts still trying to protect marriage?
The recent BC Supreme Court decision upholding Canadian laws criminalizing polygamy is disappointing and dangerous. The much-quoted summary paragraph of Chief Justice Robert Bauman’s decision contained a surprising clause: the…
Plan? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Plan!
AllTheShameThatFits Lotusland After all, if you are the newly-minted (not)Premier of a government that has given the province of British Columbia the worst child poverty rates in Canada for eight…
Taking the "mock" out of Canadian democracy
You can feel Globe and Mail journo Gary Mason’s relief as he turns from the amorphous #Occupy movement, which he frankly didn’t get, to more familiar ground: youth involvement in…
Damn Good Question
I’m wondering why Arianna Huffington aimed the Canadian version of her blog towards a right-wing perspective. Not just any conservative viewpoint but a decidedly Sun Media version. Now, Huffpo Canada…
On avoidable barriers
Plenty of others have already commented on Elections Canada’s National Youth Survey Report. But I’ll take a moment to highlight a couple of the findings that look particularly significant as…
Bracing For Disappointment As Durban Climate Talks Begin
The annual circus round of global climate talks starts on Monday in South Africa. I wish I was feeling more optimistic about the possibility of elected politicians to come to…
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Stephanie Larocque highlights the Cons’ gall in hanging onto federal reimbursements from their own ad scam even after having admitted their guilt: You…
The Power of Non-Violence
Never an advocate of violence, I have been recently thinking of the power of its opposite, non-violence or passive resistance, especially in light of the contemptible yet very casual pepper-spraying…
30 million dead would perhaps be a “shaking”
By Rick Hiebert. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission These days, there is a lot of talk in charismatic circles about whether there will be great shortages of food and…
A Liberal from Saskatchewan
I had a long chat with a Liberal from Saskatchewan. His major concern was the structure of the Liberal Party and making sure that the PTAs and Commissions should continue…
There Is A Long Way To Go, But. . .
Things are moving in the right direction. Despite the evictions of protesters from public spaces across Canada, Linda McQuaig writes that the Occupy Movement has managed to “change the public…
Economics for Dummies
‘Quantitative easing” explained, more or less in words of one syllable. Thank you! Next, with any luck, a little X-rated anime: Asian options, cliquet and pin risk, for those not…
Stephen Harper vs. Vancouver’s mayors
Four former Vancouver mayors recently called for the end of prohibition on pot. The current mayor also weighed in, agreeing with the other four. Their arguments are reasonable and prudent.…
How to Get the Most out of a Conference
EDUCAUSE has this habit of creating placeholders for its posts and then sending RSS feeds composed solely of those placeholders. Maybe the content will be filled later, maybe it’s just…
Why did Arianna Huffington allow her Canadian blog to be an extension of Sun Media/Blogging Tories?
I’ll be brief about this because I’ve written about it before. Huffington Post made a name for itself by bringing a centre-left edge to political blogs, presenting a fresher view…
Two guitar players missed
BCL (and others) have been discussing Rolling Stone’s recent list of the top guitarists, pointing out glaring omissions, including Django Rheinhardt. Here are another two who were somehow passed over.