What is fair and reasonable?
Sadly, BC politics took a turn south this week, with Education Minister George Abbott fueling a backlash against teachers during bargaining. It is frustrating to see so many misconceptions in…
January 2012
No means NO, no matter what
Marital rape: It’s not just “rough sex” or “role-playing”. A young academic has been sentenced to four months in jail for sexually assaulting his wife during rough sex despite his…
Rink of dreams?
Really? From the Mayor on Twitter: @JimWatsonOttawa: Rink of Dreams looks amazing with sens and #ottcity logo – grand opening at 530 pm Wednesday night! Come by for a skate…
Should BC Have a Referendum on Enbridge?
If there’s one thing above all politicians hate it’s democracy. For God’s sake, we can’t have the rabble have a say in decisions! Let them do this once and we’ll…
Is Tony Clement Planning to Resign?
Oh no. It seems that Tony Clement’s view of reality may once again be somewhat limited. A senior federal bureaucrat has contradicted Tony Clement’s insistence that he was not involved…
Arguing Against Sustainability
On the weekend I had an argument with @unambig (Adrian), a former blogger turned journalist in BC, and @BSnowsell (Brandon) a Saskatoonian Conservative. They’ve said they are against government involvement…
Huffington Post: Interview with CRTC Chair shows shift in priorities from Big Telecom’s to Canadians’ interests
From Huffington Post: The time has come, von Finckenstein says, to face facts: the old separation of telecom and broadcasting is obsolete. He advocates a single act to cover both…
Jan.23: Do they do it on purpose – or are they really that incompetent?
exhibit 1. headline p. A3 “Highfield Square Tenant ready to move on” Duh – well, yeah. The place is closing. We all know that. So it was kind of expected…
NDP to Accredit Bloggers at Convention?
It could be me, but I could find no information on whether bloggers (or the media for the matter) will be accredited at the NDP leadership convention in March. Since…
Jason Kenney shores up Islamophobia
Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney spoke with Canadian Muslims to demonstrate the supposed widespread support for his recent decision to ban burkas at citizenship ceremonies. Speaking at a Muslim…
Muskrat Falls and debt: some quick points #nlpoli #cdnpoli
There are some big misconceptions out there as a result of the way people in government talk about debt. That has implications for any discussion of Muskrat Falls. Here are…
Newt Harper…
Trashy, Ottawa, Ontario
The One-For-One Rule an Over-Simplified Approach to Regulations
President of the Treasury Board Minister Tony Clement Minister Tony Clement’s released their new One-For-One rule on Jan 18th. Put simply the press release is announcing that the federal government…
The Downside of Hydroelectricity: Methane from All Those Rotting Trees
Le Devoir has an interesting story this morning about the way that the methane escaping from those big dams behind hydroelectric plants in Quebec have not been figured into the…
97 out of 100 climate experts think humans are causing global warming
From John Cook’s Skeptical Science blog comes this intriguing bit of factoid goodness. The 97% figure comes from two independent studies, each employing different methodologies. One study surveyed all climate…
Meatless Monday Musings
It’s Meatless Monday, and here in Northwestern Ontario we’ve just come through a January cold snap (which some people complained about, but which was reassuring for a climate activist!). It’s…
EI financing agency spends millions doing nothing – Politics – CBC News
So much for being fiscally responsible! Maybe the reason the number of Service Canada’s E.I. offices is being slashed by over 80% is to pay for this boondoggle. EI financing…
‘I believe in an America where millions of Americans believe in an America that’s the America millions of Americans believe in. That’s the America I love.’
Why Mitt Romney is losing. Mark Steyn ridin’ on Mitt’s jock.
Municipal bylaws to be judged on reasonableness standard
Catalyst Paper Corp. v. North Cowichan (District), 2012 SCC 2 deals with the validity of municipal bylaws. Municipalities do not have any inherent power; they are purely creatures of statute.…
Board Game Jam 2012
Board Game Jam is happening in Toronto February 25-26! If you’ve ever wanted to make a game then this is a place to start! Here’s a special challenge to Things…