Michael Harris Laments Democracy’s Yoke Under Harper
With the specter of the Parliamentary Budget Officer taking the Clerk of the Privy Council to court, a momentous question looms over our public affairs: will the Harper government answer…
2012
Ontario Budget passes despite heavy Tory opposition
As if having to contend with a minority government short of one seat from a majority wasn’t enough, we liberals also have to deal with the underhanded methods of the…
This Could Be Disastrous: Weekly Update from OpenMedia.ca
Hello! Here’s Lindsey with your update: read more
Dalton gets his way … at what price?
Call me nuts, but if there’s one thing I don’t like about minority governments (also called a “hung legislature” in some other democracies) is that they often rule as if…
Confusing headlines
It turns out that the Toronto Star headline Rotting whale causes political stink is actually the title of a story about a rotting whale on a Nova Scotian beach and…
The Sky Is Pink: New Josh Fox Video On Fracking Controversies in New York (and Much More)
Gasland director Josh Fox is back with a must-watch new short video taking a look at the controversy in New York where Governor Andrew Cuomo is considering plans to lift…
Dear Jack: Turn off your frackin’ phone #nlpoli #cdnpoli
Talk about making an arse of yourself in public. Here’s Jack Harris in the House of Commons: -srbp-
If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance
I am told this is an Inuit proverb; maybe it is, although it sounds more like something out of Peanuts. But it does reflect a truth… .
Supply management & #LPC leadership
I have two reactions to the issue of supply management becoming the first prominent issue to be featured as part of the still very early Liberal leadership race. First, uh,…
Egypt president announcement delayed
Some might wonder if the delay is as a result of the elections authorities not being happy with the result: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Story here: CAIRO—Egypt’s elections authorities say…
Dear Chad Kruger: Why we the people hate Nickelback
Dear Chad Kruger, I write to you today to explain the hate that is constantly thrown your way regarding your band, Nickelback. Now, it’s not actually because we think your…
More of Harper’s Canada
Private prison companies look to Canada as industry faces lawsuits in US, Bilbo Poynter, The Guardian, June 19, 2011 – US states are beginning to rely less on privately run…
Negligent misrepresentation and contributory negligence
The British Columbia Supreme Court in Neidermayer v. Gillies 2012 BCSC 143 reviews the relationship between negligent misrepresentation and contributory negligence at some length: The Court of Appeal in Chapeskie…
School choice and special needs
A new study in the US has shown how school choice can result in subtle forms of segregation and discrimination for students with special needs. The Wall Street Journal reports:…
Seniors’ Care: What a difference an Ombudsperson can make
In February the British Columbia government received a 216-page report on seniors care. In it are 176 recommendations covering home care, assisted living and residential care. It is the second…
More Than Ever America Needs to be Coherent in Its Electoral Response
Well America, taking a look at the recent stats concerning wage growth or the lack thereof and the stunning drop in the net worth of the vast majority of Americans,…
Fixed Election Date #FAIL
WTF does not even begin to convey my complete and utter shock and disgust… Today, in the House of Commons, during Question Period, the interim leader of the Liberal Party…
Greenpeace Clean Energy Billboard Rejected by Pattison
Greenpeace Rejected Billboard.png After a Plains Midstream Canada pipeline spilled between 160,000 and 480,000 liters of oil into Jackson Creek near the Red Deer River in Alberta this month, premier…
Spotted along Highway 3 in BC
Two yetis.
Time to turn our transportation pyramid right-side up
Wednesday, June 20, 2012 Copenhagen is the world’s poster-child for bicycle-friendly transportation. But that’s partly because they have aggressive goals for what transportation should look like. Check out Copenhagen’s Transportation…