Who is it going to be: Nenshi or Smith?
This Monday Calgary voters will elect their mayor. The winner will be expected to lead Calgary out of one of the worst economic downturns it has experienced in decades. So,…
October 2017
Reconciliation Is Not a Gift. It’s a New Beginning
This piece originally appeared on the Toronto Star. “What does reconciliation mean to you?” I asked that question of Miles Richardson, a Haida leader, former chief commissioner of the B.C.…
On relentless positivity
Following up on my candidate profiles for the Saskatchewan NDP’s leadership campaign, I’ll point out one obvious change in dynamics since 2013 – starting with this observation from the previous…
On Human Resilience
In a world growing increasingly grim, it is easy to succumb to cynicism and defeatism. That is why stories like the following need to be told, to remind us that…
Leadership 2017 Links
One final roundup post from the NDP’s federal leadership campaign – with a focus on Jagmeet Singh’s first steps as the party’s new leader. – The Ribbon offers a roundtable…
Eminently Sensible
There has been a lot of fury about Bill Morneau’s tax changes. His failure to disclose the full story behind his French villa hasn’t helped his cause. But the main…
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Ian Welsh neatly summarizes the rules needed to ensure that capitalism doesn’t drown out social good: Capitalism, as it works, destroys itself…
Donald Trump and the Night of the Nazis
At a time when Donald Trump is threatening to lead his nation to war, and making ugly noises about the freedom of the press. At a time when neo-Nazis are…
Cole considers claiming the mayor’s chair.
The Toronto Star’s columnist on city issues, Edward Keenan, thinks black activist Desmond Cole would bring some excitement to the race for mayor next year. He thinks that the race…
Islamophobe Infighting: Part "I’ve Lost Track"
Alternative title: "Please, Won't Someone Think of the Children!?" When this writer learns of far-right nationalists and fascists who are at each others throats (such as this recent article detailing…
Cathy Heron is the candidate for mayor of St. Albert with a compelling and positive vision for the future
PHOTOS: St. Albert mayoral candidate Cathy Heron at her official campaign launch. Below: Candidates Cam MacKay and Malcolm Parker, and outgoing Mayor Nolan Crouse; St. Albert Place architect Douglas Cardinal,…
He Said WHAT?
We still have difficulty grasping the undercurrent that lurks in the shadows of the independence movement in Catalan, headquartered in Barcelona, and the Spanish government rooted in Madrid. For some…
Edmonton Election races I will be watching on Election Night
With less than 36-hours left until the polls open on Alberta’s municipal Election Day, candidates and their campaign teams will be pressing hard to make sure their efforts over the…
Jesse Wielenga Finished With WCAI?
In a recent (and as it turns out final) Facebook update before seemingly deleting his most recent account, Jesse Wielenga wrote that he was "finished" and that he would be…
New NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh battles racism in Canadian politics with love
Jagmeet Singh, a martial artist, Sikh lawyer, and newly-elected leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP), uses love to challenge racism, Islamophobia and white supremacy in Canadian politics and society.…
Scholars Gather to Lament the Decline of American Democracy. Relax Guys, That Horse Left the Barn Years Ago.
Last week 20 of America’s top political scientists gathered at Yale to take the pulse of American democracy. Their conclusion? American democracy is declining socially, culturally and politically. Going, going,…
Leadership 2018 Candidate Profile: Trent Wotherspoon
As with Ryan Meili, I’ll start my look at Trent Wotherspoon’s new run for the Saskatchewan NDP leadership by pointing back to his previous candidate profile and campaign review. And…
Leadership 2018 Candidate Profile: Ryan Meili
As I’ve noted before, Saskatchewan’s NDP leadership campaign will involve some very familiar candidates. And so my starting point in analyzing the race will be to review the previous leadership…
What I Would Have Done Differently
I received the following inquiry recently: I find it fascinating that you have maintained a career in public service while pursuing your intellectual endeavors on the side. With the Internet…
The ignorati rise
Chapman University recently published the results of a depressing, but hardly surprising, survey that shows American believe in codswallop continue to rise. Not political codswallop – this is the supernatural,…