On double insecurity
Shorter Bill Morneau on what his government expects of workers generally: Nobody has a right to expect secure, long-term employment. Shorter Bill Morneau on benefits for workers affected by COVID-19,…
2020
New collection proposes bold ideas on systemic urban change
Social Ecology and the Right to the City: Towards Ecological and Democratic Cities Edited by Federico Venturini, Emet Değirmenci and Inés Morales Bernardos Black Rose Books, 2019 This collection, published…
New collection proposes bold ideas on rethinking systemic urban change
Social Ecology and the Right to the City: Towards Ecological and Democratic Cities Edited by Federico Venturini, Emet Değirmenci and Inés Morales Bernardos Black Rose Books, 2019 This collection, published…
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Sylvia Fuller and Yue Qian weigh in on how working mothers are bearing the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic (and a policy…
On Laws and Common Sense
I’m thankful that my city council decided to make masks mandatory starting July 13th, even though I know a few, like the Regional Chair herself, were hoping that people could…
Let the Whining Begin
The US Supreme Court has sent Trump into a rage. The court ruled, 7-2, that prosecutors in New York can access Trump’s financial and tax records. As for Congress getting…
‘Consultocracy’ and the Not-So-New Public Management Paradigm
The Deloitte office in Toronto, 181 Bay Street. Photo from Wikimedia Commons. New Public Management (NPM) is a term first coined by Oxford University Professor Christopher Hood in a 1991…
The Race as an Independent
In my time volunteering then working in politics, I was very fortunate to get to see and experience many campaigns. Federal, provincial, municipal and leadership, each campaign had its own…
Utterly, Despicably Shameful
I’m not entirely sure why these things bother me so much, but I suspect it has a lot to do with my hope and expectation that Canadians are better than…
Sorry Bjorn and Davey, you’ve been replaced
Today I learnt about #punk music. This song is called ‘Anarchy in the UK’ by the Sex Pistols. Anything goes with PUNK! We made this British Flag shirt because I…
How It’s Spent
Yesterday, the federal government released its “fiscal snapshot.” Ryan Campell writes: It outlines the price tag up to now and describes how costs will evolve over the fiscal year. Headlines…
Black thoughts on a hot day.
This pandemic is not over until I get to shoot craps at a local casino. Our backlog of celebrations of lives lost to us is daunting. And I have no…
Thatcher brouhaha: When your slippery opponent’s on the ropes, maybe you should focus on keeping him there!
When you’ve got a slippery political opponent on the ropes with a completely legitimate issue, what’s it profit a New Democrat to stand up in the Legislature and create a…
Flowers
There’s even a yellow lily too. The white peonies are almost all done. This was in Moose Jaw last week Squash Potatoes last week
Petition filed to oust Duncan mayor over alleged conflicts of interest
Originally published in the Cowichan Citizen Mark Anderson has filed a petition with the court to remove Duncan Mayor Michelle Staples for conflicts of interest. (Lexi Bainas/Citizen) Petition filed…
July 8: A very bad several days.
This has been a trying time. I have a new computer. Thus my missing of blogs as I try to figure out how to go through the process all over…
COVID-19 and Mass Unemployment—the NDP and Beyond
In June, tenants from Toronto neighbourhoods including Parkdale, Scarborough, Jane and Finch, and East York marched together to demand a permanent ban on Ontario evictions for anyone unable to pay…
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Ari Rabin-Havt argues that any available means of treating COVID-19 need to be viewed as public goods to be made available to all,…
Cancel culture?
Cancel it.
The Principal Contradiction, by Torkil Lauesen
available from leftwingbooks.net In The Principal Contradiction, Torkil Lauesen introduces readers to the philosophy of dialectical materialism as a tool for changing the world. Dialectical materialism allows us to understand…