Electricity policy built on lies
No one doubts that in coming decades, demand will grow, partly fueled by electric vehicles. But that growth will be more modest than claimed by BC Hydro’s agents. It could…
February 2021
Sliding Into Irrelevance: Pro-Censorship Stance Obliterates Careers – and Minds
The once-great Naomi Klein. I had great respect for her until she burned her very considerable credibility to the ground, by publicly and viciously attacking Glenn Greenwald recently – after…
Trudeau Liberals block NDP pharmacare plan in the middle of a pandemic
The entire Trudeau cabinet recently opposed an effort which would have kept a landmark promise to deliver pharmacare made by the prime minister in the past election. Image by Canadian…
My latest: Trudeau’s shame
Shame. At what point, in politics, do you feel that – in your heart, in your bones? On what morning do you get up, and go into the bathroom, and…
Climate Change – AMOC goes Amuck?
There’s a current known as the Atlantic Ocean circulation that is responsible for the Gulf Stream that, in turn, regulates the weather in Europe and North America. Scientists have worried…
Still Can’t Escape the B.S. (Brian Saunderson)
It’s late February as I write this and still our mayor, Brian Saunderson, refuses to do the ethical, the moral, and the RIGHT thing for the town and resign his…
A New Relationship
A tradition has developed over the last fifty years. The first foreign visit a new American president makes is to Canada. As was the case with so many traditions, Donald…
Evidence is in: Green Policies Improve Economic Performance
Short-term thinkers who put quarterly profits above all else consistently argue that caring for the environment destroys business. They are wrong. The evidence keeps growing that planet (and people) friendly…
Andrea Horwath has an easy job.
Other than being insulted occasionally by Ontario’s premier-in-training, the new democrat’s Andrea Horwath seems to enjoy her continuing role as leader of the opposition at Queen’s Park. The biggest complaint…
Was Travis Toews’s decision not to buy new boots in 2019 the start of the UCP’s run of bad fortune? Just askin’
While nervously awaiting Alberta Finance Minister Travis Toews’s budget tomorrow, let’s spare a thought for the uniquely Canadian tradition of finance ministers buying new shoes to wear on Budget Day.…
Can We Now Call Him Outhouse O’Toole?
Erin O'Toole has only been Con leader for six months, but already he's crawling through the gutter, and drowning in his own excrement. He lies all the time, just like…
The difference between a Democrat and a Republican
One of the brightest lights to appear recently on the stage of American politics is the absolutely delightful Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Bright, charming, compassionate and—I have to say it—gorgeous, the Democratic…
Is Jagmeet Singh Trying To Destroy The NDP?
I still remember how happy I was when Jagmeet Singh became the leader of the NDP. I thought it was great that a member of a visible minority had finally…
Global Food Security – This Time It’s America’s Corn Belt
It is not easy to keep up with change undermining global food security. Soils degradation is a prime culprit. Some countries, such as large areas of India, have literally worked…
The Leaders’ Dilemma
In most countries, governments and their leaders are facing a worsening dilemma that could, if unresolved, devastate national economies, perhaps for decades. We’re all familiar with the metaphor about the…
Canada Goose workers fight for fairness in Winnipeg
Workers protest to demand improved health and safety standards and the right to unionize outside one of Canada Goose’s Winnipeg factories. Photo courtesy of Canada Goose Union. On the face…
Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Melissa Healy reports on yet another dangerous variant of COVID-19 which is spreading in California. Nicky Phillips writes about the likelihood that the…
Ontario’s hidden institutions
Domiciliary hostels, which are less strictly regulated than long-term care facilities, are privately run and operate for profit—and they have been decimated by the pandemic. Photo courtesy the Vitanova Foundation.…
But What About Me?
Reading newspapers used to be a lot more enjoyable back before they had to pack existential and quasi-existential crises four or six to a page. If it’s not dysfunctional governance,…