More shocking American behaviour
I receive plenty of emails drawing attention to information and news stories from around the world. I've been busy, so few of the recent ones have prompted me to look…
Norman Farrell
Powering the future
Canada West Forum is presenting an online event available without cost on a Zoom livestream, Monday, March 9, 10:15 a.m. Moderated by filmmaker and environmental journalist Damien Gillis, the panel…
Just have a think about energy
The latest report from Ember, a global energy think tank, says the way we measure energy can distort our understanding of the transition now underway. The paper highlights why accurate…
Canada’s shameful response to Trump’s Wag the Dog effort
The contrast with our language on Ukraine is stark. For four years, Canadian officials have rightly called Russia’s invasion an “unprovoked,” “unjustifiable,” “illegal” violation of the UN Charter and of…
The first trillionaire!
Oxfam frames Musk’s potential trillion-dollar fortune not as a milestone to celebrate, but as evidence of a system that increasingly rewards extreme wealth over broad economic fairness.
Clean renewables – the cheapest way to create electricity
Too often, the default approach is to maximize immediate wealth from non-renewable resources and defer the long-term consequences. That choice effectively transfers environmental, economic, and social costs to future generations.…
Smile
Trump, the hockey guy.
BC Hydro must prioritize low-impact renewables
If B.C. is serious about building a resilient and forward-looking energy system, its public utility must invest more decisively in the innovations already being studied here at home. The University…
Making heat pump installations more efficient
Dave Borlace of Just Have a Think explains heat pumps. He discusses how one British Company is helping heat engineers deliver the most efficient ways of heating a home with…
Join the CWF free housing forum – Monday 9:00 a.m.
Europeans have been more successful at dealing with housing issues than Canadians. We can learn from them. Please join the Canada West Forum, HOUSING, THE AFFORDABILITY CHALLENGE. It will be…
Iron Law of Oligarchy
An IN-SIGHTS reader reminded me of the work of Robert Michels, a sociologist best known for creating the Iron Law of Oligarchy: All complex organizations—regardless of how democratic they start—inevitably…
More American crime
Over the past decade, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (Ice) has amassed millions of data points that it uses to identify and track its targets – from social…
“The most powerful crime syndicate in history”
James Speyer, writing in The New York Daily News, says: It is time to acknowledge what has become tragically obvious: the Trump administration is essentially acting as a massive criminal…
Norway’s national wealth fund now C$3 trillion
In British Columbia, both the governing NDP and the Conservative opposition maintain that natural resources primarily belong to the companies extracting them today. Taxes are kept low, subsidies are plentiful,…
Urban challenges
I've been reading two books: Broken City by Patrick Condon, and Happy City by Charles Montgomery. Both are compelling and deeply researched, and each offers practical, evidence-based ways to improve…
Lessons from Finland.
At the Canada West Forum website, you’ll find a video contrasting two very different responses to homelessness. It shows formerly unhoused people in Finland now living securely and comfortably in…
BC’s uncomfortable political reality — REDUX
The material below the separator line was first posted at IN-SIGHTS in April, 2013. Today, an acquaintance reminded me about Sean Holman’s important work across many years. In the early…
Darlene Marzari on local governments
UBC Professor Patrick Condon used Facebook to circulate an opinion from former NDP Minister of Municipal Affairs, Darlene Marzari. It had been published in BC Orders of the Day, a…
Housing and homelessness online forum – February 23
Affordable housing is a major problem, with many Canadians struggling with high costs and the inadequate supply of suitable homes. These struggles can impact health, happiness, and financial stability, and…