BC’s Regressive Tax Shift
With much of the talk on taxes in BC about the HST, we issued a new report today that looks at the bigger context for BC’s tax system (Vancouver Sun…
The federal government is out to kill you
If you want an example of the sorts of irresponsible, partisan rhetoric that usually gets wound up in some types of issues in this province check out a post at…
Raven Coal Mine Proposal: Damien Gillis’ Letter
As the window for public comments draws to a close in the first stage of the environmental review process for the proposed Raven Underground Coal Mine, nearly 2,000 comments have…
Feature: Questions remain on the future of eco fees in Ontario
It’s not often I sympathize with Tim Hudak and the Conservative Party of Ontario, but on the future of eco fees, they have their work cut out for them. To…
China Tapped Out – Told to Import Food
Chinese groundwater reserves are in peril and the country must cut domestic food production.Zheng Chunmiao, director of the Water Research Centre at Peking University, said the world's most populous country…
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that (with a B.C. flavour) for your Tuesday reading.- Yes, the CCPA's report showing that taxes in British Columbia are downright regressive is stunning enough on its face.…
handmade soaps, equal marriage, and stop the tar sands: i discover lush
As part of my work for the video surveillance project, I was wandering around the Square One mall, when I saw this sign in the window of Lush.I went inside…
Stockwell Day sets up a firm to help lobbyists, gets the okay, and denies this is what he is doing
Ethics commission OKs Stockwell Day to start government consulting firmStockwell Day has set up Stockwell Day Connex, a company that will help looters in suits to lobby the government of…
Reggie Brown: Obama’s impersonator
I don’t think I have ever seen a better impersonator than Reggie Brown. He looks like Barack Obama and does a perfect impersonation. He was invited by GOP Leadership Conference.…
Neighbourhood Flower Gardens: UPDATE
The Park Board passed unanimously my motion to allow neighbourhood groups to plant flowers in unused public spaces. With a slight tweak to the costing sources, all commissioners spoke in…
Caledonia Militia Gets New Gig
Gary McHale, Mark Vandermaas, and co. have declared victory in Caledonia. They've decided there's no point in hassling Indians anymore and moved on to greener pastures. More particularly, London Ont.,…
europe gives pedestrians and transit priority over cars!
ZURICH — While American cities are synchronizing green lights to improve traffic flow and offering apps to help drivers find parking, many European cities are doing the opposite: creating environments…
On direct representation
In discussing how the new Parliament has functioned so far, Charlie Angus makes an important point which hints at how the Bloc lost touch with Quebec - as well as…
babushkas: brave, bold singing grannies from the wilds of Russia
In Russian culture, one iconic image is the elderly woman — in Russian, she’s called a “babushka” — sitting on a roadside, selling vegetables from her garden. One group of…
Deep thought
Boy, is it ever a good thing we have a stubborn, unaccountable majority government to help restore confidence in Canada's economy.
SCIENCE!!!
“Wouldn’t it be cool,” The Captain said just now, before going to school for his last day of fifth grade,”if we could cross-breed insects and arthropods and then control them?…
Wrecking This Place Down: How Do We Protect Our Children In An Age of Environmental Crisis?
Sandra Steingraber is a mother, a biologist, a cancer-survivor, and the author of several books on the dangers we are facing from the environmental toxins that surround us. Her most…
Scandalizing the court
“In the criminal justice system,” the Law and Order voiceover intones, “the people are represented by two separate but equally important groups: the police who investigate crime and the district…
Links on Social Media & Politics: Notes from “We Want Your Thoughts #4″
Last night I had a great time taking the stage with Alexandra Samuel in Vancouver for "We Want Your Thoughts" at the Khafka coffee house on Main St. The night's…