When They Go Low: the Kenney by-election debate
On Sunday afternoon Mr and Ms Soapbox were jammed into an overheated community hall listening to five politicians explain why they were the best choice to represent the good citizens…
Education
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Murray Dobbin writes that corporate power is the greatest threat to our health and well-being – and reminds us that government focused on…
Ten considerations for the next Alberta budget
On November 17, the working group of the Alberta Alternative Budget (AAB) sponsored a one-day workshop at the University of Alberta. The event’s main purpose was to discuss recent developments…
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Karl Nerenberg writes about Bill Morneau’s conflicts of interest – with particular attention to the NDP’s justified criticism of legislation aimed at…
The UCP Vote on the GSA Bill: Free Vote or Rubber Stamp?
It started innocently enough… The NDP government introduced Bill 24, an act to prohibit teachers from informing parents their kids had joined a gay-straight alliance (GSA) unless the kids consented.…
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Brent Patterson discusses how the Libs are putting the hands of their already-dubious “infrastructure bank” in the hands of people with a…
Leadership 2018 Links
The latest from the Saskatchewan NDP’s leadership campaign – though it’s noteworthy at the outset how little of the activity in the race is taking place in the public eye.…
Ontario NDP Digs Huge Hole With Millennial Vote Over College Strike
(Andrea Horwath Looks Tone Deaf on Biggest Voting Demographic) The decision by Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne to order striking college workers back to work was a decision that was based…
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Gabriel Zucman discusses how the wealthy currently avoid paying their fair share of taxes – and how to stop them by properly…
Ombudsman to Ontario Parents and Students – We Don’t Believe You!
(Ontario Ombudsman Taking A Hands Off Approach To Systemic Issues With Ontario’s School Boards) Just as the Ministry of Education’s probe of more mishandling of public funds at the York…
Education Crisis Grows As Ontario’s Ombudsman Nowhere To Be Found
(Ontario’s Ombudsman Paul Dube is Falling Short on The Provincial Education Crisis and May Not Be Following His Mandate) With media reports of students across this province being under supported…
KPMG misses point of university education
Photo by Ovahlordx The province’s KPMG report on post-secondary education fails to recognize what universities are supposed to achieve. The Winnipeg Free Press reported on Oct. 4 that the accounting…
CUPE Blasts Help For Autistic Kids And Puts Its Members First
(CUPE Says Money Should Go To Its Members Rather Than Autistic Kids) CUPE who is the union representing educational assistants (EA) in the province of Ontario released a press release…
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Paul Krugman discusses how the Republicans’ latest attempt to undermine U.S. health care is built on a foundation of cruelty and lies –…
Learn Economics for Free in the Most Effective Way
Economics is a large field filled with nuance – and assumptions. One of those assumptions is that environmental concerns and inequality are secondary to that of economic concerns. These assumptions…
Rape at universities: One program is proven to reduce it
The Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act (EAAA) Sexual Assault Resistance program, developed by Charlene Senn, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Windsor, empowers women students at universities to defender…
Book review: Social policy in Canada (second edition)
Oxford University Press has recently released the second edition of Social Policy in Canada, co-authored by the father-daughter duo of Ernie Lightman and Naomi Lightman. I recommend this book as…
Trudeau’s Empty “Yes We Can” Moment
Obama’s “Yes We Can” mantra made many question, yes we can do what exactly? That was its brilliance. He became whatever to whoever. Trudeau’s commitment to a national inquiry on…
A Pop Quiz
Ms Soapbox is shocked. She just returned from the Alberta Teachers’ Association Summer Summit on Public Education and discovered that she knows far less about education and teaching in Alberta…
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Roderick Benns interviews Ryan Meili about the value of a basic income in freeing people from perpetual financial stress. And Doug Cameron reminds…