The Luddites of Education
Throughout my career as a high school teacher, I believed, as I still do, that education is one of the prime tools by which society can be bettered and critical…
Ontario politics
Connecting The Dots?
Here in Ontario, Premier Kathleen Wynne’s decision to sell off 60% of Hydro One, the very profitable public utility that generated a pre-tax income of $803 million in 2013, is…
Unreleased government report shows no benefits to neonic use
A honey bee collecting pollin. Environmental group Friends of the Earth Canada are calling on the Ontario government to implement an outright ban on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides after…
Ontario Anti-Fracking Bill Passes Second Reading
NDP MPP Peter Tabuns speaking with reporters at Queen’s Park. (CBC News Image.) A PRIVATE MEMBER’S BILL from Toronto-area NDP MPP Peter Tabuns to ban fracking in the province passed…
And Speaking Of Fanatics
While right-wing religious zealots like Pat Robertson and Gordon Klingenschmitt are the two crazed evangelicals I most frequently highlight in my blog, we would all be very naive to believe…
Ontario’s brave new cap and trade program
The Globe and Mail just broke the story on what will likely be the defining component of Kathleen Wynne’s legacy: The Ontario Liberals are introducing a big cap and trade…
Ontario’s brave new cap and trade program
The Globe and Mail just broke the story on what will likely be the defining component of Kathleen Wynne's legacy: The Ontario Liberals are introducing a big cap and trade…
Ontario’s brave new cap and trade program
The Globe and Mail just broke the story on what will likely be the defining component of Kathleen Wynne’s legacy: The Ontario Liberals are introducing a big cap and trade…
Ontario’s brave new cap and trade program
The Globe and Mail just broke the story on what will likely be the defining component of Kathleen Wynne's legacy: The Ontario Liberals are introducing a big cap and trade…
Opposition Bill Wants Ontario to Ban Fracking
NDP MPP Peter Tabuns speaking with reporters at Queen’s Park. (CBC News Image.) New Democratic MPP Peter Tabuns introduced a private member’s bill Wednesday encouraging the Liberals to adopt a…
On Last Night’s News: My thoughts on the TTC fare increase
I appeared on Global News Toronto last night on behalf of TTC Riders to offer a few comments on the TTC fare increase coming into effect this weekend. Even though…
Why Has Accepting Scientific Fact Become A Matter Of Choice?
Science takes things apart to see how they work. Religion puts things together to see what they mean. They speak different languages and use different powers of the brain. -Rabbi…
Ontario Government Launches Climate Change Discussion Paper
* Citizen-based lobby group applauds Ontario Government’s public engagement on greening the economy Hundreds of citizen climate lobbyists to participate in new discussion paper to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions…
Environmental Groups Pin Slim Hopes for Rouge Park Changes to Senate
Rouge Park in autumn. Canada’s Rouge National Urban Park Act began second reading in the Senate earlier this week after sailing through the House of Commons is just six months.…
Ontario’s endangered species get their day in court
Endangered American Eel. LAWYERS ACTING ON BEHALF of the Ontario government told the courts last month that Ontario’s endangered species legislation is now only concerned with the most dire of…
Pretty much every time I hear Canadian Prime Minister Stephen…
Pretty much every time I hear Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper or one of his Conservative minions speak, I think of this song: “Propaganda” by the defunct punk/Oi! band Blitz.…
Contentious Rouge Park Bill Passes Third Reading
Despite united opposition against the proposed National Urban Park, Conservative Bill C-40 passed third reading Monday. The legislation is now on its way to the Tory-dominated Senate for further review.…
Ontario Politics Chatter: The Beer Store Monopoly, eyes on Sudbury.
I haven’t talked a lot about Ontario Politics much of late, but for my first post of the New Year, a few things have caught my eye I wished to…
2014 — Canada’s Year of the Pipeline
Keystone XL wasn’t the only pipeline project to rankle Canadians in 2014. WIDESPREAD PUBLIC DEBATE on building vast networks of snaking energy pipelines throughout Canada dominated the country’s environmental newsreel…
2014 Person of the Year
Every December, I name a “Person of the Year” – the individual who left their mark on Canadian politics over the past year, for good or for bad. Below is…