Keep ’em separated
Recently the Government of Canada included on its summer student funding program a check box that asks whether the business (non-profit/agency/charity/etc.) applying for federal tax funding complies with Canadian law.…
politics
Replace GDP with Inclusive Development Index
Economic influencers and generally super-rich have occupied Davos, Switzerland this week to discuss how to get wealthier. They also discuss global issues that impact more than just their own wealth.…
A perfect example of Andrew Scheer’s leadership…
Step 1: Call a press conference. Step 2: Read from your prepared statement. Step 3: Answer a few softball questions. Step 4: On being asked a more nuanced question, panic…
Canada to Monitor Behaviour of Corporations Aboard
Canada announced yesterday that, like other nations, the country will be monitoring how Canadian corporations behave beyond its borders. Over the years there have been too many accounts of corporations…
UNIFOR vs the CLC vs ATU vs UNITE-HERE vs what the hell are we doing here?
I’m no longer in the business, so take this rant with a bucket of salt and an understanding that I have no actual, credible insider information but I see UNIFOR’s…
Does poetry make things happen in 2018?
I was thinking about how little poets seem to matter to modern political administrations. Maybe to modern society as a whole. Their light has, it seems, been waning for several…
Courts vs. Climate Change
New York City launched a lawsuit against some of the larger polluters on the planet to cover the costs the city faces due to climate change (projected to be over…
I Didn’t Blog in December
I was distracted by things more awesome than blogging. What could that be? I’ll tell you some day. For now, I’m back, complaining about litter. Everyone is focusing on a…
War is a Terrible Back-Up Plan
Noam Chomsky is certain that the only two things we should be worried about right now are climate change and nuclear war. Adam Ellick and Jonah Kessel’s article in the…
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
I finally got to this pocket-sized book, which is full of lessons passed down from my folks that I’ve been saying for decades, and many others that I’m hearing over…
Nellie McClung and the challenge of history
Up until a few weeks ago, if I was asked my impression of Nellie McClung I probably would have said “oh, she was that suffragette, right? The one people say…
Boomers Destroyed the Planet & Economy, Millennials Trying to Save Both
For the first time in a very long time an entire generation will be worse of than their parents. The wheels are in motion for that truth to be a…
On Fildebrandt: I nominate Fildebrandt for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation 2018 Teddy Awards
For over two decades, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has described what their vision of good public policy should be. One of the best symbols, descriptors, of their view has been…
Parliamentary Debate on Bill C-51
Murray Rankin, Member of Parliament for Victoria, B.C., referenced Omar Ha-Redeye in Parliament on December 11, 2017 during the debate on Bill C-51, which amends the Criminal Code, I want…
Free Speech, When The “Debate” is You (and You’re Not Invited)
Shout: “Help, I’m being silenced!” There’s a duplicitous game of sleight-of-hand that is taking place in discussions about freedom of speech in academia and the public square. Here’s how it…
Who will pay the cost for Digital Security? On the regulation of Uber and large digital companies
In 2006, when I came to Calgary, Identity Thief was something that we all heard about. While, I did not have RFID sleeves for my credit cards yet, I was…
Of flawed men and dangerous ones
For the CBC on November 30, 2017 In early November, Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston weighed in on the stunning allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against Hollywood icon Kevin Spacey…
Confronting prejudice and changing minds
For Maclean’s on August 31, 2017 One year ago on C-SPAN, Heather McGhee—an African-American woman and the president of Demos, an equality-focused public policy organization—was the featured guest of a…
Flash North Korea for Freedom
Flash Drives For Freedom from Doug Burnett on Vimeo. The reclusive state of North Korea doesn’t like it when information leaks in or out. The government is propped up by…
The death of community newspapers
In 1857 – a year before Collingwood was incorporated as a town – John Hogg launched the Enterprise. The first local newspaper started its presses. In 1870, David Robson launched…