Last April 1st, the Alberta-based Western Standard ran a story with the headline: “Federal budget commits funding to convert one lane of Trans-Canada Highway for bicycles.” The story continued to relate how the Liberal budget had set aside $100 billion to build bike lanes along the entire length of the Trans-Canada. Hard to believe, eh? […]
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Cities are the world remade by society. So why are they so inhospitable? The high cost of living, air and noise pollution, the many barriers to accessibility, the scarcity of communal gathering places and green space, the high rate of traffic accidents, washrooms and drinking water for customers only, narrow or no sidewalks — all […]
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LCBO Update, July 24 The strike at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) is over. The workers in the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) ratified the new agreement. Premier Doug Ford’s odd response to the end of the strike: “We learned many things with this strike — people were still able to get […]
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The False Hopes of Carbon Capture Schemes Some of the biggest polluters in the world, along with governments, have been betting the house on a quick technical fix to solve the problem of ever-increasing carbon emissions. That fix has been around a long time and goes by the name of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). […]
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Ford Canada announced in April that it would postpone all electric vehicle production at its Oakville assembly plant in Ontario by two years until 2027 due to “softening demand,” meaning that people aren’t buying EVs because their price is too high. “We are committed to scaling a profitable EV business, using capital wisely and bringing […]
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“Axe the (carbon) tax” argues Pierre Poilievre. Given the source, one could be tempted to automatically respond, “keep the tax. Taxes are never popular but, along with death, they are said to be the only certainties in this world. So, what is the carbon tax? A carbon tax directly adds a surcharge on top of […]
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Ontario Art Gallery workers on strike “Show me the Monet,” was one of the many witty slogans of the striking workers of the Art Gallery of Ontario. The gallery in Toronto, is one of the largest art museums in North America, attracting approximately one million visitors annually. It boasts a collection of more than 120,000 […]
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Ed Broadbent, leader of the federal NDP from 1975 to 1989, is often described as the “best prime minister Canada never had.” Maybe that’s an example of being damned with faint praise. It is certainly not aiming at a high bar, given many of the country’s Prime Ministers. Despite that, Broadbent undoubtedly made a strong […]
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They say that money makes the world go round. But does it? Surely, it’s workers who keep the lights on, the trains running and the factories producing. However, few will deny that money is important for greasing the wheels. Both corporate and government money, to varying degrees, are involved in the lubrication process. Concerning climate […]
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Tim Heffernan is retired Ontario Teacher and OSSTF activist. The leadership of the union representing 60,000 high school teachers and educators in Ontario (OSSTF) is taking its membership into uncharted and dangerous waters as it bargains with the Ontario government. The union has accepted a government proposal to agree to binding arbitration. Contract talks will […]
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