“With lost jobs and lost wages due to COVID-19, many tenants are worried they can’t make the rent.” Such a statement, made by BC’s premier John Horgan just a week before April rent day, could have been an introduction to provide much reassurance and a solid plan for renters who are reeling under the economic […]
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Socialist Alternative interviewed Vesna Rosales, a small business owner in the west end of Toronto SA: Tell me something about yourself and your business. Vesna: I’ve had a nail and beauty salon business for the last 6 years. I manage it and do some reception work there. I also have an at home travel business […]
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The Southern Chiefs’ Organization of Manitoba asked that Indigenous Services Canada and the Canadian federal government allow a Cuban healthcare brigade be deployed to serve in local First Nations’ communities during the COVID-19 outbreak. For those who are not familiar with the Cuban International Medical Brigades, they are integrated teams of health professionals who have […]
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has been urging countries, since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, to test, test, test. “You can’t fight a virus if you don’t know where it is,” said WHO director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyeus. “Find, isolate, test and treat every case, to break the chains of transmission. Every case we […]
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I was laid-off this St. Patrick’s day. I’m a bartender. March 17 was supposed to be the busiest night of the year, and was supposed to be a welcome boost to my, and many others’ incomes. Instead, Vancouver – wisely – decided to shut down all bars and restaurants to combat the spread of COVID-19. […]
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Teck Resources Limited announced its decision to remove the Frontier mine from life support on February 23, 2020. The $20-billion project had spent the whole of its nine short years awaiting a federal bill of health that would never come. Its conception promised so much, the largest tar sands project ever seen, $12 billion in […]
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As the old saying goes, “It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.” While this statement contains a lot of truth, it should not blind us to the fact that some clear political tendencies are emerging from the coronavirus crisis. It is safe to say that one of the big political losers from […]
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As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact Canada, we see all levels of government taking increasingly desperate measures to avert the kind of catastrophe we are seeing unfold in Italy. On more than one occasion, officials have referred to past outbreaks, like SARS, to pat themselves on the back and talk about how much they’ve […]
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What a difference a few weeks and a major disease outbreak makes! Not that long ago, if I remember correctly, there was no money for pretty much anything but tax cuts and supports for business. Now, suddenly, there seems to be cash aplenty, to be sure, mainly for the rich, but with a substantial amount […]
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I work “full time” for a hotel. A cog in Vancouver’s tremendous tourism industry. Since I started work here, the fact that my contract stipulates “full time” availability with zero guaranteed hours has laid cold and squirming in the back of my mind, a worm undermining the small sense of security that comes with regular […]
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