Miscellaneous material to start your week.
- Kelly Grant and Andrea Woo write that soaring infection numbers show how Canada's response to COVID-19 has fallen far short of the mark. Andre Picard makes the point - which seems obvious to everybody other than right-wing premiers - that loosening restrictions on social activity will do nothing but exacerbate the spread of the virus. Bartley Kives traces Manitoba's descent from being a model for other Canadian provinces, to being a hot zone due to reckless reopening, while David Climenhaga is rightly frustrated by Jason Kenney's refusal to do anything but complain about the failure of voluntary measures. And the Washington Post highlights how Australia has been able to get control of the coronavirus through a massive investment in public health and a willingness to regulate dangerous behaviour.
- Jeremy Klaszus discusses the myth of right-wing fiscal responsibility (with particular reference to the UCP's combination of tax giveaways to the corporate sector and slashing of services for people). And Paul Haber reports on the Alberta municipalities which look to be saddled with environmental liabilities as the oil sector skips town without paying its bills.
- Joel Dryden speculates that Joe Biden's presidential victory may find an echo in Alberta politics in 2023. But Thomas Frank warns that nobody can afford to get complacent about the continued threat of fascism - particularly if most people don't see their nominally more progressive option as creating positive change.
- Finally, Sara Birrell offers a reminder of the benefits of Crown corporations - including the ability to ensure that economic development serves ends such as service expansion and environmental progress, rather than being limited to focusing on shareholder profits.
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