Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Andre Picard offers a look at what the arrival of a third wave of the coronavirus will mean. Morgan Lowrie reports on the rise of deadlier and more contagious COVID variants across Canada, while Colleen Silverthorn and Heidi Atter highlight their spread in Saskatoon and Regina respectively. The COVID Tracking Project points out how even the U.S. may face a worse wave than the ones which have already cost over half a million lives. And Pam Belluck discusses how mild initial COVID symptoms may give way to severe long-term neurological effects.

- Which is to say that Saskatchewan's combination of the lightest public health rules and highest case rates (as reported by Mickey Djuric) represents an exceptional level of negligence even compared to Canada's other conservative-governed provinces. And Roberto Rocha's reporting on how stronger restrictions have a demonstrable effect on public behaviour confirms that it's Scott Moe's choice to allow for preventable sickness and death.

- Alex Pareene calls out the U.S.' insistence on privileging intellectual property interests (over vaccines developed largely with public funds) over the production and distribution of vaccines which would protect everybody.

- Meanwhile, Hassan Yussuff, Doug Roth and Linda Silas offer a reminder that far too many Canadians are struggling to pay for needed medications in the absence of a national pharmacare program.

- Peter Greene discusses how "non-profit" charter schools are in fact being turned into corporate cash cows. 

- Finally, Jason Warick reports on a push to stop the Saskatchewan Party's selloff of Crown lands. And David Giles reports on the efforts of Marc Spooner and others to use SGI rebate cheques to preserve grasslands where the provincial government can't be bothered to do so.