Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Rachel Aiello reports on Health Canada's approval of COVID booster vaccines targeted at the Omicron variants. And Andrew Romano discusses the hope that the updated vaccines will result in a turning point in combating COVID - though getting enough people vaccinated to limit further spread and variation looks to be a serious challenge after months of messaging that people could move on from taking any precautions. 

- Owen Jones discusses how UK Con leadership frontrunner Liz Truss is one of the appalling number of right-wing politicians who values fossil fuel profits over human life, while Trevor Herriot calls out the Moe government's attack on the very concept of enforcing environmental laws. Geoff Leo exposes the case of a 14-year-old who died while under the "care" of social services. And Brody Langager reports on the work being done to push the Sask Party to fund harm reduction, while Zak Vescera offers a reminder that nobody can avoid the devastating effects of the drug poisoning crisis.  

- Alice Lee et al. study the increase in fuel poverty in the UK, while noting that a transition to clean energy would also reduce inequality of access and ensure a more stable supply. Mia Rabson reports on new research showing the particular ubiquity of toxic chemicals in dollar store products. And Damien Gayle reports on a new study showing how carbon capture and storage isn't part of the solution in trying to avert a climate breakdown. 

- Paul Prescod writes about the importance of unions in fighting for the rights and interests of minority workers. And Molly Smith reports on new research showing that single women without children are managing to accumulate more wealth than men in the same cohort - but those with children lag far behind other groups. 

- Finally, James McCarten reports on new opinion polling as to the main concerns of Canadians - with climate change and misinformation ranking as major public concerns even as so many right-wing politicians dedicate themselves fully to preventing any action on them. Aaron Wherry writes that political leaders need to part of the solution in ending rage farming as a political strategy - though there's plenty of reason for concern that the Cons and their allies only plan to keep pushing the envelope in lying to stoke anger, rather than taking anybody's advice to do what they can to avoid having people get hurt.