Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Ciara Nugent writes about Amsterdam's embrace of doughnut economics focused on finding the sweet spot which accounts for human well-being and environmental sustainability.

- Ross Belot discusses why the world doesn't need Keystone XL, while Angus Reid notes that only the prairie petro-provinces have any apparent insistence on continuing to fight in the face of the U.S.' decision not to grant a permit for it to proceed. Andrew Nikiforuk points out a few of the realities which rebut Jason Kenney's talking points for prioritizing oil infrastructure over any other purpose or principle. Gary Mason notes that Kenney's decision to pour billions into pushing Keystone XL was always a losing bet with public money. The Canadian Association of Journalists calls out the UCP's publicly-funded propaganda campaign against media who dare to report on environmental issues rather than serving as cheerleaders for fossil fuels. And even the Globe and Mail's editorial board is past pretending that the pro-pipeline bluster is anything more than a farce - which fits into Jim Storrie's recognition that Kenney is engaged in little more than theatre.

- Damian Carrington reports on new research showing a connection between air pollution and macular degeneration. 

- Nikiforuk also calls out the UCP's disinformation about additional coal development. And Bob Weber reports that as the Kenney UCP seeks to ram through new coal mining, Alberta's existing mines are getting away with contaminating river water with selenium. And Carrington reports on the recognition by two-thirds of the world that we're facing a climate emergency, while Elizabeth Weil offers a stark look at what's coming as our natural environment continues to break down.

- Finally, Adrian Humphreys reports on polling showing strong support among Canadians to limit the spread of hate and racism. But PressProgress reports on the continued convergence between pro-oil forces and anti-democratic propaganda.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Simon Enoch traces the COVID-19 spending that's taken place in Saskatchewan - finding that most of the support has come from the federal government, while Scott Moe has combined a refusal to lift a finger (and indeed a failure to make use of all the federal money available) with constant complaining that the feds aren't doing enough:

(T)hroughout the pandemic, the Saskatchewan government has been quick to tout the state of its finances, in spite of the crisis, reporting lower deficits than anticipated and continuing to commit to a balanced budget by the 2024 election.

The irony is, that for all the ire that Mr. Moe directs at Prime Minister Trudeau, it may very well be the largesse of the federal government, coupled with the underspending of transferred dollars, that has allowed Saskatchewan to post such rosy fiscal numbers.

While in any other situation such news might be greeted by some as evidence of fiscal responsibility, during the worst public health crisis in 100 years, failure to spend and access every available dollar to protect us from the ravages of this pandemic looks a lot less like financial caution and a lot more like callous recklessness.

- Justine Hunter and Ian Bailey report on British Columbia's vaccine distribution plan - showing that it's possible to actually do the work of helping to keep people healthy, rather than devoting one's sole efforts to whining about the federal government. And Gary Mason notes that B.C. has also managed to get caught up on its surgical backlog.

- Robert Reich writes that the threats to U.S. democracy aren't limited to the Trumpist white supremacist uprising, but include corporate sedition aiming to capture the government for the benefits of the wealthiest few.

- Finally, Mitchell Anderson points out that Canada is home to a similarly dangerous set of violent actors who are often encouraged by our right-wing parties, while Matthew Remski documents the spread of Qanon in particular. And Geoff Dembicki notes that the work product from Alberta's anti-environment inquiry includes a smear campaign against journalists funded out of public money.

On root causes

Shorter Scott Moe on threats against Dr. Saqib Shahab:

I have no idea how these idiots got the idea that policy disagreement entitles you to engage in violent rhetoric and personal harassment. 

Shorter Scott Moe's CO2Anon donor base:

Environmentalists are child molesters! But the good news is that I think I've figured out the coded meaning of their pizza orders!