Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Zoe Williams writes that Donald Trump is just the most egregious and unrestrained example of the vice-signalling which has become standard operating procedure among right-wing political parties - but that we're finally seeing a fight back on the side of decency. And Dave Karpf warns that Kalshi and other sites which encourage gambling on everything will inevitably foment addictions and manipulations which we'll come to regret. 

- Patrick Wintour discusses Europe's growing realization that it needs to treat the U.S. as a threat rather than an ally or protector - as reflected in a report from the Munich Security Conference. And Ian Welsh writes that we shouldn't underestimate Canada's ability to be independent from the U.S. - particularly in the longer term if we avoid taking steps to further entangle ourselves with a dying empire. 

- Jack Flemming reports on a Rent Brigade analysis of the corporate price-gouging which added insult to injury in the aftermath of California's wildfires last year. 

- Meanwhile, Toula Drimonis discusses how funding to prevent evictions more than pays for itself in health and social service savings. And the Canadian Climate Institute highlights the need to prepare our infrastructure in advance of climate-related disasters. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- David Sirota writes that the sources of America's descent into authoritarianism can be traced readily to the longstanding trend toward the consolidation of wealth and power. And Luke Savage discusses how elite "liberals" have facilitated rise of fascism both by reinforcing its themes of fear and dominance, and by failing to improve the well-being of the general public when in power. 

- Michael Mann discuss how weaponized disinformation aimed at attacking science represents a threat to humanity as a whole. And the Economist speculates that the decline of reading may be an important factor in the dumbing-down of politics. 

- John Woodside reports on the Carney Libs' push toward nation-building in batches based on political convenience and immediacy rather than any long-term vision for development. And Kenza Bryan reports on Greg Jackson's warning that the UK's plans to pour money into carbon capture and storage are ill-advised, while Lisa Schick reports that Saskatchewan scientists are pushing back against Scott Moe's determination to use public money to spew as mnuch coal pollution as possible. 

- Mark Lemley writes that a toothless order against Google even after a finding of an abuse of monopoly power confirms that competition law alone won't be sufficient to deal with the power of big tech. And Kelsey McKinney argues that any legal settlement which allows an AI company to steal first and turn over an amount it doesn't care about later falls far short of the mark. 

- Finally, Marc Trussler and Stephanie Perry report on polling showing massive gender and partisan gaps in Generation Z life priorities. And Erika Shaker discusses how "parental rights" spin represents a contrived effort to children as property and schools as profit centres. 

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Geoffrey Deihl warns that this year's U.S. election may represent a point of no return in trying to avoid civilization-shaking climate breakdown (even if even the best possible result falls far short of ensuring the action we need). Tim Winton writes that it's understandable to experience rage and dread when we're treated as colonial subjects by politicians and tycoons who couldn't care less for our futures. And Jake Bittle points out that the costs of calamities like Hurricane Helene aren't currently accounted for - meaning that the general public will end up paying the price for the corporate-driven insistence on continuing to spew carbon pollution.

- Meanwhile, Christopher Oldcorn reports on Brett Dolter's observation that Saskatchewan can readily afford to be a full participant in Canada's clean energy system - contrary to the denialist impulses of the Sask Party and its fossil fuel backers. 

- Phillip Inman offers a reminder to UK Labour of the importance of investing in maintaining existing infrastructure rather than presuming the sole role of government is to pursue new and shiny photo-ops. And Maya Singer Hobbs discusses why new roads in particular are an unconscionable waste of public money compared to superior transportation options.

- Jamie Mann reports on the connections between the UK Cons and a billionaire family involved in blacklisting workers for daring to unionize.

- Finally, Trevor Herriot writes about the precipitous drop in Saskatchewan voter participation in recent elections - and the risk that a population which has given up on the possibility of change for the better will simply set itself up to be exploited all the more.

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Andrew Nikiforuk discusses the immense economic and human cost of COVID-19 denial as another wave surges. And Matthew Frank et al. study how COVID produces lasting damage to the brain. 

- Robert Booth and Emine Sinmaz report on the findings of the UK's Grenfell inquiry, which find that the tragic fire was the result of systemic corporate dishonesty and government neglect. And Mo Amir discusses how B.C.'s government is failing to implement vacancy controls even while understanding they would benefit renters.

- Meanwhile, Myriam Durocher, Annika Walsh, Irena Knezevic and Madison Hynes discuss how charity isn't enough to eradicate food insecurity. 

- Ariel Silber reports on the less-than-surprising revelation that apps are listening in on users' smartphones without notice or consent in order to profit from the contents of their conversations. And Webb Wright reports on the FTC's study into "surveillance pricing" where unspecified personal information is used to present different prices to different consumers. 

- Kea Wilson discusses how the deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau are just an example of the traffic violence resulting from a transportation system designed to prioritize single-vehicle convenience over pedestrian and cyclist safety. And Coral Davenport highlights how the U.S. will need to update its infrastructure one way or another due to the use of materials which can't withstand a changed climate. 

- Finally, Susan Wright contrasts the importance of unions in social cohesion and development against the solidarity denialism of the UCP. And David Moscrop writes that the Cons and their allies remain hostile to workers - even as they try to pretend otherwise. 

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Anna Betts reports that the fallout from the climate crisis may include threats to blood donations, while Zoe Schlanger writes about the dangers of relying on steel-based infrastructure which will fail under the temperatures which are becoming the norm. James Dyke, Robert Watson and Wolfgang Knorr discuss the folly of making choices which deliberately overshoot past emission targets in the short term based on the bare hope that carbon pollution can be captured or reduced later. Kate Yoder writes that action on climate change is far more popular than one would think from corporate-captured governments' reluctance to carry it out. And Richard Sandbrook is right to note that Canada can't use other countries' climate sabotage as an excuse for doing nothing - though it's unduly generous to characterize a track record of stagnation and delay as something to be continued rather than improved upon. 

- Betsy Agar and Raidin Blue examine the renovations and retrofits needed to make buildings safe amid a warming climate and more extreme weather, while Carissa Wong writes about new research showing that the temperatures which humans can survive are lower than previously assumed. And Adam Thorn points out that any transition to an electrified fleet of vehicles will require buildings to be EV-ready. 

- Douglas Main reports on new research showing that the ubiquity of microplastics now extends into the human brain. 

- Finally, William Brangham interviews Eric Topol about the current state of the COVID pandemic, including a summer surge in infections which has been met with no policy response. And Clovis Palmer et al. find that the effects of COVID-19 can include type 2 diabetes - but that there's a prospect that post-infection vaccination can reduce the risk.  

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Stan Cox writes about the looming eco-collapse - and its connection to a relentless focus on top-heavy "growth" with no regard for well-being or sustainability.  

- Dharna Noor reports on the U.S. House oversight committee's investigation showing how the oil industry has blocked any climate progress while engaging in performative public greenwashing. Tory Shepherd reports on what it takes for a climate denialist ad to be pulled for being misleading or deceptive. And David Zipper discusses how U.S. policy has encouraged car bloat and increased pollution (based in no small part on lobbying from both the fossil fuel sector and the auto industry).

- Meanwhile, Cloe Logan reports on the growing number of Quebec municipalities working on reducing fossil fuel infrastructure in new buildings.

- Jeffrey Kluger writes about the reality that he - like nearly everybody - is accumulating plastic toxins in his body at an alarming rate. And Benjamin Shingler reports on the halting progress toward a global plastics treaty. 

- Finally, Melvin Backman discusses how U.S. CEOs' pay continues to rise far faster than that of other workers. And Norm Farrell offers a reminder that minimum wage increases tend to produce more as well as better jobs. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Sigal Samuel discusses the potential to better target investments toward well-being - though it seems odd to criticize measures of health as a standard alongside GDP. And Cory Doctorow writes about Deb Chachra's observation that we should view infrastructure as a form of mutual aid.

- Carl Meyer reports on Suncor CEO Rich Kruger's dissembling and evasion in response to questioning about his company's plans to increase carbon pollution for decades to come. Markham Hislop highlights how the regular release of toxic chemicals into drinking water for the tar sands should be treated as an intolerable regulatory failure rather than merely a PR issue for the oil industry. And Shari Narine reports on the Assembly of First Nations' message that Indigenous involvement is vital to the development of climate change solutions. 

- Douglas Main points out the glaring gap between the promise of recycling plastics, and the reality that plastic pollution is overwhelming our natural environment. And andrea bennett interviews Taras Grescoe about the need to work with natural ecosystems to secure our food supply, rather than presuming that industrialized monocultures controlled by greedy rentiers are our only option.

- Finally, Luke LeBrun exposes how the Cons invited violent extremists and conspiracy theorists into Parliament as "VIP" guests. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Jia Li et al. study the causal associations between COVID-19 and numerous types of cancer - finding generally that COVID is associated with increased cancer risk. And Erin Prater reports on the spread of the Arcturus variant as the most transmissible version yet.

- Alex Press discusses how deteriorating working conditions in the trucking industry are leading to safety risks for truckers themselves, and for the general public. And Robert Ovetz and Kevin Van Meter offer some advice to marshal the collective strength of labour to stand up to exploitative employers. 

- Brett Christophers writes that contrary to what people might assume in turning the ownership of public infrastructure over to pension funds, the incentives facing the funds' managers tend toward short-term thinking at the expense of the long-term preservation of the underlying asset. And while Graeme Nuttall and James Bonham offer a theory as to how they'd like employee stock ownership to work, their proposed mandate that employees take on debt to pay owners more than market value for businesses seems to represent little more than a systematic upward transfer of wealth.  

- Finally, Ricardo Tranjan writes that the housing crisis is the result of governments catering to private developers' desire for immediate profit, not the presence of newcomers needed to perform essential services in our communities. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Evan Xu, Yan Xie and Ziyad Al-Aly study the long-term neurological effects of COVID-19, finding elevated risks of numerous kinds of neurological disorders even following mild initial infections.  

- Crawford Kilian discusses the need for a prosocial revolution to deal with COVID along with other social ills. Jenalee Doom discusses how poverty translates into lasting effects on people's health and welfare. And the CCPA's Alternative Federal Budget offers a reminder of what could readily be accomplished if our federal government was focused on meeting people's needs rather than serving the interests of capital.  

- Americans for Tax Fairness documents how the U.S.' political system has been warped by the billionaire-dominated Club for Growth and its perpetual demand of free money for the rich. And Erin McCormick and Aliya Uteuova expose how the lead industry - in the wake of public awareness that it was poisoning people - pushed for the proliferation of lead water pipes which continues to be a public health disaster in the U.S. 

- Finally, Jeff Gray reports on the Ford PCs' privatization of jobs programs, with the immediate effects of both eliminating provincial accountability and making citizens' interests subject to the pursuit of profits. And Fatima Syed reports on the Financial Accountability Office's projections as to how a climate breakdown will increase the costs of maintaining infrastructure - even as Ford remains determined to destroy green space and subsidize carbon pollution. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Jim Stanford laments the likelihood that we're headed for a self-inflicted recession in the name of an arbitrary inflation target. 

- Acey Rowe talks to about the Craig Desson about the mechanisms used to perpetuate old wealth. And Rupert Neate writes about Gary Stevenson's story as someone who made large amounts of money in financial trading - but only through intolerable betting on needless suffering and growing inequality.

- Meanwhile, Mitchell Thompson calls out the Canada Infrastructure Bank's demand to turn essential public water supplies into sources of profits and management fees. 

- Ayurella Horn-Muller reports on some of the global responses to SCOTUS' decision to condemn humanity to a climate breakdown. And the Council of Canadians has released new Abacus polling data showing that Canadians recognize the need for strong climate action even when weighed against immediate economic interests.

- The Ottawa Citizen's editorial board weighs in on the need to combat intimate-partner violence.

- Finally, Umair Haque writes that we're all too likely to look back on the summer of 2022 as the start of an age of crisis.

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- The Globe and Mail's editorial board reminds us of the continued choice between taking reasonable precautions to minimize the damage from continued waves of COVID-19, or letting wishful thinking lead us until avoidable harm to people's health. And Shalini Saksena writes about the emergence of long COVID as a parallel pandemic, while Elizabeth Payne highlights how Canada's public health care system is woefully unprepared to respond to it.

- Joshua Chung reports on the disappearance of some of the breaks lower-income Canadians were able to seek out at discount grocers, while noting the need for more secure incomes. And Jaele Bernstien reports on some of the changes Canadians are making in response to higher prices in both lower-income and middle-class households.

- Robin Sears reminds us that decriminalization along is far from enough to step the carnage of drug poisoning deaths.

- Amanda Follett Hosgood discusses the sudden loss of phone and Internet services in northwest British Columbia as another example of how we're setting ourselves up to face dangerous and avoidable risks. And Michael Lee reports on new research showing the emergency of "plastitar" as a new threat to marine life.

- Finally, Abacus Data has released polling showing the large number of Canadians expressing their agreement with dangerous and racist conspiracy theories.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Alexander Martin reports on new research showing the cognitive effects of a severe COVID case can be similar to the effect of twenty years of aging. Moira Wyton discusses how the premature elimination of public health protection systematically excludes high-risk and immunocompromised people from any "new normal". Erin Prater reports on the rapid spread of new Omicron variants across the U.S. And Marla Broadfoot reports on the potential for nasal spray vaccines to provide more effective immunity against new variants - which would represent far more of a reason for hope if people weren't being deliberately subjected to mass infection before they're available. 

- Zak Vescera reports on a survey showing massive levels of burnout and dissatisfaction among the physicians dealing with the fallout from the Moe government's neglect. And Alexander Quon reports that even the small number of tickets issued for violations of Saskatchewan's public health rules have been nearly as likely to lead to a withdrawal as to a conviction. 

- Oliver Milman weighs in on the likelihood that the consequences of a climate breakdown will include an increased risk of future pandemics. And Helena Horton and Adam Bychawski report on the less-than-surprising revelation that the fossil fuel industry continues to fund dishonest climate change deniers in order to keep its stream of profits flowing. 

- Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood offers his take on what's needed to ensure a just transition to a clean-energy economy in Canada. 

- Finally, Marjorie Griffin Cohen rightly criticizes the Libs' continued insistence on doing the bare minimum to strengthen Canada's desperately-strained social safety nets. And David Moscrop calls for the Libs to stop insisting that any development include a tithe to the corporate class through its financialized infrastructure bank. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Cory Neudorf argues that a pandemic is the last time when we can afford to prioritize abstract individual interests over the collective good, while Alexander Wong writes that vaccination is a textbook example of a way in which parents can protect children from avoidable harms. Bruce Arthur asks why millions of doses of vaccines are about to expire even as Ontario demurs on any plan to make booster shots more widely available. Ed Yong examines the frustrations and challenges facing health care workers whose experiences with long COVID are being dismissed. And Nick Boisvert reports that the Libs' messaging from the return to Parliament includes making Chrystia Freeland the latest politician to prematurely spread dangerous themes about the pandemic being over. 

- Meanwhile, Andrew Kolodny discusses how the pandemic exacerbated the spread of toxic recreational drugs. And Zachary Siegel makes the case for a policy of safe supply to end the wave of avoidable poisonings. 

- David Wallace-Wells examines the global health toll of ten millions deaths a year caused by polluted air. Bill Stollery makes the case to treat climate change as a societal threat, while also noting that we can readily afford to fund a war effort against it by ensuring the wealthy pay their fair share. David Suzuki writes about the need for the public to engage in the fight as politicians and businesses fall short of the mark. And Andrew Freedman reports on new research casting doubt as to whether countries' already-insufficient emission reduction pledges will actually be achieved. 

- Nia Williams reports on the price tag facing British Columbia as it looks to update its infrastructure to account for the consequences of a climate breakdown. And John Michael McGrath notes that an effective climate plan will need to offer alternatives to individual vehicles, rather than merely relying on electrification. 

- Finally, Randy Robinson maps out the location of continuing child poverty in Canada, while Andrew Kersley highlights how poverty serves as yet another factor shortening people's lives. Nick Boisvert reports on Campaign 2000's latest study finding that any progress against child poverty stalled or regressed over the past two years. And Nathan Sing writes that the Libs have chosen to write any action to reduce hunger and ensure food security out of their list of priorities. 

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- The Globe and Mail's editorial board discusses the need to consider whether to lift public health measures with care rather than stubborn anti-social ideology. Adam Miller writes that Alberta's failure to do anything of the sort in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic has made it a cautionary tale, while Andrew Nikiforuk highlights the need to hold Jason Kenney (among other politicians) accountable for his lethal negligence in exercising the responsibility placed on a government to keep people safe. 

- Laura Osman reports on Theresa Tam's recognition that the Delta variant means we need higher vaccination rates to avoid catastrophic COVID surges. And Apoora Mandavilli discusses how the COVID variants appear to be getting more efficient at spreading through the air. 

- The Canadian Institute for Climate Choices examines how Canada's infrastructure isn't prepared for catastrophic climate change - making clear that any temporary failure to invest in transition and adaptation is going to be a false economy. 

- Duncan Kinney and Jake Pesaruk expose how multiple levels of government are instead funnelling money into a company combining fossil fuel extraction with environmentally-destructive crypto currency mining. And Geoffrey Morgan reports on the closure of the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association as a prime example of how governments are propping up fossil fuel projects which are seen as unproductive by private-sector standards. 

- Finally, Maximillian Alvarez, Jen Pan and Paul Prescod trace the decline of collective action to Ronald Reagan and his corporate backers. And Luke Savage interviews Patrick Wyman about the role of local tycoons in consolidating power and suppressing popular organization at the community level. 

#Elxn44 Roundup

News and notes from Canada's federal election campaign.

- Cam Fenton discusses how "strategic" votes for the Libs in the name of climate change figure to be anything but, while David Gray-Donald bluntly describes the Libs' offering as "denialist trash". Maya Menezes examines what we should be looking for in a climate platform, while Simon Donner discusses the need for any climate policy to fit with long-term goals. And Ben Simoni and Melissa Lavery discuss how Canada (and indeed the world) would benefit from a youth climate corps.

- Robert Hiltz writes that Erin O'Toole's mask has come off in the course of the election campaign, while Paul Willcocks discusses how O'Toole has campaigned as a trickster for lack of any ability to appeal to both his party's base and any expanded voter universe. Marieke Walsh reports on the refusal of the vast majority of Con candidates to say whether they've been vaccinated in the midst of a pandemic. And PressProgress exposes Con candidate Les Jickling's support for making health care about profit rather than patient needs. 

- Morna Ballantyne highlights how the Cons' tax baubles can't be equated with a plan to actually make child care available. And Paul Dechene similarly notes that the Cons plan to starve municipalities of desperately-needed infrastructure funding.

- On that front, Natasha Bulowski reports on the priority placed on housing by Canada's municipalities. And Erica Ifill discusses how the Libs' housing schemes have been gimmicky political diversions rather than effective plans to ensure people have the homes they need.

- Finally, Charlie Smith writes about the Robin Hood themes being presented by Jagmeet Singh in contrasting the NDP against the protectors of the wealthy.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Guy Quenneville reports on the frustration of Cory Neudorf and other Saskatchewan doctors due to the Moe government's decision to ignore all available science on COVID-19, while Alberta doctors have taken to providing the daily briefings the government has chosen to abandon. Cam Tait discusses how the lack of government leadership responding to a grave health crisis in Alberta (as in Saskatchewan) is anything but a joke. And Alexandra Mae Jones reports on new research showing how even in its less acute forms, COVID may lead to a wave of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. 

- Meanwhile, Dave Connell offers the account of a grandfather who lost his grandson to the overdose crisis. 

- Chris Walker reports from the fossil fuel sector's festival of climate denial and destruction in the midst of a summer defined by climate catastrophes. And George Monbiot discusses why we can't build our way out of the climate crisis (at least as long as infrastructure projects are captured by the corporate establishment). 

- Finally, Alleen Brown reports on the choice of Minnesota police to provide both individual-level intelligence and operational support to Enbridge for the suppression of pipeline protestors. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Erika Edwards reports on the increase in the number of children being admitted to hospital due to the spread of the Delta variant. And Sarah Rieger reports on the growing number of infections traced back to the reckless slashing of protections during the Calgary Stampede (despite the Kenney government's attempt to release a laughably low preliminary number then stop counting). 

- Nora Loreto writes about the need for the media to include the connections between business lobbyists and government decisions in its general reporting, rather than saving discussion of those links for all-too-rare special investigations. 

- Stephanie Ross and Larry Savage ask why more workers aren't organizing their workplaces in light of the well-documented advantages of being represented by a union. 

- Jeremy Appel discusses how the UCP's state-directed inquisition against environmental activism has had toxic effects even if the resulting report isn't going to produce any meaningful findings. And Amanda Follett Hosgood observes that seven years after the Mount Polley tailings pond spill, the corporate operator is still using a "temporary" permit to keep dumping toxic water into Quesnel Lake. 

- Finally, Zak Vescera reports on the need for millions of dollars in urgent repairs to Regina's hospitals as the Moe government has allowed our health infrastructure to decay. 

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading.

- Jonathan Howard writes that the recognition of higher COVID-19 risks in adults has been used as a means of misleadingly minimizing the risks of death and long-term effects in children. And Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz offers the receipts as to how the dangers of COVID itself are far more severe than any effect of public health measures intended to reduce its spread.

- Ahmed Mushfiq Moborak and Saad Moer recognize that we should be sending vaccines to the countries where they're most needed, rather than allowing them to expire in the midst of populations unwilling to receive them. And Sasa Petricic discusses how glaring failures in the face of the pandemic are leading to the unraveling of longstanding governance structures around the globe. 

- Liz Walker and Shanice Regis-Wilkins talk to Jim Stanford about the prospect of increasing the use of sectoral bargaining to increase the bargaining power of Canadian workers.

- John Woodside reports on the difference between the Libs and the NDP as to whether new infrastructure necessitated by a climate breakdown should primarily be built with public money for public benefit, or whether (as the Libs prefer) any planning is going to bake in private profit-taking.

- Finally, Paul Dechene discusses the downside of increased sprawl which seems to be under consideration by Regina's City Council. And Katelyn Duncan highlights how the Moe government has gone out of its way to make it difficult for Saskatchewan residents to mitigate some of the effects of car and truck-focused cities by switching to electric vehicles.

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Ed Yong sets out the three simple rules of COVID-19 at this stage - with the spread of variants among unvaccinated people threatening to undo the success achieved so far in limiting the risk to vaccinated populations. James Tapper and Robin McKie report on the WHO's warnings that a failure to ensure vaccines are available globally is allowing the Delta variant to gain the upper hand. And Robert Hart discusses the vulnerability of children to the Delta variant - even as that risk seems to have been largely ignored in a rush to slash public health protections.

- William Lindsley et al. find that masks and HEPA air cleaners - both individually or particularly in combination - are highly effective in reducing the transmission of COVID-19. And Sarah Addleman et al. confirm (PDF) that  it's essential to limit the spread of airborne particles.

- Angela Dewan discusses how the climate crisis is frying the northern hemisphere. And Robinson Meyer highlights how the U.S.' infrastructure isn't yet built - and indeed isn't being planned - to deal with the extreme weather resulting from a climate breakdown, while CBC News reports on the similar reality in Alberta.

- Sarah Kaplan reports on the direct human toll of extreme heat in the U.S.' Pacific Northwest. And John Vaillant writes that nowhere is safe from similar effects of climate change.

- Finally, Henry Giroux writes about how the sanitization of history reproduces longstanding inequalities. And Duncan Cameron argues that Canada can't allow a whitewashed national identity to prevent us from recognizing and acting to remedy historical violence and genocide against Indigenous peoples.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Adam Finn writes about the factors which have allowed for the rapid development of safe COVID-19 vaccines. 

- Helen Tang discusses the stress and frustration she's heard from the people she's had to reach as a contact tracer. Madeleine Cummings tells the stories of single parents navigating the pandemic. And Lisa Wolff and Terence Hamilton examine the support provided to families through Canada's pandemic relief - along with the need for structural change (including a national child care program) to lead our recovery efforts. 

- Robert Reich writes about the importance of an economy based on building up from the bottom, rather than hoping that wealth trickles down from the top. Dylan Penner warns against using the privatized Canada Infrastructure Bank for our post-COVID rebuilding. And Jill Mahoney reports on the lack of attention that's been paid to such basic infrastructure as school ventilation in the midst of a pandemic.

- Jim Elliott points out that contrary to the constant drumbeat of oil industry propaganda, there's plenty of public appetite for a transition to clean energy. Aaron Rutkoff writes that even the world's dirtiest carbon polluters are coming to terms with that reality. And Cheryl Katz highlights how large-scale battery storage is becoming a reality rather than a distant hope.

- Finally, Emily Chung argues against the current pattern of anti-repair design and planned obsolescence which makes our consumption far more harmful to the environment than it needs to be.