Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Simon Lee, Hayley Fowler and Paul Davies discuss how the climate breakdown has undercut the basis for existing models and assumptions about the type of extreme weather we'll face. And Kiley Price writes about the connection between the climate crisis and worsening wildfires. But Tim Bousquet points out that decision-makers are reacting by shrugging their shoulders and continuing to spew carbon pollution, while  Susan Riley asks how long we'll keep barging ahead with climate denial as our core operating principle. 

- David Zipper discusses how car-free neighbourhoods avoid the noise pollution (and other health hazards) which we accept as a given within a car-based culture, while also pointing out that the U.S. is funding massive highway expansions based on the laughable assumption that inducing more care use will somehow reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  

- George Monbiot highlights the numerous environmental and social benefits of a wealth tax, while asking who will back Brazil's push to implement one on an international scale. And Aaron Boley and Samantha Lawler note that the level of entitlement of the billionaire class has reached the point of endangering anybody on the surface of the Earth with uncontrolled falling space debris. 

- Philippa Roxby examines the connection between ultra-processed foods and poor health, while also noting the difficulty in demonstrating direct cause and effect. And Carl Bergstrom and C. Brandon Ogbunu write that social media is the junk food of information ingestion. 

- Finally, Jon Milton calls out the scam of "working-class conservatism" which uses the language of class politics as a means to further enrich and empower those who already have the most. Geoff Leo exposes the small- and large-C conservative connections of the shadowy group trying to take over Regina's city council. And David Climenhaga reports that Take Back Alberta is descending into the morass of criminality and internal bickering that represents the usual end point for a combination grift and right-wing ideological project. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Stephanie Soucheray discusses new research linking COVID-19 to subsequent sleep disturbances and dyspnea. And Linda Geddes reports on findings showing that a growing number of cases of diabetes can also be traced to COVID. 

- John Bell and Alex MacKenzie argue that Canada should develop its own pharmaceutical research and manufacturing infrastructure to treat rare diseases. And Andre Picard highlights how any effective response to the drug poisoning crisis needs to include harm reduction and social supports, rather than being limited to a demand that people immediately sequester themselves in for-profit treatment centres. 

- Meanwhile, the Canadian Press reports on the Moe government's diktat that health care workers conceal the dire state of Saskatchewan's medical system from the opposition. 

- Kate Aronoff discusses how inflated fossil fuel profits over the past couple of years are the direct result of war profiteering. And Julia Conley points out how corporate landlords are taking over more and more U.S. housing and driving up rents. 

- Finally, Alex Birrell calls out Sandra Masters for using convenient allegations of sexism to impose regressive policy choices and misogynistic themes which hurt women. 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Jonathan Lambert discusses how politicized messages have been used to weaponize uncertainty and changing information during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jonathan Howard points out how successful mitigation practices have been used to serve a misleading narrative downplaying the actual risks of COVID-19. Matt Gurney discusses the Canadian federal government's questionable decision to end supplies of rapid antigen tests while the pandemic rages on - as well as the lack of much apparent interest in challenging the choice. And Cara Murez reports on the research showing that reduced oxygen levels in the brain are among the effects of long COVID.

- Amy Westervelt reports on the fossil fuel sector's nine-figure capture of universities in the U.S, while Amy Mann writes that Canada too needs to stop letting oil and gas companies with a vested interest in continued carbon pollution fund and direct climate research. And Danielle Paradis reports on the choice by both Imperial Oil and the UCP government to inform First Nations and other affected parties of an unprecedented series of tailings pond leaks. 

- Trevor Tombe points out that the UCP's budget is designed to make the boom-and-bust cycle even bumpier than it was before. And Nick Warino discusses how Nordic countries are instead seeing large and stable returns from their investment in public enterprise.  

- Paris Marx warns against accepting Elon Musk's plan for a future which shifts to electric energy without otherwise disturbing the entrenched wealth structures which concentrate so much power in the hands of so few. 

- Finally, Alexander Quon surveys some experts about the claims of Regina's Catalyst Committee, and finds that nobody outside of Sandra Masters' backroom bunch thinks for a second that any returns from a downtown arena would come remotely close to justifying the expense. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Greg Jericho rightly notes that the COVID pandemic showed beyond doubt that poverty is a policy choice - which makes it all the more maddening that the powers that be are so determined to inflict it on people as part of any new "normal". And Ian Welsh invites us to imagine a world where the violence and need that characterize our political economy are themselves treated as unthinkable.

- Henry Giroux highlights the overlap between neoliberalism and fascism in treating large numbers of people as disposable. And Paul Dechene writes about the choice of Regina's City Council to disclaim any responsibility for, or interest in, ensuring people have homes as one of the aspects of city politics which needs to be burned up. 

- Joe Fish discusses the tragic gap between the Canadian research discovering vaccines which could save countless lives, and the complete lack of interest in developing and producing them due to an insufficiently profitable market. 

- Finally, Eugene Boisvert and Anisha Pillarisetty write about new modelling showing the risk of cascading extinctions caused by climate change. James Hansen et al. warn that existing greenhouse gas forcing could result in a 10 degree increase in global temperatures - far beyond the scenarios treated as even worst-case results of fossil fuel lock-in. And Dana Drugman reports on a new study showing how the oil industry has poured billions of dollars into preventing any action to ameliorate any climate breakdown.

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your long weekend reading.

- Umair Haque theorizes that the relatively benign outcome of the U.S.' recent election reflects a public that's finally rejecting Trumpism. But Krystal Ball notes that some of the most important Democratic success stories (notably including John Fetterman) included a message based on the recognition that government can use its power to help people, rather than a weary position that elections can't accomplish more than minimizing the damage inflicted by the other side.

- Ryan Patrick Jones and Nicole Brockbank list the well-connected landowners who stand to be enriched by Doug Ford's plan to turn protected greenbelt land into developers' profits. And Dale Smith points out that Ford's gratuitous use of the notwithstanding clause to attack workers out of sheer impatience and stubbornness signals that all human rights are at risk.

- Gaby Galvin offers a reminder that publicly-funded stadiums seldom accomplish anything other than to funnel money to a city's best-connected business figures. And Paul Dechene discusses how a push to put an arena downtown is leading Regina into another round of discarding social benefits in favour of corporate playthings. 

- Finally, Yasmine Ghania reports on the John Howard Society's push for the provincial government to invest in the social issues at the root of crime. But Adam Hunter reports that the Moe government is instead bent on establishing more - and more politically-controlled - police and security forces even when all available evidence points to an absence of benefit for the cost.

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- A panel of experts has offered a set of recommendations to deal with the current COVID-19 reality, including a particular focus on the need for whole-of-society action rather than leaving a global pandemic to individual choices. And David Berger highlights how the facts starkly contradict the claim that we've beaten COVID rather than surrendering to it.  

- Jon Milton offers a primer on the Ford PCs' unilateral negation of collective bargaining and striking in order to avoid sharing money which the province has in hand with education workers. David Moscrop writes that the use of the notwithstanding clause in particular is indefensible from the standpoint of remotely competent governance. And Adam King highlights the importance of solidarity in pushing back against Ford's abuse of power to attack workers. 

- Meanwhile, Laura Glowacki reports on the soaring costs of healthy food which is being pushed further out of reach by wage suppression. 

- Jennifer Ludden reports on Cincinnati's smart move to take over housing from absentee landlords to ensure it's available for residents. And that makes for a stark contrast against what's happening in Regina, as Gillian Massie reports on the plight of homeless people as winter weather arrives without the city doing anything but threatening them. 

- Finally, Zeynep Tufecki writes that we shouldn't let the absurdity of Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter distract from the problems with allowing our main social media connections to be operated to primarily serve the interests of corporate advertisers rather than users. 

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Armine Yalnizyan writes that in the face of an impending self-inflicted recession, governments should be using their available resources (and taxing the richest people and corporations) to make sure people at the bottom of the income scale don't once again bear the brunt of economic upheaval. And David Macdonald points out that Canada's provinces have plenty of extra cash on hand compared to this year's projections to take care of people who need help. But Jim Stanford notes that central banks are instead focusing on suppressing wages while raising no issue with profit shares far exceeding their acceptable rate of inflation. And Marco Chown Oved reports that Loblaws in particular has turned inflation into an opportunity for massive profiteering.

- Johannes Van Zul reports on new research showing that COVID-19 can activate the same inflammatory processes in the brain as Parkinson's disease. And Melanie Paradis discusses the glaring shortage of medication for children facing the combination of COVID, cold and flu. So naturally, corporate Canada's response is...to demand that government workers be forced back into offices to increase the spread of the coronavirus. 

- Robin McKie discusses how the window to avert climate catastrophe is rapidly closing. And Christopher Flavelle reports on the Biden administration's recognition that many communities will have no choice but to relocate in the face of baked-in climate change. 

- Meanwhile, Ben Elgin and Sindura Rangarajan report that many of the already-insufficient emission credits claimed so far are the result of accounting tricks and impossible promises rather than actual work to reduce carbon pollution. And Simon Enoch and Emily Eaton point out what Regina could be doing to implement its climate equity framework - even as its current decisions are almost invariably tilted in the opposite direction.  

- Finally, Edward Keenan writes that there's reason for anger at Doug Ford's glaring disrespect for school support staff (among other workers).

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Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Hussein Kadhem Al-Hakeim et al. examine the relationship between oxygen deprivation and severe long COVID symptoms. Crawford Kilian makes the case for an inquiry to show where our pandemic response has gone wrong, while recognizing that the people responsible for those very decisions won't be eager to see their actions put under the microscope. And CBC News reports on the reality that the pandemic remains an ongoing nightmare for health care workers even as far too many others try to deny its continuing existence. 

- Alec Salloum reports on the justified frustrations of those working to help homeless people in Regina and encountering a mix of neglect and outright hostility from the governments who should be taking responsibility for people's safety and well-being. And CBC News reports on the similar choices made in Toronto (which don't figure to change any in light of an austerian mayor winning re-election). 

- Mark Schapiro highlights the financial interests pushing for continued climate degradation, while noting most people have far more to gain from a transition to a sustainable economic model. Simon Evans writes about a new study from the International Institute for Sustainable Development concluding that new fossil fuel development is entirely incompatible with our meeting existing climate targets. 

- Peter Schadt and Hans Zobel interview Hans-Jurgen Urban about the options to make sure workers don't pay the price for an energy crisis based on continued fossil fuel dependence. 

- Finally, AFP reports on new Greenpeace research into the gross failure of plastic recycling in the U.S., which is seeing only 5% of plastic waste (and falling) actually being repurposed. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- David Axe reports on the spread of a new COVID-19 subvariant which pairs increased transmissibility with resistance to antibody therapies. And Andrew Gregory reports on the World Health Organization's pleas for some recognition of the damage being done by long COVID, while Benjamin Mazer writes about the particular dangers of the post-infection phase in causing long-term damage.  

- Darren Major reports that the disaster relief fund intended to respond to climate change-fuelled disasters until 2031 has run out of money to deal with even the damage done to date.

- Damian Carrington reports on new research showing that the spread of toxic microplastics extends into humans' breast milk.

- Leyland Cecco reports on the AusterityTO public art which is bringing attention to the costs of municipal neglect - even as the establishment looks to lock it in for yet another term. Jennifer Pagliaro points out the gross underinvestment in community supports as money is instead funneled into an already-inflated police budget. And Alec Salloum reports on the continued lack of resources for unhoused people in Regina, as Sandra Masters focuses the city's immediate attention on dismantling any help they might obtain through mutual aid while putting off even a preliminary discussion of funding until the dead of winter. 

- Finally, Katie Hyslop is able to offer a look at the socially conservative school board candidates being advance in order to make bigotry a central element of public education.

Monday Evening Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- CBS reports on the Walk to Remember intended to highlight the continued need for long COVID supports. And Elizabeth Thompson reports on the federal government workers who are rightly challenging the demand to return to offices for little apparent reason (and with no regard for their well-being).

- Salmaan Farooqi points out the epidemic of hospital and emergency room closures as an uncontrolled COVID wave slams into a health care system already set up to fail (to the point where nursing students are receiving specific instruction on the extreme stress of their future work environments). And Matt Gurney writes that the Ford PCs aren't willing to do more than issue self-aggrandizing press releases even as people in need of health care die from their neglect.

- Rosa Saba discusses how inflation is affecting people already struggling to get by on lower incomes - though it goes without saying that a round of wage and benefit suppression isn't any help. To the contrary, Samir Sonti recognizes that collective bargaining is one of the few means for workers to at least avoid falling further behind.

- Adam Johnson writes that a distinct increase in visible suffering is being used by the right as an excuse to promote state violence, rather than a reason to care for each other.

- Finally, Paul Dechene offers a reminder of the promise of housing which was used to sell public investment in Regina's football stadium - and which has apparently been fully discarded as opportunistic entertainment industries demand yet another round of shiny new buildings at the expense of people's basic needs.

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your long weekend reading.

- David Macdonald writes that if there's a risk of a recession being caused by interest rate hikes, it's because people with wealth and power have chosen to engineer one on purpose. And Ken Klippenstein and Jon Schwarz report on an internal Bank of America memo stating that the hope is to undercut labour strength at a point when people are in a position to demand higher wages and better treatment.

- Zeke Hausfather discusses how we're on track for yet another summer of record-breaking heat as a result of a worsening climate breakdown, while Robin McKie writes about Bill McGuire's observations on both how much had gone awry already and how much worse matters will get if we don't reverse course immediately. And Julia Conley reports that catastrophic flooding in Kentucky represents another extreme weather event traceable to the climate crisis.

- Justin Mikulka writes about the hopeful signs that the gas industry won't lock us into methane-dependent "blue" hydrogen due to the lower cost of renewable alternatives - though we still need to be wary of fossil fuel sector lobbying to have governments put a thumb on the scale. And Paris Marx writes that a shift to electric vehicles alone won't be anywhere near enough to make a dent if it's not paired with policies to reduce car dependence.

- Meanwhile, Paul Dechene offers a reminder of the City of Regina's broken promises to address people's core needs eventually after funneling money toward shiny megaprojects - as it's now looking at a new round of sports and entertainment spending after doing nothing to work on the housing and revitalization which was supposed to be paired with the construction of a brand new Mosaic Stadium.

- Finally, Andrea Hsu discusses the millions of Americans suffering from long COVID, and the ripple effects of their being unable to work as before in an environment where employers don't bother offering required accommodations.

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Ben Cohen writes about the expert consensus on the need for booster shots and public health measures to slow the spread of the Omicron COVID variant.

- Juliana Kaplan and Andy Kiersz write about the latest World Inequality Report, which shows ever more obscene wealth getting funneled into fewer and fewer hands. And Jim Bronskill reports on Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien's warnings about the growth of surveillance capitalism which combines an insatiable lust for profit with dangerous amounts of knowledge about the consumers targeted.

- Naomi Oreskes and Jeff Nesbit discuss how the fossil fuel sector has rigged political outcomes to ensure it will still be rolling in profits long after anybody can seriously claim there's an economic case for oil and gas development. Juan Oritz highlights how Canadian banks are continuing to fund the destruction of our natural environment. And Emily Atkin and Jesse Coleman write that Exxon is still deliberately denying climate science - including its own research into the foreseeability of a climate breakdown. 

- David Broadland notes that forestry is another industry where the subsidies given away to preserve the illusion of a viable industry exceed the economic returns from the industry itself. 

- Seth Klein offers a how-to guide in eliminating fossil fuel dependence from one's own home.

- Finally, Rachel Gilmore writes about at least a partial shift away from a puritanical and punitive approach to drug policy in Canada. But Alexander Quon reports that Regina's supposed resolution of the need for Camp Hope has instead given rise to just one more shelter with a long waitlist and an inability to help many of the people who most need it.

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Guy Quenneville reports on Dr. Saqib Shahab's warning that Saskatchewan needs to improve its vaccination rates and minimize social mixing to avoid a fifth COVID wave this winter. And Kelly Skjerven reports on modelling showing that delays in testing and seeking treatment are resulting in the majority of COVID admissions to ICU are happening within a day of admission to a hospital - signaling that people are ending up with more severe cases after delaying testing and treatment. 

- Meanwhile, Trevor Wilhelm reports on the belated arrest of an anti-vaxxer who bombed a Windsor assembly plant. 

- Arno Kopecky writes that the multiple calamities which have hit British Columbia this year should warn us what awaits everybody if we don't take immediate action to avert a climate breakdown, while Judith Lavoie discusses the connection between clear-cutting and the recent floods and landslides. And Damian Carrington reports on new mapping showing the natural carbon sinks which need to be preserved to avoid exacerbating the climate crisis. 

- Finally, Linda McQuaig warns that big oil continues to dictate the terms of any climate discussion. Cameron Fenton calls out the new language of climate denial grounded in delay and inaction, while Paul Dechene examines those principles as they apply to Regina's reluctance to accept even a statement of intention to join other municipalities in pursuing net zero emissions. And Rebecca Solnit offers some tips for confronting the climate challenge without losing hope. 

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.

On giveaways

It seems that our former Lib MP is chuffed about the corporatized FCL's takeover of the assets of True North Renewable Fuels. But Regina's citizens may have some questions.

After all, it was just a month ago that City Council approved a million dollars' worth of public money to fund an engineering study for True North. And one would think the decision-making process would have looked rather different if the proponent was one which could easily have funded the expense itself.

Moreover, if True North's assets are being transferred, the grant money and any results of the study would figure to form part of that - while any ability to repay the City will be in severe doubt.

So let's ask: how did True North's valuation for sales purposes change as a result of the City's grant? How much will FCL benefit from a public grant intended to support a new operator rather than an existing corporate monolith? And how much information - or how little - about the now-concluded sale was communicated to the City when it made its decision?

On first steps

Hey look, some positive election results! Congratulations to everybody who ran in Regina's municipal elections (and in those around the province) - and particularly the progressive electees who will have the chance to shape policy for the next four year.

But while it's a relief to have representatives in place who can be trusted to make the right decisions on the matters placed before them, I hope they'll take the opportunity to go beyond that and instead work on developing more participatory processes for budgeting and policy-making.

That's so for a couple of reasons.

First, municipal governments and school boards are creatures of provincial legislation. And the Sask Party - like its cousin governments elsewhere - has never been shy about stripping away any power which might be used to support local decision-making which isn't fully in line with its plans.

There's no away around the theoretical risk of the province meddling. But it will be possible to impose a much higher price for any interference if more people are invested in what's at issue.

Second, a large number of Regina's races were won with small pluralities or narrow majorities. In the former case, there's an obvious need to build support just to be able to withstand a reduced number of candidates in 2024; in both cases, it's worth reinforcing the trust constituents have offered, lest any failure to engage be seen as reason for them to vote differently next time out.

In sum, I'm very much looking forward to seeing what this term will hold for Regina. But ideally, we'll look back at last night as only the first step in a long-lasting change toward people-centred governance.

Saturday #yqrvotes Links

Having previously posted on voters' options, I'll offer one more roundup of the latest on Regina's municipal elections (for those who haven't joined the crowds voting early). 

- The lead up to election day has seen the Regina Public School Board take some additional steps to protect students, including by making masking mandatory at all ages and reducing the capacity of high schools by 50%. (Of course, it would help if either of those steps involved meaningful support from the province.)

- Sask Dispatch's coverage features Richelle Dubois and Michelle Stewart discussing defunding the police; John Klein and Carla Harris each writing about what the election means for transit; Joey Reynolds and Florence Stratton writing about ending homelessness; Saba Dar weighing in on the environment; and Jim Gallagher discussing Wascana Park.

- Heidi Atter reports on the appropriate calls for Regina's mayoral candidates to disclose their donors before the election - and the unfortunate choice of the main contenders to show no interest in letting people know what they're voting for.

- And Atter also reports on the results of EnviroCollective's candidate survey on renewable energy.

- Finally, Heather Persson makes the case for residents to exercise their right to shape the future of Saskatchewan's municipalities.

On uninspired choices

Following up on this post about Regina's city council elections, the range of possible outcomes in the race for mayor looks far more limited.

Once again, Jim Elliott is on the ballot as the candidate with the strongest policies on paper. But it's hard to hold out much hope for a perennial candidate who's been unable to break 12% of the vote even as the primary challenger - which means that it would be nice to be able to cast a ballot with more chance of meaningfully affecting the result.

On that front, there are two lines of reasoning worth considering.

First, there's the theory that it may be worth casting an anybody-but-Flegel ballot. On name recognition and resources, Jerry Flegel may have a fighting chance of winning - and on policy, it's hard to imagine a worse outcome than endorsing a plan to throw new money at arenas, stadiums and police alongside an implicit expectation of austerity for everything else.

That said, we also need to consider who would stand to benefit from such a campaign. 

Incumbent Michael Fougere is making a few less preposterous promises, and has learned to speak a language that appeals to a relatively wide cross-section of voters. But when it comes time to make any decision, he's regularly shown both a willingness to accede to the wishes of the Saskatchewan Party, and a preference for symbolism over action.

That leaves one other plausible contender for a vote: Sandra Masters, who obviously has Fougere's attention as the main target of his campaign attacks.

On paper, she'd bring a strong resume to the table. In practice, she's been far too willing to resort to anti-tax and austerian language which seems to contradict an otherwise reasonable set of plans and priorities. 

As a result, the choice looks to come down to an evaluation of whether Masters will offer a meaningfully better option than the other candidates with a path to victory in listening if the best happens in the Council votes, and offering any resistance if the worst materializes. And while the difference looks to be incremental rather than polar on both fronts, it still looks to be worth voting for the prospect of something better.

On stark choices

The advance polls are now open in Regina's municipal election, while mail-in ballots have been available for some time. So I'll take the opportunity to discuss voters' options - beginning with the City Council races which make for perhaps the most interesting set of possibilities we've seen in decades.

I've already pointed out Paul Dechene's view of the possible downsides. And Sara Birlios' report includes pessimism as to the prospect of achieving much through electoral means, especially at the municipal level.

But to the extent it's possible to make positive change through municipal government, this year's set of options provides a stronger prospect of that than any in recent memory.

To start with, there's at least some room to build on existing votes and relationships on Council, including a strong majority willing to voting for a renewable energy plan, and multiple votes from what I'd hope are safe Council seats to fund an anti-homelessness program.

From there, it's not hard to see how the election could plausibly result in a durable majority of progressive Council members, plus at least a couple of incumbents (one of whom has already been acclaimed) willing to work on issues as they arise.

Of course, the downside is that there's an equally foreseeable path to a Council littered with rank bigotry, planned giveaways to developers, reliance on overpolicing, and a bevy of anti-revenue rhetoric. We could realistically see John Findura remain the most backward councillor in the city on renewable energy based on his wanting to put off voting on a sustainability framework; we could also realistically end up saddled with a majority of councillors far worse than him on that and many other issues.

We've certainly approached municipal elections from a worse starting point than having a somewhat responsive Council, and an opportunity to elect better. And the uninspiring choices for mayor (which I'll address next) may seem a lot more palatable if we can do the work to elect councillors who will put people first.

So for those looking to make a difference (particularly after the disappointment of the provincial election), now is the time to get people out to support Cheryl Stadnichuk, Andrew Stevens, Dan LeBlanc, Shobna Radons, Shanon Zachidniak, Jason Mancinelli (as a cooperative councillor in a ward with no RDLC endorsement), and Landon Mohl.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Annie Lowrey writes about the affordability crisis which has left most Americans in dire financial straits even as aggregate economic numbers look reasonably strong:

(B)eyond the headline economic numbers, a multifarious and strangely invisible economic crisis metastasized: Let’s call it the Great Affordability Crisis. This crisis involved not just what families earned but the other half of the ledger, too—how they spent their earnings. In one of the best decades the American economy has ever recorded, families were bled dry by landlords, hospital administrators, university bursars, and child-care centers. For millions, a roaring economy felt precarious or downright terrible.

Viewing the economy through a cost-of-living paradigm helps explain why roughly two in five American adults would struggle to come up with $400 in an emergency so many years after the Great Recession ended. It helps explain why one in five adults is unable to pay the current month’s bills in full. It demonstrates why a surprise furnace-repair bill, parking ticket, court fee, or medical expense remains ruinous for so many American families, despite all the wealth this country has generated. Fully one in three households is classified as “financially fragile.”
...
What is perhaps most frustrating is that the Great Affordability Crisis is amenable to policy solutions—ones most other rich countries adopted decades ago. In other developed economies, child care, early education, and higher education are public goods, and do not require high-interest-rate debts or endless scrambling by exhausted young parents to procure. Other wealthy countries have public-health systems that cover everybody at far lower cost, whether through socialized or private models. And numerous proposals would transform residential construction in this country, including one that just failed in California’s legislature.

- Jordan Yadoo and Noah Buhayar report that the disconnect between wages and housing costs is spreading from the U.S.' largest urban areas across the country. Andrew Longhurst writes about British Columbia's need for far more public assisted living. And CBC News reports that the City of Regina's public posturing about reducing homelessness has led to zero funds being allocated.

- Gabriel Zucman and Emmanuel Saez discuss the need for a wealth tax to rein in the distortion of the U.S.' economy and political system by the richest few. And Jereon Kraaijenbrink points out why even some of the .1% are making a public push for a more fair tax system which would result in their contributing more.

- Meanwhile, Christo Aivalis is the latest to highlight how the Libs' "middle class tax cut" in fact does little for the people who most need the federal government's help. Sam Jones reports on the findings of the UN’s special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights that Spain has left people to struggle in poverty even as its economy has recovered from recession. And Phillip Inman reports on new research into the continuing increases in the number of UK workers living in poverty.

- Finally, Tim Harford is optimistic about the prospects of a dematerialising economy which allows for social progress while limiting the environmental damage done by economic growth.