Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- Joseph Stiglitz discusses the divides which have been exposed and exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. And Anand Giridharidas talks to Varshini Prakash about how a plan to deal with the climate crisis will contribute to solving many of the other issues we're currently facing.
- Terry Sunderland writes about the environmental damage wrought by our poor food choices. And Emma Howard discusses Donald Trump's attempt to push plastic products into Africa through trade deals - though David Roberts notes that any prospect of prolonging oil development through plastics is likely doomed in any event.
- Annina Claesson makes the case for us to follow Finland's lead in examining the prospect of a six-hour work day.
- The Star's editorial board makes the case to reduce class sizes to help limit the spread of COVID-19. But the Canadian Press reports on the effect of Ontario's education funding system in ensuring that class sizes stay high due to "collapsed" classrooms even if fewer students are attending school in person.
- Finally, Jonathan Wang, Saba Vahid, Maria Eberg, Shannon Milroy, John Milkovich, Frances C. Wright, Amber Hunter, Ryan Kalladeen, Claudia Zanchetta, Harindra C. Wijeysundera and Jonathan Irish study the surgical backlog caused by COVID-19 in Ontario - with the conclusion that it will take upwards of a year and a half to get back up to date figuring to apply to other provinces as well.And the Los Angeles Times' editorial board weighs in on the reality that any talk of "herd immunity" means nothing more than facilitating avoidable deaths.
Saturday, September 05, 2020
Friday, September 04, 2020
Thursday, September 03, 2020
Thursday Evening Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.
- Harold Varmus and Rajiv Shah write that the CDC's willingness to parrot the Trump administration's desire for less COVID-19 testing is forcing states and other actors to take up the job of providing appropriate public health advice. And David Climenhaga points out the rightful frustration of Alberta parents and education workers who have been told that the social distancing rules applicable to every other building in the province will be ignored in schools - even as the U.S. sees soaring rates of infection among children.
- Leilani Farha and Kaitlin Schwan offer a reminder that homelessness is a matter of life and death in the midst of a pandemic. Victoria Gibson discusses the Toronto families being torn apart by inadequate housing. And Dan Darrah highlights the problems with a real estate market administered primarily to build stores of wealth, rather than to ensure that people of all income levels have a reasonable place to live.
- The Economic Policy Institute studies the advantages in wages, sick days and health benefits held by union workers compared to unorganized labour. But Bob Hennelly writes that with corporate wealth getting more concentrated and unions losing ground, workers in general are being treated as perpetually more expendable.
- Finally, Philip Oltermann highlights how Germany is significantly better off for having welcomed far more refugees than other wealthy countries.
- Harold Varmus and Rajiv Shah write that the CDC's willingness to parrot the Trump administration's desire for less COVID-19 testing is forcing states and other actors to take up the job of providing appropriate public health advice. And David Climenhaga points out the rightful frustration of Alberta parents and education workers who have been told that the social distancing rules applicable to every other building in the province will be ignored in schools - even as the U.S. sees soaring rates of infection among children.
- Leilani Farha and Kaitlin Schwan offer a reminder that homelessness is a matter of life and death in the midst of a pandemic. Victoria Gibson discusses the Toronto families being torn apart by inadequate housing. And Dan Darrah highlights the problems with a real estate market administered primarily to build stores of wealth, rather than to ensure that people of all income levels have a reasonable place to live.
- The Economic Policy Institute studies the advantages in wages, sick days and health benefits held by union workers compared to unorganized labour. But Bob Hennelly writes that with corporate wealth getting more concentrated and unions losing ground, workers in general are being treated as perpetually more expendable.
- Finally, Philip Oltermann highlights how Germany is significantly better off for having welcomed far more refugees than other wealthy countries.
Wednesday, September 02, 2020
Missing in action
Shorter Sask Party when it comes to using steel as an excuse for pipeline approvals:
It's vital that we uncritically cheerlead for EVERY SINGLE PIPELINE PROPOSAL for the sake of Saskatchewan steel jobs!Short Sask Party when it comes to ensuring Saskatchewan steel is actually used for pipeline construction when another producer from offshore is undercutting our workers:
(crickets)
Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.
- Dean Russell and Jamie Smith Hopkins write about the mental health consequences of the disasters the world is wrestling with at the moment.
- Milan Polk surveys doctors about the need to revise our current reliance on six feet of social distancing as being sufficient. And John Michael McGrath points out how public health is suffering due to the delayed approval of self-testing for COVID-19.
- Jesse Winter reports on British Columbia's tragic number of drug overdoses and deaths, while Alicia Bridges reports on soaring rates in Regina as well. And Tracy Giesz-Ramsey discusses how the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the existing overdose crisis - which makes it all the more galling to see Justin Trudeau declare that he isn't interested in decriminalization as a means of reducing harm if it isn't a silver bullet for all possible concerns.
- Igor Derysh reports on the pharmaceutical executives who turned pandemic contracts from the Trump administration into windfall share sales. PressProgress reports on a push by medical groups to ensure that critical care drugs are available. And Andrew Richter's criticism of the Libs' lack of concrete steps to secure access to COVID-19 vaccines likewise highlights how much we'd stand to gain from a public pharmaceutical manufacturer.
- Josh Eidelson writes about the employers who are endangering everybody by imposing COVID-19 gag orders on their workers, while the Star's editorial board makes the seemingly obvious case to have Ontario's government warn people about workplace outbreaks. Kate Aronoff exposes Tesla's stunning assertion that it can avoid employment standards by labeling its mistreatment of workers as "trade secrets". And Eidelson and Spencer Soper report on Amazon's job posting specifically aimed at trying to impose SLAPP suits on labour organizers, while Lauren Kaori Gurley and Joseph Cox report on its spying on closed Facebook groups.
- Finally, Asher Schechter interviews David Dayen about the harm monopoly corporate power inflicts on the public.
- Dean Russell and Jamie Smith Hopkins write about the mental health consequences of the disasters the world is wrestling with at the moment.
- Milan Polk surveys doctors about the need to revise our current reliance on six feet of social distancing as being sufficient. And John Michael McGrath points out how public health is suffering due to the delayed approval of self-testing for COVID-19.
- Jesse Winter reports on British Columbia's tragic number of drug overdoses and deaths, while Alicia Bridges reports on soaring rates in Regina as well. And Tracy Giesz-Ramsey discusses how the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the existing overdose crisis - which makes it all the more galling to see Justin Trudeau declare that he isn't interested in decriminalization as a means of reducing harm if it isn't a silver bullet for all possible concerns.
- Igor Derysh reports on the pharmaceutical executives who turned pandemic contracts from the Trump administration into windfall share sales. PressProgress reports on a push by medical groups to ensure that critical care drugs are available. And Andrew Richter's criticism of the Libs' lack of concrete steps to secure access to COVID-19 vaccines likewise highlights how much we'd stand to gain from a public pharmaceutical manufacturer.
- Josh Eidelson writes about the employers who are endangering everybody by imposing COVID-19 gag orders on their workers, while the Star's editorial board makes the seemingly obvious case to have Ontario's government warn people about workplace outbreaks. Kate Aronoff exposes Tesla's stunning assertion that it can avoid employment standards by labeling its mistreatment of workers as "trade secrets". And Eidelson and Spencer Soper report on Amazon's job posting specifically aimed at trying to impose SLAPP suits on labour organizers, while Lauren Kaori Gurley and Joseph Cox report on its spying on closed Facebook groups.
- Finally, Asher Schechter interviews David Dayen about the harm monopoly corporate power inflicts on the public.
Tuesday, September 01, 2020
Tuesday Evening Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.
- Jim Stanford discusses the need to ensure corporations pay their fair share for the social infrastructure which allows them to thrive.
- Jennifer Garrison writes about the gender imbalance in Alberta's back-to-school plan. And Heather Scoffield highlights how Justin Trudeau's prorogation of Parliament is contrary to any respect for the interests of Canadian women whose needs in the pandemic were being studied by one of the committees whose work was cut short.
- Meanwhile, Stephanie Ross and Larry Savage write about the women who are changing the face of the Canadian labour movement.
- Nafeez Ahmed reports on new research showing that the oil industry's expected life span is measured in only a few decades - with no need for new supplies in the meantime. And David Keith, Sarah Hastings-Simon and Ed Whittingham point out the futility of pouring money into a dying tar sands sector.
- Dylan Penner examines the disturbing connections between the fossil fuel sector and the militarization of police forces.
- Finally, Alexandre Tanzi writes about the massive benefits from reduced commuting as people were able to work from home in light of COVID-19.
- Jim Stanford discusses the need to ensure corporations pay their fair share for the social infrastructure which allows them to thrive.
- Jennifer Garrison writes about the gender imbalance in Alberta's back-to-school plan. And Heather Scoffield highlights how Justin Trudeau's prorogation of Parliament is contrary to any respect for the interests of Canadian women whose needs in the pandemic were being studied by one of the committees whose work was cut short.
- Meanwhile, Stephanie Ross and Larry Savage write about the women who are changing the face of the Canadian labour movement.
- Nafeez Ahmed reports on new research showing that the oil industry's expected life span is measured in only a few decades - with no need for new supplies in the meantime. And David Keith, Sarah Hastings-Simon and Ed Whittingham point out the futility of pouring money into a dying tar sands sector.
- Dylan Penner examines the disturbing connections between the fossil fuel sector and the militarization of police forces.
- Finally, Alexandre Tanzi writes about the massive benefits from reduced commuting as people were able to work from home in light of COVID-19.
Monday, August 31, 2020
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.
- Hannah Aldridge writes that we should be expecting far more from the provinces in taking care of people in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic - particularly since the federal government has absorbed so much of the fiscal cost of relief:
- Amit Arya, Amina Jabbar, Vivian Stamatopoulos write that improved staffing levels are a must to avoid another wave of COVID-19 deaths in care homes.
- Finally, Rita Trachur writes about Canada's continued status as a haven for money launderers.And Brad Setser offers a reminder that we have the option of addressing tax avoidance through trade agreements - if we care enough to put it on the same footing as corporate interests.
- Hannah Aldridge writes that we should be expecting far more from the provinces in taking care of people in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic - particularly since the federal government has absorbed so much of the fiscal cost of relief:
The EI changes have effectively created two income floors—one for those with recent work experience, and a much lower one for those furthest from the labour market.- Abacus Data finds that parents are understandably wary of the return to school this fall. Marek Aukerman writes about the lack of transparency in Alberta's back-to-school plan. Amy Smart reports on a push for stronger protection for health and safety in British Columbia's return to classrooms. Lauren Pelley reports on the Toronto schools - largely concentrated in what are already disadvantaged areas - which face the greatest risk of transmission of COVID-19 this fall. Tyson Fedor reports on the push by Alberta's teachers and NDP to use available public building space to reduce class sizes. Joseph Allen, Jack Spengler and Jose Cedeño-Laurent note that opening windows may offer at least one means of making schools safer, while Jennifer Davis writes about the benefits of outdoor learning to the extent it's possible. Sherina Harris discusses how paid sick leave is a must for schools to be safe. And Julia Knope writes about the students with disabilities who may have no choice but to stay home due to a lack of planning for their well-being in reopening plans.
This leaves an opportunity for provincial and territorial governments to step up and reinvest their savings from these changes in those left behind. They should extend and expand the temporary benefits that have been put into place to increase the supports provided to social assistance recipients.
If the provinces and territories do not invest this windfall in social assistance recipients, they will be reinforcing and exacerbating Canada’s two-tier system of supports—a more generous income floor for those with recent employment, and a barely livable one for those with the greatest disadvantages.
Provincial and territorial governments can’t hide behind the idea that they don’t have the money to do so, because the federal government has quietly given them the resources to support those left behind by the new measures.
- Amit Arya, Amina Jabbar, Vivian Stamatopoulos write that improved staffing levels are a must to avoid another wave of COVID-19 deaths in care homes.
- Finally, Rita Trachur writes about Canada's continued status as a haven for money launderers.And Brad Setser offers a reminder that we have the option of addressing tax avoidance through trade agreements - if we care enough to put it on the same footing as corporate interests.
Sunday, August 30, 2020
On selective normalcy
Shorter Government of Saskatchewan:
It's absolutely crucial for children's development and mental health that their back-to-school experience be as normal as possible. Especially when it comes to being in classrooms as large and packed as they're accustomed to.Also shorter Government of Saskatchewan:
So the kids won't be able to see Grandma and Grandpa until next July. They'll just have to suck it up.
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.
- Crawford Kilian takes a look at Kurt Andersen's new book on the collaboration between massively wealthy people and those willing to be subjugated to their interests who have re-engineered society for their benefit, to the detriment of everybody else.
- Oren Cass comments on the folly of measuring our economy and society solely through GDP. And Duncan Thorp discusses the importance of rebuilding around a well-being economy.
- Sara Mojtehedzadeh reports on the attempt by a temp agency to saddle a worker with a $30,000 bill after his job disappeared as a result of COVID-19. And the Star's editorial board recognizes the case as an example of the need for improved protection for precarious workers.
- Meanwhile, PressProgress examines how employers are trying to use a pandemic to deny workers the benefits they've bargained for. Jon Milton writes about the efforts of Dollarama employees to fight for safe workplaces and fair wages - particularly in the face of yet another attempt to claw back pandemic pay. And Megan Lupo, Nino Abdaladze, Molly Bohannon, Sanjana Garg, Jamie Fields and Katie Surma report on the essential workers trying to navigate a pandemic while homeless.
- Bill McKibben writes that the U.S. has run out of presidential terms to delay in dealing with climate change. And David Roberts examines the devastating effects that another term of Donald Trump would have on our planet.
- Finally, Paul Wells examines the farce of Bill Blair's panel on solitary confinement. And Justin Ling notes that it's only after the panel's resignation was publicly reported that the Libs took any steps to allow it to function.
- Crawford Kilian takes a look at Kurt Andersen's new book on the collaboration between massively wealthy people and those willing to be subjugated to their interests who have re-engineered society for their benefit, to the detriment of everybody else.
- Oren Cass comments on the folly of measuring our economy and society solely through GDP. And Duncan Thorp discusses the importance of rebuilding around a well-being economy.
- Sara Mojtehedzadeh reports on the attempt by a temp agency to saddle a worker with a $30,000 bill after his job disappeared as a result of COVID-19. And the Star's editorial board recognizes the case as an example of the need for improved protection for precarious workers.
- Meanwhile, PressProgress examines how employers are trying to use a pandemic to deny workers the benefits they've bargained for. Jon Milton writes about the efforts of Dollarama employees to fight for safe workplaces and fair wages - particularly in the face of yet another attempt to claw back pandemic pay. And Megan Lupo, Nino Abdaladze, Molly Bohannon, Sanjana Garg, Jamie Fields and Katie Surma report on the essential workers trying to navigate a pandemic while homeless.
- Bill McKibben writes that the U.S. has run out of presidential terms to delay in dealing with climate change. And David Roberts examines the devastating effects that another term of Donald Trump would have on our planet.
- Finally, Paul Wells examines the farce of Bill Blair's panel on solitary confinement. And Justin Ling notes that it's only after the panel's resignation was publicly reported that the Libs took any steps to allow it to function.
Saturday, August 29, 2020
Off target
In case there was any doubt how much of a gap there is between the Moe government's propensity for making promises about COVID-19 control and its capacity to delivery, how's this for a timeline?
August 10, 2020: Having just hired 90 additional staff to deal with a massive backlog in the testing intake process, the Saskatchewan Health Authority loudly announces that it will be able to test 4,000 people per day by September 1.
August 28, 2020: The Saskatchewan Health Authority's status in recruiting staff needed to meet that target by the next week consists of...relaxing the standards applied to laboratory workers (meaning that new workers will require more training), and having "hopes" of hiring additional medical laboratory technologists to provide far more capacity than currently exists.
To be clear, it's essential for the province to both build its testing capacity, and encourage people to make use of it (particularly in light of the stories of delay which have been told so far).
But we have every reason to be wary of a government which fails to plan ahead for what's needed, makes promises that can't be kept because of that failure, and then bases organizational decisions on a combination of panic and wishful thinking based on the hope of salvaging something from the wreckage.
August 10, 2020: Having just hired 90 additional staff to deal with a massive backlog in the testing intake process, the Saskatchewan Health Authority loudly announces that it will be able to test 4,000 people per day by September 1.
August 28, 2020: The Saskatchewan Health Authority's status in recruiting staff needed to meet that target by the next week consists of...relaxing the standards applied to laboratory workers (meaning that new workers will require more training), and having "hopes" of hiring additional medical laboratory technologists to provide far more capacity than currently exists.
To be clear, it's essential for the province to both build its testing capacity, and encourage people to make use of it (particularly in light of the stories of delay which have been told so far).
But we have every reason to be wary of a government which fails to plan ahead for what's needed, makes promises that can't be kept because of that failure, and then bases organizational decisions on a combination of panic and wishful thinking based on the hope of salvaging something from the wreckage.
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- Richard Wilkinson writes that the key to building back better in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic is to close the gap in income and wealth between the rich and everybody else, with the goal of meeting both material and social needs:
- On that front, Tom Philpott discusses how the U.S.' food supply is needlessly precarious. And Dana Granofsky, Kira Heineck, Steve Lurie and Kwame McKenzie highlight the danger that we could see a new wave of homelessness connected to a resurgence of COVID-19 this fall - even as Jen St. Denis points out the lack of uptake on tiny homes in Vancouver (or elsewhere in Canada) despite the success of the same idea in U.S. cities which have pursued it.
- Finally, Christopher Cheung and Rochelle Baker each report on a push for action against a drug overdose crisis which is killing far more people than COVID-19 in British Columbia.
- Richard Wilkinson writes that the key to building back better in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic is to close the gap in income and wealth between the rich and everybody else, with the goal of meeting both material and social needs:
(T)he most potent generators of chronic stress are embedded in the social fabric, in our lives and relationships with one another. Three aspects stand out above others: the damaging effects of low social status, whether that is due to poverty, racism or any other cause; the quality of care in early childhood; and the strongly protective effects of friendship and social integration.- And Andrew Jackson challenges Chrystia Freeland to pursue the possibility of transformational change, rather than merely trying to move back toward a lost (and unsustainable) status quo ante.
Relationships matter so much because other people can be our best sources of security, comfort and cooperation or our worst rivals. Just as bad relationships are highly stressful, friendship is relaxing and restorative. We have evolved an extraordinary sensitivity to relationships, because getting them right has always been crucial to our survival.
Experiments have shown that it is threats to self-esteem or social status, where other people can judge us negatively, that most reliably raise our stress hormones. These feelings are so potent, causing anything from fury to stomach-clenching shame. Even simple experiments have shown they have serious consequences, including slower wound healing and weaker resistance to infection.
...
So what can be done to ensure our health and resilience? The key is that class and status, prejudice and discrimination are strengthened by larger income differences. As George Bernard Shaw said: “Inequality of income takes the broad, safe, and fertile plane of human society and stands it on its edge,” with the result that some people are valued very much more than others. The rich are made to seem more superior and the poor more inferior, inequalities in health and in young people’s life chances increase, while social mobility slows.
The picture could hardly be simpler: almost all the problems that we know are related to social status within our society get worse when status differences are increased. If we want a less dysfunctional society and a healthier population, building back better means addressing the scourge of income inequality.
- On that front, Tom Philpott discusses how the U.S.' food supply is needlessly precarious. And Dana Granofsky, Kira Heineck, Steve Lurie and Kwame McKenzie highlight the danger that we could see a new wave of homelessness connected to a resurgence of COVID-19 this fall - even as Jen St. Denis points out the lack of uptake on tiny homes in Vancouver (or elsewhere in Canada) despite the success of the same idea in U.S. cities which have pursued it.
- Finally, Christopher Cheung and Rochelle Baker each report on a push for action against a drug overdose crisis which is killing far more people than COVID-19 in British Columbia.
Friday, August 28, 2020
Death by a thousand cuts
Others are rightly pointing out that we have a strong precedent as to what the Saskatchewan Party's version of austerity actually means, in the form of the disastrous 2017 budget which saw massive and cruel cuts made with no regard for their devastating impact on the province. But there's an even more instructive example as to the Moe government's cut-first mindset in its treatment of education funding this fall.
Right now, parents across Saskatchewan are wrestling with questions as to how to handle the start of the school year. Our choices have been made far more difficult by the Saskatchewan Party's delay in acknowledging any need for safety measures. And while the government has loudly announced funding (or taken credit for what the federal government has provided), it's set up a vague, limited and uncertain process to determine whether how any of it will be distributed:
But when it comes to clawing back money from school divisions, the Saskatchewan Party is starting from a philosophy of taking funding away first and asking questions later:
But having failed in that task, Scott Moe and company are now planning by default to strip away base funding from the school divisions who have been assigned impossible responsibilities with insufficient resources. And the amount set to be pulled back based on the inflexible application of a funding formula could far exceed what's on the table in COVID-related relief: while the initial reporting mentioned numbers along the lines of 10% decreases in enrollment, the experience of Edmonton's public school board suggests the cuts to the total operating funding of $1.94 billion could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
In sum, the Saskatchewan Party's default position is to slash funding at the drop of a hat, but to set up cumbersome processes which delay any investment even when it comes to top priorities in the midst of a public health emergency. And we'll go to the polls in the wake of a vivid reminder of the consequences of that mindset.
Right now, parents across Saskatchewan are wrestling with questions as to how to handle the start of the school year. Our choices have been made far more difficult by the Saskatchewan Party's delay in acknowledging any need for safety measures. And while the government has loudly announced funding (or taken credit for what the federal government has provided), it's set up a vague, limited and uncertain process to determine whether how any of it will be distributed:
"With the federal government's contribution, there is now up to $150 million available to our education sector for costs associated with a safe return to school," Wyant said.In other words, virtually none of the money supposedly allocated to a safe return to school will have even been considered for disbursement - let alone put to good use - for a period of months after schools are supposed to reopen.
The provincial government said the money will be available throughout the school year. However, the deadline for the first intake of funding applications closes Thursday.
Wyant said there have only been two applications for funding so far, but he expects that number will rise. He said government will have a deadline for another round of applications in October and then on a quarterly basis.
The government did not indicate how much money will be given out or what the criteria to receive funding are, but Wyant said Wednesday the priorities are supporting immunocompromised students, resources for online learning, supplies and staffing.
But when it comes to clawing back money from school divisions, the Saskatchewan Party is starting from a philosophy of taking funding away first and asking questions later:
The Saskatchewan NDP is warning that a COVID-fuelled enrolment plunge could take a bite out of school division budgets this school year, swallowing resources just when they’re needed to protect against the pandemic.Of course, the best way to ensure parents are comfortable with the safety of the school environment would have been...to develop and fund a meaningful plan when it could still have been implemented before the school year.
...
“We have asked the government if they will be scaling back, clawing back, those dollars from divisions based on who doesn’t attend school in person,” he said. “We know that the costs to schools will be greater as they are dealing with a pandemic and how do they do infection control.”
The government has not provided any such commitment, according to Meili. He said the Ministry of Education has signalled that the “traditional approach” will remain unchanged. That means calculating funding for each school division based on a formula in which the total student body plays a major role. The amounts are updated based on actual enrolment submitted as of Sept. 30.
...
In a statement to the Leader-Post the Ministry of Education said it “will work with divisions regarding their September 30 enrolment data to understand the impact any adjustment may have.”
But having failed in that task, Scott Moe and company are now planning by default to strip away base funding from the school divisions who have been assigned impossible responsibilities with insufficient resources. And the amount set to be pulled back based on the inflexible application of a funding formula could far exceed what's on the table in COVID-related relief: while the initial reporting mentioned numbers along the lines of 10% decreases in enrollment, the experience of Edmonton's public school board suggests the cuts to the total operating funding of $1.94 billion could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
In sum, the Saskatchewan Party's default position is to slash funding at the drop of a hat, but to set up cumbersome processes which delay any investment even when it comes to top priorities in the midst of a public health emergency. And we'll go to the polls in the wake of a vivid reminder of the consequences of that mindset.
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week.
- George Monbiot writes that we shouldn't let distractions about population divert our attention from the role the wealthiest and most privileged few have played in causing (and profiting from) our climate breakdown.
- Kate Kelly writes that private capital is once again wringing massive returns out of others' misery, this time due to the collapse of shopping malls.
- Jose-Luis Jimenez discusses the need to act on the growing evidence that COVID-19 can be spread through aerosols which can linger in the air for hours.
- Tehseen Lahda points out the importance of offering multiple layers of protection - including physical distancing - to minimize the risk of reopening schools. And Laura Sciarpelletti reports on the expert consensus that Saskatchewan should be using its federal education funding on masks and ventilation needs which have been left unaddressed by the provincial government.
- Meanwhile, Meera Karunananthan writes about the pernicious effect of "nice white parents" whose attempts to set up special advantages for their own children draw resources away from the basic needs of less privileged families. And Caroline Alphonso takes note of the especially unfair reliance on fund-raising to deal with the health consequences of COVID-19.
- Finally, Geoff Dembicki writes about Seth Klein's new book on the opportunity to respond to an emergency such as the coronavirus pandemic with meaningful improvements in our society.
[Edit: added link.]
- George Monbiot writes that we shouldn't let distractions about population divert our attention from the role the wealthiest and most privileged few have played in causing (and profiting from) our climate breakdown.
- Kate Kelly writes that private capital is once again wringing massive returns out of others' misery, this time due to the collapse of shopping malls.
- Jose-Luis Jimenez discusses the need to act on the growing evidence that COVID-19 can be spread through aerosols which can linger in the air for hours.
- Tehseen Lahda points out the importance of offering multiple layers of protection - including physical distancing - to minimize the risk of reopening schools. And Laura Sciarpelletti reports on the expert consensus that Saskatchewan should be using its federal education funding on masks and ventilation needs which have been left unaddressed by the provincial government.
- Meanwhile, Meera Karunananthan writes about the pernicious effect of "nice white parents" whose attempts to set up special advantages for their own children draw resources away from the basic needs of less privileged families. And Caroline Alphonso takes note of the especially unfair reliance on fund-raising to deal with the health consequences of COVID-19.
- Finally, Geoff Dembicki writes about Seth Klein's new book on the opportunity to respond to an emergency such as the coronavirus pandemic with meaningful improvements in our society.
[Edit: added link.]
Thursday, August 27, 2020
On policy bubbles
While Justin Trudeau is putting any economic planning in the hands of somebody with a vested interest in privatizing profits, it's also worth noting how his government is deliberately avoiding any of the type of consultation needed to make a minority Parliament work at a time when cooperation should be more important than ever:
But Trudeau appears to have decided to model his own plans after Stephen Harper's perpetual games of Parliamentary chicken: no meaningful consultation, no compromise, and no interest in considering what's good for anybody besides his corporate backers and cronies. And if being reduced to a minority hasn't been enough to convince Trudeau that voters expect leaders who listen rather than running roughshod over the country, then the electorate will need to deliver a far stronger message when it has the opportunity.
The source said a minority government has to be ready for the moment when there may be no compromising “and, quite frankly maybe it is time for the Canadian people to weigh in a post-pandemic environment.”It would seem obvious enough that for a minority government wanting to get anything accomplished through the current Parliament, there should never be a stage where working with other parties is off the table. And that goes doubly when discussing the path to recovery and renewal in the face of an ongoing pandemic.
Another senior official said only that when it comes to working with the other parties, “we’re not at that stage yet.”
But Trudeau appears to have decided to model his own plans after Stephen Harper's perpetual games of Parliamentary chicken: no meaningful consultation, no compromise, and no interest in considering what's good for anybody besides his corporate backers and cronies. And if being reduced to a minority hasn't been enough to convince Trudeau that voters expect leaders who listen rather than running roughshod over the country, then the electorate will need to deliver a far stronger message when it has the opportunity.
On conflicts of interest
Just a couple of weeks ago, there was a flurry of speculation - and disapprobation - about the possibility that Mark Carney might pursue a political career after having been governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England.
And that criticism seemed somewhat overblown. While central bank independence is taken as an article of faith, there's no indication that Carney's past actions would have been affected at all by the potential for future political involvement. And the case for encouraging people with substantial knowledge and no current conflicts of interest to be able to participate in our democratic system to them seems stronger to me than the case for an effective lifetime ban on serving as a representative based on a past role in central banking.
But now, Carney appears set to wear two different hats instead: as a closely-connected advisor to the Prime Minister tasked with developing the government's economic plan, and as an employee of an investment firm which stands to rake in profits from artificially-privatized infrastructure.
Needless to say, that should represent a far more direct and worrisome conflict of interest than the prospect of retroactive influence on past regulatory actions. And it's telling that there's so much less outcry over a conflict pointed toward using public funds to enrich the capital-owning class, rather than one which would have resulted in accountability to the electorate.
And that criticism seemed somewhat overblown. While central bank independence is taken as an article of faith, there's no indication that Carney's past actions would have been affected at all by the potential for future political involvement. And the case for encouraging people with substantial knowledge and no current conflicts of interest to be able to participate in our democratic system to them seems stronger to me than the case for an effective lifetime ban on serving as a representative based on a past role in central banking.
But now, Carney appears set to wear two different hats instead: as a closely-connected advisor to the Prime Minister tasked with developing the government's economic plan, and as an employee of an investment firm which stands to rake in profits from artificially-privatized infrastructure.
Needless to say, that should represent a far more direct and worrisome conflict of interest than the prospect of retroactive influence on past regulatory actions. And it's telling that there's so much less outcry over a conflict pointed toward using public funds to enrich the capital-owning class, rather than one which would have resulted in accountability to the electorate.
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.
- Jennifer Robson examines the lessons we should learn from EI's failures which required a less-onerous and more-widely-available income support system to bail Canadian workers out through the coronavirus pandemic.
- Michael Harris surveys some of the actions of governments - including that of the Trudeau Libs - which are using COVID-19 as an excuse to infringe on people's rights. And Erin Knight wonders why the necessary transition toward social distancing and remote work and education hasn't been met with efforts to ensure people have access to reliable and affordable Internet access.
- Zak Vescera reports on SEIU-West's warning that Scott Moe is trumpeting a COVID-19 testing target which can't be met by current laboratory staffing levels. And Laura Sciarpelletti reports on the Saskatchewan NDP's call for assurances that school divisions won't suffer cuts to already-insufficient funding if students are forced into online learning, while Adam Hunter discusses the clunky application process the Saskatchewan Party has set up to theoretically make both provincial and federal education funding available.
- Samantha Beattie discusses how Canada stands to be devastated far more by the climate breakdown we're in the process of locking into place than by the immediate threat of COVID-19. And Emily Holden reports on a needed push by Senate Democrats to rein in the power of the fossil fuel industry in the U.S.
- Finally, Lorian Hardcastle and Ubaka Ogbogu offer a warning about the dangers of the Kenney UCP's plans to privatize and corporatize health care in Alberta.
- Jennifer Robson examines the lessons we should learn from EI's failures which required a less-onerous and more-widely-available income support system to bail Canadian workers out through the coronavirus pandemic.
- Michael Harris surveys some of the actions of governments - including that of the Trudeau Libs - which are using COVID-19 as an excuse to infringe on people's rights. And Erin Knight wonders why the necessary transition toward social distancing and remote work and education hasn't been met with efforts to ensure people have access to reliable and affordable Internet access.
- Zak Vescera reports on SEIU-West's warning that Scott Moe is trumpeting a COVID-19 testing target which can't be met by current laboratory staffing levels. And Laura Sciarpelletti reports on the Saskatchewan NDP's call for assurances that school divisions won't suffer cuts to already-insufficient funding if students are forced into online learning, while Adam Hunter discusses the clunky application process the Saskatchewan Party has set up to theoretically make both provincial and federal education funding available.
- Samantha Beattie discusses how Canada stands to be devastated far more by the climate breakdown we're in the process of locking into place than by the immediate threat of COVID-19. And Emily Holden reports on a needed push by Senate Democrats to rein in the power of the fossil fuel industry in the U.S.
- Finally, Lorian Hardcastle and Ubaka Ogbogu offer a warning about the dangers of the Kenney UCP's plans to privatize and corporatize health care in Alberta.
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.
- Joel Blit, Chuanmo Jin and Mikal Skuterud point out the importance of thinking ahead and being strategic in determining what activities are permitted or encouragement in the face of a pandemic.
- David Lieb examines how businesses were allowed to dictate U.S. reopenings, with the result that the public interest was sacrificed to the goal of extracting immediate profits. And Laura Ungar, Jason Dearen and Hannah Recht look in depth at Florida's gutting and muzzling of public health services which contributed to some of the worst outbreaks in the country.
- Shawn Jeffords reports on the push by Ontario's nurses for reduced class sizes and mandatory masks in schools. Katherine Wilton reports that hundreds of Quebec teachers are staying home rather than going back to unsafe work environments, while PressProgress reports on the Moe government's alarming advance declaration that teachers aren't facing any unusual dangers. Joanne Laucius reports on the educational assistants and other support workers who are facing even more risk and precarity as a result of COVID-19, while Adam Hunter reports on the Saskatchewan NDP's call for a plan to ensure that substitute teachers have access to sick leave and stable assignments rather than serving as disease vectors between schools. Sarmishta Subramanian raises the possibility of a strike by parents who aren't satisfied that schools are safe. And Mark Iype notes that the Edmonton Public School Board has already seen nearly a third of children pulled from in-person education.
- Finally, Chris Campbell discusses how the end of British Columbia's eviction moratorium is affecting the mental health of people whose housing is threatened as a result. Scott Leon and James Iveniuk study (PDF) the connections between poverty, race and evictions in Toronto - including the fact that subsidized housing is ultimately more secure. And Shauna Sowersby examines the success of Seattle's tiny home communities which are providing housing for people who were previously homeless.
- Joel Blit, Chuanmo Jin and Mikal Skuterud point out the importance of thinking ahead and being strategic in determining what activities are permitted or encouragement in the face of a pandemic.
- David Lieb examines how businesses were allowed to dictate U.S. reopenings, with the result that the public interest was sacrificed to the goal of extracting immediate profits. And Laura Ungar, Jason Dearen and Hannah Recht look in depth at Florida's gutting and muzzling of public health services which contributed to some of the worst outbreaks in the country.
- Shawn Jeffords reports on the push by Ontario's nurses for reduced class sizes and mandatory masks in schools. Katherine Wilton reports that hundreds of Quebec teachers are staying home rather than going back to unsafe work environments, while PressProgress reports on the Moe government's alarming advance declaration that teachers aren't facing any unusual dangers. Joanne Laucius reports on the educational assistants and other support workers who are facing even more risk and precarity as a result of COVID-19, while Adam Hunter reports on the Saskatchewan NDP's call for a plan to ensure that substitute teachers have access to sick leave and stable assignments rather than serving as disease vectors between schools. Sarmishta Subramanian raises the possibility of a strike by parents who aren't satisfied that schools are safe. And Mark Iype notes that the Edmonton Public School Board has already seen nearly a third of children pulled from in-person education.
- Finally, Chris Campbell discusses how the end of British Columbia's eviction moratorium is affecting the mental health of people whose housing is threatened as a result. Scott Leon and James Iveniuk study (PDF) the connections between poverty, race and evictions in Toronto - including the fact that subsidized housing is ultimately more secure. And Shauna Sowersby examines the success of Seattle's tiny home communities which are providing housing for people who were previously homeless.
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
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