Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Andrew Nikiforuk calls for us to learn from over a year's worth of experience with COVID-19 and guard against aerosol spread to limit the development and transmission of variants. And Ian Sample reports on new findings showing that children are at risk of long COVID effects even if they're able to avoid initial symptoms.

- Donya Ziaee writes about Justin Trudeau's choice to bow to investor pressure and break his promise to set national standards for long-term care residents and workers. And Paisley Sim points out how it's possible to fix Canada's current patchwork of paid sick leave requirements. 

- Donald MacPherson discusses Scott Moe's inhumane choice to endanger people's lives by refusing to fund Prairie Harm Reduction and other supervised consumption sites. But Jeremy Hainsworth's investigation points to the type of solution the Saskatchewan Party and its would likely support - as the B.C. Libs funded an addiction rehab clinic which turned its patients into political labour.

- Carbon Tracker examines how solar and wind power can replace non-renewable energy in full over the next few decades. Inayat Singh and Alice Hopson report that Unifor is on board with emission cuts to rein in the climate breakdown combined with a transition plan for workers. But Emma McIntosh discusses Doug Ford's continued place as a roadblock standing in the way of any modernization of Ontario's power grid.

- Finally, Liz Walker and Shanice Regis-Wilkins point out why anti-worker employers go so far out of their way to prevent their employees from unionizing. And Jerry Dias notes that it's executives rather than front-line workers who have picked up large amounts of pandemic pay. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Jason Warick reports on how the lack of enforcement of public health rules has emboldened anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers to impose their disregard for community safety on the people around them. Guy Quenneville highlights the Moe government's decision to do absolutely nothing in the face of a COVID-19 surge hitting Saskatoon (despite the efforts of the people who best understand the crisis). Mia Rabson reports on the deployment of military personnel to coronavirus hot zones - as well as Theresa Tam's recognition that any responsible government would a long way from talking about any return to "normal". Joe Roberts calls for the Libs to invoke the Emergencies Act rather than sacrificing lives to provincial callousness and incompetence. And Canada News Central writes that the governments responsible for ineffective pandemic responses deserve to be wiped out at the polls - while Nova Scotia continues to demonstrate that there's an alternative to letting short-sighted corporate interests and anti-science wingnuts dictate public policy.

- John Paul Tasker reviews the history behind Canada's lack of domestic vaccine production capacity - which is particularly unconscionable when the publicly-owned Connaught Labs was once one of the world's leaders. And John Queally reports on Bill Gates' insistence on prioritizing big pharma's monopoly rights over the availability of vaccines worldwide, while Devi Sridhar observes that global vaccination is a must for any country to be safe from COVID-19.

- Paul Waldman writes that George Orwell underestimated the amount of hate which would underlie a turn toward fascism, as the Republicans essentially offer nothing else 24 hours a day. Alex Pareene discusses the Republicans' choice to legalize running over protestors with cars. And Eric Levitz comments that those provisions are just part of a general conservative attempt to stifle speech through both individual violence, and the power of the state.

- Finally, Kenan Malik writes that the U.S.' general philosophy of policing involves controlling the poor rather than protecting the public.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

 Illuminated cats.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- John Paul Tasker reports on new data from the Public Health Agency of Canada showing how public health measures have slowed the transmission of the coronavirus, while Selena Ross reports on an informal count showing that air purifiers may substantially reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools. Connor O'Donovan talks to employees working in the Cornwall Centre about the avoidable risk they face when anti-maskers bring disregard for public health into their workplaces. And Jeff Gray reports on the reality facing health care practitioners having to triage patients in desperate need of care - and then explain that decision to the families affected. 

- Joseph Stiglitz and Lori Wallach discuss the folly of prioritizing intellectual property monopolies over the manufacture and distribution of COVID vaccines. And Teagan Johnston notes that nobody should be surprised to see Doug Ford (or any of his right-wing cousins) valuing profits over people's health and well-being.

- Meanwhile, Andrew Gregory points out that the search for treatments and cures for long COVID will remain a vital area of research even as vaccines offer some protection to the population at large.

- The Climate Action Network (among other groups) highlights how Canada can reach a far stronger greenhouse gas emissions target than the one on offer from the Libs while reducing our energy costs in the process. And Royce Kurmelovs reports on the drastic decline in the price of solar power which is making it far more efficient than fossil fuel energy.

- Finally, David Madland writes about the renewed push for sectoral bargaining to ensure that gains made by workers are broadly shared. And Barry Eidlin discusses how the requirement for votes in employer-controlled workplaces represents an unfair barrier to the exercise of workers' rights.

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Rich Mendes reports on new research showing that the longstanding focus on physical distance as a means of avoiding the indoor transmission of COVID-19 has been misplaced. Erin Anderssen and Marcus Gee examine some of Canada's hardest-hit intensive care units to show the day-to-day disaster caused by the spread of the coronavirus. And Denise Lu reports on the U.S.' excess death total which is higher than the one caused by the 1918 pandemic.

- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus writes about what should be a fairly simple choice for wealthier countries who can either keep the population of the entire world at unnecessary risk by prioritizing intellectual property rights over vaccinations, or help protect everybody at the cost of a few windfall profits. And Stephen Buranyi likewise argues that patents shouldn't stand in the way of vaccines for everybody.

- Andrew Nikiforuk discusses how Jason Kenney's UCP has provided a laughable excuse for consultation in order to push ahead with coal mining in the face of public opprobrium and the complete absence of an economic case for it. Ubaka Ogbogu and Lorian Hardcastle criticize Kenney's choice to protect the profits of long-term care operators responsible for the spread of COVID-19 among their residents, rather than at least allowing families to seek to hold them accountable. And David Climenhaga notes that the conservative "resistance" in Canada has lost both any influence it once claimed over climate policy, and any credibility with voters who have seen the consequences of its negligence in governing through COVID times. 

- Hiroko Tabuchi reports on a new U.N. study which concludes that methane leaks - and reliance on natural gas - are incompatible with our achieving any reasonable climate targets.

- Finally, Kerry Black takes the insolvency of Laurentian University as a starting point to question our refusal to properly fund universities generally.

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Fahad Razak, David Naylor and Arthur Slutsky discuss how it's not too late to pull our health care system back from the brink of catastrophe. But Ryan Tumilty writes that we can't avoid a third wave merely by wishing for vaccines to be a magic cure-all.

- Robert Benzie offers a behind-the-scenes look at the utter mismanagement of the pandemic by Doug Ford and his caucus, while Bruce Arthur rightly points out that crocodile tears and unfocused apologies are no substitute for action to actually improve people's health and well-being. And Alexander Quon notes that Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan have been doing a far more effective job of controlling the spread of COVID-19 than the provincial government. 

- PressProgress highlights the push for sick leave in British Columbia (which sadly has gone unanswered by a government which should know better), as well as the broad support for paid sick leave across the country.

- Bill Henderson reports on a review which concludes that the Libs' climate change plan is more about checking boxes than actually reducing emissions to a level consistent with averting climate breakdown. Aaron Wherry's question as to whether the latest set of emission reduction targets can be taken seriously offers an implicit answer in the negative. And Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood and Clay Duncalfe examine how the supposed climate change funding in the Libs' budget includes far less than what's being advertised.

- Finally, Alex Himelfarb discusses what we'd expect to see in an actual transformational budget (as opposed to a cynical election platform by another name).

Musical interlude

 London Grammar - Lose Your Head

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Michael Mechanic discusses how the promise of noblesse oblige represents nothing more than an excuse for a system designed to encourage the greedy accumulation of wealth and power. Laura Davison reports on the IRS' estimate that the U.S. is losing a trillion dollars annually to tax evasion. And Alex Boutillier and Robert Cribb report that Canada's federal budget includes some (albeit small and belated) steps to ensure that corporate ownership is traceable in order to ensure capitalists pay their fair share.

- Meanwhile, Steve Randy Waldman highlights how an appropriate corporate tax rate does nothing to affect which investments are profitable, but creates incentives to hire employees rather than hoarding money.

- PressProgress expands on Chartwell's decision to reward executives responsible for countless deaths, while rejecting fair wages for the staff actually performing work on the ground.

- Eric Doherty discusses how the Biden administration's significant action on climate change exposes the hollowness of the Libs' comparative response. And Joel Laforest reminds us that the Libs' carbon pricing scheme is falling far short of matching the climate impact of its regressive moves to subsidize the oil and gas sector.

- Finally, Amelia Williams talks to Don MacPherson about the lives that could be saved if we responded to the overdose crisis with any urgency at all.

Inputs and outputs

There's rightly been plenty of pushback against the Cons' sad excuse for a climate change plan. But it's worth highlighting that there's one way in which the principle behind it could accomplish more than the Libs' one-sided approach to carbon pricing.

It would seem too obvious to bear mention that the way to get the most bang for any given amount of carbon price collected would be to ensure that it operates to reduce emissions at both steps of its operation: creating incentives for people to reduce their own emissions to avoid having to pay it in the first place, and also ensuring that money collected gets put into emission-reducing activity. 

In 2019-2020, the total amount collected by the federal government was about $2.8 billion, with that amount increasing with the carbon price in the years to come. But there's nothing additional to ensure - or even incentivize - the use of that money to actually reduce emissions, as most of it has instead been returned in the form of an unrestricted rebate.

That means the Libs' choice has been to limit the effect of the current carbon price to the first step. There's an incentive to minimize carbon-intensive activity to avoid paying the initial price - but nothing to ensure the amount collected actually gets reinvested in emission reduction.

In contrast, the Cons' plan at least somewhat addresses the second step. In theory, the money collected as a carbon price would be used specifically for the purchase of carbon-efficient products.

Of course, it would take some work to design a manifestation of that theory less efficient or fair than the Cons' proposal for individual savings accounts tied to carbon levies actually paid. The Cons are insisting on creating a corporate-administered bureaucracy to dictate individual decisions, while doing nothing to ensure that money collected in the name of emission reductions is applied on a scale sufficient to make a difference.

And more importantly, the Cons are dedicated to keeping the carbon price at so low a level as to be counterproductive in the broader fight against a climate breakdown. There's value in trying to double the impact of each dollar of carbon price collected, but it pales in comparison to the demand to keep the actual price at under a third of the amount included in the Libs' plans.

All of which is to say that while the Cons' plan is predictably the worst on offer among the major federal parties, it also highlights one of the longstanding weaknesses in the Libs' scheme as well. And that should open the door for alternatives which use the strengths of both - rather than limiting our climate change discussion to a debate over the merits of the Libs' one-sided price.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Max Fawcett discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the inability of simplistic right-wing populism to respond to any complex problem. And Laura Sciarpelletti reports on one of the consequences of political leaders who are willing to feed into anti-science quackery, as anti-public-health propaganda is being allowed to run on Estevan billboards. 

- Mike Crawley exposes the horrifying preferences of Doug Ford's PCs to do nothing or even relax public health rules in the midst of a catastrophic health system failure, while Dan Darrah writes about the right's entrenched belief that profits are more important than people's health and well-being. John Michael McGrath is duly appalled that Ford is just now starting to pay attention to the most basic facts about COVID-19. Kenyon Wallace and May Warren report on new research showing how the coronavirus has spread more severely in already underprivileged communities. Roberta Bell talks to Susan Shaw about the imminent danger that Saskatchewan may need to start turning away emergency patients, while Elizabeth Payne discusses the growing number of pregnant women in intensive care as a result of COVID. And Hannah Ellis-Pederson reports on the uncontrolled outbreak of a new variant in India as the worst-case scenario.

- Jacob Lorinc notes that it's taken this long for a substantial portion of the corporate class to recognize that even it's better off if people have sick leave to allow them to limit their risk to the people around them. And Randy Robinson writes that the Day of Mourning for lost workers should offer a rallying point for labour to press the demand.

- Finally, Alexander Panetta writes about the reason for skepticism that Canada's latest greenhouse gas emission reduction commitment will be taken any more seriously than the previous rounds which have led to increases in carbon pollution. 

[Edit: fixed formatting.]

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Timothy Wilson reports on the emerging revelations of Enbridge's paying to harass environmental activists. And Jeremy Appel offers the background facts as to W. Brett Wilson's abandonment of wells operated by Forent Energy - leaving Alberta's public to pick up the tab for his company's failure to clean up its messes. 

- And based on those stories among others, there's ample reason both to agree with Nicolas Perrone's argument that we shouldn't pay reparations to fossil fuel companies for transitioning to a cleaner society, and take into account his warning that they'll consider themselves entitled to nothing less.

- Amanda Follett Hosgood reports on the RCMP's pitiful response to the report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. And PressProgress exposes how Lib MP Kevin Lamoureux arranged to pay public money to a "subject matter expert" to prepare a petition to treat criticism of police as hate speech. 

- Robert Baird writes about the history of the idea of "whiteness", as well as the role it's played in justifying or excusing the treatment of people as subhuman.

- Finally, Dale Smith discusses how the Cons are using concern trolling and delay tactics to prevent the passage of legislation to ban conversion therapy.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Elevated cats.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Matt Gurney discusses the complete lack of leadership which has led to catastrophic public health results in Ontario, while Haley Steinberg talks to Andrew Morris about the Ford PCs' utter disregard for evidence-based recommendations to limit the spread of COVID-19. Davide Mastracci bluntly observes that Ford and his ilk can only be described as mass social murderers. Alexander Quon traces the connection between the ill-advised relaxation of public health rules and the spread of COVID variants in Saskatchewan. And Murray Mandryk recognizes the complete disconnect between the Saskatchewan Party's spin about the pandemic, and the crisis facing Saskatchewan's health care system and the people whose survival depends on it.

- Kelly Geraldine Malone reports on the growing calls to prioritize Saskatchewan teachers for vaccination - particularly after the death of Victor Thunderchild. And Leslie Boehm and Greg Marchildon make the case for Canada to develop its own domestic vaccine-making capability.

- Brendan Kennedy writes about the obvious connection between the increased concentration of wealth in the course of a pandemic, and the growing calls for a wealth tax to ensure that newly-generated riches serve the public good. And Melvin Krauss theorizes that the U.S. and France may be able to pave the way for international agreement on both a global corporate tax, and taxes on big tech.

- Finally, David Macdonald highlights how some of the lessons we've learned from the coronavirus pandemic have been reflected in the federal budget released this week. Sean Speer writes that the budget offers an important indication that progressives are winning the battle of ideas in Canada, while Aaron Wherry agrees that it reflects a break with neoliberal orthodoxy. And Jim Stanford writes that the long-delayed announcement of a national child care plan will produce far greater economic impacts than assumed (at least as long as the federal government follows through with it).

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Andrew Nikiforuk calls out the premiers who continue to spout talking points about "balance" while failing utterly to control the spread of deadly COVID-19 variants. Jillian Kestler-D'Amours discusses how Ontario's medical calamity was entirely preventable, while David Moscrop makes the case for Doug Ford to resign due to his gross failures of leadership (though he's predictably decided to try to distract from that push with a cabinet shuffle). And René Bruemmer points out that Quebec's comparatively substantial response to the emergence of variants of concern has allowed it to reduce the harm from its third wave compared to other large Canadian provinces. 

- Meanwhile, Alexander Panetta points out that the U.S. will soon be facing an issue of having an oversupply of vaccine which people aren't prepared to accept - with Canada likely to face a similar issue within a matter of months. And Danielle Ivory, Lauren Leatherby and Robert Gebelof highlight the connection between vaccine hesitancy and support for Donald Trump.

- Jenn Jeffreys writes that Canada needs to be prepared to respond to still more waves of violent right-wing extremism - due both to continued spillover from the Trump movement in the U.S., and our own hate groups at home. 

- Finally, Vikram Dodd talks to Andy Cooke about the reality that social action against poverty and inequality serves to reduce crime as well as ill health.

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Peter Lozinski discusses the confusing and conflicting messages from Scott Moe which are making it difficult for well-intentioned residents to know what exactly they're supposed to do. Christo Aivalis weighs in on Doug Ford's choice to attack civil rights rather than taking any action which could possibly slow the spread of the coronavirus. David Rider offers a reminder that Ford's PCs (like other right-wing governments) had planned deeper cuts to the public health units responsible for responding to a pandemic. And Anne Huang comments that our handling of the third wave of COVID-19 are make it painfully clear which lives our current governments don't value.

- Daniel Hoyer examines how the federal budget can secure needed revenue from the wealthiest few to fund a just recovery. And Pat Armstrong, Marjorie Cohen, Laurell Ritchie, Leah Vosko and Armine Yalnizyan highlight the need for investment in our care economy as a focal point for the impending budget and our future planning.

- Janyce McGregor reports that foreign workers were relegated to unsafe housing after being recruited to work in Kingston. David Milstead discusses how for-profit long-term care home operators have handed their executives "attaboys" and and bonuses after being responsible for the deaths of large numbers of residents in the course of the pandemic. And Norm Farrell points out how the fines associated with harm to people's health or the environment are all too often treated as an expected cost of doing business to be paid out of corporations' petty cash.

- Amanda Connolly reports on the Libs' (and Bloc's) choice to shut down a defence committee study of sexual misconduct. And Robert Hiltz discusses what that default toward cover-ups and surface investigations says about our system of government more generally.

- Finally, Seth Klein discusses how the Trudeau Libs are failing to develop an effective response to the climate crisis due to their refusal to build any meaningful case for strong collective action. And Grace Blakely offers a reminder as to how ineffective and uncaring centrism as the "left" alternative has stoked the fires of right-wing fascism.

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Justin Ling writes that the third wave of COVID currently swamping conservative-run provinces can be traced back directly to our leaders' refusal to acknowledge and act on scientific realities. Nora Loreto discusses the super-spreader events in workplaces which governments have consistently covered up and enabled. The Canadian Medical Association calls for extraordinary measures to control the spread of the coronavirus, while Bruce Arthur writes about the alarmed response from Ontario's health care workers in the wake of Doug Ford's decision to impose a police state rather than doing anything to rein in the spread of COVID-19. Ellen Mauro talks to some of the public health experts whose warnings have been ignored for months, while Sara Mojtehedzadeh and Rosa Saba highlight the obvious options to provide paid sick leave and shut down non-essential work. And Laura Woodward reports on some of the Saskatchewan experts similarly trying to get through to a wilfully-ignorant government. 

- Linda McQuaig writes about the need for our own, publicly-owned biotech manufacturer to ensure Canada doesn't face the type of supply delays and risks it's run into with coronavirus vaccines. Crawford Kilian points out that while vaccines sit unused over trumped-up fears about blood clotting, even that single symptom is more likely as a result of COVID itself than any vaccine, while Elizabeth Renzetti offers the sound evaluation of risk that it's more dangerous to drive to a vaccination centre than to receive any of the ones now available. And Jen Gerson comments on the dangers of treating vaccines as a consumer product which allows for arbitrary personal whims, rather than a social good whose distribution needs to be maximized for everybody's safety.

- Andrew Jackson makes the case for higher corporate tax rates on an international scale based on our lived experiences with the false promise of trickle-down economics. Darren Shore points out that Chrystia Freeland's writing about plutocrats should put her in an ideal position to ensure they pay their fair share - at least unless her goal is primarily to serve them rather than the public interest. And for those looking for new models to ensure a fair tax system, Emmanuel Saez and Gabrien Zucman examine the opportunities in taxing corporations' stock shares (PDF) and billionaires' unrealized capital gains (PDF).

- Finally, Nick Falvo examines the federal role in housing policy - including its far larger investments in propping up the prices of detached houses than in ensuring that homes are available for everybody.

Musical interlude

Donovan Woods - Whatever Keeps You Going

Friday Afternoon Links

 Assorted content to end your week.

- Alex Hemingway writes about the massive concentration of wealth among the richest few Canadians while most people have struggled through the pandemic. And Derrick O'Keefe follows up by pointing out how that accumulation highlights the need for a wealth tax, while Linda McQuaig and Neil Brooks comment on the strong public support for ensuring the wealthy pay their fair share. 

- Mark Rendell wonders whether the federal government will take up a long-awaited opportunity to develop real industrial policy. And David Macdonald notes that instead of obsessing over deficits, we should be locking in future investments at record-low interest rates.

- David Climenhaga writes about the film-flammery behind the small nuclear reactor road show regularly presented by right-wing premiers as an excuse for negligent climate policy. And Arthur White-Crummey reports on Saskatchewan's continued place as the worst offender in Canada when it comes to emitting carbon pollution, while Sarath Peiris points out the silliness of the Moe government's decision to make cleaner vehicles more expensive.

- Finally, Scott Schmidt calls out the Kenney UCP's curriculum cheating as an indicator of the need to demand better from the province's leaders.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Robyn Urback criticizes the Ford PCs' habit (matched by other conservative governments) of responding to COVID-19 with continued cycles of procrastination followed by panic. And Rachel McLay highlights how political will has been the key factor in Atlantic Canada's success in suppressing the coronavirus.

- Andre Picard writes about the complete loss of perspective involved in focusing on remote risks of vaccines while ignoring the far more severe public health cost of delaying or preventing their use. And Alexander Zaitchik discusses how Bill Gates' involvement in vaccine development and distribution includes pressuring countries to prioritize pharmaceutical monopolies (and associated profits) over the distribution of vaccines.

- Nathalia Passarinho and Luis Barrucho report that the COVID-19 death toll in Brazil includes thousands of young children. And Hannah Ellis-Pedersen discusses a new wave (sparked by new variants) threatening to produce absolute calamity in India. 

- Hawa Mire notes that Ontario's ineffective vaccine rollout has been caused largely by underlying inequalities. And Andrew Jackson and Katrina Miller offer their take on the new normal we should be working to build as we recover from the pandemic.

- The Guardian highlights the need for the media to report on the climate emergency with appropriate coverage - both in paying due attention, and discussing it in sufficiently serious terms. 

- Finally, Martin Lukacs exposes the Libs' secret committee with oil lobbyists which served to ensure that neither any pandemic relief nor any recovery infrastructure would affect the continued dominance of petropolitics in Canada. Christian Favreau characterizes the Trudeau strategy as one of denialism through gradualism. The Canadian Press reports on the continued growth of greenhouse gas emissions due to the weakness of the Libs' half-efforts, while Bob Weber discusses new research showing how Canada is consuming a grossly disproportionate share of the global carbon budget. David Thurton reports on the tens of billions of dollars we continue to spend subsidizing the fossil fuel sector every year. And David Cochrane, Salima Shivji and Aaron Wherry report that the Cons' competing plan is to do even less to price carbon pollution, with a pinch of corporate cronyism tossed in.

Wednesday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Toby Sanger points out how Canada could gain tens of billions of dollars annually by working with Joe Biden to apply a global minimum corporate tax. And Linda McQuaig reassures us that a wealth tax can have a profound impact on inequality without collecting from anybody but the richest of the rich.

- Mae Watson Grote writes about the need to address structural causes of inequality and poverty, rather than pretending that "financial literacy" is of any use compared to the systemic barriers which keep people in precarious circumstances. And Paul Krugman discusses the importance of public policy which allows for the growth and strengthening of the labour movement.

- Simone Tagliapietra discusses the impossibility of trying to rein in the climate crisis without simultaneously improving the conditions facing vulnerable people.

- Jim Stanford highlights how corporate-funded opposition to a fair minimum wage depends on obsolete economic theory which has been proven wrong in practice.

- Bruce Arthur slams Doug Ford for his reckless games of chicken against the coronavirus, while Matt Gurney takes note of the complete lack of thought or responsibility behind Ontario's pandemic response. And the Globe and Mail's editorial board writes that all levels of government have failed Canadians by not ensuring workers have paid sick leave available in order to protect against the spread of COVID-19.

- Finally, Molly Bernstein and Sean McElwee point out the strong support in the U.S. to redirect resources from police to alternative emergency response mechanisms.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Kitchen help cats.

 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Sam Cowie writes about the devastating effect of COVID-19 in Brazil, where a particularly dangerous viral variant is combining with the anti-social Bolsonaro government to cause widespread illness and hunger. And Jenna Moon highlights the worst-case scenario facing Ontario's health care system, where hospitals lack the staff to operate temporary beds and are facing painful decisions as to how to triage care for people who need it. 

- Meanwhile, Anna Mehler Paperny reports on the delayed pivot toward vaccinating frontline workers to stop COVID-19 spread where it's most likely to take place.

- Chris Hatch is reassured that the general public has maintained its concern about climate change in the face of the pandemic. But Noah Smith warns that we shouldn't treat carbon pricing as a cure-all - no matter how often it's portrayed that way by both economists with tunnel vision, and businesses looking to avoid more direct responsibility. And Michaela Solomon compares the Saskatchewan Party's gratuitous punishment of electric vehicle drivers against the steps taken by other governments to reduce carbon pollution by incentivizing their use.

- PA Media reports on the latest data showing the carbon dioxide content of our atmosphere at the highest level in recorded history.

- Finally, Doug Cuthand writes about the need for funded harm reduction sites to reduce the toll in health and lives from drug use in Saskatchewan.

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?

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Anya Zoledziowski discusses how we're only facing a third wave of COVID-19 due to avoidable political choices, while the Globe and Mail's editorial board laments the epidemic of political negligence which has resulted in severe consequences for public health and welfare. Elizabeth Payne reports on the painful choices facing health professionals as serious coronavirus cases swamp an already-stressed health care system. Adam Miller points out that we need to revise our assumptions as to what's safe based on the spread of more easily transmissible and more dangerous variants, while Bhinder Sajan reports on the reduced room for error. And a group of experts, doctors and citizens is circulating a petition to finally shift to a COVID-zero strategy to keep people healthy and safe, while Ian Welsh recognizes that it's been obvious from the beginning how that was the only viable choice if we value people's lives. 

- Meanwhile, Tonda MacCharles writes about the reality that individual vaccination doesn't mean that anybody can go back to living as if the pandemic didn't exist.

- BBC News reports on the WHO's desperate plea for wealthy countries to prioritize vaccine availability around the globe over profits for manufacturers. And Linda McQuaig offers a reminder that the only way to ensure a secure supply of medicine is to maintain our own, rather than hoping we can throw enough money and privileges at big pharma to bump us ahead of other countries.

- Finally, Carlito Pablo discusses how work from home during the course of the COVID pandemic has affected productivity - concluding that the result has included both more production, and longer hours. And Rick Salutin writes about the continued refusal of Doug Ford (and other politicians) to put sick leave in place to allow workers to stay home and keep people healthy.

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Maxime Taquet, John Geddes, Masud Husain, Sierra Luciano and Paul Harrison study the broad and severe neurological impacts of the coronavirus. Pamela Downe and Jared Wesley survey how the public in Saskatchewan and Alberta views the response to COVID-19. And Jason Warick reports on Bishop Michael Hawkins' comment from experience as to how the Moe government is failing Saskatchewan and its people in facilitating avoidable community spread.

- Jessica Wong reports on the concern with students who have fallen between the cracks of Ontario's school systems which haven't been reinforced to withstand the pandemic. And Stephanie Hogan highlights how far too many Canadians haven't been provided the supports they need to follow the direction to stay home if they feel sick, while Patrick Brethour explains why the federal substitute for actual sick leave has seen very little uptake. 

- Simon Enoch highlights how the best one can say about the Moe government's budget this week is that it's mostly put off the type of destructive attacks on services we'd have expected based on the party's 2017 precedent. And Sareth Peiris points out the utter lack of any vision at a time when the Sask Party seems determined to lock in infrastructure spending for its entire term in power.  

- Meanwhile, Saskboy calls out the Saskatchewan Party's attacks on cleaner vehicles and the people who have responsibly chosen to own them. And Laura Woodward reports on the callous choice to keep refusing funding to harm reduction sites which would save both lives and money.

- Finally, Ricardo Hausmann discusses the problems with basing economic thought on the assumption of perfect individual choices. And Vass Bedner and Robin Shaban comment on the problems with Canadian competition policy which favours the accumulation of wealth and power in the name of economic efficiency, rather than providing any protection for the people subject to the use of that control.

On unconventional circumstances

Like 2,000+ other members across the country, I've been participating in the NDP's convention over the course of the weekend. And with one day in the books, I'll take note of a few of the differences between this and traditional in-person conventions - as well as the effects they've had on the party's effort to connect people in advance of an election anticipated in the near future.

On the plus side, it's always a plus to hear direct perspectives on what's happening at different levels of government. That said, it's been striking how narrow the list of invited speakers in two respects. 

First, it's consisted entirely of people with formal party affiliations rather than anybody with similar goals without a direct role within the party - which has the unfortunate effect of building affinity relationships at the expense of outreach. And second, among those speakers, nearly all of the time allocated to individuals has been allocated to party leaders. 

That's consistent with the choice to focus federally on running a centralized, leader-focused campaign. But in addition to limiting the diversity of the speakers in terms of equity factors, it also sets up a perception of a top-down view of the party which should be anathema a party committed to diversity and egalitarianism.

Meanwhile, there's been plenty of familiar criticism of the lack of time to debate and vote on resolutions. Predictably, that issue has been exacerbated by the virtual format and associated decisions about process. (And if the precedent set yesterday of allowing for amendments from the floor continues, that could get all the worse.)

But while that represents a perennial complaint, I've been more surprised to see training and networking largely taken out of the picture. To be fair, the party is doing plenty on those fronts outside of the convention - but the opportunity to gather this large a group of participants seems like it's wasted in the absence of to learn from or talk to any new people.

For more, see commentary from Christo Aivalis.

Musical interlude

Katie Malco - Animal

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Don Pittis writes about Janet Yellen's work to ensure that corporations pay their fair share, rather than being able to structure and artificially locate operations in order to exploit countries without contributing to them. And David Paddon discusses how Canada would stand to benefit from a global minimum corporate tax.

- Chris Giles reports on the IMF's call for a tax on wealth and windfall profits to ensure the people with the most actually fund relief and recovery efforts.

- Christine Saulnier and Charles Plante study the costs of poverty in Canada's Atlantic provinces, confirming that an investment in a decent standard of living for everybody will benefit the public purse as well as people's well-being. 

- Lawrence Mishel writes about the effect the erosion of collective bargaining has had on wages and economic equality in the U.S. And Paris Marx calls out Uber's attempts to have its workers permanently branded as sub-employees, turning a business model based on evading existing employment standards into a permanent feature of law.

- Finally, Jorge Barrera reports on the Lib government's efforts to prevent the development of an accurate historical record of the atrocities of residential schools. And Doug Cuthand writes about the desperate need to rewrite our received history to properly treat genocide and racism as the outrages they are, rather than minor blemishes on the historic record.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Susan Michie, Chris Bullen, Jeffrey Lazarus, John Lavis, John Thwaites, Liam Smith, Salim Abdool Karim and Yanis Ben Amor highlight the desperate need for maximum suppression of COVID-19, rather than an attempt to present a false balance between lives and economic activity. Steven Lewis, Nazeem Muhajarine and Cory Neudorf call out Scott Moe in particular for harming both health and economic welfare by sticking to talking points about the need to make tradeoffs between them. And Tracey Lindeman discusses the reasons for Canada's underwhelming vaccine rollout.

- Robert Hiltz writes that any public health measures need to be developed based on recognition of the risks borne by workers. And Ken Babstock offers his account of the choices facing people who took up the offer of needed pandemic income through the CERB, only to have been confronted with unexpected demands for repayment now.

- Meanwhile, Julia Rock and Andrew Perez expose how the message to shareholders from McDonalds' and other exploitative employers about the effect of a more reasonable minimum wage bears no resemblance to their public posturing.

- Kate Aronoff points out how the fossil fuel industry is slashing jobs even absent a shift away from dirty energy. Oliver Griffin reports on the Colombian oil workers joining in an anti-fracking campaign and pushing for a move to renewable energy. Emma Graney reports on TD's call for a responsible transition plan to support the workers affected, in contrast to the denialism of right-wing governments. And Zeke Housfather highlights how numerous countries are showing it's possible to combine economic growth with reductions in carbon pollution.

- Finally, George Monbiot discusses the importance of treating our oceans as a vital part of our planetary environment rather than merely a source of food to be exploited.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Gary Mason writes that our leaders appear to have learned nothing as we face a third wave of COVID-19. Hasan Sheikh and Munir Sheikh point out how the insistence of right-wing governments in taking ineffective half-measures rather than action which could actually provide some hope to limit the spread of the virus reflects a complete misunderstanding of human behaviour. And Bruce Arthur discusses the consistent toggling back and forth between magical thinking and panic resulting from the initial failure to control the coronavirus.

- Erik Strikwerda discusses how the UCP's regressive, plagiarized and useless curriculum is turning Alberta into a laughingstock. And Francois Biber reports that Scott Moe's punishment for electric vehicle owners - incentivizing air pollution while requiring the owners of cleaner vehicles to pick up the tab for costs being rebated to gas guzzlers - figures to do the same for Saskatchewan. 

- The Winnipeg Free Press reports on Brad Wall's comically biased and misleading report to try to turn Manitobans against public power and open it up to be sold off. And Steve Buist, Noor Javed and Emma McIntosh expose how Doug Ford is trying to ram through the construction of a new highway to directly benefit his donors, despite the obvious lack of any public interest justification.

- Alex Ballingall discusses the Cons' attempt to use the language of the working class to induce people to vote for corporate interests. But Tom Parkin notes that while that plan has worked for Republicans in a two-party state, it only figures to boost the NDP in a political system where voters are already well aware of a true labour option.

- Finally, Nora Loreto writes about the white supremacism behind the anti-public health movement in Canada - along with the utter failure of most of the media to connect the two.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Alert cats. 

Tuesday Evening Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Aaron Wherry discusses how the pandemic response across far too much of Canada has been (increasingly) marked by political calculation and triangulation rather than decisions aimed at fighting a deadly disease in the public interest. And Philip Preville writes about the added stress and anxiety created by a "finish line" framing of COVID-19. 

- Seema Marwaha and Sabina Vohra-Miller point out how high-risk areas have an urgent need for access to vaccines. And Alexander Wong writes about the need to prioritize front-line workers rather than mechanistically continuing to vaccinate only by age, while Megan Ogilvie and May Warren share the perspective of those workers as to how variants have made matters even worse. And Zayn Jinah reports on the direction given to Toyota workers in Ontario that they return to work as a form of "isolating" in the face of exposure to COVID-19.

- Graham Readfearn and Adam Morton write that every choice matters in trying to avoid catastrophic climate change. Fiona Harvey reports on new data showing the increased destruction of desperately-needed forests. And William Gillies writes about the need for a just transition in Nova Scotia as its coal industry declines.

- Finally, Zach Dubinsky and Frederic Zalac report on Canada's pitiful response to the Panama Papers - with roughly 900 parties identified in offshoring resulting so far in zero charges and only 35 cases of identified money to be returned.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Eric Andrew-Gee reports on the likelihood that Canada's current COVID casualty numbers are a significant underestimate. Sabrina Jones highlights how health professionals are begging for a serious response to the new dangers posed by COVID-19's third wave, while Crawford Kilian comments on the particular problems with the P-1 variant which has been unleashed in British Columbia and Alberta. And Kyle Anderson discusses why we can't pretend personal responsibility is a substitute for effective public health policy:

- Meanwhile, Adrian Di Stefano and Drew Silverthorn call out the City of Toronto for taking away the shelters of people in tent camps without providing any support to enable them to stay sheltered and healthy.

- PressProgress reports on Doug Ford's order that Ontario school divisions spend insufficient education funding on advertising denying his government's austerity.

- Lisa McKenzie writes that our current state of precarity and inequality is the result of class divides which cut across generations. And Canadians for Tax Fairness points out some of the work being done to ensure more fair taxation on a global basis.

- Finally, Jim Stanford discusses the importance of reining in the raw power of corporations through progressive tax systems and stronger unions, rather than hoping that people presented with a mandate to pursue unchecked wealth and power will use it for anybody's benefit but their own.

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Andrew Nikiforuk writes about Canada's contributions to the evidence showing how COVID-zero strategies have produced better results in terms of both health and economics - though sadly the Conservative-governed provinces are determined to keep up the harm from allowing the spread of the coronavirus (including its new variants of concern). And Katherine Wu writes about the dangers of people taking time off from the requirements of public health rules and recommendations, while  Stephanie Hogan discusses the stress the pandemic is putting on everybody affected by it.

- Nafeez Ahmed writes about right-wing anti-science disinformation as it's been applied to the coronavirus pandemic. And Heather Mallick offers a reminder that individual decisions not to get vaccinated (or otherwise take responsible steps to stop community transmission) will have real consequences for others who don't enjoy the same choices.

- Paola Rose-Aquino reports on positive news from the CDC to the effect that vaccination appears to prevent an individual from spreading COVID-19. 

- Robert Hiltz calls out Jason Kenney's insistence on fighting Bigfoot rather than lifting a finger to deal with the real problems facing Alberta. And Max Fawcett discusses how Kenney's decision to inflict an outdated and laughably biased curriculum on students doesn't offer a lesson in anything but pitiful governance.

- Finally, Alex Nguyen reports on new research showing no scenario in which using public money to complete the Trans Mountain pipeline offers any net benefit to Canada. And Ian Sherriff-Scott reports on the CCPA's latest report on the importance of legislated support for workers in transitioning to a clean economy.

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Emma Jackson highlights why we shouldn't treat carbon pricing as anything more than a tiny piece of a plan to avert a climate breakdown. Hadrian Metrins-Kirkwood writes about the importance of passing an ambitious Just Transition Act into law at the federal leve. And Noah Smith discusses how the U.S. (and other wealthier countries) can help to lead the technological side of a just transition, while Lara Fominoff reports on Ryan Meili's call to create green jobs and technology in Saskatchewan. 

- Meanwhile, Oliver Milman reports on the oil companies who have collected massive amounts of public subsidies linked to COVID relief while still laying off workers. And Loren Steffy discusses how abandoned oil infrastructure is posing an environmental and economic menace in Texas just like in Canada's petroprovinces. 

- Rebecca Solnit writes about the air pollution epidemic which kills millions every year - but which is largely ignored due to the limited wealth and power of the people who suffer from it.

- Yasmine Ghania reports on the passage through committee of a bill to effectively implement a global treaty against plastic waste - with the Libs filibustering and voting it against based on their desire to include a loophole allowing waste to be exported through the U.S.

- Finally, Tess McClure reports on New Zealand's new steps to increase taxes on the rich and enact a liveable minimum wage.

Musical interlude

Christine and the Queens - People, I've Been Sad

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- John Michael McGrath discusses how Ontario (like so many other jurisdictions) has walked directly into a third wave, resulting in people dying for no reason other than government negligence. Matt Gurney likewise notes that there are no longer any excuses for insufficient action given the extensive experience we have with the coronavirus (and the dire consequences of failing to respond appropriately). Andre Picard notes that the attempt to substitute empty words for meaningful action is resulting in the filling of ICUs. And Jen Gerson theorizes that a widespread tendency toward complacency has much to do with the poor responses across much of Canada.

- Meanwhile, Cecile Philippe and Nicolas Marques examine (PDF) what governments have won when they've pursued a COVID-zero strategy - including both superior health outcomes, and far less economic disruption.

- The Globe and Mail's editorial board writes that there's no longer any justification for offering vaccinations by age rather than by more meaningful risk profiles (including exposure to people as an essential front-line worker). And Emma Teitel pairs a similar call to vaccinate frontline workers with another needed appeal for paid sick leave.

- Finally, Bernie Sanders offers a reminder of the obscene gap between rich and poor in the U.S. - and the readily available policy options to close it. Scilla Alecci discusses new research from the International Centre for Tax and Development on the amount of wealth being stashed offshore by corporations to avoid contribution to the social good. John Burbank writes about Washington state's move toward implementing a wealth tax. And Phillip Inman reports on the IMF's call for more progressive tax systems to reduce growing inequality of income and wealth.