Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Cleanup crew cats.

 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Robert Hiltz warns against letting the leaders responsible for preventable COVID deaths off the hook as part of an attempt to turn loosened restrictions into a good news story. And Mickey Djuric talks to Nazeem Muhajarine about the dangers of prematurely lifting mask mandates.

- John Woodside offers a reminder that Canada's record on greenhouse gas emissions is the worst in the G7. And Ian Gill points out that we don't need to destroy our planet as the price of achieving any valid measure of well-being.

- Peter Goodman and Niraj Chokshi discuss how reliance on "just in time" supply chains in the interest of short-term profit-making has made us vulnerable to shortages of necessities. And Eric Atkins discusses the centralization of rail as yet another example of concentrated corporate power being used to squeeze profits out of everybody else.

- Matthew Yglesias examines the compelling case for higher taxes on alcohol in light of its damaging social effects. 

- Susan Prentice and Pat Armstrong highlight the problems with corporate models of child care and elder care. And Martin Regg Cohn comments on the need to focus on the delivery of services rather than profit motives.

- Finally, Tanya Talaga discusses the work still to be done in finding the Indigenous children buried at residential school sites across Canada. And Alex Boyd, Omar Mosleh and Alex McKeen point out a few of the most likely sites and the stories behind them.

Monday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to start your week.

- Bartley Kives discusses the Pallister PC's failure to respond to warnings about a new COVID wave (which of course reflects a pattern among conservative provincial governments). Julia Wong exposes the Kenney UPC's utter failure to organize the contact tracing needed to avoid additional waves in Alberta. 

- Meanwhile, Damien Gayle reports that the UK is looking at reversing its plans to relax public health restrictions based on the dangers of new variants - even as Luke Savage notes that its conservative elites too were perfectly happy to sacrifice large numbers of lives for their own convenience. 

- David Climenhaga writes that the the mass gravesite revealed at the Kamloops Indian Residential School is the latest evidence of the crimes against humanity at the heart of Canada's policy toward Indigenous peoples, while Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond reminds us that it represents just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the disappearance of Indigenous children. The Canadian Press reports on FSIN's call for immediate steps to investigate undocumented deaths and burials at Saskatchewan residential school sites. And CBC News reports on Cowessess First Nation's plans to use radar to begin the work. 

- Finally, Duncan Cameron discusses the need to work on constant organizing to counter the forces of corporate control - particularly among people now disaffected from political and activist involvement. And the Economist discusses Thomas Piketty's work examining the striking drift in education levels between political orientations over the past half century. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- John Michael McGrath highlights how the COVID-19 B.1.617 variant represents a serious threat to the prospect of safely relaxing restrictions over the summer. And Morgan Modjeski reports on the COVID outbreak at the Pine Grove Correctional Centre.

- D.T. Cochrane highlights a few of the major Canadian corporations which have seen massive windfalls as a result of the pandemic. And Grace Blakeley warns that we can't expect the temporary response to the coronavirus to represent the end of neoliberalism.

- Michael Geist has been reviewing some of the problems with the Libs' C-10 regulating online broadcasting - including its application to individual users as well as the tech giants, and its incompatibility with net neutrality. And Nikolas Barry-Shaw makes the case for nationalized telecommunications as an alternative to the cartel which controls communications infrastruction across most of the country.

- T. Cameron Wild et al. find strong support among the Canadian public for harm reduction sites. But Alanna Smith reports on the UCP's latest decision to slash life-saving services first and maybe consider developing an alternative later.

- Finally, Angela Wright discusses the lingering effect of discriminatory urban planning in the U.S. and Canada.

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Zeynep Tufecki warns that the deadliest phase of the coronavirus pandemic may be yet to come even after vaccines become widely capable of distribution. Eric Reguly notes that contrary to the wishcasting of conservative governments, existing vaccines themselves haven't resulted in herd immunity. And Simon Little reports on the effect the spread of the B.1.617 variant figures to have on B.C.'s reopening plans. 

- Guy Quenneville reports on the latest request of Saskatchewan's residents not to buy the Sask Party's messaging, as the Saskatchewan Health Authority warns of already-high mobility rates which may be exacerbated if people race back to possible transmission venues. And Zak Vescera uncovers the Moe government's longstanding awareness that it's been failing to provide for vulnerable populations.

- Matthew Thomas reports on new research showing that beyond its benefits for workers themselves, a four-day work week would also substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

- Jesse Freeston and Martin Lukacs expose the Canadian pension funds behind Jair Bolsonaro's privatization of Brazilian public water systems.

- Finally, Tanya Talaga asks how many Joyce Echaquans need to die at the hands of a discriminatory health care system. But the revelation of an unmarked mass child grave at the Kamloops Indian Residential School offers an ugly reminder of the damage to Indigenous people Canada has wilfully inflicted.

Musical interlude

Tame Impala - Tomorrow's Dust

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Matt Gurney questions how it is that Ontario (like other provinces) is continuing to avoid any meaningful planning in its pandemic response, with the problem now being a lack of guidance or direction in distributing second doses of vaccines.

- Stephanie Taylor reports on a new study from the International Institute for Sustainable Development showing how demand for oil is set to decline in the decades to come. Aaron Saad writes that instead of continuing to look to exploit fossil fuel reserves and spew as much carbon pollution as possible as the industry dies out, Canada should be discussing how to make up for our disproportionate harm to the global environment. And Max Fawcett points out that any honest message to oil sector workers would include recognition that a transition is necessary - not a refusal to allow anybody to find sustainable work.

- Katherine Long and Will Evans report on Washington's investigation into Amazon's disregard for worker health and safety. 

- Oliver Wainwright discusses the work being done to reverse decades of systems architecture based on the preferences of a tall, white male.

- Finally, Sarath Peiris recognizes that it's the Saskatchewan Party which has chosen to become a permanent campaign machine with no interest in providing responsive or competent government once elected. Janai Nelson highlights the risks of allowing authoritarian governments to silence opposition and stifle protest. And Andrew Marantz discusses the work being done in the U.S. to ensure people aren't limited to a choice between establishmentarianism and fascism.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Ian Welsh calls out the latest example of deceptive use of COVID-19 data to minimize the risk people continue to face, as the CDC is failing to investigate or report on cases which don't result in immediate hospitalization even if they lead to long COVID. Vaughn Palmer writes that British Columbia's plan to lift public health measures appears far too likely to run into the realities of increasingly dangerous variants. And Andrea Woo, Laura Stone and Marieke Walsh report on the still-changing vaccination plans which are seeing the intervals for a second dose reduced in a number of provinces.

- Wency Leung highlights the risk of COVID outbreaks in high-rise buildings with insufficient ventilation. And Emily Anthes reports on new research showing that both ventilation and preventative testing are essential elements to keeping schools safe.

- Mitchell Thompson reports on Tim Hortons' anti-union and anti-fair wage strategy. And Samuel Fleischman and Wen Zhuang interview Jane McAlevy about the important of organizing to build worker power - particularly in increasing participation and involvement among people who aren't drawn to activism on their own.

- Trish Hennessy writes that we'll emerge from the pandemic into a changed world - but need to ensure the change we see involves collective action in the public interest.

- Finally, Angella MacEwen and Jonathan Gauvin make the case for sharing the wealth rather than facilitating its accumulation:

Economic inequality isn’t just unfair; it also creates a deeply dysfunctional economy. The more those at the top make decisions based on increasing their own wealth rather than our shared wealth, the less the economy can perform its role of sustaining people and our societies.

There are clear and concrete solutions that we can implement as a society - if we have the political will.

Wealth accumulation in Canada has been fostered and facilitated by political decisions:

• Corporate and personal tax cuts have allowed the wealthy to accumulate more wealth — and more power.
• This power has been used in turn to pressure governments to deregulate — especially by reducing protections for workers, consumers, and the environment.

Taxing the rich is a real possibility to address both income and wealth inequality, by:

• Creating an annual net wealth tax is a good start toward a fairer economy, but is not enough on its own.
• Changing how we tax capital gains will raise almost as much money as a modest wealth tax.
• Increasing the tax rate for corporations, closing loopholes, and increasing taxes on the highest income earners will make the economy more equal, and raise revenue that can be used to fund important public investments.
  

These proposed tax changes are actually quite moderate, and well within the range governments in Canada have set in recent history. While this means that doomsday predictions about devastating impacts to the economy are clearly exaggerated, it also means that we need to do more than just tax wealth — we need to also change the built-in levers in our system that ensure the rich get richer and the poor stay poor.

On unhealthy bias

Shorter Murray Mandryk:

It's important that we have compassion for everybody's mental health concerns regardless of politics. And by that, I of course mean allowing partisan operatives from only one side to play the victim while lying through their teeth about supporters' violent threats against their perceived opponents.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Grace Blakeley discusses how corporate handouts represent a major contributor to the concentration of wealth by the richest few. And CNN reports on the new billionaires created by the public development of COVID-19 vaccines.

- Rachelle Younglai points out that generational wealth transfers are increasingly becoming the price of admission for anybody seeking to find adequate housing for a family. 

- Meanwhile, Anita Kumar writes that U.S. Republicans - like their Canadian conservative cousins - are trying to block any enforcement steps to ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share.

- Noah Smith discusses how social media essentially turns status anxiety into an omnipresent element of people's engagement with the community around them.

- Fiona Harvey reports on the belated agreement among developed countries to stop backing the continued production of coal around the world. But the Financial Times highlights how wealthy countries are trying to undermine the International Energy Agency's recent guidance on the need for a transition to clean energy sources.

- Finally, Maya Wolfe-Robinson reports on at least one police chief who recognizes the need to invest in community development rather than militarized to protest. And Janelle Blakley reports on the work being done by community organizations to try to avert drug-related harms and deaths which the Moe government would prefer to ignore.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Cats amid chaos.

 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Robert Reich offers some lessons we need to draw from the coronavirus pandemic - including the recognition that while billionaires won't save us from collective action problems, effective government can.

- Renju Jose reports on Melbourne's instant reaction to community spread of the particularly dangerous B.1.6172 variant. And Matt Elliott rightly praises young Ontarians for wasting no time in getting vaccinated. 

- But Bartley Kives calls out Brian Pallister for being more interested in casting shade than doing anything to ameliorate Manitoba's ugly third wave. Paige Parsons reports on a call from Alberta doctors to avoid reckless reopening, while Andre Picard makes a similar plea more generally. And Justin McCurry reports on the International Olympics Committee's appalling call for people to make public health sacrifices in order to ensure that a sports exhibition can proceed.

- Kenyon Wallace reports on the abuse and neglect of residents of Ontario's long-term care homes. And Tamara Daly, Ivy Lynn Bourgeault and Katie Aubrecht call for a shift toward a virtuous cycle of care - rather than the current vicious cycle squeezing any ethic of care out in order to maximize short-term profits.

- Finally, Jordan Barab and David Michaels note that we shouldn't take the CDC's vague phrasing about lifting masking requirements as an excuse to put workers in further danger. Hayes Brown points out that what corporate lobbyists are attempting to spin as a "labour shortage" amounts to nothing more than employers' refusal to offer acceptable wages and working conditions. And Alex Press writes about the increased exploitation of workers into taking intolerable hours for insufficient pay - and the need to reshape the balance of power to reverse course.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading.

- Jenna Gettings et al. study the massive effect masking and improved ventilation have in reducing the spread of the coronavirus in elementary schools. But Sheila Wang reports on the outdated assumptions still being used to inform public health advice about COVID-19. And Michael Zennie and Gladys Tsai point out that the pandemic has evolved to the point where countries like Taiwan who successfully stamped out earlier waves are now facing significant spread, while . 

- Meanwhile, Umair Haque writes that after being handed intellectual property rights over publicly-researched vaccines, the pharmaceutical sector is now banking on COVID-19 becoming endemic to provide an ongoing source of profits.

- David Sirota highlights how the U.S. serves as a tax haven for the rich - including by dedicating far more effort to auditing low-income people than the corporations who are actually hiding money. Luke Savage discusses how Wall Street always tends to get its way in Washington even when public opinion is united against it. And David Lawder and Michael Nienaber report that other countries are watering down even the U.S.' modest proposals for international tax standards. 

- Erica Johnson reports that banks are exploiting the pandemic by extracting even more and higher fees from the people who can least afford to pay them.

- Finally, Ian Gill writes that we're far more likely to be able to pursue happiness and well-being if we don't link them to constant consumption and environmental destruction.

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- The Globe and Mail's editorial board discusses the reality that the end of the age of oil is near no matter how many petropoliticians try to operate in denial. Carl Meyer reports on the oil lobby's attempts to turn the pursuit of emission reduction targets into an issue to be managed by the Ministry of Finance rather than anybody with any responsibility for environmental goals. And Jeffrey Jones reports on the Bank of Canada's warning that many fossil fuel assets are mispriced due to the gap between wishful thinking and reality. 

- Meanwhile, Becky Ferreira reports on the latest climate catastrophe, as the largest iceberg on the planet has broken loose from Antarctica.

- Marc Fawcett-Anderson reports on Canada's classification of waste as a toxic substance - which at least creates the possibility of a ban, though falls short of actually accomplishing that.

- Josh Eidelson interviews Lauren McFerran about the U.S.' National Labour Relations Board which is resuming offering some protection to workers after being placed under corporate control by the Trump administration.

- Finally, Umair Haque highlights how the working class is increasingly voting for fascist policies which serve only to demean punish others rather than benefiting working people.

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Murray Mandryk discusses how COVID-19 has highlighted and exacerbated existing inequality in Saskatchewan. And Aaron Wherry points out that Canada shouldn't treat its privileged position in securing early access to vaccines as cause to ignore the pandemic which will continue to rage around the globe even if we're lucky enough to achieve herd immunity. 

- Meanwhile, Zak Vescera reports on the exemption which sent COVID-infected staff back to work early at Extendicare Parkside - where hundreds were infected and dozens of residents died of the coronavirus. And

- Julie Lalonde writes that the shutdown of Greyhound's bus service is taking away lifelines from residents of isolated communities who counted on them. But David Moscrop notes that with private bus operators proving beyond doubt that profit won't provide a sufficient incentive to develop adequate transportation infrastructure, the time is now to start working on public services to focus on people's needs. 

- Christopher Curtis writes about Quebec's grossly inadequate shelter system - which is seeing homeless people forced to ration their own access to shelters as hundreds die of diseases and overdoses.

- Nav Persaud et al. study the effect of freely available prescription drugs on compliance, finding to nobody's surprise that cost is a barrier to people receiving needed medication - and that making medication freely available reduces overall health care costs.

- Finally, Jeremy Appel offers a reminder as to how Canada is profiting from death and destruction by supplying military equipment to regimes using them to target civilians.

Musical interlude

The Glorious Sons - Daylight

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- John Michael McGrath makes the case for optimism about our potential to avoid further waves of COVID as long as COVID-19 vaccinations overtake the risk of community spread. Brian Platt reports on Nova Scotia's use of rapid testing to catch a substantial number of cases in its third wave (while far too many provinces continue to let rapid tests languish). And Kim Siever notes that Alberta's headline numbers primarily reflect a worrisome drop in testing overall. 

- David Moscrop notes that the coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the problems with a first-past-the-post political system which doesn't require majority governments to be even remotely responsive to citizens between elections. Duncan Cameron writes that electing good people then failing to put pressure on them once in power is nowhere enough to ensure the kind of action we need to avert a climate breakdown. And Mitchell Thompson interviews Svend Robinson about the importance of the NDP providing a transformational option for voters and activists alike.

- The CCPA's presentation to the federal finance committee highlights the importance of collecting more revenue from the rich to ensure needed services are available to everybody. 

-  Pat Armstrong, Hugh Armstrong, Dan Buchanan, Tony Dean, Gail Donner, Arthur Donner, Sharon Sholzberg-Gray, Alex Himelfarb and Steven Shrybman point out the importance of investing in long-term care for people rather than profits for donors. And Karl Nerenberg discusses how corporate landlords - with the active participation of far too many governments - are putting the price of housing far out of the reach of the people who need it.

- Finally, Christine Ro discusses how overwork is killing many people (even as many others are told there's no work available for them).

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Bruce Arthur warns against letting up in our effort to fight COVID-19 just when a substantial victory is in sight. And Stephen Reicher, Susan Michie and Christina Pagel offer their take on the needed response to the emergence of more dangerous COVID variants - including a couple of recommendations which tragically will almost certainly be ignored in Saskatchewan:

Fourth, given the growing evidence regarding aerosol transmission and hence the critical role of ventilation as a means of mitigation, adequate ventilation should be a criterion for commercial reopening, along with an enhanced inspection regime and grants available for improving ventilation, both in businesses and in the home.

Fifth, we need clear and consistent public messaging to communicate the changing risks from covid-19 along with clear guidance on how people can identify and reduce those risks in their own lives. There is a particular need to avoid the mistakes of summer 2020 when people were urged to return to offices (even when they were able and willing to work from home) and go to pubs as their “patriotic duty.” This creates a sense of “it’s all over” and encourages people to lower their guard.

- Meanwhile, Caitlin Owens examines the social predictors of vaccination rates (and their consequences for the U.S.' hopes of controlling COVID-19). 

- Emma Knight highlights Canada's mediocre results in providing for maternal health. And Chantal Braganza rightly argues that it's time to fix a crisis of care work - and to do so without expecting mothers to bear the additional burden.

- Amanda Peacher points out how public housing should be seen as desirable rather than a poorly-funded option of last resort (with Vienna as a prime example). But Luke Ottenhof reports that Doug Ford is focused instead on ensuring that tenants are unable to organize or to document his system of rubber-stamped evictions to provide even more leverage to landlords.

- Alan Rappeport reports on lobbying by U.S. banks to prevent the repayment of loans on behalf of black farmers who have faced historical discrimination. And Anand Giridharadas talks to Mariana Mazzucato about our ridiculous fetishization of businessmen at the expense of the public good - including through the needless promotion of philanthrocapitalism.

- Finally, Thomas Piketty writes that it's both possible and desirable to work toward a basic income, job guarantee and universal capital inheritance to ensure both a reasonable standard of living and genuine opportunities for all. 

[Edit: fixed typo.]

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Top cats.

 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Tonda MacCharles reports on David Naylor's justified call for an inquiry into Canada's pandemic response. And Peter Walker's report on the rapid spread of the B.1.617.2 variant in the (heavily-vaccinated) UK offers a reminder that the work of protecting public health is far from done.

- Seth Klein argues that after decades of polluting both our atmosphere and our polity in the name of instant profits, the fossil fuel sector can't expect a transition to a cleaner economy to cater to its demands. Geoff Dembicki exposes how Suncor in particular is dumping chemicals onto poor, heavily-Latino populations around Denver while trying to claim an interest in racial justice. Emma Graney reports on the IEA's new study showing that we can't afford any new fossil fuel development if we want to meet a 1.5 degree climate target. Agence France-Presse reports on new research showing that the Brazilian Amazon has turned into a net carbon emitter, rather than the needed carbon sink that it was historically. Paris Marx highlights why we should be skeptical of Apple's greenwashing campaign. And Michael Holder reports on the contribution of just 20 petrochemical firms to half of the world's single-use plastic waste. 

- That said, the Economist does discuss how parts of the global steel industry are shifting toward more sustainable operational models, rather than insisting on strip-mining whatever they can.

- Amira Elghawaby examines what defunding the police and redirecting resources toward non-violent incident response may look like.

- Finally, Luke Savage writes that a disastrous interview of Keir Starmer following disastrous election results only serves to highlight the hollowness of content-free centrism. And Jon Schwarz discusses how an obsession with deficits in the name of their impact on children only serves to ensure that they inherit an inequity and environmental destruction.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Both Apoorva Mandavilli and Sara Mojtehedzadeh highlight how a failure to ensure air quality in workplaces to limit aerosol transmission has been one of the main causes of COVID-19 spread within communities. And Noah Smith rightly recognizes that one of the lessons we should draw from the pandemic is to use masks to prevent the spread of infectious diseases generally, while Gabriel Favreau draws on a principle of looking out for our neighbours as an important reason to work together in fighting the coronavirus.

- Meanwhile, Ziyad Al-Aly, Yan Xie and Benjamin Bowe study the risks after a person's initial exposure to COVID - including a substantial increased risk of death for at least six months even for people who never require hospitalization for their initial symptoms. 

- Shree Paradkar calls out the Libs' appalling choice to prioritize intellectual property monopolies (over vaccines developed through public funding) over any attempt to ensure vaccination is possible for any but the wealthiest countries. And the Canadian Press reports on the doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine sitting unused in freezers rather than being deployed either in Canada or elsewhere. 

- Canadians for Tax Fairness documents how Canada's largest companies profited off of tax breaks and public supports through the pandemic. And David Sirota points out how the corporate lobbyists demanding that governments slash social programs and drive down wages and working conditions for workers generally enjoy lives of luxury themselves.

- Finally, David Moscrop makes the case for a publicly owned and operated bus line to replace (and indeed expand on) the transportation service lost as Greyhound and other private providers have abandoned the field.

Sunday Evening Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Marianne Guenot reports on a World Health Organization-backed report confirming that political leaders could have averted the spread of COVID-19, but failed to do so. And CBC News reports on the fears of workers facing unmasked customers and management unwilling to look out for their health.

- Adam Peleshanty takes note of the spread of another season of extreme drought across the Prairies. And Max Fawcett writes that Alberta is engaged in delay tactics against making oil companies clean up their messes at the worst possible time. 

- Duncan Fraser McLachlan reports on the work tenants have done organizing against renovictions in one Montreal apartment building.  

- The Canadian Press reports on the push from the NDP and health care providers to get the Trudeau Libs to live up to their promises (and indeed the recommendations of their own panel) on pharmacare. And Brandon Doucet notes that the Libs are standing in the way of any move toward universal dental care as well.

- Meanwhile, Michael Geist writes about the problems with the Libs' Bill C-10 (and the gaslighting campaign being used to try to push it through Parliament).

- Finally, Arthur White-Crummey reports on the massive backing from one Alberta oil contractor which funded more than half of the Buffalo Party's emergence in Saskatchewan - showing that the risk of parties developing as wholly-owned subsidiaries of one or more wealthy people is coming to pass.

Musical interlude

Deftones - This Link Is Dead

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Michael Smart compares Canada's fiscal response to the COVID crisis to the reaction to previous recessions - finding that benefits for people are being cut back to normal levels in the midst of an ongoing pandemic, while corporate profits continue to soar. And David Dayen writes that while employers bleat about labour shortages based on their refusal to offer more than starvation wages, what's actually proven scarce in the U.S. attention to the needs of people.

- Meanwhile, Corrie Schneider discusses the importance of having sufficient support to avoid forcing women to choose between abuse and poverty. 

- The Globe and Mail's editorial board asks whether Canada's provincial governments have learned any lessons from removing public health restrictions too soon - though it's difficult to be optimistic at this point. And Chris Kai and P R Sanjai examine India's stark example of the human cost of prematurely declaring victory over COVID-19.

- Luke Malpass reports on New Zealand's introduction of Fair Pay Agreements to ensure that wage floors can be bargained on an industry-wide basis.

- Finally, Cathy Holtslander highlights how the updated NAFTA has sold out some of what little scope Canada had to protect agriculture - and how the U.S. is pressing its advantage to try to deregulate the seed market to ensure both lesser consumer protections and the ability to squeeze farmers on price.

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Matt Gurney discusses the need for public health planning to reflect the predictable reactions of people whose compliance affects the viability of any rules. Guy Quenneville reports on the federal government's justified skepticism of Scott Moe's plan to focus on vaccinations alone, rather than actual viral spread. Kenyon Wallace notes that a euphemistic focus on geographic "hot spots" misses the social inequity which has resulted in disadvantaged groups bearing the brunt of COVID-19. And Robert Nam writes about Ontario's freeze on cancer care as one of the side effects of a mismanaged pandemic.

- Amber Cortes and Carl Nelson offer a graphic portrayal as to how COVID-19 has only further exposed and exacerbated the U.S.' homelessness crisis. And Doug Nesbitt discusses how the pandemic has strengthened the case to put an end to profiteering long-term care. 

- Robert Hiltz calls out Jason Kenney and the UCP for prioritizing corporate revenue over people's lives. And in a stark example of that calculus, Wallis Snowdon reports on the massive outbreak at CNRL's Horizon oilsands mine - accompanied by the argument that the public should be entirely satisfied with protocols argued to have met minimum standards even if thousands of people were infected at CNRL sites.

- Meanwhile, Kim Siever points out that record oil production in Alberta isn't translating into a return to past employment levels. And Sarah Anderson weighs in on the gap between soaring CEO pay and stagnating wages even at a time when workers are being praised for being essential. 

- Finally, Paul Krugman offers a reminder that while Republicans may occasionally try to use worker-friendly rhetoric, their actions are aimed at nothing but fighting a brutal class war on behalf of the rich.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Duncan Cameron discusses how right-wing nationalism is contributing to the destruction of our planet and the exploitation of people. Don Braid highlights how right-wing fringe politics and governance are damaging Alberta. And Murray Mandryk notes that Scott Moe's reliance on an anti-science and anti-social base is the only explanation for his refusal to call out white nationalists.  

- Meanwhile, Meghan Grant reports on the choice by the Kenney and Moe governments to make it more difficult to enforce federal quarantine rules. And David Pugliese reports that instead of protecting against the actual threats posed by public health objectors and violent racists, Canada's security apparatus has used the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to put Black Lives Matter organizers under surveillance.

- Kim Mackrael discusses how British Columbia's action to control the spread of COVID-19 variants is being looked at as a model around the globe. Gary Mason contrasts that against Alberta's newfound status as North America's COVID hotspot (as well as the home of Canada's highest concentration of anti-vaxxers), while Melanee Thomas points out that it's not fair to treat the anti-science movement as a matter of urban vs. rural populations. And Alison Durkee reports on a study showing how school reopenings (absent needed precautions) increased the spread of the coronavirus even in the fall before the variants of concern emerged.

- Sarath Peiris rightly argues that if Moe were remotely reasonable, he'd happily sign on to the federal child care plan - though the next evidence that the Saskatchewan Party values benefits for the public over picking fights with Ottawa will be the first.

- Rebecca Solnit makes a cautious case for optimism in averting the worst of a climate breakdown. Joanna Partridge reports on new research suggesting that electric vehicles will be less expensive to manufacture than combustion vehicles within a matter of years. And Emma Graney reports on the IEA's observation that renewable energy is growing at a historic rate.

- Finally, Charles Smith calls out the Libs' contempt for the Charter right to strike reflected in their legislation (supported and eagerly waved through by the Cons) to allow employers at the Port of Montreal to impose longer hours without any collective bargaining recourse.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

 Slumbering cats.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Marcin Osuchowski et al. highlight the importance of updating our understanding of COVID-19 rather than presuming it behaves the same way as previously-studied diseases. Sandy Barnard writes that we can't blame service workers for deciding they're best off not risking their lives for poverty wages from employers who don't value their health or well-being. And Gavin Fridell argues that Canada can't keep clinging to the unethical position that intellectual property monopolies over publicly-developed vaccines are more important than controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.

- Naomi Klein writes about the intersection of crises in California as climate breakdown-fuelled wildfires are leaving people without any ability to find scarce housing.

- CBC News talks to Angela Carter about the reality that Newfoundland and Labrador is past the point where it can count on oil revenues to fund a just transition. Jeff Lagerquist reports on a new survey showing how Canada is falling behind other countries in investing in clean energy. Arjun Makhijani and M.V. Ramana highlight why small nuclear reactors aren't a viable part of a transition to clean power. And Sharon Riley examines how the global steel industry is moving away from the use of coal - even as Jason Kenney and other try to peddle strip mining for that purpose now that they've given up the pretense of needing coal power.

- Elizabeth Thompson reports on PIPSC's recognition that the federal government is making the choice not to ensure that sufficient resources are available to investigate offshore tax evasion.

- Finally, Sabrina Eliason writes about the urgent need for improved child care and developmental supports to make life easier for Alberta parents.

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Zeynep Tufecki writes about the deadly delay in recognizing the reality that COVID-19 spreads largely through aerosol transmission. Elliot Hannon reports on new research suggesting that the U.S.' already-appalling official death toll from the coronavirus represents a severe undercount. notes that the third wave of COVID-19 was entirely preventable in Canada if we'd taken a responsible approach, while Birgit Umaigba discusses what it looks like from the perspective of the health care workers forced to deal with its most direct effects. Lauren Pelley talks to experts about the likelihood that Canada will face both a severe fourth wave and ongoing outbreaks if we don't do everything we can to push for zero COVID now. And Abdul Malik writes that if the summer Olympics ultimately go ahead, that will only reflect the failure of countries around the globe to properly value human health and lives as compared to opportunities for nationalism and profit. 

- Duane Bratt discusses Alberta's problems with public health compliance - and their roots in the messaging and policy choices of the Kenney UCP. And Taylor Lambert comments on the causes of the province's vaccine hesitancy.

- Amanda Connolly reports on Naheed Nenshi's recognition that anti-vaxx messaging is tied into white nationalism. Zak Vescera reports on bigoted responses to a health care provider survey which show how far Saskatchewan has to go in treating Indigenous people with basic human respect and dignity. And John Cameron documents how anti-trans speakers at a recent Regina City Council meeting are tied into national and international networks of hate, rather than reflecting local views.

- Finally, Meagan Day highlights how organized labour can help to ensure that workers aren't easy prey for bigoted far-right demagogues as a perceived form of resistance against deteriorating working conditions and unfair treatment.

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- David Graham points out that what's being labeled "vaccine hesitancy" reflects little more than abject denial about the realities of a deadly disease.

- Peter Graefe and Mohammed Fredosi discuss how the CERB - limited though it was - exposed the grossly insufficient provincial social assistance people are expected to survive on in its absence. 

- Cole Webber notes that Doug Ford is using the pandemic to criminalize any tenant organizing, while facilitating the trampling of tenants' rights on an individual level.

- Damian Carrington writes about the difference between genuine climate policy and insubstantial greenwashing - with the latter description fitting the Trudeau Libs to a T. And Fiona Harvey reports on new research showing that developed countries are on pace to blow past any remotely acceptable emission threshold with their current policies and emission commitments.

- David McKenzie and Ingrid Formanek report on the plans of a Canadian oil company operating in Namibia to detonate yet another carbon bomb. Carl Meyer reports on a new legal opinion finding that Canada and other countries are putting themselves at risk by subsidizing and financing fossil fuel development. Meyer and Emily Holden call out Trans Mountain's refusal to name its insurers (in a move obviously aimed at avoiding the prospect of public organizing to reconsider the merits of providing support for a project with calamitous climate consequences).

- Finally, Simran Chatta reports on a new study showing that continents are drying out at an unprecedented pace as one of the consequences of the climate breaking down.

Musical interlude

 Wide Mouth Mason - Erase Any Trace

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Mickey Djuric reports on the growing surgical backlog resulting from the Moe government's willingness to let COVID-19 tear through Saskatchewan's health care system. And Joel Dryden and Sarah Rieger report on the pattern of outbreaks at Alberta meat processing plants which have been encouraged to keep operating with no regard for the health of employees and their families.

- Meanwhile, David Moscrop comments on what it means to be writing in the course of the pandemic - and particularly the need to situate political writing as a community-oriented rather than individual activity. 

- Samuel Preston and Yana Vierboom write about the causes of the "mortality penalty" which sees hundreds of thousands more Americans die every year than would be expected in a country with its standard of living. And Joshua Sharpe discusses the need to better recognize and account for the risks associated with driving.

- James Bloodworth writes that even as the pandemic has only highlighted longstanding problems with the UK's long-term care system, there's still no indication of any willingness to make improvements. And Shanifa Nasser reports that after promising to investigate the preventable deaths of people in are last year, Doug Ford's PCs are now announcing they never bothered to do so.

- Finally, Tom Parkin examines how it's possible for the federal government to take a leadership role in protecting our health and environment - and why we shouldn't accept "not their jurisdiction!" as an excuse for delay and inaction. And Gordon Cleveland writes that Andrew Coyne's refusal to acknowledge the value of building a child-care system (rather than merely handing money out to parents) reflects a misunderstanding of the value of care.

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Leyland Cecco discusses how a combination of feckless government and decades of carefully-stoked anti-science sentiment has turned Alberta into North America's COVID-19 hot spot, while Max Fawcett writes that Jason Kenney's response has been the picture of cowardice. 

- Ediriweera Desapriya, Parisa Khoshpouri and Kamal Gunatunge write that the risks of long-haul COVID in particular highlight the important of ensuring that people get vaccinated, while John Michael McGrath makes the case to pay people to do so. But Yves Smith takes note of the reality in the Seychelles, where one of the world's highest rates of full vaccination is doing little to stop the spread of variants. And Allison Bamford talks to Kyle Anderson about the flaws in Scott Moe's reopening plan which cuts ongoing transmission and its impact on health out of the picture entirely.

- Andrea Reimer examines the psychology behind the propensity of people with power to use it foolishly and anti-socially. And Mitchell Thompson writes about the strike-breakers' playbook used to intimidate workers into abandoning efforts at collective bargaining.

- Benjamin Storrow exposes how actors in the natural gas sector are conspiring to delay the electrification needed as part of a just transition to a clean energy economy. And Jim Stanford highlights how Canada's progressive union movement is well ahead of the curve in fighting for a sustainable economy with good jobs.

- Finally, Linda McQuaig writes about the need for the Trudeau Libs to go beyond merely pushing back against deficit hawks, and also ensure that their use of public money serves to improve the lives of people rather than relying on discredited trickle-down theory.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Cushioned cats.

 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Apoora Mandavilli warns about the looming prospect that the U.S. will be unable to reach herd immunity through vaccination due to right-wing cultural resistance to public health. Andrew Nikiforuk writes that Alberta's place as the COVID hotspot of North America is the result of the choices made by Jason Kenney and the UCP - both in stoking distrust of science generally, and refusing to protect the public as coronavirus variants have run amok. Dave Cournoyer contrasts Kenney's bluster against his utter ineffectiveness as he shuts down the Legislature while insisting that other workers in far less safe environments continue to put themselves at risk. And CBC reports on the call from Alberta's previous chief medical officer of health James Talbot for a province-wide lockdown to get the current outbreak under control.

- Alex Hemingway observes that the lack of public policy action on sick leave is all about the desire of the corporate sector to hold power over vulnerable employees. But James Dunne discusses how employers are better off ensuring their employees can take paid sick leave. 

- Jamie Swift and Elaine Power note that the supports developed in response to COVID-19 offer at least a hint of what a basic income could accomplish. And Michele Girash points out how our social safety net still has unacceptable holes, including for people suffering from long COVID. 

- Ellen Hoen argues that the arguments to privilege intellectual property monopolies over public health in the face of a pandemic simply don't add up. 

- Andre Picard laments the fact that even a myriad of preventable deaths doesn't seem to be enough for Ontario to fix its long-term care system.

- Finally, Adolph Reed Jr. writes that decades of concerted attacks on government have left far too little understanding of the importance of the public good.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Emma Paling discusses the reasons why repeated warnings about Canada's third wave of the coronavirus went largely unanswered. And Rachel Bergen reports on another national call among doctors for a COVID-19 circuit breaker, this time with a focus on stopping the spread of variants of concern while vaccinations take place. 

- CBC News reports on Dr. Andrew Bond's eminently sensible suggestion that the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine be used to reach unhoused people and others who may have difficulty following through with a second dose. And Nick Dearden notes that the need for vaccines to protect the health of all of humanity has only exposed the greed of the drug companies prioritizing profit over access.

- Doug Cuthand discusses how the pandemic has further exposed the dangerous effects of white privilege in Saskatchewan.

- Taylor Balfour writes about her sister as one of the victims of the opioid crisis. And Morgan Modjeski reports on a stark increase in the number of violent deaths of children under the province's care in 2020.

- The Canadian Press reports on the push by the NDP opposition parties across the prairies to ensure that provincial governments properly cushion farmers against drastic declines in income. 

- Finally, Toby Sanger examines (PDF) how much revenue Canada could bring in merely by matching Joe Biden's rate increases on corporations. And MercoPress reports that Bolivia has actually been bringing in twice as much revenue as initially anticipated from its wealth tax.

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- A group of doctors and scientists offers an open letter calling for a strategy of maximum COVID-19 suppression.

- Matt Gurney writes about the latest report documenting the utter failure of Ontario's long-term care system. PressProgress notes that tens of thousands of violations of health and safety standards by Ontario employers in the midst of a pandemic gave rise to a paltry 24 stoppages of work. And Lynn Giesbrecht reports on the danger that the fallout from COVID may include an exodus of teachers (among other vital workers who have largely been abandoned by their governments).

- Rob Carrick highlights how soaring housing prices are making a small number of homeowners wealthy while pricing the necessities of life out of the reach of many people (and particularly younger workers). 

- The Canadian Press reports on the supply agreement reached between the NDP and the Libs in the Yukon - featuring a cap on rent increases, a public dental insurance plan and a minimum wage increase among other much-needed supports for citizens. 

- Finally, Leah Gazan discusses the importance of controlling the narrative around a basic income, and particularly the opportunity to treat it as a way of ensuring the protection of everybody's rights rather than an excuse for failing to do so.

Musical interlude

 Filo & Peri feat. Audrey Gallagher - This Night (Max Graham Remix)

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Miquel Oliu-Barton, Bary Pradelski, Philippe Aghion, Patrick Artus, Ilona Kickbusch, Jeffrey Lazarus, Devi Sridhar and Samantha Vanderslott examine how strategies aimed at eradicating COVID-19 - rather than aiming for it to spread at some non-zero level - produces better outcomes in terms of economic outcomes, public health and civil liberties. And Graham Thomson calls out Jason Kenney for allowing anti-vaccine sentiment to fester and endanger the health of his province's whole population.

- Christo Aivalis discusses how both Justin Trudeau and Doug Ford are sacrificing workers' health and safety in the name of corporate profits and control. The members of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table study the positive effects of sick leave in reducing the spread of the coronavirus. Rick Salutin calls out the insistence of Ford's PCs (among other governments) on setting up barriers to access to sick leave and other income support in the midst of a pandemic, while Josh Rubin reports on the quick response recognizing that the belated offer of three days of leave is far from enough. And Rita Trichur notes that anybody with any belief in the concept of corporate social responsibility should expect paid sick leave to be one of the minimum requirements to pursue it.

- Wyatt Schierman writes that India's desperate situation highlights the need to prioritize access to vaccines over intellectual property monopolies.

- Hiroko Tabuchi and Nadja Popovich point out how environmental racism results in minority groups being exposed to more dangerous pollution than the people choosing to impose the risks. And Rosanna Xia reports on the discovery of DDT dumped into a far larger swath of the Pacific Ocean than previously known as an example of the environmental harm that's been concealed from the public so far.

- Finally, Robert Hackett and Hanna Araza highlight how Canada's media gives large amounts of space to the oil industry to dictate the terms of any discussion about its harm to the planet. And George Monbiot calls out much of the UK's media for facilitating Conservative corruption and cronyism - especially in the areas where they've resulted in failing services and direct human suffering.