Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Bruce Arthur discusses how last week's rallies for bigotry are reflective of a broader social illness which is being encouraged by right-wing parties and politicians. And Charlie Angus writes about his experience on the receiving end of violent authoritarian rhetoric and personal threats.  

- John Lorinc points out that the corruption behind Doug Ford's plans to turn Ontario Place into a spa (and ultimately a casino) includes massive public costs for water and wastewater infrastructure to pump money into the pockets of Ford's buddies. And Lulu Ramadan reports on Boeing's attempts to escape any responsibility to clean up the Duwamish River in Seattle after consistently claiming it as a free dumping ground for chemicals. 

- Taylor Noakes discusses CAPP's utterly misleading spin which claims the oil sector will cut emissions while ignoring its plans to release the tar sands carbon bomb. And the Mercator Research Institute studies how solar energy and storage are both plummeting in price, making a clean energy supply more affordable than dirty fossil fuels even if we weren't going to account for the environmental costs of carbon dumping. 

- Cory Doctorow examines how Apple has blocked users from repairing their devices in order to ensure a continued market based on mandated obsolescence. 

- Finally, Kevin Drum highlights the drastic difference in pay and benefits between unionized and non-unionized workforces in the U.S.' private sector. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Ontario's COVID-19 Science Table has published a primer on long COVID (and the need for associated supports) just in time to be abolished for interfering with the Ford PCs' message that everything is fine. Sri Taylor reports on a massive jump in U.S. cases as students have returned to classes. And Marilyn Thompson and Jenny Deam report on how Republicans in power are using the force of the state to cater to anti-vaxxers and Trumpist quackery while imposing intolerable demands on already-strained hospitals. 

- Meanwhile, Ja'han Jones writes about the poisoning of black America as a result of selectively inadequate infrastructure and deference to corporate polluters. 

- Emily Stewart interviews Nathan Tankus about the need for an authority with the ability to take rational steps in response to imminent inflation, rather relying solely on an after-the-fact response which is limited to suppressing wages and killing jobs. And Grace Blakeley writes that the UK can't afford another bout of Con austerity, while Umair Haque identifies it as the country offering the most jarring example of how not to succeed in the 21st century. 

- Kenneth Mohamed writes about the need to rein in an oil industry that's destroying our living environment in order to extract gigantic windfall profits. Max Moran points out that any plan for a just transition needs to include the development of a civil service capable of doing the work. And Brady Dennis reports on new research showing the massive amounts of land which the U.S. stands to lose to rising sea levels. 

- Finally, Bruce Arthur discusses the futility of trying to argue with radicalized rightists who are impervious to facts and rational debate. And Meghan Grant and Rachel Ward report on the attempt by Flu Trux Klan fanatics to smuggle guns into what were billed as peaceful protests - a plan which was foiled only by the fact that undercover officers were selected to carry out the operation. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Bruce Arthur laments the message being sent by Ontario's government that there's no need to care about other people in the face of an ongoing pandemic, while Norm Farrell discusses British Columbia's sliding back into a neglect phase. Anne Flaherty reports on the young workers losing their careers to long COVID. And Grady McGregor reports on China's development and approval of a nasal vaccine which offers the prospect of better protection to those who haven't been sacrificed to COVID-19 before it's available. 

- Meanwhile, John Michael McGrath writes that governments which have gone out of their way to eliminate COVID protections can't plausibly expect to keep any promises that schools will stay open. 

- Rosa Saba reports on the disconnect between a hot job market and the continued refusal by employers to pay people accordingly, while Nojoud Al Malles talks to labour leaders about the growing gap between stagnant (or worse) real wages and record profits. 

- Andrea Houston discusses how Canada's public health care system is being sabotaged by politicians eager to chop it up into profitable pieces. And Sanah Ashan notes that mental health - like health care generally - needs to be based on recognition of the importance of the social determinants of health. 

- Finally, John Smith writes that any hope for a better future needs to be paired with a willingness to fight for it. And Jeremy Corbyn notes that a new spokesperson doesn't serve as justification to keep repeating the same old corporatist mistakes.

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Bruce Arthur is rightly frustrated by an attitude of utter denial and amnesia toward a pandemic still in progress. And Fenit Nirappil, Craig Pittman and Maureen O'Hagan report on the deterioration of the U.S.' response, including a dramatic increase over the case load this time last year. 

- Julia Levin asks why we're allowing the fossil fuel sector to determine Canada's climate policy. Adam Morton looks to Australia's example of how both the environment and the economy suffer when dirty energy producers are allowed to define their own responsibilities. Anna Cooban reports that even the UK Cons are applying a windfall profit tax to oil and gas companies - though their loophole for expanded production isn't one that we should be looking to emulate. And Emma McIntosh and Fatima Syed break down what Ontario's political parties have on offer for climate and environmental policy in this week's provincial election. 

- Jessica Spieker points out the dangers of unnecessarily large vehicles - and the glaring lack of action to make roads safer for everybody trying to use them. And Judith Enck and Jan Dell discuss the futility of relying on plastic recycling, rather than shifting away from substances increasingly known to be toxic and permanent. 

- Colleen MacPherson writes about the Saskatchewan Party's chronic underfunding of the province's education system. 

- Finally, Jessica McDiarmid reports on the continued deception of right-wing data miners posing as local "conversation" pages. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Yan Wang et al. examine the feasibility of a zero COVID policy, and find that the even the development of the Omicron variants hasn't ruled out containment through appropriate interventions. Kirsten Wiens et al. study the spread of COVID-19 in U.S. schools, finding that while public health protections were effective, their elimination resulted in substantial avoidable spread. And Jen Christensen writes about the children suffering from long COVID - and the many different ways it can manifest itself. 

- Meanwhile, Bruce Arthur warns that Pierre Poilievre is determined to turn the Cons into the Convoy Party of Canada - with hostility to both science and public health ranking among its most dangerous traits. 

- The Energy Mix highlights new research concluding that Canada stands to lose trillions of dollars as the cost of climate breakdown, making for a far higher price than taking action to reduce carbon pollution. And Kat Kerlin reports on new research about California's 2020 wildfires - with the primary new issue being one of severity rather than area. 

- Jen St. Denis discusses the distributional problems with pushing existing tenants out of the way to build transit infrastructure (and new, more expensive housing). 

- Lana Payne points out that cost-of-living clauses negotiated by unions are one of the most effective ways to make sure workers don't bear the brunt of inflation. 

- Finally, Alejandra Bravo discusses the importance of building power as part of the effort to bring about change. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Jennifer Rigby and Julie Steenhuysen report on the latest COVID-19 wave and its direct connection to the elimination of public health protections. Eric Topol writes about the role additional boosters may play in somewhat mitigating the second Omicron wave, while Paulina Kaplonek et al. find differences in vaccine immunity, suggesting that a variety of vaccines may produce more effective protection. The Karolinska Institute discusses how even mild COVID cases produce inflammation in immune cells which may last for months. And Charline McCone rightly asks why we're still missing basic answers about long COVID two years after it became a reality for large numbers of people. 

- Meanwhile, Bruce Arthur looks into Doug Ford's apparent retaliation against doctors who dared to warn the public about the dangers people face and the failure of their government to respond with even a modicum of caring or competence. 

- Jamie Henn makes the case for the oil industry to pay a windfall profit tax as people are required to pay increasing prices which bear no apparent relationship to any factor other than profiteering. Mark Chediak discusses the reasons for skepticism about hydrogen blending as a substitute for displacing fossil fuels, while Nicola Seguin notes that electric vehicles won't accomplish anywhere near as much as ensuring people don't need individual cars to move around their communities. 

- Finally, Tom Parkin writes about the Cons' anger over the NDP-Lib supply and confidence agreement which both moves Canada in a more progressive direction, and takes away their plan for constant election threats. And John Cartwright discusses the work to be done in turning an improved Parliamentary environment into lasting change for the better. 

Sunday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your Sunday reading.

- Carly Weeks reports on the work being done to begin to understand and treat long COVID, while Erika Edwards reports on the profiteers directing people toward lucrative (if not necessarily effective) interventions where governments have failed to offer anything. Mario Canseco finds that more than half of Canadians are anxious about the political class' inexplicable decision to eliminate public health protections, while Bruce Arthur discusses the impossibility of mounting any effective fight against a pandemic while trying to pretend it's over. And Maiike Swets et al. find that in a particularly painful twist on attempts to minimize COVID as "no worse than a flu", the combination of the coronavirus and an actual flu produces particularly severe outcomes.

- Niki Ashton highlights how public ownership can serve as a level for effective climate action. John Vidal discusses Amory Lovins' work demonstrating that energy efficiency should be central to our carbon mitigation plans. And Maddelin McCosker and Danielle O'Neal report on the farce that is Australia's carbon credit scheme, as credits (and associated profits) have been handed out regardless of any contribution to emission reductions.

- Meanwhile, the National Post reports that the proliferation of plastics has reached the point where microparticles are contaminating human bloodstreams.

- Finally, Jon Queally discusses Joe Biden's laudable effort to ensure the wealthiest few in the U.S. contribute at least something toward funding a functional society.

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Zak Vescera reports that the Moe government's push toward privatizing COVID testing has turned into such a fiasco that even the for-profit operators are calling for somebody to apply regulations to protect the public. Ninan Abraham et al. call out a Globe and Mail opinion column for feeding anti-vaxx narratives in the absence of any evidence. And Doug Saunders discusses how Europe's latest wave can be traced to politicians catering to science denialists. 

- Bruce Arthur argues that while we may need to live with anti-vaxxers, we should at least expect our leaders to have the sense not to lend them support. And the Canadian Anti-Hate Network documents how the Flu Trux Klan convoy has turned into little but a show of fascist hate on wheels. 

- George Monbiot highlights how carbon offsetting is only encouraging the continued use of fossil fuels by allowing people to treat them as climate solutions rather than the continuation of a problem. Data For Progress examines both the health impacts of poor air quality, and the public's desire to see political action to remedy it. 

- Colin D'Mello reports on Doug Ford's grant of a sole-source private vaccine clinic contract after a flurry of donations from board members and their families. And Kim Siever reports on the UCP's decision to put the son of private ambulance magnate in charge of a review of emergency services. 

- Finally, Luke Savage writes about the essential role unions play in protecting and advancing democracy far beyond the workplace. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Charlie Smith highlights how attempts to minimize the ongoing pandemic have reduced the public credibility of both government and public health officials alike in British Columbia (even as they've provided a messaging boost to anti-vaxxers). Nam Kiwanuka laments how parents have been left to fend for themselves, while Dan Sinker notes how the choices have been all the more grim in jurisdictions which sent kids immediately back to school. Bruce Arthur discusses how the misleading spin of a "mild" variant has led both governments and citizens to fail to take a severe threat seriously. And the Globe and Mail's editorial board asks why Canada has so far to go in vaccinating young people when there's ample vaccine supple to get it done. 

- Megan Ogilvie examines how the Omicron wave is devastating Ontario's health care system and the people who rely on it. Josh Rubin reports on the economic losses caused by workers getting sick in the absence of appropriate public health protections. And Angelyn Francis writes about the steps we need to take to protect people with disabilities from the continuing pandemic. 

- Victoria Forster reports on new research suggesting that the Omicron variant reaches peak transmissibility around 3-6 days after symptom onset - meaning that public health rules assuming a 5-day period is sufficient after a positive test may be pushing people back to work when they're most infectious. And Linda Geddes reports on the relatively good news that COVID loses most of its infectiousness within five minutes in the air - though that will only help if we take the steps needed to reduce contacts which raise the potential for short-range infection.

- Bob Weber reports on Alberta's complete failure to deliver on promised environmental monitoring for the tar sands. And David Climenhaga calls out the combination of climate delay and publicly-funded cronyism behind the UCP's attempt to push nuclear power rather than cheaper and readily-available renewable alternatives. 

- Finally, David Hope and Julian Lindberg study the effects of tax cuts for the rich - and unsurprisingly find the result to be worsened inequality without any benefit in total economic activity or productivity. 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Bruce Arthur writes that Doug Ford's photo ops around empty hospital beds don't signal any useful accomplishment when they're not paired with solutions to the staffing crisis. Jessie Anton reports on the alarm bells sounding about Saskatchewan's health care system, while Nathaniel Dove highlights Cory Neudorf's recognition that we need to do far more to limit community transmission in order to make schools anything close to safe. Sara Mojtehedzadeh points out how people stand to lose out on treatment and income supports due to the lack of availability of COVID tests, while Kendall Latimer reports on the statement by Saskatchewan's Workers' Compensation Board that the Moe government's attempt to get people not to have PCR tests done will deprive anyone who listens of their expected income support. Colin Furness makes the case for a broad shift to wearing N95 masks. 

- Max Fawcett discusses the need to stop putting up with the anti-social effects of anti-vaxxers and the right-wing politicians who coddle them. 

- Hadas Thier makes the case for a response to inflation which reins in profiteering while ensuring people have the resources they need to secure the necessities of life. And Stephen Wentzell notes that workers actually stand to benefit from the economic conditions which lead to inflation - as long as the rug isn't pulled out just as gains start to filter down to the people who have contributed to larger profits. 

- Finally, Phil McKenna reports on the environmental fallout from poorly-regulated fossil fuel extraction and processing - including far more abandoned wells than may have previously been assumed.  

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Bruce Arthur warns that the worst of the COVID pandemic may be just around the corner as the far more transmissible Omicron variant spreads throughout Canada, while Karen-Marie Elah Perry and Shila Avissa discuss the perpetual gaslighting effort aimed at persuading us the pandemic is over no matter how obvious its ongoing damage. Julie Johnson reports on one super-spreader wedding as an example of how the precautions which seemed sufficient are failing miserably against Omicron. And Ivan Semeniuk reports on the urgent effort among scientists to determine how it will affect vulnerable populations in particular.

- Meanwhile, Ian McGillis talks to Nora Loreto about the lethal policy failures we've seen throughout the pandemic. And John Paul Tasker reports on the findings of Auditor General Karen Hogan that the federal government completely failed to apply regulations to protect temporary foreign workers from COVID spread.

- Chris Hall reports on the push by activists to stop precipitating drug poisonings by treating addiction as a crime. And Moira Wyton reports on new research showing the wide-ranging health benefits of overdose prevention sites.

- Henry Grabar writes that the practice of systematically placing apartment buildings only on busy and polluted streets serves only to amplify inequality.

- Finally, Nikolaus Kurmayer reports on the important step taken by Austria's environment and transport minister in determining that a highway megaproject couldn't be justified in light of the need to take climate action. And Andrew Freedman reports that major businesses are beginning to move their operations away from areas which will soon be swamped by a climate breakdown.

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Bruce Arthur writes about the need for governments' responses to COVID to adapt to the increased risk posed by the Omicron variant. And Charles Blow writes that he's understandably lost patience with anti-vaxxers who are endangering us all in the service of ever-more-implausible claims and theories.

- Sarah Krichel interviews Nora Loreto about the failures of Canadian media in covering the pandemic. And Robert Reich discusses the similar pattern in the U.S. of corporate media serving mostly to comfort the already-powerful at the expense of people who need journalism on their side. 

- Mickey Djuric reports on Scott Moe's predictable choice to use the collapse he precipitated in the public health care system as an excuse to funnel money to corporate surgical centres.

- Marcus Baram offers a look inside the world of corporate union-busting, while Kim Moody discusses the power workers vital to logistical industries have if they choose to exercise it. And Ben Ger and Rebecca Kantwerg make the case for tenants to organize and bring collective bargaining to the world of housing.

- Finally, Stefanie Davis reports on Saskatchewan's looking place back at the bottom of list of Canadian provinces in providing anything close to a liveable minimum wage.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Miquel Oliu-Barton et al. study the effects of different government approaches to COVID-19 - and find that elimination strategies have produced far superior outcomes to attempts to live with uncontrolled community spread. And Andre Picard begs us to stop repeating our mistakes in responding belatedly and insufficiently to the spread of increasingly dangerous mutations. But Bruce Arthur discusses how Ontario looks to be limiting any public health response, while Teri Carter writes about the arrival of Omicron in areas of Kentucky where the population is operating in denial of the pandemic. Katelyn Jetelina examines what we know about the Omicron variant so far. And Alexander Quon and Adam Hunter report on the confirmed arrival of Omicron in Saskatchewan, even as Scott Moe cozies up to anti-vaxxers.

- Meanwhile, a Nature editorial highlights the need for vaccine equity to limit global spread, rather than relying on selective and ineffective travel bans, while Glen Pearson warns against trying to hold to a risky lifestyle behind a wall of pandemic nationalism. And Umair Haque discusses how capitalist ideology has exacerbated the pandemic, while Walker Bragman calls out Joe Biden in particular for prioritizing pharmaceutical profits over the needed distribution of vaccines. 

- Jake Johnson writes about the continued concentration of wealth within a tiny proportion of the world's population, while Michael Read takes note of Australia's impending inheritance tsunami. And Jeff Ernsthausen, Paul Kiel and Jesse Eisinger highlight how some of the most prominent tycoons in the U.S. have avoided paying taxes on their fortunes by selectively booking business losses. 

- Adam Tooze writes that the U.S.' dependence on fossil fuels may drag its entire economy down in the decades to come - a warning which applies with equal force to Canada. John Michael McGrath discusses a new report from Ontario's Financial Accountability Officer on the immense costs of a climate breakdown (and the costs which couldn't yet be modeled), while Gordon Laxer suggests that we should limit the influence of foreign oil companies on our politics. And Nazanin Meshkat reports on a call from Ontario doctors to stop gratuitous highway construction due to its effect on people's health. 

- Finally, Barton Gellman discusses the wealth and privilege of the violent movement which launched a coup to try to keep Donald Trump in power this year regardless of the choices of voters - and will likely do far more toward that end in 2024. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Niels-Jakob Hansen and Rui Mano study the effect of mask mandates in saving tens of thousands of lives in the U.S. alone - while noting that far more could have been saved if they had been more widely applied. Anthony Vasquez-Peddie reports on a new study showing that thousands of Canadians died as a result of the systemic fallout from the pandemic beyond those who succumbed to COVID directly. And Bruce Arthur writes that we can't afford for our leaders to confuse hope for a strategy in responding to the Omicron variant, while Matthew Yglesias laments that the U.S. has chosen not to put substantial resources into improving its pandemic preparation.  

- Shannon Proudfoot writes that Canadian politicians will again have no choice but to reckon with the climate crisis in 2022. And Nadia Thunderwoman George reminds us of the persistent effects of environmental racism. 

- David Zipper notes that the theme of individual responsibility for car crashes serves to conceal the systemic factors which actually cause them. And andrea bennett makes the case for free transit as a safer and healthier alternative to car culture. 

- Cyrus Tharpe writes that the current shortage of truckers is the result of unacceptable pay and working conditions, not a lack of willing workers. PressProgress examines new documents showing the pressure Amazon puts on its workers to work like machines at the expense of their health. And Matt Bodie reviews Gali Racabi's forthcoming paper reminding us that the prioritization of "management rights" over any other interest in the workplace is entirely a legal construct rather than an unavoidable state of affairs.  

- Finally, Matt Bruenig highlights the value of universal benefits in ensuring that social goods can be provided without a disproportionate burden on anybody. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Matt Gurney writes that the COVID pandemic has exposed - without ameliorating - our political leaders' inability to respond to any real crisis. And in case anybody was under the illusion that we're past the worst of COVID itself, Michael James and Christine Fernando report on the emergence - and apparent spread - of what may be the most threatening variant yet. 

- Nicole Ireland reports on the Public Health Agency of Canada's advice that we need to use more effective masks to limit COVID transmission. Zak Vescera reports on the stark differences in vaccination rates based on socioeconomic privilege in Regina and Saskatoon, while also noting that Saskatchewan as a whole is having to pursue "microtargeting" to squeeze out further vaccination opportunities. And Stephane Dubois highlights how pediatric vaccinations will help our population-wide protection - though Kelly Skjerven reports that the Moe government hasn't bothered to provide leave to enable parents to get their children vaccinated. 

- Meanwhile, Meaghan Ellis examines the personality traits which tend to underlie COVID denialism and anti-vaxx conspiracy theories. And Bruce Arthur discusses the challenges in trying to deal with anti-vaxxers. 

- Stephen Wentzell talks to Naheed Dosani about the importance of paid sick leave in ensuring health equity for workers. And PressProgress reports on the Horgan government's decision to offer only half a loaf, rather than the full 10 sick days recommended to protect the health of workers and the people who rely on them. 

- Jeanelle Mandes reports on new research showing that the rate of child poverty in Saskatchewan remains above a quarter of all children (where it's been for over a decade). And Katie Hyslop discusses how child poverty can generally be traced to mothers' poverty in particular. 

- Andrew Nikiforuk writes about the future costs of procrastinating on a transition to a clean economy, while Heather Scoffield notes that the price tag is already soaring due to immediate climate calamities. And Peter Zimonjic reports on Environment Commissioner Jerry DiMarco's recognition that Canada's climate policy has bounced from failure to failure, while Barry Saxifrage discusses how Canada is actually backsliding in the effort to replace dirty fossil fuels with clean electric power. 

- Finally, Jerry Dias offers a reminder of the efforts of the workers who make Black Friday possible. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading. 

- Bruce Arthur offers a reminder that we know perfectly well how to limit the damage done by COVID-19 as long as a government is responsible enough to implement basic public health protections. But Geoffrey Stevens writes that we're still seeing numerous provincial governments prioritizing political pandering over COVID control - particularly with an eye toward impending elections.  

- Nili Kaplan-Myrth writes that the price of catering to the anti-science fringe includes regular threats being levied at health care professionals who dare to encourage people to get vaccinated. And Laura Sciarpelletti reports on the patients waiting for Saskatchewan's organ donor program to resume after the Moe government's negligence forced it to be put on hold to deal with a flood of critical COVID cases. 

- Leger surveys Canadians about the climate crisis and finds large majorities demanding more action to avert a climate breakdown. But Josephine Moulds discusses how banks are lobbying to water down any progress even while pretending to be climate-friendly in their public messaging. And Colleen Silverthorn reports on the false promise of CCS and other fossil fuel-based megaprojects as a substitute for a just transition to clean energy.  

- Steven Bernard, Dan Clark and Sam Joiner report on research showing that over 3 billion people could see their current locations become unliveable over the next half-century if we don't stop climate change now. And Jen St. Denis reports on an analysis documenting the people who died as a result of British Columbia's unprecedented heat dome - with older people, isolated people and people living in areas with limited green space facing especially high risks. 

- Finally, David Rider report on a new study showing that Toronto's garbage privatization predictably produced higher costs and less stable employment rather than offering any efficiencies. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Bruce Arthur calls out Doug Ford for choosing (like other conservative premiers) to prioritize the "freedom" of uninformed anti-vaxxers to endanger everybody over the health of the population at large. The Economist charts how vaccinated people have not only been better protected from COVID-19, but also less likely to die of other causes - which, while not subject to a causal analysis, would make sense from the standpoint of a dividing line as to the recognition and calculation of risk. [Update: Yes, this would seem related too.] Pat McKay tells the story of a family facing limited care for prematurely-born twins due to Scott Moe's choice to flood the health care system with COVID patients. And Theresa Kliem reports on the health care workers who no longer see a future in a province which places so little value on them or their patients - exacerbating what was already a shortage of care workers. 

- David Coletto unveils new polling data showing that a large majority of Canadians - including a plurality even among the most recalcitrant provinces and political parties - want to see far more action to protect our climate. 

- But Oliver Milman reports on a new study by Systems Change Lab showing that not a single industry is pulling its weight to pull us back from reaching and exceeding 1.5 degrees of warming. Oil Change International points out how countries are continuing to subsidize carbon pollution by throwing money at oil and gas operators, while Bob Weber reports on Canada's place as the worst offender of the lot in funding the entrenchment of dirty energy rather than a transition to cleaner options. And Geoffrey Morgan reports on the giant windfalls being pocketed by oil companies even as governments go out of their way to avoid having them post security for their environmental damage. 

- Georgia Wright, Liat Olenick and Amy Westervelt point out the U.S.' worst climate villains. Belen Balanya, Lala Hakuma Dadci, and Myriam Douo discuss how dirty energy interests have blocked climate action in Europe. And Tim Gray and Devon Page highlight how the UCP's inquiry attacking environmental activists represented an unconscionable abuse of power - even if its results proved to be a damp squib. 

- Finally, Colleen Silverthorn reports on the grossly inadequate benefit amounts under Saskatchewan's income support system, while Yasmine Ghania reports on yesterday's rally to at least reverse the Sask Party scheme which has pushed dozens of people out of their homes and into tent cities. And PressProgress exposes how the Ford government is not only slashing assistance to people, but ensuring that Republican cronies reap profits as a result. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Jessica Elgot, Aubrey Allegretti and Nicola Davis report on the UK's delay in lifting coronavirus restrictions as it battles the Delta variant. Bruce Arthur discusses how Ontarians are largely on their own in trying to secure access to a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Ivan Pereira and Joshua Hoyos report on an anti-masker's killing of a cashier for attempting to enforce a mask policy in Georgia. 

- Emma Howard-Boyd highlights how any action to avert a climate breakdown needs to include support for developing countries to respond to extreme conditions and build clean infrastructure. And Patrick Greenfield notes that the price of avoiding the breakdown of ecosystems is extremely modest compared to the cost of letting our planet degrade. But Adam Radwanski notes that Ontario is going in the wrong direction by increasing its reliance on gas for energy, while Kim Siever reports on the UCP's continued funneling of public money into fossil fuel infrastructure (this time by increasing the financing provided to an oil refinery). 

- Bryan Carney reports on revelations that price-fixing between major Canadian grocery chains went far beyond the familiar collusion on bread prices. 

- Jodi Kantor, Karen Weise and Grace Ashford offer a behind-the-scenes look at the unacceptable conditions facing Amazon workers. And Reuters reports on a million-dollar fine facing IKEA for spying on its staff. 

- Finally, Brendan Kennedy reports on the Libs' continued court battles against First Nations children. And Tom Parkin discusses how Canadians are increasingly recognizing the place of racism and genocide in our country's development - and how Jagmeet Singh is giving a voice to that recognition. 

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).