Climate change tops voters’ priorities … seriously
The most recent Angus Reid Institute poll on Canadians’ priorities and voting intentions had at least one big surprise. That, at least to this observer…
Burning up the credits
Purchasing carbon offsets is a popular way to act against global warming, or at least to alleviate one’s conscience. An offset allows a business, government…
“Why are we building houses if we don’t have enough water?”—A big lesson from a little town
Oakley, Utah, is small but appealing. Nestled in the mountains beside the Weber River less than an hour’s drive east of Salt Lake City, the…
More evidence to support taxing the rich
As nations reset their economies following the Covid crisis, one focus is on reducing the inequality that has become an increasing threat to political stability.…
Oil workers at the centre—getting transition priorities right
"They will not be left behind.” So said Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan at a news conference this week. The “they” he was referring to…
Is Facebook killing people?
President Joe Biden missed his goal of 70 percent of Americans vaccinated against Covid by July 4th. Some cities are now urging even vaccinated residents…
Whither the Greens?
I have been a supporter of social democracy since the days of the CCF and Tommy Douglas. I have, however, often offered support to the…
Intrinsic bias—friend or foe?
We are all tribal. We don’t have a choice. We are designed that way. Our architects—our genes—design us to be biased toward fellow members of…
China—Lying flat confronts consumerism … and Communism?
Young people in China are channeling the 60s and it worries their Communist overlords. They are rejecting consumerism, hard work and all that other middle…
Indians—tolerant, but don’t marry my sister
A recent Pew Research survey of religious attitudes in India revealed some interesting insights into a society tolerant of, yet divided by, religion. First, Indians…
Ecocide—an international crime?
“We need to change the rules”—Greta Thunberg, 2019 In 1970, American biologist Arthur Galston coined the term “ecocide” to describe mass environmental destruction. Galston was…
On Canada Day and cognitive dissonance
F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time…