China first reported the detection of an unknown strain of virus in Wuhan to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Country Office in China on December 31, 2019, an event that changed the world. Eleven million residents of Wuhan city were placed under an unprecedented...
The pandemic may be the most important event of our lifetimes. The pandemic will define the legitimacy of governments and leave-long lasting impressions of how societies responded on behalf of their citizens. The tragedy being played out across India is beyond...
The trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd has exposed Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo and forced him to personally give evidence and account for, or more correctly, reject, Chauvin’s actions. The televised trial, with the testimony of other...
A judge found the man who drove a rented van down Toronto’s sidewalks, trying to kill as many people as he could, guilty of murdering ten and attempting to kill sixteen more. The judge also took the extraordinary decision to refer to him as “John Doe,” denying him any...
Artificial intelligence has come a long way. Unlike the rudimentary software of the past, modern-day programs such as ChatGPT are truly impressive. Whether you need a 1,000-word essay summarizing the history of Manitoba, a 500-word article extolling the virtues of...
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a recent rush visit to the Saskatchewan Research Council’s experimental rare earth refining facility in Saskatoon. He touted his government’s efforts to promote rare earth discovery, development, and extraction, along with the...
As of January 1, 2020, all applicants for permanent residence under an economic stream in Quebec must pass the “values test” to receive an attestation which is a condition of being granted a Selection Certificate. The test and an accompanying guide have been designed...
Gender-based violence crosses social and economic development, cultures, nationalities, and sexual orientation. Despite concerted efforts by governmental and non-governmental organizations around the world, there are too many victims who continue to suffer from...
Canada has some of the best systems and services for addressing gender-based violence. Police services have become increasingly responsive to the challenges of investigating violence against women, and both government and non-government organizations are widely...
Policing is the only authority sanctioned to use force against its citizens, and is a powerful organization with potential for misuse for promoting partisan policies at the expense of the common good. Policing can also take on a sense of moral authority resulting in a...
It’s a time of year when we are inclined to revel in consumer excess, feel-good charity, and moral sentimentality. We may even take time to watch an adaptation of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol”. For those of us who are privileged, we may even scoff at Alastair...
The Alberta Premier recently raised the possibility of implementing a provincial police service. "We will invite the panel to explore the feasibility of establishing an Alberta provincial police force by ending the Alberta Police Service Agreement with the Government...
Police services are once again hard at work preparing annual budget submissions for the next fiscal year. The cost of policing continues to mount year after year, and the justifications seem to repeat year to year as well. The budget for Canada’s largest municipal...
Statistics Canada’s report on suicide among First Nations people, Métis and Inuit (2011-2016) released June, 2019, found that Indigenous people in Canada die by suicide at a rate three times higher than that for non-Indigenous Canadians. The preamble starts by noting:...
An analysis by the CBC covering two decades of homicide statistics for Winnipeg reveals a major shift in the types of weapons used in the incidents. Winnipeg has seen 42 homicides to date in 2019, more than in any other previous ten-year period.1 Winnipeg police...