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The Lobster Wars

A dispute and court case from northern Ontario may help us understand ongoing tensions over the lobster fisheries on the East Coast.  The war over Indigenous fishing rights has played out before in Canadian history. As we reflect on recent violence in Nova Scotia over...

A Roger Douglas Moment?

A Roger Douglas Moment?

There will be an acrimonious debate in the future as historians dissect how the political leadership in most rich world countries chose to manage Covid-19 by closing down their economies - throwing millions out of work and bankrupting businesses. The cascading...

Things that Really Matter

Things that Really Matter

As we hunker down, it’s hard to remember what pre-virus Canada was like. Canada’s transportation system was then paralyzed by a collection of climate and Indigenous activists, while our Prime Minister was away. Although those issues seemed very important at the time,...

Sophie’s Choice

Sophie’s Choice

William Styron’s brilliant novel “Sophie’s Choice” has a mother forced by the Nazis to make a terrible choice - choose which child will live and which will die. Now, COVID-19 choices are just as unsettling. In Italy’s hospitals doctors must decide which patients are...

Politics and the 2020 Plague

Politics and the 2020 Plague

The Great Plague of 2020, like other disasters before it, has brought forth moves by governments to implement emergency powers that would not have been allowed to the ruler in normal times. Across the United States, governors have triggered clauses that grant them...

Just Delaying the Inevitable?

Just Delaying the Inevitable?

We are in lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Schools are emptied and businesses deemed non-essential closed. We must know that we are saddling the next generation with crushing debt and enormous social costs. The rationale is by social distancing measures...

Taxes Cost More Than You Think

Taxes Cost More Than You Think

Amidst the pandemic, the federal government has just given Canadians an extra month to file their taxes (the new deadline is June 1). As people prepare their tax returns, some might wonder if they are getting good value for all the taxes they pay. The answer is that...