Canada's Environmental Voice
Imagine a society in which the figures, facts and records that governments accumulate are publicly available and free to use by citizens, civil society and business. This – and the potential for greater civic involvement in politics it promises – is what the open data movement wants to see, and […]
There’s no doubt that our economy has been built upon acquisitiveness. Since the Second World War, incessant growth has been based on mass production; mass production has been based on creating and channeling demand; and demand has been based on the desire to have or own. We are trained from […]
As the first quarter of 2014 draws to a close the threat of global climate change has been largely absent from the public discourse.
Imagine going to your favourite bar year after year and ordering beer on tap. Then, one day, the tap runs dry. All that’s left are the drops that have fallen on the bar floor after decades of beer-thirsty customers. The only way to get more beer is to squeeze droplets […]
By Anil Kanji Winter cycling is no longer the domain of daring bicycle couriers or mountain biking aficionados. With rising gas prices, environmental footprint concerns, and improved infrastructure for city riding, commuting by bicycle year-round is a growing trend. “We’re seeing more and more people out there,” says Yvonne Bambrick, spokesperson […]
During the Ontario ice storm of 1998, millions of people were left without power for weeks in the middle of January. Since then, questions have been raised about how so many could go without electricity in a province which often has so much it has to pay neighbours to take […]
Ontario’s green energy plans have been modelled on the success of Germany’s national program to switch to renewable, non-carbon energy sources. The Feed-in Tariff Program, Green Energy Act legislation and decommissioning of coal generating stations are all part of the provincial government’s push to emulate similar German initiatives.
Two decades was a long time for cycling advocates in the province to wait for an overhaul of the Ontario Cycling Strategy, and the draft report released August 30 has left many underwhelmed. The report from transportation minister – and avid cyclist – Glen Murray (who represents the urban riding […]
A recent survey in countries around the world found that people who live in Denmark are the happiest, followed closely by Norway. Canada didn’t fare badly, ranking sixth. One reason that Danes and Canadians are happy is obvious: both nations are rich democracies and both offer some protection against illness […]
Most of us think little about slavery, convinced that this scourge is behind us. Canadian journalist (and A\J columnist) Andrew Nikiforuk’s new book claims otherwise, arguing that servitude has not vanished but merely changed form. Today’s slavery is not confined to Jews or Africans, but encompasses all of us who […]
