Opinion: Reach out, listen, be patient. Good arguments can stop extremism
By Walter Sinnot-Armstrong, for Aeon Many of my best friends think that some of my deeply held beliefs about important issues are obviously false or even nonsense. Sometimes, they tell me so to my face. How can we still be friends? Part of the answer is that these friends and I are philosophers, and philosophers learn how to...
Op/Ed: Climate 'State of Play' update
From ECOJUSTICE; by Charles Hatt and Alan Andrews As heatwaves and forest fires broke out across Canada last summer, Ecojustice analyzed the “climate state of play.” Now, we’re back with an update. In the months since Ecojustice’s last analysis of the ‘climate state of play’ in Canada, the...
COLUMN: From the Hill -- Government should expunge convictions
Cannabis was legalized in Canada this October, but unfortunately the federal government didn’t include one important piece in that legislation: expungement of the records of a half million Canadians with criminal records for simple possession of cannabis. These people are saddled with a criminal record for doing something...
COLUMN: Politicians who deny reality aren't fit to lead
When faced with conclusive evidence of a major threat to citizens, a true leader would do everything possible to confront it. So, what was the U.S. president’s reaction to a U.S. scientific report compiled by more than 300 scientists and endorsed by a dozen different agencies, including NASA, NOAA and the defence department,...
Opinion: Anti-Bill 69 rhetoric is not only misleading, it's irresponsible
By Anna Johnston, Staff Lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law There has been a rash of complaints lately about efforts to strengthen and streamline federal decision-making on projects that affect the environment through Bill C-69. They originate from a small but organized group based in Alberta, primarily connected to the...
Op/Ed: What Einstein meant by ‘God does not play dice’
By Jim Baggott ; from Aeon ‘The theory produces a good deal but hardly brings us closer to the secret of the Old One,’ wrote Albert Einstein in December 1926. ‘I am at all events convinced that He does not play dice.’ Einstein was responding to a letter from the German physicist Max Born. The heart of the new theory of quantum...
Letter: No Canadian needs to face cancer alone
To The Editor: In light of the Greyhound bus lines reducing service in British Columbia, the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) wanted to take the opportunity to reach out to any people living with cancer who may be impacted by this withdrawal of service. No matter where you live, CCS is here to ensure that no Canadian has to face...
Op/Ed: Monty Python or Kafka?
I have occasionally been critical of the way we do politics. The recent leaders’ debate on electoral reform provides me with material to explain. The Opposition prefers electoral reform to be studied by a citizens’ assembly, as in 2003, over the Government’s process. It is a reasonable proposal. The members of the 2003 Citizens’...
Op/Ed: 100% Renewable Energy for BC
By Marc Lee, for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, from Policy Note It is well established that we need targets and timelines for reducing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that are causing climate change. BC’s latest targets include a 40% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030, 60% by 2040 and 80% by 2050. And...
Letter: What we can do
Don’t worry! The Group of Twenty (G20), composed of nineteen countries (including Canada) and the European Union, will meet in Buenos Aires (Argentina) November 30th and December 1st. By then, newspapers and media analysts will most likely tell us again that they won’t all get along on some major issues during this summit. ...
