September 22, 2009
Saskatchewan stems population crash with $20,000 payments to recent grads
Can $20,000 payments to recent grads prevent Saskatchewan from becoming the "Land of the Living Old"? It hasn’t been easy being Alberta’s neighbour these last few years. While Canada’s economic wunderkind enjoyed double-digit growth, next-door Saskatchewan saw the near-disappearance of the family farm and watched 35,000 residents in five years flee to other provinces. So when the Conservative... [More >>]
September 17, 2009
Solidarity forever. Or until the litterbox is full.
In which the author finds his lefty credentials sorely tested by one malodorous cat Solidarity forever. Or until the litterbox is full. Illustration by David Donald. It’s hard enough to be a socially progressive, left-leaning, anti-globalization, conscientious sort in this world, but to be a socially progressive, left-leaning, anti-globalization, conscientious sort and be mildly inconvenienced? It’s... [More >>]
August 24, 2009
Deadly dealings surround Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement
Juan Pablo Ochoa, left, addresses a crowd of cane cutters in Bua, Colombia after a court hearing related to their strike. "What is going on is a frame-up." Photo credit: Dawn Paley. “You know that here in Colombia, there are many human-rights violations,” says José Oney Valencia Llanos, who earns his living cutting sugar cane in Colombia’s fertile Cauca Valley. “Business people,... [More >>]
August 14, 2009
How to rehabilitate the NDP
With its exclusive fixation on winning more seats, the NDP has sacrificed the opportunity to build a truly progressive movement. On the 75th anniversary of the CCF, James Laxer argues that to save the present, we need to remember the past [This article was originally published in the July-August 2008 issue of This Magazine. We've reposted it here since the NDP 2009 federal convention happens this weekend... [More >>]
July 3, 2009
How farmers are going to save civilization
Advocates for ‘permaculture’ say it can improve our diets, heal our environment, and improve our lives. Meet a new generation of farmers with some radical ideas for untangling our food chain (and saving the world in the process) Permaculture means taking more responsibility for knowing how your food got to your plate. Photo by Zorani/iStockPhoto; photo illustration by Dave Donald. Trent... [More >>]
June 24, 2009
The American Nightmare of Kelly Reichardt’s ‘Wendy and Lucy’
How global recession, Hurricane Katrina, and social breakdown can strand one lonely woman—and her little dog, too Michelle Williams as Wendy in Kelly Reichardt's 'Wendy and Lucy.' Courtesy Oscilloscope Laboratories. In cinematic terms, the Great Depression is arguably best represented by Mervyn LeRoy’s 1932 classic I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang. Wrongfully convicted of robbery,... [More >>]
June 18, 2009
Dear CBC: Review more books
Professional book reviewing is dead in this country. The CBC could revive it. The CBC could be a force for CanLit. Why isn't it? Illustration by Dushan Milic If Clive Owen were a Canadian author, maybe the CBC would finally review books. Katrina Onstad, a film columnist for CBC.ca, begins a recent review: “The International opens with a long, extended close-up of Clive Owen’s face, following... [More >>]
June 4, 2009
Welcome to the no-growth economy
York University economist Peter Victor says it’s time to shrink the economy, not grow it York University economist Peter Victor: "We're in serious trouble right now." Photo by Molly Crealock How can we escape our current economic mess while simultaneously avoiding the looming triple threats of peak oil, climate change, and species extinction? York University ecological economist... [More >>]
May 1, 2009
Employment Insurance: Help Wanted
Consumer confidence and stock values might be dropping, but there’s one number that’s on the rise: Canada’s unemployment rate. As more Canadians start turning to Employment Insurance, we got to wondering about the specifics. EI schemes vary widely across the country, it turns out. Just how extreme are the differences? Well, here’s what we found: * December 2008 StatsCan figures.... [More >>]
