Clik here to view.
Bill C-377: A Sad Day for Democracy
Canada Day, July 1, is a day for Canadians to show their pride in their country. I love my country deeply. I am very grateful to have been born here, and I chose to live here. But this Canada Day is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why I support pretty much any strike by pretty much anyone, anywhere, about...
Originally posted on Nathaniel Tapley:If you live in or around London, or work there, or know anyone who does, your social media will have been drenched in anger at the Tube strike this morning, along...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Newspapers, Endorsements, and Legitimacy
When a newspaper endorses a political party or a candidate during an election, the public assessment of the endorsement tends to turn on two factors: the reasoning leading to the endorsement, and the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Universities, Governance, and Conflict
It’s been a turbulent time recently in British Columbia’s post-secondary education system. In August, Arvind Gupta, the president of the University of British Columbia (UBC), suddenly resigned less...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Letting the Sunshine In
How much light should a “sunshine list” shine? Public sector compensation disclosure lists – “sunshine lists” – are lists of individuals in public sector jobs that are paid more than a certain amount....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Job Churn and Precarious Work
I wrote an opinion article for the Report on Business section of the Globe and Mail newspaper, responding to recent comments by Canadian politicians that workers should “get used to” job churn and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Supreme Court of Canada Decision in The BC Teachers’ Federation Case (Part I)
This Thursday, the Supreme Court of Canada held its hearing of an appeal by the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), the union that represents teachers in British Columbia’s public school...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Supreme Court of Canada Decision in the BC Teachers’ Federation Case (Part II)
On November 10, the Supreme Court of Canada delivered an oral decision in the legal dispute between the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) – the union representing teachers in BC’s public...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Never Let Anyone Tell You To Shut Up
Trump. In a week there is enough evidence to know that he truly is the narcissistic child and xenophobic race-baiter we saw during the election and that wasn’t just reality TV to get him elected.Here...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why Government Is Not A Business
There’s more than enough information on the Internet right now about the havoc being inflicted on the United States by President Donald Trump and his associates. However, there are two perspectives on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Being Innovative About Innovation
Canada’s federal government released its 2017 budget last week – and the word of the day was “innovation”. By one estimate, “innovation” is mentioned more than 200 times in the 278-page budget...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Public Education and the British Columbia Provincial Election
Some of this blog’s readers are likely already aware that the Canadian province of British Columbia (where I live) is going to have a provincial general election on May 9. Lots of issues are being...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Strike That’s Gone On Too Long
Last week there was a significant event in Nova Scotia that went largely unnoticed in the rest of Canada. Unfortunately it’s not a positive event, and it deserves more attention. Over 50 unionized...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Back (sort of)
I’ll be returning to posting more regularly in the next little while. But in the meantime, here’s updates on two earlier posts. In February of last year, I interviewed musician Jim Pons (the Leaves,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Golden Passport
It costs $144,000 US to get a Master of Business Administration degree at the Harvard Business School (HBS). Anyone paying that amount of money isn’t just buying an education – they’re also buying into...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Not Normal
The Emmy Awards ceremony is usually an evening of fun and frocks, during which some awards are also handed out. But this year’s ceremony in mid-September came under fire for starting things off with a...
View ArticleAsk Not What Amazon Can Do For You
The mighty Amazon has announced that it is looking for a city in which to locate a second North American headquarters (“HQ2” in Amazon-speak), to supplement its operations in its home base of Seattle....
View ArticleSame Question, Different Answers: How It Happens
How can two studies researching the same question come up with two different answers? That was the dilemma that several media outlets recently had to confront, with the release of the results of two...
View Article#MeToo and Making Things Different
The #MeToo movement has generated a lot of discussion, not only around the numerous revelations of sexual misconduct, but also around what organizations can or should do to prevent those incidents from...
View ArticleHarry Leslie Smith’s ‘Don’t Let My Past Be Your Future’
Harry Leslie Smith is just about to turn 95, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. But he has also given a tremendous gift to the world: his new book Don’t Let My Past Be Your Future. His...
View Article