Participants in the March for Science, marching on Constitution Ave. in Washington, D.C. in April 2017 after listening to speakers at Washington Monument on a rainy Saturday Earth Day.
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Rationality is the newest casualty of populist philosophy.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford returns to the provincial legislature during a midnight session to debate the bill that cut the size of Toronto city council from 47 representatives to 25 in September 2018.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
City council is a level of government deserving of recognition and autonomy. That’s why Toronto must continue to fight Ontario’s attempt to exert its will over the city.
The 2008 financial meltdown caused millions of Americans to lose their homes, and the austerity measures that followed only widened income inequality and helped fuel the rise of right-wing populism.
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Right-wing populists have exploited key weaknesses in liberal democratic society that were exacerbated by the failure of political leaders to respond effectively to the 2008 financial crisis.
Sex-ed can equip and empower young people to make healthy and safe choices about their sexuality for themselves and for others.
Simeon Jacobson/Unsplash
The notion that religious groups are opposed to sex-ed is simply not true. And our youth need it more than ever to take control over their lives, their bodies and their decisions.
Students at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., participate in protests against the appearance at the school of Faith Goldy, a white nationalist, in March 2018.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Hannah Yoon
The Ford government in Ontario is taking aim at free speech on the province’s campuses. But is it addressing a problem that doesn’t exist?
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s threat to wield the notwithstanding clause reveals flaws in Canada’s Constitution in terms of how municipalities are completely unprotected.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Ontario’s recent threat to use the notwithstanding clause to reduce the size of Toronto’s city council is a reminder that municipalities have little protection under the Constitution.
The Ontario government “back to basics” approach to the curriculum will not best serve children who need a mixture of traditional and discovery learning methods.
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Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Education Lisa Thompson have told elementary school teachers to expect curriculum change directives for “back to basics” mathematics, a move that could hurt students.
The Second Cup Ltd. says it is actively reviewing locations in Ontario for potential conversion to cannabis stores in light of a decision by the new provincial government to allow private retailers to sell the drug.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Ontario must quickly create rules for cannabis stores. How the Ford government decides to regulate retailers will have a major impact on how many retailers will get into the business.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks to reporters in Toronto on Sept. 10, 2018, after announcing he’ll invoke the notwithstanding clause in his battle to shrink Toronto city council. Is Ford taking on the “Court Party?”
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov.
Doug Ford’s wielding of the notwithstanding clause is part of a broader opposition to judicial activism that has developed among right-wing politicians and academics in the post-Charter era.
Coldwater Indian band Chief Lee Spahan raises an eagle feather after responding to a Federal Court of Appeal ruling that put the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion on hold.
Environmentalists claimed victory when a court ruling put the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion on hold. But delaying or cancelling the project would also impact Canada’s climate change strategy.
Vic Fedeli, Ontario’s finance minister, and Attorney General Caroline Mulroney talk to the media after announcing Ontario’s cannabis retail model on Aug. 13.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
Ontario’s change to private sector cannabis stores will give consumers more convenience. That will mean stronger competition against the black market, but potentially higher consumption too.
In this November 2017 photo, unemployed Dave Cherkewski discusses how he was helped by Ontario’s basic income pilot project.
(AP Photo/Rob Gillies)
The cancellation of Ontario’s basic income pilot not only violates our ethical obligations to participants. It also means forfeiting a valuable research opportunity on income security.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford arrives for the buck-a-beer plan announcement at Barley Days brewery in Picton, Ont., on Aug. 7, 2018.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is loosening the province’s liquor laws. Before dismantling a system, it’s a good idea to know why it was established in the first place.
There’s a hue and cry about Doug Ford’s scrapping of Ontario’s basic income project. But the project was a failing experiment with a dearth of high-quality data.
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Ontario’s basic income project was deeply flawed and cursed by a lack of quality data. It needs a major overhaul.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford makes an announcement at Queen’s Park on Friday, July 27, 2018 about significantly reducing the number of Toronto city councillors just months before the fall municipal election.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
Doug Ford is invoking the province’s broad powers over municipalities in a manner that tramples on fundamental principles of fairness, reasonable notice and the right to effective representation.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces his plan to keep the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station in operation until 2024, in this June 2018 photo.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)
If Ontario’s NDP and Liberals want to undermine Doug Ford’s agenda, they’ll need to learn from other centrist and left-wing politicians who have successfully challenged right-wing populism.
The era of two school systems in Ontario should be riding into the sunset. There are enormous cost savings and community benefits to be had by merging the public and separate school systems. A school bus is seen here in Markham, Ont.
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The time to consolidate Ontario’s two school systems is long overdue. It’s no longer viable to dismiss the issue on Constitutional grounds. All that’s needed is political will.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, seen here walking on the front lawn of the Ontario Legislature in June, is vowing to deliver on his campaign promise to scrap the “disastrous” cap-and-trade system and fight a federal carbon tax.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
Ontario and Saskatchewan are vociferously fighting the federal government’s carbon tax efforts. But rather than back down, Ottawa should embrace a simple, fair and transparent “carbon dividend.”
Ontario Premier-designate Doug Ford pledged to repeal the provincial sex-ed curriculum.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg
With Doug Ford Nation taking over Ontario, our school curriculum, especially sexual education, is at risk of being censored and being thrown back to a time when diverse sexualities was a mystery.