Ontario Liberal government reneges on funding kindergarten
September 28, 2011 | 2 Comments
In the grand tradition of expensive government programs being expensive, the Ottawa Carleton District School Board was greeted with a $1.3M shortfall trying to live up to the promises of full-time kindergarten made by the provincial government. It seems that by offering what is, in effect, a few free hours of daycare a day, a [...]
Tim Hudak thinks we’re dumber than electricity meters
September 22, 2011 | 17 Comments
Okay, not quite. But c’mon: Smart meters are too smart for the average consumer and they’re taking advantage of ratepayers, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak said Monday. “There’s the only thing that’s smart about these smart meters — no matter how you change your behaviour, they outsmart you and you end up with just another [...]
Everyone agrees with me
September 9, 2011 | 2 Comments
Well, maybe not everyone, but a few people. The Tories and the NDP are tripping over themselves trying to make energy cheaper, thus hurting us economically and environmentally. I’ve already touched on this a couple of times, but it’s worth getting some other voices in on the fun. First, in The Ottawa Citizen, Kate Heartfield [...]
There is nothing special about hydro. Tax it.
September 9, 2011 | 1 Comment
Economic illiteracy is all the rage in Ontario as parties present more and more silly proposals (that, hopefully, they’re wise enough to never actually implement). We all know about the unwise job program the Liberals have proposed (and the bigoted response by the Tories), but that’s not the end of it. As happens, politicians are [...]
All Progressive Conservatives Should Be Ashamed
September 6, 2011 | 5 Comments
The Tories have come out with a pretty wretched (read: racist) ad. In response to the Liberals’ proposal to fund the hiring of new Canadians, the PCs have decided to rail against “foreign workers” and complain that Ontarians “need not apply”. Quite clearly, the Tories are questioning the legitimacy of new Canadians’ citizenship. That’s the [...]
Mid-Morning Links
August 10, 2011 | No Comments
Feel like some light reading: Andrew Potter on justice, vengeance and Norway. Alan Jacobs on the appropriateness of religion in politics. Jaime Weinman on Stephen Colbert and his Political Action Committee. Bob Hepburn on Ontario silencing health care whistleblowers. Terence Corcoran on not blaming the Tea Party.
Two Jonathans, One Debate
August 9, 2011 | 2 Comments
I like Jonathan Kay (as a writer – I’ve never met the man). I know he catches a lot of flak, but, generally, he’s a pretty solid columnist. Yesterday, however, wasn’t his greatest moment. In a half decent article about the U.S.’s downgraded credit rating, Mr. Kay aptly explains the lunacy of the American voter. [...]
Thanks for Coming Out, NDP
July 23, 2011 | 2 Comments
So, just as I’m writing a post on the underwhelming Tim Hudak, I stumble upon this unfortunate news about Ontario’s New Democrats: A Metrolinx contract to refurbish GO Transit coaches — which went to a Quebec company over a disappointed North Bay competitor — calls for the kind of Buy Ontario policy proposed by New [...]
Quote of the Day
June 23, 2011 | 7 Comments
Stephen Gordon, commenting on this Mike Moffatt post about subsidies for political parties: I don’t see what public subsidies for spin doctors and attack ads has to do with democracy. If people want to spend their money on that, fine. But let’s not pretend that it has anything to do with democracy. Read Mike’s entire [...]
The people in Nunavut might argue with this
May 25, 2011 | 6 Comments
Among industrialized countries, Canada is second only to Australia when it comes to quality of life, according to the OECD’s latest survey. The survey found that 79 per cent of Canadians are satisfied with life, compared to the average of 59 per cent in other industrialized nations. Great news right? This is certainly something to [...]