Now Is The Time For Democratic Reformers to Pause and Reflect

In celebration of Canada Day, my next few posts will be about Canadian politics and culture. Last month, democratic reform in British Columbia was soundly defeated. The proposal to adopt a Single-Transferable Vote (STV) system that earned 58% support in 2005 – just shy of the required 60% to be adopted – barely scraped the [...]

On Iran

I’ve been slowly working on my next blog post, but for the most part I’ve been spending my time following the fallout of Friday’s election in Iran. Now, I wish I had something insightful to offer you about the politics of Iran, but since I don’t, I want to simply encourage you to stay abreast [...]

“We Have to Change our Whole Mindset if We are Going to Have a Future”

I’ll have a massive post about urban planning and Edmonton up over the weekend, but I want to talk a bit about a decision made – and how an almost better one was made – in Ottawa earlier this week. Ottawa was debating the expansion of its suburban lands on which development is permitted. The [...]

The Fascinating Candidacy of Danielle Smith

I’ll start with a bold prediction that might eventually make me look like a fool: Danielle Smith is the greatest threat to the Tory dynasty in Alberta since Laurence Decore. This is high praise for someone who has yet to win a seat in the legislature, or her party’s leadership, and only publicly launched her [...]

What is the System Doing for You?

Bill 44 passed third reading in the Alberta Legislature this week, and received assent on Thursday. I would suggest checking out the commendable work of Trish Audette and Paula Simons in covering this story, as well as the blogs of Ken Chapman and Kevin Kuchinski for excellent insight into the subject. The main controversy is [...]

He Took the O-Train Going Anywhere

On Friday, I did something novel. I took public transit straight from a major airport to a city’s downtown. Taking advantage of Ottawa’s Rapid Transit Network, I had a simple, convenient, and enjoyable time getting to my destination. I had to get from the Ottawa International Airport to central Ottawa, and my trip was very [...]

Blogging Again

Written May 29, 2009, somewhere over the Canadian prairies. I’ve decided to start blogging again. I made this decision over the Christmas holidays, but only now, five months later, 40,000 feet over the Canadian prairies, have I made the time for it. This is my fourth attempt at blogging. The first lasted several months, and [...]