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Closing the innovation gap
Friday, October 21st, 2011
Oct 20 2011
Creutzberg, by contrast, proposes a drastic cut in federal tax incentives for research and development. The savings would be transferred to the provinces, allowing them to make strategic investments in emerging industries and in communities that have a critical mass of talent, a concentration of leading-edge firms in one field, and a strong research hub such as a university or teaching hospital… the role of the federal government would be to create a hospitable national environment for innovation… The role of the provinces would be to target subsidies at emerging industries… and regional clusters
Tags: economy, globalization, standard of living, tax
Posted in Governance Delivery System | No Comments »
Confessions of a 2 percenter
Friday, October 21st, 2011
Oct 19 2011
I am not down on government, and am concerned about its withering presence. In my lifetime, taxes on the wealthiest of Canadians have been cut by nearly half, and of course, I have benefited too… I would be pleased to pay more taxes, but repeating that too often could get you classified as weird, and possibly worse… excepting what diehards may think, the scale-the-ramparts mentality, while romantic, has not led to compelling results… That said, I feel that the Occupy Wall Street movement and its facsimiles could be worthwhile, as they are creating awareness of a serious social problem.
Tags: economy, standard of living, tax
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Medicine’s feminine mystique
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011
Oct 18 2011
… knowledge, discovered within the past decade, is forcing the medical profession to look at aging women differently… and it’s welcome news that ways are being found to treat women differently. Women don’t yet have equal opportunity in the boardroom. But when it comes to some illnesses, they get more than their share. It’s high time that science reflected that.
Tags: Health, pharmaceutical, standard of living, women
Posted in Equality Debates | 1 Comment »
Canadians are living in an age of deep diversity
Sunday, October 16th, 2011
Oct. 14, 2011
… visible minorities are a very heterogeneous group, and… other demographic markers – such as religion and class – can more accurately predict discrimination and other barriers that certain groups face… Two-thirds of respondents in the study view relations between Muslims and non-Muslims negatively. And 60 per cent view relations between aboriginals and non-aboriginals negatively… there is deep diversity, with newcomers living very different realities, and facing very different challenges.
Tags: immigration, Indigenous, multiculturalism
Posted in Inclusion Debates | No Comments »
Breaking the generational logjam
Sunday, October 16th, 2011
Oct 13 2011
Now, with a sputtering economy, a youth unemployment rate of 17 per cent and no exit date for older workers, what choices does Canada have? Reinstating mandatory retirement, while theoretically possible, would be extremely difficult… Bolstering public pensions to help older workers retire would make room for new entrants. But Ottawa and the provinces pulled the plug on pension reform after 16 months of fruitless meetings… This probably means that it will be up to employers, employees and unions to work out piecemeal solutions
Tags: economy, rights, youth
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
New universities for Ontario
Sunday, October 16th, 2011
Oct 14 2011
The new campuses will be badly needed. Over the past decade, Ontario’s universities have made room for 50 per cent more undergraduate students… What might the new universities look like? Here are some features to look for. Their mission should focus on student learning. They should aim to teach skills like critical thinking, problem-solving and effective communication… The programs would include a mix of professional and general arts degrees, any of which would prepare graduates to enter the workplace or pursue graduate studies.
Tags: standard of living, youth
Posted in Education Delivery System | 1 Comment »
Happy birthday to Canadian multiculturalism
Tuesday, October 11th, 2011
Oct 08 2011
Unlike in Europe, where multiculturalism-lite was left to the whim of governments, our policy is anchored in the 1982 Charter of Rights as well as the 1988 Multiculturalism Act. No government, regardless of political stripe, is going to axe that act, let alone contemplate constitutional change. There are also positive reasons for the endurance of the policy, rooted as it is in our history… The 1867 British North America Act recognized aboriginal peoples, English-speaking Protestants and French-speaking Catholics on the basis of race, language and religion. The DNA of BNA was pluralism.
Tags: ideology, multiculturalism, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality History | 2 Comments »
Giving thanks for civil discourse
Tuesday, October 11th, 2011
Oct 09 2011
In establishing the CBC, the prime minister claimed that “the country must be assured of complete Canadian control of broadcasting from Canadian sources. Without such control, broadcasting can never be the agency by which national consciousness may be fostered.”… Both the CBC, with its historically insightful documentaries and series programming, such as Ideas and Tapestry, and the Massey Lecture series, with its commitment to publicly accessible scholarship, are not ancillary, but central, to a vibrant Canadian democracy…
Tags: standard of living
Posted in Inclusion History | No Comments »
Express gratitude through giving
Tuesday, October 11th, 2011
Oct 09 2011
There were more than a million client visits to Greater Toronto Area food banks in the last fiscal year. That’s 14 per cent higher than pre-recession levels and is a testament to how many people remain in need, even in the richest of societies. How deep is their poverty? A report last month from Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank found that its clients spend 72 per cent on average of their income on housing… it isn’t enough to simply appreciate our blessings. We should make an effort to share them.
Tags: budget, ideology, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Inclusion Debates | No Comments »
The real progressive conservative wins a third term
Saturday, October 8th, 2011
Oct 06 2011
Think of Ontario as a one-party state. Sometimes the governing party refers to itself as Progressive Conservative. Sometimes it uses the name Liberal. But no matter what it calls itself, the ruling party usually — usually — follows a standard pattern. It intervenes in the economy to encourage business. It pays some attention to social needs (although it’s rarely accused of over-generosity). It doesn’t rock the boat. And, without being doctrinaire, it prides itself on being a competent manager of the province’s finances.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
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