A tale of two aircraft sales
In the wake of the horrific crash of the Ethiopian Air flight on March 10, killing all 157 persons on board, questions have been raised about the issue of captive regulators. Could all those lives have been saved, and the 189 more from the Lion Air flight that crashed in October into the Java Sea, […]
Let’s ditch the silos: towards an integrated agri-food policy framework
The Canadian government has identified the agriculture and agri-food sector as an engine of growth, with some pretty ambitious targets over the next decade. The 2017 Barton Report by the government’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth proposed that Canada should boost its agriculture exports by $11-billion and its agri-food exports by $19-billion by 2027. The […]
Sohi says investments in green economy won’t leave traditional energy workers behind
As Canada moves away from coal-powered energy, the federal Liberal government has invested $150-million in communities that depend on coal as an economic driver, says Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi. “These new measures will give working Canadians greater confidence about their ability to provide for their families down the road,” Mr. Sohi (Edmonton Mill Woods, […]
It’s time to shift our perspective from ‘disaster management’ to climate resilience
From last week’s ‘bomb cyclone’ causing record-breaking floods in the U.S. Midwest, to the World Economic Forum’s recent warning that extreme weather events are the most threatening global risks this year, news on the climate change front isn’t good these days. Last fall, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that the impacts of climate […]
Zero-emission vehicle subsidies and home heating tax exemptions: both fail the test
Two recent announcements—one by the Liberals and one by the Conservatives—show that neither party has cornered the market on bad ideas for spending taxpayers’ money. In the 2019 budget, the government announced a subsidy of up to $5,000 to encourage consumers to purchase electric-battery or hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Canada already has experience with these types […]
Ill-defined ‘green economy’ remains a distant target, imprecise and uncertain and with no clear path or guidelines
Only a few years ago, discussions of the green economy were genteel and very Canadian. Discussions focused on recycling, urban transit, downstream plans for carbon reduction and, in the 2015 federal election, a quasi-serious conversation about a carbon tax and the largely marginalized proposals outlined in the Leap Manifesto. Discussions about the 2015 Paris Agreement […]
A burning issue: as greenhouse gas emissions from forest fires grow, Ottawa has role to play in restoration
As one of the largest and the most extensively forested countries in the world, Canada faces unique challenges in tackling climate change. Wildfires are burning more forests than ever as temperature and precipitation patterns change. In the process, millions of tonnes of carbon are released, pushing global greenhouse gas emissions higher. As a signatory to […]
It’s not a matter of if we move to a green economy, it’s a matter of how fast can we get there
I have been reading and writing articles about the green economy for decades. We have all the positive good news buzz of more jobs in the green economy, great clean tech in the green economy, and so on—but still the old fossil fuel economy maintains its death grip on our future. As Greta Thunberg said […]
Plea to heal the planet
The task is upon us, while we’re still alive, To give humans a chance to hope and survive, We must look in the mirror and clearly admit, Our lifestyles are causing much CO2 to emit. It is we, the boomers, who have taken the most, With our houses and cars, our travels we boast. But […]
Trudeau team’s legacy on agriculture will be market access gains, says Minister Bibeau
After four years in government, the Trudeau Liberals’ biggest enduring legacy on Canada’s agricultural sector will be increased market access abroad, says newly appointed Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s (Papineau, Que.) government has ratified the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which will open market access in 11 countries. It […]
