I’m okay, you’re screwed: the inequality time bomb
As if the anecdotal evidence weren’t overwhelming enough, a study published Nov. 15 in the research journal Nature warned that record levels of income inequality, particularly in the United States, could produce social instability. The Republicans in Congress, apparently fearing an unruly mob, responded by passing massive tax breaks for the people who make the barricades. The U.S., […]
The science of politics
OAKVILLE, ONT.—If you believe the latest in fashionable wisdom, the best of all possible national political leaders would be a reincarnation of Albert Einstein. After all, the current trend in media commentary (especially on the left) is to judge political parties and politicians on the basis of how much they revere “science.” For instance, it’s […]
The case for taking student advice on science policy
This year’s Canadian Science Policy Conference in Ottawa earlier this month saw the number of students and postdoctoral fellows in attendance triple to 22 per cent of total participants, compared to only seven per cent in 2016. The increase may be due to improved social media presence or the draw of high-profile speakers. But other […]
Torstar-Postmedia deal drives home need for government support
OTTAWA—If the rise of Donald Trump proved anything worth knowing, it’s the risk to democracy posed by an uninformed electorate. The story of the 2016 United States election woke everyone up to the extent of the problems with social media in an election, whether it was to do with the widespread dissemination of false and […]
Lessons from a Calgary kitchen floor
Donna Sharman learned a vital lesson when she collapsed on her kitchen floor in Calgary four years ago: health research saves lives, including hers. Then 59, she hit the floor without warning because of a blood clot in her brain, causing a stroke. That was the unlucky part of her day. Her luck turned when […]
Vox Populi on Canada’s aerospace industry
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains on the domestic aerospace industry in June 2017: “Canada’s aerospace industry is defined by its global leadership in the development of new technologies, which depend on the talents of the highly skilled men and women who work in this sector. Our highly skilled workforce is the reason […]
Canada lobbying U.S. influencers on Bombardier dispute, says Bains
Canada isn’t ready to back down in the spat between plane-makers Bombardier and Boeing, which has turned into a multi-country trade dispute, federal Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains signalled in a Q&A with The Hill Times. Canadian officials are lobbying decision makers and “influencers” south of the border, according to Mr. Bains, as the U.S. Commerce […]
No worries: Aerospace industry not fazed by melding of Harper-era R&D program into general innovation fund
Aerospace industry advocates are expressing support for the folding of the federal government’s Strategic Aerospace and Defence Initiative (SADI) into Ottawa’s broader innovation fund, saying the move better meets current research and development needs. Along with two other industry-specific programs, SADI was consolidated into the $1.26-billion Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) in the 2017 budget, which […]
Aerospace
Applied research: time to move beyond pilot projects
When Ottawa-based entrepreneur Ke Wang had the brilliant idea of using his smartphone to control certain tasks on his power wheelchair, and therefore regain some of his autonomy, he knew he needed support to bring his innovative concept to reality. Like a growing number of entrepreneurs and small-business owners, he turned to his local college […]
