Information Commissioner says MPs’ legal fees should be made public
Canada’s Information Commissioner says the House of Commons should publicly reveal how much it pays for MPs’ legal fees. “My view is that it’s as legitimate as a Member of Parliament’s travel expenses or office expenses,” John Reid told The Hill Times. “They release all their other expenditures and this is certainly a legitimate expenditure, […]
Top university researchers join forces to develop solar-optimized homes and commercial buildings for the future in Canada
The Solar Buildings Research Network (SBRN) was launched in 2006 by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) through its Research Network (now Strategic Network) Grant Program. For the first time, in a unique effort, 24 top Canadian researchers in solar energy and buildings from 10 Canadian universities have joined forces to develop the […]
No realistic option to reduce energy consumption by one-third over next few years: PM Harper
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, whose Conservative minority government will introduce the Clean Air Act this fall, says he wants to move forward on some issues the Kyoto Protocol “completely ignores,” such as pollution and smog and promises a more comprehensive package “than anything that was envisioned by Kyoto.” The following is an excerpt of an […]
HEARD ON THE HILL
Nestled in the heart of Centre Block, between the House Speaker’s Office and the Senate’s Upper Chamber, the historic Hot Room has housed generations of Parliamentary Press Gallery reporters over the years, and it shows. Behind the doors of 350-N lies a virtual shrine to the golden age of journalism, where makeshift shelving units teeter […]
Harper talks U.S. energy security with Bush
Prime Minister Stephen harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.), who met with U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington, D.C., last week for a friendly one-day bilateral meeting, discussed a range of issues, including providing energy security to the United States in the future. Declared Mr. Harper at the White House press conference last Thursday: “We discussed […]
Liberal Party’s membership drive numbers in, but race still unclear
With the membership drive now over, the Liberal leadership race has turned the first page of a thick book to elect a new leader but, more importantly, to a new mentality. Before again becoming “the winning party,” the Liberals need to first be a party. “At the present time,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper told The […]
Environmental Defence basks in successful PR campaign
Rick Smith, director of Environmental Defence, an environmental advocacy group in Toronto, said he “likes to think” that the organization’s campaign against harmful toxic agents had an impact on the government’s recent decision to ban two of them. Environment Minister Rona Ambrose and Health Minister Tony Clement published a notice in the Canada Gazette on […]
‘This is very much a wide open race’: Bevilacqua
Liberal leadership candidate and seven-term Grit MP Maurizio Bevilacqua, 46, says the leadership race is still “wide open” with four months to go and that it’s a mistake to assume the winner will be one of the current perceived media front-runners. “What I’m finding is that the grassroots support for me is quite strong across […]
Energy efficiency: What will it take?
Here is the new Triple-E: Energy-Efficient Economy. Energy is the cornerstone of any modern society that hopes to survive, let alone thrive. We are just beginning to understand that Canada does not have an unlimited supply of energy or other resources; that we must learn to be less profligate than we have been in using […]
Stormy weather doesn’t dampen southern spirit at U.S. Ambassador’s party
Despite a stormy afternoon of weather as volatile as recent Canada-U.S. relations, U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins put on a heck of a good Independence Day party last Tuesday in Ottawa. The legendary South Carolina hospitality was also on display throughout the afternoon. When the Ambassador’s opening remarks were cut short by a sudden downpour that […]
