Why is the Ports Modernization Review not transparent?
In March 2018, Transport Minister Marc Garneau initiated the Ports Modernization Review to examine the Canada Port Authority (CPA) system, 20 years after the system was reformed via the Canada Marine Act, 1998. As the minister’s mandate stated that more transparency would be the hallmark of the current government, it was expected that this long […]
Up to provinces to find ways to meet zero-emission vehicle sale targets, feds say
The federal government will leave it up to the provinces to figure out how to meet its proposed targets for zero-emission vehicle sales, likely closing the window of possibility for a national sales mandate or rebate program. But close observers believe that the March 19 pre-election budget can provide funds to improve the country’s electric vehicle […]
Public needs to know pipelines are the best way to go
The issue of increased pipeline capacity is front and centre on Parliament Hill as protesters with a truck convoy originating from the West converged on Ottawa last week to push legislators to end delays on critical pipeline projects. Provincial politicians—in response to federal inaction on pipelines—are acting on their own. Just recently, Alberta Premier Rachel […]
Crude reality: blind spots in the surge of crude by rail and unintended consequences
Crude by rail (CBR) is enjoying a moment in the spotlight as record volumes are moving on Canada’s ribbons of steel amidst the ongoing pipeline pinch. Although CBR involves higher transportation costs than pipelines, this shift is worthy of a wider conversation. CBR has implications for Canada’s transportation system, our environment, and society. As of […]
New 150-metre regulations for runway-end safety areas expected this year; pilot association says 300 metres is needed
Transportation Canada says regulations for runway-end safety areas (RESA) are coming this year, as a pilot association calls on Canadian airports to meet international standards. In November, a Boeing 737 cargo plane overran the Halifax Stanfield International Airport when attempting to land in wet and windy conditions. The Sky Lease Cargo plane overran the shorter […]
Too few Canadians know about the Holocaust
OTTAWA—Just prior to Jan. 27 International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorations, a shocking study was released that revealed that nearly half of Canadians cannot name a single Nazi concentration camp. Commissioned by the Azrieli Foundation and conducted by Schoen consulting, the study was based on a survey of 1,100 Canadian adults last September, demographically representative of […]
Norman Bethune: Canada’s convenient hero
My great-uncle was a gentle and humble man, despite his many accomplishments in a long life. A graduate of McGill University’s medical school in 1910, he was a medical missionary in China for two years before coming back to practise and then serve in the Canadian medical corps in France in the First World War. […]
Canada in ‘regular’ conversation with Turkey on extremist travellers, says new ambassador
As a “very important strategic location,” Turkey has an “influential” role to play in the fight against global terrorism and in catching foreign fighters, says the country’s new ambassador to Canada. An aviation hub, many people pass through Turkey, but its threat assessment centre “works quite well” at triaging entrants by sending some back, not […]
Perception a problem with retired Supreme Court justices involved in the ‘highly partisan’ SNC-Lavalin affair, say some court watchers
With a former Supreme Court justice tapped as counsel to former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould, some court watchers say they are “uneasy” with the optics of a political judiciary. But two former justices say she has the right to get good legal advice and it doesn’t politicize Canada’s highest court. When Ms. Wilson-Raybould (Vancouver Granville, […]
Without new funding, key part of Canada’s stem cell research ecosystem to close
Health care in Canada sits upon a precipice. We are faced with a looming crisis as costs for degenerative disease nears $200-billion each year and hospitals struggle to contend with chronic overcapacity. And yet, at no time before has there been so much promise for new and innovative therapies—many of which will provide treatments for […]
