New transit funding welcome, but experts wary of execution
On the heels of the federal government announcing billions of dollars for a new transportation transfer starting in 2026, and more money for “shovel-ready projects” to be doled out immediately, transportation experts and the NDP’s transport critic say the money is welcome, but are questioning the timelines and are wary of the funds going to […]
Liberals need to ramp up vaccinations, detail recovery plans in ‘most important budget of a generation’ to regain lost political capital, say politicos
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals need to ramp up the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to stem the loss of public goodwill for the government and should outline the specific details of the recovery phase in the upcoming federal budget, which will be the “most important budget of a generation,” say political insiders. “Canadians have been […]
Top 100 Lobbyists: Pandemic ushers in explosion of lobbying activity
The pandemic may have indefinitely suspended most in-person lobbying campaigns and social engagements, but lobbyists say they’re busier than they’ve ever been. While COVID-19 hasn’t changed the “fundamentals” of the business, for those at the top of their game, it’s driven home the need to be more attuned to the pressures facing the government, and […]
Get on with it: Senate cuts a year off feds’ deadline for new oil rig regs
The Senate has chopped in half an extension the government proposed to give itself for making permanent health and safety regulations for offshore oil and gas platforms. Senators and oil industry executives have expressed concern about the government’s failure to meet its latest deadline to enact those regulations. Senators from multiple groups in the Upper […]
Rebel Media lawsuits target journalists, chill speech, says reporter facing litigation
Two lawsuits launched by Rebel Media against media outlets have been dismissed under Ontario’s anti-SLAPP law, a sign that the law is working to protect press freedom, say journalists still facing litigation from the far-right website. Earlier this month, Ontario Superior Court Justice James Diamond ruled in favour of Al Jazeera and Brendan DeMelle for […]
NDP pharmacare bill gets its moment in the sun
The Liberal government has promised to deliver universal pharmacare, and the opposition New Democrats are giving them a chance to write a pharmacare program into Canadian law. NDP MP Peter Julian (New Westminster-Burnaby, B.C.) has introduced a private member’s bill into the House of Commons that would create what he calls a legal framework for […]
Coming months will be a race to beat the ‘third wave’ of COVID-19, say experts
Experts are sounding the alarm that a ‘third wave’ of the pandemic may be headed our way as variants of the COVID-19 virus have been detected across the country, while some regions are easing lockdown restrictions and Canada’s sluggish vaccine rollout continues to dominate news headlines. Over the next few months the new variants of […]
A week of frosty strolls and dire variant warnings
Teacher groups ‘cautiously optimistic’ educators will get priority in next stage of vaccine campaign
Teacher groups say they will keep pressing provinces and territories to designate teachers among the priority groups for COVID-19 vaccinations, though repeated calls early in Canada’s immunization campaign haven’t yet led to widespread support. So far, none of the provinces or territories have explicitly identified teachers in their first immunization phase, though some have said […]
Public health officials say early data show ‘high’ protection from first shot
Canada’s public health officials are in “live” discussions but not offering a position on doling out single doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, rather than planning for the two shots at the recommended interval, amid vaccine scarcity and new evidence suggesting strong protection from the single shot. One dose of Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine had an efficacy […]
