The pandemic has offered a chance for a reset on infrastructure—and we should take it
The COVID-19 pandemic has created an upheaval in Canada’s social and economic life—with everyone scrambling to figure out what our world will look like when we finally emerge from quarantine. Over the past few weeks, the federal government has responded with a series of funding initiatives to help Canadians stay afloat. Rightly, they have focused […]
The Green Municipal Fund: 20 years of sustainable infrastructure and job creation
This is the 20th Earth Day we’ve celebrated at the Green Municipal Fund (GMF). As president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), which delivers this program, I’m immensely proud of the GMF’s track record of helping municipalities build sustainable infrastructure solutions. And building on those 20 years of proven success, the GMF stands ready […]
COVID-19 infrastructure stimulus needs short-term support for a long-term transformation
Infrastructure spending will play a big part in the economic recovery from COVID-19. Construction projects get people working, flow money to local economies, and create assets that serve communities for years. With the uncertainty caused by multiple daily announcements on COVID-19, any additional stability and certainty governments provide could be more impactful than committing significant […]
Can we fix COVID-19 and climate change in one breath?
We are now trained to believe that being smart is to stay home, being socially connected is better online, and going to school is no more than rolling to the other side of the bed and turning on your computer, pyjamas optional. Smart is being redefined as we adapt to survive current circumstances. We didn’t […]
After the WHO, the UN Security Council should be next up for reform
The recent appeal by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to the Security Council to speak with one voice on COVID-19 should not be taken lightly. After the World Health Organization (WHO), which is being targeted for its role in handling the pandemic, the United Nations Security Council is now in turmoil to ease tensions. According […]
Infrastructure investment needed to emerge from pandemic stronger than before
The coronavirus pandemic presents a daunting challenge. Around the world, governments and decision makers have had to choose between health measures aimed at protecting human life and the economic measures typically given pre-eminence in public-policy making. While our current priority must be bringing the pandemic under control, people are also rightly worried about what the […]
Peacebuilders, not military might, leading charge against COVID-19, says advocate
Re: “The fight against COVID-19 isn’t a war, and shouldn’t be described that way,” (The Hill Times, April 8, p. 10). I agree completely with the assertion that COVID-19 does not represent a war, but not for the reasons that Scott Taylor highlights. The use of militaristic language and measures in responding to COVID-19 is not […]
Crisis or not, Canada’s right-wing sticks with the politics of anger and division
OTTAWA—Despite the need for the country to pull together in this emergency, Canada’s right-wingers appear incapable of resisting a Donald Trump-style campaign of inflammatory, xenophobic hype designed to spark anger and divide Canadians. At the federal level, it’s obvious the Conservative can’t stand it that the COVID-19 crisis has deprived them of the opportunity to […]
Make personnel safety during coronavirus crisis the top priority
OTTAWA—Earlier this month the Royal Canadian Navy took the precaution of placing two ships’ companies—HMCS Ville de Quebec and Moncton—into a 14-day quarantine at the Westin Nova Scotian in Halifax prior to their operational deployments. While this course of action meant an additional two weeks of separation from family and friends during this stressful period of pandemic […]
Infrastructure programs rarely stimulate growth
As the true scale of the economic disaster due to the coronavirus pandemic lockdown becomes apparent, there are renewed calls for increased government spending on infrastructure. This has been the reflexive response to every economic slump dating back to the Keynesian proposal to fight the Great Depression by paying unemployed people to dig holes and […]
