By David Suzuki
A billion tonnes of limestone lie beneath the rural countryside in Melancthon Township, 100 kilometres north of Toronto. A plan to remove it spotlights the challenges faced everywhere when the desire to protect valuable and ever-diminishing farmland clashes with efforts to push industrial development.
by Jody Dallaire
The issue of spanking has been making news headlines in recent weeks.
Several newspapers have published op-eds on the issue since the Canadian Medical Association Journal’s September editorial saying that Section 43 of the Criminal Code condones spanking. The CMAJ rejects the idea that spanking is an okay way to discipline your children.
by Geoffrey Stevens
Anyone who had predicted even a few weeks ago that Mitt Romney would be president of the United States after November would have been laughed out of the Venerable Guild of Pundits, Pollsters and Political Hangers-On.
They are not laughing today.
by David Suzuki
Feeding our energy appetite is top of mind for many people these days. Some argue we should get coal, oil and gas out of the ground as quickly as possible, build more pipelines and make as much money as we can selling it here and abroad. Their priorities are the economy and meeting short-term energy needs so we can live the lives to which we’ve become accustomed.
There are things that come to you suddenly in life that you don’t expect. Sometimes the surprises are difficult, and demand the most of you in order to navigate your way to peace with them. Other times all they ask you is reflection. All they ask of you is a commitment to time in order to flesh out your insides with the definitive impact of their arrival. As I get older I’ve become better at both but much prefer the latter.
by Geoffrey Stevens
In every political race, there are two key elements: expectations and momentum. Both are at play in the United States in the wake of last week’s surprising debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
by Jody Dallaire
Canada has been celebrating National Family Week in the first week of October since 1981. I was hoping that this year’s family week would bring with it good news. Unfortunately, this official appreciation of families does not seem to extend to Canada supporting parents significantly in rearing their children.
by David Suzuki
The failure of world leaders to act on the critical issue of global warming is often blamed on economic considerations. Over and over, we hear politicians say they can’t spend our tax dollars on environmental protection when the economy is so fragile. Putting aside the absurdity of prioritizing a human-created and adaptable tool like the economy over caring for everything that allows us to survive and be healthy, let’s take a look at the economic reality.
by Jody Dallaire
A new report from the Women’s Issues Branch in the New Brunswick government’s Executive Council Office released an “Equality Profile of Women in New Brunswick” shows women’s gains and losses in this province. Here are a few snippets of information from the report.
By David Suzuki
In a survey conducted for the David Suzuki Foundation, 70 percent of Canadian youth said they spend an hour or less a day in the open air. And when they are out, it’s usually to go from one place to another. In other words, it’s just a consequence of trying to be somewhere else.
Nearly half the young people surveyed said they don’t have enough time to join programs that would involve them in outdoor activities. School, work and other responsibilities make it difficult to do things like kick around a soccer ball or go for a walk with friends in the nearby woods.
For someone of my generation, this situation is almost unfathomable.
