May 15 2002
National Defence may pursue plans to turn Canada's military supply chain over to a British firm. At a news conference this morning, unions will outline effects of moving this service beyond the direc
May 15 2002
Maya Indian Eligorio Sho is in Newfoundland this week urging Fortis Inc. shareholders to scrap plans for a hydro scheme that would flood Belize's Macal River Valley. The project would destroy ancient
May 15 2002
Since noon yesterday, fifteen health-care workers have occupied part of the B.C. Children's and Women's Hospital in Vancouver. They want a moratorium on contracting out of health services, pending in
May 14 2002
The tobacco machine sees rebellious young women as prime marketing targets. But Sluts Againt Butts are here to say that bad girls can't be bought. They're a group of women bent on holding the industr
May 14 2002
British Columbia moved Monday to rewrite provincial labour laws on behalf of business. The proposed changes effectively scrap the traditional role of the Labour Relations Board as a neutral agency in
May 13 2002
Nova Scotia's minimum wage buys thirty per cent less than it did in 1976. And the $5.80 hourly base rate is a benchmark that holds down all wages - in a province where one in two workers makes less t
May 13 2002
Quebec's biggest cable distributor is labouring under the weight of job action. The strike was called after all 2,200 workers at Vid
May 10 2002
A recent anti-G8 rally in Montreal hadn't even started when the police encircled hundreds of people in a web of "preventative measures."
May 10 2002
Marc Hall is taking his boyfriend to the prom tonight. His Toronto-area Catholic school board had tried to stop him, saying it would not condone "a homosexual lifestyle." But a judge this afternoon g
May 10 2002
Why do the French hate McDonalds? Maybe because they resist being homogenized, standardized, squared - like so many genetically modified (GM) tomatoes that taste like wood but have a shelf life of 10
May 9 2002
During elections, is democracy served when third parties can spend huge sums on political advertising? Parliament thought not when it approved new spending limits in 2000. But a familiar name, Stephe
May 8 2002
Marc Hall was in court this week to defend his right to take his boyfriend to the prom. His Toronto-area Catholic school board won't let him, saying it cannot accept "a homosexual lifestyle." The boa
May 7 2002
The main problem with the popular claim that Ontario's health spending is out of control is that it's not true. While spending has increased since 1994, overall and per capita, it has actually droppe
May 7 2002
Caught with a hand in the cookie jar, a health service privateer is beating a hasty retreat today. Food management giant Sodexho has eyed contracts in British Columbia's hospitals since Bill 29 opene
May 6 2002
Sweet smells of privatization: companies eyeing health support service contracts in British Columbia have been caught blacklisting the Health Employees' Union members who now deliver housekeeping, la
May 6 2002
Fifty-seven of British Columbia's public schools may soon close due to provincial spending cuts. With school districts facing a $200-million budget shortfall for 2002-2003, the effects will reverbera
May 4 2002
The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans admitted yesterday that it has already allowed hunters to land 295,000 harp seals this year. That exceeds the government's total allowable catch for 200
May 3 2002
Some energy jobs will disappear if Canada ratifies the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. But a new study finds tremendous new opportunities in boosting energy efficiency and developing new technologi
May 2 2002
Loblaws says it can't label genetically engineered foods because there's no federal labelling standard. But there's something the grocery giant is not stressing at its Annual General Meeting: Loblaws
May 2 2002
After 51 days of strike action and service bedlam, 45,000 Ontario public servants are claiming victory. The Ontario Public Service Employees Union will hold an immediate ratification vote on a tentat
May 1 2002
Throughout the world, except in North America, May 1 is celebrated as International Workers' Day. In Canada and the U.S., we have Labour Day in September, which most people associate with the struggl
Apr 30 2002
"Pro-lifers" are pressuring provinces to stop funding abortion services. They say abortion is medically unnecessary and so not covered under the <i>Canada Health Act.</i> Could this campaign spell tr
Apr 30 2002
Amnesty International is "dismayed" by Israel's refusal to co-operate with a United Nations fact-finding team. At stake are allegations of human rights violations during Israeli incursions at the Jen
Apr 29 2002
Four Canadian soldiers, killed "on the job" in Afghanistan, were honoured as labour and political leaders marked yesterday's annual day of mourning for victims of workplace accidents. Fully 800 men a
Apr 29 2002
The Ontario government's operating grants to universities, allowing for inflation and enrolment growth, declined by 17 per cent between 1995-96 and 2000-01. As tuition fees rise to offset the shortfa
Apr 29 2002
Last year, Canada Post raved about its corporate performance, projecting new profits of $170-million over 2002 and 2003. But its most recent corporate plan hauls that estimate back to $58-million. Th
Apr 27 2002
Just last week, the courts ruled that Ontario has no legal authority to sell off Hydro One, the province's electricity transmission grid. It sounded like a call for independent public hearings. Inste
Apr 25 2002
Typical neo-lib argument: families know they shouldn't spend more than they have in the bank — and governments should have the same common sense. Ah, but Statistics Canada reported last week tha
Apr 25 2002
Heart disease and stroke are Canada's leading causes of hospitalization and death. Together, they cost us close to $20-billion each year. Lifestyle choices play their part in cardiovascular disease.
Health Cuts Hit B.C.
Apr 24 2002
They promised to put patients first. But health care writhed yesterday under the well-honed surgical knife of British Columbia's governing Liberals. Critics blasted the Health Minister after a briefi
