Jim Watson has done a superb job —Tierney, Fleury and Qaqish should be tossed for new blood

 Photo credit: @jimwatsonottawa (Facebook) For the past four years, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson has done an exceptional job. He has delivered on his commitment to hold taxes to an annual 2 per cent increase, overseen the successful construction of the multi-billion-dollar O-train project which is the largest infrastructure project in the

All Parties Deserve Equitable Coverage in Elections

 By Linda Chenoweth I retired 3 years early from teaching with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board due to my disillusionment with education in Ontario, many reasons of which I have written about in the Hamilton Spectator. I have covered issues such as the invalid and unreliable EQAO testing; violence in

Giant Paper Heads: Who Wore it Better? Arcade Fire or WOTE?

 Yesterday, Burlington ON band Walk Off the Earth released a new video celebrating trans youth and the importance of accepting ourselves and others. The video, ‘Alright,’ features a young girl named Ellie who is forced to wear boy’s clothes and just wants to be herself. The video also features Walk

Five challenges for bending the health care cost curve in Canada

 By Greg Marchildon and Livio Di Matteo Why health reform remains a challenge Canadian economists received a pleasant surprise this year: expenditure growth on public healthcare in Canada finally appears to be slowing down. However, it is unclear if this slowdown is the result of explicit success in sustainably bending the cost-curve

Fair Elections start with an independent Commissioner

 Elections law enforcement starts with a strong Commissioner, who has the independent authority to investigate offences. The Fair Elections Act empowers law enforcement by giving him sharper teeth, a longer reach and a freer hand. Sharper teeth means tougher penalties for existing offences which has received broad support from parliamentarians,

Citizens and Parliament Must be Consulted on Election Rules

 The Harper Government’s Bill C-23, Fair Elections Act is currently before the House of Commons, and it should come as no surprise that the Conservatives are using the bill to manipulate the rules that govern how Canadians vote. After all, the Harper Government has been at odds with Elections Canada