Climate change, a pandemic, war and nationalistic hoarding are all contributing factors
Events unfolding around the world are creating the perfect playbook for a global food security crisis: climate change, a pandemic, war and nationalistic hoarding are all factors. Climate has been affecting agriculture for a very long time. And the unpredictable nature of severe weather patterns is making the lives of our farmers more difficult. Growing…
The federal government strongly condemned for its actions
While our series is fictional, the principle objective is non-fictional – to explore the likelihood that sooner or later, Canadians will demand a full-scale investigation into the management of the COVID crisis by our federal government. The final, two-volume Report of the COVID Commission was completed in early June of 2023. Time and space limitations…
His fictional story may have the best ideas anyone has had about assessing COVID impacts
A hallmark of Albert Einstein’s career was his use of thought experiments or “Gedankenexperiment” as a fundamental tool for understanding physical issues and elucidating his scientific concepts. These thought experiments employed his incredible imagination and took diverse forms. As a boy, Einstein mentally chased beams of light. For special relativity, he conceived moving trains and…
One of the greatest peacetime policy failures in Canada’s history
COVID-19 just ain’t what it used to be. The SARS-CoV-2 virus was never as deadly as feared in its early days and has evolved to be even less so today. The vaccines rushed to production in response weren’t the answer that some hoped and they’ve proved less effective as the virus evolves. It’s high time…
Imagining what a thorough investigation of the Trudeau government’s mismanagement of the COVID crisis might reveal
By way of introduction, I come from a Canadian political family with 55 years experience in the political and public policy arenas; 33 of those in association with the legislature and government of the Province of Alberta and 22 in association with the Parliament of Canada. My father spent 13 years in the Canadian Senate,…
Most of the world has managed to move on past these divisive – and just plain dumb – policies
Preston Manning already occupies a place of honour in our history books as the father of modern conservatism. His accomplishments are too numerous to recount in this short article, and his articles, essays and books are many. With his many accomplishments and at his stage in life, one would think Preston would choose an easier…
We’ve learned a great deal. Now we can start to put our new knowledge to use
Thoughtful executives will prioritize planning for fully reopening their organizations now that the COVID-19 pandemic is subsiding. The new normal won’t be the old normal. The differences go well beyond customer and staff expectations for personal safety in places of business. Successful organizations in the post-COVID-19 world will proactively think through what: continuing work will…
If you’ve changed your grocery habits since March 2020, you’re not alone
The food industry is gathering at trade shows and events for the first time in more than two years. That means they can finally try to figure out what consumers are thinking, believing, hoping and – most importantly – fearing. Trends, flavours and tastes have changed since March 2020. But after more than two years…
The TESER ACT unit uses UV light to kill viruses and other common pathogens
A new made-in-Alberta sanitization product to stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2 will soon be in use at the Edmonton International Airport and government offices in Calgary and Edmonton, thanks to a partnership with scientists at the University of Alberta’s Biosafety Level 3 Lab. The TESER ACT unit uses ultraviolet-C light from hundreds of LED light…
Should in-person learning be an essential service? Can parents and guardians be included in decisions?
Sometimes it takes a crisis to make things clear. Consider the last two years of rolling pandemic school closures. It’s becoming increasingly clear that Ontario’s government education systems largely failed to serve more than two million students well. Calls for wholesale reform to Ontario education have begun and include revamping all kindergarten-to-Grade-12 curricula and a…