Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Benjamin Veness writes that the best way to address the dangers of long COVID is to prevent spread of the underlying viruses. And Daniel Bierstone and Monika Dutt write that it's never been important to make sure workers have sick leave available than at a point where health care systems are crumbling under the weight of multiple infectious diseases. 

- Mitchell Thompson points out how the Ford PCs are measuring the results of privatized social programs solely by how many people they force back to work, not by anybody's welfare or escape from poverty. And Simon Woodside observes that the developer-led sprawl being put forward as Ford's excuse for a housing policy will ultimately impose both weaker communities and higher property taxes on the public.

- Emily Baron Cadloff discusses the potential for a retailer code of conduct in response to rising food prices - though the prospect of an unenforceable, industry-led deal among businesses known to have colluded to fix prices for their own benefit hardly inspires confidence.

- Jake Johnson writes about the growing amounts of dark money flooding the American political system.

- Finally, Max Fawcett offers a warning about Pierre Poilievre's simplistic and demonstrably counterproductive "solutions" to problems which deserve to be taken seriously - with his insistence on a drug policy of harm exacerbation once again ranking as a prime example.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Anjana Ahuja highlights the risks which result from quackery treating theories about an "immunity debt" as a reason to expose children to avoidable disease. And John Paul Tasker reports on Jean-Yves Duclos' attempt to ensure children get vaccinated, even as far too many provincial governments seem eager to avoid discussing the multiple public health threats facing their populations. 

- Amina Zafar discusses why it's so important for people to stay home when sick at a time when our health care system is being pushed far past its capacity. But Vanmala Subramaniam and Chris Hannay point out that despite the lessons of the COVID pandemic, most provinces haven't done anything to ensure people have sick leave available in order to be able to do so. 

- Meanwhile, Max Fawcett notes that Danielle Smith's plans to actively undermine public health care could be her electoral undoing. 

- The University of Oxford studies how microplastics have made their way to Antarctica's air, water and territory, confirming that a poorly-regulated form of pollution can affect the natural environment far from where it originates. 

- Finally, Zak Vescera and Amanda Follett Hosgood report on the B.C. Federation of Labour's push for alternatives to policing by force, particularly when it comes to recognizing Indigenous rights. And Jeremy Simes reports on the entirely justified concern that the Moe government is headed in exactly the opposite direction by laying the groundwork for a politically-controlled provincial police force. 

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- SBS News reports on the WHO's warning that not only is the COVID-19 pandemic far from over, but cases are spiking globally. And Mike Lapointe reports on the work of at least some political leaders - notably including NDP MP Don Davies - to push the federal government to both take preventative action to limit spread and address the growing crisis of long COVID. 

- Gabriela Calugay-Castilla writes that the lack of paid sick days forces people to choose between necessities in trying to provide the necessities of life without making themselves and others sick. And Katherine Scott discusses how women continue to bear the brunt of the effects of the pandemic. 

- Doreen Nicoll writes about the need to measure public policy generally based on social health outcomes rather than GDP and profit levels. 

- Isabella O'Malley reports on the revelation of a large hole in the ozone layer over tropical regions of the Earth. Carey Gillam reports on research finding that 80% of Americans tested have detectable levels of the weedkiller glyphosate in their systems. And Tom Perkins explains how EPA tests likely severely underestimate the pollutants found in U.S. water.

- Finally, Liam O'Connor discusses the increasing concentration in ownership of Saskatchewan farms, as the economics of a corporatized sector leave no room for people to operate smaller farms even as a few wealthy people look to farmland as an investment. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Benjamin Mazer writes that of all the other public health analogies, COVID-19 may prove most similar to smoking in the systematic failure of governments to take readily-available steps to prevent widespread harm. Beth Mole reports on research showing that COVID was the leading cause of death of Americans aged 45 to 54 in the first three quarters of 2021. And Benjamin Shingler reports on the new wave cresting due to the BA.5 subvariant, while Katie Anthony and Andrea Michelson discuss the danger of repeated infections at short intervals. 

- Meanwhile, Zak Vescera reports on the glaring gap between the messaging conveyed to the public about Saskatchewan's public health measures in 2021, and the recognition by Dr. Shahab and others that it was grossly insufficient. And Patrick Collison writes that the prospect of universal COVID vaccines is running into a lack of interest in developing new versions which could be more easily administered and more effective against variants.  

- Carolyn Ferns discusses how Ontario's private child care operators have proven they can't be trusted with the task of building an effective system for families. Tom Conway highlights how unions are having to take the lead in pushing for safety in all kinds of workplaces. And Christine Saulnier points out the continued need for paid sick days for the sake of everybody's health. 

- Damian Carrington reports on new research showing that investment in plant-based proteins is the most effective use of carbon mitigation funding. And Geoff Dembicki discusses how the oil industry's history of deception includes pushing carbon capture and storage which it has known for decades to be ineffective. 

- Finally, Shane Wright discusses how Australia's Labour government is ensuring that its budget is assessed based on public well-being, not merely on GDP or profits. 

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Kit Yates weighs in on the work which still needs to be done to avoid further waves of COVID-19. And Marsha Barber writes that we can tell from even the limited information still being released that it's delusional to suggest we're out of the pandemic, while Jonathan Charlton reports on research showing how important now-discarded vaccine mandates have been in broadening protection against the spread of COVID.  

- Lauren O'Neil writes about the end of Ontario's COVID-related paid sick days, including the reality that we'd all be better off if workers were better able to recover from all kinds of illnesses rather than being compelled to work. 

- David Feckling discusses how there's no business case for the tar sands if they aren't being massively subsidized - both through deliberate climate negligence as a matter of policy, and through direct public funding. And David Climenhaga writes that the TransMountain pipeline expansion has officially turned into a money loser for the federal government for the purpose of lining the pockets of the oil sector. 

- Meanwhile, Carl Meyer reports on the Notley government's choice to acquiesce to CNRL's lobbying demanding that methane regulations be torqued to allow heavily-emission operations to keep spewing pollution. 

- Finally, Jessie Anton reports on the needed backlash against the Saskatchewan Party's choice to pour money into private schools with anti-LGBTQ affiliations while forcing public schools into brutal cutbacks and job losses.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Gloria Novovic writes about the desperate need to start planning ahead to control the damage done by the COVID pandemic, rather than reacting only to calamities already in progress. Ed Yong highlights why there's no reason to minimize the effect of the coronavirus based on "incidental" infections which still impose massive costs on an overwhelmed health care system. Mary-Ann Davies et al. study the prevalence of severe outcomes in the course of South Africa's Omicron wave, and find that any change in the virus itself (rather than vaccination or other immunity rates) has produced only a 25% reduction in risk of hospitalization or death compared even to the most severe Delta wave. And Christina Frangou offers a look at the effects of long COVID on people who have continued to suffer illness and disability long after even mild initial cases. 

- Michael Osterholm and Cory Anderson call out the misleading message that stubbornly keeping schools open without taking steps to protect staff and students is a remotely plausible option. And Mickey Djuric reports that Saskatchewan's already-strained education system is being forced to carry out contact tracing responsibility abandoned by public health structures. 

- Meanwhile, Olga Khazan notes that the lack of paid sick leave and other supports is forcing people to keep dragging themselves to work while infected. Basit Mahmood points out how the combination of stagnant incomes and rising rents and prices is leaving more and more UK households destitute. And Errol Schweiser discusses how food price inflation in particular is a matter of profit-taking by large corporations with the power to control the market. 

- D.T. Cochrane examines how corporate Canada has already stopped contributing any income taxes to Canadian society to for the year. And Dan Darrah calls out the Canadian Federation of Independent Business for its relentless attacks on workers and people who rely on public services. 

- Finally, Jeff Seal, Chris Libbey and Rick Libbey discuss the importance of moving toward a just cause standard for eviction based on the recognition that housing is a human right. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- John Michael McGrath writes that the Omicron wave of COVID may manage to be the most disruptive year, while Alex Press discusses how its effects at an individual level may differ drastically based on one's income.

- Ed Yong warns that the U.S.' health care system is grossly underequipped to deal with the Omicron wave. Ashleigh Stewart reports on the impending nursing shortage in Canada, while Nicholas Frew reports on projections that Alberta will soon see record high hospitalization levels. Lindsay Tanner and Mike Stobbe report on the U.S.' soaring COVID hospitalization numbers among children too young to be vaccinated. Roni Caryn Rabin notes that even children who recover from initial symptoms are at a higher risk of developing diabetes.

- Sharon Kirkey summarizes the current state of knowledge around long COVID - including the devastating effects people have suffered already, and the great unknowns about longer-term damage. Reuters reports on Finland's warning that it may become the country's largest and most severe chronic disease.

- But in case anybody thought greater awareness of the consequences of COVID and its variants would lead to more responsible choices, Adam Hunter reports on the Moe government's refusal to implement any limitations on gatherings even as health officials beg people to be more responsible than their political leaders. Jim Stanford rightly calls out the trend of Canadian employers demanding that employees come to work while infected and infectious, while Alex Press points out the same trend in the U.S. And Katherine Wu discusses the complete lack of logic behind the CDC's latest self-isolation guidelines.

- Finally, Scott Schmidt blasts the conservative messaging machine for having the nerve to blame others for the decisions of right-wing governments to expose people to avoidable risk while undermining any public response.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Dan Diamond reports on the shortage of health care workers as the fifth wave of COVID crests in the U.S., while Carl O'Donnell and Ahmed Aboulenein report on the escalating number of children being hospitalized with the coronavirus. Robyn Urback warns that our governments' response to an escalating pandemic is now limited to telling us we're on our own, while Nanjala Nyabola views the main story of 2021 as one of failed political leadership in the face of collective crises. And Amnesty International highlights the deliberate choice to withhold vaccines from much of the world which has led to the most devastating wave yet. 

- On the comparatively hopeful side, Brett Wilkins reports on the development of the non-monopoly Cobervax vaccine. And the University of Hong Kong points out research showing that a nasal spray vaccine may help to prevent respiratory transmission. 

- Jeremy Appel writes that the response of Cargill workers to disregard for their health and well-being has been to fight for a collective agreement which ensures they'll be better treated. But lest anybody think employers will do the right thing without being forced, Jake Johnson reports that Delta's response to getting its way in reducing the recommended quarantine period (in the absence of any public health justification) has been to slash sick leave for its own workers. 

- Peter Kalmus discusses how the true tragedy of Don't Look Up is how closely a supposedly over-the-top movie mirrors what he sees in his work as a climate scientist. And Ryan Cooper points out how perception is winning out over reality when it comes to public awareness of the U.S.' respective economic positions under Donald Trump and Joe Biden. 

- Finally, Tenille Lafontaine rightly asks that Saskatchewan work to ensure that women are able to speak out online without facing a firehose of abuse and threats. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- David Wallace-Wells discusses the alarming warning indicators from our still-developing understanding of the Omicron COVID variant. Nazeem Muhajarine writes about the importance of booster vaccines in limiting the damage, while Wallis Snowdon reports on the justified frustration of Alberta doctors faced with Jason Kenney's choice to relax public health rules and increase community spread. And Joseph Allen offers some updates to the COVID playbook which should be applied this winter. 

- Krisna Saravanamuttu writes that the Ford PCs' refusal to provide paid sick days is only exacerbating the racial inequality in the effects of COVID. And Supriya Dwivedi writes about the looming price tag from Ford's climate negligence. 

- Tyler Cowen discusses the distributional effects of inflation - though it's noteworthy that the key means of mitigating a disproportionate effect on lower-income workers is to allow for wage increases to keep pace with changes in prices. And Brian Doucet notes that policies which merely add to the supply of unaffordable dwellings won't help the people whose right to housing is being denied. 

- Armine Yalnizyan points out how the increased use of migrant workers based on a supposed labour shortage in Quebec is suppressing wages and working conditions for everybody. And Dorien Frans and Nadja Dorflinger examine the dark side of the logistics boom for the workers who face exploitative working conditions. 

- Globe Newswire reports on the escalating amount of plastic waste being generated by Amazon in particular. And Bill Kovarik writes that the past few decades of climate fraud and delay match the oil industry's century-long endangerment of people's lives by covering up the known effects of lead in gasoline. 

- Finally, Luigi Zingales highlights the need to stop conflating centrally-controlled capitalism with freedom in any meaningful sense, and to instead use competition law to ensure people have the ability to make meaningful choices. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Crawford Kilian writes that even if the Omicron variant of COVID-19 doesn't prove as dangerous as it appears, it should serve as a reminder as to why we should be careful to protect everybody's health and safety. And Andrew Nikiforuk examines the evidence that Omicron is going to lead to the most dangerous wave yet, while Virginia Harrison reports on the exponential spread it's causing in South Africa.

- Nick Dearden discusses how big pharma's profiteering paved the way for variants to emerge. And Ketty Nivyabandi, Madhukar Pai and Christina Warner push for Canada to stop obstructing the availability of vaccines in the countries where they're needed most.

- Jim Stanford writes that the case for 10 paid sick days (rather than any lesser sop to corporate interests) is particularly compelling when that time frame matches the incubation period for COVID.

- Andrew Jackson argues that our response to inflation should be focused on making essential goods affordable, not on trying to funnel money to the owners of capital. And Paul Krugman highlights how the increases in prices people are facing result from supply chain limitations and corporate profiteering, not the printing of money.

- MiningWatch maps out the impacts on communities around the globe if new mining plans are allowed to run roughshod. And Pam Palmater discusses how the RCMP's role is still fundamentally one of clearing Indigenous lands for the benefit of corporate interests. 

- Meanwhile, James Whittingham challenges the Moe government's pathetic excuses for standing in the way of any transition toward electric vehicles in Saskatchewan.

- Finally, Amir Barnea encourages workers to organize in order to put their relatively high level of bargaining power to the best possible use.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Matt Gurney writes that the COVID pandemic has exposed - without ameliorating - our political leaders' inability to respond to any real crisis. And in case anybody was under the illusion that we're past the worst of COVID itself, Michael James and Christine Fernando report on the emergence - and apparent spread - of what may be the most threatening variant yet. 

- Nicole Ireland reports on the Public Health Agency of Canada's advice that we need to use more effective masks to limit COVID transmission. Zak Vescera reports on the stark differences in vaccination rates based on socioeconomic privilege in Regina and Saskatoon, while also noting that Saskatchewan as a whole is having to pursue "microtargeting" to squeeze out further vaccination opportunities. And Stephane Dubois highlights how pediatric vaccinations will help our population-wide protection - though Kelly Skjerven reports that the Moe government hasn't bothered to provide leave to enable parents to get their children vaccinated. 

- Meanwhile, Meaghan Ellis examines the personality traits which tend to underlie COVID denialism and anti-vaxx conspiracy theories. And Bruce Arthur discusses the challenges in trying to deal with anti-vaxxers. 

- Stephen Wentzell talks to Naheed Dosani about the importance of paid sick leave in ensuring health equity for workers. And PressProgress reports on the Horgan government's decision to offer only half a loaf, rather than the full 10 sick days recommended to protect the health of workers and the people who rely on them. 

- Jeanelle Mandes reports on new research showing that the rate of child poverty in Saskatchewan remains above a quarter of all children (where it's been for over a decade). And Katie Hyslop discusses how child poverty can generally be traced to mothers' poverty in particular. 

- Andrew Nikiforuk writes about the future costs of procrastinating on a transition to a clean economy, while Heather Scoffield notes that the price tag is already soaring due to immediate climate calamities. And Peter Zimonjic reports on Environment Commissioner Jerry DiMarco's recognition that Canada's climate policy has bounced from failure to failure, while Barry Saxifrage discusses how Canada is actually backsliding in the effort to replace dirty fossil fuels with clean electric power. 

- Finally, Jerry Dias offers a reminder of the efforts of the workers who make Black Friday possible. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Nora Loreto writes about the need for governments to make COVID management plans which take into account pockets of anti-vaxxers who will create significant risks for the general population. Andre Picard discusses why parents will need to ensure their children get vaccinated, while Matt Gurney wonders how children will react if a continued failure to take reasonable precautions foreseeably results in the loss of core activities. And Zak Vescera reports on research showing significant damage to the health of Saskatchewan people who have avoided care as a result of the poorly-handled pandemic. 

- Meanwhile, Jim Stanford studies the effects of paid sick leave, and finds that employers could ensure people don't have to work while sick with no measurable cost in competitiveness or profitability. 

- Adam Tooze's alarming takeaway from COP26 is that the world is trusting the same businesses who have created the climate crisis to solve it with little government action - though Simon Dyer notes that even the minimal commitments made to date make new oil and gas development completely untenable. Jason Hickel discusses the approach we'd be taking if we were actually treating climate breakdown as an emergency, while Seth Klein offers his suggestions as to what a Lib throne speech would look like if it wanted to meet that standard. And Julia Rock points out how pension funds are being hijacked to prop up the fossil fuel sector as capital which isn't under political control looks for investments outside of a dying industry. 

- CBC News reports on the widespread damage to British Columbia as torrential rainfall has combined with weakened natural drainage to produce floods and mudslides. And Carolyn Jarvis reports on the Ontario government's reluctant release of data showing the air pollution being inflicted on the Aamjiwnaang First Nation.

- Finally, Richard Swift wonders what value there is in the Pandora Papers and other revelations of the abuse of wealth and power when they don't lead to any investigations or prosecutions. 

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Zak Vescera reports on the Moe government's full awareness that their elimination of public health measures would produce exactly the spike in cases and calamity for Saskatchewan's health-care system that have developed this fall. And Allison Bamford reports on the warnings from doctors that there may be another wave yet to come, while Nick Cumming-Bruce reports that Europe is now seeing a new wave of its own.

- Sarah Zhang writes that the U.S. is conspicuously refusing to talk about managing COVID-19 even as it continues to pose a massive public health risk. And PressProgress calls out British Columbia's corporate lobby for claiming that COVID doesn't pose a significant workplace hazard in an effort to ensure employees don't receive sick leave or other protections.

- Donald Light and Joel Lexchin highlight how an unaffordable vaccine is effectively no vaccine at all for much of the world's population - and thus no protection for anybody against the development of increasingly dangerous variants.

- Hadrian Metrins-Kirkwood discusses how decarbonization will require reimagining our municipal planning. Anthony Vasquez-Peddie reports on new research showing how industrialized countries can shift to an extremely high proportion of wind and solar energy - with Canada's large land mass making us particularly well-suited to the change.

- Meanwhile, J.-F. Mercure et al. study how best to persuade the general public of the value of climate action, and find a need to emphasize the economic benefits of a just transition.

- Finally, Peter Zimonjic reports on the nearly 90,000 people facing Guaranteed Income Supplement clawbacks as punishment for having received the CERB in the wake of the pandemic. And the Leader-Post reports that mayors even from Sask Party strongholds are joining the chorus demanding that the Moe government provide adequate social benefits and stop pushing people out on the street.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content for your Friday reading.

- Emma Buchanan writes about the restrictions on media access that have resulted in people being poorly informed about the damage done by COVID-19. Meredith Wadman reports on new research showing that the increased infectiousness of the Delta variant is the result of its leaving more of its genetic code in host cells. And Matt Gurney discusses the importance of increasing vaccine supply around the globe - though he leaves out the obvious source of the current shortage as wealthy countries continue to prohibit the release of intellectual property over publicly-developed vaccines to let developing countries establish their own supply.  

- Corry Anderson-Fennell writes about the benefits for everybody when workers have access to paid sick leave, rather than being financially compelled to work through illness and pain. And Kim Siever debunks the corporate lobby's rhetoric about Alberta workers choosing federal pandemic benefits over work - as the only sectors seeing less employment are the ones where employers (government or otherwise) have chosen to restrict operations. 

- Meanwhile, Mario Canseco discusses new poll data showing an increasing number of Canadians recognizing the opioid crisis as a major problem and recognizing the need for political leadership. 

- David Suzuki calls out the continued subsidization of fossil fuels even as climate science points to an urgent need to transition away from them. Liang Jing et al. study (PDF) the carbon intensity of oil, and find Canada to be the second-worst polluter on the planet for the amount of crude it produces. And Aaron Wherry makes the seemingly obvious point that the high-pollution, low-efficiency tar sands are logically among the first resources which need to be left unextracted as we work on reducing our fossil fuel dependence. 

- Chen Zhou highlights how wealthy countries are trying to shift the goalposts to avoid meeting existing commitments to fund climate finance. Phoebe Weston reports on new research showing the grossly disproportionate share of emissions attributable to luxury carbon consumption. And Andrew Nikiforuk writes about the need to reduce our energy use in order to rein in the climate crisis.

- Finally, Susan Ferguson discusses how the systemic violence of capitalism has dictated a woefully insufficient response to COVID-19 (and to other crises). And Alex Steffen calls out the plutocrats who are using the spoils of existing wealth inequality to corner the market on the necessities for survival in a foreseeable climate apocalypse. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Rod Nickel offers an international view of Saskatchewan's spiraling COVID-19 crisis, even as Scott Moe clings to his delusional minimization of the pandemic (and his personal responsibility for its impact on the province) in the face of objective reality. 

- Meanwhile, Laura Osman reports on the health care workers fighting to ensure sick leave is available across Canada when it's most needed. And Celina Gallardo writes about the frontline health care workers who are pitching in to save our health care system while lacking a path to permanent residency for themselves. 

- Valerie Lapointe and Nessa Gassemi-Bakhtiari write about the need to stop stigmatizing mental illness. And Jaela Bernstien discusses new research on the effects of climate change on our physical and mental health. 

- George Monbiot looks to World War II as an important example of how it's possible to direct our society and economy to response to an imminent threat - as we need to do to avert a climate breakdown. Jocelyn Timperley discusses how wealthy countries have broken their promise of even minimal financing for climate mitigation and adaptation. And Isak Stoddard et al. explore why we've failed so miserably in accomplishing much in previous decades, while Kevin Taft reviews William Carroll's Regime of Obstruction as an important reminder of the entrenched wealth and power that have been deployed to keep carbon pollution spewing, and Matthew Taylor reports that this year's global climate summit will be the first where big oil doesn't wield the power of a formal role. 

- Finally, John Woodside reports on recent research showing that continued fossil fuel production is absolutely contrary to any serious climate policy, while Jenny Uechl reports on Quebec's decision to end fossil fuel exploration. And Tzeporah Berman discusses how we've accepted far too little action from our political leaders as constituting climate leadership, 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Gary Mason writes that Saskatchewan and Alberta are tragically showing the rest of the country what a COVID-19 disaster looks like. CBC News reports on a predictable spike in COVID-19 following Saskatchewan's Thanksgiving weekend. And Zak Vescera uncovers the Moe government's choice to beg for medical help from their Republican allies even while they demurred on making requests for help which was already on offer from Canada's federal government. 

- Meanwhile, PressProgress reports on the callous efforts of British Columbia's business lobby to prevent workers from having to access to sick leave during the pandemic. 

- Pratyush Dayal reports on how the Moe government's needless undercutting of social programs has led to the buildup of tent cities in the province's cities just in time for winter. 

- Hamilton Nolan sees reason for hope in the U.S.' wave of strikes, while pointing out the importance of people participating rather than merely observing. And Michael Sainato reports on organizing by retail workers at Dollar General and other stores which have refused to recognize the contributions of essential workers. 

- Dave Cullen writes that we shouldn't let self-serving actors turn the urgency of the climate crisis into an excuse to push expensive and dangerous nuclear power when we have more affordable renewable alternatives. 

- Finally, Karl Nerenberg discusses how a first-past-the-post electoral system magnifies and exacerbates regional divides. 

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Amativa Banerjee writes about the cognitive dissonance involved in living through the COVID-19 pandemic. And Ian Sample reports on scientists' recognition that the UK's deadly second COVID wave was the result of the repetition of mistakes and a failure to learn from the first wave. 

- Needless to say, that makes an especially dangerous and deadly fourth wave all the more preventable and inexcusable. On that front, Mickey Djuric reports on the continuing erosion of care for Saskatchewan residents in need of surgery, while Zak Vescera reports that the province is on the verge of needing to ship ICU patients to Ontario for lack of health care capacity. 

- Meanwhile, Marlene Leung reports that many of the experts trying to help save lives in the midst of a pandemic have themselves faced threats of violence for daring to do so. 

- Norm Farrell writes that David Card's Nobel prize helps to signal how empirical reality is on the side of progressive policy - even as the wealthiest few set up self-serving default assumptions to the contrary. 

- Jacob Lorinc reports on the CCPA's research into the hundreds of thousands of workers who have left thankless and abusive service-sector jobs for ones which offer greater pay and security - and the employers trying to spin that as reflecting a "labour shortage" rather than a need to do better themselves. Robert Reich characterizes the newfound willingness of U.S. workers to reject unacceptable work as an unofficial (and entirely necessary) general strike. And Shannon Waters documents the lobbying by B.C. employers against a basic standard of paid sick leave. 

- Finally, Mariana Mazzucato highlights the need for a new international consensus in which governments plan, and deploy public resources toward, a new economic structure which serves the common good rather than the rich. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Alexander Quon reports on Alexander Wong's call for far more public health measures to alleviate COVID's unmanageable strain on Saskatchewan's health care system. And Libby Giesbrecht reports on the conditions in emergency rooms which are seeing patients wait for days (requiring the attention of paramedics the entire time) before being admitted.  

- Meanwhile, Andrea Germanos writes that the failure of rich countries to provide vaccines to less-wealthy ones is resulting both in gross inequality in vaccine access, and far more dangerous outcomes for everybody. 

- Alex Hemingway discusses the need for progress on sick leave in British Columbia, as well as the danger that corporate influence will once again leave workers to fend for themselves. And Charles Smith discusses what the Co-op refinery lockout means for the wider labour movement. 

- Finally, Peter McCartney offers some important suggestions as to what the next federal government can do to step up the fight against a climate breakdown - though there's little reason for optimism given the Libs' smug determination to avoid doing anything that doesn't fit into immediate economic models. 

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Naël Shiab charts COVID case rates by province - showing in stark relief how Alberta and Saskatchewan are in a worse position than at any point in the pandemic, with cases still rising sharply. Phil Tank reports on the large number of Saskatchewan daycares now facing outbreaks, while Leslie Young reports on the widespread pattern of schools having to close across the country. And Robson Fletcher reports on Alberta's record high ICU usage levels. 

- Jason Warick reports on warnings from Alabama officials to Saskatchewan about the devastating human toll when pandemic decisions are dictated by politics rather than evidence, while Murray Mandryk notes that Scott Moe bears full responsibility for choosing exactly that course of action with its inevitable results (while sadly going out of his way to demand that people not comment on the actual consequences). And Tess McClure reports that COVID Zero continues to be an extremely effective strategy in New Zealand, which is managing to stifle case numbers and fully trace and manage any spread. 

- David Gorski and Gavin Yamey discuss how science denialism cultivated in other contexts has complicated the fight against COVID-19, while offering some strategies to try to maximize cohesion in the effort. 

- Gaby Hinscliff writes that lockdowns have resulted in UK families demanding far better from their government in ensuring the availability of child care. And Moira Wyton discusses the British Columbia labour movement's continued push for sick leave as the dangers of working while ill are all the more obvious. 

- Finally, Roger Harrabin reports on a new Avaaz survey showing widespread climate anxiety among young people around the globe. 

#Elxn44 Roundup

The latest from Canada's federal election campaign.

- Jeremiah Rodriguez reports on the omission of Canadians with disabilities from much of the election campaign, while pointing out the priorities which should be part of our discussion.

- Justin Ling brings the receipts as to what became of the Libs' promises of pharmacare and prescription drug affordability, and finds that industry lobbying has completely overridden any interest in ensuring Canadians have the medication they need.

- Jim Stanford discusses how the election will shape the future of Canadian labour and employment laws, particularly in determining whether gains which the Libs have reluctantly accepted under NDP pressure will last past the immediate moment. And Katrina Miller and Jamie Kirkpatrick write that the Cons' refusal to accept a just transition away from fossil fuel reliance would have dire consequences from a labour standpoint as well as an environmental one.

- Gregory Beatty calls out the Cons' attempt to portray themselves as moderate while assuring extremist supporters they'll get their way and ignoring some of the most important issues facing the country - along the willingness of far too much of Canada's media to repeat the lies.

- Finally, Ryan Patrick Jones reports on the NDP's costed platform which combines important investments in social priorities with a progressive tax system to keep the books healthy.