His flip-flop on a carbon tax makes that unlikely
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole should be hammering the government over the soaring cost of living. But his own carbon tax flip-flop is holding him back. O’Toole recently held a Facebook Live where he addressed one of the key concerns facing Canadian families. “In Canada, we’re already almost at five per cent [inflation], the highest rate…
Good judgment on Canada’s streets and highways has gone the way of the dinosaur
I planned to write about a different issue this week but had a sudden change in plans, thanks to the (ahem) ‘expertise’ of Toronto drivers. Some of them, anyway. After a massive snowstorm last week, the city was hit with another five to 10 cm of snow on Monday. Far less than what we faced…
Smiles release serotonin and dopamine in your brain, and that helps improve your mood
Whenever I give a presentation on the impact of body language in the workplace, I always include a section on the power of a smile. That’s because research shows that facial expressions send feedback from your face to your left frontal cortex, which in turn triggers the release of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine into…
Robbing the industry of the oxygen it desperately needs
In many parts of the country, Canadians report a growing number of empty grocery store shelves. It’s also happening in the United States and many other parts of the industrialized world. Before the COVID-19 Omicron variant arrived, empty shelves were visible but few shoppers noticed. They were sporadic in the fall as supply-chain woes continued,…
Oil prices may reach triple figures later this year
Global oil markets touched a seven-year high last week before capping gains late Friday. Prices have already gone up by more than 10 per cent this year. But the signals are ominous. Continued signs of robust demand have come despite: the COVID-19 Omicron wave; growing geopolitical instability in Eastern Europe and the Middle East; the…
Kids become performers in a spectacle, under the authoritarian oversight of the head coach
Educational, physical, emotional and spiritual developmental goals for youth and high school sports programs are increasingly being brushed aside by win-at-all-costs and profit-at-all-costs ethos. The professionalization of youth sports organizations, our ‘little leagues,’ is appalling. Adults – parents and coaches – treat youth sports like the big-time pro and college versions. Kids quickly learn from…
Pioneering U of A researcher part of international team brought together through $24M grant
When Karim Fouad started his career with the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine looking for a way to heal spinal cord injuries, he remembers the enthusiasm that rippled through his discipline as prospects for better treatments began to show real promise. “Spinal cord researchers thought they had found the reason the nerve cells don’t regrow in the…
Understanding drugs and viruses key to being ready for the next pandemic
Understanding exactly how antiviral drugs interact with viruses at a molecular level will be key to developing the broad-spectrum therapies needed to battle against the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and get ready to fight the next one, according to a newly published paper in the The Journal of Biological Chemistry. The paper reveals the inner workings of the…
U of A criminology program has highest rate of Indigenous enrolment among all arts programs
Growing up near Lac La Biche, Alta., Shaylee Lyne Desjarlais-Whitford couldn’t help noticing how Indigenous people were treated differently by the justice system. She saw how many close to her on the Kikino Métis Settlement didn’t get fair representation when charged with an offence. “Prosecutors were throwing cases away just to get them done,” she…
Since COVID-19 touched down, Ottawa has dished out $511 billion!
When governments subsidize something, you can expect more of it. With the federal government covering the cost of keeping workers and businesses afloat during provincial lockdowns, it’s no surprise that provincial politicians are biased toward new restrictions. Since COVID-19 touched down, Ottawa has dished out $511 billion through direct subsidies, tax deferrals and low-interest loans.…