CrowsNest
In the days of sail, mariners would ‘take watch’ in a basket-shaped crow’s nest, mounted just below the top of the mast.
We’ve been keeping watch from the CrowsNest for more than a decade.
Now, we’re starting to share what we see. Sometimes our posts will be quirky, sometimes sad, sometimes insightful, and sometimes wrong. We’ll do our best to be relevant. Now and again, we might even steer you safely into port.
-
The China conundrum and Atlantic Canada
China is arguably the rogue state ‘du jour’ in Canada, though Russia is giving it some firm competition. How is the Canadian government dealing with each nation? In Russia’s case, the response to the invasion of its neighbour is clear – provide weapons to Ukraine, impose economic sanctions against the Russian state, and freeze or […]
-
Churchill Falls – Guess Who Came to Dinner?
At last, Newfoundland and Labrador has a fighting chance to wrest its fair share of revenue from the Churchill Falls hydroelectric project. In 1969, Premier Joey Smallwood’s government signed the infamous Churchill Falls agreement, under which Hydro Quebec buys very cheap power from the massive hydro project in Labrador until 2041. Quebec pays Newfoundland […]
-
Waiting for care – the lineup just gets longer
Do we really want a public health system if care is not accessible? For too many, it’s not. Just last week about 4,000 additional Nova Scotians lost their doctors, joining the swelling ranks (of now more than 135,000) without a family physician. A private clinic also opened in Halifax last week, providing access to nurse […]
-
Leon’s anthem – and the world’s
CBC radio icon Peter Gzowski once asked Cape Breton songwriter Leon Dubinsky, who died last month at the age of 82, to recall the most memorable performance of one of his songs. If you were listening to that interview, Leon’s response made your world stand still for a moment. Dubinsky said his most revered song, […]
-
Embracing apocalypse, embargoing pleasure
From up here in the CrowsNest, we’re keeping a close watch on the health police. Just before Valentine’s Day, Health Canada said dark chocolate ‘contributes marginally’ to overall exposure to heavy metals. (‘Take that, sweetheart.’) This followed release of a Consumer Reports study of lead and cadmium levels in various chocolate bars. In its coverage, […]
-
Health care – ‘give us access, not argument’
Our leaders should scrap their shopworn argument about health care. Canadians know what premiers say to prime ministers – ‘Give us more money and we’ll improve care.’ And what prime ministers say to premiers – ‘Give Canadians better care and we’ll up the ante.’ Well, Canadians are ahead of their leaders, miles in front of […]