Tag: canada

Do you miss the CBC?

Post ImageThe CBC lockout has been ongoing for more than a month now, and people are starting to reflect on how it has affected them. Barry Reuger over at Canadian Journalist had this to say:

It’s been over a month since the CBC locked out its employees. In that time a flurry of podcasts have started and subsequently been ignored by yours truly. I now find myself reading – although not really liking – the Macleans that arrives in my mailbox each week thanks to the previous tenant.

I find that I’ve stopped missing CBC Radio, except perhaps once each morning when I would really like a newscast. I find instead that I fill my head with American public radio programming.

I would have to say I don’t miss the CBC. I think the lockout came at a particularly bad time for the workers. It’s not like I am going to miss Hockey Night in Canada, because I went a whole year without for the NHL’s lockout and somehow I survived. There are no Olympics coming up that need coverage. Actually, besides those two shows, the only thing I really watched on CBC was The Simpsons. I never really listened to CBC Radio, and I’ve always been a Global (or ITV back in the day) viewer for news.

I think the CBC is in need of a major overhaul! I don’t know what a new incarnation should look like, but The Hour was a good start. I can’t say if I think CBC has been fulfilling it’s mandate, because I don’t know what the mandate was. My generation hasn’t really had to care about mandates or responsibilities of the CBC, until now I suppose. Perhaps that would be a good step to making the CBC relevant again, review the original mandate. And on the committee that reviews said mandate, let’s have some people under the age of 30, yes?

Read: Canadian Journalist

Inukshuk Wireless Internet

Post ImageSay it with me now – wireless everywhere! Looks like it’ll be happening in Canada sooner than expected too, according to Om Malik:

The Canadians are taking a lead on the US, and are putting together a nationwide fixed wireless broadband network, according to Digital Home Canada. Two Canadian incumbents – Rogers Communications and Bell Canada have decided to pool all their licensed wireless broadband sepctrum into a new company – Inukshuk Internet – that will be equally owned and controlled by the cable guys and the phone company. They will also equally share transmission capacity and will work with other wireless broadband providers such as Clearwire to make sure that wireless broadband users can roam on other networks. Inukshuk will build and operate the network, that within three years should bring wireless broadband to two-thirds of Canadians. It is going to cost $200 million and will cover 40 cities and approximately 50 rural and remote communities across Canada.

This is a glimpse into the future my friends, mark my words. It won’t be long until we can walk anywhere and be connected to the Internet. And when a cable and a phone company team up, well you know it’s got to be important.

The Globe and Mail has more on the story:

“The promise of wireless broadband is here and Bell and Rogers have the expertise, resources and commitment to make it happen,” said Bob Berner, chief technology officer of Rogers. “This is a powerful tool for Canadian businesses and consumers — both of whom will benefit from the substantially increased and accelerated competition the network will bring.”

I think the name is particularly interesting, Inukshuk. An inukshuk, similar to the logo chosen for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, was historically important for navigating across the arctic tundra. As there were no natural landmarks (just endless seas of white) native peoples would build inukshuks to help them mark where they had been and to find their way to various locations. In that sense, inukshuks kind of connected the north. Wireless everywhere is going to connect the north again.

Read: Om Malik

Northern Voice 2006

Post ImageJust saw on Darren’s blog that Northern Voice is happening again in 2006. Here are all the details so far (from Darren’s post):

  • It’s a two-day conference now, with Friday being a self-organizing thingy in the tradition of Foo Camp and Bar Camp. Saturday will be similar to last year’s conference. You can register for either or both days.
  • It’s going to be Friday, February 10 and Saturday, February 11.
  • It’s slightly more expensive than last year, but still absurdly cheap at CAN $30 for either day or $50 for both.
  • It’s back at UBC Robson Square.
  • We’re seriously considering holding a potluck dinner on the Friday night.

I really enjoyed Northern Voice 2005, so I am definitely looking forward to the second one. I really like the idea of Moose Camp too, that’s a good idea. Here’s the new website (I think the old green is nicer than the blue).

Read: Nothern Voice 2006

Krispy Kreme's Canadian assets for sale

Post ImageIt seems as though Krispy Kreme is not doing so well north of the border. KremeKo Inc., which runs the franchises in Canada, announced this week that it was planning to sell off assets, just weeks after it was forced to file for bankruptcy protection:

It decided this week that the greatest value could be achieved by an asset sale. The plan has the backing of Krispy Kreme and the company’s secured creditors, including the Bank of Nova Scotia and GE Capital Canada Equipment Financing Inc., which is owed more than $3 million.

KremeKo could end up selling the business as a going concern or it could entertain offers for the rights to operate Krispy Kreme franchises in Canada.

The agreement KremeKo reached back in 2000 would have it open 32 stores in Canada by 2007, paying Krispy Kreme $40,000 USD for each one along with 4.5 percent of sales. Well, that was an optimistic agreement to say the least! By April of this year, KremeKo had closed 10 of it’s 18 stores. It was also charged in Ontario with three violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

So yeah, I hope you like your Tim Horton’s! And if you’re really addicted to Krispy Kreme or something, the phrase “get them before they’re gone” has never been more appropriate. I wouldn’t be surprised if the store in Calgary was closed by the next time I go.

Read: CBC News

David Dodge on U.S. Economics

Post ImageI have read many times about the huge current account deficit in the United States, but usually from American media like The Economist, or maybe something from Europe. Never from Canada! It seems the Canadian government generally likes to keep quiet about our neighbour’s spending habits, maybe for fear of more beef or softwood lumber-like troubles. Needless to say, I was quite surprised to read today that Bank of Canada governor David Dodge had something to say on the matter:

In the text of a speech to be given at a Montreal conference, the central bank chief warned of “large, global economic imbalances that have become the subject of increasing concern” to policy-makers.

“I am referring, of course, to the persistent and growing current account deficit in the United States that is mirrored by large current account surpluses elsewhere, especially in Asia.”

Basically what has happened is that the United States has decreased their saving while most of the rest of the world has increased saving. Thus, the U.S. has become reliant on foreign borrowing, creating the large deficits that Dodge and other economists talk about (the United States actually has three deficits, international trade, current account, and federal budget). At the same time, China and other Asian nations have used their large and growing export income to soak up the American debt.

I think it’s really interesting to watch, even if the situation unfolds slowly. For some reason, it seems significant to me that Canada finally had something to say on the matter too, though I can’t put my finger on exactly why.

“At some point, they will have to be resolved. Why? For one thing, a country’s external indebtedness cannot keep growing indefinitely as a share of its GDP. Eventually, investors will begin to balk at increasing their exposure to that country, even if it is a reserve-currency country, such as the United States.

“For another thing, the buildup of foreign exchange reserves by Asian countries will, eventually, feed into domestic monetary expansion and lead to higher inflation. These imbalances will ultimately be resolved, either in an orderly, or in an abrupt, disorderly way.”

Perhaps Dodge is worried that things are heading down the path to a disorderly resolution, which would probably be bad for Canada.

Read: CBC News

Belinda Stronach Roundup

If you’re a Canadian, and you don’t live under a rock, you’ve by now heard that Belinda Stronach crossed the floor today from the Conservatives to the Liberals (and the Canadian dollar rose as a result). If this is the first you’ve heard of the biggest political news of the current year, check out the 445 articles at Google News, then come back. Good. Now that you’re all caught up, let’s take a look at what the blogosphere is saying.

My good friend Brock says “Stronach, you’ve got no backbone.” He’s definitely not the only one with that opinion. Debris Trail goes even further:

Is this the Canada you want? Are we so apathetic and cynical and greedy that corrupt regimes can actually hope to hold onto power? Belinda Stronach is banking on exactly that.

Old Tomorrow says “I am finding it difficult to take Belinda Stronach seriously.” And Brian Walsh had this to say of Belinda’s future:

Only time will tell how this will affect you Beinda, I expect that your future in politics is to be short as you obviously have no patience and since you have a good job to go to at anytime, you will in fact leave the liberals in due course.

Blackhole has a pretty good analysis of Belinda’s move and what it might mean. Todd Warnell decided to use a little sarcasm to get his point across:

All in all, it is nice to see that the Liberal’s have already learned their lessons from the Gomery Inquiry and abandoned the practice of political bribery and kickbacks!

That’s just a taste of what’s out there. If you want to read more, the posts are coming fast and furious on Technorati, Feedster and BlogPulse. There’s a wealth of opinion and comment out there if you want to read it, and much of it is more representative of Canadians than what you’ll read in your local newspaper. Also be sure to watch this trend graph, which compares mentions of Belinda Stronach, Paul Martin, and Stephen Harper over the last month. I expect Belinda’s line will jump significantly tomorrow.

My opinion? I am just happy that Canadian politics are interesting again.

Read: Belinda Stronach

Blogs are Advertising in BC?

Darren Barefoot reports that Elections BC has decided that blogs are simply campaign advertising:

“Under the Election Act, it will fall within the definition of election advertising, and we would ask them to register,” says Jennifer Miller, of Elections B.C.

Miller says the volume of sites is overwhelming, and doesn’t rule out asking for a change to the Election Act. “If we feel certain parts of the act can be amended to make it more effective and efficient, we will definitely make that recommendation,” she says.

I tend to agree with Darren – “Where does editorial become advertorial?” I think the decision to require blogs to be registered as advertising is unwise. Who’s to say that a newspaper editorial is not actually advertising in disguise? I hope this doesn’t set any sort of precedent.

Read: Darren Barefoot

Back to the polls?

Did you watch Prime Minister Paul Martin’s national address on prime-time television last Thursday night? No? Don’t feel bad, you’re probably in the majority. Martin thought that going on national television would be a good way to try and save himself and the Liberals some face in the wake of adscam (the last time a Prime Minister went on national television was in 1995, when Quebec was about to secede). While it’s probably too soon to tell if his address had any real impact, the Conservatives are clearly ahead in the opinion polls, with 35% to the Liberal’s 30%.

Which begs the question, are we going back to the polls? Clearly with the Conservatives enjoying a comfortable advantage, it’s not unreasonable they would rather have an election now than later. On the other hand, Canada is a very Liberal country:

The Liberal Party is often described as Canada’s natural party of government, having been in power for the past 12 years, and for 55 of the past 70.

Mr Martin has one aspect of public opinion in his favour: voters agree with him that the full Gomery report should come out before an election is called.

I think it comes to down to whether or not we want Quebec to separate. A strong election for the Conservatives would probably also mean a strong election for the Bloc Québécois, and perhaps, the start of new separation talk. I think that is probably something most Canadians would want to avoid. If history is any indication, it seems likely that the Liberals will be given another chance, if not by winning the next election, by clearly winning the following election.

Maybe the question isn’t “are we going back to the polls”, but rather, will adscam do anything? If this scandal doesn’t make Canadians vote non-Liberal, what will?

Read: Economist.com

Marijuana Madness

The good folks at Health Canada announced yesterday that they have given approval for the sale of Sativex in our country. Sativex is a drug derived from cannabis to treat multiple sclerosis-related nerve pain:

This week’s approval of Sativex marked the world’s first cannabis-based drug to reach the market, according to the drug’s U.K.-based manufacturer, GW Pharmaceuticals….The drug is dispensed via a spray, which is delivered under the tongue or on the inside of the cheek. Potential side effects can include nausea, fatigue, dizziness, and reactions at the site where the drug is sprayed. However, the drug will not induce the type of intoxication associated with smoking marijuana.

So that’s definitely good news for people suffering from MS. I think it’s interesting to note that the announcement was made on April 20th, which is apparently International Smoke Weed Day (or 420). Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find an official link or website, just a few blog postings. I wish I could find out some more information on it – first heard about “smoke weed day” from Kim. Apparently it’s a word-of-mouth celebration!

Read: Red Herring

Canadian Politics Interesting Again?

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems as though Canadian politics have become interesting again – at least as far as the media is concerned. Most of the interest has to do with Adscam, like the American blogger who bypassed a Canadian gag order meant to keep the details of the proceedings out of the public eye:

A Canadian commission that’s investigating charges of high-level wrongdoing in the nation’s Liberal Party has ordered news organizations not to reveal details from the proceedings, which are open to the public. But Ed Morrissey, a conservative Web logger in Minneapolis, has been gleefully violating the ban by posting detailed reports of the verboten “Adscam” testimony. His usual average of 30,000 page views a day skyrocketed during the weekend to more than 400,000…

Another blogger, this one Canadian, has also dedicated a post to the issue. Tim Bray says “the Martin government is toast“, though he doesn’t have too much to say about the opposition either, calling it “weak and divided.” Indeed, searching Technorati for ‘canada liberals‘ returns about 9500 results, but what’s most interesting is how recent they are. Here’s a few highlights:

So what do you think? Are the political parties in Canada making things interesting again, or are there just more Canadian bloggers writing about it giving the perception that it’s more interesting?