Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

ANALYSIS | Calgary's 2025 meh-lection: how low can turnout go? | CBC News

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 19h

"Lori Williams warned a mayoral debate audience earlier this month: “Every vote can really make a difference — and it looks like folks aren’t as engaged in this election just yet as people would like.”"
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

With a mix of inattention and indecision tamping down excitement, advance voting has plunged. Will Calgarians' decision be to not bother?

Chinese EV tariffs created '2-front trade war' hurting Prairie canola, pork producers: Kinew | CBC News

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 20h

"Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is asking the prime minister to scrap Canada's 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles in return for China lifting its tariffs on Canadian canola and pork."
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is asking the prime minister to scrap Canada's 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles in return for China lifting its tariffs on Canadian canola and pork.

First Nations youth programs lose Jordan’s Principle funding after changes to eligibility

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 1d

"Ottawa has a significant role to play in helping Onigaming lift its state of emergency, Mr. Copenace said, adding that the impact of residential schools and other colonial measures carried out by the federal government are at the root of such crises."
www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art...

Onigaming First Nation is now footing the bill for youth crisis response teams after changes to how federal funding is awarded

How Canadian steelmakers are 'greening' their steel | CBC Climate Change News

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 1d

Steelmakers are phasing out the use of coal.
www.cbc.ca/news/climate...

Steelmaker Algoma says U.S. tariffs on steel are pushing it to more quickly transition to electric steelmaking. Here's why decarbonizing steel is such a big deal, how it's being done in Canada and wha...

Mark Carney’s tax plan will lift more Canadians ‘above the poverty line,’ advocates say

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 2d

“This program [tax auto-filing] will pay out hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits in the next few years that would otherwise be left unclaimed, helping our most vulnerable get the supports that they need,” Carney said.
www.thestar.com/politics/fed...

Prime Minister Mark Carney said that starting in 2027, the Canada Revenue Agency would begin auto-filing tax returns for low-income Canadians, allowing them to simply confirm the information in a

Survivors hope for healing as former residential school near Tofino is demolished | CBC News

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 2d

“It’s about healing, it’s about cleansing the property. So that it can be fully restored to how it was," Elder Cliff Atleo explained.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

The last remaining buildings of the Christie Residential School on Meares Island near Tofino, B.C., were demolished in a ceremony Thursday, attended by survivors who said they hoped the destruction of...

Librarian fired after refusing to censor 2SLGBTQ+ books wins $700K US settlement | CBC Radio

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 2d

In times of growing fascism, look for the helpers. The resistance.
www.cbc.ca/radio/asitha...

A former Wyoming library director who was fired amid an uproar over books with sexual content and 2SLGBTQ+ themes that some people complained were inappropriate for young readers will be paid $700,000...

Inspections of temporary foreign worker employers in Canada have plummeted — despite a surge of workers

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 3d

"The declining number of inspections comes at a time when the TFW program has ballooned, undergoing a massive expansion in the last decade, amid rising allegations of abuse and penalties issued to employers violating the program."
www.thestar.com/news/gta/ins...

Critics say the decline in investigations, and the fact that most are conducted remotely, is raising concerns about protecting vulnerable labourers.

School food programs hope $1B from Ottawa will fill need as they wait for governments to sign on | CBC News

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 3d

"Newfoundland and Labrador is the first province to sign on with Canada's national school food program, funded by the federal government."
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Six months after the federal government announced $1 billion to establish Canada's first national school food program and a month after the first jurisdiction officially signed on, food providers tell...

ANALYSIS | Alberta stopped tracking class sizes. Then it changed its funding formula. Now, it's a teachers' strike issue | CBC News

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 4d

"Overall, by these measures, student enrolment has grown by 15 per cent since 2016-17, while teaching staff has grown by just eight per cent."

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 4d

Alberta stopped tracking class sizes and changed its funding formula. Now Alberta public education receives the least per student funding of all provinces. Ballooning class sizes & dwindling resources has driven public education to the point of a teachers strike & lockout.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Get a rough idea of how much Alberta’s teaching staff has grown compared to how much student enrolment has grown since the funding formula for school boards was changed.

Alberta private-school funding under fresh scrutiny amid historic teachers’ strike

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 4d

If UCP agreed to fund public education in Alberta to even the per-student Canadian average, I bet Alberta could continue funding private schools without widespread controversy. But, here we are with funding at the bottom and a teacher strike & lockout...
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alber...

Funding for private education isn’t a topic at the bargaining table, but a petition has reignited debate over it

Canada is close to losing its measles elimination status. What happens then?

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 4d

"The country has been free of endemic measles for 27 years but is now facing an outbreak that has killed at least two people and infected more than 5,000 others since last October...
One of the main causes is shrinking vaccination rates..."
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

Experts blame waning vaccination rates and disinformation for outbreaks that have continued for nearly a full year

Shellene Drakes-Tull: In a world on fire, it’s our duty to speak out against injustices — so that’s what I’m doing

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 4d

"When we normalize injustice and work to silence anyone who speaks against it, we are creating a world where anything goes," writes Shellene Drakes-Tull.
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

In the face of wiping out an entire people it is imperative to speak because being silent isn’t a real choice.

‘Shameless’: How the Alberta Next Panel Blamed Immigrants | The Tyee

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Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 4d

“Since [the] Alberta Next panel raised its ugly head, it has also created additional hostility with some of the comments associated to that,” said Ernst, who pointed out that the federal government’s open immigration policy is not the fault of immigrants.
thetyee.ca/News/2025/10...

Divisive scapegoating, including showing a slanted video, fits the populist playbook, says an expert.

thetyee.ca

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 5d

Gosh, I love advance voting. Took less than 5 minutes.

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 5d

"Today, thanks largely to Dr. Mount, virtually every large hospital in North America has a palliative care ward...
[But] Only 58% of Canadians receive palliative care at end-of-life, according to data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information."
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

Opinion: Lessons on dying well from the father of palliative care

The best way to honour Dr. Balfour Mount’s legacy is by making palliative care available to all Canadians

Canadian company that employed temporary foreign workers gets record fine for abuses — but workers won’t get any money

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 5d

"Migrants pay the price with their health, livelihoods and dignity, while most employers walk away with a slap on the wrist and the government pockets the fines. This isn't justice — it's profiteering off migrant suffering," explained Niger Saravia.
www.thestar.com/news/gta/can...

The Migrant Workers Alliance for Change is calling on Ottawa to compensate migrant workers from fines collected.

A preview of some Canadian NHL teams entering new season | CBC Sports

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 5d

Go Jets!
www.cbc.ca/sports/the-b...

CBC Sports' daily newsletter marks opening night of the 2025-26 NHL season with a quick catch-up on four of the seven Canadian clubs.

5 premiers urge Carney to withdraw court submission on notwithstanding clause | CBC News

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 5d

"In a filing submitted last month to the Supreme Court of Canada in a case on Quebec's secularism law, Ottawa argues the constitutional limits on the notwithstanding clause preclude using it to distort or wipe out the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Charter."

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 5d

Right-wing premiers urge Carney to withdraw court submission on notwithstanding clause.
www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

Five premiers say Ottawa must withdraw its recent call for limits on the notwithstanding clause because it amounts to a "complete disavowal" of the bargain that spawned the Charter of Rights and Freed...

Alberta teacher prompts petition on province's private school funding | CBC News

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Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 5d

The question approved by Elections Alberta is, "Should the government of Alberta end its current practice of allocating public funds to accredited independent (private) schools?"
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

If high school chemistry teacher Alicia Taylor gets her wish, Albertans will vote in a referendum on whether to end public funding for independent schools.

School trustees have a dramatic history in Calgary. Here's what they can (and can't) do | CBC News

Harold Pliszka @hpliszka.bsky.social · 5d

"In 1999, when now-premier Danielle Smith was elected as a trustee for the CBE, she and others on the board clashed so badly that the minister of learning at the time, Lyle Oberg, stepped in after 10 months."
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

We connected with several retiring trustees to see what they achieved and a political scientist to understand the history of this position.