Every year since 1969 humanity’s resource consumption has exceeded earth’s capacity to regenerate those resources by an ever-greater volume. Damaging the planet’s life support systems will eventually spur the collapse of human civilization. Despite this, the CEO of CIBC Victor Dodig recently said Canada needs to be “obsessed with economic growth”. Published on the front... Continue Reading →
Time to turn from cars to housing on wide downtown streets
Few measures better marry ecological and social justice than turning public land devoted to noisy, dangerous and polluting vehicles into social/co-op/rental housing. René Lévesque Boulevard in Montréal is a prime candidate for this type of transformation (similar examples abound in other cities). A week ago I bumped into about 500 students protesting behind a banner... Continue Reading →
Time to ban automobile advertising
More disappointing than watching the Habs lose to Tampa in the Stanley Cup finals were the ads during the games on TV. As Lytton, BC, broke Canada’s all-time temperature record three days in a row and was then wiped off the map by a forest fire, Canada’s public broadcaster promoted resource intensive, space consuming and... Continue Reading →
Big oil, auto industries conspire to destroy liveability of planet
Is it simply business as usual or a corporate conspiracy to destroy the planet? However one characterizes it our planet is being cooked so already wealthy people can make even more profit. Last Friday the New York Times published a front-page story titled “The Oil Industry’s Covert Campaign to Rewrite American Car Emissions Rules.” The... Continue Reading →
Free public transit one step towards better cities
Free public transit could combat both economic inequality and climate disturbances. And, if paid for by fees on automotive junkies, fare-less transit could be part of a serious challenge to private-car-centred transit/urban planning. At Toronto’s first mayoral debate Saron Gebresellassi called for fare-free transit. By detailing a bold proposal the left-wing candidate steered the other... Continue Reading →
Bylaws that require parking drive up costs of housing
While climate disturbances wreak growing havoc across the planet, Canadian cities continue to mandate pro-car measures that drive-up housing costs and contribute to global warming. Even the most walkable, bike-able and mass transit oriented neighbourhoods still require parking spots to be built in new residences.Finally, last week downtown Montréal eliminated parking requirements for new residential... Continue Reading →
Time to junk the cars and use public land for housing
Who could possibly be against doing something that would be both good for the environment and improve housing affordability in our biggest cities? By turning public land devoted to noisy, dangerous and polluting vehicles into social/co-op/rental housing it is possible to put a dent into runaway climate change while improving housing affordability and urbanity. Radio... Continue Reading →
Media war against limits to cars continues in Montreal
Do you support humanity and livability? Or the "right" of people to use private cars? This question is aimed particularly at the left end of the political spectrum, to that part of the public who should know better. It's been dispiriting to see progressives echo a right wing municipal party/dominant media campaign against curtailing car... Continue Reading →
Toronto has too much ‘public’ space, not too little
Does Toronto have too little or too much public space? Depends on what the “public” space is used for. This seems such an obvious answer but one of Toronto’s best urban affairs writers can’t seem to separate the private cars from the public space they destroy. In an otherwise excellent defence of the square where... Continue Reading →
We have an addiction problem — cars
I often read troubling reports about the world's unfolding climate catastrophe while working at McGill, but, ironically, steps from the university library I am reminded of Montréal's unwillingness to make the changes required to avoid civilizational collapse. During recent construction on Sherbrooke Street police have been stationed on corners near the university to direct traffic.... Continue Reading →
Justin Trudeau is no friend of the environment
Today the lives of over 10 million people in the Horn of Africa are at risk due to a drought at least partly caused by climate change. A study by Britain’s Met Office concluded that human-induced climate disturbances sparked a famine in Somalia in 2011 in which over 50,000 died. For its part, the Climate Vulnerability Monitor estimated in... Continue Reading →
Capitalism kills — our oceans the deadly proof
For 21st century capitalism the more disposable the better. Ocean life and human health be damned. According to a recent Ellen MacArthur Foundation study, the world’s oceans are set to have more plastic than fish by 2050. At the current rate of production and disposal the net weight of plastic in the oceans will be greater than... Continue Reading →
Left thrives in compact communities, dies in suburban sprawl
Suburban sprawl is an enemy of the Left and progressives should support efforts to discourage it, including tolls. In opposing tolls on Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway, a number of leftists cite political strategy. They argue the tolls will elicit a rightist populist backlash and alienate potential supporters. On Facebook John Bell complained,... Continue Reading →
Car culture and geography harm the poor far more than tolls
There's no doubt tolls hurt poor people, but a car-dominated transportation system does far more damage and everyone who wants a more just society should support measures that help rid our over-heating planet of private automobiles. The primary left-wing complaint about tolling two Toronto highways is it will harm the poor. One activist responded to... Continue Reading →
Auto industry requires massive public subsidies to survive
When are capitalists in favour of public ownership? When it earns them a profit. Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than when looking at car companies. As auto interests have pocketed stupendous profits over the past century they've also pushed to socialize huge amounts of urban land. While this may contradict textbook economics, capitalists... Continue Reading →
Are tolls a ‘flat tax’ or one step in building a sane (carless) society?
What’s left and what’s right? Usually it is obvious, but sometimes you have to take a step back and consider the bigger picture. For example, the Toronto toll debate has exposed a lack of scrutiny of the leading source of corporate profit over the past century by many supposed leftists. Absent a political economy of... Continue Reading →
A first step in ending global warming — ban automobile ads
A Metro should never be wrapped in car ads. On this past week, the whole front of Montréal's Metro paper promoted Kia. All of page 2 and the back of a paper targeted at the city's transit riders also promoted an unhealthy, lethal, inefficient and utterly unsustainable mode of transportation. Incredibly, public transit systems regularly... Continue Reading →
Unions will thrive if they promote alternative to capitalism
At their finest labour unions are class conscious organizations that check the corporate elite’s influence over public policy. But, even the best Canadian unions have largely failed to provide an alternative vision to the existing system and challenge the power of big business over important areas of our lives. Alongside collective-bargaining activities, unions have spearheaded... Continue Reading →
Plotting to deceive the public nothing new for automakers
Over the past eighteen months two of the world’s largest automakers have been found responsible for deadly conspiracies. But, recent revelations can’t compete with the industry’s previous scandals. Last month Volkswagen was caught rigging millions of its cars emissions testing systems to meet regulatory standards. The German company programmed its turbocharged direct injection diesel engines... Continue Reading →
What’s ‘Green’ about subsidizing car travel?
Would you believe the Green Party recently took a more environmentally regressive position on an important issue than Stephen Harper? Elizabeth May added her voice to the main opposition parties on a recent visit to Montreal by telling suburbanites they should expect a future non-Conservative federal government to continue aggressively subsidizing the most costly, unhealthy... Continue Reading →
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