Thinking Outside the Crisis: A Great Big Bag of Hammers

The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for decades.
The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for decades.
Our readers have spoken! Here’s what you picked as the best parts of the plague year. Best Pedestrian Mall Venue
The provincial snow crab fishery suffered a big hit in the marketplace this year thanks largely to Covid, and cod
Christmas in the Atlantic Bubble might be in jeopardy, but at least we've got this handy explainer about regional superstar
As promised in response to the budget/not-a-budget pre-election kick off, I thought it would be useful to take a deeper look at what the Liberals have accomplished in their four years in office. Halfway through the election campaign is as good a time as any. Everything old is new again. As both the Liberals and the Progressive Conservatives have now released their “costed” platforms, it’s probably a good idea to think back to where we were when the parties went through this exercise in 2015. Memories of Elections Past In the spring of 2015, Progressive Conservative premier Paul Davis brought down an austerity budget in response to the collapse in oil prices and the sudden realization that the good times of the previous decade had gone bust. Budget ’15 projected staggering deficits and proposed a series of tax increases (including a controversial HST increase) and a public sector attrition plan…
Is corporate concentration a central part of the province’s long-term strategy for the fishery? How does that benefit Newfoundlanders and
There was something weird spotted in the sky above Main Brook on Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula in January 2020.
“We just started last week. I feel like this is the beginning of something.”
The people in Canada who are intelligent, open-minded, and not ideologically conservative would probably number at least a million. But if only one in twenty of them—50,000—were to read Joyce Nelson’s latest book—Bypassing Dystopia: Hope-filled Challenges to Corporate Rule—the outcome could be a grassroots uprising that would free Canada from the corrosive clutches of neoliberalism. Canada would become the idyllic country of economic, social, and environmental well-being that our corporate and political leaders hypocritically boast it already is. For anyone who hasn’t read this book and doesn’t intend to do so, my prediction of its revolutionary effects may seem impossibly grandiose. Most of those who do read it, however, will almost certainly share my enthusiasm. Its stunning exposure of how neoliberalism has worsened poverty and inequality, while supplanting democracy with plutocracy, will both infuriate and motivate readers not yet aware of these and many other “free market” iniquities. A brief…
The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for
Supporting a fiscally irresponsible P3 “solution” for wastewater defers true costs and make immediate budgets look more 'responsible.' Is that
The findings and recommendations of the MMIWG Report may be dismissed, but its charge of genocide cannot be ignored.
“Power goes to two poles – to those who’ve got the money and those who’ve got the people.” — Saul Alinsky May 1st marks May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, when countless workers across the globe take to the streets to commemorate the sacrifice and struggle of a strong labour movement that faced state-sanctioned violence to bring us the 8-hour work day, wages, benefits, and safe working environments, while continuing to hold institutions and governments accountable in what shouldn’t be an uphill battle for fair working conditions and living wages but often is. As a student at Memorial University for the past six years, I am no stranger to the immense contribution workers on our campus make, to allow students to learn in a safe and supportive environment. Despite the crumbling infrastructure due to years of upper level mismanagement, a profound amount of effort goes into keeping classrooms,…
Is corporate concentration a central part of the province’s long-term strategy for the fishery? How does that benefit Newfoundlanders and
There was something weird spotted in the sky above Main Brook on Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula in January 2020.
“We just started last week. I feel like this is the beginning of something.”
Finance Minister Tom Osborne used the words “methodical, fair and responsible” to describe the recent budget, but representatives of civil society and community organizations said that Budget 2018 failed to provide a vision for a sustainable future for Newfoundland and Labrador. Debbie Forward, head of the Nurses’ Union, referred to it as “a flat budget.” She said while there’s not a lot to be upset about, there’s not much to be excited about either. Mary Shortall, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour said she was looking for a jobs strategy from the budget, but couldn’t find one. “There’s nothing in this that indicates there’s any plan ahead for that. I didn’t see a vision in this budget for what’s going to happen for our population going forward,” she said. The March 27 budget “doesn’t inspire confidence with respect to what we have been able to observe today,”…
The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for
Last Wednesday, after a meeting with heads of government, health officials, police, and even the local fire department, Joe Dicker
The first (but forgotten) dam on Labrador's Grand River can tell us a lot about our province's past—and its future.
The news is full of prognostications of doom and gloom these days. Province set to go bankrupt, unassailable debt, unpayable power bills. What are we to do? For one, we need to start talking seriously about what a bail-out of this province’s crippled finances would look like, if it happens. More and more people (such as the economist cited in this CBC story) think it’s likely to happen. A country like Canada, which espouses to first-world status, does not simply allow an entire province to go bankrupt and shut down. What we should be focusing serious public discussion about, is not if there will be a bailout, but what the terms and conditions of that bailout will be, and how it will happen. On whose terms, and with what end-goal in mind. We need to be having that discussion now, and it is deeply troubling the government has not made…
Is corporate concentration a central part of the province’s long-term strategy for the fishery? How does that benefit Newfoundlanders and
There was something weird spotted in the sky above Main Brook on Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula in January 2020.
The truth is even simpler than it was last year. The province, despite seven years of austerity, is even closer
“When it can be said in any country in the world, “My poor are happy; neither ignorance nor stress is to be found among them; my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars; the aged are not in want; the taxes are not oppressive . . . When these things can be said, then may that country boast of its constitution and its government.” –Thomas Paine. Lucius Cassius, a consul whom the people of ancient Rome revered as a wise and honourable judge, was often required to adjudicate disputes involving the laws or policies of the Senate. Time and again, his first question was “Cui bono?” which can be translated as “Who benefits?” or “To whose benefit?” His reasoning was that no political action could be explained unless it was first ascertained who gained from it. The even more illustrious Roman orator and statesman Cicero often quoted this…
The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for
As promised in response to the budget/not-a-budget pre-election kick off, I thought it would be useful to take a deeper
The people in Canada who are intelligent, open-minded, and not ideologically conservative would probably number at least a million. But
It’s time to look ahead toward the next provincial budget.
Is corporate concentration a central part of the province’s long-term strategy for the fishery? How does that benefit Newfoundlanders and
There was something weird spotted in the sky above Main Brook on Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula in January 2020.
“We just started last week. I feel like this is the beginning of something.”
Our provincial and post-secondary leaders are playing with a dangerous idea.
The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for
GSU consulted with public health officials who warned them the Feild Hall residence could not be kept safe.
"Then again, maybe this hon. Member is not always on the side of the law himself. I don't know. What
Indigenous rights and economic inequality dominated The Independent’s coverage of Muskrat Falls and Budget 2016.
The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for
With the premier out of the picture, it is harder to hide the hungry abyss at the heart of Newfoundland
In his own words, Dwight Ball reflects on his resignation, achievements, and legacy as the 13th Premier of Newfoundland and
Cathy Bennett recently came out about the unfair sexist harassment she received, but it’s a more tangled mess than it seems.
The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for
For years, an anonymous Twitter account mocked accident victims, berated grieving parents, and terrorized women. Today the Independent removes his
As promised in response to the budget/not-a-budget pre-election kick off, I thought it would be useful to take a deeper
But cutting through the spin doesn’t inspire any greater confidence.
Is corporate concentration a central part of the province’s long-term strategy for the fishery? How does that benefit Newfoundlanders and
There was something weird spotted in the sky above Main Brook on Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula in January 2020.
“We just started last week. I feel like this is the beginning of something.”
The “we’ll come through this” mantra is not helpful for those expecting organization, protest, and change.
“By supporting one another, we all do better. I think that’s part of the magic of Newfoundland and Labrador’s arts
The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for
Twillingate is in the midst of a yarnbombing that aims to lift spirits while encouraging safe physical distancing during the
Why aren’t we doing more to prevent rich people and corporations from hiding their money to avoid paying taxes while people in N.L. and elsewhere suffer in the name of ‘necessary’ austerity?
The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for
If Dwight Ball has learned anything amid all the turmoil and unrest of his first mandate, it’s that it can’t
The 2019 NL provincial election is just eight days away, and yesterday marks three years since the #NLRising rally on
Women’s rights advocates hold rally outside closed-door discussions on domestic violence at Confederation Building, say Budget 2016 puts women at risk.
Two months after a mistrial was declared in the Snelgrove case, a panel convened in St. John’s to demand justice
The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for
If Dwight Ball has learned anything amid all the turmoil and unrest of his first mandate, it’s that it can’t
St. John’s songwriter rewrites classic Newfoundland song “The Government Game” in response to the Liberal government’s austerity budget.
With so much so much at stake, shrouded in so much secrecy, spread out across unruly social media platforms, chaos
The Dr. Andrew Furey Campaign expressed “heightened concerns” around party voter list after having its complaints against John Abbott dismissed.
Up to now, an important aspect of Andrew Furey's recent professional life has received almost no mention at all: his
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador should immediately tap the international bond markets and borrow $3 billion.
The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for
With the premier out of the picture, it is harder to hide the hungry abyss at the heart of Newfoundland
In his own words, Dwight Ball reflects on his resignation, achievements, and legacy as the 13th Premier of Newfoundland and
As residents and groups ramp up direct action efforts while resistance to austerity grows, some observers are calling for movement to embrace mutual aid.
With so much so much at stake, shrouded in so much secrecy, spread out across unruly social media platforms, chaos
Newfoundland & Labrador will be clawing back income support from anyone who received CERB. Advocates fear this will increase poverty
The Dr. Andrew Furey Campaign expressed “heightened concerns” around party voter list after having its complaints against John Abbott dismissed.
The Liberal government says multi-grade classrooms won’t work, announces new plan to eliminate grades altogether and finance K-12 system with child labour.
The events triggered by Covid-19 are diagnostic of fragile social arrangements that we have lacked the ability to discuss for
With the premier out of the picture, it is harder to hide the hungry abyss at the heart of Newfoundland
In his own words, Dwight Ball reflects on his resignation, achievements, and legacy as the 13th Premier of Newfoundland and
The courage of one MHA has brought the Liberals to a tipping point at precisely the moment the people of Newfoundland and Labrador have united and found their collective voice. So where’s the coverage?
With so much so much at stake, shrouded in so much secrecy, spread out across unruly social media platforms, chaos
The Dr. Andrew Furey Campaign expressed “heightened concerns” around party voter list after having its complaints against John Abbott dismissed.
Up to now, an important aspect of Andrew Furey's recent professional life has received almost no mention at all: his