tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269792487347536522024-03-06T19:37:58.973-05:00My Life in LettersEnvironment. Democracy. Civil Liberties. Equality. Decolonization.D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comBlogger197125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-90975263554945424412024-03-06T10:52:00.000-05:002024-03-06T10:52:35.142-05:00Imploding Woke<p>I haven't posted in ages, and I recently got dragged into an awkward conversation about International Women's Day (IWD) on Facebook, so my inner gender studies TA needs a sec. </p><p>In 2024, IWD struggles to be inclusive, purposeful, and cohesive at the same time. The “woke implosion” around IWD is an uncomfortable tension between 2nd,
3rd, and 4th waves of feminism. 3rd wave feminists are happy to replace
anachronistic calls for global sisterhood with critical
intersectionality, but the 4th wave demands an entirely new gender
paradigm. <br /><br />I call myself a feminist and not a gender equality activist in acknowledgement that femininity is both violently prescribed and discriminated against. This acknowledgement doesn't preclude or discredit the oppression of androgyny or gender nonconformity. <br /><br />In many jurisdictions, trans-essentialism is entrenched, where you have a right to be a healthy man or woman, regardless of the body you were born into. This binary conception of a right to gender self-determination is satisfactory for many 3rd wave feminists.<br /><br />Burgeoning non-binary rights refute the basis of legal trans-essentialism. Unfortunately, a nuanced binary of cis vs. trans is codified again in health rights, where trans people have the right to gender-affirming healthcare. The exceptionalism of "gender-affirming" healthcare inaccurately implies that default health care is "gender disparaging". Any healthcare that refutes self-determined gender is harmful, regardless of your situation. Gender-affirming healthcare is appropriate healthcare whether or not it has to do with transition. When cis men get their jawlines enhanced surgically, that’s gender-affirming surgery.<br /><br />Transition healthcare, sex transition healthcare, is for (some) trans people. Gender transition has no physical requirements; it's a social realignment. Implicitly, trans people transition, but that's not true of many genders, especially Indigenous genders. They are simply states of being. It is this reason that I do not use “trans” as an umbrella term to describe everyone who isn’t cis. <br /><br />Rather than a cis/trans binary, I describe mutually exclusive categories of men and women that both overlap with and exclude gender minorities. The gender minority umbrella isn't an either/or; you can be a gender minority and a man or woman. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvtkBlE_zu_xMR0F4xKLDfnRYk_5r7F2LXW4_B2OVytX-49xb3-pMsYG-cDoCLdX5vyOTrSt9gYdRs-sZGXAB-nkgWFt6M3OrUQo9tZe8bLSqweV1QeySmBbT2711Z9ZrUyxyWZYsD3ePEFLiUY3Ci3czM1xskKray4Zfy1GdpBJltLv0rcrxyuwINWE/s1080/GENDER%20MINORITIES.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="top: two independent circles. One labelled "cis", the other "trans". Bottom: Three circles labelled: "women, gender minorities, and men" where the central gender minority circle overlaps on each side with men and women" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvtkBlE_zu_xMR0F4xKLDfnRYk_5r7F2LXW4_B2OVytX-49xb3-pMsYG-cDoCLdX5vyOTrSt9gYdRs-sZGXAB-nkgWFt6M3OrUQo9tZe8bLSqweV1QeySmBbT2711Z9ZrUyxyWZYsD3ePEFLiUY3Ci3czM1xskKray4Zfy1GdpBJltLv0rcrxyuwINWE/w400-h400/GENDER%20MINORITIES.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>This 4th wave paradigm of gender is necessary for me to answer "who" is IWD for. IWD is for women and feminine gender minorities. It persists to reject all forms and intersections of feminine oppression. I’m proud to stand in glorious genderqueer solidarity, but it's not my day.<br /><br />I wrap this impromptu rant commenting on the "femme" identity. Queer women carved “femme” out of French as a gender qualifier. “Femme” has also been describing feminine genders independent of womanhood for a couple decades, at least. I’m inclined to say IWD is for women and femmes, but there’s a snag in that language. A subset of cis gay men have appropriated the term.<br /><br />Part of my feminism is creating space for men’s femininity, which is hideously discriminated against. However, “femme” was never meant for cis men. It was defined very much in opposition to masculinity and excluding men. Femmes do not experience cis men’s privilege. <br /><br />The ability for cis gay men to claim “femme” identities is a conflation of gender and sexuality underpinned by gay misogyny and cissexism. Gender expression is not sexuality, and cis gay men appropriating “femme” purposefully narrows community belonging. I implore cis guys (they needn't be gay) using that language to describe themselves to honour historical and resistance context by anglicizing their descriptor to “fem” so that “femme” can take its deserved place in gender discourse and common language.</p><p><br /></p><p>End rant.<br /></p>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-48937839042233762972023-08-24T15:41:00.006-04:002023-08-24T15:48:22.008-04:00Marginal Victory: A Biopolitical Diary Entry<p>This morning, I woke up more with more peace than I've had since getting laid off. The conclusion of my unemployment isn't ideal, but I'm happy about the trajectory it's placed me on. </p><p>Since my lay off June 30th, I've been a robot. No feelings, no friends, just survival and job search activities. At the end of July, I hit a rough patch, and the longest period of my life without suicidal ideation was pierced. </p><p>It took a week to realign myself. I needed to mourn the loss of wellness I'd only recently achieved. It wasn't a full return to chronic suicidal ideation; it was a loss of motivation to live with occasional suicidal ideation. I'm not at risk of suicide because I've got the cats, but the waning of my will to live was something I told my doctor about for posterity. </p><p>It would take three separate validations to lift me back into relative mental wellness. The first two were interviews with universities in Nova Scotia. I interviewed for a residence life job in Halifax and an accessibility services job in Sydney. Getting those interviews was meaningful because it told me my resume works, and my qualifications are valuable.</p><p>I can pinpoint the moment when the Halifax opportunity extinguished. It was the "do you have any questions?" part at the end. I did, two thoughtful pragmatic questions. 1) Is a tuition waiver included in compensation, 2) are staff entitled to use campus health services? </p><p>Over the course of the interview, I had disclosed (dis)abilities and my intent to be a part of the academic community in addition to working on campus. I got the most sheepish "no" for both inquiries. The position was a 1-year contract, and tuition waivers were only offered to permanent staff, and staff were to fend for themselves opting into Nova Scotia's notably strained health care system. The interviewers visibly felt badly communicating this quandary, and I could not hide my disappointment. </p><p>I approached the job in Sydney with much less pressure. It's a lot harder to get to and live in Sydney, so I had a hard salary
floor identified for a move to be worthwhile. CBU has an idiotic policy of not disclosing compensation until an offer
has been made. The interviewers thought it was dumb too. In addition to asking the dollar amount of compensation, I asked the same two questions that torpedoed my first interview and got the same two answers, but worse. </p><p>I'd read online about CBU staff having access to campus health services, and I was very happy about this arrangement. I was prepared to swallow the no tuition waiver, but I had to ask anyway. What I wasn't ready for was a policy change coming into effect Fall 2023. Because of a problematic explosion in the international student population (there's a <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/w5/priest-neighbours-issue-plea-for-help-for-struggling-international-students-in-cape-breton-1.6337730">W5 episode</a> about it), staff were no longer allowed to access campus health services. </p><p>I learned this after reading CBU's <a href="https://www.cbu.ca/current-students/student-services/accessibility-support-services/">multi-year accessibility plan</a>, which did not reflect well on the university, *while interviewing for a job in the accessibility services office*. At that point, I internally withdrew my hopes for the job. As a (dis)abled applicant, I needed to tell them that policy change is a major barrier to recruiting (dis)abled staff. </p><p>The interviewers seemed shocked and concerned, like they'd never thought of the policy change as structurally ableist. However, at that moment, it was undeniable. They accepted the reality of the situation with discomfort and said they would have conversations around health services access for (dis)abled new staff with relevant parties. CBU's commitment to accessibility felt hollow, but if anyone was going to ignite a cultural shift, it would be someone unapologetic like me. </p><p>I put the opportunity out of mind and said "if I get a call, it'll be a good problem to have." It's been over 3 weeks, and I haven't even gotten a "thanks for applying" email. I sized-up the opportunity correctly. </p><p>Two days ago, I broke through with a marginal victory. I landed a casual position with University of Toronto moving services. I'll take underemployment over unemployment, and I'm not at all against physical work. In actuality, I'd rather stay in shape doing menial labour than emotionally exhaust myself in customer service. <br /></p><p>It's a win on 4 fronts: having income (obvs), access to staff development resources, internal candidacy for permanent jobs, and the social grace of "I work at U of T." I have a one-line explanation of what I'm doing with my time. The ability to offer a relatable, respectable account of your time concisely is pivotal to effective job searching and networking. </p><p>I can pursue permanent employment prospects intentionally now. The pressure to gain immediate employment has lifted. I can shove a sock in the neurodivergent urge to extensively consider alternatives; there were 4 career pivots floating in my "just in case" bubble. I considered med lab tech or nursing education through the <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-learn-and-stay-grant">Ontario Learn & Stay Grant</a>, pre-apprenticeships in <a href="https://careerfoundation.com/programs/trees/">arboriculture</a> or <a href="https://ontariomasonrytrainingcentre.com/pre-app/">masonry</a>, a 5-course <a href="https://www.senecacollege.ca/programs/workshops/GIS.html">GIS certificate</a> from Seneca Polytech, federally funded through <a href="https://quicktraincanada.ca/">Quicktrain</a>, and a self-study plan to become an <a href="https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-efficiency/homes/professional-opportunities/become-registered-energuide-rating-system-energy-advisor/20566">NRCan Registered Energy Advisor</a>.</p><p>I'd carefully ruled out arborist training last week. If I ever pivot to a
trade, it will be masonry. I want to build tiny brick houses and
artistic brick/stone sculptures. Arborist training was considered
favourably for timing's sake. Masonry training doesn't start until April or May. <br /></p><p>Over Winter term 2023, I completed a Quicktrain course in Indigenous-Canadian Government Relations and the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Training Course. Accessibility and decolonization are conversations happening on campuses across the country, and I wanted my familiarity to be evident to hiring managers. Given the call backs from Nova Scotia, I am satisfied to say it was worth it. </p><p>I'm registered in two more Quicktrain courses, both from Seneca: Foundations of Sustainable Event Management, and Introduction to GIS (the first of 5 in the stack). Event planning is desirable for student affairs, and GIS skills are valuable in countless ways. Unless a permanent job falls in my lap soon, I'm planning to complete both.<br /></p><p>The U of T gig also shackles me to Toronto more than I've ever been. I accept that I'm going to be here for a while, and I can finally make time investments in the people and causes I care about in Toronto. I can give myself permission to be social instead of fastidiously upskilling and job searching.<br /></p><p>Toronto is more like home now, even though I'm still in a challenging housing arrangement that moving services won't pay me enough to escape. My last post closed foreshadowing the path to permanent employment. I walked on dread for 53 days, but I'm out of the subsistence-guilt feedback loop that tore me away from mental wellness. Today, I walk on bricks of palliate enthusiasm.</p><p> </p><p>This bitch works at U of T 😎<br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1g6BJsIMfF77tzgRpsA5cG1k8Dp9BbdhI7I_uFaCnUQdCXs3LU8divPGeECZw5kcUCPniXKtqIhmE6ccPmQ77ZzjeDawRDUPPON82wdHHFUM3FaqlNGS641BohIkhragBvM90yOPDoJHihvdRYUgKff9NPf7xpqPMFaUwch5zfHEvhILJu7IPYaFgJg/s3264/IMG_20230822_204904649.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A variety of brightly colored donuts behind a display plexi-glass case" border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1g6BJsIMfF77tzgRpsA5cG1k8Dp9BbdhI7I_uFaCnUQdCXs3LU8divPGeECZw5kcUCPniXKtqIhmE6ccPmQ77ZzjeDawRDUPPON82wdHHFUM3FaqlNGS641BohIkhragBvM90yOPDoJHihvdRYUgKff9NPf7xpqPMFaUwch5zfHEvhILJu7IPYaFgJg/w480-h640/IMG_20230822_204904649.jpg" title="Krispy Kreme Dupont" width="480" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Unrelated donut porn from Krispy Kreme Dupont <br /></div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-29905680517892427802023-06-18T14:23:00.004-04:002023-06-18T14:38:43.009-04:00Nevertheless: A Biopolitical Diary Entry <p>It's been a weird weekend. I unexpectedly received an email notice that I'm being laid off on Saturday. It wasn't ill-intended or even cold. There was a call attempt, and email was preferred regardless. </p><p>*don't call me without texting first unless it's immediately urgent..<br /><br /> The news did not meaningfully affect my feelings. The work is ethically uncompromising labour at a flailing social enterprise. It was always known I was applying to positions relevant to my education. The news was surprising because I outlasted three other employees and personally reconfigured production processes to save hours of time. My value was acknowledged, but I wasn't privy to the accounts. <br /><br />Still, moving to Toronto was the best thing I could have done with my last year; it'll be a full year on the 29th. I have love for the city and what I've been able to do here. That said, I feel like I'm floating above Toronto, not part of it. There's only so much sadness you can experience in a city where <i>anything</i> is possible.<br /><br />I don't have issues making friends as an adult. Instructions:<br />Step 1: care about something<br />Step 2: find other people who care about the same thing<br />Step 3: weed out the people who care about your thing who annoy you<br /><br /><b>Remainder = friends</b><br /><br />My issue is that I don't inherently have motivation for that level of human interaction. The dark reality lock downs forced on me is that I don't <i>enjoy</i> most human interactions. Investing in unenjoyable human interactions for future enjoyable human interactions is worthwhile, but the calculation is brutal. <br /><br />Placelessness tells me that the investment is usually sour. I've been trying to quell this feeling for a decade, but the indentured servitude of capitalism requires my mobility until the day I cash in on the privilege that was promised. <br /><br />The feeling of home is the opposite of placelessness. This feeling strikes me in two places: ocean side and riding urban transit. There's just something about trains and beaches that lets my mind finally rest. It's not hard to see how Vancouver would bring me peace. <br /><br />At some point in the Fall, I promised myself I'd spend my 40's by the ocean, and I've got 5 years to make that happen. I'm not setting a hard target on Vancouver, but the heart wants what it wants. I just want to stop moving. I know the conditions of my seaside life will be fall short of ideal.<br /><br />For my health, I need to live alone. My single most important priority engineering my next step is returning to sole occupancy. The part of me that's happy in Toronto is the part that can be happy anywhere, but not with a roommate. The goal of sole occupancy in Toronto is a tall order, but I may be closer to it than I feel.<br /><br />I've advanced once through a City of Toronto limited-competition hiring process for a traineeship/feeder program. It's a 5 month full-time unionized position aimed at placing trainees in vacant mid-level positions. The position starts in September, so they're going to take their sweet time with the next phases.<br /><br />If I'm willing to be landlocked for 5 years, Toronto is reasonable as long as I'm being paid enough to live in Toronto. But I'm also just over it. Even though I scrapped my Seneca plan, I did everything I came to Toronto to do. <br /><br />I'm mostly in control of my health issues. I have a family doctor; I saw the most human psychiatrist I could ever ask for, and I started ADHD medication. I went on a dozen visits to a chiropractor, and I'm slightly less caffeine-powered.<br /><br />Monday after next, I'll have poll clerked 2 elections. I took 2 levels of de-escalation training from the City, an accessibility course funded by the provincial government, and an Indigenous affairs course funded by the feds. I've got sparkling work references, especially now.. <br /><br />I added accessibility and Indigenous affairs coursework to my MA in gender studies in attempt to out-compete internal and local candidates for jobs specifically in university accessibility and equity services offices. There are jobs I'm qualified for and would excel in at every university, but the scant likelihood of being interviewed is incredibly discouraging. I just completed these courses at the start of the month, and it's too soon to say whether the approach was effective.<br /><br />I swivel between angst and serenity. I own nothing, I have no secrets or shame, and I'm just passing through. No roots, just wings. And I'm not alone living like this; the transient Torontonian is distinct urban archetype, and I have much to show for my untethered residency. <br /><br />The time from December to now is the longest continuous mental health upswing of my entire life. I haven't been suicidal since I adopted the cats; they're my raison d'etre. But in December, it felt like I burned the last spec of bullshit out of my life. The combination of adequate income and healthcare works miracles! <br /><br />I'm not afraid of what's next. I'm agitated by compounded uncertainty. I feel the end of what is, but I can't see its replacement. The job market will choose for me. The first/best path to permanent employment and sole occupancy will be followed. I can only hope that the path is paved with enthusiasm and not dread. <br /><br />Nevertheless, I persist. </p><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwhin_VXL9ExdgLy4Sxl3hMInbguDLmMduP0Tjjm6sXqPAGEqc3QKxKe_O4ftwRxA4YTT3tYMQXmMgyvIyk0o84nE-r8rUG1qX-7XvUWZgOJUYXhhpf4WcVEoPc1oh8NBnasAXPVLkz5RtiCRd4_vNtWY2W1Jf32_CHKcBVwZ8ShYHfWF3soyXVXA/s4160/IMG_20230516_190159544_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Casa Loma staircase from top view of downtown Toronto" border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwhin_VXL9ExdgLy4Sxl3hMInbguDLmMduP0Tjjm6sXqPAGEqc3QKxKe_O4ftwRxA4YTT3tYMQXmMgyvIyk0o84nE-r8rUG1qX-7XvUWZgOJUYXhhpf4WcVEoPc1oh8NBnasAXPVLkz5RtiCRd4_vNtWY2W1Jf32_CHKcBVwZ8ShYHfWF3soyXVXA/w480-h640/IMG_20230516_190159544_HDR.jpg" title="Casa Loma staircase from top" width="480" /></a></p>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-3430280833457143652023-01-31T11:35:00.007-05:002023-02-03T16:31:49.655-05:00Traction: A Biopolitical Diary Entry <div style="text-align: left;">I'm starting this post acknowledging that after 17 posts, I failed at the second set of <a href="http://www.mylifeinletters.ca/search/label/Advent%20Policy%20Brief">Advent Policy Briefs</a>. The first Advent Policy Briefs (2021) were my method to ignore the holiday season and put recent writing samples online; the daily writing challenge was a welcomed escape. This year, I decided I wanted to re-attempt the challenge because of how much I like the end product from last year. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Microbes had other plans :*(</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1ZD8_qR8RPis5pzzHnXSmRxVtREt2YRz9wXHk8vGCWhsJWvf85CgbyDxNpsqmKRBuZZLK4XHf4yBs0DT7pPZDzi-X-t0jgbqRfGBKnsBU2-jNq6lqhUg2goJG11S-THG6F-LLm7nJs22EVxwsF8ZewVZb2kZixzQymYVWUUb6Op3TMrHarjyz-7A/s4096/IMG_20220713_090730.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Sad white dog tied outside a No Frills grocery store" border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1ZD8_qR8RPis5pzzHnXSmRxVtREt2YRz9wXHk8vGCWhsJWvf85CgbyDxNpsqmKRBuZZLK4XHf4yBs0DT7pPZDzi-X-t0jgbqRfGBKnsBU2-jNq6lqhUg2goJG11S-THG6F-LLm7nJs22EVxwsF8ZewVZb2kZixzQymYVWUUb6Op3TMrHarjyz-7A/w480-h640/IMG_20220713_090730.jpg" title="Sad white dog tied outside a No Frills grocery store" width="480" /></a></div>While I admit the challenge was *much* harder picking policy posts for a second year, it was on track until getting sick nailed the coffin shut. I wasn't capable of writing something I was proud of with intense head congestion and the rest of my life duties. I was staring at 3-5 bad quality posts and the stress to get those written on top of healing and work.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I put my health first. I released the expectation and guilt I was choking myself with, and I have no regrets. Largely, I let myself off the hook because December was the first month I finally felt like I wasn't in a fuck-up phase of life anymore. I stopped surviving in Toronto and started living in Toronto. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I'm thankful for the moment of hope and renewal I'm at. It's been a long time coming. The preceding 13 months were 2 distinct tribulations separated by ~1400 km that made up a larger phase of crestfallen subsistence.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I don't consider my time in Saint John as fuck-up time. I was miserable for most of it, but I wasn't a fuck-up. The official start of the season was staying with a triggering and problematic relative in Sussex where my life devolved into lead-weighty depression and steely resolve. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I suffered a subsistence-guilt complex: a vicious cycle of simultaneous fight <i>and</i> flight. Un(der)employment and insecure housing are boots on throats. This state requires break-neck speed applying for jobs and meticulous planning, so the first available exit is not missed. People do not thrive in these conditions. The brain is much more capable of achievement in calm than agitation.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Leaving New Brunswick was an easy decision and a hard execution. I needed to leave as quickly as possible and permanently. Permanence was the complicating factor.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I didn't have a reason to be anywhere specifically. I just knew I was dying where I was. Trying to be strategic when you're having panic attacks every other day isn't actually valuable. Neither is cruising job boards for every major city in the country then needing to mentally prepare to be able get to one of them when an interview came along. "Anywhere but here" was exhausting.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I wasn't entirely unhappy in Saint John, though. There were 5 months in 2020 that I very liked my life in Saint John. I shall call this period the Summer of Cedar for obvious reasons. With my tuxedo teammate, I found happiness with absolutely no social life. When I got to Toronto, I needed to figure out if that was an adaptation or an evolution. It turns out it was the latter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfuOT6XpJlcGkwnubWjp90YbzqLnDUHJOCKtGFEwbo0C8AgomppINK3BTtU1ScscngYBg4cQ28T_IBvsYdVlTg2bhMAw9MbYQe_ucUoCp6Mf3Ax5DU0ylT0CAfq3LJEWVvYN03aIpXsOAytV2t0DdAvOg52zrs-7_vKM0i9q62MOwgdWnI4PzQIDXD/s3264/IMG_20210524_213226182.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Saint John skyline at dusk" border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfuOT6XpJlcGkwnubWjp90YbzqLnDUHJOCKtGFEwbo0C8AgomppINK3BTtU1ScscngYBg4cQ28T_IBvsYdVlTg2bhMAw9MbYQe_ucUoCp6Mf3Ax5DU0ylT0CAfq3LJEWVvYN03aIpXsOAytV2t0DdAvOg52zrs-7_vKM0i9q62MOwgdWnI4PzQIDXD/w640-h480/IMG_20210524_213226182.jpg" title="Saint John skyline at dusk" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm not the same person I was in February of 2020. I had some hard realizations; I defected to nihilism. The amount of human suffering and death that politicians and chief public health officers continue to normalize is galling, and it got to me. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />It's impossible for me to partition human pain and death into categories I'm supposed to care about and categories I'm supposed to ignore. I do not compute that I should be more invested in a relative I've never met than a person living on the streets. If the people in charge don't have to care about human life, I'm not going to rip my psyche apart trying to save it. I got so sick of people acting against our survival that I stopped rooting for humanity. The value I held for human life has escaped me. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The pursuit of justice is no longer a standalone goal of mine. I'm not giving up on anything I believe in, but my pursuits of justice are the products of a deeper desire for order, not my appreciation for humanity. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />So how did I land in Toronto specifically? Toronto precipitated as the path of least resistance when a room in a unicorn/under-market rental opportunity became available to me - $1300 for a two bedroom, unheard of in Toronto. Finding work in had to be easier than finding an apartment deal like that in Toronto again. It was.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The glaring difference between my lives New Brunswick and Toronto is traction. In Toronto, I've been hired 4 times since July. I'm stably employed at a social enterprise doing nothing relevant to my studies, but I have no ethical qualms, and it's a few bucks over minimum wage. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Another part of the traction here is that the floor is higher in Ontario. Ontario social policies are objectively better than New Brunswick's at protecting residents from extreme poverty and poor health. The difference between being a New Brunswick fuck-up and a Toronto fuck-up is that every once in a while a Toronto fuck-up turns into a movie star, or a doctor, or the Premier. The social contract is a more honest offer in Toronto. There's palpable effort to extend the principle that the only thing you need to succeed in Toronto is talent and hard work. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The peculiar job market in New Brunswick made me doubt the value of my education and experience. I knew in my rational mind that I was an undesirable hire for political participation and that my education made me a flight risk for unspecialized jobs, but the crickets of the hinterland chipped away at my self-esteem. This doubt led me to execute a flawed "runaway to school" plan.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I didn't start the paralegal program I intended. I don't wonder why the plans I conceived in traumatic conditions didn't stick. I mean, would you let the least healthy version of yourself make your life decisions? I was quite certain by mid August that I'd be better off taking a year to get established than pursuing a paralegal license. That bet was recently called in my favor. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />So about those high Ontarian floors: I'm incredibly grateful to have the costs of a 7-week George Brown College course to become a <a href="https://www.rickhansen.com/become-accessible/accessibility-training-and-education/professional-training">Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certified Professional</a> (basically an accessibility auditor) covered by a bursary from a provincial sector-development fund. It would have been $1600 & tax without funding, and I could not have taken the course. (PSA: There's still funding available for residents of ON and BC as well as (dis)abled Canadians living anywhere in Canada)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />***Aside: you should take a peek at the college-level course offerings through the free federal<a href="https://quicktraincanada.ca/"> Quicktrain </a>micro-credential initiative! I'm trying to get enrolled in one of the 3 Indigenous affairs courses offered online from Red River College in Winnipeg starting in April :) </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm only recently feeling the healthy urge to glue glitter to my face and embellish costume items. Shamefully, I haven't done an intentional art project since October 2021. (I am excluding painting my room and two minor home improvement tasks - a window sill and the cats' dining corner.) Further, I have a doctor for the first time since I last lived in Toronto (actually same doctor), and I'm procrastinating going back to a chiropractor, but that's going to materialize soon too. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">The last update I'm going to share with the internet is that I started writing a book in January 2022 not knowing what it was supposed to be. A few essays turned into chapters, and I had written 22 000 words by the end of November. It's nonfiction: a reflexive pop philosophy book—a testament. I've stalled at that point, but this blog post is the only thing I have letting me procrastinate working on it in the near future. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The very strange context of the moment is that I don't feel compelled to have a social life or creatively motivated because I have a significant portion of a book written, and it feels like nothing really matters until I get that finished. I have to optimistically believe in the capacity of the text to reshape my economic situation, and I have to pessimistically plan for zero return. If my future leads to law school or PhD applications, having a book on my CV is a huge flex.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />This book is magnanimously the best chance I have at human (re)connection. People who read my book are going to know me in a way no one yet knows me. The book is not an autobiography, not even close, but autobiographical elements are necessary to clearly articulate the layers of what I know and how I know it. Motivation ebbs and flows.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><br /></div><div>I'm happy I landed in Toronto. It's not a permanent move, but I'm in the right place for the moment. I have love for Toronto, which is a huge improvement versus the last time I lived here. However, I'm not in love with Toronto. It's that I'm very Toronto, but Toronto isn't very me. In a perfect future, I'll find myself in a coastal life again before I break my next decade. I couldn't have achieved this dynamic anywhere else.</div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Toronto is my Citagazze. From here, I can go anywhere. It's nice to not be in a fuck-up phase anymore.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0Ubq9qFf7U8k0qVj99DVvSULVIeVn7_t549PDsyKNzKtv-tMpXaATFRa_6yslKhwFer6S0oAB7vUEyWs8j2DaXo3MMX4mGJe4Gr13J7JIotzkHH5t79umABAC8mJuxwz1NZVvVW6uz__XSX7lhx42k_F24uiQs4BNbnqyxoFMF30qAKvT4-qucMm/s4096/IMG_20221229_184430.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cedar(tuxedo cat) & Helix(ginger cat) posing on a chair" border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0Ubq9qFf7U8k0qVj99DVvSULVIeVn7_t549PDsyKNzKtv-tMpXaATFRa_6yslKhwFer6S0oAB7vUEyWs8j2DaXo3MMX4mGJe4Gr13J7JIotzkHH5t79umABAC8mJuxwz1NZVvVW6uz__XSX7lhx42k_F24uiQs4BNbnqyxoFMF30qAKvT4-qucMm/w300-h400/IMG_20221229_184430.jpg" title="Furry teammates" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-86859495272423076732022-12-17T19:18:00.004-05:002022-12-17T19:18:48.353-05:00Maximum Income Tax >> Advent Policy Brief #17<p>I'm super sick with a cold (not COVID. I tested.), so my seventeenth <i>Advent Policy Brief </i>is quite brief. </p><p>I'm in favor of a maximum income wealth tax. Let's charge a 99% marginal tax rate on all income above 365 million dollars. I cannot be convinced that any individual needs to make more than a million dollars a day. </p><p>Billionaires were a mistake, and we need to engineer them out of society.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgx_OHp-dqOsIrQ0VOqnTrKvrGXMtRdyQn-SG6pW7qSBWa-SVzv-M307BKVMZUePNxhmGZCSpfM4aw666swoEc5s428HFoUGCH_lxjx6e6F9TQKBtbC-QRiiiYgvVKDywtvgVUv0P9XMDXO2mM461oRAgAD8ZpgNT5GwdTxJixcEtMqtqt8Dc6etu3/s1440/ca_billionaires_money_istock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="1440" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgx_OHp-dqOsIrQ0VOqnTrKvrGXMtRdyQn-SG6pW7qSBWa-SVzv-M307BKVMZUePNxhmGZCSpfM4aw666swoEc5s428HFoUGCH_lxjx6e6F9TQKBtbC-QRiiiYgvVKDywtvgVUv0P9XMDXO2mM461oRAgAD8ZpgNT5GwdTxJixcEtMqtqt8Dc6etu3/w640-h392/ca_billionaires_money_istock.jpg" title=""Billionaires" over a close up shot of US money arranged so that a face is glaring at the text." width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-46052722480478855702022-12-16T21:04:00.001-05:002022-12-16T21:04:10.033-05:00Circle Back to Civil Unions >> Advent Policy Brief #16<p>Before marriage equality was won, many opponents suggested that queers who wanted to get married should be confined to civil unions: legal arrangements styled after marriage but purposefully in contrast and inferiority. Since, the arguments that queer marriage is legally different or culturally inferior to straight marriage have been thoroughly razed, but let's circle back to civil unions. </p><p>My sixteenth <i>Advent Policy Brief</i> calls for the recognition and regulation of multi-member polyamorous civil unions. Think of a poly civil union as a romantically involved board of equal directors governing the merger of all poly civil union members' property. Practical extensions of parental and healthcare rights would make poly families' lives much easier, but the arrangement isn't quite plural marriage.</p><p>The principle concern with plural marriage is fraud. Marriage gives you the right to not testify against your spouse in court. Marriage is also a path to citizenship. </p><p>I acknowledge the limitation of marriage is that it's a contract between 2 people. I don't believe that poly civil union members should have spousal privilege, and I don't think they're required to have the same path to citizenship. However, foreign-born poly civil union membership ought to be allowed, and a new specific path to citizenship should be developed for people in that situation. </p><p>{Aside: So Quebec has <a href="https://www.justice.gouv.qc.ca/en/couples-and-families/marriage-civil-union-and-de-facto-union/civil-union/">civil unions</a> that are sort of like common law marriages in the rest of the country. There may need to be some naming clarity tweaks..}</p><p>Bluntly, civil unions were an idea born of homophobia. T'would be a glorious queer victory to use those very proposals to affirm and legitimize polyamorous families.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3K_GHyXWY10enb30k8Sa9UM-Md8p0NPoCk49FTglLRkScWBCRa-SwRe6h-5YpfN0nWJefcpeoIsCloz_6A_tt4FXrMEOmx8_DYdNF7rXVMBhCtRtjPOCdFZswwUfPDBQCzv02mBOk_i35y4aAFpMIDiD88NbhGxMSlpUzTHc1chJB1mEMaZkQyzp/s2560/AdobeStock_437971977-scaled.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Polyamory pride flag on blue sky background" border="0" data-original-height="1624" data-original-width="2560" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3K_GHyXWY10enb30k8Sa9UM-Md8p0NPoCk49FTglLRkScWBCRa-SwRe6h-5YpfN0nWJefcpeoIsCloz_6A_tt4FXrMEOmx8_DYdNF7rXVMBhCtRtjPOCdFZswwUfPDBQCzv02mBOk_i35y4aAFpMIDiD88NbhGxMSlpUzTHc1chJB1mEMaZkQyzp/w640-h406/AdobeStock_437971977-scaled.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-24401682217357158982022-12-15T20:49:00.007-05:002022-12-15T21:01:23.968-05:00A Toronto Party >> Advent Policy Brief #15I'm more progressive than the elected parties in Ontario, and I'm not alone. My fifteenth <i>Advent Policy Brief</i> muses about the benefits of a hard-Left a regional Toronto Party registering with Elections Ontario. <br /><br />I imagine a Toronto Party precipitating from a coalition of progressive organizations and communities. The provincial party would run candidates in Toronto's 25* ridings, attempting to reproduce the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloc_Qu%C3%A9b%C3%A9cois">Bloc Quebecois</a>' successful federal election strategy. <div><br /></div><div>There are two paths to power for a Toronto Party. A Toronto Party caucus could wield considerable power in minority governments, and Toronto Party MPPs could serve in cabinets of coalition governments.<br /><br />Toronto has the right gripes for a regional party to succeed. The municipal government doesn't have the budget transfers or revenue tools to pay for the services required by its millions of people. The provincial government gets to engineer a dynamic destined to fail and then claim that government doesn't work.<br /><br />The interests of the citizens of Toronto no longer dominate the provincial legislative agenda. Toronto's near-periphery is in the driver's seat now. With 124 ridings, Ontario can easily elect majority governments that shut out all the MPPs from the City of Toronto.</div><div><br />Regional parties have a substantial history of success in federal politics. Consider the aforementioned Bloc Quebecois as well as the initial configuration of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reform_Party_of_Canada">Reform Party</a>. </div><div><br />Additionally, It seems there's an electoral benefit for provincial parties being unconnected to federal counterparts. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_Avenir_Qu%C3%A9bec">Coalition Avenir Quebec</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saskatchewan_Party">Saskatchewan Party</a> form majority governments, and BC United and the Yukon Party serve as Official Opposition. <br /><br />Forming an existentially anti-capitalist party would move the needle for all Ontario politics. Getting anti-capitalist candidates on stages, newscasts, and ballots is a win. Having the option of a shamelessly progressive Toronto Party would dissolve the idea of safe Toronto ridings for Liberals and New Democrats.<div><br /></div><div>I'm tired of voting for least of evils. I don't see any of the current parties both getting elected and then rising to the urgency of ending poverty and adapting to climate change. </div><div><br /></div><div>I just want something to believe in.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxydMUnCd7rkRecepWpZwxSh3wJS0s5Yfbr9_AHy-fLxp6F43nOKkmHvAIgIz9LsyiyrJC59xNIzLZyEuXZq62yTNR5smSdhGjzhVATFzTiUKfLkGEt0kt1nHSu9gq8bbpEox6fyRgdloEOkB5RpcNyFnWKevdMnFLJPb7DPgFWT7vOhbJlWHhzVY4/s4006/Toronto_-_ON_-_Skyline_bei_Nacht.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Toronto skyline at night" border="0" data-original-height="2808" data-original-width="4006" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxydMUnCd7rkRecepWpZwxSh3wJS0s5Yfbr9_AHy-fLxp6F43nOKkmHvAIgIz9LsyiyrJC59xNIzLZyEuXZq62yTNR5smSdhGjzhVATFzTiUKfLkGEt0kt1nHSu9gq8bbpEox6fyRgdloEOkB5RpcNyFnWKevdMnFLJPb7DPgFWT7vOhbJlWHhzVY4/w640-h448/Toronto_-_ON_-_Skyline_bei_Nacht.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />*Possibly (likely) only 24 - if the federal riding redrawing proceeds <a href="https://redecoupage-redistribution-2022.ca/com/on/index_e.aspx">as proposed</a>. The provincial ridings in Southern Ontario are pegged to federal boundaries, as are the municipal ward boundaries of the City of Toronto. No other jurisdictions do this, but I suggested as much for New Brunswick for my <a href="http://www.mylifeinletters.ca/2021/12/multi-member-federal-contiguity-advent.html">6th <i>Advent Policy Brief</i></a> of 2021.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-87136441343040770272022-12-14T21:03:00.001-05:002022-12-14T21:05:14.760-05:00Sunscreen for Public Health >> Advent Policy Brief #14<p>Just like vaccines and condoms, sunscreen should be freely and conveniently available. My fourteenth <i>Advent Policy Brief</i> insists that sunscreen be more seriously considered as a preventative public health measure. Only <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2017005/article/14792-eng.htm">30-40%</a> of us wear sunscreen on a regular basis; let's try to double that number.</p><p>Any level of government could take a leadership role procuring and distributing sunscreen, but presumably the federal government would make a bulk acquisition and stock beaches, community centres, and schools. In addition to distribution by hub, there ought to be an online request-by-mail option.</p><p>Second, I implore provincial governments to write occupational health and safety regulations that require sunscreen be provided by the employer and used by employees working jobs with significant sun exposure. Lack of access or employer negligence should never be the reason the sun incinerates a layer of your skin. </p><p>Most parts of Canada are projected to get hotter as carbon dioxide (and later methane) warm the atmosphere. Warmer temperatures mean more shorts and tank tops. Entrenching diligent sunscreen use into our routines and cultures can prevent skin cancers and their treatment expenses. </p><p>No one is too cool for sunscreen.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiePnq30jH9f-c2xtLA7zt-oJl23uiEs5tzodVaz2HyPE_EddBZGBI1UfyLrkM9AGa5UPxGYQw0W-ENF8-LLb1xfIsTRH8IOOR3f9Q3cavMVM2AtKqGl75vX_7JnvXRDb2eKFcgECsPweTKNNCoTP8yFzrku_fqUhlqpC6Ef-wdVEsX17mhw9EZ2sJS/s1500/GettyImages-1047792178-2000-3d68fd19552d4122ac072f14cb265b45.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Beach background. Foreground: pair of hands holding an unlabled orange bottle of lotion, presumably sunscreen." border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiePnq30jH9f-c2xtLA7zt-oJl23uiEs5tzodVaz2HyPE_EddBZGBI1UfyLrkM9AGa5UPxGYQw0W-ENF8-LLb1xfIsTRH8IOOR3f9Q3cavMVM2AtKqGl75vX_7JnvXRDb2eKFcgECsPweTKNNCoTP8yFzrku_fqUhlqpC6Ef-wdVEsX17mhw9EZ2sJS/w640-h426/GettyImages-1047792178-2000-3d68fd19552d4122ac072f14cb265b45.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-45052431284980861612022-12-13T23:04:00.001-05:002022-12-13T23:11:07.872-05:00Asking for Change >> Advent Policy Brief #13<p>This post comes from a problem I faced during initial COVID lockdowns; I couldn't get change to do my laundry. Stores stopped dealing in cash, and banks were closed or only available by appointment. My thirteenth <i>Advent Policy Brief</i> insists that Canadians have a right to exchange their bills and coins; accordingly, the federal government has a duty to enact that right. By my figuring, Canada Post is the best federal agency to make this service a reality. </p><p>Needing change is a renter's problem. In-suite laundry is an amenity out of reach for most renters. Laundry is a recurring problem, and needing specific change for laundry requires a whole strategy. It's usually been loonies and quarters that I've had to seek out. When I was getting tips, I'd take part of my tip-out in change. Otherwise, I bank with a branch-less bank, so I make a slew of strategic cash purchases to collect the right coins. </p><p>To avoid human interaction - I hate asking cashiers for specific change - I've taken my game to the Dollarama self-checkouts, where it's not weird if I buy a single item or break up my order arbitrarily. The most strategic purchase is a ramen noodle package for 33 cents (untaxed); I can get back a loonie and 2 quarters from a toonie. </p><p>Seriously though, I shouldn't have to make a meaningless purchase to do laundry. I love a crafty ramen as much as the next bloke, but there are 5 packs in my cupboard I'm uninspired to eat. Domestic currency exchange should be a service broadly available in Canada. </p><p>Canada Post is ideally situated to provide domestic currency exchange. Canada Post has a national network of branches and already operates some banking features through Canada Post Pre-Paid Visa accounts. Beyond present capacity, <a href="https://www.postalbanking.ca/en/campaign/postal-banking">proposals</a> for Canada Post to expand to provide full personal banking services make perennial rounds in labour circles. </p><p>I hope Canada Post does take up a banking mandate, but before that gets figured out, they can be helping meet the domestic currency exchange needs of renters.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUhGpoc8GNQadjb0uttr17LLKTdRUyJv31nDzOmUEfR1KmvTKf8cfqQiKWBim1jpExexb34OOnDUSMToA4PIt_nPeDcoi88ymJojrbaCwfo7eKyTEwh1Ly0myKRsMBd1YZKj2CkNsrjK3lbWwMP8LqNVfABy8NFJuA_6_nPwYi2PrOSQlVNQW1DhZ/s2048/20220908--canada-new-money-king-charles.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small pile of Canadian coins" border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUhGpoc8GNQadjb0uttr17LLKTdRUyJv31nDzOmUEfR1KmvTKf8cfqQiKWBim1jpExexb34OOnDUSMToA4PIt_nPeDcoi88ymJojrbaCwfo7eKyTEwh1Ly0myKRsMBd1YZKj2CkNsrjK3lbWwMP8LqNVfABy8NFJuA_6_nPwYi2PrOSQlVNQW1DhZ/w640-h426/20220908--canada-new-money-king-charles.webp" width="640" /></a></div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-55853292818053597852022-12-12T21:58:00.002-05:002022-12-12T22:08:34.591-05:00Budget Parity for Nov 11th & Sep 30th >> Advent Policy Brief #12<p>I'm betting every reader can name the holiday on November 11th, but a fair number of you don't recognize the second date. September 30th is our newest holiday: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. </p><p>My twelfth <i>Advent Policy Brief </i>calls for equal budgets for Remembrance Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation commemorations. The practice ought to be mandatory for public bodies and encouraged in private and non-profit sectors. </p><p>My proposal has geographic motivation. Remembrance Day ceremonies have decades of tradition deep in every corner of the country. Mandating equal NDTR : Remembrance Day funding brings the conversation of truth and reconciliation to every town and village council from coast-to-coast-to-coast. Elected officials everywhere would be learning about NDTR and making new community traditions that rise to the complicated tone of NDTR. </p><p>Remembrance Day and NDTR each have two core purposes held in contention with one another. For both, one of the purposes dominates the holiday's narrative to its detriment. Remembrance day conjures two mottoes: Lest We Forget and Never Again; compare the namesake Truth and Reconciliation. Remembrance Day is incredibly effective public history on display; we're good at remembering. However, we suck at peace. Similarly, the "truth" in Truth and Reconciliation is much more emphasized than reconciliation. I assume the average person sees the point of NDTR as learning about residential schools and performative sadness. My ideal concept of NDTR includes actions of healing and hope. </p><p>Regardless, NDTR is still years away from achieving cultural saturation like Remembrance Day maintains. The first step of reconciliation, is putting it in the budget. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjrUg6CdbF74vtz3YPtR7Cvbqrr17WE6GHZnAgX2YWk4d6RkTXIEGurDHqMrjF5AZGWZOt_PExMwptKXaslQwDHyHD6QHcWnxL5oKj-T_BdEInqbEnW98QWxTLAqfY_9vCzMNX-q5Y30CYfO4Ph-pur9XUJWaNKhoTdjFnT-7nhCDGjjAAULvHAOY/s940/Untitled%20design%20(1).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Black background with overlaid poppies in upper right corner and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation official promotional image in bottom left" border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjrUg6CdbF74vtz3YPtR7Cvbqrr17WE6GHZnAgX2YWk4d6RkTXIEGurDHqMrjF5AZGWZOt_PExMwptKXaslQwDHyHD6QHcWnxL5oKj-T_BdEInqbEnW98QWxTLAqfY_9vCzMNX-q5Y30CYfO4Ph-pur9XUJWaNKhoTdjFnT-7nhCDGjjAAULvHAOY/w400-h335/Untitled%20design%20(1).png" title="Budget Parity for Remembrance Day & NDTR" width="400" /></a></div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-47904015303882446722022-12-11T20:16:00.003-05:002022-12-12T19:44:15.441-05:00December Trees >> Advent Policy Brief #11<p>My eleventh <i>Advent Policy Brief</i> is a language note; Christmas trees are December trees too.</p><p>One holiday season in the late oo's, it came up that I knew at least 3 people who practiced non-Christian faiths but loved Christmas trees. As a staunch atheist, I was happy to brainstorm beyond Christian branding. We decided against holiday tree, decorated tree, and festive tree. Yule tree narrowly became our preferred alternative over festive tree, but neither had the right tone or rhythm. </p><p>2 years later, December tree came to me in a spark of unrelated thought. It's a tree...put up for the month of December. It's so obvious.</p><p>"December" is descriptive rather than prescriptive, like "Christmas"; "December" is tree-when and "Christmas" is tree-why. Being objective, "December tree" does not attempt to replace the use of "Christmas tree"; it grammatically supercedes it. A Christmas tree is a type or example of December tree, as are solstice trees, birthday trees, and wedding trees. </p><p>"Christmas tree" is a fine thing to say if that's what you have, but not everyone is putting a tree up to celebrate Christmas. The assumption/insistence that trees be Christian-branded is an anti-Indigenous and xenophobic microaggression - a subtle marker of non-belonging enforced on a continuum of intentional to oblivious. I repeat: your Christmas tree is still a Christmas tree, but it's also a December tree, and it's not the only tree in the woods. </p><p>It would be cool if new residents could participate in the long-standing Canadian tradition of decorating conifers in December without undertones of Christian assimilation.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwMMSGjVpUNPyzdY9KT2fq7ZAYWG1piEWNDQJ8EAWnimsH6V1yc4xVfnwvRvjvzYoTaZNXNOhRtIkvCYFwDCrhRlY_mAQsQ5QPVuPf7KCQU5IaJ9SoQlXyl8LXsCGTty3Abx8NPG3rCgeyJakLKnrJnOC-WM2xVZj-NtBadFMv89uEkt8n2XYQAf85/s2000/t5yxuTLYa3yqAVsnwgxrx3VoicvmchzBZFR8utnbHSw.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Birthday tree decorated with colorful paper fan balls." border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1454" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwMMSGjVpUNPyzdY9KT2fq7ZAYWG1piEWNDQJ8EAWnimsH6V1yc4xVfnwvRvjvzYoTaZNXNOhRtIkvCYFwDCrhRlY_mAQsQ5QPVuPf7KCQU5IaJ9SoQlXyl8LXsCGTty3Abx8NPG3rCgeyJakLKnrJnOC-WM2xVZj-NtBadFMv89uEkt8n2XYQAf85/w466-h640/t5yxuTLYa3yqAVsnwgxrx3VoicvmchzBZFR8utnbHSw.jpg" title="A December Birthday Tree" width="466" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A December Birthday Tree</div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-1729692939314476822022-12-10T20:33:00.011-05:002022-12-10T21:02:59.159-05:00Trial Shifts Instead of Interviews >> Advent Policy Brief #10<p>I'm happy to platform the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/costofliving/pay-applicants-for-job-interviews-1.6592367">circulating opinion</a> that job interviews should be paid; let's require an employer pay their interviewee(s) 3 hours of minimum wage. Time is a limited resource and some hiring processes include multiple interviews, testing, and investigations. Where work is unspecialized, scheduled interviews don't really make sense anymore. My tenth <i>Advent Policy Brief </i>suggests that entry-level jobs skip interviews and evaluate applicants who sign up for a trial shift. </p><p>If payment became mandatory, it would be come clear quickly that interviewing isn't as valuable as it seems; it's just been that applicant time is freely available for employers to exploit. In a cultural powershift, hiring managers are reconsidering value of time interviewing takes up. Employers are getting ghosted by qualified applicants who they want to speak further with. There are 2 points when ghosting happens: not showing up for the interview and not showing up for the first shift. </p><p>Why not make the first shift the interview?</p><p>An applicant would fill out a form online. They'd get a get a confirmation/information phone call and be scheduled to come in for a paid trial day. At the end of that day, there's a job offer or there's not. After 3 months, they become employed indefinitely. </p><p>I don't have data to quote, but anecdotally, this hiring model would help (dis)abled and racialized applicants avoid interview bias. </p><p>It's "try it before you buy it", but for employees.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHK_5ILLU3QjcYUVp0aZ4S_sRtSOVSyNnJ08D6M0uy_Rv2vt9NUlaDQpzxLy8MPP0vhc4MJyAeyuatigE4DzchZtMuJTrzFvTqmOEyyUikHUgighnm5vhqwHbWtis4KpLN9RPTHskcpQ0wbOq3xy66CTdT_-gvTmNAYZgMH5VutGfegIfrjIxAB99/s1200/recruiting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=""Join our team" written on a wall above 5 bucket chairs. 4 are white, the second is red." border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHK_5ILLU3QjcYUVp0aZ4S_sRtSOVSyNnJ08D6M0uy_Rv2vt9NUlaDQpzxLy8MPP0vhc4MJyAeyuatigE4DzchZtMuJTrzFvTqmOEyyUikHUgighnm5vhqwHbWtis4KpLN9RPTHskcpQ0wbOq3xy66CTdT_-gvTmNAYZgMH5VutGfegIfrjIxAB99/w640-h336/recruiting.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-70688081706130502472022-12-09T21:17:00.000-05:002022-12-09T21:17:03.461-05:00Every Job a Full-time Job >> Advent Policy Brief #9<p>Today, I narrate the ire of a generation; the casualization of labour is a quintessential millennial tragedy. We were the unpaid intern generation and the gig-economy guinea pigs. My ninth <i>Advent Policy Brief demands</i> an outright ban on part-time labour. I'm not saying every employee needs to be working for 35 hours a week, but I am saying they should be paid for 35 hours. </p><p>My perspective is simple: every job should be a full-time job, and every full-time job should pay a livable wage. If you can't make the numbers work by paying your people enough to live, you're not cut out for business. </p><p>Abolishing poverty is going to shutter scores of small businesses. Just make peace with this fact. Many small businesses are only able to turn profit because they pay less than living wages. Let's face it, most small businesses don't solve actual problems.</p><p>Small business owners enjoy disproportionate media favour across the perceived Left-Right spectrum of bias. Small businesses are portrayed as a non-debatable benefit to communities. Outlets usually seek out a "small business perspective" on matters of public policy but do not offer similar air time to other interest groups. Business owners effectively get to speak their opinions twice: once as a citizen and a second time as small business stakeholder. </p><p>I'm not against small business; it's just a institutional structure to me. It's not anything to root for or against. What are these businesses achieving? Are they solving a problem? Are they creating living wage jobs? We should consider a business' impact before we root for it. </p><p>So yes, banning part-time employment will push some small businesses into failure. I'm unmoved. If people want their gift shops and cafes saved, beg the federal government for a wage top-up subsidy. While I'm not sad to see the natural thinning of low-impact businesses, the feds spend money on much more insidious business ventures, so giv'r.</p><p>I'd also like to preemptively address the student straw man argument: what about students who "need" part-time jobs? Well, why do they "need" that income? I'd fix that. In a better world, school is a student's full-time job.</p><p>Every job a full-time job. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaG41Vj1vfu4ZdnUjd-eC5di1GCwgaBaMf80U4d8-9LRuYeBM-a09JlXGYX5lmlbcO-4AzX9nCn2CHNSSgOt5b_axp4ZHUl7tSH3Dr1KyHJcyhRoz6byBVGToAr8qD-OcvMfjZJI1qRa_97h8lXFC2L0paKm_gqMrLGYkW2q70rH5B5XZS3VCggwv/s1000/Number-of-new-flexible-jobs-rises-slightly-scaled-e1613771555943.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="5 dice in a row. Die 1 is tilted so that 2 sides can be seen. They read "full" and "part. Dice 2-5 spell TIME across their sole visible faces" border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="1000" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaG41Vj1vfu4ZdnUjd-eC5di1GCwgaBaMf80U4d8-9LRuYeBM-a09JlXGYX5lmlbcO-4AzX9nCn2CHNSSgOt5b_axp4ZHUl7tSH3Dr1KyHJcyhRoz6byBVGToAr8qD-OcvMfjZJI1qRa_97h8lXFC2L0paKm_gqMrLGYkW2q70rH5B5XZS3VCggwv/w640-h374/Number-of-new-flexible-jobs-rises-slightly-scaled-e1613771555943.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-44310855210287276852022-12-08T23:20:00.006-05:002022-12-08T23:26:40.525-05:00First Responder Training for HS Students >> Advent Policy Brief #8I've always said First Aid should be free; with each person who learns First Aid, society becomes a little safer. In that spirit, my eighth <i>Advent Policy Brief</i> suggests high school graduation requirements include certification as a First Responder. Accidentally, this brief turned into Red Cross advertorial.<div><br /></div><div>A <a href="https://www.redcross.ca/training-and-certification/course-descriptions/workplace-and-corporate-first-aid-courses/first-responder">First Responder certificate</a> is an advanced First Aid certificate ~3x longer/more in-depth than Standard First Aid and CPR. After 40 hours of class, a First Responder course requires completing a standardized test with a 75% minimum score. First Responder training is designed for fire service, rescue teams, workplace response teams, sports-medicine professionals, lifeguards, or ski patrol.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrk0dFTPYiUBtDFOAipPElGOHfuYKA49UL-Q-FEy7Mllj-100e85w1VuQzM8iL93_zZW8ZYvnoTifh0GsdY8e3tyBsYByWr_HaWM76y4Mr68e83g9Te3_H4W2nMwz-7nXHymx89pMwUyRURoovekEe4yJC0jGlfGpykO7-7Fruzdar1wxRayFBml7m/s1263/First-Responder.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="1263" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrk0dFTPYiUBtDFOAipPElGOHfuYKA49UL-Q-FEy7Mllj-100e85w1VuQzM8iL93_zZW8ZYvnoTifh0GsdY8e3tyBsYByWr_HaWM76y4Mr68e83g9Te3_H4W2nMwz-7nXHymx89pMwUyRURoovekEe4yJC0jGlfGpykO7-7Fruzdar1wxRayFBml7m/w640-h280/First-Responder.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div>The first few times I took Standard First Aid, there was a test component, but testing at that level has fallen out of practice. If the First Responder certificate is going to be integrated into public schools, there needs to be an evaluation to test if the delivery methods employed are imparting the subject matter effectively.</div><div><br /></div><div>I dream of a graduating class where every student has a First Repsonder certificate. The longer this program runs, the more likely someone in your periphery will know what to do in an emergency. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm certain an economist could calculate health and public safety savings orders of magnitude larger than investment costs of a week-long curriculum tweak. I should tweet this at Stephen Lecce..</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCWOsvNZRnlVvZ-Hr48ATsg8KZYqIBaPFuotgrLEg7fl8hxHjW2nhK_aSnainWgf-dP6qZH4dgagBU7AUnGJYIU72NuaTU6NUMP0_ckf7YsPty2oK3dYlDBLdl8lwFHof7iGggm-6LvN8aZL3HD272E9CudqjAsrgkAwWaWV9bvCjonX_4vnQnVcy/s1920/Stephen_Lecce.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCWOsvNZRnlVvZ-Hr48ATsg8KZYqIBaPFuotgrLEg7fl8hxHjW2nhK_aSnainWgf-dP6qZH4dgagBU7AUnGJYIU72NuaTU6NUMP0_ckf7YsPty2oK3dYlDBLdl8lwFHof7iGggm-6LvN8aZL3HD272E9CudqjAsrgkAwWaWV9bvCjonX_4vnQnVcy/w640-h360/Stephen_Lecce.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">*I will come back and ALT text this later. I'm tired..</div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-39887686797531188262022-12-07T23:16:00.003-05:002022-12-07T23:20:44.217-05:00Citizen-Initiated Legislation >> Advent Policy Brief #7<p>I've always been a little jealous of American ballot-initiatives, and living under Conservative Premiers Blaine Higgs and Doug Ford has amplified that feeling. My seventh <i>Advent Policy Brief</i> is a call for plagiarizing US laws that facilitate regular referenda alongside representative elections.</p><p>The culture of ballot-initiatives doesn't exist in Canada. When we say "referendum" everyone gets squirmy and thinks about the time Quebec almost left. Americans regularly open up their law books to the general public, and sure, there are some dubious results, but drug law repeals and re-writes are the shining example of what can be achieved by citizen organizing.</p><p>I support amendments to federal and provincial Referendum Acts to create a path at each level for citizen-initiated bills to achieve Royal Assent and become law. I also support pathways to citizen-initiated by-laws in Toronto and Ottawa. In general, I support the model in other cities, but from my own years lived in each, I can see them both enthusiastically engaging with the process. </p><p>Elections offices will need to be funded significantly more to manage the increased civic engagement. Timelines for proposing language, making amendments, and signature-collecting reach back years before voting day. The logistical complexities make large cities and small provinces the ideal testing grounds before we'd see any movement on a national process.</p><p>If Doug Ford wants to strong-arm a ballot-initiative pilot onto Toronto, I wouldn't be mad.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjCf0bSNfS_O2jVYApexWEVwG-1-1Vt4v2_z7LRhegbFvPBm8e3e7cL1Ixf1Dcm4yqbEVUrGPtZoEzp7KieIgdC2rsVoJcsUqaOKuM8JATapAvLMxiePXn35y4C3xm3T06uP1fkcQ7Oo_0i3jq5U0VuYj8CBGShbDRRI4oxpJxKkXrg_tGxijb440/s860/860x394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Close up of election ballot initiative about cannabis legalization" border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="860" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjCf0bSNfS_O2jVYApexWEVwG-1-1Vt4v2_z7LRhegbFvPBm8e3e7cL1Ixf1Dcm4yqbEVUrGPtZoEzp7KieIgdC2rsVoJcsUqaOKuM8JATapAvLMxiePXn35y4C3xm3T06uP1fkcQ7Oo_0i3jq5U0VuYj8CBGShbDRRI4oxpJxKkXrg_tGxijb440/w640-h294/860x394.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-53293263483470059232022-12-06T22:34:00.003-05:002022-12-06T22:42:12.699-05:00When a Transitway Becomes a Gallery >> Advent Policy Brief #6My sixth<i> Advent Policy Brief</i> stems from my relationship with the northern chunk of the TTC's University-Line 1. The scenery and soundscape leave much to be desired. One section screeches so loudly that it's physically uncomfortable, and the kilometers of barbed wire lining large chunks of the track don't exactly project welcoming vibes. <div><br />My recent TTC ride north got me to thinking that about how useful experiential audits for all public transportation would be. Mapping out the the sensory experience of a route advances accessibility and rider recruitment. If Toronto wants one of the best transit systems in the world, the city needs to assess and improve the experience of ridership. <br /><br />That was thought 1; thought 2 was questioning the way transit is treated as a necessary evil, even by many proponents. What if the narrative was reversed so that the time spent riding the bus or subway was a positive unique experience? It is possible for the experience of ridership to be crafted in a way that structurally encourages support for mass transit, but this task is not meaningfully assumed by any public agency.<div><div><br /></div><div>When the conversation of "improving public transit" happens, the product is usually a list of complaints and directives to make transit "less bad". This approach is too narrow. Ideal sustainable transportation means transit is a (potentially) <i>joyful</i> experience <i>for everyone</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Making infrastructure enjoyable is incredibly efficient resource allocation. In ideal circumstances, infrastructure can be designed to be enjoyable and noteworthy. I raise the success of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changi_Airport">Singapore Changi Airport</a>. The world’s best airport was designed as a tourist destination itself. </div><div><br /></div><div>I seek a culture that says “If you never take transit, you’re missing out", and I believe art and artists are a necessary investment to create that culture. Let's start by paying a handful of artists to reconsider the forgotten spaces between mass transit stops to create joy and beauty. </div><div><br /></div><div>It would not be complicated. An experiential audit would identify the segments of track with most dire visual landscapes. Obviously, not all of those sites would be safely able to host art installations. The top dozen or so sites that offer high-impact and low-risk installation potential would be posted in a call for proposals. A committee would assign/offer track segments to successful applicants. Selected artists would work with TTC/Metrolinx to put their proposed installation in place. </div><div><br /></div><div>I want to ride the TTC zooming through artists' renditions of fairy villages, and underground kingdoms, and legendary forests. I'm happy to ponder abstract installations too. </div><div><br /></div><div>When a transitway becomes a gallery, everybody wins.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1W-6a2ZZKNvNqZBiHb2SDLqTh9uYI8BsQGOxyDQWgkX5L5C1mVQxByR8g5Txa0fkSpIaBk1wDKxRSErVz38nkHEk6PcZXJ9tYZd4qK4G8UvfNPEJbn9geAEmYp64uF0B2pIVDzPDhFHQAICOANJxzmtDFwmZdNJPvcoLakqWdhSZM49WsHd0ckj63/s2048/25439952_10156686895576151_5405255427892217160_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Section of illuminated TTC subway map showing Line 1 from Eglinton West to Vaughan Metro Centre" border="0" data-original-height="1164" data-original-width="2048" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1W-6a2ZZKNvNqZBiHb2SDLqTh9uYI8BsQGOxyDQWgkX5L5C1mVQxByR8g5Txa0fkSpIaBk1wDKxRSErVz38nkHEk6PcZXJ9tYZd4qK4G8UvfNPEJbn9geAEmYp64uF0B2pIVDzPDhFHQAICOANJxzmtDFwmZdNJPvcoLakqWdhSZM49WsHd0ckj63/w640-h364/25439952_10156686895576151_5405255427892217160_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-61864086691403236552022-12-05T21:20:00.002-05:002022-12-05T21:30:33.902-05:00Living Platforms >> Advent Policy Brief #5<p>My fifth <i>Advent Policy Brief</i> is a hopeful one; I hope I see living platforms adopted by mainstream political parties, and I think I will. </p><p>The problem is obvious. The platforms political parties take to doorsteps are communications products designed by a handful of extremely invested people. Platforms are the promises made in public so that observers can hold elected governments to account. In no party are platform documents or priorities beholden to member-approved policy. </p><p>Party policy books are gestures. Proposing, amending, and voting on member-submitted resolutions draws attention to issues, builds consensus, and sheds light on the ideological undercurrents of a party, but victory at a policy convention is hollow. Party policy is not binding, but it is telling. Issuing and archiving policy statements is a community-building process; it makes it easier to find people who care about the same things you care about.</p><p>If a resolution at a policy convention is noteworthy/newsworthy, it's because it's offering insight into the ideological camps within the party. Declarations around issues like abortion and queer marriage for example, but the tension isn't always about social policy. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_Manifesto">LEAP manifesto</a> almost resuscitated a socialist pulse in the federal NDP, and the federal Conservatives <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/conservative-delegates-reject-climate-change-is-real-1.5957739">infamously rejected</a> a motion acknowledging that climate change is real. </p><p>Enter living platforms. Let's keep a document of priorities that must be reflected in the national campaign platform and by extension in parliament, should that party form government. No fewer than 10 and no more than 20 points that shine constant lodestar for the party faithful and onlookers alike: A living platform puts the soul of a party on the table for everyone to see. Each policy convention would be an opportunity to reset the living platform priorities. </p><p>Living platforms would give actual meaning to the party policy process. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0N7kSqtRqj3x2CIjSBk6h-ER9dcK6HKSkve8ndj2pLTHeVY-FlwhZXE462qaM-pMPmfISsqjyLkE8J2PQzfORpJnKCn7mStY2z7oliveOyB0F9TNkbLKepmSw9M6Nff_jbPWN2tY5SNTIxQAc6qGUdgRla9yw3aLtsT_2agDQCokxqYdNaYsQZyN/s870/fredericton_convention_centre_5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="View of conference room from behind many rows of tan-coloured chairs. A podium on stage flanked by projector screens." border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="870" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0N7kSqtRqj3x2CIjSBk6h-ER9dcK6HKSkve8ndj2pLTHeVY-FlwhZXE462qaM-pMPmfISsqjyLkE8J2PQzfORpJnKCn7mStY2z7oliveOyB0F9TNkbLKepmSw9M6Nff_jbPWN2tY5SNTIxQAc6qGUdgRla9yw3aLtsT_2agDQCokxqYdNaYsQZyN/w640-h360/fredericton_convention_centre_5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-57660986678135364072022-12-04T16:59:00.002-05:002022-12-04T17:00:59.482-05:00Break up REITs >> Advent Policy Brief #4My fourth <i>Advent Policy Brief</i> continues on the theme of housing solutions that might piss off billionaires 😉 <div><br /></div><div>Today, I propose amendments to the federal Competition Act that would enable the Competition Bureau to enforce limits on the number of residential leases any one corporate entity can hold. I'd include language making "residence hoarding" explicitly a crime for the executives and who attempt to skirt compliance with lease limits. </div><div><br /></div><div>The concentration of residential leases in fewer and fewer corporate hands is a trend that can only exacerbate the rental crisis and the struggles intersecting it. If the federal government can put a ceiling on the size of banks and media companies through anti-competition laws, they can reel in corporate landlords holding tens of thousands residential leases. </div><div><br /></div><div>I cede the floor to housing economists to define the threshold of what those limits should be and whether that limit should be universal or local. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpCqN0JZEJ-dVo7DImyCByXjZW6RVi8dl8FP0o8qfNSwB8XoZ7tl4kQio1lmZjI5BWbELxm1QlFw1BKcllcAu_O7ao_Fm_buO42reCz4PqXxZBl_XUMtXsZnwhXpDMImBwzAR-iyYyeIUiJSMv25FNtmcNf4Dtfl-cnGeOC1cwgIIu4AGhkIJ_Lo6/s1200/FWByvseX0AA5qUo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of Parliament hill with an icon of a document being signed, Text: New amendments to Competition Act" border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpCqN0JZEJ-dVo7DImyCByXjZW6RVi8dl8FP0o8qfNSwB8XoZ7tl4kQio1lmZjI5BWbELxm1QlFw1BKcllcAu_O7ao_Fm_buO42reCz4PqXxZBl_XUMtXsZnwhXpDMImBwzAR-iyYyeIUiJSMv25FNtmcNf4Dtfl-cnGeOC1cwgIIu4AGhkIJ_Lo6/w640-h360/FWByvseX0AA5qUo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-40737705990215055692022-12-03T20:44:00.007-05:002022-12-03T22:44:02.848-05:00Organize & Acquire Housing Policy >> Advent Policy Brief #3Housing equity is not solely a supply-and-demand problem; it's a distribution problem. <div><br /></div><div>Fundamentally, the rental crisis can't be managed until non-market housing can genuinely compete with private market rentals and force their pricing to drop. It's not just the short supply of housing at issue, it's the ratio of disproportionate private control.<br /><br /><div>No Canadian should be homeless, and I'm willing to commit to changes that will make that a reality. </div><div><br /></div><div>For my 3rd Advent Policy Brief, I insist on an economy where private landlords reel themselves in competing with listings from housing cooperatives, non-profits, and municipal corporations. Public institutions can entrench the goal of achieving 50% non-market rental housing and launch a battery of strategies to get it done. </div><div><br /></div><div>To achieve that ratio, it's inevitable that privately-owned rental complexes would be de-marketized. I implore provincial governments to enact a regulated pathway whereby tenants associations can democratically self-organize and claim collective rights analogous to those in labour unions. </div><div><br /></div><div>A certification process equivalent to a <a href="https://www.grosman.com/services/labour-law/union-organizing-drives/">union drive</a> would be necessary; imagine a group of tenants:</div><div><br /></div><div>They see a flyer or web ad about organizing a certified tenants' association. They visit the website and print all forms required for them to self-organize. They easily pass participation thresholds for certification, and they submit all necessary documentation to the minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, currently <a href="https://steveclarkmpp.com/">Steve Clark</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Shortly after, they receive certification letters allowing them to open a bank account and sign contracts. That certification letter would also entitle the tenants association to acquire the property they represent at a fair market value established by an independent party. </div><div><br /></div><div>In compliment to these new powers of acquisition, the federal government needs to have a sizeable fund available to pay for certified tenants' associations buying out their landlords. I call this approach "organize & acquire". </div><div><br /></div><div>Organize & acquire is shamelessly a socialist housing policy. It stands in stark contrast to the status quo position that the solution to the rental crisis is building more units and doing so quickly. Left-leaning NDP and Green Parties capitulate, but they insist on a greater portion of these new developments becoming "affordable housing". (I added scare quotes because it's a floating definition)</div><div><div><br />The things NDP and Green politicians want built are:<br /><br />1) Contractually designated below-market units included in profit-driven developments.<br />2) Units in housing cooperatives<br />3) Units administered by non-profit housing corporations<br />4) Units in public agency housing<br /><br />These are all good things, but they're pissing on a wildfire. Housing policy should be re-distributive.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkf7cFmrjtiWqihmy8OG6tSd_Fd3wW6ZlZ5rBTjJyKWLCLg6A59h3Rm7_3ooHRVQtlp1o3ilqQjuJLBfGBE9tn7shwkEBH5w5XSM6U3l57ofOIyWcsJ-nStafTFQmb9AbqaLu3WIFPDzY1ko_R5FdSYIjhq4xAYRLC2hUjyWv2r0qaLk8QNC7ZggI8/s4160/20190620_090843.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mid-rise Apartment complex in central Ottawa. Tree and sparsely occupied parking lot in foreground." border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkf7cFmrjtiWqihmy8OG6tSd_Fd3wW6ZlZ5rBTjJyKWLCLg6A59h3Rm7_3ooHRVQtlp1o3ilqQjuJLBfGBE9tn7shwkEBH5w5XSM6U3l57ofOIyWcsJ-nStafTFQmb9AbqaLu3WIFPDzY1ko_R5FdSYIjhq4xAYRLC2hUjyWv2r0qaLk8QNC7ZggI8/w640-h360/20190620_090843.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div></div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-33053704780750152262022-12-02T20:15:00.005-05:002022-12-02T20:21:14.098-05:00Merge Colleges into School Boards >> Advent Policy Brief #2Education is a recurring theme in this set of Advent Policy Briefs. In general, I'm a fan of burning down and building back better, but Ontario's education system stokes this urge like no other public affair. <br /><br />The Catholic school boards need to end. It's f*cking 2022, and public money still pays for problematic religious education. Only the GPO has a standing policy calling for the the unification and secularization of the present 4 school boards into 2 sets of English and French boards covering the whole province. <br /><br />While we're rebuilding the education system...<br /><br />Let's consider merging the province's community colleges into the school boards they geographically reside within. Fire all the boards of governors at the colleges, and have college executives report to elected school board trustees instead. Colleges would retain their academic Senate duties.<div><br /></div><div>Hear me out.<br /><br />Benefit 1: seamless admission for graduating students.<br /><br />Benefit 2: access to college credits for gifted high school students.<br /><br />Benefit 3: civic engagement. </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>School Board Elections would matter *a lot* more. I'm very sold on the Ottawa example of this model: their French board would get La Cite and their English board would annex Algonquin. Bringing the college communities into the school board election would bring out exceptional candidates and make student voting a priority engagement activity.</li></ul><div>Benefit 4: meet local skill demand by streaming trades and STEM-inclined students through high school.</div><div><br /></div><div>Benefit 5: economies of scale. Merger would mean increased buying power and elimination of duplicated administration.</div><div><br /></div><div>I acknowledge that the administration of multiple campuses would create a conflict. Algonquin has a Pembroke campus. It's not reasonable to assume that the Pembroke campus could survive as an independent college. In these situations, the trustees of the boards representing the flagship campus and satellite campuses could sign memoranda of understanding ceding the satellite campuses to the jurisdiction of the board of governing the flagship campus. </div><div><br /></div><div>In absence of understanding, the board physically representing the campus would have jurisdiction. If Pembroke wanted to make their Algonquin campus a new college under their direction, they would have that right.</div><div><br /></div><div>If Ontario's school boards weren't headed towards an inevitable merger, this suggestion would be impractical, but there's a mega restructuring coming. The product of that restructuring may as well include colleges.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXH9icNsFUjEsNU3Med9xBOxBru9bNkl223Z04b1PB3rjM3KaHV9h0SXe4RSNsfHc9YA6OudiNUyHH2m8ywD8JqCUUe46UkiAbA993orHJfTnfBhG9J4Y4qxvCmZhqDxX84I_jhPZki72kzfPlVvr7XDUXPBakyjq4sEJRHTEtl0VfyGq9eHVo0Y-/s1200/ScreenShot2020-07-28at3.54.59PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Four election boxes with the second checked. Instead of candidate names beside the check boxes text reads "School Board Elections"" border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1200" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXH9icNsFUjEsNU3Med9xBOxBru9bNkl223Z04b1PB3rjM3KaHV9h0SXe4RSNsfHc9YA6OudiNUyHH2m8ywD8JqCUUe46UkiAbA993orHJfTnfBhG9J4Y4qxvCmZhqDxX84I_jhPZki72kzfPlVvr7XDUXPBakyjq4sEJRHTEtl0VfyGq9eHVo0Y-/w640-h394/ScreenShot2020-07-28at3.54.59PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-31612686878892351792022-12-01T16:29:00.002-05:002022-12-01T16:29:14.320-05:00No More Summer Recess >> Advent Policy Brief #1<p>Advent policy briefs are back for a second iteration - check back daily until Christmas Eve for 24 more pitches to make the world a better place! You can see the first set <a href="http://www.mylifeinletters.ca/search/label/Advent%20Policy%20Brief">here</a>.</p><p>I start this daily blogging challenge with an unpopular but hardly controversial take: cancel Summer breaks for students and politicians.</p><p>The practice of Summer recess originated from necessity. The kids needed to be home to work the fields or there wasn't going to be enough food to last the Winter. Food production became a year-round affair and children's labour was divested from agriculture, but Summer recesses from school roll on. </p><p>In politics, Summer recess is the part of the year set aside for constituency work, figuratively known as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbecue_circuit">barbecue circuit</a>. This tradition was too born out of necessity. Canada is a huge country and representatives from the coasts would have traveled days if not weeks at a time between Ottawa and their home ridings. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGtDTeHworgELNhsWKLqubiRf_ijqbn65y6ui1arqL5uSQNFTkk4ZelPJJI-tPeCRXO87-nMRQItkK3DWR0J91nuk69h5VmzS5usn65TRB3W8PzlhKiNTzIQAHuSeNfLqbPfCn-IhT2o8ZPliz0E8dHz5LRkF1U8xbm01pie2dWJh9RuwWoC1Nr_vr/s600/trudeau_barong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at BBQ" border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGtDTeHworgELNhsWKLqubiRf_ijqbn65y6ui1arqL5uSQNFTkk4ZelPJJI-tPeCRXO87-nMRQItkK3DWR0J91nuk69h5VmzS5usn65TRB3W8PzlhKiNTzIQAHuSeNfLqbPfCn-IhT2o8ZPliz0E8dHz5LRkF1U8xbm01pie2dWJh9RuwWoC1Nr_vr/s16000/trudeau_barong.jpg" /></a></div><p>Cultural and economic institutions were built around the predictability of Summer: student labour will be available, young children will need care and development activities, and where class and capacity permit, Summer is for recreational travel. These conventions are at present the only reason Summer is a recess for students and politicians. The masses buy into the neoliberal allegories of vacations and sleep-away camps.</p><p>Nixing Summer breaks is the sensible thing to do. For families with school-aged kids, life would be much easier with year-round studies. Low-income parents have to scramble for Summer arrangements, so their children can be minded while they work full-time. Further, families may be making ends meet receiving food support administered by schools. Summer complicates family budgets in many stressful ways. </p><p>After students graduate high school, they might spend an entire 12 months of a 4-year degree in Summer breaks. I'd rather approach post-secondary studies with prudent impatience.</p><p>Finally, I point to grim wisdom from climate studies. Seasons are increasingly unpredictable, and unhinging our economy from seasonal presumptions <i>will</i> become necessary. Adapting to this reality early can create speculative advantage among international actors.</p><p>The idea of cancelling summer recess for students and politicians is not controversial. It is, however, existentially unpopular among influential opinion leaders. The photo ops and fundraisers of Summer are integral to re-elections strategy, and teachers unions would balk at giving up Summer vacations.</p><p>I can hear the right-wing populist spin too: "They're coming for your vacations". </p><p>Yeah, I kind of am. 💅</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5v6IgAon8fEQmQekV5__G04i9HR1hac129UxMb9YJ1C8e9_kSLgF_8JRkokxckm1Uz2rRte06nJyubShms1FFV2w7VY9fXEcY8xa84g7bkh2stmLCQYBtB2jxKMJfx1nM4Dcx5zND8oz6fzLZ5fCzKqGgIUrxsWS_LNDYEnMpOVRxO4nMgvIgHtJ/s604/schools_in_session.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Chalk on blackboard reading "School in session" - "N"s written backward" border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5v6IgAon8fEQmQekV5__G04i9HR1hac129UxMb9YJ1C8e9_kSLgF_8JRkokxckm1Uz2rRte06nJyubShms1FFV2w7VY9fXEcY8xa84g7bkh2stmLCQYBtB2jxKMJfx1nM4Dcx5zND8oz6fzLZ5fCzKqGgIUrxsWS_LNDYEnMpOVRxO4nMgvIgHtJ/s16000/schools_in_session.webp" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-5075642496232859602022-03-01T13:51:00.009-05:002022-03-02T06:33:47.800-05:00Crisis of Faith: A Biopolitical Diary EntryI debated between two possible titles for this post: "Crisis of Faith", which I went with, and "Dying Charred Bird" that I decided against. 2021 was the year I wondered: "how long is a phoenix a dying charred bird before it's reborn? And does the carcass smolder to cold before exploding reborn?" <br /><br />See I do this torturous thing where whenever my life starts to <i>really</i> suck: I isolate myself until I feel like I have control back over my life. Every time I write after a break, I'm like "hi, yeah I'm good, but holy fuck have I seen some shit." This is a story about faith lost and hope found.<br /><br />In stylized optimism: it was a time to cauterize and rise.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtag6-1rTU5Aqs7N05wBSIBcf8yHr8NTC0GCDIbs-d4Fo0F6AqqV-8PsQo_b9ZbDv-C-OHceg9dG2oqLed2A-9RBpWkdB8SPZn3ds6xy4Dj5USKQrLBCfNSv0RTxxc9OEy3UyEERlG6xrblHQvLl_XHUZPrBt1hAkysVcOg_J0xC7wyRn3WyNrKhzN=w640-h480" /></a></div><br />2020 was actually a great year for me, comparatively. I left a toxic job that was the biggest professional disappointment of my life so far. I was super fortunate that my departure lined up harmoniously with CERB's launch. Skipping the most intense of COVID restrictions, Atlantic Canada was briefly the envy of the nation. I adopted <a href="http://instagram.com/cedarandhelix/">Cedar and Helix</a>, and I made my apartment feel like a home.<div><br /></div><div><i>*Glosses over volumes of bad times* </i><br /><br />After my <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">departure </a>from the Green Party of New Brunswick, I realized I was carrying someone else's hope and someone else's duty for the place I was born. It had been repeated back to me so many times it felt like my own. The connection I felt to New Brunswick waned, so did the obtuse disdain for Ontario that seems to unite Maritimers. I was wrong about how a place and a people related to me.<br /><br />Professionally, culturally, economically, I find New Brunswick inhospitable. I do not mean that there is a lack of traditional hospitality; I mean there is no conscious effort to create environments that maximize human development across categories of difference. <br /><br />In business or politics, I would need to build from the ground any institution I wanted to seek leadership within. There's no party, no charity, no coalition, no government commission that I believe in here - except one, details forthcoming. I'm isolated in and by my category of politics, place, talent, and willingness to act. I find myself constantly infuriated by car dependency and the impossibility of earning a creative living without travelling all over the Maritimes. <br /><br />Gender minority excellence is completely off the radar. There are no trans or nonbinary people in New Brunswick openly leading lives that an average cis person would be jealous of. People here still hold the opinion that if you come out you're "accepting a more difficult life". <br /><br />There are some really great progressives in New Brunswick, but they're divided, disorganized, and woefully outgunned. I don't hate this place, but I don't owe it anything.<br /><br />I had a Quebexit planned, but it died quietly by what seemed like a thousand cuts. It really died because the plan was motivated by running away from Saint John, not towards Quebec. The effort:motivation math just gave out. I would have fled to struggle and impermanence had I made that move. Not entirely unlike my present arrangements, but I have my cats to consider now too. Their lives are much better not having Quebexited.<br /><br />My life did smolder to cool at the end of December. I spent the first 24 days of the month writing an advent <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">blogging challenge</a> of daily policy briefs to rekindle my sense of self and ambition. Mostly, it was hella effective at tuning out the holiday season. <br /><br />As the year ended, I felt purpose and hope. I was inspired to get back to a life I could love, but the details were scant. <br /><br />I knew I needed to live in a place with strong public institutions. I knew I needed to use my professional time doing non-abstract labour that I find meaningful. My mind wandered into provincial capitals, university towns, and foreign countries. <br /><br />The deep disappointment I have for public affairs in New Brunswick made me go soft on Toronto. When it rains, Toronto is Gotham City. It's hard and mean and dirty, but Toronto is a legendary beast. No one is too good for Toronto. You can hate most of the city - I hate most of the city, but there <i>is</i> something for everyone, and it <i>is</i> the most powerful place in the country.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaOvpItUEFDpPdqQyhQfYop92EGWI4ENR9uq1R2IyJTYTUcs9Ki37xFny-QXDo-4KrQRmRdguBhNuyDyuhWn6QdwwHfgIn0WhVsfA-7ryAGKX3ClA-n-mAxp-UOqsvNUN_1N5wNvedOSBTZz78IsHfdAtwrqy1ER5teqNiV_XNRJx1Qg6pNK1y_1Mn=w640-h480" /></a></div><br />Let's circle back to that one institution in New Brunswick I have faith in: the law. Problem: Law Societies and judiciaries are scrupulously elitist and gated by design.<br /><br />I've wanted a legal career for as long as I can remember, but the cost of law school in terms of days and dollars isn't reasonable at this point. I'm not sure what the spark moment was, but I flashed back to a drunken conversation at my friend's wedding 2 years ago, and I was resurrected. The bride's sister is a paralegal in Thunder Bay and was telling me about the scope of practice paralegals have in Ontario and nowhere else in Canada.<br /><br />The Law Society of Ontario <a href="https://lso.ca/becoming-licensed/paralegal-licensing-process" target="_blank">licenses</a> paralegals to practice in a limited, but still huge, scope of law. Most visibly, Ontario paralegals provide counsel at the 13 provincial administrative tribunals and municipal by-law proceedings. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/vHpcmVMXSHvrZTXPgZh-EV7EgAreHmA4m7cE9V7Y6tlGSr0waZNB9gfcAIMua65Lx7BBIXgRzwjcl39K6sJAyOfCh3EbTokkpgQXLdhajRVBBbYUvvGMpxyImsmegskOvw5mba1y" /></div><br />Take a second to think about what it means for civic engagement that Ontario has licensed paralegals. Licencing paralegals cuts two thirds of the administrative barrier for participation in judicial processes. There are 20 year-old members of the Law Society of Ontario, pumping youth and new ideas in the veins of provincial institutions. Public administration is broadly valued as a skill and area of research.</div><div><br />I'm engineering an unavoidable "voting with my feet" return to Ontario. There's only 1 province in the country that will give me a license to practice law in 1 year for <$5k. Place-based identity politics dissolved, the only thing I actually hate about the political entity of Ontario is that Catholic schools get public money. It's not like they're the only province that keeps electing inept governments.<br /><br />I recently accepted my offer to Fanshawe College's 10-month Graduate Certificate in Paralegal Studies. As much as I love the city of Ottawa, I didn't bother applying to Algonquin for a few reasons. I've had the Ottawa student experience, and it wouldn't be the fresh start I need in my life. The campus is nowhere near the part of the city I'd want to live in, and Ottawa has a huge classism problem that I don't want to find myself oppressed by. I wouldn't move back to Ottawa without an indefinite job offer.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixuTTrGM9WgXGzhOzZ42xAqmgObFsSD3tFS9XM3mlOhczRlPpjV42ifZU9cXNQoxLwsIrsH-_jbq4U--FBOAoyUYMm5X1fD0sSZ83qz0E2EaPntC80X5JuRd7JWTiLL0pOiKgSTLEJm-p2suz0JVJZ-1BczCBeHZsetuzzF9VVrZbyVzkdBcIvyzlx=w640-h208" /></a></div><br />I do intend to get a full law degree, but I'm not in a rush. Part of my evolution through isolation was realizing the importance of getting to the table where my voice can matter most. Ontario has 5 paralegal <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Benchers</a> - members of the governing councils of Law Societies. In Ontario, that's 20 lawyers from the GTA, 20 lawyers from the not-GTA, 5 paralegals, and 8 citizens appointed by the Ministry of Justice. Bencher elections run every 4 years with the next happening in 2023. I won't have my license in time to run, but I intend to seek a paralegal Bencher seat in 2027.<br /><br />My faith in the Rule of Law is far greater than my faith in Canadian democratic institutions. Consider this an explicit <i>expression of disinterest </i>in running for public office for the foreseeable future.<br /><br />So what's a faithless elector to do? Go west.<div><br /><div>London's calling. I like London; I've been there a handful of times, and I have 5 or 6 friends there. It's got all the right ingredients for a settle-down city. I'm not saying that permanence is my goal there, but it'll certainly be considered. <br /><br />I could be erroneously accused of only being happy when I'm leaving. The accurate explanation is that I'm only happy when I'm moving, and it has been difficult to find a place to rise from indefinitely. I see no reason for my untethered soul to bind to a place where it takes more to be less.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">***</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQ2x43O3xpwmLGQxGMC43YxSiMIwqdiciIMh5sYEvfDxWHrueqN7BAGVSv8A_3xwf0z4LWcCSxdHxLo60D-pYrX1G-YKgZI72xmGP56r0iMmeNm7Xm7hNf6HVTG-FEGYnRfWgfVId5ln4EfPJ9_G3DVqVH5d8MoAFCSJMU59tvjBL3_KXyuFKkSXlZ=w640-h360" /></a></div></div></div></div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-8379078022892649782021-12-24T14:23:00.000-05:002021-12-24T14:23:42.209-05:00Human Development Streams for UBI >> Advent Policy Brief #24<p>Recurring centre-right arguments against basic income boil down to "we don't want people to stop working" and "basic income will make people lazy". Neither of those conclusions are intelligent positions to take. My final <i>Advent Policy Brief</i> preempts the productivity straw-man neoliberals inflate by suggesting human development streams for a universal basic income.</p><p>The ill of idle hands is an insidious affirmation of class hierarchy that allows anecdotes to supplant evidence. The reality is that time isn't free. There's a flawed double standard for whose time counts as "self-structured" and whose counts as "unstructured". Privileged people see a few fellow privileged people spiral into disaster with their free time, and it confirms their bias against basic income. </p><p>Managing your home economy and personal finances are legitimate activities for wealthy people. A parent of a newborn on social assistance cannot perform the same activities as a wealthy person and be valued equally. And if your personal finances are considerable assets, managing them is a legitimate job. Meanwhile, the working class are required to manage their personal finances as an unpaid job on top of wage slavery. </p><p>Let's hard cancel the notion that "everyone needs to work"; it's misguided and Luddite. The most productive permutations of the economy are heavily automated. Instead of fearing mass unemployment, we could be celebrating the mass liberation of time. </p><p>Right-wingers have grabbed on to the image of a basic income recipient who has withdrawn from society and abandoned all ambitions. The fully automated economy is coming for white collar workers too. Translators, transcribers, and paralegals are just as vulnerable as drivers and cashiers. The vast majority of people who are replaceable by robots won't settle for a life of Netflix and Twizzlers. They just need a safety net to become the best versions of themselves.</p><p>The existential crisis of mass automation needs to solve a personal philosophical question: when you don't have to work, what will you do? By my figuring there are 7 categories that make sense as human development streams. </p><ol><li>Health</li><li>Parenting & family care giving</li><li>Art and cultural production</li><li>Entrepreneurship</li><li>Job seeking</li><li>Language acquisition - French, English, and Indigenous languages </li><li>Post-secondary education</li></ol><p>The streams wouldn't be binding conditions or anything like that. They'd grant access to targeted resources and subscribe participants to a newsletter. The intent is to maximize the human experience. Ex. If I declared in the Health stream, I'd be linked with information on practitioners taking patients and immediate care options. </p><p>Fingers crossed that a pro-UBI Liberal succeeds Justin Trudeau as Leader and PM. It's widely suspected that 2022 will see JT resign.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEitCSVKOk7wNiJCuWQi1Cnv6m9-Au3KdkCvg84uX7im2NjQyQEzweoerLr9MOrlnXiEyeKmRzTom-w1BK_T9zBJDiIt0m8vfodk9FVoi5uN4vbv97zEu4zyIMDjd4JZqxjG44WMbb852dDehwIkOKY-gdXsMJQMuKi8ibXPmJ4w2_ZsBHmhcvB1cH4C=s620" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEitCSVKOk7wNiJCuWQi1Cnv6m9-Au3KdkCvg84uX7im2NjQyQEzweoerLr9MOrlnXiEyeKmRzTom-w1BK_T9zBJDiIt0m8vfodk9FVoi5uN4vbv97zEu4zyIMDjd4JZqxjG44WMbb852dDehwIkOKY-gdXsMJQMuKi8ibXPmJ4w2_ZsBHmhcvB1cH4C=s16000" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">**I finished the 24 day writing challenge!!! I'm v glad to be done, and an epilogue will get written over the next couple days :D</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-72681001817470039482021-12-23T12:58:00.001-05:002021-12-23T13:00:14.464-05:00Sugar Tariff >> Advent Policy Brief #23I'm coming for your candy canes in my penultimate <i>Advent Policy Brief. </i>Strap in for a nuanced twist on the unpopular sugar tax proposals that circulate in health policy circles perennially. I don't support a tax, but I do support a tariff.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQEZAxV7_S0MH0Bkf6ybfgde2Ha5sHkU_dW9NzN4rnkCmjXG316HrUFKQn66m2PRT92GTja2BU59Ix36TR5nfhveNnShYOIUtDyOQkdyn3b0JV4go2H0V7Uh23GJFL32dKm7ov41hPsPym1j4xlKDf3xbapwKQX6pipSOy0Bd8tl-6rjANYb91tMBP=s1396" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="1396" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQEZAxV7_S0MH0Bkf6ybfgde2Ha5sHkU_dW9NzN4rnkCmjXG316HrUFKQn66m2PRT92GTja2BU59Ix36TR5nfhveNnShYOIUtDyOQkdyn3b0JV4go2H0V7Uh23GJFL32dKm7ov41hPsPym1j4xlKDf3xbapwKQX6pipSOy0Bd8tl-6rjANYb91tMBP=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Tariffs and taxes have the same end effect of raising consumer prices. In Pigovian applications, fees discourage undesirable products and transactions. Tariffs internalize geopolitical consequences of international trade. Until COVID, those geopolitical consequences didn't need to factor in airborne pathogens. Since, the wisdom of local production has become undeniable. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sugar cane only grows in hot wet climates, but Canada is an under-developed sugar producer via sugar beets. Sugar beets are commercially grown in Alberta and Ontario, but they're suitable for farming broadly across the country. Hat tip to <a href="http://sugar.ca">sugar.ca</a> for the factoids: </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4hY3FCpxCr8RD6gy7avgwm2os-GYyfg3Ny1z9xVpNYAcI8SEO9fjVqDqVgTCjJUf3iTj4TjbRfm11CcLF5ClFx9SU9qzL0p_VUQuHZqLb8JDeb3HcRcrs0-MFivd0DuTqt3lGIlkw_D0nA0E2St5iBtcf0DnQT4d3JcwX4vwH6oE6BoguYdfmGDbT=s823" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="823" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4hY3FCpxCr8RD6gy7avgwm2os-GYyfg3Ny1z9xVpNYAcI8SEO9fjVqDqVgTCjJUf3iTj4TjbRfm11CcLF5ClFx9SU9qzL0p_VUQuHZqLb8JDeb3HcRcrs0-MFivd0DuTqt3lGIlkw_D0nA0E2St5iBtcf0DnQT4d3JcwX4vwH6oE6BoguYdfmGDbT=w640-h294" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Our sugar imports are more than million tonnes greater than our sugar production.</div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKRxqnDtFemDBR3w_TG6wQidyvMRSBvaG9y3XN1l_4z_MMLo4sJjHhvlK3ZUffGtQj3OzRcETERY5Q5KpUQ3OeDEhRCLDFosL2SCj4wsZCC1mQp-W4lb0T9iCOgKTAViXVnAu3KVZW2NkokhJuK9GIrsmn2XTJKTZwNga7IUTa9_VjboRAYGaBL3AR=s908" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="908" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKRxqnDtFemDBR3w_TG6wQidyvMRSBvaG9y3XN1l_4z_MMLo4sJjHhvlK3ZUffGtQj3OzRcETERY5Q5KpUQ3OeDEhRCLDFosL2SCj4wsZCC1mQp-W4lb0T9iCOgKTAViXVnAu3KVZW2NkokhJuK9GIrsmn2XTJKTZwNga7IUTa9_VjboRAYGaBL3AR=w640-h250" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtrymdEoqzR38TrWOViuJ6XFNNJAfM6bdjmmlfVsbweHq_4JGknug9Ou2CdVZMu_bmPhQxRFJKmATUmgXZTgg18-O1UbVAda8odp-noowF5gJ12doEeGF-pdZE0Da0TPTvYdEQuLGQ6MX5FpJqoFdRL5vi6aSxBFg7uZC6jvWiGX4AwKAnZ3O2jAec=s908" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="908" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtrymdEoqzR38TrWOViuJ6XFNNJAfM6bdjmmlfVsbweHq_4JGknug9Ou2CdVZMu_bmPhQxRFJKmATUmgXZTgg18-O1UbVAda8odp-noowF5gJ12doEeGF-pdZE0Da0TPTvYdEQuLGQ6MX5FpJqoFdRL5vi6aSxBFg7uZC6jvWiGX4AwKAnZ3O2jAec=w640-h196" width="640" /></a></div><div><div>Yes, a tariff on sugar means prices will increase, and ideally, sugar consumption overall will decrease. Refined sugar products are believed to be at the root of many health problems and responsible for billions of dollars in direct health costs. Sugar self-sufficiency is within reach for a huge country like Canada. Our sugar crops just need a heap of sweet sweet protectionism.</div><div><div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526979248734753652.post-59003385278454430092021-12-22T22:56:00.001-05:002021-12-22T22:56:46.032-05:00Scavenger Economics >> Advent Policy Brief #22<p>I have deep scavenger instincts. I figure most of it traces back to a childhood in clutter. My parents aren't hoarders, but they're intense collectors and keepers. It predisposed me to re-purposing and upcycling much before it was on trend. I love finding something discarded and making it into something wonderful from the edge of imagination. </p><p>Also, TLC's early 2000's programming was very formative. I *loved* Junkyard Wars, and that needs a reboot on the ASAP.</p><p>A scavenger is adaptable, resourceful, and sees opportunity where others do not. The standard one-way trip to a landfill needs to be disrupted. My 22nd <i>Advent Policy Brief</i> asserts that federal leadership can stimulate the scavenger economy to do just that.</p><p>The feds can jump-start the scavenger economy with targeted subsidies for companies that can measurably divert waste for reprocessing into new products. Product life cycle interventions are already happening, but the daunting challenge of waste diversion needs serious funding to attract researchers, engineers, and planners. Many innovative waste diversion processes will form viable businesses without significant government assistance, but there will inevitably be processes that are ecologically sound but not economically viable.</p><p>The narrative of "economic viability" is convoluted. The task, the set of actions that total for value, is to clean up the planet, not to be wise capitalists. Closing production loops where profitable is an accommodation to the capitalist consumption of nature. It is not sufficient to harm-reduce a poison system. Unprofitable waste diversions should find a home in a federal agency or contracted firm with long-term operational funding.</p><p>Small-scale waste diversion interventions need to be scaled up too. There should be grants for community and creative projects that make artisanal products from local waste, like floor-mats out of milk bags, dresses out of curtains, or sculptures out of fishing nets. </p><p>I do not want you to navigate away from this page thinking that a budget line is the way humans can live harmoniously with the planet. Survival demands stepping off the capitalist treadmill of death towards circular economics. Therein, manufacturers would be regulated to assume <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cradle-to-cradle_design">cradle-to-cradle</a> responsibilities for the products they make.</p><p>That said, the country's government is going to be Liberal or Conservative for at least the next decade. They speak in subsidies and hiss at regulations. So in the spirit of get'r done, I'm embracing the scavenger economy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmHF-8H-D224dn5PpgCZGXQHux7KPMp-dtmghuCIbuZsTTZNIqtaJgRZBwOdqamyOdtHc6Bfefh8qhDw-8P_ESZy2JAd4X38QmvAFw39dJ8b3mPM_DUkALacPLJHQ0qzI8HlR-71i1XZ-MfHRlTWc4ihmUe6-DCDimj61lorf7RX4ARdGBtDDQcBNi=s793" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="793" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmHF-8H-D224dn5PpgCZGXQHux7KPMp-dtmghuCIbuZsTTZNIqtaJgRZBwOdqamyOdtHc6Bfefh8qhDw-8P_ESZy2JAd4X38QmvAFw39dJ8b3mPM_DUkALacPLJHQ0qzI8HlR-71i1XZ-MfHRlTWc4ihmUe6-DCDimj61lorf7RX4ARdGBtDDQcBNi=w640-h514" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>D$$http://www.blogger.com/profile/14970622850021756076noreply@blogger.com