Countries as tiny as Estonia, with just 1.3 million people, have produced global ride-hailing giants that are often the recipients of significant venture capital investments. Why not Canada? In today’s The Conversation Canada, Shauna Brail of the University of Toronto and Betsy Donald of Queen’s University take a look at how Canadians are merely consumers of ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft and are failing to develop their own.
Ever heard of Maude Abbott? We all should have. The late Abbott, in fact, deserves worldwide fame due to her groundbreaking discoveries decades ago in pediatric cardiology, writes John Bergeron of McGill University. Bergeron and his co-author, Kathleen Dickson, make a passionate call for Abbott, a feminist pioneer, to be recognized posthumously by the scientific world, arguing her discoveries were every bit as monumental as Frederick Banting’s.
Self-help gurus are popular, and urge their adherents to take control of their lives. But Galen Watts of Queen’s University argues that focusing so heavily on personal responsibility can pay short shrift to structural inequities in society, and can negatively influence public policy.
Finally, Canada's notwithstanding clause has largely been gathering dust for the last three decades; it’s rarely been invoked. Enter Doug Ford and his bombshell announcement yesterday that he’ll wield it in his fight to reduce the size of Toronto city council. Ken Norman of the University of Saskatchewan has updated his look at the history of the notwithstanding clause from earlier this year to reflect the latest news.
Enjoy!
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Ride-hailing services have gone global, and even women in Saudi Arabia – only recently given the right to drive – are getting in on the action. In this June 2018 photo, a female driver for Careem, a regional ride-hailing Uber competitor, is seen behind the wheel.
AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
Shauna Brail, University of Toronto; Betsy Donald, Queen's University, Ontario
Canada is simply a consumer of ride-hailing services, and has not established any of its own Ubers or Lyfts, even as tiny countries like Estonia get in on the game. That needs to change.
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Canadian Maude Abbott’s discoveries on pediatric heart defects have saved young lives for decades. It’s time she received proper scientific recognition.
(Shutterstock)
John Bergeron, McGill University
Maude Abbott's discoveries on pediatric heart defects were groundbreaking, saved countless lives and have stood the test of time for more than 80 years. It's time she received her due credit.
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Self-help leaders can convince us that we have the responsibility to improve our lives. But this can ignore the realities of social inequities. Tony Robbins, motivational speaker, personal finance instructor and self-help author on ‘Wall Street Week’ in 2016.
(AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Galen Watts, Queen's University, Ontario
Self-help books can help us get through difficult times by telling us we have the agency to take control. But this method can also ignore structural inequities and negatively influence public policy.
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Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks to reporters in Toronto on Sept. 10, 2018. He’s vowing to invoke the seldom used notwithstanding clause in his fight to slash the size of Toronto city council.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov.
Ken Norman, University of Saskatchewan
The notwithstanding clause in Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms has seldom been used. But it's not totally gathering dust, and now Ontario Premier Doug Ford is threatening to wield it.
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Culture + Society
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Alexander N Hasenstab, University of Portsmouth
The security of local aid agency workers on the front line hasn't been prioritised.
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Environment + Energy
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Ben Keane, University of Sheffield
Scientists have calculated the 'water footprint' of different diets across the UK, France and Germany.
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Politics
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Jennifer E. Moore, University of Minnesota Duluth; Michael J. Socolow, University of Maine
Violence against journalists is on the rise. Many people don't realize that such acts have a long tradition in the US, where partisan rancor was once a hallmark of American journalism.
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