It was only a decade ago, but in terms of how we’ve regressed politically, it seems so much longer. Today in The Conversation Canada, Alan Sears of the University of New Brunswick looks at how the late John McCain did the right thing in the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign by standing up to some of his own supporters to tell them that Barack Obama was a decent man. What can we all learn from McCain’s willingness to make himself politically vulnerable?

Technology is at the heart of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Sylvie Albert of the University of Winnipeg says communities and planners need to be better prepared for the rapid technological advances that will have a major impact on how we live our lives.

Stephen Archer of Queen’s University looks at Canada’s systems of health funding, medical training and physician compensation and says overhauls are needed to support vital centres of medical research and complex care.

And finally…a group of Canadian and Vietnamese academics have done research on how small-scale fishers pooled resources to create a fund for micro-loans. There are lessons to be learned from these kind of grassroots innovations for small communities around the world.

Regards,