Chocolate is a delicious, delicious treat; however, it is far too often tainted with the sweat of child slaves. While slavery in the chocolate industry remains a small portion of the global slave population (~27 million people enslaved today), it is something that can easily be fixed. Today, the cacao industry employees somewhere between 15 [...]
Canadian history is not boring. In fact, it is far more interesting and dynamic than one might expect. In contrast to many countries, we are a country formed not so much by war and violence, but by flexibility, negotiation and a tireless work ethic. We might lack dramatic civil wars, bombings or martyrs, but we [...]
The time has come to re-open the constitutional debate. We have one party who advocates for a small and unimportant central government (The Walrus) while the progressive votes are split amongst four parties, one of which wants to break up the country. This cannot continue. Canada is a large, diverse and sparsely populated country with [...]
Yesterday, I went to vote in the advance polls for the May 2nd Canadian Federal Election. While at the polling station, one of the clerks recounted how she rejoices in seeing people come to vote at every election; exercising their right to have a say in the formation of their government. In many parts of [...]
I’ve made a point of not endorsing any political party, but to simply ask you to not vote for a Conservative government. That is why I built WhyHarperSucks and shared many articles via Twitter and Facebook. Let’s be honest, none of the party leaders have been very inspiring. That being said, there are real issues [...]
Over 23 000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in Canada every year. While the survival rate is fairly high (87%), much pain could be avoided with early detection. In my continuing quest to help woman (see makeyourgirlfriendhappy.com), I have devised a simple fundraising and educational device: a breast cancer sensing and awareness booth. Particpants [...]
Things change quickly. Prior to the 1960s, Quebec was run by Maurice Duplessis and the Catholic Church. Upon his death in 1960, a radical change in government took place as power over health care, education, and much of Quebec society, perviously held by the Catholic Church, was ripped away and given to a democratically elected government. [...]
Open-Data is dear to my heart, since July 2010 I have been working at Montreal Ouvert to bring an open-data policy to the city. Open-data basically means that the government (in this case Montreal) publishes its information in an open, accessible and legal format that allows for re-use. To show our fellow citizens the potential [...]
This year (2011) I will have 100 white poppies, I’m in Montréal, Canada – contact me to get one. For white poppies in Vancouver, click here. After many years of patriotically wearing a red poppy, I have stopped. Why do we wear a poppy? The Canadian Legion considers it the utmost sign of remembrance for the [...]
Prostitution comes in various forms and it is very hard to say where it begins and where it ends. People marry for money, the rich guy gets the girl, attractive female waitresses in scant clothes; people constantly use sex, or sexual innuendo, as a way of generating income. However, the actual practice of sexual intercourse [...]