Through the Eyes of a Pirate

Economics tells us that the markets are ruled by a careful balance of supply and demand. Additionally, it states that markets will self-correct, provided several conditions are adhered to: There are many suppliers and consumers The markets are allowed to play freely, without government mandated minimum or maximum prices or quantity of supply The value of currency remains relatively stable The un...

An updated report on the Lansdowne project has crossed the table of Ottawa city councillors notifying them that it’s going to cost $12 million more than initially budgetted. In addition to the raised costs, there have been a number of areas where the plan has been trimmed back, with roofs and canopies on both the North and South Sides being trimmed, as well as the canopy over the J-block(1)...

One of the first acts of the current government, following their 2011 election win, was to approve the increase in the number of federal ridings. Despite some fairly massive growth in Alberta & British Columbia, most of the new ridings, 15, will be in Ontario, with a whopping 11 in the Greater Toronto Area(1). Although not all provinces will be gaining new seats, none are untouched by boundary...

Canada is officially bilingual, with both French and English being recognized as the official languages of business and government. Federal Debates are held in both official languages, with any thought of not running a debate in either language enough to cause riots. On the provincial level however, a completely different standard applies. As evidenced by PQ leader Pauline Marois’ refusal to...

With the fall sitting of parliament creeping back into every politician, critics, & interested politico’s mind, it seem the city where they’ll be working is once again of interest to them. Three major issues connecting both the Federal Government and infrastructure issues in the City of Ottawa have been poured into the news this week. Each of the three areas highlight a single unde...

With the disastrous sovereign debt crisis in Europe fuelling austerity measures in governments across the globe indebted for more money than they make in annually, two methods are generally setup at odds with one another: austerity & monetary stimulous. The choices government leaders have are to cut back on everything in the hope that the economy will right itself as their debt shrinks, or to...

The launch of the new Presto Pass in Ottawa was set to occur on July 1st, allowing people to celebrate Canada Day, and not having to deal with transit’s paper tickets and passes at the same time. OC Transpo had even worked in a new fare system designed to encourage people to convert to the new Presto Pass(1), eliminating both the eco-pass and student passes at the same time. The green mac...

Early this past week, the news broke that the new $500,000 security cameras in the Ottawa International Airport were equipped with microphones(1). The intention to turn them on and record conversations for the safety and security of travellers was quickly derided. After all, even if a couple of people are dumb enough to talk about their underwear bombs in the airport, by the time anyone gets...

Between skyrocketing gas prices, clogged highways, and budget cuts at Federal, Provincial and Municipal levels right across the country, the constant problem of getting more people to different places faster and cheaper has begun to finally gain some attention. Balancing these needs with the growing environmental concerns voiced across the country, and not just by Green Party members, and there is...

On April 20th & 21st, the rural town of Osgoode held their annual Osgoode Home & Trade Show. The event holds about 50 booths, and is visited by several hundred people annually. This year, the Pirate Party of Canada (PPCA) obtained a booth to provide an easy-to-access location to discuss the party’s views with average people in the rural riding of Nepean-Carleton. Two of the partyR...