from Georgia Straight 30-Mar-2006

The province‚s three largest universities have argued that the public shouldn‚t have access to the financial dealings of SFU‚s spinoff companies. According to documents filed with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, UBC and the University of Victoria have justified this position, in part, with the claim that universities act as „service providers‰ to private-sector organizations. (Keep reading…)

Special to Canadian Dimension

The University of Winnipeg awarded an honorary degree to Madeleine Albright at its 2005 fall convocation. When assessing a candidate for an honorary degree, a university would supposedly select a distinguished individual who would be worthy of the institution’s highest honour and who would provide an inspirational address to the graduands. Such a person must have a truly exemplary record in all respects. It should not be someone whose laudatory achievements are more than counterbalanced by the person’s policies and actions, or support for policies and actions, which have led to catastrophic consequences, deserving of the most severe condemnation. (Keep reading…)

from Globe & Mail/rabble news

As for all that self-righteous hot air about how B.C. teachers should set a better example by obeying the “law,” I can’t imagine a better lesson in democracy than watching a group of citizens collectively resisting injustice. (Keep reading…)

from MR Zine October 25, 2005 http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/rosen251005.html

For the first time in two weeks, public schools in British Columbia were open for business yesterday. Teachers had voted over the weekend by a 77% margin to accept a mediated settlement to the dispute recommended by arbitrator Vince Ready. In the wake of the decision, there is much public debate and discussion, including among the ranks of teachers, about what was achieved in the struggle. (Keep reading…)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/ CBC News Viewpoint | October 14, 2005 |

When thousands of law-abiding citizens vote en masse to break a particular law and place themselves in a position of contempt of the courts, it is a worthwhile exercise to wonder why they would do such a thing. What precipitates such action? What drives such resolve? (Keep reading…)

September/October 2005 Issue

In Canada, we have guidelines that strictly regulate the use of human stem cells and assisted human reproduction. Both Bill C-6 and the Guidelines on Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Research came about through public consultations with scientists, faith groups, the Canadian public and scholars in bioethics, sociology and law, among others. These instruments established guidelines for ethical research into and use of technologies with potentially profound life-saving medical benefits. Furthermore, the Guiding Principles include the notion that “Research undertaken should have potential health benefits for Canadians” and that the research should “Respect individual and community notions of human dignity and physical, spiritual and cultural integrity.” (Keep reading…)

September/October 2005 Issue

Completed more than two years ago, Seeds of Change was my first feature documentary film. The documentary was supposed to facilitate communication among farmers and the residents of rural communities regarding the effects of the new technologies associated with Genetically Modified Crops (GMCs). Farmers and the public have yet to see the video because the original goal has been subverted. (Keep reading…)

September/October 2005 Issue

You’re wondering about the safety of genetically modified food, or its harmful environmental impact; you’re confused about whether to continue taking Vioxx for severe arthritic pain; you’re mystified by the apparent scientific controversy concerning climate change; you’re apprehensive about the cloning of Dolly the sheep and wonder whether catastrophe beckons when this new technology is used to create a clonal human being. (Keep reading…)

September/October 2005 Issue

In our day, all that seems to remain of the historical struggle between the competing visions of socialism and capitalism, between the collective interest and the individual interest, is the euphemistic “public sector” versus the “private sector.” But while most of the vitality has been drained from this revolutionary residue, some meaning yet remains unspoken, suggesting rival conceptions of society. So, locating our institutions in one or the other of these categories, public or private, carries a larger significance and merits our close attention. (Keep reading…)

September/October 2005 Issue

Business interests have been grazing in the groves of academe for at least a century, and their presence has always troubled people concerned with academic freedom and the ability of institutions of higher learning to pursue research unfettered by the dictates of profit-seeking. (Keep reading…)