Author: admin

It was a full and fascinating week of climate action in Cape Breton. It began bright and early on Monday, Jan. 20, when the City Council and Mayor met with staff and public stakeholders to discuss the city’s Climate Action Plan, which was commissioned and written way back in 2014. Then on Wednesday, Extinction Rebellion…

I have never been much of a crier. It cuts both ways: I weep with grief or despair about as often as I weep from joy, which is once in a blue moon. Sometimes I blame the patriarchy for this inability to express my feelings; sometimes I blame my own upbringing; but mostly I just…

I can’t believe I’m typing these words, but: Let’s talk about Don Cherry. Full Disclosure: I’m not a hockey fan. For most of my life, I have only been tangentially aware of Don Cherry’s role in Canadian popular culture. Unlike many fans for whom Cherry’s rants are a beloved tradition, I have no skin in…

The public profile of Extinction Rebellion skyrocketed this month, thanks to many global acts of civil disobedience calculated to sound the alarm, get people talking, and put public pressure on elected officials who mostly know there’s a crisis but won’t take the necessary action to address it. Given this surge of coverage, I thought I…

No formal newsletter this week, just a quick note. As I write this, polls are closing on the east coast of our sprawling country, but it will be many hours before the western ballots are counted. And since it’s shaping up to be a very close race, we might not even get conclusive results in…

I am not generally prone to tooting my own horn. Having worked in theatre since before I could vote, I got used to seeing my name in newspapers and on marquees. Bragging about it seemed redundant. Every year or so, I list my achievements in a diary or notebook. And of course I update my…

When I first heard the name, I found it off-putting. Who would want to join a group called “Extinction Rebellion”? In late 2018, both words smacked of the lunatic fringe. The public discourse surrounding climate change (it wasn’t a “crisis” yet) mostly revolved around ideas like “sustainable development” to avoid “extreme weather events.” No one…

The Strike was scheduled to start at noon, but a crucial pre-strike meeting occurred offsite at 11am. There were two organizers, one marshal (responsible for keeping everyone safe and non-aggressive), one “arrestee supporter,” and four “arrestables.” Most of us were strangers outside of email, and it felt a bit surreal introducing yourself to the people…

You get a lot of strange looks when you tell people you intend to get arrested. Most often, they assume you misspoke, and that you’re trying to do the opposite—break the law, but evade arrest. It’s hard to persuade anyone that there are reasons to want to get caught. It helps a bit to bring…

By now, if you aren’t aware that there is a looming climate catastrophe, then you’ve either been living in a cave (good job keeping your carbon footprint low!) or you are deep in denial. Other parts of the world may be receiving different signals, but here in Canada, the CBC has finally (sorta, kinda) stepped…