National Observer

A sister company of Google has been secretly considering some ambitious plans to develop Toronto’s entire eastern waterfront, giving the technology giant new access to tax revenues and development fees that would otherwise go into public funds, National Observer has learned.

Republicans call it a ‘social manifesto’, environmental groups hail it, and some say it doesn’t go far enough

Kyle Powys Whyte, an Indigenous scientist and climate change expert, says Indigenous peoples have led some of the most vibrant climate change movements, focused on repairing and strengthening ethical and just relationships. Mistakenly, many environmentalists focus on an environmental crisis that must be addressed so urgently and swiftly, that relationships don't matter, he says.

Ontario basic income recipients are hung out to dry. A lawsuit to save the pilot program from the Ford government's chopping block has failed and the federal government won't step in. A class action suit is in the works but that will take time.

Two years after the auditor general concluded that the Trudeau government had failed to identify its subsidies for the oil and gas industry, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna says federal officials are still working on it.

The First Nations Technology Council and Animikii, a digital agency that supports Indigenous technology, are working hard to ensure Indigenous peoples have a seat at the rapidly growing tech table in British Columbia. From data sovereignty to digital skills training programs, Indigenous communities, nations and organizations are utilizing technology as a path to self determination.

Public outrage over Doug Ford's claim his Ontario government cut funding to student unions to fix "Marxist nonsense" is growing, with politicians and education unions decrying an expected hit to a broad range of services.

Water quality monitoring groups around Lake Winnipeg are mapping the spread of phosphorus, which feeds the growth of toxic algae. They will soon be able to use a new online platform to collect, share and securely store their data.

Some voters had a lot of hope for the federal Liberals back in 2015. First of all, Justin Trudeau was not Stephen Harper. He also had a pile of platform promises that appealed to many Canadians. Confronting climate change was one of the big ones.

Doug Ford's government says that newly-proposed climate change policies are aiming to simplify rules for businesses so that they can focus on reducing carbon pollution, instead of being swamped in red tape.

Canadian oil and gas companies are rewarding their executives for expanding fossil fuel activity despite global economic and environmental realities that make this unsustainable, says a report from Carbon Tracker.

While their Islamophobic rhetoric isn’t new, the Coalition Avenir Québec is government now. What they promise to do should concern all Quebecers who cherish free expression, writes Nora Loreto.

Jody Wilson-Raybould’s resignation from cabinet does not look good for Justin Trudeau’s government, no matter how you twist and turn it. 

Jody Wilson-Raybould has resigned from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet amid allegations his office pressured her to abandon a corruption and fraud prosecution of engineering and construction company SNC-Lavalin.

Premier Doug Ford's government has just proposed climate change rules that, if adopted, would likely require industrial facilities in Ontario to pay a carbon tax to meet new standards. The long-awaited "made-in-Ontario" climate plan proposes a new industrial performance standard that would limit the growth in pollution, "rather than an absolute cap on emissions for the province."

The United Nations anti-racism committee is making it difficult for the federal and provincial governments to hide behind a court decision allowing continued construction of the Site C dam.

Canada's parliamentary watchdog has made some changes to its recent report on the Trans Mountain pipeline and expansion project, rejecting previous criticism of its research by Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

In recent years, Chomsky has turned his mind to the existential threat of global warming, a “threat to the perpetuation of organized human life,” on par with nuclear war. Now, in an exclusive interview with National Observer on Jan. 22, Chomsky directly addresses the specific relationship between media and the climate crisis.

If Trans Mountain’s shippers don’t pay for the purchase of the legacy line in tolls charged to them, Canadian taxpayers will.

The CleanBC plan signified the start of a years-long, provincewide marathon. Here are three major checkpoints we’ll be keeping a close eye on until the end of 2019.