Minimum Wage Workers Not the Only Ones Getting Screwed

Last week, the B.C. government reacted to the increasing push for a higher minimum wage... by giving minimum wage workers a 20 cent raise. Even Business in Vancouver magazine quoted UBC labour economist David Green calling the new higher wage "laughably low." What perhaps hasn't received enough attention is that the two-dime bump in the minimum wage -- the first in three years -- is not that far out of line with stagnant wages across the economy. For instance, the average wage in British Columbia grew by 14 cents in 2014!

The mysterious disappearance of poverty

How do you help the poor? It is a very old question. The Roman emperor Nero found the answer in the advice of Stoic philosophers like Seneca, and built an awe-inspiring palace covered in gold leaf. This would fill the lower classes with gratitude for being blessed with such a glorious leader. Perhaps not coincidentally, the Roman senate ended Nero’s reign by ordering him to commit suicide four years later.

In the 21st century, our answers are not much better than Nero’s. This is once again obvious, as the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics recently published six studies looking at the impact of microfinance on poverty.

Chris Christie Officials Sent Pension Money To Subsidiary of Donor’s Foreign Firm

Two years ago, as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie pursued re-election, his administration found itself mulling investment options for the state’s $80 billion pension fund. In one deal in May 2013, officials settled on a subsidiary of U.K.-based foreign financial conglomerate Prudential plc. With little fanfare, state pension overseers quickly endorsed the deal.

Weeks later, a Hong Kong-based executive director and board member of Prudential plc delivered a maximum $3,800 contribution to Christie’s gubernatorial campaign, followed by a maximum $32,400 donation to the Republican National Committee, which was about to launch a get-out-the-vote effort for Christie. Two months after that, New Jersey began moving public employees’ retirement savings into two funds managed by the Prudential subsidiary as part of the state’s new $300 million investment commitment to the company.

Russia Launches Massive Arctic Military Drills

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian military on Monday launched sweeping military maneuvers in the Arctic and other areas, a show of force ordered by President Vladimir Putin amid spiraling tensions with the West over Ukraine.

The five-day Arctic drills involving 38,000 servicemen, more than 50 surface ships and submarines and 110 aircraft are intended to check the readiness of Russia's Northern Fleet and the military's ability to deploy additional forces from central Russia.

Obama: It's 'Disturbing' That A Climate Change Denier Chairs Senate Environmental Committee

President Barack Obama told Vice News in an interview released on Monday that it was "disturbing" that the chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works denied the existence of climate change.

Obama was referring to Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), who threw a snowball on the Senate floor earlier this month to help make his case that climate change isn't real. Even though Inhofe cited record low temperatures across the country as evidence that climate change was overplayed, the country has actually been experiencing a warmer than average winter.

'Sunshine List' For Toronto Police Spurs Calls For Review

TORONTO - Toronto's outgoing police chief has been asked to review a program that allows off-duty officers to take on additional security-type assignments after the force's annual "sunshine list" showed more than half of its officers made over $100,000 last year.

The Toronto Police Services Board said it also wants Chief Bill Blair to explain why a "number" of police officers earned more than 50 per cent of their base salary in overtime.

The sunshine list, which details the earnings of police and civilian employees who made more than $100,000 in 2014, was released on Monday.

Government rejects gift of solar panels for Kirribilli House

It was a present intended for the Prime Minister's residence in Sydney.

But a government decision to reject a gift of a set of solar panels for Kirribilli House has seen it come under fire for its attitude toward renewable energy.

Christian lobby group Common Grace crowd funded a set of solar panels in December, hoping the government would agree to install them on Kirribilli House.

The great divide in Toronto housing

Considering the February weather that Torontonians have just endured, the overheated housing market defies all logic. It feels a bit like saying that the average house price in Whitehorse just crossed $1 million.

Along with this new threshold, we hear the all-too-familiar memes: low interest rates, limited supply and excess demand all combine to create a hot and heady marketplace for sellers and real estate agents, even when it feels like -25 C outside. Young buyers beware: either hurry up or make do in a condo.

Israel’s Gilded Age

Why did Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel feel the need to wag the dog in Washington? For that was, of course, what he was doing in his anti-Iran speech to Congress. If you’re seriously trying to affect American foreign policy, you don’t insult the president and so obviously align yourself with his political opposition. No, the real purpose of that speech was to distract the Israeli electorate with saber-rattling bombast, to shift its attention away from the economic discontent that, polls suggest, may well boot Mr. Netanyahu from office in Tuesday’s election.

But wait: Why are Israelis discontented? After all, Israel’s economy has performed well by the usual measures. It weathered the financial crisis with minimal damage. Over the longer term, it has grown more rapidly than most other advanced economies, and has developed into a high-technology powerhouse. What is there to complain about?

Bill C-51 solidifies Harper's attitude towards activists

Canada's Harper régime has invented the new crime of being a member of an "anti-Canadian petroleum movement," and equating such a stance with terrorism. Evidently believing it is in danger of losing the fight against pipeline projects intended to speed up Alberta tar sands production, its response is to place environmentalists under surveillance.

A secret report prepared by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police claims that public activism against the problems caused by oil and gas extraction is a growing and violent threat to Canada's national security. The report goes so far as to challenge the very idea that human activity is causing global warming or that global warming is even a problem.