Author: Jason C. McLean

Putting the few before the many: why Harper hates the arts…

“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” Spock, Star Trek II. But when the few control everyone’s cash, their needs seem to predominate. Unfortunately that’s what’s happening in Canada these days, at least when it comes to arts funding. Two recent stories, the Sun News interview with Margie Gillis and what happened to SummerWorks, paint a pretty bleak picture of what might be on the horizon in the next four years of a Harper majority…

Our human right to public space: How the UN doesn’t go far enough on the Internet

Access to the Internet is a human right. At least that’s how the UN sees it. I see it that way, too, but I don’t think the UN goes far enough. The UN report, which deems cutting people off from the Internet to be a violation of their human rights and of international law, seems to be mostly concerned with stopping dictators from blacking out the Web in times of civil unrest (think Egypt and Syria) and preventing countries from…

Rapture regrets and accomplishments

If you’re reading this, you’re a godless heathen who has been left behind. I’m either at the top of Mount Royal with enough provisions to last me a few days or out looting. After all, I did say I’d attend post-raputure looting on Facebook and we all know to say one is “attending” something on Facebook is a sacred trust. Yes, the rapture happened yesterday at 6pm eastern, according to various people online and some guy who already predicted it would happen once before and that’s good enough evidence for me to write this post in advance and head to the hills. While I’m sure the next seven years of planetary destruction…

It was the perfect storm until the shit hit the fan: 2011 Canadian Election Results

By all accounts, this looked like it was going to be an election that would really change the political map in Canada, and it was. It looked like some political careers would be over, and a slew of new MPs would come to Ottawa. That happened too. It looked like an unstoppable wave would sweep through Quebec, then head west and not stop until we had a new Prime Minister with a new vision for a better Canada, and that’s exactly what happened – at least, the first part happened, then something went wrong, really wrong…

An Orange Wave of Excitement: Jack Layton NDP Rally @ Corona Theatre Montreal

Lineups outside of the Corona Theatre in St-Henri aren’t a unique sight. The classic movie house, reborn as a concert hall, has been hosting some of the larger local and touring musical acts playing the circuit these days. Energetic crowds inside the venue aren’t a new thing either. The main difference this Thursday afternoon was that the lineup and the energetic crowd weren’t there for a rock band, they were there for their political convictions, rallying to a familiar face that has recently felt a resurgence of support: Jack Layton…

Bringing people together by bike: We The Sheep People ready to hit the road

For some people, art is a diversion. For Mundafar Lussier and Kayla Williamson of We The Sheep People, a 15-member collective of socially conscious musicians , visual artists and other community minded individuals, it’s anything but. “Art is something that in a way touches us all emotionally,” observes WTSP founder Lussier. “Our first moral compass is based on our emotions and how we feel about things…

You Have Nothing to Fear But What I Tell You to Fear: New Candidate Enters the Election Race!

In case you haven’t heard or seen the signs up, there’s an election coming up in Canada May 2nd. A bunch of my colleagues here on the site will be covering it and offering their opinions over the next few weeks. Makes sense that I do the same, right? That’s what I thought. Until I saw this ad via Facebook. (loose translation: the Liberals and the Bloc are leaving the door open to illegal immigrants, fortunately we have Stephen Harper and the Conservatives) I guess you could say that it really inspired me. So simple. So basic. So to the point…