November 2, 2025 Published in the Hamilton Spectator, November 4, 2025. Carefully buried on the Friday of Halloween, and overshadowed by the build-up for the Toronto Blue Jays World Series games over the weekend, was an announcement by the Ontario …
Collapse of GTA condo market signals market and policy failures around housing affordability.
In Ontario, the government of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s strategy for addressing the crisis of housing affordability was to effectively rely on the market (i.e. private developers) to determine and meet housing needs. That strategy is now facing a colossal …
413 Highway the tip of an iceberg of doubtful infrastructure projects.
September 7, 2025 Published in the Hamilton Spectator, September 10, 2025 The Ford government’s lack of transparency around the potential costs of the proposed 413 Highway through the GTA greenbelt is drawing growing criticism. The 413 would run from Highway …
Canada’s Pathways to Sustainability, Prosperity and Security in a Changing World: Is Bill C-5 the only way forward?
Version published in The Conversation, June 3, 2025. Elements published in The Hill Times, June 18, 2025. The contradiction is inescapable. Summer wildfires, intensified by the impacts of climate change, are again raging from BC to Ontario. At the same …
History suggests caution on fast-tracked project approvals
May 29, 2025 President Trump’s arrival has brought profound [disruptions](https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/what-trumps-executive-orders-mean-for-canada/) longstanding trade, security and environmental relationships with the US. In Canada’s case, one of the central features of the response has been a rush to ‘streamline’ approvals for resource development …
Amid rapid global growth, renewable energy’s Canadian future remains uncertain
Published in the Hill Times, June 2, 2025 May 18, 2025 Globally renewable energy sources, particularly solar and wind, have been experiencing a period of unprecedented growth. The dramatic expansion of investment and development of renewable energy sources has been …
Ontario’s Bill 5: Has Populist Authoritarianism Arrived in Canada?
Version published in the Hamilton Spectator, June 3, 2025 The first four months of US President Donald Trump’s second administration have stretched the boundaries of disbelief among even his harshest pre-election critics. He is seen as seeking to fundamentally alter …
Carney, Trump and Canada’s Economic, Security and Environmental Paths Forward
May 15, 2025 Incoming Prime Minister Mark Carney’s meeting was US President Trump last week was widely regarded as a success. Mr. Carney avoided a ‘Zelinski’ moment in the Oval Office, and was seen to have successfully fended off the …
Canada Election 2025: It doesn’t look like a climate change election, but it really is.
April 12, 2025 Published in the Conversation, The Waterloo Region Record, The Hamilton Spectator, the Peterborough Examiner Observers of the current Canadian federal election have noted the marginalization of the environment and climate change as top-of-mind issues in the face …
Nuclear energy and climate action delay
Susan O’Donnell and Mark Winfield March 22, 2025 What is the best way for utilities to delay transitioning from fossil fuels? Propose to build nuclear reactors. Electricity utilities wanting to “decarbonize” have several options for replacing the fossil fuel …