Is she a class act, or what?
… All three opposition leaders forcefully demanded Wednesday that Mr. Harper fire the International Co-operation Minister, who ordered an official document to be altered and then allegedly misled a parliamentary committee about the matter. …
Why is the government supporting this loser?
Please quietly shuffle her out of cabinet.
I love him so much, I just might have to vote Conservative next election.
I heard Clement on the radio yesterday, making exactly the right noises.
Canada minister says Internet billing ruling flawed
… A Canadian regulatory ruling that effectively stops small Internet providers from offering unlimited downloading must be revised, Industry Minister Tony Clement said on the social networking site Twitter.
“True. CRTC must go back to the drawing board,”
Read more …
Prime Minister Harper dropped the hammer on the CRTC via Twitter, too.
The people I trust on the internet are Michael Geist, Jeff Jarvis and Cory Doctorow. (2 of them Canadian).
They’ll like the stand made by Clement.
Here’s what Cory Doctorow had to say Feb. 2nd, before the elected masters stomped all over the CRTC ruling:
Welcome to the Canadian Internet, where extreme concentration in telecoms and a weak, lame regulator have given rise to a nation where your Internet access is metered in small, ungenerous dribs, and where ranging too far afield during your network use results in your ISP breaking into your browsing session to tell you that you’re close to being cut off from the net. …
Boing Boing – Welcome to the Canadian Internet, now stop using it
Other politicians are coming ’round to the ephiphany that standing up for the voters is a WINNER of an issue.
Jeff Jarvis:
In her second major speech on internet freedom, I’m delighted that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stood for the freedom to connect and recognizes the internet as a public space …
She vowed Tuesday to invest $25 million for developers to build tools that will let online dissidents get around “thugs, hackers and censors.”
Just How Open Is Your Internet? [INFOGRAPHICS]
I know what you’re thinking. We’re going to drive TELUS, Bell and Rogers out of business in Canada !!
I hope so.
Some leaner, more honest competitors will rise to take their place.
If there’s a demand for internet, companies will fill that need.
In general, the more affluent the country, the fewer citizens report that they are ‘religious’.
Note that Kuwait and the USA are outliers, exceptions to that general rule.
James A. Haught wrote about this trend:
Since World War II, worship has dwindled starkly in Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan and other advanced democracies. In those busy places, only 5 or 10 percent of adults now attend church. Secular society scurries along heedlessly. …
… males outnumber females among the churchless. “The ratio of 60 males to 40 females is a remarkable result …
Is this trend good or bad?
Good, I’d say, overall.
Religion works for some. I respect their right to freedom of religions so long as it doesn’t impose on others.
And any trend for less religiosity should diminish the fervency of religious extremists. We would hope.
Thanks Warren.
related – What atheists are really concerned about
From the company’s FAQ:
Q. Why do you call your service unlimited, when my monthly usage is limited?
A. We refer to TELUS High Speed as being unlimited because you get unlimited hours of monthly access.
If that’s not deceptive enough, Napalm points out that it’s also wrong. A month has only 744 hours, not “unlimited”.
(via Michael Geist)
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved a lame proposal being pushed by 3 Internet Service Providers that control 96% of the market.
I’m one of 200,000 voters who signed a petition against that proposal.
Happily it looks to be dead in the water.
First the NDP. Then the Liberals. And now Conservative Tony Clement, the Minister responsible, are all banging the drums for an innovative and competitive marketplace.
CBC – Industry Minister Tony Clement says CTRC decision will be ‘studied carefully’
Fact is that corporations try to use monopoly and oligopoly to maximize their own profits. They want to make you pay as much as possible, for as little as possible.
If you are interested, the best summary of the complicated issue was posted today by Michael Geist.
Many Canadians are asleep while the ISPs plot a cash grab.
George Stroumboulopoulos explains the complicated issue calling B.S. on the Internet Service Providers.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I’ve already signed the petition at: StopTheMeter.ca
Telcos and ISPs are the least trustworthy corporations today.
According to a CNBC meaningless list:
That Calgary holds the No. 1 position on this list is even more impressive considering Calgary’s province Alberta actually leads Canada in per capita waste: 2174 pounds per person.
Facing a rapid economic and population expansion, Alberta revamped its sanitation system in the past two years with the Too Good to Waste program, which aims to decrease the amount of waste sent to landfills.
Additional efforts were being made to reduce construction and demolition waste through training, increasing recycling of materials (such as wood, asphalt, drywall, shingles and concrete), as well as financial incentive and disincentive programs.
proof – CNBC
Thanks Jenn.
… this post for Canadians who want good internet service at a fair market price …
Atop my least trusted and most hated corporations list are the Telecos.
(There’s a special circle of Hell reserved for TELUS employees.)
An enemy of my enemy is my friend … these guys:
Stop The Meter On Your Internet Use
I like their strident hyperbole:
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are about to impose usage-based billing on YOU.
This means we’re looking at a future where ISPs will charge per byte, the way they do with smart phones. If we allow this to happen Canadians will have no choice but to pay MUCH more for less Internet. Big Telecom companies are obviously trying to gouge consumers, control the Internet market, and ensure that consumers continue to subscribe to their television services.
These Big Telecom companies are forcing small ISP competitors to adopt the same pricing scheme. So we have no choice but to pay these punitive fees.
This will crush innovative services, Canada’s digital competitiveness, and your wallet.
This will bring you up to speed.
Click PLAY or watch a CBC news summary on YouTube.
Rick McCharles 
