By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday, July 26, 2014 Province not ready to commit to $811-million Hamilton LRT The province isn’t ready to commit to an $811 million LRT line in Hamilton and there’s no timeline for a decision. Ontario’s new Transportation Minister, Steven Del Duca, emerged from a controversial private meeting at … [Read more...]
By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday July 25, 2014 Does Hamas use civilians as human shields? “Hamas is using them, Palestinians, as human shields.” Benjamin Netanyahu, 20 July 2013 There is no dispute that Palestinian civilians tend to suffer disproportionately when the Arab-Israeli conflict boils over into violence. At time of writing, more … [Read more...]
By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday, July 24, 2014 Bills to safeguard blood, chemo drugs to be reintroduced in Ontario legislature Ontario is taking aim once again at two pay-for-plasma clinics in Toronto, dusting off legislation to ban paid donations two weeks after Health Ministry inspectors swooped in to seize records at the … [Read more...]
By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday July 23, 2014 Pen Canada hit with audit by Canada Revenue Agency, joining other charity groups critical of Harper government The Canada Revenue Agency has launched a political-activities audit of Pen Canada, a small charity promoting freedom of expression that has criticized the Harper government in … [Read more...]
The above cartoon marks the moment the proverbial earthquake rocked my afternoon yesterday and stopped time altogether. My challenge was to come up with something on the tragic events unfolding in eastern Ukraine following the horrific Malaysia Air jet plane crash, allegedly brought down by a missile launched in the war torn region. There are … [Read more...]
By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday July 22, 2014 Ukraine Separatists Yield, Allowing Bodies to Depart and Agreeing to Hand Over Black Boxes After days of obstruction, Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine reached an agreement with Malaysia on Monday to surrender the flight recorder boxes of the Malaysia Airlines jetliner downed by a … [Read more...]
By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday July 19, 2014 RCMP lay 31 criminal charges against Senator Mike Duffy Mike Duffy’s fall from grace took another stunning tumble Thursday as Mounties charged the suspended senator with 31 counts of fraud, breach of trust and bribery in connection with the alleged misuse of taxpayers’ funds. … [Read more...]
By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday July 18, 2014 Australia’s carbon tax repealed after 2 years Australia’s Conservative government repealed a much-maligned carbon tax on the nation’s worst greenhouse gas polluters on Thursday, ending years of contention over a measure that became political poison for the lawmakers who imposed it. The Senate voted … [Read more...]
By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday July 17, 2014 Mike Duffy is my father, Peruvian woman claims in a lawsuit Beleaguered Senator Mike Duffy faced fresh controversy Tuesday after Maclean’s magazine published an interview with a Peruvian woman who claims to be his daughter. The magazine reported that the woman, Karen Duffy, was … [Read more...]
By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday July 16, 2014 Concrete dumped in city sewer “not going anywhere” The city will need to reroute sewage under the future James Street North GO Station after a truckload of concrete was dumped into an old sewer. It’s believed a construction crew working on the site east … [Read more...]