J. GARY PERLINE DIDN’T CHOOSE TO BE SICK. He didn’t choose to be poor either. But he was. Poverty didn’t make him sick. But it did make him more likely to get sick.

“CAN YOU JUST USE YOUR CAR TO HURT PEOPLE?” The answer “no” didn’t seem at all obvious to Tara Maszczakiewicz on August 23.

GREYHOUND BUS HAS LEFT VERA PETERS STRANDED. She’s not alone. She’s just one of the two million Canadians who won’t be able to count on Greyhound bus to stay connected any more.

SHANNON MARTIN SHOULDN’T HAVE HAD TO SLEEP ON COUCHES. She has a permanent job. She earns a good salary. Enough to pay $1650 a month in rent. But, it wasn’t enough to keep a roof over her head in Toronto. So, she had to depend on friends and family to put her up for a while.

DEAD MONEY DOESN’T HELP US MUCH. And the rich have a lot of it. Too much.

INEQUALITY IS NEVER GOOD FOR OUR HEALTH. The proof of this grows more evident and more obvious as inequality continues its uncontrolled growth. A recent research paper produced for the Canadian Labour Institute, “The Future of Work and A Modern Industrial Strategy for Canada,” highlights this truth.

OUR ELECTIONS ARE ONE BIG CHEAT. Getting the most votes should be what matters most. It isn’t. Winning the most seats is. It’s a difference that cheats us out of the democracy we all want.

YA GOTTA LOVE INEQUALITY TO LOVE OUR ECONOMY. Canadians for a Modern Industrial Strategy don’t love either. Their new research paper Going Forward sets out why and presents a visionary plan for building a modern economy founded on equality.

PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE DOUG FORD WAS ELECTED PREMIER OF ONTARIO ON JUNE 7. The good news is voter turnout jumped seven points to 58.4%. The sad news is the first-past-the-post voting system again distorted the distribution of seats. Thus the PCs will govern with a majority of seats in the provincial legislature, even though they did not get a majority of votes province-wide.

THE DONALD TRUMP TRAVELLING S**T SHOW HAS FINALLY MADE IT TO CANADA. After leaving the G7 Summit in Quebec the U.S. President called the Canadian Prime Minister “weak and very dishonest”. Then he doubled-down the next day by telling Canadians that we would pay a high price for his perceived snub.