On July 28, in London, Ontario, a police pursuit of two bank robbers resulted in three collisions. The suspects’ car hit another car, and police cars hit two other cars, the second of which was a taxicab, which appears to have had the right-of-way in an intersection. The taxi driver has been released from the hospital, but his passengers, 27-year-old Porsche Clark and her 9-year-old daughter Skyla, as of August 1st, remained in hospital in critical condition.

The London Free Press reports: “Under Ontario law, police may pursue a fleeing vehicle if a crime has been committed or is about to be committed. Police must determine whether the need to protect public safety by stopping the vehicle outweighs any possible public risks from the pursuit.” …

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could lose his job in the upcoming federal election, due in part to a scandal stemming from “ongoing fraud and corruption charges” against SNC-Lavalin (SNC), a large international engineering and construction firm based in Montreal. The charges are “linked to alleged dealings with the Moammar Gadhafi regime in Libya between 2001 and 2011.”

Jody Wilson-Raybould claims that while she was Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, she was subjected to “an intense pressure campaign [from the Prime Minister’s Office] to persuade her to override a decision to deny SNC-Lavalin a remediation agreement, which would allow the engineering giant to avoid criminal proceedings on corruption and fraud charges.” …

In most countries, numerous government welfare programs provide benefits (often means tested) to eligible recipients. Whether these payments arise from unemployment compensation, child tax credits, old age pensions, or a myriad of other programs, the outcome is the same: recipients receive guaranteed payments. The ultimate goal of many poverty warriors is a Universal Basic Income (UBI), often promoted as a supposedly cheaper alternative to the numerous welfare programs it is intended to replace. The UBI is a guaranteed income from the government which varies with age, but is otherwise unconditional. …

While stressing the importance of accountability within government, most writers fail to define this word in any meaningful way. Here is a typical example: “Accountability in government or in business has never been more important. We need to know our political leaders have integrity, are transparent and will rely on science and evidence to make critical decisions for all Ontarians.” [emphasis added]

Integrity, transparency, science, and evidence are mere by-products of genuine accountability.

Accountability is the defining feature of the business world, which increases the prosperity of successful business firms and the consumers they serve. In contrast, accountability does not exist within government. …

Writing for Postmedia News, Craig Kielburger is concerned that Canadians are (a) not sufficiently committed to the task of recycling bottles, cans, paper, plastics, etc., and (b) not willing to purchase recycled products in sufficient quantities to allow recycling businesses to be profitable. While his concern for the environment appears genuine, Kielburger fails to grasp the economic and environmental implications of the recycling industry he so fervently supports.

Kielburger says recycling is “a for-profit industry that keeps waste out of landfills. To keep the system sustainable, those businesses must be profitable.” It is true that independent businesses must be profitable in order to succeed. …