"Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past"

Yukon man grows pineapple at home — and it only took 9 years | CBC News When Alex Oberg finally cut into the fruit for a taste, it was a bit sour. 'We maybe could have waited a little bit longer,' he said.

Logotherapy www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Personal post - some proud of this guy for bringing home the city championship for Western Canada High.

I’ll be interviewed tomorrow morning around 7:30am PST/8:30am MST by Sarah Crosbie on QR 770 Radio in Calgary, about my blunt post below. Should be interesting. Tune in, Calgary.

Please help us spread the word far and wide — The Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social is now live! My colleagues @tomflood.bsky.social, @grantennis.bsky.social and I have worked hard to get it here, but this is just the beginning. Stay tuned for more from our launch all week! #UrbanTruth

Rubio’s and Vance’s claim is that “Western civilization” is unique to Christians (not even Jews) of continental “heritage,” and that its values are unique to these people.

It’s important that we recognize these as universal human values, present in any developed society. And avoid 3 fallacies:

5/ You can't really understand the opposition to those rights without accounting for the effectiveness of the voices deliberately sowing that opposition (h/t to @volts.wtf who has been making this argument in other contexts!)

4/ but they are rolling out the same arguments they have been for decades (any remember when the Nisga'a Final Agreement foretold the collapse of BC's economy??) to convince people that Indigenous rights are an existential threat.

3/ ...they are being told that, loudly and frequently. There are dozens of editorials by lawyers, academics, and politicos outlining the dangers of Indigenous rights (I won't link here, but you can find them easily enough). None of these are grounded in empirical evidence, of course...

2/ That's fine as far as it goes, but it leaves out a crucial part of this - the fear mongering that has led people to believe that their property and economic safety is being put at perilous harm. People did not just wake up and assume that Indigenous rights were are threat...

The fraying consensus on the rights of Indigenous peoples: Ken Coates for Inside Policy With the courts increasingly supporting their claims, Indigenous people are not just asking for a “seat at the table” – they’re calling for a full stake in the game.

1/ Ken Coates argues that "Canadians say they support reconciliation. Right now, that support appears to come with a caveat: “as long as it doesn’t impact me.”" In short: as the impact of Indigenous rights on individuals has increased, so too has opposition to those claims

tinyurl.com/2sv6mm3u

Two more preventible deaths on our city roads have left me heartbroken for those families.

This traffic safety crisis is ours to solve. Every death is preventable. Please slow down. Put away the phone. Watch for pedestrians. No destination is worth a life.

Let's make Vision Zero real for Calgary.

'Absolute tragedy': Toddler dies after collision involving Jeep in southwest Calgary | CBC News Calgary police say a child has died after a collision on Sunday.

A two-year old and a 90 year old are the first two pedestrian deaths in Calgary this year. Important to remember that these tragedies are made much more likely by deliberate design and policy choices as @thewaroncars.bsky.social so effectively remind us.

#visionzero

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

“Declarations of Aboriginal Title Are Not Discretionary” By: Kent McNeil Case Commented On:  JD Irving, Limited et al v Wolastoqey Nations, 2025 NBCA 129 (CanLII); Wolastoqey Nations v New Brunswick and Canada, et al., 2024 NBKB 203 (CanLII) PDF Version:…

Kent McNeil has an important contribution on the NBCA's Aboriginal title decision, questioning the court's conclusion that a declaration of title is discretionary once a factual finding of title is made: ablawg.ca/2026/02/11/d...

Svaneborg Kardyb: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert YouTube video by NPR Music

A cleanse: www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1mg...

NEW: A Texas county medical examiner found that Geraldo Lunas Campos was choked to death by a guard while he was held in ICE custody earlier this month.

Geraldo is the sixth person to die in ICE detention this year.

US seeks to use Alberta to destabilize Canada The Trump administration and MAGA circles are closely watching the conservative, oil-rich province, particularly as a separatist movement has launched a campaign to organize an independence referendum...

Regarding the ongoing signature collection in Alberta for a referendum on separation, @piosmo.bsky.social writes in Le Monde:

"The MAGA ecosystem has seized on this political moment – the signature drive is scheduled to continue until early May – in an attempt to destabilize Canada."

The New Brunswick Court of Appeal Weighs in on Aboriginal Title and Private Lands By: Robert Hamilton Cases Commented On: JD Irving, Limited et al v Wolastoqey Nation, 2025 NBCA 129 CanLII; Wolastoqey Nations v New Brunswick and Canada, et al., 2024 NBKB 203 CanLII. PDF Version:…

My take on the NBCA's recent decision on Wolastoqey title:

ablawg.ca/2026/01/14/t...

The Wolastoq (St. John) River

No Amazon, No Gmail: Trump Sanctions Upend the Lives of I.C.C. Judges

The penalties effectively cut the judges off from all American funds, goods and credit cards, and prohibit individuals and business in the U.S. from working with them. “We’re treated like pariahs, we are on a list with terrorists and drug dealers,” Ms. Ibáñez said. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/w...

Aftershock: The War on Terror

A good (timely!) listen from @lrb.co.uk : www.lrb.co.uk/podcasts-and...

Totally. CEBL uses the Elam ending, have seen many comebacks from 3-point-from-target-score induced insanity. Also, NBA Cup games should use the Elam ending

As Alberta completes its first full year without coal in its power supply mix, renewables (wind, solar, and hydro) have reached 22% of total generation and natural gas makes up 78%.

Billy Strings: Tiny Desk Concert YouTube video by NPR Music

PSA, there is a Billy Strings Tiny Desk
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wgqa...

"... In other words, unlike a typical international “soft law” instrument, UNDRIP should not be treated as a mere “non-binding international instrument” to which modest, moderate, or significant weight, or no weight at all, may be optionally ascribed in the interpretive exercise." (para 129)

"... with due regard for the extent to which a relevant article expresses a binding international rule or general principle, minimum standard, or aspiration...."

Big case for those following the interpretation of UNDRIP in Canadian courts: www.bccourts.ca/jdb-txt/ca/2...

"UNDRIP should be applied as a weighty source for the interpretation of Canadian law in accordance with the presumption of conformity..."

Cowichan Tribes and Private Property: Separating Fact from Fiction - JFK Law - Canada Since the BC Supreme Court released Cowichan Tribes v. Canada (Attorney General), 2025 BCSC 1490, in August 2025 declaring that the Quw'utsun (Cowichan)...

This is a very helpful piece "Separating Fact from Fiction" in the Cowichan title decision.

TL;DR: the "threat" to private property is a being vastly overstated.

jfklaw.ca/cowichan-tri...

Opinion: Notwithstanding clause never meant to be used to benefit the government Dave King was was there when clause was born in Alberta cabinet. It was never meant to be used for the benefit of the government itself.

This stood out from David King's excellent op-ed on s33: "the current government is ... dispirited — deeply unhappy with its situation and unable to find any path to joy in serving the people of Alberta." The idea of finding joy in public service...

calgaryherald.com/opinion/colu...

Private ownership is in jeopardy, lawyer says about Cowichan court ruling | Globalnews.ca The B.C. Supreme Court granted the Cowichan Nation Aboriginal title over nearly six square kilometres of land in Richmond. But the case has created a lot of confusion.

When dealing with contentious issues, orgs like @globalnews.ca should take more care than they did here, running an inflammatory headline based on an interview with a single expert. I promise there are experts with different views (that might induce less hysteria)

globalnews.ca/news/1151268...