Is It Time For The NDP To Rebirth Itself

The North American right wing has been overtaken by a vile hateful Donald Trump inspired populist MAGA movement that has spawned the Freedumb Convoy types and infected the Canadian Conservative Party and what was once a principled conservative tradition in Canada, although you have to go back awhile to the former Progressive Conservative Party to find it.

Canada has long had a form of populism of it’s own within the Liberal Party but a much more benign form. Intent on maintaining it’s position as the “natural governing party” the Liberals focused their policies on what would be popular with voters, tending to “campaign from the left and govern from the right” with policies just progressive enough to get them elected without upsetting the financial powers that be that actually run the country.

The New Democratic Party has often been criticized for being too ideological but in truth that was it’s strength, being a party of social democratic principles. But it seems that it is now embracing a populism of sorts. Instead of pursuing a comprehensive social democratic platform it seems to be taking a series easy unfocused pot shots at the both the Liberals and Conservatives. At the same time it tries to convince the Liberals to adopt what it sees as popular polices and take credit for them, leaving them open to the description “Liberals in a hurry”, long decried by those of us on the left.

What is the solution. It has been over 60 years since the NDP was founded in 1961 by the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and over 90 years since The CCF was founded in 1932 by a number of socialist, agrarian, co-operative, and labour groups and the League for Social Reconstruction. Is it time for a rebirth.

Social democracy may be at the heart of the NDP but Canada’s social movements have been it’s soul. Is it time for Canada’s social movements (labour, environmental, indigenous rights, anti-poverty, fair taxation, public health care, women’s liberation, pro choice, LBGTQ+, anti war, etc.) to come together to birth a new Social Democratic Party for Canada, that will fight a principled fight for a better Canada for all.

What will this party stand for. That will of course be up to the party but I do have some ideas for some founding priorities.

The first priority must be electoral reform because if democracy is not working neither is anything else. We need an electoral system that provides for local representation as well as a House of Commons membership that reflects the philosophical positions of the voters as expressed in the total votes for each party. There are several variations of Proportional Representation that do this. My personal preference is Mixed Member Proportional (MMP).

The next priority must be tax reform, with a progressive income tax system where the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share. Without fair and adequate taxation government cannot fulfill its responsibilities to the people including public health care, the social safety net, and addressing income and wealth inequality.

The new party must also commit to completing the public health care system to include pharmacare, mental health care, dental and vision care, and long term care. This must include returning to 50% federal funding as the only way to ensure the provinces live up the the Canada Health Act is the federal spending power. Tax points that can be used to subsidize the oil and gas industry, provide benefits to land developers or bribes to voters will not save our health care system.

The last on my last, but far from the last of the policies the Social Democratic Party must adopt, is an industrial strategy designed to provide for sustainable development and fight climate change by creating good paying long term unionized jobs.

Indeed it is time for a rebirth.

Left, Right or Centre – Explainer

In today’s age of populism, with ideology apparently dead, how do you now if you are on the left or right or in the centre. There are indeed some basic philosophical positions that determine if you are on the right, left or in the centre.

If you are on the right you believe in individualism and the free market. Individualism rules supreme and there is no such thing as collective rights. You believe in the mantras that “acting in your own self interest is in the best interests of society” and “what is good for General Motors is good for America”.

You believe that almost everything, except perhaps policing and the military, is done best by the private sector and that the profit motive is the best motivator of people. Competition is the best way to provide progress and create wealth.

You believe in inequality because that is the best way to reward intelligence, talent and hard work. The poor are poor because they do not work hard enough.

You believe in small government whose role is essentially to protect private property rights. You think of taxes as something an outside entity (the government) takes from you, you may even refer to it as stealing. You may also believe in unfettered free speech.

If you are on the left you believe in community. You believe that individuals are not completely fulfilled unless they are part of a community. You believe in co-operation and working together for the common good. You care for others and believe everyone deserves respect and human dignity.

You believe everyone deserves a decent life and all work should receive a living wage with employment benefits, especially decent pensions. You believe the level of inequality in our society is immoral and billionaires should not exist.

You believe government exists to serve the common good by providing public services efficiently and reducing economic inequality in society. You believe taxes are how we collectively spend our money for the common good.

You may even believe that we have a responsibility to contribute to society according to our ability and society has a responsibility to provide for our basic needs, including food, clothing, housing, education and health care.

Those of you who claim to be in the centre are probably actually on the right but you believe government has a role in reducing the worst aspects of capitalism and providing a social safety net for the victims of capitalist excesses.

The Benefits of Being a Nobody on Twitter (& free speech)

Following 193 accounts and with 329 followers I am a relative nobody on Twitter. By controlling who I follow and who I block I can protect myself from the worst of Twitter. By choosing to follow legitimate news sources and people with similar interests, like cycling, my Twitter feed is interesting and mostly enjoyable. I even have a few significant followers who I occasionally engage with and who may extend my reach with retweets. I hope my tweets, usually about politics and social issues along with cycling and the outdoors, are interesting and useful to people.

Since I am a relative nobody I do not have to worry about being trolled and if I am “attacked” on Twitter it is for what I have said and not who I am. That cannot be said about what a lot of people on Twitter are facing, particularly in light of the new “freedom of speech” Twitter which has increased trolling and attacks on vulnerable and disadvantaged minorities forcing many to leave Twitter.

Free speech should belong to everyone. If Twitter becomes a haven for privileged white men to spew hatred that will not be a victory for free speech, but a failure of it.

An Open Message to Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe

The election is over and you can now free yourself from your election handlers. It is time to move your focus from getting elected to making Ottawa a better place to live.

So what should your first priority be. During an election campaign it is obviously whatever the largest group of voters will vote for, and you seemed to think that was NOT spending money on cycling infrastructure. But more on that later. The campaign is over.

You now need to think about what is most important to all Ottawans, and in particular vulnerable and disadvantaged ones. I put it to you that the most important thing to most of us, after our families, is our home. So try to imagine not having one. So, even if the homeless tend to not vote, as mayor they should be your most important concern.

Most municipal candidates seem to fear this issue mistakenly thinking it is too big a challenge and too costly an expenditure and they try to pass it on to other jurisdictions where it gets lost in a lack of political will. But Finland has shown that not only can providing homes for everyone be done, it saves money because it costs less than all the measures needed to deal with homelessness. It may take some imagination and dedication and work with other jurisdictions to get this done, but it can be done. There are people in Ottawa with the ability and dedication to make it happen. Work with them.

As to the apparent misplaced obsession of your election campaign, your opponent’s brilliant plan to finish Ottawa’s cycling network in 5 years instead of 25 while spending the same amount of money annually over 25 years, it is time to look at it on it’s merits and not how it can be twisted to your electoral campaign advantage.

How can one argue against a proposal that increases the cost effectiveness of city expenditures many times. You only get the benefits of any type of network when it is fully completed and interconnected. This plan expedites that so the construction costs are incurred when they are lower and the full benefits of taxpayers money is achieved in 5 years, 20 years before all the money is paid out by taxpayers. As well, networks are most effectively built from the inside out so that as much as possible of the network is interconnected. This means that it is the suburbs that benefit most from the expedited construction.

This plan, of course, does not only benefit cyclists. If you want to reduce automobile traffic congestion building more automobile infrastructure will not work because of a pesky thing called induced demand. The only way to reduce traffic congestion to reduce the number of cars on the road and that means improving public transit and cycling infrastructure. Since over 50% of car trips are short enough to be replaced by cycling, building an effective cycling network can be an important part of reducing automobile traffic congestion.

There is no reason to oppose this plan, which better spends taxpayers money, unless you simply do not want to spend any money at all on cycling infrastructure.

A Tale of Two Twitters

It is the best of the Internet, it is the worst of the Internet, it is the purveyor of wisdom, it is the purveyor of disinformation, it is the home of knowledge, it is the home of wilful ignorance.

Beyond the literary allusion (words inspired by Charles Dickens) there do indeed seem to be two Twitters. 

One can be a place of enlightenment where people share information, opinions and even wisdom and rationally debate the issues of the day.

The other can be a place where people spout conspiracy theories, lies, hate, and even threats, without any personal accountability under the cloak of anonymity.

What is the solution. Some would have us eliminate the second Twitter in the name of civility. Others would argue that Twitter should be a place of absolute free speech without any required personal responsibility.

I would suggest a solution that allows the users to choose which Twitter they want to be part of with a few simple changes that otherwise allows Twitter to continue as it is.

The first thing is to open up Verified Accounts to anyone who wishes to be verified rather than allowing verification only for VIPs and so-called influencers. The second would be to then allow Verified Users, if they wish, to restrict who can see their Tweets and whose Tweets they can see to Verified Users only.

Let people choose the Twitter they want to be part of.

Norco Scene VLT, The E-bike For People That Hate E-bikes

Definitions first. How do I define e-bike. An electric motor assisted bicycle that can be pedalled easily without the assist turned on and that requires pedalling for the motor assist to function. Any so called “e-bike” that does not requiring pedalling to move (except when coasting) is a variation on an electric motorcycle or scooter.

We are midway into our second season with our Norco Scene VLT e-bikes and both my wife Christine, whose idea it was, and myself, who was somewhat reluctant, are extremely happy with them.

 

What my clickbaitish headline is actually meant to convey is the fact the Norco Scene VLT is a great bike for someone like me who prefers to ride under my own pedal power most of the time.

The first thing I noticed when I first tried out Christine’s Norco Scene VLT (she bought hers first) was that without the power assist on it was no more difficult to pedal than our Brodie Sterling hybrids. I have no doubt that with the extra weight there is probably a measurable amount of more effort required, but certainly not a noticeable amount to the rider. Part of that might be the fact that these are not inexpensive machines so the gears and bearings are high quality probably contributing to less rolling resistance and somewhat making up for the extra weight of the motor and batteries.

So let us talk about the hardware.

The first thing you will probably notice is the lack of a top tube, not even the slanted type found on so-called women’s bikes. I never quite understood that. A top tube you cannot slip off your seat onto would be one of my top design choices for a men’s bike. But this bike is a fully step through bike meaning no worries about top tube injuries and no needing to throw your leg over the bike when starting out.

The next thing you will notice is that this is a fully upright bike. While racing bikes and mountain bikes have you bent over the top for increased speed or control and hybrid bikes put you in a somewhat less bent over position, this bike is designed for comfort and is fully upright something you will appreciate on longer rides. The upright stance however does not prevent one from leaning forward on the hills for more power,

You may also notice the dropper seat on the Norco Scene VLT. Originally designed for mountain biking, so that you can lower your seat for downhills or technical sections, on the Scene the purpose is to allow you to have your feet firmly on the ground when stopped for stop signs or red lights. My wife Christine loves hers but I have not really been able to get into the flow of using it.

Something I did not notice until I had to repair a flat tire (tube) is the through axle on the bike. All previous bikes I have owned have had the axle as part of the wheel. With that setup it is possible to misalign the gears or disc brakes if you do not tighten the quick release carefully, although this has only happened a few times for me. With the through axle, the wheel sits in the frame independently and the axle slides through both the wheel and the frame always aligning the disc brakes and chain in the same position.

While we are talking wheels, the Scene has 27.5 inch wheels, halfway between the traditional mountain bike wheel size (26 inches) and the normal racing bike wheel size (29 inches), although 27.5 inch wheels are becoming the most popular mountain bike size now. The bike also comes with hydraulic disc brakes. The approximately 2 inch tires are suitable for a wide variety of riding surfaces.

Perhaps the most significant difference, other than the motor, on the Norco Scene VLT from most bicycles today is that it only has one gear range rather than three and thus no front derailleur. While one might want more gear choices for competitive racing or technical mountain biking, the 9 gears on the Scene are more than adequate for the utilitarian or recreational cycling one will use the bike for. This provides the advantage of having the gear shifter on the right handlebar and the power selector on the left handlebar without an additional gear shifter on that side to cause confusion.

Of course as an e-bike the Norco Scene VLT comes with an electric motor, integrated into the bottom bracket, and a battery. The power assist has three levels, eco, normal and high, four if you include off. It also has a setting to power the bike slowly while walking it if desired.

With the electronics comes a bike computer. We have always had problems with third party bike computers on our other bikes but this one works flawlessly. The only complaint I have is the size of the display which only has room to show the power level and one other item, we usually set it to show speed. The bike computer works as long as the battery is turned on even if the power assist is turned off. The bike computer keeps track of: speed, trip distance, total distance, range, time taken, speed, average speed, maximum speed, cadence, and current time.

As to power consumption, my wife Christine usually rides in eco mode full time and we have done over three hour 60 km rides with her power not dropping to 50%.

You might be asking, what about rain, can I ride a bike with an electric motor in the rain. The Internet seems to have varying opinions  about this. What I can say is that we have rode our Norco Scene VLTs in the rain (but not downpours) as well as through shallow puddles and even got stuck in the mud once without any apparent problem (yet). But I would certainly avoid submerging the bottom bracket or motor under water.

Now the big question is why pay more for an e-bike when you could buy a regular bike for much less.

I tend to use my power assist as another tool along with the gears. However how and when I use it often just depends on mood, whether I want to go all out for a workout and avoid the power assist altogether, just go for a more casual ride, or go for a much longer ride where I want to manage my exertion more carefully.

The latter case is most interesting. Killer hills can take a lot of exertion and just reducing that exertion with power assist for those short sections may be able to increase your total distance for the ride or just make the ride more enjoyable.

Wind, of course is another factor. The availability of power assist means you can go out on windy days and have some help pedalling into 30 km + winds.

In many cases just having the power assist available may lead people to try out longer and more difficult routes than they otherwise would.

The other benefit is power assist allows “weaker” riders to ride with stronger ones by using the power assist to equalize their pace.

There are two particular scenarios I can think of for the use of power assist.

The first is commuting where one can go faster and with less exertion and avoid arriving at work hot and sweaty, especially if shower facilities are not available. Then on the way home one can turn it off and get your daily workout.

The other is really hot days when one can use the power assist on killer hills to avoid dangerously over-exerting in the heat.

As to what setting to use, I have found that the lowest eco mode is all that I normally use and usually only throw it into high if I have had to stop for some reason and then want to catch up quickly to my riding partner. Everyone will, of course, have their own preference.

Many people will intuitively think that using an e-bike means you get less exercise but that is a misunderstanding. Most people will ride at a comfortable pedalling pace for them. With an e-bike the power assist will just allow that pedalling pace to take them on longer rides faster. Indeed the peace of mind of knowing the assist is there will likely lead people to ride more often and go on longer and more difficult rides. More riding means more exercise.

So, no, your friend did not buy an e-bike because they are lazy.

Full specs for the Norco Scene VLT can be found here.

Norco also makes a similar e-bike with front suspension, the Norco Indie VLT.

Norco also makes a non e-bike version of the Norco Scene. 

The Norco scene can be purchased in Ottawa or Carleton Place at Joe Mamma Cycles. 

One last comment, if an e-bike is beyond your budget but you are looking at buying a new bike for commuting or recreation I would certainly recommend looking at a step through upright bike if comfort is more important to you than speed.

Glen Cairn Pathway System Deterioration

Bridlewood is not the only Kanata South community with crumblingmulti-use pathways (MUPs) that are deteriorating due to multiplefreeze-thaw cycles every year as a result of climate change.

This pathway through Glen Cairn is also crumbling away.

 

The Freedumb Charter

 

SocialCoin – The Socially Responsible Alternative to Bitcoin

 I am placing this concept in the public domain for anyone with the necessary technical skills to create the structures and necessary algorithms to implement it.

Wikipedia provides an extensive section on Bitcoin and in particular Bitcoin mining.

Essentially Bitcoin is created by an energy wasting computer process they call mining. The value (profit) is based on “proof of work” provided by the computer process and not by any product mined, as no product is produced in so-called Bitcoin mining. A computer algorithm determines the amount of value (profit) that accrues to the Bitcoin “miners:

So how does SocialCoin work. Mining SocialCoin involves utilizing energy, resources and labour to create social housing, But based on the Bitcoin model the value (profit) is not produced by the product created, so the housing created can be given freely to public or non-profit housing agencies, housing co-ops or directly to those needing housing. Like Bitcoin, the product created is irrelevant to the creation of SocialCoin. Like Bitcoin the value (profit) derived from mining SocialCoin is based on the work done and derived by a computer algorithm and accrues to the SocialCoin “miners”.

I challenge any economist to demonstrate that this concept is not as feasible as Bitcoin.

Can Proportional Representation Save Our Parliamentary Democracy

           Parliament - Etymology

The English term is derived from Anglo-Norman and dates to the 14th century, coming from the 11th century Old French parlement, "discussion, discourse", from parler, meaning "to talk".[2] The meaning evolved over time, originally referring to any discussion, conversation, or negotiation through various kinds of deliberative or judicial groups, often summoned by a monarch. By the 15th century, in Britain, it had come to specifically mean the legislature.[3]   Source:Wikipedia

The very essence of our Parliamentary system is talking, and more importantly listening, and debating and elected representatives actually changing their opinions. Parliament and the provincial legislatures is where policy and laws are supposed to be made.

We have let our system become one where policies are made by political spin doctors designed not for the good of the people but for the purpose of winning the most votes. Individual Members (MPs and MPPs) have become meaningless with all the emphasis on the parties and particularly the leaders.

We have this situation because we have a system where a party can win a majority of seats with a minority of votes and where party leaders, particularly leaders of the governing party, have almost absolute control of their parties making individual Members nearly irrelevant.

Supporters of our current system like to claim a Proportionate Representation electoral system would give fringe parties excessive power, But what it would really do is give individual MPs or MPPs power. One party and one leader would no longer have absolute power but the elected Members would have to work together to build consensus, meaning individual Members would actually matter.

The one benefit of the current First Past The Post/Single Member Plurality (FPTP/SMP) system is that we elect local constituency representatives. We can still have that with a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) electoral system with the addition of extra Members to align the membership of the legislature with the votes by party overall. Everybody’s vote would count even if you lived in a constituency were the party you support has no chance of winning. Your vote would still count and you would still be represented., Indeed you would actually have a reason to vote.

We could actually have a system where the elected Members govern and we do not simply elect a dictator (usually with a minority of votes) every four years.

For a more comprehensive look at our parliamentary democracy and how to improve it see On Democracy.