The biology of business: Homo administrans

Biologists have brought rigour to psychology, sociology and even economics. Now they are turning their attention to the softest science of all: management
Sep 23, 2010
The Economist
http://www.economist.com/node/17090697

Alberta unveils plan to study oil sands’ impact on water quality

The Alberta government, facing growing concerns about the impact of oil sands operations, is bringing together scientists to try to resolve whether the industry is poisoning surrounding rivers, lakes and groundwater
Sep 24, 2010
Dean Bennett
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/prairies/alberta-unveils-plan-to-study-oil-sands-impact-on-water-quality/article1723975/

Teck, Suncor partner on wind power project

Canada's largest energy company is partnering with the country's biggest miner to develop a major wind farm project in Alberta
Sep 22, 2010
The Canadian Press
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/teck-suncor-partner-on-wind-power-project/article1718742/

The Fallacy of 'Ethical Oil'

Better to describe Canada's oil sands crude as 'the devil's tears.'
Sep 22, 2010
Andrew Nikiforuk
TheTyee.ca
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/09/22/EthicalOilFallacy/

Africa must learn to feed itself

The way to an agricultural revolution in Africa has long been clear: Promote research, put the latest technology in the hands of the farmers and boost investment in rural infrastructure. It is the will that has been missing – at least until now, if we heed a rising chorus of African leaders.
Sep 21, 2010
Roger Thurow
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/africa-must-learn-to-feed-itself/article1717277/

Alberta launches oil sands PR campaign

After enduring a barrage of attacks that rehashed environmental hazards associated with developing Western Canada’s oil sands, Alberta’s provincial government has gone on the offensive
Sep 20, 2010
Tim Kiladze
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/alberta-launches-oil-sands-pr-campaign/article1715539/

Canada Helps Create an Oil Sands World

Alberta is showing the way for nations with similar reserves. Brace for a global 'age of tough oil.'
Sep 9, 2010
Geoff Dembicki
TheTyee.ca
http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/09/09/OilSandsWorld/

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Blogging science

Three guys, three PhDs in science (one pending), write three blogs on science policy. Their blog posts – and personal lives – provide interesting insights into the state of science training in Canada today.
Sep 13, 2010
Léo Charbonneau
University Affairs
http://www.universityaffairs.ca/blogging-science.aspx

Why science matters in campaign season

Thirteenth in a series of expert analysis articles on major issues in the 2010 N.B. election
Sep 13, 2010
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nbvotes2010/story/2010/09/12/nbvotes-analysis-environment-305.html

Tightened muzzle on scientists is 'Orwellian'

Documents reveal federal researchers, whose work is financed by taxpayers, need approval from Ottawa before speaking with media
Sep 12, 2010
MARGARET MUNRO
Postmedia News
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Tightened+muzzle+scientists+Orwellian/3515345/story.html

What if Galileo were here?

Renaissance man wouldn't have caused uproar because Tories would have him silenced
Sep 15, 2010
Graham Thomson
Edmonton Journal
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/What+Galileo+were+here/3526525/story.html?cid=megadrop_story

Canada's universities make the grade globally

Influential rankings put nine schools in top 200, with University of Toronto edging out McGill for the top spot in Canada, using new yardstick for excellence
Sep 16, 2010
Simon Beck and Adrian Morrow
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canadas-universities-make-the-grade-globally/article1709616/

Canada lacks innovation

Global competitiveness report delivers a low grade for our country, placing it well behind the U.S., Japan, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland
Sep 16, 2010
DAVID CRANE
The Gazette
http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Canada+lacks+innovation/3531837/story.html

No science? no worries

Getting a C in chemistry may not be a barrier to that white coat, as med schools reassess their admissions
Sep 13, 2010
Carson Jerema
Macleans
http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2010/09/13/no-science-no-worries/

Fed's R&D regional investment 'insufficient'

Alward will press Ottawa for more funds if elected premier, Graham would create bursary program to increase number of workers
Sep 17, 2010
Adam Huras
Telegraph-Journal
http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/journal/article/1222396

MS treatment trials possible, Ottawa says

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq says trials could start as soon as she receives research findings
Sep 14, 2010
The Canadian Press
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ms-treatment-trials-possible-ottawa-says/article1707560/

Government of Canada Promotes Jobs and Growth in Southern Ontario

New program will strengthen economy by bringing promising technology to market
Sep 14, 2010
Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Government-of-Canada-Promotes-Jobs-and-Growth-in-Southern-Ontario-1318580.htm

Alberta’s water watchdog under tighter scrutiny over oil sands

Prentice, saying he’s ‘disgusted’ by images of deformed fish from the Athabasca River, will review agency overseeing province’s water quality
Sep 17, 2010
Josh Wingrove
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/albertas-water-watchdog-under-tighter-scrutiny-over-oil-sands/article1712995/

Kick at the darkness to fight dementia

Our health system is woefully unprepared for the oncoming crisis. So today, The Globe and Mail presents a seven-point plan to grapple with it.
Sep 17, 2010
André Picard
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/dementia/why-canada-needs-a-national-strategy-on-dementia/article1712700/

Kick at the darkness to fight dementia

In the new world of fearless senior citizens, there is a largely hidden group that should not be forgotten. Those who have dementia will be a large and growing, and difficult-to-care-for, population.
Sep 17, 2010
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/kick-at-the-darkness-to-fight-dementia/article1712722/

Mutant fish lead to calls for Ottawa to monitor oil sands

Scientists, aboriginals concerned after fish taken from Lake Athabasca have tumours and lack snouts, spines
Sep 16, 2010
Bob Weber
The Canadian Press
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/prairies/mutant-fish-lead-to-calls-for-ottawa-to-monitor-oil-sands/article1711070/

The death of mothers is not just a women’s issue

We have a responsibility to protect the legacies of our mothers and the futures of our sisters and daughters
Sep 15, 2010
Catherine Clark
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/the-death-of-mothers-is-not-just-a-womens-issue/article1708849/

Arctic sea ice levels third-lowest on record

Suggestions earlier this summer that ice was recovering now ruled out, long-term decline seems to be continuing
Sep 15, 2010
The Canadian Press
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/arctic-sea-ice-levels-third-lowest-on-record/article1708568/

Less salt, please

Someone has to hold the federal government accountable for making sure its proposed salt reduction actually happens. The provincial health ministers seem inclined to do just that.
Sep 14, 2010
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/less-salt-please/article1707603/

Health ministers to curb salty Canadian diet

Federal and provincial officials meeting in St. John’s will agree to cut recommended daily sodium intake by a teaspoon, sources say
Sep 14, 2010
Gloria Galloway
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/health-ministers-to-curb-salty-canadian-diet/article1706622/

Provinces give Ottawa $33-million bill for isotope shortage

Canadian nuclear reactor responsible for a third of the world’s supply went out of service in 2009
Sep 14, 2010
Gloria Galloway
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/provinces-give-ottawa-33-million-bill-for-isotope-shortage/article1706765/

The case of the missing drug plan

Forget nationalizing existing drug programs. Canadians are still waiting for the catastrophic drug care program promised to them many years ago.
Sep 14, 2010
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/the-case-of-the-missing-drug-plan/article1707598/

Dr. Zamboni’s treatment deserves study

With high rates of multiple sclerosis, Canada has an obligation to be aggressive in determining whether a controversial new treatment for multiple sclerosis works
Sep 13, 2010
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/dr-zambonis-treatment-deserves-study/article1706134/

Canadians will have to pay up as Canada gets drier

Statistics Canada found that the water supply in “Southern Canada” – meaning the set of areas where 98 per cent of the population lives – fell by 8.5 per cent from 1971 to 2005
Sep 13, 2010
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/canadians-will-have-to-pay-up-as-canada-gets-drier/article1706142/

Noted Canadian scientist to take helm of Rockefeller University

Posting ‘a great honour and extraordinarily humbling’ for Marc Tessier-Lavigne, a leader in the study of the brain and nervous system
Sep 10, 2010
Anne McIlroy
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/noted-canadian-scientist-to-take-helm-of-rockefeller-university/article1703550/

The cure for MS includes healthy skepticism and a dose of hope

Ethics and budgets demand that rigorous research precede clinical trials of Dr. Zamboni’s liberation treatment
Sep 8, 2010
Timothy Caulfield
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/the-cure-for-ms-includes-healthy-skepticism-and-a-dose-of-hope/article1698967/

Growing ideas in a high-tech hothouse

Web pioneer Gerri Sinclair guides Ryerson University’s experiment in nurturing innovation and keeping entrepreneurial talent in Canada
Sep 7, 2010
Elizabeth Church
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/growing-ideas-in-a-high-tech-hothouse/article1698992/

U.S. Speaker calls for cut in oil imports

Nancy Pelosi educates herself about Canada’s oil sands, but makes clear her distaste for fossil fuel
Sep 10, 2010
Shawn McCarthy and Jane Taber
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/us-speaker-calls-for-cut-in-oil-imports/article1701317/

Sure, worry about climate change – but not too much

Exaggerated fear is no basis for making smart decisions about something as complicated as global warming
Sep 10, 2010
Bjørn Lomborg
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/sure-worry-about-climate-change-but-not-too-much/article1701553/

The political storm watch on Fish Lake

Aboriginals and pro-development groups are on a collision course as they await decision on $800-million B.C. mining project
Sep 10, 2010
Wendy Stueck
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/the-political-storm-watch-on-fish-lake/article1703514/

Let top statistician resolve census issue, former civil servants urge PM

Letter to PM warns that top-down decision to scrap long-form census is eroding faith in the nation’s statistical agency
Sep 10, 2010
Steven Chase
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/let-top-statistician-resolve-census-issue-former-civil-servants-urge-pm/article1703274/

Suncor charged over water runoff

Company accused of leaking dirty water into river, providing misleading information about incident at stalled oil sands upgrader
Sep 9, 2010
Nathan VanderKlippe
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/suncor-charged-over-water-runoff/article1701581/

Thousands of salmon found dead after Nova Scotia oil spill

Provincial fisheries minister says it’s not clear yet if 500,000 salmon fry died because of nearby spill on Aug. 18
Sep 9, 2010
The Canadian Press
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/atlantic/thousands-of-salmon-found-dead-after-nova-scotia-oil-spill/article1701265/

Prosperity’s propensity for problems

All sides are holding their breath, waiting for a decision from the federal government on a proposed mine
Sep 9, 2010
John Ibbitson
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/prosperitys-propensity-for-problems/article1701948/

Bacteria and climate change: Invisible carbon pumps

A group of oceanic micro-organisms just might prove a surprising ally in the fight against climate change
Sep 9, 2010
The Economist
http://www.economist.com/node/16990766

Understanding the universe: Order of creation

The Economist reviews Stephen Hawking's first major book in a decade
Sep 9, 2010
The Economist
http://www.economist.com/node/16990802

In search of a lean, green Quebec

Author François Cardinal says the province’s children suffer from a ‘nature-deficit disorder’
Sep 8, 2010
Jeffrey Simpson
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/in-search-of-a-lean-green-quebec/article1698971/

Take Athabasca science seriously

Dr. David Schindler found elevated levels of mercury, lead and other toxic elements in the Athabasca River, concluding that the “oil sands industry substantially increases loadings” of toxins into the river.
Sep 7, 2010
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/take-athabasca-science-seriously/article1697936/

Hazards of the mighty pesticide wand

Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick are all no-go zones for cosmetic spraying. But in Saskatchewan, the whole province is Round-Up ready
Sep 7, 2010
Patricia Dawn Robertson
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/hazards-of-the-mighty-pesticide-wand/article1694282/

Oil industry lowballs bird deaths: study

Annual death rate related to tailings ponds at least 30 times higher, ecologist says
Sep 7, 2010
The Canadian Press
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/09/07/oilsands-tailing-ponds-bird-deaths.html

Government's strategy on climate change? Just wait and see what U.S. will do

'Canada so far easily the worst performing country on climate change in the rich world,' says expert.
Sep 6, 2010
KRISTEN SHANE
The Hill Times
http://www.thehilltimes.ca/page/view/climatestrategy-09-06-2010

An ill wind on Lake Erie

The McGuinty government’s response to wind turbine opposition at Point Pelee reveals a green-energy policy in disarray
Sep 6, 2010
Adam Radwanski
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/adam-radwanski/an-ill-wind-on-lake-erie/article1697544/

Monday, September 6, 2010

Don’t swallow these innovation nostrums

One report after another offers us quick fixes to close the gaps. But there are no short cuts
Aug 27, 2010
David Naylor and Stephen Toope
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/dont-swallow-these-innovation-nostrums/article1688275/

Canada's first research chair in men's health

Ottawa appointment to ensure better care for patients with male cancers
Aug 31, 2010
Sneh Duggal
The Ottawa Citizen
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/Canada+first+research+chair+health/3462156/story.html

Environmental group warns federal government against Artic oil drilling

World Wildlife Fund of Canada says the move is ill-advised because it comes in advance of a planned regulatory review
Sep 6, 2010
KRISTEN SHANE
The Hill Times
http://www.thehilltimes.ca/page/view/oildrilling-09-06-2010

Mental stimulation and dementia: Brain gain

Stimulating the brain delays, but does not prevent, dementia
Sep 2, 2010
The Economist
http://www.economist.com/node/16941143

B.C.’s fishy salmon science

Like it or not, farmed fish will soon be vital to feed a hungry world
Sep 2, 2010
Margaret Wente
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/bcs-fishy-salmon-science/article1693096/

Where’s the family planning in Ottawa’s maternal health plan?

The oversight is especially hard to understand because Canada wants to be regarded as a leader in global health initiatives for women and children
Sep 1, 2010
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/wheres-the-family-planning-in-ottawas-maternal-health-plan/article1693077/

Experts casting about for correct new salmon quota

This year’s fish run appears bountiful, but question about numbers to take in future remains contentious
Aug 31, 2010
Tamsyn Burgmann
The Canadian Press
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/experts-casting-about-for-correct-new-salmon-quota/article1691817/

Pour more cold water on the IPCC

A new review of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change contains some smart institutional reforms, but this response is too timid if the IPCC is to bulletproof itself.
Aug 31, 2010
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/pour-more-cold-water-on-the-ipcc/article1690681/

Elevated levels of toxins found in Athabasca River

Finding refutes long-standing claims that water quality hasn’t been affected by oil sands development
Aug 30, 2010
Josh Wingrove
Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/prairies/elevated-levels-of-toxins-found-in-athabasca-river/article1689578/