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The evolution of freedom of information in Ontario: From reactive to proactice disclosure

Ann Cavoukian, Ph.D

Much progress has been made in improving access to government information. But much more must be done; governments should embrace the ideas of Open Data and automatic disclosure to ensure accountability and citizen participation in public life.

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The MOOC bubble and the attack on public education

Aaron Bady

MOOCs are the hot new educational trend, garnering headlines around the world. But the hype conceals a speculative bubble, a gamble where public higher education has everything to lose and business interests have everything to gain.

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Good government and Statistics Canada: The need for true independence

Munir A. Sheikh

The cancellation of the long form census in 2010 raised serious questions about the independence of Statistics Canada. Munir A. Sheik, former Chief Statistician of Canada, argues that Statistics Canada needs to be insulated from political interference to ensure good data and good public policy.

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Contempt for values: The controversy over Library and Archives Canada’s Code of Conduct

Myron Groover

Library and Archives Canada has introduced a new code of conduct that contains worrying restrictions for its employees. Myron Groover asks how the organization can fulfill its mandate while stifling the ethics and values of the library and archival professions.

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Harper’s attack on science: No science, no evidence, no truth, no democracy

Carol Linnitt

Science—and the culture of evidence and inquiry it supports—has a long relationship with democracy. Widely available facts have long served as a […]

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“Hello, Professor Penfold? It’s the fiscal crisis calling.”

Steve Penfold

By the time this column is published, I will have no telephone in my office. It turns out that phones are really […]

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Equality of Opportunity, Equality of Means: An Argument for Low Tuition and the Student Strike

Daniel Weinstock

Read Jacob T. Levy’s take on this issue here. Political philosophers have taken in recent years to distinguishing between “ideal theory” and […]

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The Quiet Campus: The Anatomy of Dissent at Canadian Universities

Ken Coates

The remarkable—a word that can be read in many different ways—2012 student protests in Quebec have stirred memories of the activist campuses […]

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