Chris Alexander is out, and Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford are fighting to become Toronto's next mayor.
Use our Vote Compass tool to find your political match: https://mrf.lu/28jG2
@thestar.comReposted by @vassb.bsky.social
VassB
@vassb.bsky.social
policy designer + writer I run the Canadian Shield Institute (@canadianshieldinstitute.ca), where we make sovereignty make sense. Subscribe to our newsletter, The National Interest.
@thestar.comReposted by @vassb.bsky.social
@canadianshieldinstitute.caReposted by @vassb.bsky.socialOur Report Card on La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ).
CDPQ is distinctive among the Maple 8 pension funds, with a dual mandate to “generate optimal returns for depositors while contributing to Québec’s economic development.”
Read here: canadianshieldinstitute.ca/reports/mapl...
@kovrig.bsky.socialReposted by @vassb.bsky.socialWhat makes a company genuinely Canadian? In Reclaiming Canadian Sovereignty in a Ruptured World, @vassb.bsky.social argues that a Canadian address, workforce, or maple leaf in the branding is not enough. 1/3
@canadianshieldinstitute.caReposted by @vassb.bsky.socialCompared to Global Peers, Canadian Pensions Invest Way Less At Home
New analysis from Michael Sarbanis. canadianshieldinstitute.ca/updates/comp...
@ethanlou.bsky.socialReposted by @vassb.bsky.socialHow to get Canada’s pension funds to invest more in startups
The latest from the Globe's business commentary, by Brett House: www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com...
@ftedit.ft.comReposted by @vassb.bsky.socialYoung people are falling out of love with technology. They want it and need it, sure, but they also hate it, feel enslaved by it and, unlike any other generation, long for the past, writes Jemima Kelly.
Read @jemima.bsky.social in today's FT Edit 👉 ft.trib.al/miFZSMp
@wired.comReposted by @vassb.bsky.socialConsumer advocate Lindsay Owen’s new book, “Gouged,” traces how corporations use software—from ever-changing prices to opaque algorithms—to squeeze every penny from you.
buff.lyHow to Beat Surveillance Pricing Before It Bleeds You DryConsumer advocate Lindsay Owen’s new book, Gouged, traces how corporations use software—from ever-changing prices to opaque algorithms—to squeeze every penny from you.
@nybooks.comReposted by @vassb.bsky.social“The innovation of intellectual monopoly capitalism is that capitalists don’t always need to incur the costs of ownership in order to enjoy its benefits. They can boss people around without taking responsibility for them.” —Ben Tarnoff
@thewalrus.caReposted by @vassb.bsky.socialPayment processors connect merchants, banks, and credit card companies, moving around information about who we are, what we buy, and where we go. “That’s deeply personal information that we wouldn’t want to see going into the wrong hands,” says Douglas Sarro.
https://thewalrus.ca/selling-moneris/
@mendelmatt.bsky.socialReposted by @vassb.bsky.socialWant to track what's going on with Canada's agreements with middle powers and democratic allies around the world? The Shield Institute, the Gloves Off podcast and @scpartners.bsky.social are updating our Variable Geometry map every day (almost every day?). Check it out. variablegeometry.ca
@aradwanski.bsky.socialReposted by @vassb.bsky.socialMy column on this week’s unpleasantly familiar reminder that not all foreign investment is good foreign investment, and a fundamental tension with Carney’s current pitch. www.thestar.com/business/opi...
@aradwanski.bsky.socialReposted by @vassb.bsky.socialImportant reporting here that feeds into broader concerns about a lack of focus on growing Canadian companies, relative to investing in big energy and infrastructure projects. thelogic.co/news/maple-8...
@canadianshieldinstitute.caReposted by @vassb.bsky.socialCanada’s pension funds are not normal.
Often reporting less domestic investment compared to their global counterparts.
Other pension funds have domestic mandates and post good returns, can Canadian pension funds do the same?
Read more here: canadianshieldinstitute.ca/updates/cana...
@navneetalang.comReposted by @vassb.bsky.socialHere is @vassb.bsky.social arguing something similar in the Star. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
@canadianshieldinstitute.caReposted by @vassb.bsky.socialOur Report Card on the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan.
HOOPP has the largest share of its assets in Canada, relative to any of the Maple 8 pension funds. However, their investments are heavily skewed towards bonds and real estate.
Read here: canadianshieldinstitute.ca/hoopp-report...
@canadianshieldinstitute.caReposted by @vassb.bsky.socialWe're publishing deep-dive analysis of each Maple 8 pension plan over the next few weeks — looking at how much they invest in Canada, and what kind of assets they're buying.
First up: The biggest pension fund in Canada.
Read our report card here: canadianshieldinstitute.ca/cppib-report...
@vassb.bsky.socialI had to go home! I missed the event, cut it too close.
@canadianshieldinstitute.caReposted by @vassb.bsky.socialOverall, Canadian pension funds don't invest much in Canada. But when you dig into the numbers around equity investing — and particularly private equity, which would capture high-growth companies — the numbers are dire.
Read the full analysis here: canadianshieldinstitute.ca/updates/cana...
@thelogic.coReposted by @vassb.bsky.socialCanada’s major pension funds will invest billions of extra dollars in domestic assets. Some worry the country’s innovation economy could miss out.
@vassb.bsky.socialHave you ever really looked at your hand? And by that, I mean: thought about Docusign? I have. New essay for The Peak www.readthepeak.com/p/how-docusi...