Essay by Patrick Lawrence, re-published here in The Multiplural World, Oct 12, 2026
(With extensive, related readings further below. Patrick Lawrence is a former correspondent in Europe with the International Herald Tribune. The following essay first appeared in his Substack blog ‘The Floutist’ on October 11, 2026. His essays are regularly re-published in Consortium News.
On 30 October, dockworkers across the Mediterranean are going on strike to stop the imperialist war machine. We are launching a strike fund to support them.
In the Progressive International’s thirty-first briefing of 2026, we look at NATO’s breathtaking re-armament drive, the dockworker unions mobilizing to arrest the gears of war, and the campaign of solidarity.
As Fortis expands its facility along the Fraser, local air pollution is expected to worsen.
Emissions from the site of a recently approved LNG expansion in Metro Vancouver are projected to exceed Canadian ambient air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide, a harmful pollutant, according to company reports.
Website editor: Here is a comprehensive, thorough short interview with Stephen Quinn of the Early Edition.
Oct. 5, 2026
We speak with Thomas Green, senior manager of climate solutions with the David Suzuki Foundation about the recent provincial and federal energy announcements.
Announcing funding to prepare BC for oil spills is ‘a warning sign all on its own,’ UBCIC women’s rep says.
Ending months of speculation, today the Carney government designated the West Coast oil pipeline a project of national interest, sidestepping environmental safeguards that have been in place for decades and charting a course that could irrevocably alter the Salish Sea.
Despite Eby’s ‘buy Canadian’ focus, a firm with MAGA connections is the likely contract winner.
At a time when British Columbia Premier David Eby is championing buying Canadian, BC Ferries may be preparing to enter a multi-year agreement to buy fuel from an American-owned company with strong ties to U.S. President Donald Trump and the governing Republicans.
The National Post has never tried to hide its hatred of social-democratic politicians. Over-the-top, incendiary language is part of this American-owned media chain’s playbook. So, needless to say, I don’t tend to pay much attention to their columnists.
But a recent column on New Democratic Party leader Avi Lewis crossed the line into an extremist hate threat. It needs to be called out.
