Sign in

Brad James

@jamesbrad.bsky.social
163 followers 257 following 1.1K posts

Ontario, Canada

PostsRepliesMedia
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
September 2026: the NDP proposes income tax changes to increase federal revenue by $1 billion a year (to be spent on efforts to "protect and build Canada"). June 2025: the NDP votes unanimously in favour of income tax changes that reduce federal revenue by $5.4 billion year.
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
New Mildred song is out youtu.be/UOK8aF2RYlQ?...
youtu.be
Bird Laugh
YouTube video by mildred - Topic
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Here she is in the Netherlands earlier this summer, pretty close to the fine appearance she and the band made last night in Toronto. youtu.be/RQX-PLIBw-w?...
youtu.be
Aldous Harding - live at Best Kept Secret 2026
YouTube video by 3voor12
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Aldous Harding last tonight in Toronto. We bought the tickets not knowing much about her or her music. Walked out a couple hours later as fans.
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Commentary about fumbling by US Democrats on Trump's Canada-US trade aggressions...
020
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
The Onion nailed it way back in 1996 theonion.com/perky-canada...
theonion.com
Perky ‘Canada’ Has Own Government, Laws
It’s Monday morning, and Toronto resident Steve Dorman shares a quick breakfast of “eggs” (a native food) with his “wife” (an officially state-sanctioned mate), and discusses yesterday’s poor showing ...
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Professor Jennifer Robson today on the breakdown in Canada-US trade talks: robsonj.substack.com/p/next-steps
robsonj.substack.com
Next steps…
Trade talks are off.
020
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Imagine being on your union's bargaining committee. Just hours before your strike deadline, one of your fellow committee members goes off stunt-driving for the media like Wab Kinew's doing today on Canada - US trade talks. Does it get you closer to or farther from a good deal?
100
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Crop touring in Lambton County, Ontario last week: 1. corn 2. soybeans (and wind) 3. sugar beets 4. doughnuts
010
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
New song from Son Volt mixes some US labour history into Crazy Horse-ish guitars. youtu.be/tcMrJFMC_Ck?...
youtu.be
Coalfield Wars
YouTube video by Son Volt - Topic
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
New Steve Earle & Los Lobos youtu.be/kNrIW9w9bzM?...
youtu.be
Volver A Celaya
YouTube video by Release - Topic
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Another among various opinion pieces from the broad left that decries "austerity" and public service rollbacks without mentioning that the federal NDP unanimously backed the recent Liberal income tax cut, estimated to reduce federal revenue by a huge ~$5.4 billion per year.
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
USW & IAM aren't "US" unions, but are international unions with members in Canada and the US. If UAW hadn't split in 1984 (Cdn members left to form a new union -- the CAW, later a Unifor co-founder), such an international auto union today might've been part of this opposition to Trump’s tariffs.
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
New slice of life from the unique and lovely Charlie Parr. youtu.be/iy-V401LEqo?...
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Analysis of union contracts by Ontario's Ministry of Labour shows median wage rate increases beating inflation since 2023, and by a bigger margin than pre-pandemic. Seems weird that labour advocacy organizations like the OFL and the CLC aren't publicizing info like this.
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Happy 82nd birthday to my @uswmetallos.bsky.social union organizing mentor, colleague, and pal Brando Paris. Best union organizer I've ever known, over a long career he helped thousands of people in Ontario win the right to engage in collective bargaining.
011
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
"Now is good. Now is wonderful." www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...
theatlantic.com
Long Live Mel Brooks
Happy 100th birthday to the funniest man who’s ever lived.
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
It appears, so far at least, that there's no evidence that the Ontario NDP's decision to pitch lower taxes has done anything good for the party's level of support.
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Roxanne Brown, new International President of my old union (USW) usw.ca/historic-lea...
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
On George Michael's birthday, here's Kevin Russell (aka Shinyribs) with his great cover of GM's Freedom youtu.be/K2t5LY1xs8g?...
youtu.be
Shinyribs Freedom 90
YouTube video by Shinyribs
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
The federal NDP says it opposes spending cuts of $60 billion by 2029 ("The NDP will fight this every step of the way"). How does that square with the NDP voting unanimously for the Liberals' income tax cut which slices federal revenue by $5.4 billion annually?
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Song, first day of summer youtu.be/usej2-rae_g?...
youtu.be
This Summer
YouTube video by Superchunk - Topic
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Close to 400 contracted-out school bus drivers join a union,,, but, per recent tradition, scant fanfare or applause from our provincial or national labour federations. www.thespec.com/news/hamilto...
thespec.com
Hundreds of Hamilton-area school bus drivers vote to unionize in rare first for city
Drivers at First Student — city’s top school transit provider — want better pay, work conditions
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
An interesting quote in this article, although it's left pretty much unexplored, is the Unifor organizing director saying "we welcome partners in the labour movement to join with us because it’s not just a Unifor fight, it’s a labour movement-wide fight".
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Article decries the provincial Liberal and Conservative parties' roles in blocking Toronto from pricing road usage that could help fund maintenance and public transit. But the provincial NDP deserves to share in the discredit - it opposes road pricing too.
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Walter Reuther's house is for sale. www.freep.com/story/money/...
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Really big gap between Canada and the US in 'satisfaction with democratic system'. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
"Periodic efforts ... to develop and propose alternative sectoral bargaining arrangements ... have failed due to a combination of employer resistance, lack of government commitment, and disagreement among unions." Too bad that one of the key barriers to broader-based bargaining is union disunity.
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Contrast the US union federation's focus on supporting union growth with the timid grasp on the issue recently displayed at the convention of the Canadian Labour Congress. Whether it's 'enough' or not, the American central labour body seems better aligned on this score. aflcio.org/press/releas...
aflcio.org
AFL-CIO Passes Early Organizing Milestone, Announces Plans to Unionize Millions More Workers | AFL-CIO
In the face of unprecedented attacks from the Trump administration and anti-worker corporations, union membership grew across industries and the country
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
The cuts to this program "are expected to save the government $231.9 million annually." The NDP opposes these cuts. But last June, the NDP supported *dropping* federal revenue by about $5.4 billion annually when NDP MPs unanimously voted to back the Liberals' latest income tax cut.
020
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Liquid Mike, last night in Toronto.
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Private sector union coverage is being chipped away. It's now at about 15%, lower by almost a third compared to where it was in 1997. But it's not clear that many unions in Canada want the CLC to put this issue on or even near the top of its priority list. So, we get messaging like this.
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Canada's national labour federation laments poor working conditions without asserting that unionization is a way to make things better or that employees with unions can win a fairer shake. This shyness about enthusiastically promoting collective bargaining isn't new, but it's hard to explain.
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
The union's president recommended rejection. The members voted strongly in favour of acceptance. www.cbc.ca/news/busines...
cbc.ca
Canada Post workers vote to accept new contract | CBC News
Canada Post workers have voted in favour of a new contract, ending years of tensions and back and forth negotiations between the union and the Crown corporation, including nation-wide strikes.
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Walked about 6 km through west end Toronto this morning and the city's beautiful. Parks, roads, and public spaces I walked were clean and in nice shape, especially after a busy weekend. Good on @toronto.ca employees and the rest of us.
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
HST cut? Marit Stiles: "Our tax cut is for the mom working multiple jobs, getting home late, picking up a rotisserie chicken and salad..." Avi Lews: "I checked my grocery bill... almost $300...and there was only $3 of tax. There's barely any tax on food. That cannot be the solution..."
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Good new song by Aldous Harding. youtu.be/A6HfcYE1J94?...
youtu.be
Aldous Harding - Train On The Island (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Aldous Harding
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Looks like the Machinists union guy's skepticism about Graham Platner from months ago continues to have been prescient.
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Marit Stiles and the Ontario NDP seem quite excited about their new plan to take the HST off of prepared food and beverages. At about 3 min 45 seconds into this clip, Avi Lewis takes a different stance. www.cpac.ca/headline-pol...
cpac.ca
NDP Leader Avi Lewis Speaks with Reporters – May 28, 2026
In Toronto, NDP Leader Avi Lewis takes questions from the media following his speech at the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario convention. (no interpretation)
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
share.google/Kuf8nmclqVVP...
share.google
United Steelworkers welcome 120 new health-care members following organizing victory at Heritage House - USW Canada
ST. JACOBS, ONT. – The United Steelworkers union (USW) is proud to welcome 120 new health-care members following a successful organizing victory at Heritage House, a long-term care home in St. Jacobs,...
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
The Ontario NDP seems to have decided that appropriating Doug Ford's skepticism about taxes is a way to grow the party's support.
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Gil Scott-Heron died on this day 15 years ago. youtu.be/-1cJlZYu4aM?...
youtu.be
Gun
YouTube video by Gil Scott-Heron - Topic
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
We saw Mildred play in a little bar in Toronto last night. Good new band from California. share.google/10N6tEt22gQH...
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
With the Ontario Liberals wrangling over their own nominations and the NDP pledging more tax-skepticism, Doug Ford's luck doesn't appear to be running out.
110
Reposted by Brad James
Scotty Cameron @cdnecon.ca · 24/05/2026
Sound message. Coulda benefited from better examples. Take trusts—to save a bit of tax (only in short run!) they often pay millions to lawyers and spend a decade literally begging judges to access their own money. Surely point of being rich is to not have to beg. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
Just stop moaning and pay your taxes
Fetishising tax avoidance in the US must end if the republic is to survive
052
Reposted by Brad James
Phil @philmarfisi.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
The Ontario NDP: because why let Manitoba be the only Canadian province that steals shameless anti-tax populism from the US Democrats? Why bother having a coherent ideology when you can just compete with the right in eroding state capacity time in a time we need it more than ever?
No tax on food, scrap the tax on groceries + enforce competition = lower prices
5212
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Courtney Barnett show last night in Toronto. Guitar + bass + drums made people happy.
000
Reposted by Brad James
Aquarium Drunkard @aquariumdrunkard.com · 22/05/2026
Road to Ruin: A Decade of John Martyn – Bless the Weather aquariumdrunkard.com/2026/05/18/r... “Glistening Glyndebourne” feels like the moment John Martyn realized folk music could dissolve into atmosphere, echo, and motion. A look at the track that cracked open a decade of restless invention.
2132
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Barney Frank in a memorable exchange with a voter in 2009: youtu.be/KxgLXDupHaI?...
000
Brad James @jamesbrad.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
New Liquid Mike music is good news. They play here in Toronto June 5. youtu.be/SZho5nFiYWw?...
000