It takes a village
It might be cliché, but it has never been more fitting. First, I want to thank the community for its everlasting support. I have been inundated with text messages and emails from readers and contributors asking what they can do to help fill our newspaper pages in these troubling times. Be assured, we will strive […]
The crisis and the entrepreneurial mind
The coronavirus is a significant public health emergency: of that there can be no doubt. And it is painful to see hoarding taking place, especially when the most sought after items show up reselling on the web at many multiples of their original price. But there are entrepreneurs out there who are developing innovative new […]
Build a fort
In my dream the party was in full swing. My neighbour was double-dipping and her partner just coughed all over the cold cuts. Out of the corner of my eye, my already drunk, but affable, cousin is teetering across my brand new carpet holding a tray of crystal tumblers. Each tumbler is full to the […]
Maple syrup silly season
It must be maple syrup silly season. There has been a dispute about which province is the second largest maple syrup producer in the country. According to a recent Canadian Press article, the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association has prepared a television commercial that touts Ontario as Canada’s second largest producer of maple syrup. It […]
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose
By the time this column hits the newsstand it’ll be half-past IWD. I was thirty-something when I first became aware of Women’s Day. A workplace colleague asked me if I’d be interested in being part of a committee to address women’s issues in the workplace. I assumed the biggest issue would be having an operational […]
The undoing of Donald Trump
The coronavirus outbreak can’t really be said to have an upside. The illness is spreading rapidly across the world. Containment is an option that is rapidly closing. Management of its spread is becoming the top priority. Which takes us to Donald Trump. Mr. Trump has met every crisis that has faced him—most of them arising […]
Imagine Roaring in like a Lion
In like a lion, or so I’ve heard. It’s March! My, how time flies when you’re having fun. You are having fun, right? I know I must be. There are so many reasons to be in a good mood, these days. Coronavirus, rail blockades, stock markets plummeting, education workers striking and this freaking weather—all reasons […]
The robin, the blue jay and Monsieur Benoit
It wasn’t so much as spotting the robin this morning; it was the screech of the blue jays that whet the appetite to write. I’m not sure how to spell the sound the blue jays make when they get excited; you know, the scream of alarm outing predators nearby. The blue jay call can easily […]
Dear Diary
It’s been another day of long lineups at the grocery store. Our new carbon rationing cards have just been issued, and the Youth Environmental Corps volunteers, in their colourful green uniforms, are checking everyone very carefully as they pass by the checkout counters. The new cards were issued by the federal government, and the Youth […]
Mea Maxima Culpa
I suppose I don’t know where to start. When I was a child, my parents raised me a Catholic. I went to Church on Sunday, attended Catholic School, read my Catechism, took part in “the sacraments” and tried to believe my life could be just like the stories in our Faith and Freedom Readers. At […]