Politics
UPDATE, a day later: It turns out most people have mixed feelings on this issue. It’s good to direct attention to legislated poverty but nobody likes performative activism, poverty porn or political showboats. Also? A parent writes to remind me that benefit clawing should very much be part of
Politics
Well, actually, I also sat down with Catherine McKenney and will run a piece about them next week. I’ve reached out twice to Bob Chiarelli’s team but so far nothing. I would love to speak with him, too. Here’s the piece I wrote about Mark Sutcliffe. I
Gender
Wow. I mean, wow. This column is a handful and a half. I’ve known Randall for a long time. I enjoy his novels. I typically try to read his columns because they express right-wing ideas in a clear and logical manner. I disagree a lot, but I like to
Fiction
She didn’t remember that grove of trees. Which, you are quite right, is ridiculous. How can a grove of trees look any different than another grove of trees? She wasn’t sure. Maybe it was the low branches hitting the ground at the wrong angle. Or maybe it was
Gender
I haven’t said a whole lot about the sudden and frankly puzzling (to say nothing of stupid) firing of Lisa LaFlamme. Mostly because enough people are rising to defend her and I don’t like pile-ons or crowds. For the record, I’m against her firing. It’s obviously
Gender
It’s Pride Week in Ottawa and for the first time in forever I’m planning to be at the parade. I don’t like parades, because I don’t like crowds. But there are beautiful queer people in my life I love much more than I dislike crowds so
Politics
I don’t care how much you love children or driving or both. The job of school bus driver is a difficult one for most people, not paid very much, and it’s also crazy demanding. And we wonder why we’re short of drivers? According to the job search
Gender
The sudden, stupid and obviously sexist firing of Lisa LaFlamme from CTV is not going over very well with the vast majority of Canadians. Or so it appears. And part of me rejoices. Why do we keep male anchors until they’re 600 years old, regardless of how they look
Français
J’ai vu le headline and thought, shit, people vont pogner les nerfs et grimper dans les rideaux. StatsCan says French-English bilingualism is increasing in Canada. Including in Quebec. Which will not doubt make the ghost of Jacques Parizeau et celui de Bernard Landry get hives or something. Both men,
Politics
Politicians, as a rule, should not swear too easily. At least not in public. But there are exceptions. Here’s a perfect one. Peterborough mayor Diane Therrien was called on to respond to a scene that unfolded in her city east of Toronto over the weekend. A few dozen people
Gender
Have you heard the one where a government in Canada ran an essay contest designed, ostensibly, to inspire and encourage women between the ages of 17 and 25 to get involved in politics, and awarded third place to a misogynistic screed? The conservative government of Alberta (now you laugh) is
Politics
You don’t have to hate Ontario to loathe much of its politics, but it probably helps. Other than the fact that it’s way bigger than it needs to be, and forgetting the whole GTA-traffic thing, I kind of like Ontario. I’ve lived here more than two decades