Urbanism
In my Ottawa Citizen column this week I discuss the Point in Time Count — a national exercise to get a reasonably accurate picture of homelessness in Canada. I agree we need solid data. It’s important to know how people end up unhoused, or in precarious housing. It’s also
Gender
Any time someone is dumb enough to get into an argument with me about gender-affirming care it ends in stunned silence when I point out that if we are to ban it we’ll have to start with boob jobs, penile implants and Viagra. Oh yes, it totally is the
Gender
Have you recovered from the Great Olympic Trans Scare of 2024 yet? Or are you a normal person who doesn’t freak out because some women look slightly different than others? The Algerian boxer who defeated the Italian one was the stronger fighter in that ring Thursday. That’s not
Gender
I don’t remember the first time I heard about “period panties” and like everyone who menstruates I was immediately both curious and slightly horrified. What do you mean, a change in my habits? I’m not ready to change those. I’m 53 and nearly 2/3 years old
Gender
As I wrote elsewhere, transfeminine professor of law and bioethics Florence Ashley’s first book, Banning Transgender Conversion Practices, was nothing short of a rhetorical tour de force. “The subject matter is not easy, given how emotional people can get when it comes to providing affirming care to trans and
Politics
For the Ottawa Citizen this week I wrote about making commencement ceremonies more inclusive and you can read that column here. Mais là j'ai besoin de péter une coche. Jeudi la ministre québécoise de l'Habitation, l'inénarrable France-Élaine Duranceau, s'est plainte de ce
Gender
Special days have a special way of being irritating. I never liked International Women's Day, in particular, because since women represent roughly half the species they shouldn't need special recognition. Yet there's no denying they do. Hence my frustration. In recent months there have
Gender
There are half-baked ideas, and then there are ideas that are so stupid they deserve to go back to the oven to die of 16th degree burns. Somehow today Pierre Poilievre managed to produce not one but two such clunkers. The first one concerns a private member's bill,
Politics
Before we start, you should know that I have nothing against lobster even though it is a giant bug. Except for poached eggs I also don't like boiling my food. So the odds of catching me luxuriating in some exotic locale enjoying sea-bug meat with butter sauce are
Gender
You didn’t think this could happen here because we in Canada should never be faced with disgusting American nightmares from times past. Yet here we are. The McRib is back. At the very same time, Danielle Smith is trying to turn Alberta into Florida minus the warmth. Coincidence? I
Politics
A follow-up piece on that recent video from Pierre Poilievre in which he discussed extraordinary Canadians like electricians who wield lightning, farmers who master all kinds of science and waitresses who, technically, should be dead from exhaustion. English will follow and be different than the French; as usual I encourage
Politics
The magic happens approximately two minutes into this video that Pierre Poilievre tweeted earlier today and man, the fun we’ve been having deconstructing that. Here's to the (extra)ordinary Canadians. pic.twitter.com/s9G56XMdE4 — Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) January 2, 2024 It’s an aggressively anti-elitist screed, and