Just because someone else’s history makes you uncomfortable doesn’t give you a moral licence to erase it from public space
If I were a Brit – which I’m not – I’d be materially annoyed at the vandalization of Winston Churchill’s statue and the related attempts to remove it from its perch in London’s Parliament Square. And in keeping with today’s enthusiasm for rhetorical hyperbole, I’d be tempted to consider it the thin end of the…
Public shaming may reach a new low by looking at how much we eat
Move over flight shaming: environmentalists may be getting ready to target a new group of individuals. Overeaters. Yes, overeating could potentially become the next shaming social media target. For months now, many have taken to social media to spread their concerns about choices made when travelling. The plane has been a special target of environmentalists,…
Ultimately, they want nothing short of a transfer of democratic power to oligarchies of frantic enviro-zealots
Cults obey a logic of their own rather than following the parameters of mainstream logic. Climate zealots who concertedly blockaded bridges and important public roads in order to help the planet against climate change defy common logic. Blockading traffic and at times endangering tens of thousands of commuters to pressure governments to listen to their…
It is, at 236 metres high, one of the tallest office towers in Calgary. It’s architecturally stunning – in part because of the design by world-famous architectural firm Foster + Partners, but also because of its massive scale. When it was completed in 2012, it was among the top 10 architectural projects in the world…
On Thursday, Encana Corp. dropped a major bombshell on Canada’s energy industry – the company plans to move its headquarters to the U.S. early next year, and to rebrand under a new name. Who can blame them? The new name – Ovinitiv Inc. – drops the reference to Canada in their corporate branding. Encana evolved…
Even overlooking the personal smears, record fudging, or repressing the truth, the parties are filled with contradictions of the things they stand for
If there were any idealism left regarding the virtues of Canadian politics, the current federal election campaign is almost certain to have smashed it. Good governance and the common good were not the winners in last week’s English language debate. Thursday's French language debate was a slight improvement, but a one-off exception hardly undoes the…
I ride a bicycle as often as I can, but that doesn’t mean I feel compelled to paint myself silver, wear funny clothes, and block traffic
No one can argue that bicycles are increasingly becoming a major part of the urban landscape. I like bikes: I own two and consider the Tour de France to be one of the greatest athletic events of all time. But did you know that riding in a pack like they do in the Tour de…
We need to get to the roots of problems with Indigenous communities and stop casting blame where it doesn't belong
Maclean’s magazine once declared Winnipeg as “Canada’s most racist city.” Now it’s Thunder Bay’s turn. Thunder Bay is in turmoil after a report slammed its overstretched police force (if not the entire city) for alleged “systemic racism” towards its Indigenous population. Meanwhile, Thompson, Man., deals with Indigenous men filling its courts to overflow while Saskatoon…
We’re behaving as though absolutely nothing we do today will cause future generations to look back at us as backward, insensitive and brutish
There’s a certain myopic moral indignation in the criticism of prominent public figures for having painted their faces, dressed inappropriately, or said or done things in the past that we find offensive today. It’s understandable, for example, that many are offended and disappointed in the conduct of Justin Trudeau. These feelings are justified and important.…
What will it say about our country if Trudeau is re-elected after this latest scandal?
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has experienced one of the most controversial, bizarre and mind-numbing episodes in Canadian political history. It’s damaged his public image and tarnished his reputation. On Sept. 18, Time magazine released a 2001 photo from a school yearbook that showed Trudeau in brownface. He was a 29-year-old teacher at West Point Grey…
Trudeau is just the man to heal the wounds. After all, he’s been dressing up and imitating so many different cultures that he identifies with everybody
“Hey, buddy,” Chuck smiled as he leaned across the fence, “you’re goanna find this hard to believe, but I’m beginning to feel sorry for your boy Justin. I mean, the whole world’s jumping on his bones over this black-face thing. “Cripes,” he continued, “even that disgusting Jeffery Epstein is getting better press than your man.”…
Trudeau is just the man to heal the wounds. After all, he’s been dressing up and imitating so many different cultures that he identifies with everybody
“Hey, buddy,” Chuck smiled as he leaned across the fence, “you’re goanna find this hard to believe, but I’m beginning to feel sorry for your boy Justin. I mean, the whole world’s jumping on his bones over this black-face thing. “Cripes,” he continued, “even that disgusting Jeffery Epstein is getting better press than your man.”…
Dave Yager has spent nearly half a century in Alberta’s oil and natural gas industry and 40 years in journalism, notably with the oilfield trade magazine, The Roughneck. His first book, From Miracle to Menace: Alberta, A Carbon Story, combines his extensive experience in a well-written and fact-centred analysis of the economics, politics and history…
Why can't we just say what we mean and leave off the attention-seeking hyperbole?
The pressing need to create an existential crisis on every topic has gripped both our media outlets and social media sites. Serious words have been stripped of all meaning. It’s impossible to have a practical discussion on any topic on social media. Some outlets, in an effort to be heard and seen above the cacophony,…
Ontario lawyers are being asked to agree to principles that may run counter to their beliefs
The Law Society of Ontario wants to compel all lawyers who wish to practise in the province to agree to the society’s version of a progressive agenda. It would be a dangerous precedent. The society may also make it mandatory for lawyers to attend sessions on such subjects as “unconscious bias” and apparently any other…