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EDITORIALSSaturday, May 10th, 2008May 8th, 2008 Imagine, for a moment, a disaster scenario in which you and your family were given a couple of hours' notice to gather what possessions could be easily carried, and airlifted to a community hours away. You would have no idea of what the situation was...  Read MoreApril 29th, 2008 A community is not built of bricks and wood, but of kindness and generosity, and runs not on gas and electricity, but enthusiasm. Without the many volunteers who have given so generously of their time and talent over the years, this community would be... Read MoreApril 8th, 2008 There was a time not very long ago when a wage of $8.75 per hour would have seemed like a fortune. There are places in the world today where someone making that wage is regarded as wealthy. So why are people up in arms about the Ontario government increasing... Read MoreApril 3rd, 2008 Ontario Budget 2008/09 contained few surprises - some money for job retraining and infrastructure, along with a bit of help for low income families, agriculture and the business sector. The only shocker came from federal finance minister Jim Flaherty,... Read MoreMarch 28th, 2008 On March 29 at 8 p.m., communities right across this country will be turning off their lights, to participate in the first-ever international Earth Hour challenge. When the concept was pioneered in Australia last March, the world-famous Sydney Opera House... Read MoreMarch 26th, 2008 Another important politician went down in flames last week. New York governor Eliot Spitzer, who built his career around a reputation of being tough on crime including prostitution, was caught paying for the services of a high-priced call girl, to the... Read MoreMarch 13th, 2008 There was a day when most drivers caught in traffic jams appeared to literally have smoke coming out of their ears. The moment traffic came to a stop, out would come the cigarettes. If the Ontario government has its way, that will soon be a thing of the... Read MoreMarch 5th, 2008 March 8 is International Women’s Day, an event that began as a movement to better the working conditions for women almost 100 years ago. Working conditions around the turn of the 20th century were deplorable, and women in many countries began holding... Read MoreFebruary 28th, 2008 The services provided by municipalities tend to be divided into two main categories – “hard” services that include roads, sidewalks, bridges, sewers and waterworks; and “soft” services that are more about quality of life - recreation programs... Read MoreFebruary 20th, 2008 So far this month, we have survived Valentine’s Day, Family Day, and assorted winter storms that had everyone out shoveling. February is also the month when the bills from Christmas come home to roost, cranking up the stress level in many a local household.... Read MoreFebruary 6th, 2008 There is a certain irony in the Toronto school board’s decision to create the country’s first school with an Afrocentric focus in an effort to reduce the high dropout rate among black youth. That irony is, if those young people were actually in Africa,... Read MoreJanuary 31st, 2008 Hanging out the laundry to dry has been given the green light by the province – literally. It appears this simple measure is a good way to help reduce greenhouse gasses. One has to wonder why it needed government approval. In this part of the world,... Read MoreJanuary 24th, 2008 Recent reports blaming teachers and staff for violence in some inner city Toronto schools are astounding. First, it is apparent from the stories that the violent acts, including murder and rape, are mostly related to youth gang activity. One wonders how... Read MoreJanuary 16th, 2008 Those misguided individuals who think last week’s balmy weather means spring is just around the corner can stop searching for the sunscreen. We still have the worst – or best - part of winter left. It all depends on your point of view, and whether... Read MoreJanuary 10th, 2008 It appears ordinary taxpayers need not expect any major tax breaks from Ottawa or Queen’s Park this year – at least, not the kind of tax breaks that have been given to business. We will have to be satisfied with the GST cut. That will certainly please... Read MoreJanuary 7th, 2008 The beginning of a new year brings with it renewed optimism and hope. In some cultures, the end of the old year is marked with the ceremonial “sweeping out” of the old and welcoming in of the new. All of us need a chance to start afresh every now... Read MoreDecember 28th, 2007 Most of us have been through at least a couple of RIDE checks so far this holiday season. We are driving along the road, admiring the sparkling Christmas lights softened by gently falling snow, when traffic begins to slow. Sure enough, off in the distance... Read MoreDecember 20th, 2007 It is difficult to imagine what this Christmas will be like for the families of the victims of convicted serial killer Robert Picton. They might feel a sort of closure, knowing the man who brutally murdered their daughters, mothers and sisters has been... Read MoreAugust 24th, 2007 Where were you when the lights went out? More to the point, how did you cope? Are we as individuals and communities better equipped to deal with a similar emergency now? Last week we marked the fourth anniversary of the day the lights went out across... Read MoreAugust 15th, 2007 The initial shock of the collapse of a huge bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis is over. We have shifted from trying to come to terms with what happened, to wondering why it happened, and if it could it happen here. Bridge disasters are more... Read MoreAugust 9th, 2007 Police recently issued a press release outlining legislation under the Child and Family Services Act that prohibits young people under the age of 16 from loitering in a public place between midnight and 6 a.m., or being in a place of entertainment during... Read MoreAugust 2nd, 2007 Rural Ontario lost its innocence as police conducted a desperate search for a killer last week in southern Huron County. Residents were warned to lock their doors and vehicles - a warning that was taken seriously after the bodies of two elderly people... Read MoreJuly 26th, 2007 Statistics Canada has finally revealed as fact what most of us already knew. Our population is getting older. We are living longer and having fewer children. It appears the rest of the country is catching up with midwestern Ontario, where an aging... Read MoreJuly 26th, 2007 Practice smiling when you drive - you could soon be on the government version of Candid Camera. There is a growing move to bring back photo radar to help curb street racing and other deadly forms of aggressive and reckless driving. Photo radar was... Read MoreJuly 26th, 2007 School is out and youngsters are busy. Some of the older ones are saving up money for college or university, trying to get as many hours as they can at their summer jobs. Others are helping out on the family farm or babysitting younger siblings. For the... Read MoreJuly 26th, 2007 Do we really need to conduct another study on youth violence involving guns, as our provincial government plans to do? After a decade or more of highly publicized reports, most of us have a pretty good idea what the problems are. Kids are using... Read More |
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