One of the upsides of living in a free society is the chance to hear and read the opinions of others. Most times those opinions don’t change much in your own thinking or re-enforce it. Depending on the writer, you get exactly what you were thinking you would when you
Continue readingAuthor: Cam Holmstrom
Magpie Brûlé: The Adults in the Room Speak
Remember 2019? Remember how that year felt like it couldn’t be over fast enough, with all the crap that kept happening? It may feel hard to remember somedays but that was how so many of us felt back then, as we looked forward to 2020. 2020 was going to be
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: The Dilemma of Police Unions
If 2020 has constantly delivered anything, it has been situations that have forced us all to face issues that we have put off for far too long. This year and the events that we have seen so far have stripped bare some of those issues, forcing us to confront them.
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: Through the Red, White & Blue Looking Glass
Last night was a moment that many thought we would never see, or at least we thought we hoped never would. Last night we saw something that I pray will not become something bigger, but feels like it cannot help but be. Last night was a time that felt like
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: Talking Protests in the United States with Kristy Cameron
Yesterday I joined Kristy Cameron on CFRA’s “Ottawa Now” along with Katlyn Harrison and Lindsay Maskell on the “Political Heat” panel. We talked about the protests taking place across the United States, the lack of leadership from the very top there & the Federal governments announcement of sped up funding
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: Talking Protests in the United States on “The Arlene Bynon Show”
This morning I joined Arlene Bynon on “The Arlene Bynon Show” on Sirius XM’s Canada Talks 167, along with Alise Mills. We discussed the events of the past days in the United States, the calls for change coming from the death of George Floyd, the complete lack of leadership from
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: Reflections on a Dangerous Moment
This weekend I celebrated my 41st birthday and yeah, I’m getting old. The signs are everywhere, beyond the date on my birth certificate & the fact that I’m getting more and more white and grey hairs in my beard. It might be a sign of these difficult days, but I
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: A Cold Response from Alberta
Throughout this Covid-19 crisis many political leaders who I strongly disagree with have done a good job in my estimation. I have no problem saying that a lot of these leaders have risen to the moment and have earned respect for that work to date. But at the same time,
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: Why Politicians Following Physical Distancing Measures Matters
We live in times where transparency matters, especially from government. These are also times when setting the example matters greatly and when not doing so has serious consequences. Some of us who saw yesterdays stunt at Queen’s Park, where the Ontario Conservatives ignored physical distancing rules and crammed their members
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: A Needless Stunt at Queen’s Park
Over the past week we’ve had lots of talk and discussion about the importance of social distancing measures. The whole incident at Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto on Saturday was one major flash point, but there have been other incidents that have brought this discussion to the fore. Throughout it
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: A Watershed Moment in Long-Term Care
There are moments that happen, events that take place, that change the course of things. These moments are so striking, so stark, that strikes such a nerve that it makes it impossible for things to continue as is. In Canada there are some that come to mind right away. Walkerton
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: A Dangerous Erosion of Trust?
In hard times, difficult situations and global crises, we need to be able to trust the information we get from our governments. Reliable information is important to help people do what’s needed and to avoid worse danger or health outcomes. We are seeing prime examples of that on a daily
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: Talking Our Responsibilities to One Another with Kristy Cameron
Yesterday I joined Kristy Cameron on CFRA’s “Ottawa Now” along with Katlyn Harrison and Lindsay Maskell on the “Political Heat” panel. We talked about saturdays scene in Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto, about how that was allowed to happen, how governments & citizens need to step up and political parties
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: Not Helping the Team: The Contrary MPP
Since Saturday’s events at Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto, the debate around what happened there, how it should have been prevented and what both governments and individuals need to do going forward has been making the rounds. I had my two cents on it here on the weekend, and simply
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: The Awkward Collision of Pre-Covid Politics & Covid Reality
These times that we’re living in, wow. We’re into the last week of May and it’s striking to think of all the things that we’ve seen take place over the past few months, all the changes that have happened and how governments have needed to react. It has been enough
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: Talking the Return of Parliament & Parties Collecting the Federal Wage Subsidy on “The Arlene Bynon Show”
This morning I joined Arlene Bynon on “The Arlene Bynon Show” on Sirius XM’s Canada Talks 167, along with Alise Mills. We discussed today’s return of Parliament, how it should proceed going forward, striking the right tone in this moment & political parties applying for the federal wage subsidy program.
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: Our Responsibilities to One Another
We’re going into the last week of May, and I must admit it feels strange to think that we are. It does because that means we’re almost in June, which will be the fourth month that we have been fighting against Covid-19. Go back to January, and I don’t think
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: The Truth But Apparently Not The Whole Truth
In many ways, I consider myself to be a very fortunate person. In my 40 years on this Earth so far, I’ve had the chance to live out some dreams of mine, do things I aspired to do & witness events that I’ll be able to tell my grandchildren about
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: Royal Failure in Thunder Bay
We’re well into month three of dealing with Covid-19 and somedays it’s hard to believe that it’s been so long. Yet the longer we go into this moment the more that certain things just prove to become truer and truer. One of those things is an idea that I’ve been
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: Not Helping the Team: Guess Who’s Coming to Testify
During the Covid-19 global pandemic we’ve had many sobering reminders about the importance of correct and reliable information. There has been so much garbage floating around, with others trying to use this moment to boost their views and beliefs, it’s created a lot of confusion and danger for many folks
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