Author: Peter Lowry

Many Canadians seem to have little understanding of wildfires that are happening thousands of kilometres away. Millions of city dwellers in Ontario and Quebec probably have little comprehension of the danger and demolition that accompanies these often thoughtlessly lit fires caused by foolish smokers and careless campers. Having an early

It might not rhyme but there is nothing more exciting than a bunch of by-elections. And June is my favourite month for them. Warm, sunny weather gets the political canvassers moving. It’s a super month for getting out the vote. And we’ve got a great mix: four federal by-elections and

The leader of the conservatives in parliament comes with both good news and bad news. You will never guess which is which. The first piece of news has to do with the libertarian elected premier in Alberta. The second piece of news is that the former governor general has told

It is hard to believe people who fail to understand the mathematics of voting with ranked ballots. No matter how many times we see the proof of the problem, some numbskull is going to pick up the cudgel to hit themselves over the head with that ill-considered way of voting.

We should all be sick and tired of the so-called liberals who claim they are financially conservative.  That is not liberal. With liberals like that, conservative leader Pierre Poilievre might as well say he is liberal. The conservative ideology is built on a “screw the lower classes” framework. It came

With the vote, such as it was, on Monday, the Loony Tunes have polarized Alberta. Their next target is Canada. We are headed down the rabbit hole with the Americans. In the land of the free, nobody stands on guard for thee. More and more, talking to American relatives and

Reading political polls is a trap but we all do it. Polls are never that accurate. Polls can mislead us. Polls are always old news. At their best, they report history. Not only do some people consider pollsters intrusive, but people often lie to them. The worst type of polls

You hate to see a promising politician do a pratfall on the way out of the starting gate. Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie broke all the rules she could have learned from Hazel McCallion. Hazel was a strong liberal and I am sure she wished all the best to Bonnie in

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has tackled the wrong opponent. He is trying to besmirch the bona fides of David Johnston. He has picked the wrong target. He is attacking the epitome of Canadian conservatism. How does he explain that to his older conservative base? David Johnson was born in Copper

I find this campaign for the mayoralty in Toronto on June 26 to be quite boring. It reminds me of the old song: “It seems to me I’ve heard that song before.” It is an old Helen Forrest number she did with Harry James in the heyday of Swing. It

We should all be sick and tired of the so-called liberals who claim they are financially conservative.  That is not liberal. With liberals like that, conservative leader Pierre Poilievre might as well say he is liberal. The conservative ideology is built on a “screw the lower classes” framework. It came

Is it better to malign others than to stand on how we might do things? Is it better to use silly slogans of derision than to delve into the mysteries of leadership? Is it better to see the mote in another’s eye? Canadians have a problem with conservative leader Pierre

There is only one real progressive in the top ten candidates for mayor of Toronto on June 26. I base this on looking at the candidates who have shown themselves to be progressive in their thinking and their actions while working in the interests of people and while in politics.

It sometimes appears that Ontario premier Ford has a long-held hate for Ontario cities. It reflects on his experiences as a councillor in Toronto during the final days of brother Rob Ford’s life and mayoralty. The crack-cocaine smoking younger brother taught brother Doug about municipal politics and turned him loose

They both showed that they had been to that rodeo before. Both challenger Rachel Notley of the new democrats (NDP) and incumbent premier (briefly) Danielle Smith of the united conservatives (UCP) looked softer and younger than their years. They were painfully polite and nobody had a scratch to show from

We should not be overly impressed with federal conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s ability to come up with poisonous slurs against political opponents. They are coming to the point where he should be challenged for his lack of concern for the truth. The prime minister of Canada can hardly be accused

It hardly needs William Shakespeare to know how foolish we can be. All you have to do is follow the bouncing ball from Queen’s Park in Toronto. If you ever believe you can trust anything you hear from Ontario premier Doug Ford, you are just another damn fool. I still

Did we hear rumblings from Hazel’s grave the other day?  I am sure we can have every confidence in current Mississauga mayor, Bonnie Crombie that everything will work out all right. What would upset the late Hazel McCallion though is the thought of giving anything to Brampton’s Brown. It was

Don’t you love these hypocrites in Quebec who will sacrifice the future of the province’s youth on the cross of linguistic purity? Take Pierre Karl Péladeau, the denizen of Quebecor and Freedom Mobile whose publications tell Québécois what to think. He connives with premier Legault to insulate the province of

I guess bicycles are not for children any more. When we were children, my younger brother and I explored our city of Toronto from end to end on our bicycles. It was my oldest brother and I who had autos take us off the road. I was hit from behind