My 2026 Vancouver Municipal Election Endorsements
On October 17, Vancouver goes to the polls to choose a mayor, city council, park board, and school board. My perpetual top-of-mind issues, in this election and others, are climate…
Municipal politics
UCP’s legislation sets stage for municipal political parties, arbitrary nullification of bylaws, and firing of councillors by cabinet
We may be living in the 21st Century, but Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Government is apparently still suffering from the 19th Century distrust of voters and democracy that convinced…
The Challenge of Citizen Engagement
I recently read a good opinion piece in The Meaford Independent, titled, The Challenge of Remaining Informed & Engaged in Municipal Governance in Our Busy Modern World, In it, editor…
What Happened to Trebor?
Back in late 2020, local media was singing the praises of a new company called Trebor RX at 395 Raglan Street in Collingwood. Its entrepreneurial owner, George Irwin, promised great…
2022 Vancouver Municipal Election Endorsements
I suppose I’ve been putting this off long enough. If you would like to know how I plan to vote in tomorrow’s Vancouver municipal elections, read on … Mayor: 51.…
How to Win an Election
Anyone running for office should consider reading How to Win an Election, by Quintus Tullius Cicero, translated by Philip Freeman. It’s a short, small book subtitled An Ancient Guide for…
No, Brian Hasn’t Done Any of That!
You probably got one of these disinformation campaign cards in your mail this week. It says that Brian Saunderson and Doug “Jabba the Hutt” Ford are “putting money in your…
Should Candidates and Officials Disclose Criminal Records?
Some questions about openness and truth to consider as we start a year in which we have both a provincial and municipal election coming… Should a candidate for office disclose…
Brampton’s mayor is not Barrie’s best!
As outsiders, Barrie residents might not know as much about politics in Brampton but we sure know the mayor. In a straight trade for Brampton’s former mayor for Patrick Brown,…
Those pesky preferential ballots.
It is always good to hear from loyal readers. And from some readers who enjoy arguing. One of the frequent arguments is over different types of voting. In more than…
Time of Use Billing is an Assault
By returning to the money-grabbing time-of-use (TOU) billing, Ontario’s Hydro One continues its unrelenting assault on the province’s seniors, stay-at-home parents, the unemployed, night shift workers, those under lockdown, and…
County’s Lukewarm Response to SVJI
Seems our mayor failed to get the response from the county for the Saunderson Vindictive Judicial Inquiry (aka the SVJI) he hoped for. Rather than welcoming the report with open…
Pondering the politics of the potty.
There are issues that people will step up to and there are issues that cause them to smirk and back away. I was reading a very intelligent story the other…
Breaking Faith with Canadians.
Before people started accepting news in free form as whatever was trending on social media, we were encouraging business and government to work together. We called it by various names…
The last campaign.
You never know which one is your last campaign. You always look forward to your next until reality says your last was your last. I can no longer climb the…
Why does Toronto want ranked ballots?
Toronto City Council needs to take a very hard look at ranked ballot voting. It is no panacea. It is a solution for a problem that does not exist. It…
A fond farewell to Joe Atkinson.
As an undeniable Torontonian, I have always had a special place for the Toronto Star. Sure, I have worked for the Globe and Mail, written for the long-dead Toronto Telegram…
Whatever happened to conservatives?
It’s hard to believe these days, but in many nations, conservative political parties were once actually the defenders of the nation’s interests, of the greater good, of the public, and…
Comparing colonial India to Canada?
Why have so many people from the sub-continent immigrated to Canada? What attracted them to this country? These people are welcome. This question is raised because of a really confused…
Only fools annoy us.
There will be many fine words used to describe John Lewis who died last week. He was a leader of the U.S. civil rights movement and the long-serving representative for…