Editorials

Santa Claus has had a pretty busy season so far.

This is the time of year that makes it or breaks it for many merchants. They count on holiday shoppers to edge them into the black for the year.

We know some of the victims’ stories, or at least the bits police and sometimes family members and witnesses share with the media.

Before we cast our ballots in the next election, be it federal (could happen any time, Oct. 20, 2025 at the latest), provincial (June 4, 2026 at the latest) or municipal (Oct. 26, 2026), we had better figure out what we are voting for – or against.

News last week that more than a million people living in Ontario turned to food banks over a 12-month period starting in the spring of 2023, should be concerning to us all.

The newspapers under the umbrella of Midwestern Newspapers Corp. have recently covered items at their perspective municipal councils that have attracted major public interest. 

A push from Bruce County council to have the province reconcile its approach to health care in this area with the region’s importance to Ontario’s economy and social fabric is garnering support from local municipalities.

With every Olympic Games there are stories of triumph and disappointment and the 33rd Olympiad currently underway in Paris will be no different. 

A lot of our communities have stormwater and sewer systems that would qualify as antiques, were they cars.

I gave myself more time to write this column than usual. I wanted to sit with the news of Andrea Skinner’s abuse at the hands of her step-father, and the revelations of her mother Alice Munro protecting him and their marriage over her daughter.

Canada’s housing crisis has been brewing for a long time, although it burst into the headlines during the COVID pandemic.

We’ve been critical in recent (and not-so-recent) weeks, of numerous initiatives of Premier Doug Ford’s Conservative Ontario government, so it seems only fair to shine a light on a positive development emanating from that corner.

Among my favorite movies is The Butterfly Effect. The 2004 film features Ashton Kutcher as a troubled time traveller who discovers, to his chagrin, that attempts to correct mistakes in the past can generate unintended consequences for the future. 

The mere thought there has been foreign interference in Canada’s political process is shocking enough, but the notion there were MPs and/or senators who may have conspired with foreign governments like China and India leaves the average Canadian speechless.