Opinion

September’s extended stretch of balmy weather has triggered heightened interest in heat – what it does to the human body, how cooling down cities has taken on new urgency, and how global climate change has finally ceased being a political issue that can be debated; without a doubt, it is happening.

An under-reported reality highlighted during the local kick-off for the United Way Perth Huron (UWPH) annual fundraising campaign is that, next to government, the United Way is Canada’s largest funder of social services.

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.

Fifty-year milestones are understandably rare for community organizations, but there are several coming up in our area within the next couple of weeks.

The provincial government’s plan to move supervised drug consumption sites from school zones looks good at first glance. 

Like it or not I’m not in control of the medications that are prescribed by my doctors – the specialists. However, I am in control of the vitamins that I take on a regular basis.

I have some exciting news to share with you. Earlier this year, I submitted an application to the Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) and CBC Indigenous for a journalism fellowship opportunity. I was not one of the selected journalists.

The weather gurus have confirmed that Toronto has been hit with not one but two serious storms this summer – two once-in-a-hundred-year storms within weeks of each other – flooded basements, water rescues on urban streets, roads closed and … insurance claims.

The countdown is on! What seemed like an endless summer ahead only yesterday, has dwindled to mere days before school resumes.

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 lot of focus with the Summer Olympics has been on the Seine River. The river has played a key…