Year: 2023
Student dreams and money woes
A three-month crisis ends after a failed attempt at wedge politics MONTREAL (Dec. 24) – In French, it’s called a “psychodrame” – an emotional crisis with a quick rise and fall. That was the university tuition-fees crisis in Quebec, fall of 2023. Launched in early October by a reckless Premier after a stunning defeat for…
Football scores big in Quebec
A traditionally anglo sport has exploded among francophone athletes There’s been a Quiet Revolution in Quebec team sports in recent decades – francophones have started playing football in large numbers. “Canada is hockey”, it is often said, but English Canada has long supported other team sports, too. Every high school across the rest of Canada…
Premiers face headaches in 2nd terms
Legault’s CAQ asked voters to look at its “record” in 2022. That may become more decisive in second term. Ford’s Conservatives face similar challenges. In autumn, there’s a back-to-school season and a new political year. Both are known in French as “la rentrée”. The Canadian politics rentrée in 2023-24 will feature several leaders whose report…
Zelensky appeals for Canada support
President skilfully flatters hosts, touches emotional bases with diaspora by David Winch, Kyiv Post MONTREAL – President Volodymyr Zelensky captured headlines across Canada on Friday September 22, with a carefully choreographed visit to capital Ottawa and a speech to Parliament broadcast live on national TV that pressed all the right emotional buttons. The visit followed…
Expos roll through the Townships
Fans cheer old faves in charity road trip Baseball was back – for one evening. The fans wanted to see their Montreal Expos stars again, and they loved it. At this seven-inning charity softball game in Sherbrooke on Wednesday evening, the crowd rang through “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the fifth-inning stretch,…
Last Call in Canada?
New limits for alcohol ignore benefits Journalists love “headline numbers”, big round figures, especially millions and billions. They catch readers’ attention and seem impressive. But in January 2023 the lowly figure two (2) caught everyone’s attention; as in, two drinks a week. A health advisory board proposed that as a national guideline. “Two? per week!?”…
The burning question
Photo credit: Landon Parenteau Are wildfires more frequent than in the past? An explosion of northern wildfires in June and July kindled great anxiety. Clouds of smoke blew over major U.S. cities in the Northeast and Midwest, and both Toronto and Montreal were smothered for several days. The sun sometimes appeared red when it wasn’t…
Animals: can they bounce back?
When the slaughter stops, they often thrive The hand-drawn map of Lake Massawippi shows all its fishing-spot locations and quirky place names. I bought a copy years ago in Ayer’s Cliff and, while it is colourful, it tells a sadly familiar story. Among the notations scrawled along the edges of this country fishing chart, one…
Tale of two Trudeaus
After 8 years in power, the exit looms for Justin In the late 1960s, Pierre Elliott Trudeau became my favourite political leader. Like a great athlete, he could bring a full house to its feet. He was charismatic, refreshingly brash, unconventional. A new star in the political sky. I still recall each successive ballot of…
Spanish surge in Townships?
Hispanic newcomers change Sherbrooke In recent years I have done business with a Peruvian-born pharmacist in Magog, a furnace repairman from Buenos Aires in North Hatley, an Ecuadorian veterinarian in Rock Forest, and a short-order cook from Mexico serving breakfast near Katevale. This sprinkling of Hispanic residents in the Townships has scarcely been noticed in…