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Would a hockey win calm a country worried about its sovereignty? Yes, it’s back! Top-level international hockey always sparks passion among Canadians. As with Brazilians during the football World Cup, national-team victories offer an affirmation of the country, despite our many doubts. Winning is our declaration of independence. The Winter Olympics at Milano-Cortina this month…

Intuitive and enigmatic, cats have woven a place in our domestic life Now that all the New Year’s chatter about “starting anew” and recasting the world in 2026 has quietly passed away, we can focus on one unchanging attraction: cats Cats don’t rank with the political and social issues that usually engulf this column, but…

Zelenskyy has lobbied every Western capital (above: Ottawa in 2023), but Korea and WWI stalemates loom large How do American and other Western opinion-makers view the war in Ukraine today, in summer 2023? Are they urging leaders to change course, or persist? To withdraw support, or press on harder than ever? While the U.S. President,…

Many today are deliberately choosing solitude. But group cohesion matters Christmas and holiday seasons are here, and they usually feature lots of socializing. Dinners, office parties, family get-togethers. People see each other again, rub elbows and exchange greetings. Auld lang syne, and all that. Cheers! Nobody can match that in-person experience on Facetime or Facebook….

Mark Carney’s federal Liberals are already facing restless voters after broad promises. And provincial Liberals are challenging two-term CAQ government in Quebec. Suddenly, everything is about politics — municipal, federal, provincial. What is going on? I voted last Sunday in our municipal election in the Townships – for two council members and a mayor. And…

Quebecers have long embraced a sports team that made them proud. Will it always hold their hearts? With the return of the fall season, NHL hockey looms again, as imposing as ever in Quebec culture and society. You have to wonder: Are culture and sport the same thing here? The death of Canadiens great Ken…

Our hopes and fears need leavening with common sense What are we to make of AI? September 2nd was the 1,000th day since the release of ChatGPT, the easily accessible artificial-intelligence tool launched by OpenAI. More AI tools have proliferated as tech heavyweights Google, Microsoft and Meta have released their own consumer models. Three years…

Films may not be as fun and engaging as they were in the 1960s and ’70s Were movies better in the past? It’s hard not to feel that way. The big screen at the local theatre with its subliminal link among audience members – often gasping or laughing in unison – used to make movie-going…

Players come and go, rivalries change, so just keep cheering … somebody Away we go. Like many Canadians, I tuned in to the NHL playoffs in mid-April with one clear cheering interest. My team is in this season, so no reason to shop around. For many fans, that is taboo. When you’re a fan of…

New air facility on South Shore set to become the “Townships airport” Everyone’s flying everywhere. The phenomenon is so widespread, we scarcely notice it anymore. I am no frequent-flyer, unlike members of my broader family who jet away somewhere every month or even sometimes every week: to Vancouver, Florida, London, Bangladesh, Thailand, you name it….