The logic in virtually every paragraph of this hangs by the thinnest of threads, but don’t let that get in the way of oversimplifying a complex situation to help manifest a national unity crisis. thehub.ca/2026/06/29/a...

Good that this is being revived in some form, but seems rather small potatoes for now. www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

Gotta say I’m more elated by today’s victory than I’d have imagined. Soccer is not my main sport, and until relatively recently I didn’t get all that emotionally invested in national team sports in general. But, man, being brought together in moments of joy is not to be underestimated at the moment.

My most generous read of Hoekstra is that he tends to say stuff that reads obnoxious even when he’s trying not to. Regardless, I suspect he’s peripheral enough to Trump’s administration that we could safely ignore him more than we do. www.ctvnews.ca/politics/art...

We really should already know not to take Fortress North America seriously as a concept. But just in case, we now have a giant monument to remind us. My column: www.thestar.com/opinion/the-...

Some useful context here on the condo controversy, but also: It’s a good little case study in this federal government’s communications being really bad, in ways that most people who don’t cover it (understandably) wouldn’t realize. paulwells.substack.com/p/its-not-a-...

Quite the octogenarian run these guys are on. youtu.be/3mUf_DGhygA

It's always a bit amusing to remember that Mintz was once of the country's more prominent carbon-pricing advocates. ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/jack-mi...

North America (and specifically Ontario) is going to become an island market for gasoline and diesel cars and trucks that's totally defenseless against the EV wave that's coming, and I genuinely don't know what policymakers think is gonna happen.

Was amazing to be at this last night. A lot of cool things happening in Toronto this summer. www.sportsnet.ca/wnba/article...

My column on the need to make ourselves less vulnerable to oil price shocks. www.thestar.com/business/can...

Keir Starmer's demise is a reminder that [insert your pre-existing view here].

Weird thing to be pining for. www.nytimes.com/athletic/738...

The world is a mess right now, but I saw so much genuine human connection in Toronto this weekend - downtown as World Cup visitors partied with locals, in parks and on patios, at a life-affirmingly good rock show (Deer Tick) tonight. The more we get together, the better we’ll get through it all.

Something a bit different from me this weekend: a Father’s Day column on why, after always wanting to avoid following in my dad’s footsteps, I was ready to embrace it. I hope it’s relatable for some people. www.thestar.com/business/opi...

I get that Carney felt the need to praise this Iran deal as part of a general pivot at the moment to ingratiating himself with Trump. But I'm not sure a politician benefiting from an unusual amount of trust is best to use that capital telling the public stuff he can't possibly believe is true.

Maybe it's all part of his brilliant negotiating style, but honestly every quote in here gives the impression that Trump is hopelessly confused about the CUSMA/USMCA process. www.thestar.com/politics/fed...

It wouldn’t exactly be a panacea, but I wish every news story about Musk’s tech plays also identified him as a white supremacist. We need to stop treating it as a side hobby that can be set aside while focusing on his entrepreneurialism, wealth, etc.

As I'm settling into the Star a bit, this seems like a good time to share gift links to a few of my columns so far, to give some sense of what I've been up to if you're not currently a subscriber.

Speaking of things that Carney might one day regret... www.thestar.com/politics/fed...

Carney was initially enthusiastic (more so than he's now suggesting) about a Billy Bishop expansion. But leaving it to Doug Ford to make the case has backfired and given the Liberals pause. My column (which also includes stuff about larger airport privatization): www.thestar.com/business/opi...

There’s something especially awesome about a band getting back together after decades, clearly not sure what the interest will be, and then finding out they’re as loved as ever. So much fun watching Flashing Lights kill it at Lee’s Palace last night.

Weekend column, in which I suggest a little calm is warranted heading into a heated summer - albeit with a couple of big asterisks. www.thestar.com/business/her...

Have to admit I didn’t realize the Argos season was starting tonight, which is a first for me. Granted there’s a lot else going on. But maybe the CFL should consider marketing itself a little rather than just abruptly trying to reinvent itself.

We’ll know we’ve made it when the Haim sisters show up in Canada jerseys next to Ryan Reynolds.

New from me. www.thestar.com/business/hon...

I can’t be the only Torontonian watching the Dolan Knicks in the Finals and thinking what it would’ve been like if the Leafs had gone on a Stanley Cup run under Harold Ballard, right?

Climate change may be a classic latent issue. Not top-of-mind for most voters today, but capable of becoming politically powerful after a major wildfire season, flooding event, or policy controversy. Concern is rising. Salience is not. abacusdata.ca/climate-con...

I’m not sure how many people on here tune out over the weekend. Just in case, here’s my Saturday column.

I don’t get this framing. A mayor attending a hometown Finals game seems par for the course. The President showing up and forcing TSA-like security and the cancellation of watch parties and other fan events around the arena does not. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/n...

We'll see what the actual text is, but I don't like the sound of this. Please don't make your case for unity conditional on things that'll never be achieved to the full satisfaction of your audience. Also, please don't make your case for unity self-serving. www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

Canada has tied itself into a bizarre and potentially very expensive knot around the would-be pipeline and Pathways projects. Is there a way to untangle it, amid everything else happening in Alberta right now? My Saturday column: www.thestar.com/business/opi...

C’mon, man. Pretty much everyone in Ottawa has seen this PM be short-tempered or heard a first-hand account of it. Not saying that’s necessarily a huge deal, but no point pretending otherwise.

Canada has tied itself into a bizarre and potentially very expensive knot around the would-be pipeline and Pathways projects. Is there a way to untangle it, amid everything else happening in Alberta right now? My Saturday column: www.thestar.com/business/opi...

My first take on the AI strategy. www.thestar.com/opinion/star...

My first take on the AI strategy. www.thestar.com/opinion/star...

I see a lot of charts everyday. Few make me go: THIS IS CRAZY. www.carbonbrief.org/ai-boom-mean...

Well, I made it two columns into my new gig before writing about energy again. But I think I stumbled onto something in Carney's electricity strategy that has a lot of relevance to consumers, especially on Ontario (and to policy nerds who may not have noticed it). www.thestar.com/business/opi...

My first column for the Star, on what’s shaping up as both one of Carney’s most ambitious and most confusing plans: getting Canadians to put their money directly into his sovereign wealth fund. www.thestar.com/business/opi...

To wit

Every time I see something about how Canada is newly pitching a "Fortress North America," I'm reminded that I went to a Canada-U.S.-Mexico manufacturing conference days after the 2024 U.S. election where that was *exactly* the message Canada (via our current Finance Minister, among others) brought.

I’m sorry, but Germans buying a west coast LNG project (which was in the works under Trudeau) does not disprove Trudeau’s “infamous” claim questioning of the business case for an LNG terminal on the east coast. www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com...

Not to be a jerk, but I’m pretty sure that if being chased by a bear, you’re supposed to try to remain calm, not frantically try to outrun it.

If Google wants to essentially stop being a search engine as we know it, that has to open the door to competitors offering a more traditional experience, no?

A good reminder (if one was needed) that while there are many good reasons for Canada to increase defence spending, impressing/appeasing the U.S. isn’t one of them.

“Oil Sands Alliance is committed to advancing the Pathways carbon capture and storage project provided the necessary regulatory and fiscal terms are in place.” As in, if there are no regulations and the governments pay for the whole thing.

Also, again, please remember this. (And same goes for Pathways obviously, which is even further from anyone in industry seriously proposing it.)

Okay, I’ll be the (possibly rare) person who cares a lot about climate change and doesn’t think the industrial carbon pricing agreement is necessarily terrible.

I’m fairly sure the government gave up on the 2030 target last year. It just can’t come right out and say it because of legislation and an international commitment that would be pains to roll back. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

My main takeaway from Carney’s electricity strategy - which contains a small amount of news, a few vague hints of possible future policies, a laying out of familiar priorities, and many promises to now start consultations - is that this government has an acute case of strategy-itis.