Stephen Lewis was the finest example of public servant. He had a huge impact on public life in Canada for many years. I miss the days when politicians conducted themselves with the integrity, passion, respect, intellect and gravitas that he possessed. RIP to one of the great ones.

Why I won’t be crossing the Bluewater Bridge any time soon. So many elements of this story are disturbing. Seriously, a DNA sample from a guy travelling to a demonstration in the US with nothing more seditious than a Canadian flag in his car? open.substack.com/pub/phoebewa...

These days are dark but the full Snow Moon (peaks tomorrow) is shining some much needed light in my world. Taken at around 7:15 in my yard.

"It wasn't murder, and if you say it was murder we will kill you, which again will not be murder."

This is a big deal. Eighty-two year old Helen Garner wins the Baillie Gifford nonfiction prize. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/nov/05/im-never-surprised-when-i-read-about-a-woman-murdering-a-man-helen-garner-on-her-baillie-gifford-prize-winning-diaries?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Cathal Kelly writes about Toronto processing the loss of a game that was more beautiful and nuanced than the result. And the opening anecdote is just vintage Toronto. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/b2889d8f29a2af3d83126e8ac1d9c93cdb68260caf566c91091603721ba45bd3/W34O3DRRLNDQDC2SQBXVWROORY

So much hitting. So little scoring. So many runners left on base. Are the Jays gonna break our hearts again?

Guerrero will not be denied.

TIRED: pitchers plunking batters WIRED: batters plunking pitchers

This thread by Justin Ling says it all. “In Trump’s gangster economics, you never shake down a mark just once: You keep coming back.” We need to walk away from these “negotiations” and steel ourselves for some tough times to ensure our independence.

Love my city.

May this be the last visit Zelensky makes to the White House until the regime change (I mean in America but Russia would work too.)

What a rich & evidence-based review by @ghadaa.bsky.social for @thestar.com of recent wild claims about the TFW program: www.thestar.com/news/canada/.... Yes, it was unduly expanded (under both Harper & Trudeau) and needs big changes. But blaming TFWs for the labour market's funk is a lie. #canlab

Laura MacGregor, my former colleague on the CNFC board, is now shortlisted for the CBC books nonfiction prize. Her story, of a mother’s invisible sacrifice for a profoundly disabled son, will move and trouble you.

“Last week, Marco Rubio imposed sanctions against noted Canadian jurist Kimberly Prost, stating that her work with the International Criminal Court represented a "national security threat" to both the United States and Israel.” The idea that we can negotiate with these gangsters is frankly nuts.

He’s wrong about everything, and thinks he’s right about everything. Hard to tell which is worse. The war will end when Russia decides no longer to fight. The US could make that happen with a few simple policies. Instead the Trump administration offers ridiculous analysis and pathetic excuses.

Dear American taxpayer: you are paying -- a LOT -- for this cosplaying. And paying for the tariffs. And paying with your health. You done with this foolishness yet?

This incredible project is coming to fruition. The Portlands are returned to nature and human activity. Nice to see such a well considered and designed infrastructure project.

Canada: checks under the covers for the bloody horse’s head.

The always informative Sarah Taber on the trouble with raw milk. It’s about the cow poop!

“People started playing with: “Well, what would it feel like to just not give a shit if people die?” And once you play with that, you’re playing with fire. And it starts spreading. And it becomes, “Well, who else could we say it’s OK if they die?”” Great interview. Hope she’s wrong about Carney.

Allow me to address the elephant in the room: The decades-long outsourcing of domestic manufacturing to China was not an insidious Chinese conspiracy for dominance but the greedy strategy of the American ruling class to explode its profit margins by exploiting global inequality.

I have some thoughts about our relationship with our complicated neighbour. open.substack.com/pub/canadast...

One thing that I was thought was revealing about the divisions within Canada: When Carney acknowledged Poilievre's hard work on his campaign in his victory speed, the crowd of Liberals cheered. When Poilievre mentioned Carney in his concession speech, there was loud booing.

Low info big mad voters - a recipe for disaster exploited by leaders who like to mirror the big mad back at them and feed them disinformation. We escaped this time but next time?

I can’t wait to never hear PP’s voice again. #cdnpoli #elxn45

scha·den·freu·de /ˈSHädənˌfroidə/ noun pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune

Sitting here waiting for PP to fade into oblivion. 🤞

We can only hope that whoever succeeds in this election will pay close attention to @armineyalnizyan.bsky.social ‘s wise words.

April 28th is the day we remember workers injured and killed on the job. They don't teach us the monumental stories of resistance and organizing to make workplaces safer. This is my reflection on the origins of April 28th and the miners of the north who made history. substack.com/home/post/p-...

"Do you even own a black suit?"

“No one is above the law.” If that were true we wouldn’t be where we are today.

Poilievre rushed to safety after actual journalist question makes it past security

Whether it's Hillary Clinton sharing risotto tips on a private server or Pete Hegseth using the nuclear codes as his password on Pornhub, both parties have ignored our nation's security.

Policy Horizons is government strategic foresight unit. It looks at a range of hypotheticals to help government think about the long-term implications of policies. It has now become a far-right conspiracy theory in the dying days of this election and that sucks. nationalnewswatch.com/2025/04/24/p...

I don't think people in the US fully understand how much our government has made us broadly hated in other countries

Another interesting difference between campaigns- many photos of Carney reaching out to people and politicians across the country while PP has a tightly controlled presence with limited interactions.

This paper reports that more than 1000 Canadians died of work-related injuries or occupational disease in 2023, a tragic number that is probably a significant underestimate - since in many cases of disease we don’t even understand the extent of exposures.

If you know, you know

Holier than the Pope, we used to say.

JD Vance —

Why is Poilievre afraid of a security clearance? Why is Poilievre afraid of questions from our press? Why would anyone vote for this? #ElbowsUpCanada

Another excellent piece by Dan Gardner on history as a battlefield for competing ideologies. open.substack.com/pub/dgardner...

Mothers went to bed with empty fridges worried about how they're going to feed their kids, says Poilievre, Man Whose Party Voted Against the School Lunch Program

Good interview to share with Americans still not getting it. While some of the points made by @stephenmarche.bsky.social may be a bit hard to hear or sound overblown to some, the directness and clarity was refreshing. His statements largely represent my views. youtu.be/3c55rUOHjdY?...

“And the whole ecosystem that supported Canadian popular history has either shrivelled (newspapers and magazines) or vanished altogether (book reviews sections in newspapers and magazines).” Dan Gardner on Canadian history writing with a special plug for @drmarkbourrie.bsky.social

This shows you just how obtuse some Alberta Conservatives are. They think "it's not us, it's you" and "do what we want or we'll hurt you" are warm invitations to "paddle together."

I’m sure this will change hearts and minds….

A timeline cleanser - the field behind my house looking east as the sun sets behind me.