Aug 6 2020 — Shree Paradkar — St. Catharines Standard — There are a few reasons Oprah Winfrey has been a problematic symbol of Black success. Calling out white privilege ain’t one of ’em. But that kind of nuance is likely wasted on Republicans such as Ted Cruz, once a presidential contender, who on Wednesday accused the billionaire of spewing “utter racist BS” in a tweet […]
Aug 4 2020 — Susan Delacourt — St. Catharines Standard — The first few months of the COVID crisis turned everyone into instant epidemiologists. But it’s looking like the long haul of the pandemic will be a crash course in sociology. Whether it’s contact tracing or the eventual development of a vaccine, future success in the fight against this coronavirus increasingly depends on how well we […]
Aug 2 2020 — Heather Scoffield — St. Catharines Standard, Toronto Star — Conventional wisdom has it that a leader can’t oust his finance minister in times of economic instability because such a move would compound the instability. Traditionally, firing a finance minister signals to the world that something is dreadfully wrong, either with a country’s economic policy or with the governance of the country’s money. That’s not […]
Jul 29 2020 — Susan Delacourt — St. Catharines Standard — Justin Trudeau is not likely to make any new friends on Thursday during his one-hour grilling at the House of Commons finance committee. But that’s just as well. After a month of controversy over whether this prime minister and his government were too friendly to WE Charity, the only kind of relationships Trudeau should be […]
Jul 29 2020 — Shree Paradkar — St. Catharines Standard — From a women’s rights perspective, 2020 was supposed to be the year the world would reflect upon all the ways gender equality had advanced in the 25 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a groundbreaking conference that outlined bold feminist strategies to remove barriers to equality. Instead, this year risks witnessing all […]
Jul 27 2020 — Alex Boutilier — St. Catharines Standard — WE Charity began working on Ottawa’s student volunteer grant program weeks before the federal cabinet approved the deal, newly released documents reveal. A copy of the contribution agreement between the government and the charity showed that WE officially began working on the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG) on May 5. Federal cabinet met to discuss […]
Jul 25 2020 — Heather Scoffield — St. Catharines Standard — Here’s a riddle to start your weekend. What kind of program could put hundreds of millions of government dollars to productive use for the sake of young people, safe employment during the pandemic, inclusive growth and make the federals Liberals look good? No, not a contract for WE charity. The answer is: child care, for […]
Jul 22 2020 — Heather Scoffield — St. Catharines Standard — At the height of the pandemic lockdown, the federal Liberals and the public service had a good thing going. In April, as COVID-19 was ripping through long-term-care homes and the everyday world of work and socializing had evaporated, politicians and bureaucrats were focused like a laser on doing “whatever it takes” to float the Canadian […]
Jul 20 2020 — Kristin Rushowy — St. Catharines Standard — Among the directors of Ontario’s 72 school boards, there is little racial diversity and fewer than half are women. Despite that, and in a historic first, three boards — including Toronto and Peel, the two largest in the province — now have Black women at the helm. In Toronto, Carlene Jackson recently took over as […]
Jul 15 2020 — Heather Scoffield — St. Catharines Standard — We are entering the euphoria stage of the pandemic economy — surging on a sugar high after a deep, dark shutdown, but only in a temporary way before the long slog to total recovery. The Bank of Canada has at last published a “central scenario” for what the future holds, and while it’s not quite […]
Jan 20 2020 — John Milloy — St. Catharines Standard — For many of us, the recent holiday season was a time for rest and relaxation. Not for political parties. In the political world, the countdown to New Year’s represents a fundraising bonanza. Their pitch is simple: Give before Jan. 1 and through a generous tax credit system (far better than anything enjoyed by any charity), […]
Dec 23 2019 — John Milloy — St. Catharines Standard — Ontario Liberals are in the middle of a leadership contest and, depending on who wins, Liberals could be making some fairly bold promises in the next provincial election: eliminating public funding of Catholic schools; free public transit; a citizens’ assembly on electoral reform; a basic income program; or the nomination of 30 Liberal candidates under […]
Dec 10 2019 — John Milloy — St. Catharines Standard — In our post-letter society Christmas cards seem out of fashion these days. The one glaring exception is cards from politicians. You may not give these cards much thought. But as a former MPP, I can tell you that these seasonal missives take over the lives of many politicians and represent much work and painstaking planning. […]
Aug 4 2019 — John Milloy — St. Catharines Standard — There was something endearing about Doug Ford’s unusual habit of giving out his personal cellphone number to anyone and everyone. He invited them to call or text him with questions or concerns. The practice was so unorthodox that when he ended it a few weeks ago it made headlines. According to Ford’s office, the phone […]
Jul 29 2019 — Geoffrey Stevens — St. Catharines Standard — Does it matter what the polls say in late July about a general election that will not happen until late October? For most folks, the answer is a resounding No. Just about anything that occurs today, barring some ghastly gaffe, will be long forgotten before voters bring their minds to bear on their Oct. 21 […]