Tag Archives: Canada
Thinking of Travel
I’ve always had an aversion to standing in line. I think that goes back to the Expo ’67 World’s Fair in Montreal. Several of the most popular exhibitions could only be seen if you were willing to stand in line for hours. Which may be fine for an adult who knows what they are going […]
The Christmas Market
When I lived in Germany, I would take in a half dozen Christmas markets each year. I didn’t limit myself to only German ones – I also checked out markets in France and Austria. That of course was pre-pandemic. I’m not sure how many Christmas markets were permitted to operate this year. I know in […]
Right Thinking Triumphs
Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Cohesiveness, or the desire for cohesiveness, in a group may produce a tendency among its members to agree at all costs. This causes the […]
Where Is The Uproar?
I gave it a week to simmer, to allow my outrage to die down. It hasn’t. What concerns me though is that no-one I have spoken with recently has mentioned to me that we have been part of a military experiment. Do Canadians not care? I have been asked dozens of times since returning to […]
The Timber Raft
Somehow I had misssedthis one. Maybe because it was painted in 2004, five years after we moved from Pembroke to Ottawa. About 30 years ago the city of Pembroke began commissioning murals for the downtown area. The theory was they might draw tourists. I think they did for the first few years, though I don’t […]
A Day of Remembrance
Today for the first time Canada is recognizing a national day of truth and reconciliation. The intent is to remember those children who lost their lives in Canada’s residential school system, as well as the survivors and their families. Residential schools flourished for more than a century, with tens of thousands of indigenous children being […]
The Knives Are Out
I was confused when I answered the phone. Who conducts a political poll three days after an election? As the automated caller worked through its questions the purpose became clear. Did I think Canada was moving in the right direction? Press 1 for yes, 2 for no. Which party did I vote for? (I lied […]
Waste? What Waste?
Ottawa taxpayers are wresting with the big questions this week. Which was the bigger waste of money?Monday’s federal election cost more than $600 million to stage, and has left us with pretty much the same government we had before. That price does seem like a bargain though compared to the city’s light rail line. Built […]
And The Winner Will Be…
Canadians choose a new government today. In theory anyway. As I write this, the polls will be open for another few hours, and then the counting begins. Given how close the tally is expected to be, and with a million mail-in ballots that won’t be counted before Tuesday, it may be a few days before […]
A Matter of Responsibility
The Dutch defence minister resigned Friday after being censured by her country’s parliament over her handling of the evacuation of those who had helped Dutch forces in Afghanistan. The foreign minister had already resigned over the same issue. For this Caandian it was shocking to see a cabinet minister accept blame and resign over anything. […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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