Tag Archives: Canada
Building A Better Cabinet
On November 4, 2015 I posted my thoughts on the process involved in cabinet building – the political kind as opposed to home renovations. Today once again the Prime Minister is set to unveil his new cabinet, which makes that four-year-old post relevant. I had concerns the first time around that turned out to be […]
View From The Terrace
Berne (also spelled Bern), the Swiss capital, reminded me a lot of Canada’s capital, Ottawa when I visited in 2018. Both cities have a relaxed feel, big enough to have whatever you want/need – without the traffic. I only have vague memories of my first visit to Berne, in 1986. I remember seeing the famous […]
Remembrance Day 2019
Canada remembers its war dead today, as it does every November 11th. It was on this date in 1918 that the “Great War,” the “War To End All Wars” came to an end. Today we know that the First World War was just the beginning. Most years of the 20th century saw war being […]
An Act of Remembrance
As much of the world celebrates Remembrance Day on Monday, I am re-posting some of my earlier thoughts on the subject. Today’s post comes from 2016. I only know her name, nothing else about her. And where she lived in 1916, a place that I had never heard of before, Manor, Saskatchewan. By 1921 she […]
Decision Chamber
Made a quick visit to downtown Ottawa last week, as I realized I had yet to see the new chamber for Canada’s House of Commons, which relocated to West Block earlier this year. Centre Block is undergoing a ten-year renovation/restoration, and a new place had to be found for the House to meet. So they […]
Signs of Winter
Do you know what you are seeing in the picture? Most likely not, unless you are Canadian. It is a national tradition, a fall rite of passage. A sure sign of changing seasons. In my neighbourhood and across the country, as October blends into November, the boards are dropped off in the parks and […]
Canadian Wildlife
I have a friend in Germany who wanted me to send him pictures of animals from my time in Canada. Unthinking, I said yes. My assumption was that he wanted to see Canadian wildlife: deer, bears, maybe a fox or two. And while all those can be found in Ottawa from time to time, sightings […]
Walking The Beaches
Sometimes it is easy to forget, when you are in the concrete towers of the downtown districts, that Toronto is a city with a lot of natural beauty and vibrant parks. Sunday afternoon we took a quick stroll in “The Beaches,” a waterfront area along the shores of Lake Ontario. There is a boardwalk that […]
The Day After
History was made Monday night. Of course that would be true no matter the results of the Canadian federal election. Returns are still coming in as I write this, so I am not going to mention final numbers. I mentioned to friends early in the campaign, it felt to me a lot like 1972. Back then a […]
Decision Day
Canadians will hold their collective nose today and vote in the federal election for the candidate of their choice. Or maybe they will vote against a candidate not of their choice. The 2019 election has failed to inspire. The leaders have not looked impressive. The party platforms have not seemed realistic. Yet there are clear […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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