Columns

Last week I explored the notion that the pain and longing associated with the pandemic, for many, may be temporary, hopefully serving, one day, as nothing more than an unpleasant memory.

A lot of companies, especially technology companies, want people to burn through their gadgets, their computers and even their vehicles (and yes, with the number of chips, computers and displays, I now consider...

Sometimes I think about 25 per cent of a politician's job could be accomplished by a figure in a business suit stuffed with straw, hanging from a rope with a baseball bat easily available...

Unclear and indirect, A golden age?, A breath of fresh air

In June of 2007, a letter arrived for me in Pickering, though I had already moved to Huron County. "I hope this has offered insight into your past, because to forget the past is to forget where we have come from...

While I expected to start off 2021 in a way different than every other year, I don't think anything I could've done would have prepared me for exactly how different it has been thanks to the ongoing lockdown and online learning.

The other night we watched one of those movies where the female protagonist is irresistibly attracted to the "bad boy".

Distribution and education, The American Nightmare, Give people time

When is it enough?, Do as I say, not as I do, Reaching new heights

Surprising someone with something can be a true joy. Seeing their face light up thanks to something you did that they just did not see coming is something you both will remember for the rest of your lives.

It was a baking holiday at the Scott house over the past couple weeks as I spent days with my daughter Mary Jane testing out new recipes, discovering the joys (and horrible smell) of molasses and then enjoying the efforts of our labours.

If there's one thing that should have become clear during the current pandemic it is how much Canada has gained from immigration.

Up until the weekend, I was planning to write a nearly-sickeningly-sweet Christmas column about how we've all come so far this year and we just have to go a little bit further before a little prick makes it safe for the world to get back to normal.

While millions of Canadians fret that COVID-19 restrictions are limiting their creating a memorable Christmas, I'm willing to bet that 20 years from now, people will talk more about Christmas 2020 than either Christmas 2019 or 2021.

Last week I wrote about half of a column entitled "The bright side of life". That would have been the fourth column I've written under that title this year. However, I stopped midway and deleted what I'd written because there was no bright side at that...

Clear messaging, A year to remember, You can't skip the line

For the vast majority of people, 2020 will be a year to forget. There has been so much horror on a day-to-day basis that it has rattled the foundations of many so that the awful became normalized and the horrific became part of just another day in 2020.

My wife Ashleigh really enjoys certain kinds of "reality" television (and reality is definitely in quotations intentionally) but her recent favourite has been tattoo shows, specifically Ink Master.

It was when I heard Major-General Dany Fortin discussing the intricacies of delivering vaccines for COVID-19 across Canada that I grasped the difference between governing and politics.

Looking abroad, A changing conversation, Handouts and payouts

While we here at The Citizen know there are some misguided souls who think the COVID-19 pandemic is exaggerated or (in some really special cases) made up, the simple fact is there is evidence everywhere you look...

As we prepare to mark the end of 2020, we find ourselves with few things we really want to remember and many we'd like to forget, but probably won't.

Generations of people have staked their futures on the words of experts in one field or another. For hundreds of years people have looked to those smarter than them for advice, help and guidance.

Hitting Home, Making an Impact, Use it or Lose it