Editorials - Aug. 21, 2026
The wasteful
Did you know that there is such a thing as a textile circularity consultant? For the record, neither did we until we read an article published by CBC News on the shocking amount of clothing donated to charities that is ending up in the garbage.
Fast fashion has never been so prolific as in the era of internet shopping on cheap sites like Shein, Temu, Fashion Nova, Amazon and a myriad of others. Donations to thrift stores are increasing and the shops are having trouble keeping up. They used to be able to sell their excess inventory to other non-profits, but the downstream is now slowing down.
When they can’t find a buyer for the extra textiles, they end up going to landfill, which creates added expenses to an already slim bottom line.
Used clothes in Canada have always found a system where they have been cycled through thrift stores until they are deemed “unsellable” and then either repurposed into industrial rags, stuffing or insulation or exported but the high cost of fuel and transportation has made those options less viable. Even Value Village, a for-profit organization that purchased more than half of its inventory from non-profits, is now focusing on driving up direct donations to increase profit margins.
According to experts, Canada is in a “crisis of stuff”. The next time you score a great deal on a cute sundress, consider where the “stuff” you clean out of your closet to make room for it ultimately ends up. – DS
The curious
Woven into the fabric of a community newspaper is the idea that the most local is the most impactful. While national or international news, politics, sports and entertainment might have the glitz and glamour, what plays the biggest role in your life is likely what’s closest to home. If this wasn’t true - to a certain degree - The Citizen wouldn’t exist.
Today - Friday, Aug. 21 - at 2 p.m., this fall’s municipal election ballots will be set. And while local politics may not have the Donald Trump-Mark Carney face-off or Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry dancing in a Montreal Home Hardware, it is these names you will need to know. Your local councillors will set your property taxes, have your streets fixed and take votes on whether to close your arena, level your park or how to shape your community for the future generation.
In the coming weeks and months, this editorial board encourages you to get involved. To learn more about your candidates, attend all-candidates meetings and read local election guides or meeting coverage to know what you’re getting yourself into. Sure Joe Blow might make a good neighbour, but will he be a good councillor? People will say there was no way to know, and yet, there is a lot of information out there, most of which is courtesy of local news outlets like The Citizen, to help make you make the right decision for you and your family.
Most importantly, regardless of who you cast your vote for, be sure to get out and vote. In some years gone by, voter turnout for local elections has been laughably low with some municipalities barely cracking the one-quarter mark. Limited budgets and acclamations make voting locally a tougher proposition than others, but you owe it to yourself to get involved and to make an informed decision. – SL
The storytellers
Lloyd Robertson’s passing marks the end of more than a remarkable broadcasting career. It marks the loss of a figure from an era when journalism carried civic weight, when the evening news was an appointment rather than an endless stream, and when Canadians could gather and, for a time, share a common understanding of the country.
Robertson worked in radio, CBC television and CTV, where he became chief anchor of CTV National News. For decades, he covered elections, wars, disasters and national tragedies, including Sept. 11, 2001. His work was grounded in a simple responsibility: find out what happened, explain it clearly and separate fact from speculation.
His calm delivery reflected an understanding that journalism was meant to help audiences navigate events, rather than make the journalist the story. That distinction has become harder to maintain. Today’s information environment is fractured in ways Robertson could scarcely have imagined. News arrives continuously through television, websites, social media, podcasts, influencers and anonymous accounts. Everyone can create a version of reality that reinforces what they already believe.
The past should not be romanticized. Journalism had its failures and blind spots, but Robertson represented principles worth preserving: curiosity before certainty, facts before fury and professionalism before performance. His familiar closing line, “That’s the kind of day it’s been,” reflected an assumption that there was a shared day to describe and a common audience listening. That common ground is now harder to find.
Robertson’s legacy is about more than television. It is a reminder that journalism depends on credibility, restraint and public trust. In an age of fractured audiences and competing realities, those qualities aren’t relics of another era. They are more necessary than ever. – SBS