Editorials - Aug. 29, 2025
Changes
If you need proof of the ever-changing landscape of the world, look no further than Canada shoring up its ties with Germany earlier this week. Once a sworn enemy of North America, Germany has since become a leader in liberal-leaning policy making, working hard to move past its past horrors. (Noted entrepreneur and Nazi-saluter Elon Musk - as a ghost-like disembodied head on a massive video screen - famously urged a Germany far-right-wing party to “move beyond” its “past guilt”, but that’s not the way most modern-day Germans see it, apparently.)
Prime Minister Mark Carney has signed a new critical minerals partnership with Germany as Canada continues to look elsewhere for its development and exports, inching away from its once-reliable partner to the south and Germany is working to diversify, leaving behind nations like China and Russia. And while there are plenty of reasons to talk about this new partnership in real time, from a historical perspective it shows just how much can change in a few generations. To most, a partner like Germany now represents a stable, well-respected friend on the world stage, unlike the impulsive chaos agent the United States has become under President Donald Trump, especially in his second term.
As many countries continue to turn inward and governments, even once-cherished beacons of democracy, creep ever closer to authoritarian-style leadership, this dynamic reminds us that democracy is not a given and that leadership is a shark that must keep moving, lest it dies. Which direction it will move is up to the government of the day, but a country’s standing can shift drastically in just a generation or two. – SL
The art life
In an area so focused on the value of sports and practical education and employment in the trades and on the farm, Lucknow area-native Daryl Graham’s Emmy Award win is a reminder of the value of arts in rural Ontario and why all interests deserve to be nurtured.
Graham, once a young co-op student with North Huron Publishing, has since made a career out of the world of animation, working on some of the biggest movies and television shows being produced. In the 1990s, when he was learning his trade, few could have predicted a career like the one he has had. And yet, his family, his teachers and other supportive entities in the area were able to help foster Graham’s talents and lift him to where he wanted to be in his life; a career that must have sounded outlandish and unattainable in the 1990s. And yet, many high schools and universities have caught up, seeing the value in once-niche areas of study like animation, video game and website design and more, helping artistically-minded students find their path, just like a hockey coach would for a promising young player.
Rural Ontario’s arts community may be small, but it is mighty and, with the internet and social media and the diversification of the world of entertainment, it is now going to places that many may not have ever imagined. Graham’s is one of those success stories and an example of the kinds of professionals that this area can produce if we believe in them, even if theirs is a calling that may not be the norm. – SL
A welcome announcement
There are many reasons to criticize the government of Doug Ford, but his recent announcement that Ontario will ban research testing on cats and dogs is one that should be applauded.
The premier made the declaration in London after revelations that puppies were being subjected to invasive cardiac experiments at St. Joseph’s Health Care London’s Lawson Research Institute. Public outrage followed, and the institute has since stopped testing on dogs. Ford has promised legislation to ensure that animals are protected from such experiments in the future. For a government often under fire for its handling of transparency, land use and environmental policy, this decision marks a welcome correction. The move also shows that political leadership, when pressed by whistle-blowers and public scrutiny, can respond in ways that reflect the values of ordinary Ontarians. Ending experiments on household pets is not only humane, it is common sense.
Still, this step forward should not be seen as the end of the road. Ontario continues to allow a patchwork of roadside zoos to operate with little oversight. These facilities often house exotic animals in conditions that are far from adequate. With minimal veterinary supervision, limited transparency, and weak enforcement, the welfare of the animals kept in these places remains an open question.
If the province can commit to protecting dogs and cats from needless suffering in laboratories, it should also find the will to regulate roadside zoos with the same conviction. Clear rules are needed on animal welfare, housing, veterinary care, inspections and licensing. Facilities that fail to meet humane standards should lose the right to keep animals, with those creatures rehomed in appropriate sanctuaries.
In putting an end to cruel research on cats and dogs, the province has taken an important step. The next step is clear, and long overdue. – SBS