Editorials - July 18, 2025
Little by little
Venues intended to hold 50,000 people shouldn’t be rushed. That’s the presiding sentiment after the less-than-stellar reviews came out after Toronto’s new Rogers Stadium hosted its first two concerts.
The “temporary” stadium has been purpose-built to host large concerts for Live Nation, but will eventually be demolished for an urban mixed-use development. The stadium took under nine months to build, and concert-goers to the first events have pointed out that it shows.
The venue is located in Downsview, with limited access to transit, especially post-show. Crowds leaving the venue after the first concert were held back by staff and permitted to exit in slow-moving groups which prevented station over-crowding but meant that many missed the last GO train and connections. Limited roads in and out of the area meant many people were late for the concert and sat for hours waiting to leave. Transit capacity doesn’t seem to have been part of the planning process.
After the first concert, organizers increased staff, water stations and access to food, but attendees were still not impressed. Attendees said that the bleacher-style seating felt like it was swaying and the acoustics were not great. All in all, the venue, which could have been a big feather in Toronto’s cap for attracting big names on a stage where they aren’t competing for dates with national sports teams, seems as though it was built too quickly and without enough planning.
Everything these days seems to be done at break-neck speed. There is still something to be said for slowing down and designing a world-class venue with forethought and preparation. – DS
Don’t look back in anger
On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump ventured out of his insulated bubble of grovelling sycophants and went out into the real world. He took part in the award presentation at the conclusion of the FIFA Club World Cup, which was won by London’s Chelsea FC in a sold-out game in New Jersey and there he was loudly and mercilessly booed. The crowd booing Trump was complemented by players’ wet fish handshakes and an awkward case of overstaying your welcome when the players went to hold their trophy aloft with Trump lingering amongst the players as they wondered why he was still there.
Trump is certainly not tethered to the White House, Mar-a-Lago or his Bedminster golf course in New Jersey, but he appears to carefully curate his public appearances. If he’s not yelling at foreign leaders at some sort of an international summit, he can be found at one of his rallies or at sporting events with reliably Republican fan bases. On Sunday, he learned what the other side of sports fandom thinks of him.
Soccer is known as The World’s Game. Its fans are accustomed to spirited, yet friendly international competition, through the Euros, World Cup and Olympics, so it’s no surprise that Trump’s closed off, white supremacy-light politics don’t exactly resonate with them.
One hopes that an experience like Sunday’s would wake someone like Trump up to the way the outside world perceives him, but, if we know Trump, he’s probably having White House social media alter the audio and figuring out a way to deport everyone in that stadium. – SL
Roll with it
Canada is in the midst of a profound shift. Trade tensions with the United States have ignited what can only be described as an economic awakening. Across the country, Canadians are choosing local over foreign. They are boycotting U.S. products,
scrutinizing labels and rallying behind the idea of a self‑reliant economy. Provincial and federal governments have followed suit, dismantling interprovincial trade barriers and even introducing days to celebrate Canadian-made products.
It is in this charged atmosphere that Purdys Chocolatier, a Vancouver-rooted institution over 118 years old, has ventured beyond its own stores for the first time. By partnering with Save‑On‑Foods to stock its chocolates in 131 locations across Western Canada and the Yukon, Purdys has answered consumer demand while joining a movement. More than just a retail expansion, this is a beacon of national confidence.
Purdys shows what is possible when Canadians are offered a Canadian choice. Its success becomes a rallying cry for other industries and the path is clear: build products at home, highlight their Canadian roots and widen distribution through domestic channels. Such efforts could generate tens of thousands of jobs and strengthen supply chains.
The broader lesson is this: resilience begins at home. When Canadians reach for that bar of Purdys chocolate, they are reaffirming belief in the people, producers and possibilities on Canadian soil. If more homegrown brands follow Purdys’ lead, we could see a national marketplace rich in quality, pride and self‑sufficiency.
Purdys is not just selling chocolate in grocery aisles, it is offering a blueprint for how Canada can thrive in today’s global uncertainty. As the maple leaf becomes a symbol of intention, may this be the sweetest of beginnings for many more Canadian-made success stories. – SBS