Editorials - June 19, 2026
Arrive alive
While every collision on our highways is a tragedy, some are just more gut-wrenching than others. Last weekend, five children under the age of 12 from a single family were killed in a devastating collision in rural Wellington County, north of Kitchener. In addition to the fatalities, four adults and an infant, all related, were also hospitalized with injuries and the driver of the other vehicle was seriously hurt. The weight of such a loss is an unimaginable burden for a single family to endure.
The first responders, police, ambulance and fire crews, will carry their own heavy burden of trauma. Coming upon such a horrific scene will leave an indelible mark on countless lives.
Accidents in the winter are easily blamed on poor weather and road conditions, but summer ones are all the more tragic, as most are preventable. Speeding, driver distraction, inattention and impairment, all of which are avoidable, are the prime suspects when it comes to a collision on a clear day with dry road conditions.
We can’t say this in a pithier way. Slow down and pay attention as you head out on the highways and byways to enjoy your summer. We want everyone to get where they’re going safely! – DS
Choose life
Over the weekend, four flagpoles were cut down at Avon Maitland District School Board locations. Seemingly their sin was flying the Pride flag, as all board schools have done this month. The OPP is now investigating and have released a blurry video still of two men, masked and wearing black, cutting down the flagpoles under the cover of night, as you do when you’re doing the right thing.
Vandalism of Pride-related infrastructure - be it a Pride flag or rainbow crosswalk - has surged in recent years, and yet, these acts at our schools feel different. There is a breach of safety at a public school that makes a cowardly act like cutting down a flagpole feel even more aggressive. Principals, teachers and parents have to explain to their young people that their school has been damaged and that they don’t know who did it. Depending on the age of the students, a conversation about why they did it may be too early, but all they know is that someone introduced crude, violent behaviour to the place they know to be safe, fun and important to their education.
The board, to its credit, has doubled down on its support for Pride, saying its resolve is stronger than ever and that the poles being cut down makes a better case for Pride than they ever could.
There is a loss of innocence that accompanies the first time a school is vandalized for young students. Whether it’s a break-in, poles being cut down, graffiti being spread or basketball nets being torn down, the first time your school is worsened by the outside world, it feels scary and it raises the possibility of it happening again. These people don’t care, of course (maybe a few more years in school would be of benefit), but for the students who have to have these talks, it will be a big deal.
Schools should not be the arena for these debates. Students believe all are welcome naturally, before being poisoned by the bigotry of their parents, grandparents, friends or neighbours. It’s often said that adults could learn from their kids. This is one of those cases. – SL
Celebrate responsibly
Canadian fans have met the World Cup on home soil with a surge of anticipation that feels both historic and long overdue. From Toronto’s opening whistle, the country has stepped into football’s brightest theatre.
Canada’s opening result carried significance beyond the scoreboard. The draw marked the country’s first ever in World Cup play, a meaningful break from a history that had previously offered only defeat. It was not just a point earned, but a shift in tone, a sign that this campaign may not simply repeat the past, but begin to reshape it.
The effect across the country has been immediate. Ordinary venues have taken on the atmosphere of shared arenas and even the most casual viewers have found themselves pulled into the rhythm of the tournament.
Off the pitch, attention has been drawn away from the sport by controversy surrounding former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. His decision to attend a game in Los Angeles rather than Canada’s opening match in Toronto prompted swift criticism, with reports linking his attendance to a personal engagement involving performer Katy Perry.
His subsequent attempt to contain the reaction through social media did little to shift the narrative. What lingered was not the explanation, but the absence itself. At a moment when the country was hosting a historic World Cup appearance on home soil, the choice to be elsewhere was widely read as a failure of instinct and priority.
Ultimately, Canada’s football story is still being written on the pitch. Off it, attention has taken on a different kind of momentum, defined less by national pride than by a sense of misplaced timing. At a moment when the country finally hosted a World Cup match at home, Trudeau managed to turn a landmark national occasion into an afterthought. – SBS