Editorials - Nov. 7, 2025
A true win/win scenario
“Let’s go, Blue Jays” was the mandatory greeting for the fall season in Canada. The country hasn’t been this united under the same umbrella in decades. The playoff run for the Toronto Blue Jays culminated in a heartbreaking loss in extra innings in game seven, but the series was a historic one that won’t soon be forgotten. We imagine everyone will remember where they watched the finale for a long time to come.
It was nice to have a distraction from the usual headlines of war, catastrophe, tariff threats and economic crisis. The Jays’ playoff bid truly brought a nation together. Whether you are a lifelong fan, a recent convert or the proverbial bandwagon jumper, cheering on our team gave a sense of belonging amid all the excitement. The excitement also created an opportunity for the Jays Care Foundation to benefit from a little added support and extended season. The final 50/50 jackpot swelled to over $25 million. It’s an astounding prize to win, and the other $25 million will go to help level the playing field and improve the lives of youth facing barriers across the country, including children living with physical and cognitive disabilities, Indigenous youth, and young girls and boys who may not otherwise have the chance to participate in organized sports. What a great bonus to a dream season! – DS
See you at the crossroads
On the cusp of presenting his government’s first federal budget, Prime Minister Mark Carney and his cabinet promised “generational” investment in the country, balanced with considered offsetting cuts. Many have caught the optimism bug Carney - whose heart has always been in the world of finance - is spreading, while Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre sees this budget as more of the same: a Liberal Party hellbent on spending and sacrificing Canada’s future for its present.
By the numbers, the budget feels daunting. New spending of over $141 billion, nearly $52 billion in new cuts and a projected deficit of over $78 billion. Spending highlights include funds for defence and infrastructure while slashing public service jobs. The path - at least the intended one - seems clear. The government aims to spend now to soften the impact of short-term pain as Canada turns away from its once-reliable trade partner to the south, while investing in the country to strengthen its foundation and prepare it for a Trumpless future full of not just national investment, but robust trade with other countries.
Finance Minister François-Phillippe Champagne, fresh off making his own pair of shoes ahead of presenting the budget - a cheeky play on an established tradition, complete with foreshadowing of a future in which Canadians aim to make things for fellow Canadians - says that Canada is at a crossroads amid generational shifts crunched into less than a year, full of rapidly-changing markets and trade atmospheres.
Like so many political decisions and strategies these days, the success of this budget will be results-driven. Its success story has yet to be written but, for many, there is reason to be optimistic and, as Carney has repeated as his de facto mantra, the focus now must be on the things we can control in a world of so many that we cannot. – SL
... And so it begins!
Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the 2025 New York City mayoral race has drawn global attention. His win over former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa marks a generational shift in one of the world’s most influential cities. While local to New York, the issues that shaped the campaign, including housing, affordability and urban governance, mirror those facing our own communities.
Housing was the defining concern. Voters responded to promises of rent relief and expanded construction. Canadians struggle with the same pressures: insufficient supply, rising rents and questions about how governments balance market realities with fairness and access. The policies Mamdani now brings to City Hall reflect the same uncertainty we face about how far municipalities can go to make housing liveable.
At 34, Mamdani embodies a younger, more progressive vision of city government, one that appeals to diverse and often overlooked voters and his rise parallels a generational shift in Canada, where younger voters are demanding stronger public action on housing, transit and climate. Cuomo’s failed independent run reminds us that experience still holds appeal in uncertain times, but the public appetite for change is powerful.
It is tempting to view New York’s mayoral race as another chapter in American political drama, but for Canadians it also offers a lesson in the growing nationalization of city politics. As outside money and national figures shaped what should have been a local conversation, we might reflect on how valuable it is that Canadian municipal elections still tend to focus on services, infrastructure and affordability rather than ideology.
New York’s new policies on housing, transit and climate will influence ideas that cross borders. Watching how Mamdani governs will help us consider how our own leaders can balance vision with practical governance, ambition with delivery, and progress with stability. – SBS