Latest news with #WARMINGTON
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
WARMINGTON: Sir John A. Macdonald will soon be freed from his wooden encasement
Sir John A. Macdonald will soon be freed from his encasement at Queen's Park for all to see. Queen's Park's Board of Internal Economy has voted that the hoarding around the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald will be removed as soon as cleaning is completed. They are talking about having this done by summer but like when the Berlin wall came down in 1989, there's a movement to make sure this is done quickly. Canada's first prime minister has been covered up on the front lawn of Queen's Park for five years. The monument was one of many to be targeted across Canada by vandals upset about Canada's history of residential schools. Activists contended Macdonald was an architect of the country's residential school system that took Indigenous children from their families in an effort to assimilate them. There has been much debate about what to do about the statue in recent times. The most recent development had the support of the governing Progressive Conservatives and Liberal MPPs. While the news broke during King Charles' visit to Ottawa, the decision was made earlier this month. Premier Doug Ford told The Toronto Sun he is pleased the statue will once again see the light of day. In addition to this decision, legislators are also working toward a secondary site or signage that could offer an Indigenous perspective of the situation. WARMINGTON: Sir John A. Macdonald statue now hidden at Queen's Park WARMINGTON: Why punish guy trying to free Sir John A. Macdonald from a box?
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
WARMINGTON: RCMP land acknowledgement comes before news on missing Nova Scotia kids
The missing kids can wait – the land and cultural acknowledgements were the RCMP's priority. Most agree, the most important thing to the Nova Scotia RCMP should have been the search and whereabouts of six-year-old Lily Sullivan and her four-year-old brother Jack Sullivan. But a shocked country has come to the conclusion that woke culture seems to have trumped all in their news conference in Pictou County on Wednesday. With time being of the essence when it comes to missing children, the media officer spent 40 seconds at the top of her briefing doing land and culture acknowledgements in both official languages. 'I acknowledge we are in Mi'kma'ki, the traditional and unceded ancestral territory of the Mi'kmaw people,' RCMP Cpl. Carlie McCann said, reading aloud a land acknowledgment. 'I also recognize that African Nova Scotians are a distinct people whose histories, legacies and contributions have enriched that part of Mi'kma'ki known as Nova Scotia for 400 years.' She then repeated it in French. These siblings were reported missing last Thursday, May 2, from their family's rural trailer home about 20 minutes from New Glasgow. The children are reported to not have not been in school for the week prior to a 911 call to alert police they had vanished. The RCMP press conference was to announce the larger search was coming to an end in favour of a smaller, more focused one. 'It has been an all-hands-on-deck effort, using every available resource and tool,' Staff-Sgt. Curtis MacKinnon, district commander for Pictou County District RCMP, said in a news release. 'We're transitioning from a full-scale search to searches in smaller, more specific areas; we'll be retracing our steps to ensure all clues have been found.' MacKinnon told reporters at the news conference 'our thoughts go to the family and loved ones, to everyone who has worked day and night to work to bring them home' and 'since the first 911 call was received by the RCMP, a multi-agency search has been underway where teams have been working around the clock.' It's true, you don't need a news conference to tell the public about new major new developments. Or to announce that a search is being scaled down. But when it comes to police, it is also true there are often strategic reasons why they do things a certain way and this must be considered in any condemnation of them. Any suggestions police were not doing their job is false. They clearly have been. And they care about the missing siblings – even though MacKinnon told reporters 'the likelihood that they're alive right now is very low.' WARMINGTON: Sankofa Square naming shows Toronto's history being rewritten WARMINGTON: Lest we forget Canada's history of slavery, settlement, discrimination However, what can't be ignored is the appearance that political correctness was deemed to be most important in this matter. This will need to be explained and requires a review as to who ordered it and why. Was it a political directive, or from headquarters, a local idea, or something inside the probe that police dropped in for a reason? The RCMP is taking the media's calls but so far has not addressed this. Police have also not indicated there is any 'Mi'kma'ki' or 'African Nova Scotian' element in this case. If there wasn't an investigative reason for the RCMP to make those mentions, there will have to be a discussion to ensure nothing like that happens again. A police service's job is not to deliver political agendas but to protect the citizenry it serves. But they should be given a chance to explain why these acknowledgments were offered ahead of the update. Prime Minister Mark Carney's office has so far not responded to questions. One important factor on land acknowledgements, or acknowledgements of a specific community, is there are no federal laws that instruct police, politicians or any other group that they must be done. The Canadian Bar Association offers advice on the appropriate regional wording of said acknowledgments but also says, 'While you may believe land acknowledgments are important, they are not mandatory, nor are they consistent and there is no legal weight to them.' In other words, there is no law saying anybody needs to offer any acknowledgment to anybody. But there are places like the City of Toronto, which in its policy says 'providing a land acknowledgement at the beginning of an event or meeting gives time for reflection and demonstrates recognition of Indigenous lands, treaties and peoples. It involves thinking about what happened in the past and what changes can be made going forward in order to further the reconciliation process.' Perhaps there's a reason the RCMP did this. But so far, they have not provided one. Needless to say, the public has been quick to make judgements on social media. 'This must stop,' Canadian university professor Gad Saad posted on X. 'This seems like the type of situation where you just get straight to the point,' Canada Proud posted on X. 'Canada is lost,' End Wokeness wrote on X. 'Just when you thought Canada couldn't get any more embarrassing,' Quillette editor Jonathan Kay posted to X. While people debate this, one Mountie told me there is no way officers on this case would ever have approved putting a land acknowledgement ahead of the missing kids. 'People have lost the plot,' the officer said. This cop assured the men and women working this case in the field will ignore all wokeness, from whoever encourages it, and will focus on the goal of finding these children. jwarmington@
Toronto Sun
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Conclave to elect new pope will start on May 7
SIMMONS: Nylander the one Leaf you can't take your eyes off of in Battle of Ontario WARMINGTON: Beyond broken, Canada is close to being dead as a country Conclave to elect new pope will start on May 7 The secret vote is delayed two days to help cardinals get to know one another better and find consensus on a candidate Photo by MARIO TOMASSETTI / AFP Article content VATICAN CITY — Catholic cardinals on Monday set May 7 as the start date for the conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor, delaying the secret voting for two days to help them get to know one another better and find consensus on a candidate before they are sequestered in the Sistine Chapel. Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account or Sign in without password View more offers Article content Article content tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Conclave to elect new pope will start on May 7 Back to video tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Play Video Article content The cardinals set the date after arriving for the first day of informal meetings following Pope Francis' funeral Saturday. In a chaotic scene, journalists shouted out questions to the cardinals about the mood inside, whether there was unity, and when the conclave would begin. A reporter for a satirical Italian television program repeatedly asked whether an Italian cardinal who has been convicted by the Vatican criminal court on finance-related charges would be allowed to vote. 'There is the hope of unity,' said Argentine Cardinal Angel Sixto Rossi, the 66-year-old archbishop of Cordoba who was made a cardinal by Francis in 2023. Many cardinals cited the desire to continue Francis' pastoral focus on people who are marginalized and against war. But conservatives in the ranks may be more focused on forging unity and refocusing the church back to core doctrines emphasized by St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, rather than continuing Francis' social justice focus and outreach to women and gays. Your Midday Sun Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Article content Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content British Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the 79-year-old archbishop of Westminster, was adamant that the church must strive for unity, and he downplayed divisions. 'The role of the pope is to essentially hold us together and that's the grace we've been given from God,' said Nichols. Venezuelan Cardinal Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo expressed confidence that once the conclave begins, a decision would be quick, 'between two and three days.' Cardinal electors The College of Cardinals that will elect a new pope includes members from far-flung corners of the globe whom Francis named over his 12-year papacy to bring in new points of views of the Catholic Church hierarchy. Many have spent little or no time in Rome getting to know their colleagues, injecting some uncertainty into a process that requires two-thirds of the voting-age cardinals to coalesce behind a single candidate. Advertisement 4 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Nichols acknowledged that the 135 cardinal electors — 108 of whom were appointed by Francis — don't know each other very well. The last 20 were appointed in early December. 'We've got all week,' Nichols said as he arrived Monday. Only cardinals under 80 are eligible to vote, and it is not clear how many of the 135 will participate. A Spanish cardinal has already said he won't come to Rome for health reasons. A big uncertainty is whether Cardinal Angelo Becciu, once one of the most powerful cardinals in the Vatican, will be allowed in the Sistine Chapel. Francis in 2020 forced Becciu to resign as head of the Vatican's saint-making office and renounce his rights as a cardinal because of allegations of embezzlement and financial fraud. Becciu denied any wrongdoing but was put on trial in the Vatican criminal court and convicted of finance-related charges in December, 2023. Advertisement 5 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content He is appealing the conviction and has participated in the pre-conclave meetings, but there is a lingering question about whether he is entitled to vote. The Vatican's official statistics list him as a 'non-elector.' When he was ousted in 2020, Becciu told a hastily arranged press conference that he wouldn't be voting in any future conclave, but recently, he has insisted he is entitled to vote and canon lawyers have been poring over the Vatican document regulating the conclave to determine if he's right. Papal candidates While Francis stacked the ranks with his cardinals, it is not necessarily the case that all of them will want to see the church continue in his image. On Monday morning, any glimpse of a red cap appearing along St. Peter's Square's stately colonnade set journalists running with cameras and voice recorders aloft to capture the mood inside, however fleeting. Advertisement 6 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, considered a contender to be the next pope, navigated the scrum of converging journalists with humor, but didn't give anything away. He joked that he was 'holding his breath' as the microphones and cameras surrounded him all the way to the Vatican gate. African voices Nigerian Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, the emeritus archbishop of Abuja, was asked if the African cardinals were coalescing around a particular candidate. African bishops had made a remarkably united stand last year against Francis' outreach to LGBTQ+ people, refusing to implement his declaration allowing priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples. Given such a stand, there is some speculation that the 18 African cardinal electors could help block a progressive candidate from emerging. Advertisement 7 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content 'We have not come here for a political rally. We have come to get a pope out,' said Onaiyekan, who at 81 is too old to vote but can have a role in influencing how younger electors might. Asian and Latin American voices Indian Cardinal Anthony Poola, the 61-year-old archbishop of Hyderabad, said he had experienced a sense of unity among his fellow cardinals but allowed that 'anything could happen.' As a relatively young cardinal, Poola is one of four Indian electors who will participate in the conclave, three of whom, including Poola, were named by Francis. 'Anyone who is coming up must be the successor of St. Peter, and we all hope that he will be a good pope,' he said. Rossi, the Argentine cardinal, said he hoped that Francis' message of 'mercy, closeness, charity, tenderness and faith,' would accompany them in finding a successor. But he acknowledged the job was daunting. Asked how he felt about participating in his first conclave, he responded with a laugh: 'Afraid.″ Article content Share this article in your social network Read Next
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WARMINGTON: Trudeau cries way out of office as Ford stands strong against Trump
There's no crying in politics — especially when your country is at war. Too late in this case. The damage is done. It's what happens when you're led for a decade by a drama teacher. In Canada, you have one leader with a new mandate who stands strong in the face of adversity, while there is another one on his way out, with no mandate, fighting tears. Teary-eyed, self-declared feminist Justin Trudeau said Thursday that it has been the 'honour of my life serving Canadians' in one of his last soliloquies as prime minister. He really seems to still think it's all about him. WARMINGTON: While Trudeau says Canadians will continue to boo U.S. anthem, Ford says don't WARMINGTON: At LCBO stores, it's as if the U.S. doesn't exist 'On a personal level, I have made sure that every single day in this office I put Canadians first,' said Trudeau, 'and I have people's backs and that's why I'm here to tell you all that we got you. Even in the very last days of this government, we will not let Canadians down today and long into the future.' Boo hoo! Calling Thursday his latest difficult day, Trudeau lamented to laughter that 'I've had 10 years of Donald Trump, a historic once-in-a-century pandemic, inflation crises, war in Ukraine as Russia returns to war in Europe, as the Middle East is facing extraordinarily difficult situations.' Break out the violins. And Kleenex. Trudeau has also had a decade of five-star travel at our expense while focusing on a woke agenda, while our people go further into debt and contemplate going to a food bank. Clearly from the outrageous talk of making Canada the 51st state to the bizarre suggestions of wanting to re-adjust the Canada/U.S. border, Trump has eaten Trudeau up and spit him out on the sidewalk. This tariff war is more like an economic endurance war. Trudeau is a casualty of it. Trump has beaten him and Trudeau has no more method-acting tricks he can pull out. 'These have been complicated times,' said Trudeau. 'This is the job I signed up for. This is the job I will continue to do until the very last moment I'm doing this job.' Perhaps serve some cheese with that whine. From teddy bear props to dressing up in costumes, it's all theatre to Trudeau. It's all a stage for his ego. Everything is a scripted performance. Compare that to Premier Doug Ford, who spoke Friday at a Meadowvale Business Association breakfast in Mississauga and doubled down on putting a surcharge on Ontario energy heading south — this after taking American booze off LCBO shelves. The premier understands this is a war and he is not going to go up and down with Trump's whims and moods. He's set a line in the sand and means it. 'I will always be there to protect you,' said Ford. 'That's why I will be absolutely clear: Until President Trump removes tariffs completely and permanently, Ontario will not back down in our response … Canada will never be the 51st state.' There was no drama from Ford. No yelling, complaining or crying. Just a quiet, firm and clear message to Trump that your country may be bigger on the world stage, but it is not tougher. Ford has articulated well that if you mess with Canada, we will not back down or bawl like babies. There was no background music or rehearsed stunts. Just straight talk. There was also a standing ovation. When it comes to Trudeau and Ford, which one do you think Trump has more concern about? Sure, Trudeau's friends in the media will spin this bizarre spectacle of faux emotion as an illustration of the outgoing prime minister's love for Canada. But few are playing along anymore. Everybody saw that Trudeau said Canadians will continue to boo the U.S. anthem, while Ford said Canadians and Americans should never boo an opposing anthem. While I did get some pushback from an X post saying Trudeau is 'weak. Pathetic. Useless. Failed. And defeated,' it's important to say it was an analysis of his current political reality and it was not about him personally. He may be swell to his friends and family. But for Canadians, he's done. The curtain is drawing down and it's time for Trudeau to exit. This is supposed to happen as early as Sunday and it can't happen fast enough as Canada is in an economic free fall. Millions were already struggling to pay their rent or mortgages and put groceries on the table before Trump was elected and talking tariffs. It's all on Trudeau, who had no problem taking people's jobs away when they didn't want to get vaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic and who called people who disagreed with him as holding 'unacceptable views' and other nasty names. But he's still spewing the nonsensical stuff he has gotten away with since 2015. 'We want to continue to be strong and resolute in our response and we will continue to be there for each other because the unity that Canadians are feeling right now is actually the most important thing in being able to stand up against the trading partner that is much bigger than us,' Trudeau said after his 'heated' call with Trump. While Trudeau goes on about Canadians being 'so united and unequivocal about standing up for our country, standing up for our fellow citizens and being very, very firm that this is an absolutely unjustified and unjustifiable trade war launched by the Americans,' what he doesn't say is it won't be him working on it anymore. Whoever it is needs to understand one thing they can never do in front of anti-woke Trump: Pretend to cry.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
CHARLEBOIS: From Kyiv to Ottawa – the real war is over resources, not borders
The scene in the Oval Office on Friday between Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump was deeply unsettling. The geopolitical ramifications remain uncertain, but one thing is clear: peace in Eastern Europe may have drifted even further out of reach. For global food security, stability in that region is critical, and the current trajectory suggests an increasingly bleak outlook for Ukraine and its ability to regain economic and agricultural footing. What has transpired in negotiations between Ukraine and the United States under the new administration should serve as a stark warning to Canada. While the rhetoric surrounding Canada as the so-called '51st state' may be irritating and dismissive, what could unfold in the coming months is far more concerning. The U.S. has leveraged Ukraine's desperate need for support to secure access to its valuable mineral resources, all while using peace as a diplomatic cover. The global community has now witnessed a new form of economic coercion – offering military and financial assistance with explicit expectations of resource control in return. This is not diplomacy; this is a transactional power play. And Canada must take note. CHARLEBOIS: Nova Scotia smashes food trade barriers, will the rest of Canada follow? CHARLEBOIS: Canada's internal trade fix leaves major barriers untouched WARMINGTON: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre trades words with Donald Trump While international leaders have stepped up to defend the sovereignty of nations like Panama and Greenland, Canada has not received the same level of support. Not one global leader has spoken out against President Trump's recent inflammatory statements about Canada's status. Even British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, while in Washington last week, avoided commenting on Canada's sovereignty when directly asked. That silence is telling. Canada's political class has thus far responded to the '51st state' rhetoric with nothing more than performative indignation. The idea that the U.S. would formally annex Canada is absurd. The U.S. has no need to assume the burden of governing Canada when it can simply extract value from our vast wealth of resources through economic and trade policy. As Canada's former foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy recently pointed out, a country can exert control over another without outright annexation. This can be achieved through strategic access to three fundamental assets: natural resources, energy, and data. From a food security perspective, these are the pillars of a resilient agri-food sector. Canada is uniquely positioned as a world leader in all three, making it a prime target for foreign influence. Water, potash, and oil are among Canada's most valuable resources – resources the U.S. desperately needs to sustain its economic dominance. However, an often-overlooked asset in this equation is data. Canada's agri-food sector is undergoing a transformation, with advanced data analytics driving efficiency, sustainability and resilience. The U.S. understands that enhanced access to Canada's agricultural data and biotechnological expertise could propel its own agricultural sector far beyond its current capabilities. Canadians can worry about symbolic threats of annexation, but the real concern should be the looming economic and geopolitical maneuvering that could compromise our strategic resources. The coming months may bring further challenges, and Canada's political landscape is poised for change. However, whoever takes the helm must move beyond mere anti-annexation rhetoric and reactionary trade measures. The priority should be safeguarding Canada's competitive advantages – its resources, energy independence and agri-food data. Rejecting American products and boycotting American tourism may offer short-term emotional satisfaction, but such gestures will not shield Canada from a White House that plays geopolitical chess while Ottawa remains stuck playing checkers. The real defense against economic subjugation is a proactive strategy to fortify the industries that make Canada a global leader in food security and sustainability. – Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is the director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor Podcast
