BOYS!!!

BOYS!!! By Dale Jodoin Columnist People keep asking why so many boys today seem lost. The answer is not hard to see. Boys want to grow up to be men. They want someone in their life who can show them how to carry themselves. They want someone who tells them that strength and kindness can live in the same body. Real men know how to be polite. They know when to stand firm and when to show care. Yet the mainstream treats this like a danger. Some politicians and groups speak as if masculinity is a problem. Some activists act like boys who want to be men are a threat. Many boys feel pushed aside. They feel like the world wants them to stop being who they are. For years boys have been told to sit down and be quiet. They have been told that their nature needs to be fixed. There is something else going on. Most schools do not have many male teachers anymore. Boys spend their days with adults who may not understand how boys move or think. Many teachers care and try their best. This is not about blaming every woman who teaches. But boys also need male teachers. They need someone who understands the way boys joke, test limits, and learn through doing. Without that balance boys feel unseen. For a long time, boys who struggled in class were placed on medicine. Many were restless because they needed movement, not pills. Instead of giving them space to run they were told to stay still. Instead of giving them more recess they were told to calm down. Instead of letting them play rough they were told to be gentle at all times. Over time boys learned that the world did not want them as boys. Since boys cannot find male guidance at school, they look for it online. They search for voices that speak in a clear and direct way. Some find public figures like Charlie Kirk or others who talk about strength and discipline. This makes the establishment nervous. They want to control who boys listen to. They wonder how to stop boys from reaching out for guidance elsewhere. They will not be able to stop it. Boys will always seek someone who teaches them how to stand tall. There is also a push to convince boys that being a girl will solve their confusion. This message does not work for most boys. Boys know they are boys. Girls know they are girls. Every child deserves kindness. But boys also deserve the right to grow into men. They should not feel pressured to change their identity to please adults. A male teacher can show a boy how to control his strength. He can show him how to respect his elders. He can show him how to treat women with care. He can show him how to calm anger before it becomes trouble. Women can teach boys too, but the impact is not always the same. Boys need at least one strong man in their life who sets an example. Society also has a strange way of treating men. Some activists want men to act only in the style they approve of. They want men to be calm when they need help and loud when they want support. There are stories of men who step in to help during danger and then face complaints for acting without permission. This sends mixed messages to boys. They grow unsure of what men are allowed to do. You would think male politicians would stand up for boys. Many stay silent. They fear pushback from loud groups. Boys see this. They watch grown men who do not speak for them. It leaves boys feeling like they have no defender. The long attempt to weaken boys has failed. People tried to make boys softer by telling them their nature was wrong. They tried to shape boys into something quiet and easy to manage. It did not work. Boys still want to climb, run, wrestle, laugh, and test their limits. These are normal parts of growing up. This is why we must bring more male teachers into schools. Not teachers who judge boys. Not teachers who see every loud moment as a problem. But men who can guide boys with a steady hand and a firm voice. Boys need men who show them how to control their strength, not hide it. There is something simple we can do right away. Create boy groups. Give boys a space to learn from responsible men. Teach them respect, honesty, strength, and self control. Teach them how to shake a hand. Teach them how to speak for themselves. Teach them how to handle anger. Teach them how to help others without fear. These are lessons boys search for. Many teenage boys today are fed up with how they are treated. They feel like everything they do is wrong. They are told masculinity is something to fear. They are told they are too rough, too loud, too wild, too bold. When boys feel trapped like this, they push back. They lash out. This is not because they are bad boys. It is because no one gave them a clear path toward becoming good men. We also need to protect boys' sports. Boys should play with boys and girls with girls. This keeps competition fair and safe. Both boys and girls deserve this. Some people claim there is a conspiracy behind all of this. There does not need to be one. The truth is simple. Society has forgotten what boys need. Boys need men who guide them. They need room to grow. They need real expectations. They need chances to succeed. They need recess and sports. They need praise when they try hard. They need correction when they go too far. If we want strong and respectful men in the future we must stop tearing down the boys we have today. We must give them teachers who understand them. We must give them lessons they can follow. If we do not, we will see more angry young men left on their own. This is not about taking anything from girls. This is about giving boys what has been taken from them. It is time to stop feminizing boys. Boys will grow into men. They deserve guidance, not shame.

NEEDING HELP!!!

A Candid Conversation By Theresa Grant Real Estate Columnist We’ve all heard for some time now that downtown Oshawa is in desperate need of help. If you’ve driven or walked through the downtown in the last few years you have probably seen firsthand the very sad decline of a once beautiful and vibrant area. I was making my way home from grocery shopping the other day and I turned left onto Simcoe from John St. I no sooner made my left-hand turn when traffic came to a complete stop. There was no visible reason for this abrupt halt in the middle of a beautiful sun-filled day but there we were, several cars behind a big orange school bus stopped dead in the street. I immediately assumed that the school bus was the reason we were going nowhere fast. In a way I was correct. However, after what seemed like an eternity people started getting antsy and pulling to one side or the other to try to get going, someone naturally laid on the horn a couple of times. Finally, the school bus which had been the vehicle blocking traffic, started to veer to the left and in doing so actually exposed the real issue that had traffic at a standstill. There, in the middle of Simcoe St. was a man looking very statuesque, half bent over at the waist with one arm seemingly bent as if posed. Truly looking like a stone statue. It was as though he was in midstride and then just froze. I have never seen this to this degree before. I have witness people in odd positions and have been told that it is the effect of particular drugs. I have seen many times groups of people in the downtown core either stooped or in a questionable pose, but I have never witnessed this in the middle of a major street and being able to bring traffic to a complete stop. It made me wonder, how is it that if this is happening in broad daylight in the middle of our downtown that the powers that be and I mean the Mayor and the Councilors are not witnessing this on a regular basis? Are they seeing it and ignoring it? Surely, they are aware of the state of our downtown. I know they like to say that they are not responsible for any of it and that the drug addiction and homelessness problems that Oshawa faces are the problem of the Region and or the Province, but does that mean they walk by it or drive by and just continue on their way? I would really like to know what, if anything at all the Council of Oshawa does on a daily basis in regard to this matter. I think it’s a question every citizen of Oshawa should be asking themselves.

THREE STORIES FROM CLARINGTON, WHITBY, AND PICKERING THAT TELL A TALE OF CHRISTMAS HUMBUG

CHARLES DICKENS PENNED HIS CHRISTMAS STORIES every December for an eager public. It was a years-long effort that would eventually culminate into a 508-page volume of tales using all manner of story lines – a copy of which is included in my personal collection. Well, I’m no Charles Dickens, but after having studied municipal politics for four decades, I’ve often thought of penning a short story of my own, or perhaps even a full-scale novel. Like modern-day writer Arthur Hailey, the British-Canadian novelist known for his meticulously researched, best-selling thrillers that delve into the inner workings of various industries, I thought I could capture the public’s attention with a story line about the fundamentals of life at City Hall. Of course, I would also imitate the style of certain writers who deliberately exaggerate their characters for a bit of comic effect. In that regard, there are a handful of elected officials at city halls right across Durham Region who would make it downright easy to portray real people and actual events under the disguise of fictional names. I’d begin with Oshawa’s Derek Giberson, and I’d cast him as the odd man out – a character who starts off as a political underdog but manages to successfully navigate the corridors of power thanks to a mayor who becomes his political benefactor. Of course, by the end of the novel Giberson’s character would prove to be entirely ego-driven and self-destructive, as his hopes for the future are crushed by sheer incompetence. My friend Brian Nicholson, a man now of a certain age, would also find a prominent place in my cast of characters. If you read Dickens’ novel Bleak House you may well recall the character named Grandfather Smallweed, a man physically dependent on others for most of his mobility, and often described as a "clothes-bag" who needs to be "shaken up" by his caregiver. Well, Brian can still walk on his own – at least for the time being – but after 40 years at city hall he’s certainly earned the name “Grandfather Smallweed” or one very much like it. Oh, the fun I could have creating a character who ends up being the perfect compound of geriatric statesmanship. As enjoyable as all that would be, there are a few real-life sub-plots that are playing out right now at city halls in Clarington, Whitby and Pickering that one doesn’t have to somehow create as a writer. The circumstances of each appear to have been perfectly arranged, not only as part of a potential best-selling novel, but to qualify for a series of nail-biting reality-TV shows. The top of the list is the drama over at Clarington City Hall where Ward 3 Councillor Corinna Traill was recently arrested and charged with two counts of uttering threats after a three-month police investigation. What we know is that the charges stem from an alleged voicemail left for Tom Dingwall, a former Durham Regional Police officer and potential mayoral candidate. Dingwall alleged the message contained threats to kill him and to sexually assault his wife if he did not withdraw from the next mayoral election. I know… it sounds like a script right out of an end-of-season episode from the 80’s television show ‘Dallas’. Traill, for her part, denies leaving the voicemail and claims artificial intelligence was used to manipulate her voice. She was released on an undertaking and is due in court in January 2026. As one might expect, Tom Dingwall has called for her resignation from elected office. What makes this story unusual is the fact Ms Traill is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School and now runs her own law practice specializing in – among other things – civil litigation. Second on the list of local real-life political dramas comes from the darkest shadows over at Whitby Town Hall. Here, taxpayers have already come together to contribute a heart-warming $100,000 just to pay for investigations of various sorts involving a dispute surrounding Mayor Elizabeth Roy and Regional Councillor Steve Yamada. The plot in this story wastes no time in capturing even the most casual of observers, as one of the main characters decided the only way to keep the dispute alive was to march straight over to the Ontario Human Rights Commission and file a complaint. Now there’s a real page-turner for you. Councillor Yamada has set his sights against Mayor Roy, the Town of Whitby, the Town’s integrity commissioner, Regional Councillor Rhonda Mulcahy and Ward 3 Councillor Niki Lundquist – who is, as it so happens, a human rights and labour lawyer by profession and a Senior Director of Equity and Education at Unifor National. I suppose the rest of us can feel somewhat fortunate to have escaped getting caught in Yamada’s big net. This latest twist in the Whitby storyline could cost an additional $150,000 to $250,000. The total contribution needed from the caring and compassionate taxpayers since the start of the dispute could amount to as much as $350,000. That ought to help make their Christmas merry. The Roy-Yamada feud began late in the autumn of 2023 when it became clear the Mayor didn’t want councillor Yamada to serve as her Deputy, and she even sought a legal opinion on the issue at the time. Perhaps prayer would have been more effective – who knows? The last item on my short list of literary-style dramas emanates right out of Pickering City Hall. To draw a parallel to the ongoing war of words between Mayor Kevin Ashe and councillor Lisa Robinson, one need only look to my favourite 19th century author Anthony Trollope. The first novel in his famous ‘Palliser’ series was ‘Can You Forgive Her?’ which was the start of a six-volume journey through the intricacies of British political life - first written and published in serial form starting in 1864. The way things have progressed over there in Pickering, any attempt to somehow chronicle the lengthy dispute between councillor Robinson and, well, most of the rest of the world, would take at least a dozen such volumes to complete. But think of the television rights. I may have finally discovered a way to support myself in my old age.

Karmageddon By Mr. ‘X’ ~ John Mutton CENTRAL EXCLUSIVE So we've all heard about the new new strong mayor powers that have come into play across Ontario. I remember a few years ago prior to the passing of the legislation to create a strong mayor that I had several meetings at the bequest of Municipal Affairs and Housing. My position was that strong mayors can only work where first of all, you have someone that's willing to accept the powers and second of all where you've got a mayor that uses them properly.. Let me explain this a bit. And almost every major city in Canada and the USA, the largest cities lean to the left. Case and point is the city of Toronto and Mayor Olivia Chow. The mayor's socialist agenda mixed with wokism and soy boy culture creates a super mayor where everything on her agenda gets passed through the budget. Just take a look at the tax rate increases in the city of Toronto. Take a look at the street renaming because of certain people not accepting certain historic names on streets and buildings and you will see that the strong mayor power is a very dangerous piece of legislation in the wrong hands.. Strong mayor powers were put in place to initially expedite planning approvals and get housing built faster in Ontario and it has failed tremendously from market conditions, development charges and the insanity of mass immigration. So initially, when the strong mayor powers spread to other communities that were growth related communities that they wanted to include the powers and to expedite housing, many of the mayors said that they would not partake in this. They would do traditional budgets and so on and so forth.. Well, there are still some of the strong mayors that do not use their powers. There are some that have become strong mayor power drunk in the fact that the budgets have moved forward without proper debate and councils moving and seconding motions to decrease the budgetary number and therefore decrease taxes.. Now one of the other powers that the regular reader will not know is that the chief administrative officer or city manager of a municipality is now hired and fired by the mayor. This gives the mayor unprecedented power over staff were previously the mayor would generally have to enjoy a pretty regular vote of the majority of council to even come close to that power. So just a couple of weeks ago I spoke on the Mr. X-Files about the ReWorld/Covanta operators of the Durham York energy from waste facility hiring the President of the PC party s lobbing firm to lobby the provincial government for incineration expansion. We have learned and I've released the information through the Mr. X-Files breaking news that the Mayor of Clarington and his CAO are in Vienna for a nuclear conference, but they just so happened to be at the home of a 250000 metric tonne incinerator that provides district energy and district heating to 60,000 residents of Vienna. That is the same number of metric tonnes that the next phase of the Durham York incinerator is to go to. Back in the day, we used to always announce where we're going for whatever conference. I remember that I had announced every trip that had anything to do with the former International thermonuclear experimental reactor project or anything nuclear and we would let the Council and the public know that we're going to be attending these events and what our agenda was. We would even come back and the CAO would put together a public report of what we had done. That was the accountability of yesteryear whereas today the Mayor of Clarington flies around the world by stealth, not letting anyone know where he's going, why he's going and this is a total affront to democracy as well as what I call sneaky mayor powers. Bottom line, The public and the councils need to hold wayward, strong mayors accountable or we're going to have a system that continues to have the public business done by stealth.

Karmageddon By Mr. ‘X’ ~ John Mutton CENTRAL EXCLUSIVE So we've all heard about the new new strong mayor powers that have come into play across Ontario. I remember a few years ago prior to the passing of the legislation to create a strong mayor that I had several meetings at the bequest of Municipal Affairs and Housing. My position was that strong mayors can only work where first of all, you have someone that's willing to accept the powers and second of all where you've got a mayor that uses them properly.. Let me explain this a bit. And almost every major city in Canada and the USA, the largest cities lean to the left. Case and point is the city of Toronto and Mayor Olivia Chow. The mayor's socialist agenda mixed with wokism and soy boy culture creates a super mayor where everything on her agenda gets passed through the budget. Just take a look at the tax rate increases in the city of Toronto. Take a look at the street renaming because of certain people not accepting certain historic names on streets and buildings and you will see that the strong mayor power is a very dangerous piece of legislation in the wrong hands.. Strong mayor powers were put in place to initially expedite planning approvals and get housing built faster in Ontario and it has failed tremendously from market conditions, development charges and the insanity of mass immigration. So initially, when the strong mayor powers spread to other communities that were growth related communities that they wanted to include the powers and to expedite housing, many of the mayors said that they would not partake in this. They would do traditional budgets and so on and so forth.. Well, there are still some of the strong mayors that do not use their powers. There are some that have become strong mayor power drunk in the fact that the budgets have moved forward without proper debate and councils moving and seconding motions to decrease the budgetary number and therefore decrease taxes.. Now one of the other powers that the regular reader will not know is that the chief administrative officer or city manager of a municipality is now hired and fired by the mayor. This gives the mayor unprecedented power over staff were previously the mayor would generally have to enjoy a pretty regular vote of the majority of council to even come close to that power. So just a couple of weeks ago I spoke on the Mr. X-Files about the ReWorld/Covanta operators of the Durham York energy from waste facility hiring the President of the PC party s lobbing firm to lobby the provincial government for incineration expansion. We have learned and I've released the information through the Mr. X-Files breaking news that the Mayor of Clarington and his CAO are in Vienna for a nuclear conference, but they just so happened to be at the home of a 250000 metric tonne incinerator that provides district energy and district heating to 60,000 residents of Vienna. That is the same number of metric tonnes that the next phase of the Durham York incinerator is to go to. Back in the day, we used to always announce where we're going for whatever conference. I remember that I had announced every trip that had anything to do with the former International thermonuclear experimental reactor project or anything nuclear and we would let the Council and the public know that we're going to be attending these events and what our agenda was. We would even come back and the CAO would put together a public report of what we had done. That was the accountability of yesteryear whereas today the Mayor of Clarington flies around the world by stealth, not letting anyone know where he's going, why he's going and this is a total affront to democracy as well as what I call sneaky mayor powers. Bottom line, The public and the councils need to hold wayward, strong mayors accountable or we're going to have a system that continues to have the public business done by stealth.

Canada Needs a Real Immigration Reset—One That Matches the Country’s Actual Needs

Canada Needs a Real Immigration Reset—One That Matches the Country’s Actual Needs by Maj (ret’d) CORNELIU, CHISU, CD, PMSC FEC, CET, P.Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East For decades, Canadians have taken pride in an immigration system admired around the world—rules-based, humanitarian, and economically grounded. Immigration has shaped the country’s identity, supported its growth, and replenished a labour force too small to sustain a vast nation. But as Canada enters a period of economic uncertainty, housing scarcity, strained public services, and shifting global realities, it is increasingly clear that the current immigration model no longer aligns with the country’s real needs. A serious, evidence-based review is overdue. Not a politically charged fight about whether immigration is “good” or “bad,” but a sober assessment of how to ensure immigration strengthens Canada rather than overwhelms the systems that must support newcomers and citizens alike. The core issue is not immigration itself—it is the misalignment between Canada’s intake levels and the country’s actual capacity to absorb newcomers. Over the past several years, Canada has admitted more than a million newcomers annually through permanent immigration, temporary workers, asylum seekers, and international students. This is the fastest population growth in the G7 by a wide margin. Yet the infrastructure needed to support this growth—housing, transit, schools, health care capacity—has lagged far behind. Municipalities from Halifax to Vancouver warn that they cannot keep up. Even the Bank of Canada has acknowledged that infrastructure constraints are now limiting economic productivity. The result is a system where immigration remains a national strength in principle but a source of strain in practice. Newcomers face record housing costs, long wait times for services, and difficulty integrating into jobs that match their skills. Canadians, in turn, feel the pressure in their daily lives: competition for rentals, crowded hospitals, and rising local taxes to fund expansions happening too slowly. Canada does not have an immigration problem. It has a planning problem. Meanwhile, the country’s labour market tells a more complicated story. Canada desperately needs more workers in key sectors: skilled trades, health care, agriculture, transportation, advanced manufacturing, engineering, and technology. These shortages are not abstract. They directly slow down construction of housing, delay energy and infrastructure projects, limit food production, and reduce competitiveness across the economy. And yet large numbers of immigrants—especially highly educated professionals—continue to find themselves underemployed. Many cannot work in their trained field because of fragmented credential recognition and slow provincial licensing systems. Employers complain of shortages while thousands of qualified newcomers drive taxis, stock shelves, or work far below their skill level. In other words, immigration is high, but labour-market alignment is low. Part of the issue lies in the explosion of temporary and semi-temporary immigration streams, especially the international student program. Designed as a tool for attracting talent, it has grown into a revenue engine for private colleges and cash-strapped universities, often without ensuring real educational quality or job-market alignment. Tens of thousands of international students pay high tuition for low-value programs with minimal oversight, while housing shortages worsen and employers continue to struggle to find workers with needed skills. The Temporary Foreign Worker Program, meanwhile, has become a patch for chronic shortages that should be addressed through long-term workforce planning, not perpetual dependency on temporary labour. In some sectors, employers rely on temporary workers not because Canadians refuse certain jobs but because employers have not invested in training, apprenticeships, or improved working conditions. This patchwork approach—high immigration intake on paper, low integration capacity in practice—undermines the credibility of the system. Canadians remain broadly supportive of immigration, but that support is not unlimited. It must be earned through effective planning and visible results. The way forward requires a modern immigration framework built around real-world needs, not political slogans or economic wishful thinking. First, Canada must adopt a national labour-force strategy that brings federal and provincial governments together to determine actual needs. This means identifying how many workers are required each year in essential sectors, how many students can realistically be housed and educated, and what regions require population replenishment. Immigration must be tied to this analysis—not to arbitrary growth targets. Second, credential recognition needs a complete overhaul. It is unacceptable that engineers, nurses, medical technologists, and other trained professionals wait years to obtain recognition, even as provinces lament shortages. Canada should establish national licensing standards for key professions, accelerate testing and evaluation, and fund “bridging programs” that directly connect newcomers to employers. Provinces and regulatory bodies must justify any barriers that stand in the way of qualified immigrants entering their field. Third, Canada needs a dedicated Skilled Trades Fast Lane, with pathways designed to recruit electricians, plumbers, carpenters, heavy-equipment operators, welders, and other technical workers essential to national growth. Without a surge in trades, Canada will simply not build the housing, transit, and energy infrastructure required for the next generation. Fourth, the international student program must be realigned with national priorities. Institutions should be required to demonstrate that they can support students with adequate housing and high-quality programs. Study permits should be linked to labour-market outcomes, not institutional tuition revenue. The federal government must also curb abuses by low-quality private colleges that profit from vulnerable students while contributing little to Canada’s long-term prosperity. Fifth, settlement and integration services must be strengthened. Successful immigration does not end at the airport. It requires affordable housing, language training tailored to professional needs, rural immigration incentives, and partnerships between employers and municipalities. Integration reduces social tension, builds community cohesion, and ensures newcomers can contribute their full potential. Finally, Canada needs to treat immigration not as a short-term fix for temporary labour shortages or a tool for population growth statistics, but as a national strategy. One that balances economic opportunity, humanitarian commitments, and social cohesion. One that recognizes that welcoming immigrants is not enough—Canada must set them up for success. A modern immigration policy should be grounded in three principles: sustainability, alignment, and integration. Sustainable levels that match Canada’s housing and service capacity. Alignment with real labour-market needs, not institutional interests. And integration that ensures newcomers can thrive rather than struggle on the margins. Canada’s future prosperity depends on getting this right. Immigration will remain essential to the country’s economic health and demographic survival. But for immigration to continue as a national strength, Canadians must see that the system works—for newcomers, for communities, and for the country as a whole. A national immigration reset is not a step backward. It is a step toward the kind of thoughtful, strategic, nation-building immigration system that Canada has always aspired to—and that it urgently needs now. What do you think?

Karmageddon

Karmageddon By Mr. ‘X’ ~ John Mutton CENTRAL EXCLUSIVE I'm back mo**er fu**ers and it's Karmageddon time. I last wrote a column for the Central on June 16, 2018. Back then I was running for Durham Regional Chairman and cancel culture was all the vibe. I remember the false accusations and some of the cancel culture soy boys like Ajax Councillor Sterling Lee would condemn and the rest of the socialists (commonly known as NDP) would follow up and call employers, clients and anyone attached to myself or anyone they wanted to cancel. Oh the good old days. Since 2018, I have been extremely busy on several fronts. My business has moved into actually developing our own projects, married a beautiful Croatian lady, I became Mr. X and I won quite a few Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Gold medals along with that World Championship this year. I am friends with celebrities, pro athletes and leaders literally around the world, we may hear some super interesting stories along the way. Life has provided me with a plethora of experience in several areas and I look forward to sharing some of them with you. One of the more recent highlights after the Integrity Commissioner)/Lobbiest Registrar named me Mr. X, I started a podcast called the Mr X Files with my co host Ben Fudge. Just last week we registered over 30000 views on our latest podcast. What to expect in the future is a factual missile into anything fraudulent or just not passing the smell test in Federal, Provincial or Municipal politics. The podcast will be more of a Nationalist approach, while I may delve into local topics in my column here. If you like the truth, you will enjoy the Mr X files and my column. If you don't like the truth and the facts, too bad for you haha. Some of the items we have covered are The Skills Development Fund Scandal, the upcoming Infrastructure Funds Scandal, the Federal mass immigration affront to Canada and my personal favorite...the Greenbelt. I will curse and I will swear, but I will bring you the facts and what I believe to be the truth. Credit will be given to intelligent legislation and good representation of any politician and party.

What We Got Wrong About Independence

What We Got Wrong About Independence By Diana Gifford What’s happened, that we feed our children a single definition of success? Grow up and leave home, climb the ladder, buy a house, and live an “independent” life. At the same time, aging parents assert they must never become a burden on their grown children. These aspirations for self-reliance are ingrained in our concept of good living. But I wonder if we have it wrong. Personal conviction, self-directed decisions, accomplishing goals on one’s own – these are all powerful elements of autonomy that come with the reward of feeling accomplished and satisfied. But interdependence – begin together and relying on others – is what keeps people healthy. We are a social species, and in social groups is how human beings are best suited to live. In our modern ways of organizing ourselves in society, we have forgotten that multigenerational households were the norm for most of human history. It’s been a relatively recent development that we have measured success by dispersing the family into multiple homes, each behind its own closed door. The social experiment is not going well. Loneliness has become a public-health epidemic, increasing the risk of premature death at rates comparable to smoking and obesity! Meanwhile, the housing data tell a striking story. While the buzz is loud about lack of housing, in fact, our communities are full of empty bedrooms. Literally millions of them, most in the homes of older adults living alone. At the same time, young people are struggling to find an affordable apartment, weighed down by debt, and postponing milestones like starting families because rent consumes too much of their income. We have a structural surplus of space and a structural deficit in seeing solutions. What if the answer is not more construction, but more connection? Small but powerful examples are showing the benefits. Home-share programs match seniors with university students. Cohousing developments arrange single older adults in private suites around shared kitchens and gardens. Some young people, groups of friends, are going in together on the purchase of a jointly-owned first home. In these settings, researchers find better mental health, greater life satisfaction, and fewer emergency-room visits by older residents. Togetherness is good medicine. As for the fear of being a burden, it deserves reconsideration. Studies show that adult children who help care for a parent often feel more purpose and emotional closeness, not resentment. Older adults living with family tend to stay healthier and independent longer. Ironically, the determination to avoid burdening anyone can lead to the very outcome people are trying to avoid. And more good news, as there are environmental benefits. Multigenerational households use far less energy per person. Three generations under one roof leave a much smaller environmental footprint than three separate homes. Living together is climate friendly. But the biggest factor is economic. A large body of research has shown that one of the most significant determinants of health is economic status. Yes, studies on the health impacts of living alone, of single parent versus traditional family structures, or of communal living, offer insights. But the research is clear that these factors are less important to health than the mighty dollar. So, if living together will improve financial wellbeing, then it’s an excellent investment in health. Multigenerational living isn’t right for every family. But for many, it could be exactly the right antidote – to financial stress, and to today’s fractured social landscape. We would do well to create more well-designed cohabitation, with vetted roommates, seniors paired with students, and shared community spaces. As a result, we could expect stronger family ties, improved housing utilization, reduced loneliness, and better health. —————————————————————————————————————— This column offers opinions on health and wellness, not personal medical advice. Visit www.docgiff.com to learn more. For comments, diana@docgiff.com. Follow on Instagram @diana_gifford_jones

Eco-Friendly Holiday Gifts

Eco-Friendly Holiday Gifts by Larraine Roulston ‘Protecting Our Ecosystem’ In December, we use more resources than during any other month. Often they do not get reused, recycled, or composted. When giving Christmas gifts, there are many ways to be gentler on the earth. Although shopping online may be convenient, try to support your community’s small businesses. If purchasing a bicycle or other sports equipment, for example, local sports retailers are better equipped to help you with your selection, accessories, as well as any ongoing maintenance issues. Check out thrift stores for board games, toys, and unique gifts. Everything is generally in mint condition. Jewellery as well, sparkles elegantly in a thrift shore’s small showcase. Buy in bulk! From a bulk food store or special area in your supermarket, select nuts, dried fruits, candy or other holiday treats. If you take your own small bags or other containers, you may even receive a discount. Bulk stores can weigh empty jars prior to your filling them. From the resident chef, Christmas cheer can take the form of homemade cookies, mincemeat pies, chocolate squares, and braided fruit breads. Even liqueurs like Baileys, can be whipped up in a few minutes. The recipe is simple. Using a blender, add 3 eggs and 3 tablespoons of chocolate powder mix. While this is blending, include a few drops of almond extract, 1 pint of whipping cream, 1 can of Eagle Brand milk, then top with 1 cup of inexpensive rye whiskey. Bottle, add a bow, and refrigerate. Experienced knitters are able to create doll clothes, stuffed toys, toques, slippers, mitts, and finger puppets. The season offers an opportunity to teach a child how to knit a scarf or a hot pad. Simple gifts such as these are treasured forever. Older children can have fun crafting personalized stationery in art, or using a computer. They can also create word search puzzles. If sourcing scented herbs or other ingredients, one can find recipes on how to make homemade lip balm, soaps, shampoos and other personal care products. Your time can also be appreciated. Just as much thought and effort can go into practicing a favourite song on a musical instrument. Library books can become a gift when accompanied by an offer to do more household chores so that your recipient has time to read them before their due date. Gifts also can include repairing or up-cycling. Enjoy giving a memorable experience such as theatre tickets or dining out. Be creative wrapping gifts with magazine pages, newsprint, tea towels (a gift within a gift), or other fabrics. If you do buy wrapping paper, avoid glossy and metallic ones that cannot be recycled. Generally, eco-friendly ideas and do-it-yourself crafts will help people stay within their budget. This year, have fun making your holiday season easier on our fragile ecosystem Christmas clean up as well, requires reusing, recycling, and composting. Think about World Soil Day that is celebrated on December 5th. To have healthy soil for a healthy future — Compost! Larraine has been an environmental freelance writer since 1988 and authors children’s books on composting.

Why You Need a Solid Financial Strategy

Why You Need a Solid Financial Strategy By Bruno M. Scanga In recent years, the F.I.R.E. movement—short for Financial Independence, Retire Early—has gained traction among Canadians looking to leave the workforce decades ahead of the traditional retirement age. While the dream of stepping away from work in your 40s or 50s is exciting, it also raises a big question: how do you make your money last when you could be retired for 30, 40, or even 50 years? Over the past century, Canadians have seen their lifespans stretch—many now live well into their 80s—yet the age at which they stop working hasn’t shifted much. That extended retirement phase can put a serious strain on your finances. According to a recent Reddit survey, Canada’s average expected retirement age is around 64, with nearly half planning to retire before 65—but many also lack confidence in being ready when the time comes. In fact, the average actual retirement age climbed from 64.3 to 65.3 between 2020 and 2024. Imagine retiring at 55—or even 64—and living into your 80s or 90s. You could be looking at 20 to 40 years of retirement to fund. That’s great for personal fulfillment, but less so for your wallet. Planning Pays Off Here’s the hard math: the longer your retirement, the more money you need—either by saving more, investing wisely, or a bit of both. Chasing high-risk investments might seem tempting, but it often backfires. Conversely, saving too much now could mean sacrificing your quality of life today. Balance is key. Have you chatted about this with your partner? Retirement planning is a team sport. A recent Investment Executive study found that just 23% of couples have fully discussed all aspects of retirement, while 55% only have a general idea, which means most “canoes” are paddling off in different directions. A financial advisor can help you crunch the numbers to see how even small boosts in your savings—especially when started early—can compound into significant long-term gains. Plus, they can help you navigate retirement vehicles like RRSPs and TFSAs: · RRSPs: Contributions are tax-deductible now, but withdrawals are taxed later. · TFSAs: No tax deduction upfront, but money grows and comes out tax-free. · CPP & OAS: You can start CPP as early as age 60 (at a reduced amount) or defer past 65 to boost benefits. OAS generally begins at age 65. The Reality Check Here’s the real concern (according to Pension Pulse) nearly 49% of Canadians worry they’ll outlive their retirement savings, and 66% expect to keep working even after retirement age just to make ends meet. Successful retirement planning isn’t an impossible task if you start with a good plan and good advice.

Let Him Lead

Let Him Lead By Wayne and Tamara I ended my marriage after 15 years. I’ve been separated for five years and haven’t dated anyone. I really had no interest in dating. In July I met the father of my son’s friend. He, too, is separated and has been for four years. In his case his wife ended the marriage. He was devastated. He indicated at one time he could never go through that again. His son lives with him, and since the boys are together all the time, we talk often. We’ve become good friends and enjoy talking to each other. I’m becoming attracted to him. He has all the qualities I look for. He has a wonderful personality, a sense of humor, and a closeness to his family. He is interesting and kind. I find it hard to decide if he is attracted to me but afraid of getting involved with anyone, or not attracted to me at all. We have not yet gone on a date. He did invite my two boys and me to his camp this summer for the day, and had the boys and I to his camp for Thanksgiving dinner with some of his family. While talking to him the next day, I told him the boys had a great time, and he asked if I had as well. I’ve invited him to my office Christmas party, which he accepted. It is a large event with dinner and dancing. This will be the first time we will be out alone. What should I look for to determine his feelings toward me? Elaine Elaine, don’t make a problem which doesn’t exist. A relationship between the two of you has been slowly building. You understand his fears and concerns. So how do you address that? By letting him lead. If you force the relationship, he will feel threatened. When he senses this is a relationship he wants, he will move forward on his own unless he sees you only as a friend and the parent of his son’s friend. Since there is no problem here—you are not dating him—act like a single, available woman. Imagine you are a fisherman. There is a big trout in the water and you’d love to land him, but all you can do is throw your lure out there. You can’t make the fish bite, but there are other fish in the stream. Making yourself available will make you less disheartened and desperate about this one fish. The more you try to force your lure on a fish, the greater the chance you will scare it off. Be relaxed, patient, and open to all possible relationships. Not only does that give you the greatest chance for success, it creates a desirable aura around you—the kind of aura which will attract others, including this man, to you. Wayne & Tamara Approaching Storm After 10 years of marriage is it settling to be with someone who says they love you but aren’t in love with you? What if that person thinks being “in love” is a childish fantasy and grownups don’t need to be “in love” to have a happy marriage? Is being “in love” really that important? Kim Kim, let us assume the person who says this is your husband. Then the question for him is, how do you keep sailing once you’ve thrown out the star which guides you? What is the foundation of your captaincy? Financial security? Personal advantage? Convenience? Circumstances change. Sickness, a business failure, or an ill wind can alter any of the reasons for being together. So can unexpected success. But love holds people together both on calm seas and when things get rough. Without love you have to keep changing why your contract should still be valid. A marriage without love is like sailing in the Bermuda Triangle. At any time one of you might disappear forever. Wayne & Tamara

Employers Weigh the Risks of Hiring a Candidate, Along With Their Qualifications

Employers Weigh the Risks of Hiring a Candidate, Along With Their Qualifications By Nick Kossovan Strategically appearing as a low-risk candidate is one of the most effective ways to stand out from your competition. Many job seekers love to spend their time and energy criticizing how employers eliminate and hire candidates, which is easy to do when you're not the one bearing the many risks that come with hiring. When I hear or read job seekers "venting," I think to myself, "Easy for you to say, you're not the one taking the hiring risk." An employer's hiring process revolves around reducing hiring risks. Employers aim to hire low-risk candidates. A job seeker who understands and empathizes with the employer's point of view recognizes that showing they're a low-risk hire with high potential for success greatly increases their chances of getting hired. Keeping in mind that the hiring process is inherently a process of elimination, which candidate comes across as low-risk, A or B? Post interview: Candidate A: Their LinkedIn profile lacks a banner, a headshot, measurable achievements, a compelling career summary, and recommendations. Candidate B: Their LinkedIn profile is fully optimized, clearly demonstrating the value they can add to an employer's profitability. Candidate A: Their resume contains grammatical errors and/or typos. Candidate B: Their resume is error-free. Candidate A: Doesn't include a cover letter. Candidate B: Includes a well-written cover letter that offers three strong reasons why they're qualified for the position. Candidate A: Has held three jobs in the past five years. Candidate B: They've been with their current or former employer for over eight years. Interview: Candidate A: Arrives a few minutes late. Candidate B: Shows up 10 minutes early. You find them in the reception area, engaging with the receptionist or reading one of the industry magazines on the table. Candidate A: Limited eye contact and facial expressions. They avoid small talk and don't appear enthusiastic about the job or the company. Candidate B: Offers a firm handshake, smiles, builds rapport, maintains eye contact throughout the interview, is conversational, and asks thought-provoking questions. Political strategist Lee Atwater once said, "Perception is reality." Be mindful of how you present yourself to recruiters and employers. Although it's impossible to be a 100% risk-free hire, focus on appearing as low-risk as you can in these three key areas. Frequent Job Changes / Employment Gaps Turnover is expensive and disruptive, so employers understandably hesitate to hire candidates with a history of job-hopping, without clear career progression, or with significant employment gaps. Generally, employers see this as an indication that the candidate is unlikely to stay long or that they struggle to adapt to new work environments. For any short-term position (under three years), include on your resume and LinkedIn profile whether it was a contract, resulted from a layoff, relocation, career progression, or other reasons. (e.g., "Project Manager (1-year contract)," "Software Engineer (part of a company-wide layoff).") Providing context for why your job(s) duration was short is an essential part of sharing your career story, which employers consider when evaluating your candidacy. Similarly, when a hiring manager notices an extended period of unemployment without explanation, they tend to assume (perception shaping their reality) that you were either fired, unable to find work (employers rejecting you), or "taking it easy." Provide context for any employment gaps you may have. If you took time off for education, caring for a family member, personal growth, or any other reason, mention it in your resume and LinkedIn profile. Negotiating Compensation / Asking for an "Exception" This and the following truism might lose some of you, but they need to be said. At some point during the hiring process, you'll learn about the compensation package being offered for the position. You've three choices: accept what's offered, walk away or try to negotiate a better deal. Negotiating carries the risk that the job offer might be rescinded; it can also make you seem like you'll always want more, which can make you appear difficult (read: risky) to manage. If you're willing to walk away, you have nothing to lose by trying to negotiate. However, if you need the job, focus on securing it! Don't risk losing it over $10,000, which is significantly less after taxes. Furthermore, asking for "an exception" can also make it seem you'll be difficult to manage. The team's harmony, business policies, and processes are already established, and the employer's working hours and clients' expectations are set. Requesting an exception, such as working from home when the team works onsite, suggests a lack of fit; thus, you'd be a risky hire. Overqualified Being overqualified means you possess more skills and experience than the job requires or that it's reasonable to pay for. Overqualified isn't code for ageism or that you'll be a threat to your boss; these are comforting lies job seekers tell themselves. When you apply for a job, you're clearly overqualified for, it's natural for the employer to question your motivation and assume you'll be a flight risk, making you a risky hire. Overcoming the challenge of being overqualified can be tough. Begin by being honest with yourself: are you applying because you genuinely want to take a step back, or because you're desperate? If it's the latter, don't blame employers for not hiring you. Would you hire someone who's desperate? My advice for overcoming being overqualified is to trim unnecessary information from your resume and LinkedIn profile; some things are better left unsaid. Think about the job you're applying for and highlight the specific experiences that demonstrate why you're a good fit. If any experience isn't relevant to the position, leave it out; now's not the time to showcase all skills and experience.

When Common Sense Dies A Nation Dies With It

When Common Sense Dies A Nation Dies With It By Dale Jodoin Journalist and Columnist Some mornings I sit with my coffee and wonder how the world slipped so far off its track. It did not happen in one big moment. It happened in small steps until regular people woke up and felt like strangers in their own country. The pressure grew. The rules changed. The words changed. And the truth started to feel like something you had to hide. When I grew up, the big fear was nuclear war. It was a real worry, but at least people spoke honestly about it. At least you knew what the threat was. Today the fear comes in soft waves. Every few years someone says the world will end in five years. They repeat it to kids who barely understand life yet. You cannot grow hope on fear. You cannot build a strong country on doom. Kids today do not have the anchors we had. We had parents who worked hard. We had grandparents who carried old lessons. We had aunts and uncles who taught us how to stand up and make our own way. How many young people only hear warnings? They hear that everything is broken. They hear that nothing will get better. They hear that the climate is falling apart and that they might not have a future. It leaves them empty. While this fear fills the air, the Liberals and NDP tell people to trust them. They promise that more spending will fix everything. More programs. More rules. More taxes. They treat the country like a bank card that never runs out. But money always runs out. Bills always show up. And regular families always pay in the end. People feel this every day. At the grocery store. With rent. With gas. With heat. They feel it when taxes climb while services fall apart. They feel it when the government says everything is fine even though nothing feels fine. Leaders keep saying this is progress, but nobody living a regular life agrees. And underneath it all there is a message. Keep quiet. Do not speak up. Do not question anything. If you protect your family, people call you selfish. If you point out a problem, people say you are dangerous. If you disagree with a popular idea, they use names as weapons. They use fear to control the conversation. This pressure hits young men the hardest. Many grow up hearing that everything wrong in the world is their fault. Some are told they should stop being who they are. They are confused before they even start their lives. They feel like they have to apologize for being born. It wears them down. At the same time, the government keeps bringing in more people who also need help. This is not an attack on newcomers. It is simple math. If a boat is sinking you cannot load more passengers on it. But the Liberals and NDP do it anyway because it looks good in a headline. They ignore the fact that hospitals are full, housing is gone, and schools are stretched thin. They want to be seen as kind, even if the country snaps under the weight. University was supposed to teach young adults how to think. How many walk in hopeful and walk out bitter. They come home speaking like the country is an enemy. They talk about ripping everything down and building something new with ideas that never worked anywhere else. It is not learning. It is training. And it leaves them lost. Hate has also grown in ways many older people never expected. The sudden rise in hostility toward Jewish Canadians and Jewish people around the world has shocked those who remember real history. They thought the world had learned. Now they watch crowds chant angry things while leaders stand back and mumble. It shakes something deep in the soul. And through all of this, regular people are just trying to survive. They wake up tired. They go to work. They try to raise kids in a world that feels loud and mean. They try to stay out of trouble. But every step feels like thin ice. If they speak up, someone attacks them. If they stay silent, nothing gets better. This is where your line fits, Dale. A country cannot find itself if the people inside it are too scared to tell the loud confused voices to sit down. We have people now who try to kill common sense on purpose. They twist words. They spread lies. They demand we stop thinking. And if you dare to use your own mind they beat you with nonsense until you doubt your own eyes. It reminds me of a poet I like. If a boy with a simple slingshot can stay calm, the world can bend. A whisper is enough to set people free if they hold on to it long enough. So what do we do when the country feels like it is heading into a fog. The answer is not smooth. It is not pretty. But it is simple. People need to vote for someone who will do the hard work. Not someone who makes us feel good. Not someone who hands out money we do not have. A leader who tightens the belt. A leader who says no to public unions when needed. A leader who puts the country first instead of politics. It will upset people. It always does when someone tries to clean up a house that has been ignored. But if we keep going the way we are, nothing will improve. Kids need hope again. Families need stability again. The country needs a spine again. The world is loud right now. It tells people to sit down. It tells them to obey. It tells them to stop thinking. But a country cannot survive if the people inside it feel unwanted. Canada cannot grow strong if its citizens are treated like problems. Real change starts with a whisper. A simple voice saying I want a life that makes sense again. That is how a country finds itself.

This Time Of The Year

This Time Of The Year A Candid Conversation By Theresa Grant Real Estate Columnist This time of year is so special in that it is a time of coming together with family, friends, and coworkers. It’s a time of reflection and looking forward to a new year, perhaps a new chapter in life. It’s many things wrapped up in one season. Unfortunately, it’s also a time of year that the scammers and thieves are working harder than any other time of the year to scam, steal, and rob people of their hard-earned dollars, retirement funds, newly purchased Christmas gifts, and well, anything they can get their hands on. While there is a bit of a cautionary tale embedded in this article, it is more of an observance. With the busy Christmas shopping season well underway, the malls here and there are full of shoppers, and the parking lots are filled with cars. We have seen the police do their usual reminders on the news to be vigilant, be aware and lock your car doors while shopping. They also remind us to never leave anything visible in the front or back seat. Put things in your trunk so that those who cruise the parking lots looking for an easy grab don’t see what you have in your car. A friend of mine told me recently of a disturbing situation that occurred to one of her family members over at the Oshawa Centre. Her family member was walking toward her car in the parking lot after shopping and a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 children were outside of their vehicle and seemed to be in distress. The man motioned to this lady to come over to them and being an older woman, raised in a time that you were taught to help others, she approached. The man asked for directions and gave some sob story. The lady provided the directions and the man said he wanted to thank her and offered her a necklace for her trouble. He took her actual necklace from her neck and put on the one he was offering as a gift. This all happened in a split second and left the woman in complete shock. Of course, what he had taken was a real gold chain and what he gave her was a cheap worthless piece of junk jewlery. I know a lot of people, me included, think to themselves that this could never happen to them. I honestly think that that is exactly why it does happen to more people than we realize. My phone lights up constantly with FED X warnings that this is my last reminder that my package is ready to be delivered, I get text messages that I need to pay my 407 bill before it escalates, I need to pay my taxes immediately or I’ll go to jail etc. The scammers are out there in full force this holiday season. Instead of thinking it could never happen to you, take a minute to make sure your doors are locked, scan the parking lots before you venture into them, be aware of your surroundings and stay safe.

CITY OF OSHAWA WEBSITE POSTS DECEMBER “DATES OF SIGNIFICANCE” WITHOUT CHRISTMAS

CITY OF OSHAWA WEBSITE POSTS DECEMBER “DATES OF SIGNIFICANCE” WITHOUT CHRISTMAS VISIT THE CITY OF OSHAWA OFFICIAL WEBSITE and you’ll see a list of what’s happening by way of upcoming council and committee meetings, community events, and what the municipality considers to be important news for the benefit of its residents. Click on the ‘News’ tab and you’re taken straight to the City’s ‘Newsroom’ page where you’ll find a host of information on all manner of topics, ranging from career opportunities to emergency communications. Nowadays it seems difficult to imagine a time when all we had was a list of important telephone numbers and the odd newspaper advertisement informing us of upcoming public events. Within the neatly arranged network of information provided by various city hall departments is a link entitled “December 2025 days of significance” which transfers you to a rather non-descript page showing a list of cultural and other special occasions for the current month – occasions that “…mark meaningful days and milestones that echo our values and bring us together…” You can also elect to become a subscriber to receive e-mail notifications in real time, should you be interested in knowing first-hand what’s happening in the community. As part of this month’s ‘e-blast’ as they’ve come to be known, subscribers received a notification as to the current Days of Significance list, however, in what can only be seen as an appalling slight against our nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage, the list provided by the City did not include any reference whatsoever to December 25th, being of course, Christmas Day. The omission was soon caught by residents who viewed a graphic of the list (shown here) that had been posted simultaneously onto social media. As a result of the ensuing public outcry, and the efforts of at least one of the more involved members of council, a revised list that included the Christmas celebration was posted some time afterwards, although the offending error appeared as a Facebook 'story' until the following day. Things like this don't happen by accident, and this very unfortunate occurrence is nothing less than a black eye on the face of Oshawa’s civic administration - and someone must be held to account. That said, this didn’t happen overnight. Certain members of staff somehow felt it necessary to alter the process of providing information to the residents of Oshawa by turning what should have been a simple notification into something quite disturbing. Included alongside the list of dates are no less than two links that take you to the City’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives page. It seems the current mission of those who make up the DEI division is to impose their ideology on an unsuspecting city. Part of that ideology is an obvious determination to at least partially exclude references to Christian celebrations that are enjoyed by a majority of Oshawa’s residents - all in the name of celebrating “the rich tapestry of cultures, voices, and stories that shape our community” as long as those voices represent anyone outside the Judeo-Christian fabric that remains the foundation of this country. The Central newspaper was the first media outlet to post a Breaking News story about this issue directly onto social media, and the resultant ‘thread’ of public commentary was certainly instructive. It is impossible to escape the impression that too many people on Facebook are driven to use false standards of measurement as they seek to advance thoughts and ideas they should realize are inherently destructive. For reasons I suggest are the result of self-denial, they seek to share an underestimation of what is really of true value in our society. What they see as greatness rests on attributes that are completely foreign to the ideals of the majority of Canadians. The views that were expressed as to the omission of Christmas from the Days of Significance list caused me no small difficulty, rest assured. There are obvious delusions among keyboard warriors pretending to be champions of social justice, and they are at times quite difficult to deal with. I have endeavored to guard myself against the enthusiastic prejudice which holds that our Western culture is somehow not worth maintaining, and that its continuation can only be a reflection of some sort of oppression against other ideals. None of that is true, and I suggest those who are offering up such a narrative on social media and elsewhere fall into two categories, those being malevolent, and ignorant. The kind of ideological agenda that gave rise to the omission of the Christmas celebration from the City of Oshawa’s December list of dates won’t self-correct. It has been imposed on the cultural fabric within city hall, and by extension, the community at large. Every year, an increasing number of indoctrinated people enter into a combined effort to erode the cultural consensus that has up to now held our nation in relative peace. This is a fight, and unless the rest of society fights back and hard, it will only get worse.

It’s Immoral Derek Giberson Has To GO in 2026

It’s Immoral Derek Giberson Has To GO in 2026 By Joe Ingino BA. Psychology Editor/Publisher Central Newspapers ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States Is it just me? I drive down our downtown core and my heart aches. Watching people sleeping on the street. Temperatures hovering around - 2. Watching this injustice. This suffering in Canada puts my mind in a state of panic. I look at these people and can’t believe that we are allowing this to happen. These people could be any one of us. To think that when a fellow citizen falls that low in their luck and there is no support... It is wrong and immoral. I ran for office in 2018 and 2022 to put an end to this. I was not successful. Maybe I should be more like those elected and be cold and uncaring.  How can any elected official take a taxpayers dime in payment knowing the suffering that is going on right on our streets... In Oshawa we have two representatives. What have they done in the two terms they served? NOTHING. It appears that ‘NOTHING’ in todays society is and accomplishment. Yet, people are defying on our streets from the cold and from drug over usage. This is unacceptable. For example. We have the likes of wanna be rock star, City councillor Derek Giberson. What has he done for the downtown in the two terms he has served. I can tell you. He has spent your taxpayers resources in persecuting local downtown merchants like this newspaper and failed. He has spent your tax dollars on hearings and procedural mumbo jumbo against citizens. He has failed. I would estimate to the tune of over $300,000. Money that should have gone to shelter people living on the street. No instead this councillor chooses to push for ‘safe site’ injection sites. This in my book is unacceptable. This local councillor does not belong in municipal politics as he is directly responsible for the poor condition of our core. He in my opinion is directly responsible for all the failed business in our core. This councillor has failed us so much... that he allowed millions to be wasted on ‘Veterans Park’. A newly erected park smack downtown. A property that could have been turned into a much needed indoor garage. A facility that could have housed thousands of people from the cold until a more concrete solution is found. Giberson in my opinion is a disgrace to our City. He had the opportunity to do great things and he wasted them on persecuting those he does not like. He uses your resource to make go no place points... and he has failed on his attempt time and time again. HE HAS TO GO IN 2026. The homeless problem is not going to go any place. If anything it is going to get worst. This new economic Pandemic takes no prisoners. When we see one person on the street. There 10 others that are living with friends, family or in their cars. I have spoken to many of them. Their stories have resemblances as the outcome is unfortunate. Most of them never thought that they would end up on the street. Many have lost jobs, have little or not family. Others suffered/suffer some sort of disability decease. Just this week the Federal government gave millions to the Ukraine to fight a never ending or impossible war to win. Why has the government not used that money to fight our home front war of hunger and the homeless. Here is what I would do with just a million: 1. Secure a place to in-houe at least 1,000 people. It can be done. Look at most bomb shelters. A facility that would offer shower, cafeteria and medical assistance. 2. Partner with the University to have their health student practice at the shelter. 3. Make it mandatory that all grocery store send over their almost expired foods. Partner with industry and trade to fund the purchase of staple foods. 4. Create work programs through the City in the works department and other. 5. Create un-used hospital wards as treatment centers for those with addictions and or mental health. 6. Partner with the Provincial and Federal Governments for hands on programs that would be directed to special squads to get people off the streets and into these ‘rejuvenation’ facilities. The homeless situation can be managed. Stop voting in nose drips like Giberson. We need real leadership. For real problems. In 2026 make the right change and stop rewarding failure.

A Stronger Canadian Economy Is Possible if We Confront Our Provincial Barriers

A Stronger Canadian Economy Is Possible if We Confront Our Provincial Barriers by Maj (ret’d) CORNELIU, CHISU, CD, PMSC FEC, CET, P.Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East Canada’s economic challenge is not a mystery. Productivity has stagnated for over a decade, business investment per worker has fallen to half the U.S. level, and major projects—whether housing developments, transmission lines, or resource corridors—take too long and cost too much. What is less often acknowledged is the structural cause behind many of these problems: a fragmented federation where provincial legislation frequently pulls the national economy in different directions. For decades, Canada has tolerated a patchwork system in which goods legal in one province can be blocked in another, where a nurse or engineer licensed in Alberta cannot easily work in Ontario, and where a manufacturer must redesign packaging simply to sell the same product across provincial borders. Each of these irritants may seem trivial in isolation, but together they represent a profound drag on competitiveness. The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates the cost of internal trade barriers to be equivalent to a 4% tariff we impose on ourselves—a hidden tax on productivity and prosperity. No other advanced economy erects so many internal walls inside a single country. The irony is that Canadians talk endlessly about trade diversification abroad while ignoring the inefficiencies at home. We spend years negotiating market access with Europe or Asia, yet a company in Manitoba still struggles to sell construction materials freely to Quebec or Nova Scotia. The obstacle is not geography—it is governance. Why has this problem proven so difficult to solve? The answer lies in Canada’s unique constitutional architecture. Provinces guard their jurisdiction fiercely, and for good reasons rooted in history and identity. Health care, education, and natural resources are provincial responsibilities; so too are many forms of licensing and regulation. The federal government cannot simply override provincial rules without igniting constitutional conflict. However, the result is a federation of 13 economic silos, loosely connected by federal transfers and national standards that are often voluntary or weakly enforced. The Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), meant to replace the 1995 Agreement on Internal Trade, was supposed to create a truly national marketplace. In practice, it has been timid. It relies on consensus, includes too many exemptions, and lacks meaningful penalties for non-compliance. The CFTA’s dispute-settlement process moves at a glacial pace, and its rulings are easily ignored. The outcome is predictably inefficient. Entrepreneurs face redundant approvals, transport companies navigate conflicting weight and safety rules, and engineers or tradespeople are forced to obtain multiple provincial certifications. These frictions add cost, discourage mobility, and undermine the very idea of a single Canadian economy. The solution is not to centralize power in Ottawa but to apply a simple, proven principle: mutual recognition. This model, used effectively in the European Union and Australia, holds that if a product, profession, or process is lawful in one jurisdiction, it is lawful in all—unless a province can demonstrate a compelling public-interest reason to refuse it. Mutual recognition preserves provincial autonomy while creating a seamless market for goods, services, and labour. It eliminates duplication without demanding uniformity. A nurse licensed in Saskatchewan would automatically be eligible to work in Nova Scotia; a builder approved in British Columbia could operate in Ontario under the same standards; a bottle of wine legal for sale in Quebec could be shipped freely to Alberta or Prince Edward Island. For housing and skilled trades, this reform could be transformative. Canada cannot meet its national housing targets if electricians, plumbers, and heavy-equipment operators spend months waiting for their credentials to transfer. A fast-lane system for high-demand professions—engineers, nurses, welders, teachers, truck drivers—would immediately boost labour mobility and help address regional shortages. Provinces would retain oversight of quality and safety but remove needless administrative delay. Large-scale projects face a similar maze of overlapping federal and provincial rules. A mine, pipeline, or power line might undergo two or three separate environmental reviews, each with different timelines, consultation processes, and documentation. This redundancy serves no one: not investors, not Indigenous communities, and not the environment. A single “one-project, one-assessment” model—jointly administered by the most competent jurisdiction—would shorten approval times without lowering standards. Early, continuous Indigenous engagement and revenue-sharing agreements would ensure both legitimacy and local benefit. The objective is not to weaken environmental protection but to make it predictable, transparent, and fast. Certainty, not deregulation, is what unlocks investment. Federalism is a partnership, not a hierarchy. Yet Ottawa has tools it rarely uses effectively—especially the spending power. The federal government transfers tens of billions annually to provinces for infrastructure, housing, and skills training. Those dollars should come with performance conditions tied to efficiency: streamlined permitting, faster credential recognition, or adoption of national data standards. Such conditional partnerships would respect provincial choice—provinces could opt out—but the public would see clearly who is supporting national growth and who is standing in the way. Taxpayers have a right to expect that federal funds produce national, not merely local, benefits. A First Ministers’ Scorecard, published quarterly, could track measurable indicators: project-approval timelines, housing completions, interprovincial freight delays, and credential-transfer times. Transparency is a powerful motivator; what gets measured gets fixed. Modern economic policy must also integrate Indigenous participation as a structural component not as an afterthought. Indigenous communities are often central to resource and infrastructure corridors, yet they face complex regulatory hurdles and limited access to capital. Federal and provincial governments should support Indigenous Project Offices that provide technical assistance, equity partnerships, and standardized benefit-agreement templates. Empowerment—through ownership and consent—creates predictability for all parties. While federal incentives can help, true progress depends on provincial initiative. Each legislature should adopt its own Mutual Recognition Act, stating that goods and credentials valid elsewhere in Canada are presumed valid locally. Provinces could harmonize building and electrical codes, publish red-tape reduction targets, and commit to public “no net new regulation” rules. Interprovincial compacts—formal agreements between two or more provinces—could advance shared priorities like energy corridors, labour mobility, or procurement standards. The Western Premiers’ Agreement and the New West Partnership once showed promise; similar regional blocs could revive the spirit of cooperation. In conclusion, these goals are ambitious but fully attainable if governments align around a single vision: one country, one economy, many governments. Canada’s productivity problem will not be solved by more subsidies or slogans. It requires political courage—the willingness of premiers and ministers to trade a measure of control for collective prosperity. The prize is immense: higher living standards, faster growth, and a stronger federation that competes globally rather than bickers internally. If Canada was able to build a transcontinental railway in the 19th century and a universal health system in the 20th, surely it can build a truly unified economy in the 21st. The obstacles are not technical but political—and they are entirely within our power to remove. A stronger Canadian economy is within reach. But it will remain out of grasp until we confront the provincial barriers that quietly hold us back. The time to act is now. The time for national coherence has arrived.

Queen’s Park

Queen’s Park By Theresa Grant Real Estate Columnist If you’ve been paying attention to the recent news out of Queen’s Park, you’ll know that the extremely controversial Bill 60 has passed. But what exactly does that mean for the people of Ontario? Well, I guess that depends on whether you’re a landlord or a tenant. Believe it or not, even people that are neither have very strong opinions on this Bill. I guess it goes back to the fact that the vast majority of us at one time or another were tenants and almost everyone has had to deal with a landlord at some point. For as much as the opposition is shaking their fists and saying this is far too aggressive on the part the landlords’ rights, it really is just leveling the playing field somewhat. For many years the pendulum swung far too much to one side and that side was the tenant’s rights. For years now landlords have had their rental properties held hostage in a sense by tenants that won’t pay rent and won’t move out. All the while, the landlord has to fill out mountains of paperwork, meet strict deadlines for filing that paperwork and then sit back and wait. As usual, many people are reacting to headlines before they get the actual meat and potatoes of the story. I would say there have been adjustments more than real changes when it comes to the Landlord and Tenant Board. For example, the landlord now only has to wait 7 days after nonpayment of rent as opposed to 14 to file for eviction for nonpayment of rent (N4). In a lot of cases, if you are a good tenant and always pay your rent on time, your landlord will hold off on this procedure anyway. The key here is your past behaviour and your relationship with your landlord. Another notable adjustment has been the procedure for eviction when it comes to having a family member move in or if the landlord needs the unit themselves. The landlord no longer has to compensate the tenant and no longer has to provide alternative housing. The landlord absolutely still has to give the proper notice to the tenant though. The bill also states that if you are a tenant and you are not up to date on your rent and you choose to raise issues about your landlord during a hearing with the Landlord Tenant Board, you will have to pay at least half of the back owed rent prior to being able to raise those issues. I would say overall, this has been a recalibrating of power between landlords and tenants in the province of Ontario which has been lopsided for far too long. At the end of the day, there are red flags for bad tenants and bad landlords. Look for them and heed them when you see them.

Hernias Are An Age Old Problem

Hernias Are An Age Old Problem By Diana Gifford Hernias are an ancient ailment. And modern medicine still debates the best ways to repair or live with them. One of the earliest references appears in the Ebers Papyrus, an Egyptian medical scroll from around 1550 BCE. The treatment for hernias was to push them back into place, in techniques described by Hippocrates. Galen, a Greek physician to gladiators and Roman emperors, had a preference for treating “surgical conditions by means other than the knife.” One can only imagine. An enduring piece of hernia lore is the truss. A truss was essentially a belt with a pad designed to apply pressure to the protrusion. Trusses were made of leather, metal, or fabric. Some people wore them for decades. Apparently Benjamin Franklin, suffering from a hernia, customized the design of his own truss for improved comfort. Look no further than to Medieval Europe to find the most absurd so-called cures. Some believed that passing through a split tree trunk – literally crawling through it – could cure a hernia. The tree would then be bound shut, as though healing the patient by analogy. Odd times. Early hernia surgery was crude, painful, and often fatal. Before the late 19th century, the combination of infection, lack of anesthesia, and poor anatomical knowledge made abdominal operations deeply dangerous. The turning point came with Eduardo Bassini, an Italian surgeon who, in the 1880s, meticulously studied the groin’s anatomy and introduced a systematic way to reconstruct it. His technique, though modified many times since, is widely regarded as the first reliable hernia repair. The 20th century brought the introduction of surgical mesh. Using mesh allowed surgeons to reinforce weakened tissue and reduce recurrence rates. It was heralded as a breakthrough, though in recent decades it has also sparked debate and litigation. Mesh can be enormously effective, but as with many medical advances, its success is not guaranteed. Today, many people delay treatment out of fear, embarrassment, or the hope that the problem might resolve itself. They can result from lifting, chronic coughing, pregnancy, or even genetic predisposition. They are democratic: they affect the young, old, athletic, sedentary, cautious, and risk-takers alike. In the internet era, the ancient impulse to treat hernias at home has been revived by self-proclaimed experts posting videos of DIY abdominal wraps, self-reduction tutorials, and miracle cures. Some echo centuries-old remedies – compresses, belts, or herbal treatments. Others are newly imagined, drawing on the vast creativity of people in online forums. The fact is, hernias can occur in many different parts of the body, from a variety of causes, and with a wide range of implications, sometimes inconsequential and sometimes fatal. So go and see a doctor to determine the best treatment for you. Readers often write requesting information about what the take of Dr. W. Gifford-Jones was on one medical issue or another. He had a much appreciated “no nonsense” philosophy. From reading his column for years and years, he was known and trusted. Well, you can still find what he had to say on topics like hernias. Go to www.docgiff.com and type the keywords of interest into the search engine (a little magnifying glass icon in the top right of the page). For example, type “hernia” and you’ll get access to columns on “how to decrease the risk of large bowel hernias”, “if it’s partly broken, should you fix it?”, and advice to “think twice about hernia surgery”. Columns since around the year 2000 are posted. I’m posting more and more of the older archive of columns too. Among them, some gems! —————————————————————————————————————— This column offers opinions on health and wellness, not personal medical advice. Visit www.docgiff.com to learn more. For comments, diana@docgiff.com. Follow on Instagram @diana_gifford_jones

2025 Year in Review: Staying Financially Strong in Uncertainty

2025 Year in Review: Staying Financially Strong in Uncertainty By Bruno M. Scanga As we wrap up 2025, it’s a good time to pause and reflect on what the year has brought—and more importantly, how to position ourselves for success in 2026. This year has been another reminder that global uncertainty is here to stay. Trade tensions, fluctuating interest rates, and uneven economic growth have all played a part in shaping Canada’s financial landscape. The good news? Despite all the noise, there are solid, practical steps you can take to stay financially strong. A Look Back at 2025 Inflation continued to cool through 2025, allowing the Bank of Canada to begin cautiously lowering rates after several years of tightening. While this offered some relief to borrowers, many Canadians renewing their mortgages still faced higher payments than before. Growth remained modest—around 1%—as global trade pressures and slower exports weighed on the economy. For investors, markets were mixed. Canadian equities were steady, U.S. markets showed resilience, and bonds regained some traction as interest rates eased. Overall, it’s been a year where patience and diversification paid off. What This Means for You Periods like this call for a thoughtful financial strategy. Here are a few strategies to carry into 2026: 1. Revisit your budget and cash flow. Higher living costs and mortgage renewals can tighten monthly budgets. Take time to review spending and look for ways to increase your savings margin—even a small monthly surplus can build valuable flexibility. 2. Strengthen your emergency fund. If 2025 has taught us anything, it’s that uncertainty can show up quickly. Aim to keep at least three to six months of essential expenses in a readily accessible account. 3. Stay invested, but be strategic. Trying to time the market rarely works. Instead, focus on maintaining a diversified portfolio that matches your goals and risk tolerance. If interest rates continue to drift lower in 2026, both fixed income and equity investments could benefit. 4. Use registered plans wisely. Whether it’s topping up your RRSP, maxing out your TFSA, or contributing to a RESP or FHSA, these accounts offer powerful tax advantages. Every dollar sheltered from unnecessary tax is a dollar working harder for your future. 5. Plan for the long term—no matter the headlines. Economic slowdowns, trade issues, and market swings are part of every cycle. The key is having a plan that adjusts with conditions, not one that reacts to fear or hype. Looking Ahead to 2026 Most forecasts suggest a slow but steady recovery next year. If inflation stays near target, the Bank of Canada could trim rates further—good news for borrowers and markets alike. That said, it’s still wise to prepare for volatility. The bottom line? Focus on what you can control: your savings habits, spending discipline, and investment strategy. Global uncertainty may persist, but a well-built financial plan is still your best tool for confidence and stability. Here’s to finishing 2025 strong and stepping into 2026 with clarity and purpose.