Saturday, September 27, 2025
Who Knows You Are Job Searching?
Machines Take the Place of Farm Hands
Machines Take the Place of Farm Hands
By Dale Jodoin
The farmyard looks the same at first glance, but the work is changing fast. Where families and hired hands once filled the fields, more and more of the jobs are now being done by machines and artificial intelligence. Across Canada, the United States, and much of the world, farmers are relying on new technology to replace people because labour is harder to find and more expensive than ever. Tractors that drive themselves are no longer science fiction.
Major equipment makers are already selling machines that can steer, turn, and run a whole field without a person touching the wheel. Combines can unload on the go, guided by sensors and GPS, while sprayers use cameras to spot weeds and spray only where needed.
The savings are big, both in chemicals and in labour hours. One machine does the job of several workers, and it does it longer without breaks. Weeding is another area where people are disappearing. For crops that once needed a large crew, robots with lasers now roll through rows and burn weeds one by one. Companies claim a single machine can replace as many as seventy-five workers. Even if the numbers are optimistic, farmers are already proving the machines can handle acres that once kept dozens of people busy.
Drones are also stepping in. Instead of a group of workers scouting fields or spraying with backpack tanks, one drone operator can map fields, find problems, or spray a crop in minutes. In barns the story is the same. Robotic milkers now handle cows around the clock, reducing labour by a third or more. Automatic feeders deliver rations without anyone on a tractor, and sensors on cows track health and activity so farmers no longer need extra eyes in the pen. A job that once took three people can now be managed by one farmer and a machine. For fruit and vegetable farms, packing lines and handling are shifting too.
Robotic arms now box fruit with speed and accuracy, and machines are learning to pick delicate crops directly in the field. The jobs that used to go to seasonal workers are slowly being taken over by machines that never ask for overtime or a place to sleep. This change is driven by economics as much as technology. Canada brought in nearly eighty thousand temporary foreign workers for agriculture last year, but the supply of labour is uncertain, and wages are rising. Farmers cannot depend on politics or cheap labour the way they once did, so they are investing in technology that offers more control and fewer risks.
Economists say the pattern is clear: labour costs keep climbing while machines are becoming cheaper and smarter. A robot or automated tractor may cost a lot upfront, but year after year it saves thousands in wages and increases productivity. Many farmers feel they have no choice but to replace people with machines to stay afloat.
The result is a farm that looks familiar on the outside but works differently inside. Instead of family members and hired crews filling every role, farms now need mechanics, technicians, and computer-minded workers to keep machines running. The jobs are fewer and more specialized, and the day-to-day work is less about sweat and more about monitoring screens. Artificial intelligence is pushing this shift even further.
Machines can now make decisions on the go, adjusting paths, changing spray rates, or learning to handle crops without damaging them. For farmers this means higher efficiency and better yields, but it also means fewer people in the fields and barns.
Regular farming is being reshaped. Where a hundred acres once needed several families and a crew of workers, today a small team with modern equipment can handle the same land with greater output.
The productivity is real, but so is the loss of jobs and the steady disappearance of the old way of farming where hands, both family and hired, were the backbone of the operation. Farming is not ending, but the work is moving from people to machines, and the change is happening faster every season.
Education planning for your grand children?
Education planning for your grand children?
By Bruno M. Scanga
Deposit Broker, Insurance & Investment Advisor
First you were putting on their diapers. Then you walked them to their kindergarten classroom. You helped them with their math homework. You listened to their loud music through the walls.
Are you ready for what comes next?
Post-secondary education tuition can cost over $ 20,000 per year. If you have multiple children or grand children you are looking at a lot of money if you are planning on helping them out.
How can you make this process easier?
A Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) is one option.
Contributions to these accounts receive a 20% match from the Canadian Education Savings Grant up to $2,500 per year, which is $500 of free money. If your income is low, you can receive a 30-40% match on the first $500. Setting up a trust account is another choice to help pay for college.
Saving for Post-secondary education can appear daunting, but it doesn’t have to be.
Your Financial Advisor can help create a road map so you can make progress in steps.
Before you know it, your child will be out of Post-secondary education, and you’ll be putting on diapers again – on your grandchildren.
Spoil your Grandchildren with Education
Grandparents, in their children’s eyes, can be a source of frustration. Not because they do not love their grandchildren but because of the way they express it in a material sense. Grandparents tend to buy too many things that are not age proper, too expensive or items that do not reflect the parent’s sense of value; even though the parent likely established their values based on the influence of ‘their’ parents.
It is also true that a great number of grandparents give money for birthdays, or other holidays. So how can a grandparent stay in the good graces of both their kids and grandkids? In a word; ‘education’.
Giving the Gift of Knowledge
Most of the last few generations focused on keeping a roof over their family’s head and providing food and clothing. There was little left for ‘luxuries’ and if there was, those luxuries came in the form of hockey registration and equipment (upgraded year after year), dance lessons or musical instruments.
Now that baby-boomers have reached retirement age, there is much more time on their hands and more disposable income from life-long savings and pensions. Many grandparents are turning their focus to providing their grandchildren with whatever advantages were not necessarily available for their own kids. One prominent choice of giving a gift that helps the grandchild and keeps their own children happy is an RESP (Registered Education Savings Plan).
RESP Start-up is Easy
The best time to start a RESP is the moment your grandchild is issued a Social Insurance Number (SIN).
God, Family, Country And the Courage to Speak: A Tribute to Charlie Kirk
God, Family, Country
And the Courage to Speak:
A Tribute to Charlie Kirk
By Councillor Lisa Robinson
Sometimes, a single voice can shake a nation.
Charlie Kirk has been that voice. Whether you agree with him on every issue or not, he has been unapologetic about speaking the truth — even when it made him a target. He has taken hits from the media, political elites, and powerful institutions. And yet, he has never backed down.
That matters — not just in America, but here in Canada too.
Because we are in a moment where censorship is no longer theoretical. It is not just about being “cancelled” online — it is about being silenced in real life, stripped of your reputation, your livelihood, and your ability to serve the people who elected you. I know this firsthand.
When you tell the truth in a time of moral confusion, you will be called every name in the book — hateful, bigoted, extremist, even “alt-right” or “Nazi.” And when you refuse to go along with lies, you will be treated like you are the criminal.
But here’s the truth: freedom of speech is not just about protecting polite, agreeable speech. It is about protecting the speech that makes the powerful uncomfortable — the speech that challenges official narratives, that refuses to bow to mob pressure, that defends what is right even when it is unpopular.
And no one — no one — deserves to be threatened, harassed, or assassinated for their views.
Yet that is the direction we are heading when governments, media, and political elites normalize silencing people whose words don’t fit their narrative. When you tell people that someone’s speech is “dangerous,” you justify any punishment against them — and that is a very dangerous road.
I have seen this in Pickering. Integrity Commissioners, Councils, and Codes of Conduct are being used not as tools of accountability, but as weapons — to muzzle elected officials, punish dissent, and make examples out of anyone who dares to speak out. It is easier for those in power to silence one voice than to debate them in the open.
Charlie Kirk has reminded millions that our loyalty must be first to God, family, and country — in that order. God gives us truth. Family gives us purpose. Country gives us freedom. When any of those are attacked, our duty is to stand up — loudly, clearly, and without apology.
I am standing up here in Canada because the stakes are too high to sit down. If we allow censorship to grow unchecked, if we allow speech to be policed by those in power, then democracy itself is in danger.
This is not just about politics. It is about whether truth will be allowed in the public square — or whether we will all be forced to live by government-approved lies.
Charlie Kirk has shown what it looks like to take the arrows and keep going. He has inspired countless young people to love their country, to embrace faith, and to stand strong in a culture that mocks both.
I am honoured to join that fight here at home.
Because God, family, and country are worth fighting for.
Because truth is worth fighting for.
And because freedom — once lost — is almost impossible to win back.
The time for fear is over. The time for courage is now. You’re not alone 
A LOOK AT THE “ELECT RESPECT’ MOVEMENT BEING ADOPTED BY MUNICIPAL COUNCILS
THE FORGOTTEN WORD “RESPECT”
THE FORGOTTEN WORD “RESPECT”
By Joe Ingino BA. Psychology
Editor/Publisher Central Newspapers
ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000
Published Columns in Canada and The United States
I do not know about you. But I just about had enough with media broadcasts of punks going nose to nose with police.
There these 120lb punks making threatening gestures in a police officers face. I look at this and can’t help to think to myself...
I could never be a cop. I think as a society we need to have self respect first and then respect for your fellow man.
You have rights and freedoms because of the efforts of many that had ultimate respect and sacrificed in the name of humanity.
These punks in my opinion need to be dealt with extreme force.
Mess up one or two and you will see that they will have a new found respect for police.
The fact that police have to stand there and take it, is socially wrong. It shows total disrespect for society, for authority and most importantly for themselves.
Where is the family of these punks? What happened to the education system that has not taught him/her respect for authority.
I do not care the reason or excuse.
A police officer approaches. You show respect. You follow instructions. You let them do the job.
99.99% of the time if you done nothing wrong. You will walk.
The fact that you have a constitutional right to peacefully protest. Emotional affect of the constitutional right does not give you any right in becoming abusive and disrespectful.
By the same token. You have no right telling a police officer your rights or how to do his or her job.
This to me is nothing short of verbal abuse and the police in my opinion should have the right to arrest with force.
Fear is great deterrent when it comes to preventing physical altercation. If the other person feels threatened. They will very unlikely become violent.
This is the root of the argument that everyone should carry a gun that it sends a message to any possible threats that they will be met with force.
Our youth are to soft and over opinionated. They seem to think they have some God given right and no responsibility for their actions.
I think with the Trump wave sweeping North America. It is time to take our society back. You get in a police officer face. Expect to be man handled and taught respect.
No more police stepping down. No more police risking life and limb to protect a punks perceived rights. Time for parents to take responsibility for their children action and punks need to be taught respect.
What do you think?
The United Nations at 80: Reform or Relic?
The United Nations at 80:
Reform or Relic?
by Maj (ret’d) CORNELIU, CHISU, CD, PMSC
FEC, CET, P.Eng.
Former Member of Parliament
Pickering-Scarborough East
It is the end of September and once again, world leaders are gathering in New York for the annual UN assembly meeting. Prime Minister Mark Carney represented Canada at the meeting, where he engaged in several good discussions with world leaders.
As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary, the question confronting the world is brutally simple: will this institution adapt to a radically changed century, or will it stumble into irrelevance like the League of Nations before it?
The UN was born from the ashes of World War II. Its architecture—especially the Security Council—was designed to reflect the power balance of 1945. However, 2025 is not 1945. The Soviet Union is gone. The colonial empires have crumbled. The United States is no longer the unquestioned hegemon. Rising powers like India, Brazil, and Nigeria clamor for recognition, while transnational threats—climate change, pandemics, cyber conflict—demand collective action no single country can manage. And yet the UN clings to a structure frozen in amber, incapable of addressing the crises it was created to solve.
Consider the Security Council. The veto power wielded by its five permanent members is the single most glaring anachronism in international politics. It is no longer a guarantor of stability; it is a straitjacket. Russia blocks action on Ukraine. The United States shields Israel from accountability. China paralyzes efforts in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, the vast majority of humanity, represented by over 180 other member states, is effectively disenfranchised. This is not “collective security.” It is selective impunity.
However, the rot goes deeper than geopolitics. The UN system itself has ballooned into a sprawling bureaucracy riddled with duplication and inertia. There are more than 30 specialized agencies and programs, many with overlapping mandates, jealously guarding turf and budgets. Accountability is weak, performance is uneven, and reform efforts have historically produced cosmetic rearrangements rather than structural change.
When the world’s taxpayers demand value for money, what they see instead is mission creep, bureaucratic bloat, and a culture that rewards process over results.
At the same time, the UN faces a funding crisis of its own making. Reliance on a few large donors has left it vulnerable to political whims. With U.S. contributions declining and arrears mounting from others, the organization is slashing jobs and even proposing to shutter agencies like UNAIDS. This is not the sign of a confident institution; it is the desperation of one that has lost both purpose and patronage.
Defenders of the status quo insist that, for all its flaws, the UN remains indispensable. They point to peacekeeping missions that have prevented conflicts from spiraling, to humanitarian agencies that deliver food and medicine to millions, to frameworks like the Paris Agreement that would be unthinkable without UN convening power. These achievements are real. However, they are not enough to justify complacency. An institution cannot live forever on past glory. It must demonstrate present relevance.
So what does renewal look like?
First, it means confronting the veto. Without reforming or abolishing this outdated privilege, the Security Council will remain a monument to dysfunction. Even modest reforms—such as expanding permanent seats to include emerging powers, or requiring multiple vetoes to block action—would be steps toward legitimacy.
Second, it requires a ruthless audit of mandates. The UN cannot be all things to all people. Agencies that have outlived their purpose should be consolidated or closed. Resources must be redirected to core functions: preventing war, protecting human rights, and coordinating truly global challenges like climate and health.
Third, funding must be put on a stable and equitable footing. Member states must pay their dues, but beyond that, innovative financing—such as levies on global carbon markets, financial transactions, or tech giants that benefit from global public goods—could create sustainable revenue streams independent of national politics. Finally, renewal demands a change of culture. The UN must abandon the insularity and ritual that have too often defined its diplomacy. It must engage citizens directly, not just governments. Civil society, cities, and even corporations are now major actors in global affairs; they must have meaningful seats at the table.
Let’s look at Canada’s Place in UN Renewal
Canada likes to brand itself as a “middle power” and a faithful custodian of the international order. From Lester Pearson’s Nobel Prize for inventing UN peacekeeping in the 1950s to decades of enthusiastic support for development aid, Ottawa has built its identity around the UN. However, the gap between rhetoric and reality is growing.
In recent years, Canada has failed to win a seat on the Security Council, a reminder that nostalgia does not equal influence. Our peacekeeping contributions are now a fraction of what they once were. Funding for UN programs, though still significant, has not kept pace with our aspirations.
And on issues like Security Council reform, Canada has been cautious to the point of irrelevance.
If Canada truly believes in the UN, it cannot sit on the sidelines of renewal. It should champion concrete reform proposals—limiting the veto, expanding representation for the Global South, and stabilizing funding mechanisms. It should put real political capital on the line, not just fine words in speeches. Canada’s credibility as a multilateral leader will be judged not by nostalgia for Pearsonian peacekeeping, but by whether it has the courage in 2025 to help pull the UN into the 21st century. If we fail, we risk being remembered as a country that cheered the UN’s legacy while watching passively as it slid into irrelevance. Hope the Canadian government is listening.
Reform or Relic
None of this will be easy. Entrenched powers will resist change, clinging to privileges they see as eternal. Bureaucrats will bury reform in committees. Cynics will scoff that the UN has survived eight decades without fundamental renewal, and therefore will muddle through another. However this complacency is dangerous. History shows that institutions that fail to adapt eventually collapse. The League of Nations seemed permanent in 1920. By 1940 it was a hollow shell.
The United Nations stands at a crossroads. Either it chooses the path of bold renewal—reinventing itself to meet the challenges of this century—or it will drift into obsolescence, a grand stage for empty speeches while real power shifts elsewhere. The stakes could not be higher. In a world riven by war, inequality, and planetary emergency, a credible, effective UN is not a luxury. It is a necessity.
However, necessity is not destiny. Unless member states summon the courage to reform what they have built, the 80th anniversary of the UN may be remembered less as a milestone than as the beginning of its decline. Let us hope for a promising future without wars.
Saturday, September 20, 2025
So Hidden in Healthcare? Why Is Information So Hidden in Healthcare?
Why Is Information
So Hidden in
Healthcare?
By Diana Gifford
Several weeks ago, I wrote about the importance of factual debates. This week let’s talk about transparency. It’s one of those words that gets thrown around in health discussions. Politicians promise it. Hospital administrators profess it. Insurance companies advertise it. But when ordinary people go looking for reliable information about their own health, we hit a wall, there’s silence, or confusion prevails.
Take something as basic and important as our own medical records. In Canada, we’ve been talking about universal digital access for years. Yet in many provinces, it is still astonishingly hard to get a picture of your health history. In Ontario, there are perplexing tools, portals and disjointed systems, and even after years of public outrage, we still don’t have good access to our records. Most people still end up calling around, waiting for responses, or even paying fees to see their own information. And it’s not that sharing personal or sensitive information isn’t possible. We can check our bank balance in an instant, but not the results of a blood test taken last week.
There are brighter spots. In British Columbia, the Health Gateway app lets residents pull up lab results, imaging reports, immunizations, and medications going back decades. Updates appear within days. This is proof that transparency is possible when the will exists. It also highlights the inequity of a patchwork system where some Canadians enjoy open access to their records and others remain in the dark.
In the U.S., the issue shows up in different ways. In 2021, for example, a U.S. law came into effect requiring hospitals to post the prices of common procedures online so patients could shop around. It sounds like common sense, especially in a system where patients are paying costs out of pocket. Yet when investigators first looked, they found most hospitals ignored the rule or buried the information in ways that were incomprehensible to patients. Some reports put compliance as low as 14 percent. Even today, after penalties were increased, many hospitals remain noncompliant. Progress is being made, but patients are still left asking: if restaurants can post menus online, why can’t hospitals share something as fundamental as their prices?
What unites these examples is that transparency is never just a technical problem. The systems exist. The technology exists. What’s missing is the decision to put users of healthcare ahead of providers. What’s worse is deliberate obfuscation. A lack of openness doesn’t happen by accident. It reflects vested interests – whether governments that want to downplay wait times, hospitals reluctant to expose their performance, or corporations that profit from complexity.
It doesn’t have to be this way. When patients have access to their records, they become partners in their care rather than passive recipients. When people can compare prices or outcomes, they can hold institutions accountable. Transparency builds trust, reduces misinformation, and forces systems to improve. Opacity, on the contrary, breeds frustration, suspicion, and inequity.
I also want to be transparent with you. My father, Dr. W. Gifford-Jones, was a physician. I am not. I know some readers have assumed otherwise, and I don’t want there to be any confusion. What I can offer is continuity of his work, which was never about hype or fads. For fifty years, his column translated medical research into plain language and encouraged readers to weigh evidence for themselves. That remains my goal: to report honestly, to point readers to credible sources, and to highlight where the system is letting people down.
It is time for health care in Canada, the United States, and everywhere else, to be a lot more transparent.
_________________________________________________________________________
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contact-us@docgiff.com. Follow us Instagram @docgiff and @diana_gifford_jones
Dark Alleys
Dark Alleys
By Wayne and Tamara
I am writing you out of complete frustration. I am a divorced mother of an 11-year-old son and a businesswoman who has had good relationships with men over the years. I’ve never had trouble finding or keeping friends. I believe to have a friend you have to be a friend, you treat everybody correctly, and you stay away from troubled people.
There’s a man I’ve known over 25 years. We’ve seen each other through marriages and relationships. We talk on the phone for hours. However, after his second marriage failed four years ago, I believe he came out damaged. We had never been intimate, but two years ago I thought I would give it a try because I always found him attractive.
Well, I discovered that while he’s a great lover, he is narcissistic, a sadist, and completely devoid of concern for other people’s feelings. I am amazed I never knew this about him, but maybe I wasn’t interested in knowing. He claims he won’t have a relationship with me unless I am on his page and submissive to his wishes.
I am sad for him. He’s really changed. He’s exploiting what he knows about my nature for his own benefit. This relationship spells trouble, but I can’t seem to let go.
Libby
Libby, though many knew him, the only people who realized Ted Bundy was a serial killer were women within a few moments of dying at his hands. In like fashion, we doubt this man’s nature has changed over the last few years. He is one of those who think, “Everyone else on the planet is a sheep, and I am the only human being.” He is also shrewd enough to conceal who he is.
For over a hundred years, researchers have experimented with up-down reversing prisms. These are glasses which turn the world upside down. The first time people wear up-down glasses they careen into walls and tables. But eventually their brain adjusts to life in a topsy-turvy world.
That is what this man wants you to do. You know you can’t cure someone else’s cancer, but somehow you think you have the power to change him.
Certain sayings resonate within us: move toward the light, follow your true path, be all you can be. They are not as precise as a map, but they point to the general direction our deep self knows to follow. With each person and in each new endeavor we need to ask if this leads toward our growth and development, or toward a deepening relationship with Ted Bundy.
Wayne & Tamara
Telltale Heart
My boyfriend told me I didn’t trust him, so I decided I would. But upon growing trust for him I found out he sent this comment to a girl on social media: “I knew if you wanted to hang out with me you would have called. I guess you’re just scared you might like me.” Is this something I should be worried about, or something I should forget?
Val
Val, in one episode of the BBC show “Torchwood,” Tosh is given a pendant which allows her to hear others’ thoughts. To her dismay she learns that Owen, the man she has a crush on, sees her as needy. Not only does Owen not fancy her, he is snogging Gwen.
Tosh’s new knowledge should allow her to move on, because she has been released from the delusion Owen is her everything.
Though they don’t act this way, people who love each other can peek and peek and pry and pry, and not find anything about the other they didn’t want to know.
Your boyfriend is berating another girl for not meeting him. You’ve seen into his soul. Act from that knowledge.
We shouldn’t fear reality. We should fear the illusions we try to maintain in the face of reality.
Wayne & Tamara
The Gift of Rejection - How Failure Grows Into Success
The Gift of Rejection
How Failure Grows into Success,
Opportunities, and Life Lessons
By Camryn Bland
Youth Columnist
Every individual has unique strengths, and with them, unique weaknesses.
Perfection is a goal impossible to reach, a concept strengthened through every failure.
However, it can be extremely difficult to accept our mistakes and appreciate the life lessons they are. Too often, we choose agitation, disappointment, or self doubt when faced with rejection, something which only intensifies the negative experience. Each mistake strengthens the fear of failure, paralyzing every goal.
Like many others, I struggle with accepting rejection and failure. I have never let a busy schedule, difficult assignment, or personal stress stand in the way of my goals, which is why rejection feels so devastating. When I put in all my effort and fall short, I am left feeling incompetent.
Although I have had many successes, I have also been weighed down by my share of rejection. One of my most prominent failures was during an eighth grade speech competition, when I did not place first, second, or even third out of the five contestants. As an anxious perfectionist, even at fourteen, the loss broke my heart. This competition was where my fear of failure originated, however, many other experiences have since grown it. Early in high school, I was rejected from student council, an extracurricular which I had my eye set on for years. In the past year, I was rejected from my school board's Presidents Council for two roles. I have auditioned for leads in drama productions, only to be given narrators or understudies instead. I have studied for hours on end, to sometimes end up with a mediocre grade or an underwhelming assignment. Each one of these failures left me feeling hollow and confused, and even now, these memories sting. Each experience made me feel unworthy of prior confidence, and uncertain about my future.
In the wake of all my disappointments, I have also found many successes. Though I lost a speech competition, I was awarded Valedictorian a few months later. I wasoriginally rejected from student council, however I earned a spot the following year. I have been part of a first-place debate team, acted in multiple drama productions, and received many academic honors. Despite these victories, I felt incomplete. To me, every mistake was worth five victories, leaving me in a hopeless decline of confidence.
Until recently, I have let simple errors overshadow every success. Each failure felt like a stab at my confidence, my abilities, and my goals. In reality, my issue with failure wasn’t simply what I was being denied, it was the self-doubt it sparked within me. For as long as I can remember, I have chased perfection in everything I do, which results in the highest highs and the lowest lows. Every success filled me with confidence and joy, which could easily be destroyed by one mistake. Every failure forced me to ask the question, am I not enough? After countless disappointments, I’ve begun to understand I
am enough.
My fear of failure stemmed from my own pride, which I have slowly begun to recover. It takes time to accept my failures, and understand they do not take away from my successes. My victories far outnumber my failures, proving that I am worth more than my worst moments. I am made of more than rejection, and this is something I have begun to learn in my day-to-day life.
Rejection is an inevitable aspect of the human experience. It may sound cliche, but each failure is an opportunity to learn perseverance, humility, and self-awareness. I believe everything happens for a reason, and that what is meant to happen will happen; if an opportunity passes me by, it is not right for me. This belief helps me fight perfectionism and keeps me striving towards my passions.
Failure will always be a part of life, whether that be in school, employment, or our personal lives. What matters is not the setback and disappointment, but how we respond to them. Regardless of the risks, it is crucial to pursue your passions. No matter what, it is worth it to shoot your shot; you will either reach your goals, or be granted the gift of rejection.
Calling Yourself 'Talent' Does Not Mean You Can Offer Value to Employers
Calling Yourself 'Talent' Does Not
Mean You Can Offer Value to
Employers
By Nick Kossovan
The job market is crowded with applicants claiming to be "talented." What's lacking are job seekers who provide concrete evidence of their skills and how their supposed "talent" has benefited their previous employers, rather than just making grandiose statements.
Claiming you're talented is egotistical boasting, as if you’re a God-given prodigy.
The word "talent" used to be reserved for artists. Today, many job seekers have adopted the feel-good trend of calling themselves "talent," conveniently ignoring the fact that employers don't hire based on self-proclaimed talent; they hire candidates with a proven track record of delivering results that positively impacted their previous employer's bottom line.
Although believing, even imagining, that you're talented feels good, it can undermine your job search.
· It's subjective: Calling yourself "talent" is engaging in an ego-boosting self-assessment that holds no real value for employers. Employers look for objective evidence of abilities, which few job seekers effectively showcase in their resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and interviews.
· You sound conceited: Using pompous adjectives makes you seem arrogant and out of touch with what employers look for in a candidate.
· There's no substance: Abstract labels don't convey the specific skills, experience, and dedication you bring to a role.
When's the last time someone told you you're talented? In that moment, you felt good about yourself—maybe you're better than you thought. You've got something. Your ego eats it up. Believing you have talent is all about ego. An ego-driven, linear view of talent assumes that if I possess talent, then I'm "above you."
Our assumptions about talent are often mistaken, and therefore, our assumptions about talent are frequently flawed, contributing to the disconnect between employers and job seekers occurring in the job market, which is counterproductive. In his 2020 book The Practice: Shipping Creative Work, Seth Godin writes, "It's insulting to call a professional talented. Skill is rarer than talent. Skill is earned."
Acquiring skills requires effort and disciplined focus; hence, explaining the shortage of skilled individuals. Skills development involves repeatedly practising and failing. Unless you embrace this cycle until you master the skill and apply it (key) to produce results that employers need and want consistently, then no one, especially employers, will care about your "talent."
Leon Uris, the author of Exodus (1958) and Trinity (1976), understood that calling yourself "talent" without working hard to develop that talent is just fooling yourself: "Talent isn't enough. You need motivation—and persistence, too: what Steinbeck called a blend of faith and arrogance. When you're young, plain old poverty can be enough, along with an insatiable hunger for recognition. You have to have that feeling of "I'll show them." If you don't have it, don't become a writer.”
Talent alone is meaningless (read: of no value) without continuous effort to master it. I've met, as I'm sure you have, many people who claim to be talented, some even occasionally show their talent—like the numerous paintings I have hanging in my home from artistic friends—but they never find success. Why is that? Because they think that their "gift" is enough. Exhibit A: All the job seekers who say they are talented but can't convince employers how their talent would benefit their business.
Achieving success, in any endeavour, including job searching, has never been, nor will it ever be, about talent. The key to success, for the most part, is strategic hustle and resilience to create what those who don't put in the work call "sheer luck."
Was it Tiger Woods' supposed talent, gift, inclination, propensity, or aptitude for golf that created his extraordinary career, or his determination, which drove his intense practice habits, averaging more than 10 hours per day on the driving range? Wayne Gretzky, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Eddie Van Halen, Ernest Hemingway, Robin Williams, Philip Seymour Hoffman, a fully actualized actor-artist, and Serena Williams are just a few examples of people who transformed their innate abilities into huge success by working hard and making sacrifices most people aren't willing to make.
If you've jumped on the "Let's call employees' talent' to boost their ego" bandwagon—talent still means employee, talent acquisition still means recruiting—ponder this humbling thought: no company has ever gone out of business because self-proclaimed talented employees left, thus why employers dismiss the veiled threat they'll lose "talent" over their return-to-office mandate or refusal to give in to specific demands. Employers also rightfully dismiss the unsubstantiated claim that their hiring process overlooks "talent." No job seeker, regardless of how talented or skilled they think they are, is an employer's 'must-have.' I'm a case in point; no employer has ever ceased to exist because they didn't hire me.
The gap between job seekers and employers, that's causing much of the frustration and anger on both sides of the hiring desk, stems from job seekers believing they should be hired based on unsubstantiated talent. Your skills are your superpower! Demonstrating, through your resume, LinkedIn profile, and interviews, that you have the skills and experience to deliver the results employers need and want is how you speed up your job search. Leave the word "talent" to the artists.
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Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned corporate veteran, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. Send Nick your job search questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.
Time for Government Workers to Get Back to the Office
Why is Estate Planning Important?
Why is Estate Planning Important?
By Bruno M. Scanga
Deposit Broker, Insurance & Investment Advisor
Many people assume that estate planning is only for the wealthy. So, it must come as a shock to the families of all the Canadians who die every year without a will when the province takes control of the estate to decide how the assets are to be distributed.
Even for smaller estates, the costs and delays of probate can have devastating consequences. The goal of estate planning is to arrange your financial affairs in a way so that your assets can be passed to your heirs as quickly and as completely as possible.
The good news for Canadians is that no estate tax is owed when an estate is transferred to your heirs after you die.
The bad news, however, is that depending on the type of assets in an estate there may be “deemed disposition tax” that could seriously disrupt the financial lives of your surviving family. Properly planned estates have assets arranged and titled in such a way as to minimize any taxes payable. Estate planning tools such as trusts are often employed to reduce the exposure to taxes.
Estate planning is not just planning for death; it is also essential to ensure that your affairs are handled following your wishes while you are alive. Should you become mentally or physically incapacitated and unable to manage your own affairs, tools such as a power of attorney become important life planning tools.
Many people avoid estate planning because they think it is complicated and expensive, which, for most estates, is not true.
While it usually requires the guidance and aid of an estate planning professional or attorney to execute the legal documents, a lot of time and expense can be saved by organizing your financial information and deciding your goals and objectives prior to meeting with one.
At the very least, everyone should have a simple will, which for distress and costs it can prevent, is very inexpensive. Larger estates may require added layers of estate planning tools, such as trusts. Still the more preparation done in advance, the easier and less expensive the process will be.
DURHAM POLITICIANS HOPE TO CREATE A NEW MENTAL HEALTH & ADDICTION FACILITY IN OSHAWA
Economic Climate
Economic Climate
By Maurice Brenner
Regional Councillor Ward 1 Pickering
This past week, I had the opportunity of participating in 2 very informative conferences geared to the current economic climate and how businesses/organizations can maneuver through.
Whether you’re a business owner or operator, the key take way was the ability to endure, never giving in but seeking new opportunities by sharing ideas, and by fostering collaboration.
As we navigate uncertain times, it is especially important to celebrate what connects us all: innovation, diversity, and economic resilience. Through collaboration it enables us to focus on what unites us rather than divides us and strengthening our shared vision for inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
In the last couple of years, businesses have faced a number of hurdles, from technological transformations to shifting trade policies. They’ve had to navigate this, while continuing to innovate, improve their products and services, and maintain strong relationships with their customers.
I am especially proud of the resilience shown by businesses in Pickering. Our business community continues to grow every single day, despite facing some of these challenges. Every grand opening is a result of hard work, investment, and faith, not just in their product but themselves. Our economic development department, along with the Durham Region ecosystem, continues to work with new and existing businesses and developments – and I applaud everyone’s efforts. As a Councillor, I am especially proud to be part of these special moments, and it’s my priority to continue representing and advocating for our local businesses. It is by attracting new local business that we can expect to be in a position to reduce the current residential tax burden one percentage at a time.
Looking ahead, there are many exciting advancements happening in Pickering. Our downtown is being transformed by City Centre which brings with it a new City City Centre Park which will host winter ice skating and summer water features.
The refurbishment of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station will not only provide reliable energy for decades to come but also generate thousands of jobs and other net benefits such as use of radioactive by-products for treatments of cancer world wide. Businesses like FGF Brands continues to bring new life into our emerging communities which attracts other businesses to invest in our innovation employment corridor.
Regardless if its government, industry, academia, or community, together, we can shape policies and strategies that not only drive growth but also ensure prosperity is shared.
Instead of negativism we need to seize the opportunity to connect with one another, exchange ideas, and continue contributing to the economic vitality of our communities – because we are stronger together. 
The Municipal Trifecta…
The Municipal Trifecta...
B.A. Psychology
Editor/Publisher Central Newspapers
ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000
Published Columns in Canada and The United States
Municipal elect get elected in to office to represent the electorate to their best capacity. We expect professionals with solid life experience to play the city staff like a fine instrument to the tune of great municipal achievements.
After all our futures depend on their ability to work the municipal corporate as any other for profit. Minimize loss, cut waste and maximize performance by having some sort of vision.
Unfortunately, in many municipalities we are electing scoundrels that in many cases are nothing short of pension cushioners, former realtors, insurance sales people and the odd lawyer. They make a poor decision. They don’t care. They know they can increase taxes next year to offset the loss.
People that have never worked in a corporate environment and the only instrument they ever play is the organ that the God’s have bestowed as a sexual identification token.
I say this because many elected have no clue what they are doing including the role they are supposed to play within in municipal corporation. One has to wonder on the intellect of the electorate... they keep voting in the same incompetence and expect different outcomes... Why is it that there are so many carriered politicians. It is as if they found the golden ticket to a hefty pension and are prepared to say and do whatever it takes to ride it for as long as they can.
The ‘us’, vs ‘them’, mentality prevails at all municipalities... when in doubt play the political game by creating pockets of collusion in order to substantiate your choice, decision and or agenda. Wrong or right.
Take for just about any municipality. They are operated by the strong grip of the Chief Administrative Officer, the municipality clerk and the city solicitor. The CAO plays offense, by being very knowledgeable on policy and infrastructure. The clerk defense, as they control the flow of information and are the go to find information. Then there is the city solicitor the corporate goalkeeper, protecting from a legal position all actions of the administration and council. This trifecta on any matter and opinion of any of the three promise great scores and success for anyone in the click. For those elected it promise re-election for staff, employment longevity. One fine tuned instrument of taxpayers dollars.
Taxpayers do not matter... as they are kept in the dark and given no accountability other than the perceived through policy and bylaw.
Sadly this is not how it should be. As in any corporation. The CEO is the Mayor. Upper management are all the elected official, staff are there to assist in the decision that the CEO and his fellow upper managers make. NOT as it stands...we have the CEO that in most cases has an agenda that turns to staff for direction. The CAO in many cases will not take any chances as loosing a 200k job is not in the cards... So what does the CAO do? They consult the clerk for procedure and intel gathering. Pass it by the municipal lawyer and VOILA... a direction council should follow. Council votes blindly.
This is so wrong and it is costing taxpayers millions a year. Anyone in council opposing the staff recommendation is met with huge opposition... A barege of reason why to support a staff pie in the sky proposal. At their arsenal most municipalities may go as far as have anyone opposing their blinded decision as violation of it’s own code of conduct. A penalty that is as bias as the municipal integrity commissioner that is hired to reside over targeted complaints against anyone opposing the municipal collusion mentality.
No municipality may survive in the corporate world with this type of corporate management. Most municipalities have no corporate structure when it come to making real decisions. Then we get what we have.... Huge waste of tax payers dollars. Huge tax increases and the only one really benefiting from the system are those staffers that play the politicians like a cheap violin. After all politicians have no clue what they are doing. In many cases they have no real professional expertise on any municipal or corporate affair... so they are sitting ducks for staffers that main agenda is to keep their jobs.
Canada’s Parliament Returns for the Fall 2025 Session
Canada’s Parliament Returns
for the Fall 2025 Session
by Maj (ret’d) CORNELIU, CHISU, CD, PMSC
FEC, CET, P.Eng.
Former Member of Parliament
Pickering-Scarborough East
When MPs file back into the House of Commons this week after the summer recess, the atmosphere on Parliament Hill will be charged with expectation and uncertainty. For Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority Liberal government, the Fall sitting promises to be a season of political flashpoints; issues that will dominate debate, test alliances, and potentially determine the survival of the government.
This week really marks the true beginning of the Carney era. The campaign glow has faded. Now comes the grind of governing. Canadians are looking to Mark Carney to steady the country after years of drift. He has identified the urgent priorities of growth, productivity, trade, energy, defence, and sovereignty, and pushed aside the boutique progressive causes that consumed the Trudeau years.
For Conservatives, the question is simple: Has Pierre Poilievre learned anything.
The old Poilievre was a nimble critic, quick with zingers, more street fighter than a statesman. Perfect against Trudeau, but that act has expired.
If he returns to that role, voters have already passed judgement. If a wiser version appears, one who can rise above outrage and sketch a credible plan for cost of living, growth, unity, housing, security, and defence, then he becomes a prime minister in waiting.
But let us consider what is to be expected for this Fall session with several flashpoints to comment on.
At the centre of the political storm is housing. The launch of Build Canada Homes, a $13-billion federal agency tasked with accelerating the construction of affordable housing, is Carney’s signature initiative.
The program is designed to double the pace of homebuilding, particularly for middle-class families and low-income Canadians.
But critics warn that bottlenecks, ranging from municipal zoning to labour shortages, will slow the rollout. It’s one thing to announce billions; it’s another to put shovels in the ground, which are always the tangible proof.
With affordability consistently ranking as the number one voter concern, every delay will be magnified in question period.
Employment figures are emerging as another political fault line. Canada’s unemployment rate has risen to about 7.1 percent, the highest in years outside of the pandemic. For Ontario manufacturers and Prairie exporters, U.S. tariffs are already biting, complicating Carney’s promise of “middle-class growth.”
The government hopes that large-scale national projects — in energy, infrastructure, and critical minerals — will reassure Canadians that jobs are on the way. Yet, with wages lagging behind costs, opposition parties are ready to paint Liberals as out of touch with working families.
Immigration policy, long a Canadian consensus, is becoming a wedge. The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is under review, with Conservatives arguing it depresses wages and should be scaled back, while business groups insist it is vital to filling labour shortages. For ordinary Canadians facing rising rents and job insecurity, the debate has moved from policy rooms into everyday conversations. Expect heated exchanges in the Commons as parties frame immigration either as an economic necessity or as a pressure point for housing and services.
Few bills promise as much controversy as Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act, which would tighten asylum timelines, expand enforcement powers, and retool refugee screening. Civil liberties groups warn it risks trampling rights, while provinces are divided over costs and enforcement. For the Liberals, it is a delicate balancing act: projecting toughness on border security without alienating progressive allies. In a minority Parliament, missteps here could erode critical support.
Carney’s government is also touting an ambitious agenda of “national interest” projects to spur economic growth; from LNG exports to port expansions. Environmental and Indigenous leaders argue these fast-tracked projects undermine climate commitments and ignore rights. With carbon pricing already under attack, the Liberals will have to navigate between industry demands and grassroots pressure.
Canada’s prosperity and security depend on the North American system. Defence and trade are inseparable now. If Carney can navigate relations with the Trump administration, strengthening both sovereignty and security, he will spare Canadians real pain.
Carney may face the most dangerous stretch for a prime minister since John A. Macdonald. Macdonald understood that national survival was not about being the smartest man in the room. It was about building relationships, compromising when necessary, and letting others take the credit if it meant holding the country together.
Underlying all these debates is the fragility of a minority government. Each budget bill, each major vote, could double as a confidence test.
The NDP, whose support is often decisive, faces its own pressures from progressive voters skeptical of backing Liberal compromises.
The Conservatives, riding polling momentum, are eager to frame the government as failing on affordability.
The Bloc Québécois is watching closely for openings to champion Quebec’s interests.
A single flashpoint — a budget fight, a divisive immigration reform, a stalled housing promise — could trigger an election Canadians did not expect so soon after the last.
As Parliament resumes, the Carney government faces a paradox: a broad mandate for change but little margin for error.
Housing, jobs, immigration, borders, climate; each file carries the potential to become the issue that defines the fall.
For a government that campaigned on stability and competence, the coming months will reveal whether it can withstand the heat of multiple flashpoints or be consumed by them.
The House is back. The stakes are high. The country is no longer drifting; it is testing its leaders. Carney must prove he can steer.
Let us hope for the best for Canada! 
Saturday, September 13, 2025
Health Is the Good Fortune You Make
Health Is the Good
Fortune You Make
By Diana Gifford
When it comes to health, my father always told me that good luck is as important, if not more so, than good genes. Like genes, luck is allocated at life’s outset. Watching nightly news on wars, famine, and other disasters has always made me grateful to have been born in Canada. Yet, there’s something to be said for manufacturing your luck too. Sometimes the greatest good fortune comes not from happenstance, but from the choices you make. And among the most consequential of choices is the selection of a life partner.
People commonly equate getting married with happiness. But it is every bit as important to health. Research shows that being teamed up doesn’t only add years to life, which on average it does. It also means quicker recognition of symptoms of a health problem, a supportive push to see the doctor and assistance in getting there, and caring advocacy for best interests.
Former President Jimmy Carter, who lived to 100, credited his 77-year union with Rosalynn as “the best thing I ever did”. Comedian Rita Rudner said: “I love being married. It’s so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.” Herein, two commonly unrecognized elements of how marriage generates health: love and laughter. If you are lucky, you get both.
In addition to the benefit of living longer, people in committed partnerships recover more quickly from illness, and face lower risks of depression, dementia, heart disease, and even cancer. But the quality of the union matters. Stress-filled, resentful partnerships are like slow-acting poisons, raising blood pressure and weakening the immune system.
The healthiest marriages, in fact, are not fairy tales. They are long experiments in teamwork, patience, forgiveness, and stamina. Healthy unions generate happiness. But they also test the ability to recover after inevitable ruptures – little ones or big ones. In finding good health, resilience is more important than avoiding every risk. The healthiest people are not those who never fall ill, but those who rebound well. The same is true in relationships. A marriage that can heal after conflict, adapt through change, and find laughter in the middle of the mess is often the strongest of all.
Think of it like inflammation. In the body, chronic inflammation erodes health, quietly damaging arteries, joints, even the brain. In a marriage, unresolved resentment does the same. Forgiveness, like an anti-inflammatory, doesn’t erase the injury, but it allows healing to begin.
How do shared struggles strengthen your bond and lead to better health? Couples who weather illness, financial strain, or any kind of trouble with children often emerge closer than before. A new kind of bond develops from hardships. Much like bones that sometimes heal stronger at the fracture site, marriages can become most resilient at their breaking points. Unfortunately, too few people know this. It’s not taught. People give up, and therein lose a great deal.
It seems wrong to be overly calculating about marriage. Falling in love is so much more romantic than arranged marriages. But there does come a time in any partnership when it’s useful to develop skills of appreciation. Both individuals in a couple need to know that arguing about the thermostat can be an opportunity for expressing care for each other. Whatever the issue, when tempers flare, you’ll be wise to remember how much stronger the team is than the sole player. Years on, you won’t recall who ‘won’ the thermostat battle, only that you fought it together.
Don’t aim for a perfect partnership. Aim for a resilient one. Done well together, this is its own form of health.
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contact-us@docgiff.com. Follow us Instagram @docgiff and @diana_gifford_jones
HARMS WAY
HARMS WAY
By Wayne and Tamara
My younger brother and his wife called me days before my first child was born. I thought they were calling to see if the baby had arrived or to congratulate us, as I made a huge effort to fly out east when they had their first child. I helped them financially as well. However their call was stressful and rude.
I never expected them to treat me so horribly at the birth of my son! I moved across the country when I was 18 to go to college. My mother, adoptive father and I have been estranged ever since. Our parents were extremely destructive, emotionally and physically abusive. So much so I was diagnosed with PTSD and suffered from depression for many years.
My brother was favored. I have been back east to celebrate his milestones, yet my family treated me like garbage in front of my fiancé, who they were meeting for the first time. In the years I’ve lived out west they have never visited. None of them—including my brother who I took good care of when growing up—made an effort to attend my wedding!
I did not understand how this phone call started so tense and became so draining so fast. When my husband came home, he insisted I get off the phone. I try to set boundaries with my brother, but he bullies me.
Later I sent my brother an email. I told him I love him and would speak to him after my son was born. The next day I was sent the ugliest most abusive letter from my sister-in-law. She attacked my character left and right, yet I flew out when her daughter was born, and we gave them thousands of dollars to help them buy their house. I’ve never mentioned that to them.
My husband and I took our only vacation to fly out and offer support when their daughter was born. I thought my brother and I were survivors who would stick together. I always thought of him with love. What should I do?
Bonnie
Bonnie, poker is interesting because it is not only a mathematically sophisticated game, it is psychologically sophisticated as well. Poker players say poker is not a card game; it is a people game played with cards.
In poker there is a basic rule known as the fundamental theorem. The fundamental theorem states that every time your opponent plays as if he can see your hand, he gains. While every time you play as if you can see your opponent’s hand, you gain.
With your brother, you are playing as if you have no knowledge of his hand. In fact, you have perfect knowledge. Give and he will take; defend yourself and he will abuse you. His strategy is no more complicated than that.
When you arrived on the planet, you were dealt an unplayable hand: an abusive stepfather, an uncaring mother, and a favored brother. At 18 you escaped, but you are still hoping to turn losing cards into a royal flush. A good poker player would tell you it’s time to mix up your play.
Is the way your family treats you just? No. Is it fair? No. Would a psychologist recommend you stay in this game? No.
A behavioral psychologist would say by treating your brother to money, time, and attention, you are strengthening his bad behavior. A developmental psychologist would say you were damaged growing up, so you must repair the damage to yourself and protect your children. Allowing them to be in contact with people who abuse their mother abuses them.
Game theory, justice, and psychology all point in one direction: minimize or eliminate contact with these people. Being estranged from your family is nothing to be ashamed of. No fault attaches to you. It is what you must do to protect your children, your husband, and yourself.
Wayne & Tamara
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