The Old Goodyear Site: How Did We Get Here?

The Old Goodyear Site: How Did We Get Here? For almost a century, the Goodyear plant was part of Bowmanville. People worked there, families depended on it, and generations drove past that massive industrial property just south of downtown. Goodyear closed the plant in 2016. A decade later, the approximately 39-acre property at 45 Raynes Avenue is proposed for roughly 3,200 residential units, almost 10,000 square metres of non-residential space and buildings reaching 25 storeys. Before anybody starts cutting ribbons on the future, residents deserve some answers about the past - and about what is happening there now. Because the public record tells quite a story. Clarington records show years of safety and security enforcement at the former Goodyear property. Fire Services conducted inspections and issued orders relating to site security. In November 2024, the Municipality reported discovering demolition activity without an approved demolition permit for the main building. An Order to Comply followed, and a demolition permit was subsequently issued in February 2025. Then came the fire. Shortly after midnight on October 13, 2025, firefighters responded to a major fire at the property. The roof eventually collapsed. The Ministry of the Environment attended and collected water samples from Bowmanville Creek. Clarington subsequently issued an Order to Remedy Unsafe requiring the building to be safely demolished. By August 2026, municipal enforcement had escalated again. Clarington reported deteriorating buildings, unsecured portions of the property, hidden hazards, unauthorized access and what it characterized as unlawful work. The Municipality ordered 24-hour security and later arranged security itself after saying the order wasn't obeyed. A Stop Work Order followed, alleging demolition and/or construction contrary to permit conditions and without authorization. Clarington then announced it was seeking an urgent court injunction allowing it to undertake whatever work was necessary to make the property safe. Those are municipal enforcement findings and allegations - not convictions. So Here Are My Questions What is the status of the outstanding orders? What happened with the Municipality's court application? How much have Clarington taxpayers spent on security, engineers, lawyers and other work - and how much will be recovered? And what about the environment? This is a former industrial brownfield. Environmental assessments have been undertaken, and the Ministry sampled Bowmanville Creek following the fire. The records reviewed so far do not establish that recent activity caused environmental contamination or constituted an environmental offence. That's exactly why we need the underlying information. What was tested? What were the results? What monitoring occurred? And what remediation will be required before thousands of people could potentially live here? Those aren't accusations. They're reasonable questions. Mr. X Is Digging On September 20, a Freedom of Information request was submitted seeking enforcement, inspection, building-permit, environmental, court and municipal-cost records concerning the property. When those records arrive, we'll see what they say. Now Here's My Opinion I don't believe the development currently proposed for the former Goodyear lands will ultimately be built by this developer. That's not a finding by Clarington or a court decision. It's my assessment. The elephant in the room is that this is a century-old industrial brownfield. Before thousands of people can live there, environmental and remediation requirements must be satisfied. We don't yet have evidence establishing the ultimate cost. But my prediction is that remediation and site-preparation costs could become the issue that overwhelms the economics of this proposal. Then add demolition, security, engineering, litigation, financing, carrying costs, municipal charges and infrastructure. Eventually, the numbers have to work. A rendering isn't an approval. An approval isn't a shovel in the ground. And a shovel in the ground isn't necessarily a financially viable development. Follow the Money I don't believe this means the Goodyear property will remain abandoned. Quite the opposite. This is one of Bowmanville's most important redevelopment properties. I believe it will eventually be redeveloped - just not necessarily in the form, on the timetable, or by the developer presently before us. And perhaps that creates an opportunity. Maybe the eventual proposal is less intense. Maybe there's more parkland, better connections to Bowmanville Creek, better integration with downtown, more employment, different housing forms or a different balance of uses. Residents shouldn't be told the choice is this development or no development. There may be a third possibility: A different development. One that comes after the environmental questions are answered, the property is properly remediated, the enforcement issues are resolved and everyone understands the true cost of transforming a century-old industrial property into a community. So perhaps the biggest question isn't: “When will these 3,200 units be built?” Maybe it's: “Who will ultimately clean this property up - and what will Bowmanville get when they do?” The old Goodyear plant may be coming down. But I don't think we've seen the development that will ultimately replace it yet.

Have you or someone you know fall victim to a break-in or home invasion?

By Tom Reimer Whether you answered yes or no, it is important that you are aware of the steps you can take to not only deter criminals from entering your home but to keep them out entirely. Whenever a stranger enters your home with the intention of stealing your valuables, violently or discreetly, a feeling of numbness is left behind knowing that someone has entered your family’s personal space. It is traumatizing for parents and children alike. If you or your family members do not feel safe in your own home, where can you feel safe? As human beings, we have many underlying needs, most famously outlined by Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. Maslow states that we have motivations to achieve needs, but some needs take precedence over others. Basic needs, such as food, water, warmth, rest, security and safety, must be met before psychological and self-fulfillment needs are met. Safety needs are only second to your physiological needs! Therefore, once you have become a homeowner and have met the necessity for shelter, your next goal should be to protect that home and the people within it! The number of home invasions and extortion is drastically escalating. In Canada a residential burglary takes place every 3 minutes. Commercial targets like convenience stores and any high-ticket retail stores have hardened themselves against criminal attack. Private residences, by comparison, are now the most attractive target. The question you must ask yourself is, what are you doing to prevent a home invasion or break-in? You may have a large dog by the front door ready to attack, or a state-of-the-art alarm system that makes noise and takes videos, OK, While these are viable deterrent solutions, they cannot stop an unwanted entry and are simply not enough! Burglars should not be underestimated; many are not afraid to use force; they know where to look and can be in and out before a police cruiser is even dispatched to your home. Tougher locks with long strike plates mounted with 3-1/2” screws passing through the door frame and into the 2x4” structural sub frame and that also goes for the hinges. But not even close to being enough, look at the window beside the door, if it can be broken to enable the crook to reach through to open the lock. Low lying window are also extremely vulnerable and need your attention. Patio doors need your attention and many solutions are available. The bottom line is, you wouldn’t tolerate a roof that leaks water into your home or a furnace that has given up the ghost, so why would you allow an entrance that caters to burglars? Don’t wait until after the fact. Be proactive! Just remember this little analogy, if you and a group of people are walking in the woods and you are being chased by a bear, you don’t need to be the fastest runner only faster than the slowest. Till next week.

The Reality of Homelessness..

By Joe Ingino One of the greatest aches in my heart is the fact that we live in one of the richest countries in the world. Yet, we have people living on the streets under all kinds of harsh weather conditions. How can this be? Have we lost our civic duty? Have we lowered our social standards to such lows that we have become numb to the pain and suffering of fellow Canadians?I hate to think so. I look around and see many people running for council. I do not see disassociation or social numbness. On the contrary, I see a lot of passion, but no resolve. As new candidates, many do not have the experience and/or knowledge of how the political machine works. Therefore, they may be unaware of many of the realities involved. We look at all those elected, and you tend to wonder how they can sleep at night knowing a fellow citizen is suffering on the street. Many quickly dismiss those less fortunate as suffering from some form of mental illness or, possibly, substance abuse. Whatever the situation, we as citizens are still responsible. Any one of those in need could one day be one of us.As they say during war or disaster, it is too late to prepare once it happens. Well, if my previous statement stands true, what is happening? It is as if the Canadian social and civic mentality is suffering from some sort of neurosis. By definition, neurosis is a general term for a mental and emotional condition that can involve high levels of stress, anxiety and emotional distress without necessarily causing a loss of contact with reality.With this said, we generally know about the problem. We see the problem. Yet, we think we are doing something about it while, in reality, the problem continues to grow. To soothe our psyche, we tend to become more prone to viewing foreign aid as a solution to someone else's problems while ignoring our own. As neurosis implies, doing nothing can contribute to a sense of national frustration and depression. Interestingly, such social conditions may also contribute to problems involving substance abuse, crime and family breakdown. The civic mind is exhausted.Overcoming neurotic tendencies and emotional distress can involve practicing emotional regulation, reframing unhelpful thoughts and building daily resilience.In other words, the old saying, "SUCK IT UP, BUTTERCUP," may appear to some to be the easiest pill to swallow.Sadly, that attitude ignores the problem and redirects our attention toward giving money to wars such as the one in Ukraine, conflicts in Africa and other international causes. But then one has to understand international politics and the complex interests involved in that arena. Bottom line: We are becoming nothing short of modern-day slaves to misinformation, information overload and a general lack of true understanding of society. To justify giving billions in foreign aid to countries involved in foreign wars, while Canadians suffer at home, is something I find difficult to understand. Imagine what we could do in Canada with a billion dollars.But wait. After politicians, administrators and contractors get their hands on that billion, how much would actually reach those in need? Those in need might end up seeing very little of it. Okay, Joe, if this stands true, then could we also question whether the billions we give to foreign countries are subject to waste, mismanagement or corruption? Take Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Various estimates and claims have circulated publicly concerning his personal wealth to the tunes of millions. How could this be? Wait a minute.If his country is at war, would you not think that he would invest everything possible in his cause? Instead, he visits countries such as Canada and the United States seeking billions of dollars in support.What is wrong with that picture? On the other side of that international coin, we are constantly distracted by fears of a possible world war and the threat posed by Russia. Now, let's get something clear. If Russia has struggled to take over a neighbouring country, what makes people believe it could easily expand a war across continents?We as Canadians need to stop living in fear. We need to seriously address our own social problems. We need to take control of our country. We need educated, knowledgeable and well-versed people to lead.As it stands, no matter the party, too many politicians appear to be in it for themselves. If they suffer from the same political habits and attitudes, how can we expect a different outcome? You hear talk of elites wanting to create a "global village."I think not.I personally envision a future in which governments could, one day, be assisted or even administered in part by Artificial Intelligence entities. These entities would receive human input from people around the world, while decisions could theoretically be based more heavily on logic, evidence and facts rather than personal interests, ignorance or political bias. Of course, such a system would raise enormous questions about accountability, ethics, human rights and who ultimately controls the technology. Still, it makes you wonder. Could AI become part of the medicine for our social neurosis? What do you think?

From Investment Summit to Global Strategy: Canada Must Deliver

by Maj (ret’d) CORNELIU, CHISU, CD, PMSC FEC, CET, P.Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East The first Canada Investment Summit, held in Toronto on September 14 and 15, was more than an investment conference. Combined with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s subsequent diplomatic activities in Europe and at the United Nations, it revealed an emerging national strategy: attract capital, accelerate major projects and diversify Canada’s economic relationships during an escalating tariff conflict with the United States. The summit produced an impressive headline, nearly $500 billion in investment and financing commitments. Investors from almost 30 countries, managing more than $100 trillion in assets, attended. Canadian pension funds, insurers and institutional investors committed almost $100 billion. Canada’s major banks promised nearly $325 billion in financing. Bell and Saskatchewan proposed a $52.5-billion artificial-intelligence infrastructure hub, while other funds pledged billions for Canadian technology and infrastructure. These numbers are encouraging, but they require careful interpretation. Bank financing is not the same as direct investment. Money available for lending has not necessarily been allocated, and some projects remain conditional on customers, regulatory approvals, electricity supplies and supporting infrastructure. The summit’s success must therefore be measured by what happens next. The government should report regularly on how much capital is actually invested, which projects reach construction, how many permanent jobs are created and how much Canadian ownership and intellectual property are retained. Prime Minister Carney also introduced the Productivity Mega Deduction. It will allow businesses to deduct immediately the cost of a wider range of investments, including mining properties, pipelines, software, fibre-optic cables, aircraft, railways, roads and research. The government estimates that the measure will reduce Canada’s marginal effective tax rate on new business investment from approximately 13 per cent to 6.4 per cent, less than half the corresponding American rate. That could become a significant Canadian advantage as tariffs disrupt established North American supply chains. However, tax incentives cannot compensate for regulatory paralysis. Investors need predictable decisions, sufficient electricity, skilled workers and reliable transportation. Carney’s proposed standard of “one project, one review, one year” is therefore essential. Faster reviews must not mean abandoning environmental protection, constitutional responsibilities or meaningful Indigenous participation. It means coordinating governments, eliminating duplication and reaching clear decisions within reasonable timelines. Immediately following the summit, Carney travelled to Liverpool and Strasbourg. In an address to the European Parliament, he proposed an “alliance for the future” between Canada and the European Union, one extending beyond the existing Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. The proposed alliance would include critical minerals, energy, defence production, artificial intelligence, advanced computing, space, digital trade and financial services. Canada would contribute resources, energy and technological expertise. Europe would offer manufacturing strength, research capacity, investment capital and access to a market of approximately 450 million people. The initiative is strategically important, but it remains a proposal. Some European governments have responded cautiously, preferring fuller implementation of CETA to an undefined form of Canadian associate membership. Several EU members have still not fully ratified CETA, while agricultural regulations and differing standards continue to restrict trade. Canada should therefore concentrate on achievable objectives: completing CETA ratification, recognizing compatible standards, facilitating digital commerce, securing critical-mineral agreements and expanding opportunities for Canadians to study, work and conduct business in Europe. In Liverpool, Carney met British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Canada formally applied to join the Joint Expeditionary Force, while the two leaders discussed energy, artificial intelligence, critical minerals and defence-industrial cooperation. Canada is also participating as an observer in the Global Combat Air Programme and considering modernization of British military training at CFB Suffield. These initiatives demonstrate that defence and economic policy are increasingly connected. Canadian defence spending should not simply purchase finished equipment from foreign manufacturers. It should help develop Canadian engineering, aerospace, shipbuilding, cybersecurity and advanced-manufacturing capacity. Participation in European defence programs could give Canadian companies access to larger markets while strengthening national security. Carney subsequently met French President Emmanuel Macron in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. Their discussions covered aerospace, energy, critical minerals, satellites, quantum technology and supercomputing. He also met Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, emphasizing energy, Arctic security and strategic cooperation. France and Norway are natural partners. France is a major European power with strong cultural and defence connections to Canada. Norway, like Canada, is an Arctic democracy and important energy producer. Both relationships could support Canada’s attempt to become a more significant energy, technology and security partner for Europe. At the United Nations General Assembly, Carney continued presenting Canada as a dependable international partner and stable destination for investment. His agenda included meetings with political leaders and investors, international cooperation and reform of the United Nations. Canada’s diversification strategy is also expanding toward Asia. Trade negotiations with the Philippines and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are reportedly more than 90 per cent complete. Ottawa hopes to conclude agreements by November. Southeast Asia offers rapidly growing markets for Canadian energy, agriculture, critical minerals and technology. Canada’s developing Pacific liquefied-natural-gas industry could provide Asian countries with greater energy security while reducing Canadian dependence on the American market. Diversification, however, does not mean abandoning the United States. Geography, shared infrastructure and deeply integrated industries ensure that the United States will remain Canada’s largest trading partner. Canada should be ready to resume negotiations when a fair agreement becomes possible. However, it should not accept terms that weaken its sovereignty or sacrifice strategic industries simply to recreate yesterday’s relationship. As Carney said following the summit, “nostalgia is not a strategy.” Neither are counter-tariffs a permanent strategy. They may be necessary to demonstrate resolve and defend Canadian producers, but tariffs ultimately increase costs for businesses and consumers on both sides of the border. Canada’s most effective response is to become more productive, develop alternative markets and reduce the leverage of any single foreign government. The government must also protect the national interest as it pursues investment. Public incentives should not become unlimited subsidies for private corporations. Proposed airport concessions must preserve public ownership, national security and reasonable passenger fees. Critical minerals should not simply be extracted and exported. Canada must develop domestic refining, processing and manufacturing. Artificial-intelligence data centres must create Canadian jobs, companies and intellectual property—not merely consume Canadian electricity while foreign firms capture the profits. Trade diversification also requires physical infrastructure. Canada needs expanded Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic ports, improved railways, new pipelines and energy corridors, stronger electricity grids and additional nuclear generation. International agreements accomplish little if Canadian products cannot reach global markets competitively. Internal trade barriers must also be removed. Canada cannot credibly seek freer commerce with Europe and Asia while maintaining unnecessary restrictions on goods, services and professional qualifications between its own provinces. The Investment Summit and Prime Minister Carney’s subsequent diplomacy represent an encouraging change in direction. Investment, infrastructure, defence and foreign policy are beginning to form a coherent national strategy. However, commitments are not completed projects, and diplomatic declarations are not commercial results. Canada must now move from announcements to execution. Our future will not be secured by choosing Europe over the United States. It will be secured by building sufficient economic strength to cooperate with both while remaining subordinate to neither.

Why We Celebrate World Homeless Day of Homelessness

By Margaret Eskins Executive Director DARS Dedicated Advocacy Resource Support Every year on October 10th, communities around the world recognize World Homeless Day. It is a day to acknowledge people experiencing homelessness, raise awareness about the causes and realities of homelessness, and, most importantly, remind ourselves that housing is not simply a roof over someone's head but the foundation from which people can begin to rebuild their lives. For organizations like DARS — Dedicated Advocacy Resource Support — World Homeless Day is an opportunity to bring an issue that is often overlooked into the centre of the community conversation. Homelessness can happen to people for many different reasons. A person may lose employment, experience a relationship breakdown, face rising housing costs, leave an unsafe home, struggle with untreated or unsupported challenges, or simply find that there are no affordable housing options available when they need them. For some, homelessness is a sudden crisis. For others, it is the result of years of instability. What is important to understand is that homelessness is not an identity. It is a circumstance. Behind every statistic is a person with a history, relationships, skills, hopes and the potential to contribute to their community. A home is the beginning, not the end... When we talk about homelessness, the conversation often focuses on emergency shelters, warming centres and the immediate need for a safe place to sleep. Those services are essential. They save lives but emergency responses alone cannot solve homelessness. A person needs more than a bed for one night. They need a pathway forward. That pathway may include affordable housing, income support, employment, education, health services, food security, transportation, mental-health or addictions supports, community connections and someone who will help them navigate the system. At DARS, we see every day how important that continuum of support can be. Our work is grounded in the belief that people need opportunities to stabilize their lives, develop routines, build relationships and ultimately move toward safe and secure housing. Sometimes that means meeting someone where they are at; with food, hygiene services, outreach or a safe place to stay. Sometimes it means helping someone obtain identification, complete an application, connect with a landlord or navigate community services, post secondary education, a new career or another meaningful facility. And sometimes it means creating a different kind of housing opportunity altogether because one size shoe does not fit all. This is why World Homeless Day matters. It encourages us to look beyond the immediate crisis and ask a more difficult question: Homelessness is not something that can be solved by one organization, one level of government or one sector of the community. It requires collaboration with our counterparts in he sevtor as well as those we serve.. Municipalities, provincial and federal governments, landlords, developers, nonprofits, churches, businesses, healthcare providers, community organizations and individual residents all have a role to play. It also requires us to consider how we use the spaces and resources already available in our communities. World Homeless Day is about hope World Homeless Day is sometimes described as a day to recognize homelessness. I believe it should also be a day to recognize possibility. We should recognize the person who moved from a warming centre into permanent housing. The individual who found employment after years of instability. The person who obtained identification, opened a bank account and signed their first lease. The tenant who finally has a place to call home and the stability to begin planning for the future. These moments may seem small to some people. They are not small to the people experiencing them. World Homeless Day gives us an opportunity to challenge assumptions, listen to people with lived experience and recognize that homelessness is a community issue that requires community solutions. Most importantly, it reminds us that everyone deserves the opportunity to have a safe place to call home. At DARS, we believe that housing is the beginning of a journey, not the finish line. When we provide people with safety, stability, dignity and the support they need, we create the conditions for people to move forward. On October 10, let us recognize World Homeless Day not only by acknowledging the problem, but by asking what each of us can do to be part of the solution. Join DARS on October 10th from 2-4pm at our Transitional Farm House - 690 Third Concession Rd., Pickering where we will recognize the homeless situstion in Durham Region, celebrate the achievemns and bring HOPE together and towards great POSSIBILITIES

I wanted to bring something to your attention

I wanted to bring something to your attention regarding the Pickering Professional Firefighters Association’s endorsements in the 2026 municipal election that I believe warrants some straightforward journalistic scrutiny. The PPFA has been publishing “Official Endorsement” announcements for members of the current Pickering Council, including Mayor Kevin Ashe, Regional Councillors Linda Cook and David Pickles, and City Councillors Mara Nagy and Shaheen Butt. What initially concerned me was that I had never been contacted by the Association despite being a certified candidate for City Councillor in Ward 2. I have since gone considerably further. I personally contacted the current certified candidates in Pickering to determine whether the PPFA had approached them as part of an endorsement process. According to the candidates I contacted, none of them had been interviewed or even contacted by the PPFA. That is what I believe makes this worth investigating. The City's certified candidate list shows how substantial the field is. Just in the five races represented in the PPFA posts I reviewed, there are 19 certified candidates: seven candidates for Mayor, three for Regional Councillor Ward 2, two for Regional Councillor Ward 3, five for City Councillor Ward 2 and two for City Councillor Ward 3. Yet I have found no evidence of a candidate interview process, questionnaire, policy survey or even introductory outreach to the candidates before these endorsements were announced. That does not mean the PPFA is prohibited from endorsing incumbents. An association is entitled to make political endorsements and may have reasons for relying on incumbents' records or its previous dealings with them. But I believe the public deserves to know what “Official Endorsement” actually means in this case and how those decisions were reached. This question is particularly relevant because the PPFA is not simply another community organization. It represents Pickering's full-time firefighters in its employment relationship with the Corporation of the City of Pickering. The City's own 2026 Budget Highlights specifically identified an ongoing collective bargaining process aimed at renewing the City's agreement with the Pickering Professional Firefighters Association. That fact does not suggest anything improper by itself. It does, however, make transparency about the Association's political endorsement process particularly relevant. The individuals elected to Council make decisions involving City budgets, staffing priorities and municipal administration, while the Association represents employees of that same municipality. There are some very basic questions the PPFA could clear up. What was the endorsement process? Were any candidates interviewed? Were questionnaires sent out? What criteria were used? Were the decisions made by the executive or voted on by the membership? Were non-incumbent candidates considered at all? Were endorsements based on voting records, previous dealings with Council, responses to particular firefighter issues, or something else? There is another fact worth noting: contacting the candidates would not have required extensive investigative work. The City of Pickering maintains a public certified-candidate directory containing campaign websites, email addresses, telephone numbers and social-media information for many of the candidates. I am not asking the newspaper to accept my conclusions. In fact, I would encourage you to independently verify what I found. Contact the PPFA and ask how these endorsements were determined. Then contact the other certified candidates and ask one simple question: “Before the Pickering Professional Firefighters Association announced its 2026 election endorsements, did anyone from the Association contact you, interview you, send you a questionnaire or ask you about your positions?” If the answer across the candidate field is what I have been told, I think there is a legitimate public-interest story about what process — if any — existed behind these “Official Endorsements.” The issue isn't whether firefighters are allowed to support incumbents. Of course they are. The issue is what evaluation occurred before a respected community organization attached its name and credibility to political endorsements — and whether the public understands how those endorsements were actually determined.

River Of Life

By Wayne and Tamara I am very blessed to have a wonderful and kind mother-in-law. I live 2000 miles away from my family, and she has always made me feel I have a supporting family right here. However, I worry about her a great deal. For 30 years she was a stay-at-home mother of three and took care of her husband. Four years ago he left her for another woman and moved out of the country. Because he has not paid the alimony the court decided on, she had to sell her house and buy a much smaller one. She got a job working retail, hoping to pay her bills. It’s a struggle. Her youngest just graduated from college and moved 300 miles away. When I spoke to her tonight, she said, "My children, and now you, are my life. You are what I am living for." This was not a melodramatic declaration, a cry for attention, or a guilt trip laid on because my husband and I are busy people and haven't spent as much time with her as we should. She meant it from the bottom of her heart. Her entire adult life was spent as a wife and mother, and now that she doesn't have these things she is depressed and lonely. It simply breaks my heart to watch her look so wistful when she asks about my parents and what they are doing with their retirement. How can I help her find something she is interested in, something to help her connect with other people? Jo Jo, we live our lives in the first person singular, which causes us to think things remain the same. But they never do. As the ancient writer Heraclitus observed, “We cannot step into the same river twice.” The river may be named the same, yet it is always different from the river we stepped into yesterday. Today we are a baby, tomorrow a toddler, a student, a teen, or a young adult making our own babies. Relatives die, we change houses and jobs, our children marry. Laws, heads of state, technology, and television shows all change. Ideas and trends shift in the breeze. Yet our life goes on, and each age of life comes with challenges. Your mother-in-law’s 30-year marriage changed, even though she didn’t notice. Now it’s not a matter of “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” It’s a matter of remaking her life to correspond to the pattern of life. Don’t be her crutch, and don’t make her your life’s work. Your role is more like the steady hand which helps a child ride the bicycle alone. You have to know the exact moment to pull your hand away so you can celebrate her transition. Be a helping hand, not training wheels. For starters, don’t neglect the practical. Your mother-in-law needs to talk to a lawyer. If her ex-husband ever returns, she needs to receive what she is legally entitled to. She should also continue applying for better paying jobs. But her real task is this. Her brain has established a stance, a way of addressing the

world. Yet study after study shows the brain, even in older adults, is capable of reinventing itself. Your mother-in-law needs to get out with other people doing new activities in fresh places. She needs to rediscover old interests and forge new ones. Help her explore the concept of aging well. Consider many options to find the handful which are right for her. This takes effort but it can be exhilarating, like the pretest nervousness which enables us to excel. The process will do you both good because just as circumstances transformed her life, so your life will be surprised by the unpredictable. We can never step in the same river twice. New water is always rushing past. Finding our poise in the midst of change is what life is about. Wayne & Tamara

Living Below Their Means

’By Bruno Scanga Financial Columnist The absolute foundation of wealth building is surprisingly simple: spend less than you earn. Wealthy individuals actively avoid the trap of lifestyle inflation—the tendency to increase spending as your income rises. Instead of financing depreciating assets like luxury cars or oversized houses, they find satisfaction in financial security and direct their surplus cash toward investments and savings. Prioritizing Continuous Learning Successful people are avid readers and lifelong learners. They understand that their single greatest asset is their own mind. Whether it is reading books, listening to financial podcasts, or learning new professional skills, they constantly seek out new information to improve their earning potential and make smarter financial decisions. Setting Clear, Actionable Goals Wealth doesn’t materialize from vague wishes like “I want to be rich.” Highly successful individuals set specific, measurable, and time-bound goals. They break down massive financial milestones into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. This habit transforms an overwhelming dream like retiring comfortably into a realistic, step-by-step plan. Valuing Time Over Money Time is the one resource you cannot earn back, and wealthy people treat it accordingly. They recognize the difference between being “busy” and being “productive.” They intentionally focus their energy on high-impact activities that generate income, improve their health, or foster personal growth, rather than losing hours to mindless scrolling or distractions Making Money Work for Them Instead of trading time for money indefinitely, wealthy people focus on acquiring assets that generate passive income. They invest consistently in the stock market, real estate, or retirement accounts. They understand the mathematical power of compound interest and let their money do the heavy lifting over the long term. Building Multiple Streams of Income Relying on a single paycheck is a major financial vulnerability. Most wealthy people diversify their cash flow. For everyday people, this might look like a side hustle, investing in dividend-paying index funds, or selling a digital product. This diversification accelerates wealth creation and provides a sturdy safety net during economic downturns. Maintaining Financial Discipline Motivation gets you started, but discipline keeps you going. Financial discipline means sticking to a plan, avoiding impulsive purchases, and continuing to invest even when the market is down or life gets stressful. Wealthy people play the long game, routinely trading short-term gratification for long-term stability.

Dead and Gone… The First Job

By Gary Payne, MBA Founder of FuneralCostOntario.ca The Fine Print My first job was at the International Squash Club in Mississauga. I started there in 1987 and did a little bit of everything. I sold memberships and services, dealt with towels, showed people how to use the circuit-training equipment and, every once in a while, got to fill in during house league when somebody didn’t show up. Some parts of the job were interesting. Some parts involved towels. At the time, I didn’t think of any of it as training. It was just my first job. I was learning more than I realized. I had to talk to adults I didn’t know and explain things to people who needed help. I learned that if you said you were going to be somewhere, people expected you to be there. Some jobs were enjoyable and some simply had to get done. Nobody called any of that training. Nobody needed to. We usually think of a teenager’s first job as a way to make a few dollars. It might pay for gas, clothes, a phone bill or simply provide a little independence. But those jobs did something else too. They were where a lot of us first learned how to work, and that is why one number from Statistics Canada caught my attention. Among returning students aged 15 and 16, the unemployment rate this summer was 29.9 per cent. Almost three in 10 of the youngest students looking for work didn’t find it. The interesting part is that this wasn’t true across the board. Among returning students aged 20 to 24, unemployment fell to 9.2 per cent. The summer job market actually improved for older students, while the youngest group barely changed. If you had a 15-year-old sitting at the kitchen table this summer filling out applications, checking an inbox and wondering why nobody was calling back, that distinction probably didn’t offer much comfort. There isn’t one neat explanation for what is happening. The economy matters, and employers get cautious when business slows. It would be a stretch to look at the youth unemployment number and declare that artificial intelligence caused it. But AI is changing the kind of work available at the bottom of the ladder, and that may turn out to matter just as much. In April 2025, Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke told employees that before asking for more headcount or resources, teams must demonstrate why they couldn’t get the work done using AI. He was talking about productivity, not teenagers. Still, think about the work that traditionally went to the new person: the first draft, the basic research, the spreadsheet cleanup, the simple customer follow-up and all the other jobs that more experienced people didn’t need to do themselves. It wasn’t glamorous work, but somebody more experienced could check it, correct it and send the new employee back to try again. The work got done, but something else was being produced at the same time: experience. AI is getting very good at exactly that kind of work. What makes Shopify interesting is that, even as it pushed employees to use AI more aggressively, it was also bringing more young people into the company. Its engineering leadership had already expanded its intern program and continued doing so after Lütke’s memo. The thinking was that younger workers brought something useful of their own: they were comfortable experimenting with new tools and approaching problems without years of habits behind them. In other words, one of the companies pushing hardest to use AI was also making a deliberate effort to keep bringing beginners through the door. The question isn’t whether a chatbot took a teenager’s summer job. It is what happens when more of the basic work people once learned on can be done without them. At the squash club, selling taught me how to deal with customers. Showing someone the circuit equipment taught me how to explain something clearly. Filling in during house league meant somebody trusted me enough to deal directly with members. Even the towels had a lesson in them. Not every part of a job is going to be interesting, and the uninteresting part still has to get done. The skilled trades have never lost sight of this. Nobody expects an apprentice to arrive with the judgment of someone who has been doing the job for 20 years. You watch, you try, somebody corrects you and you do it again. A lot of office and service jobs once worked that way too. We just didn’t call it an apprenticeship. Technology will change what the beginner does. It already has. The challenge is making sure we don’t confuse eliminating beginner tasks with eliminating the need to develop beginners. Somebody still has to learn how to deal with a customer, recover from a mistake, take instruction, earn trust and eventually become the person teaching the next one. When I started at the International Squash Club in 1987, I thought I was just working at a squash club. Looking back, I was learning how to work.

Your Nose Knows More Than You Think

Common Sense Health – Diana Gifford-Jones The nose is not our most attractive feature. No line of Shakespeare reads, “O blessed nose! Had Heaven made thee as comely as thine office is noble…” But the human snout deserves more attention. It is constantly paying attention for us. And we are learning astonishing things about what it can detect. Compared with a bloodhound, our noses are inadequate. Humans have 5-6 million scent receptors in the nose. A bloodhound has 300 million. The portion of a dog's brain devoted to analyzing smells is about 40 times larger than ours. Some birds also have remarkable beaks. Turkey Vultures can detect gases released by decaying carcasses. They have helped workers locate leaking natural gas pipelines, attracted by the sulfur compounds added to otherwise odorless gas. But now, emerging research may change perceptions of human olfactory skills. Scientists have discovered, for example, that when people are frightened or under stress, their body odour changes. Some scientists believe that other people can detect that odour without realizing it. An analysis of 26 studies involving more than 1,600 people found evidence that fear, stress and anxiety can be communicated through body odour. It might happen like this. You walk into a room. Someone is frightened. They haven't said anything or made eye contact. But somehow you become a little more alert yourself. Body odours are being rebranded as “chemosignals”. And we can sense these signals in instances of fear and stress. Some research suggests we can also sense positive emotional states, such as happiness, from detectable chemical information. How the molecular chemistry works isn’t yet clear. And critics point out that laboratory experiments are considerably more controlled than ordinary human life. But in thinking through your life, have there not been times when you “smelled” someone passing by in a peculiar way – not their odour, per se, but their emotions? Scientists are also learning new things about our noses and disease. Our bodies constantly release hundreds of volatile organic compounds – chemicals that can be detected in breath, sweat, skin, urine and other bodily materials. When metabolism changes because of infection or disease, the chemical mixture can change too. It’s possible that diseases have distinctive chemical fingerprints. This has produced extraordinary experiments involving dogs, electronic noses and laboratory instruments capable of identifying volatile compounds. Scientists are investigating whether these signatures could eventually help detect diseases earlier or more cheaply than conventional methods. Parkinson's disease provides an intriguing example. Loss or reduction of the sense of smell – called hyposmia – is common in Parkinson's disease and can appear before the better-known movement problems. Studies involving thousands of patients have found that smell testing can be effective in distinguishing Parkinson's disease from other conditions that can look similar. That doesn't mean a poor sense of smell diagnoses Parkinson's disease. Many healthy people have a poor sense of smell, especially as they get older. Nasal problems, medications, infections and other conditions can affect it. But it does mean that scientists are taking the nose seriously as a possible window into the brain. Helen Keller, renowned American humanitarian who was deaf and blind from early childhood, referred to the nose as “the fallen angel”. She’d be pleased that modern science is beginning to restore the nose to a central focus. So if you suddenly lose your sense of smell – or notice a substantial unexplained change – it may be nothing more than a cold, allergies, medication or aging. But you might want to mention it to your doctor. And if someone passes by, and you can’t explain your interest, for better or for worse, go get a better sniff.

When Did Conservatism Stop Meaning Respecting the Taxpayer?

I have always believed government should mean respecting taxpayers, spending carefully, encouraging competition and allowing local communities to make decisions in their own best interests. That is why I am increasingly concerned about what we are seeing from both Queen’s Park and Ottawa. Too often, municipalities are offered money with strings attached: accept the conditions, change local policy or risk losing funding. Sometimes those conditions and their long-term consequences aren’t nearly as clear to residents as they should be when the money is announced. Ontario’s Development Charge Reduction Program is one example. On September 8, 2026, Pickering Council considered participating in the program, which requires participating municipalities to substantially reduce residential development charges for three years in exchange for access to infrastructure funding. Council supported moving forward. I was the only member of Council to vote against it. My concern was simple: development charges help pay for infrastructure required by growth. Reduce those charges and the roads, fire protection and other services still have to be provided. The bill doesn’t disappear. Government funding isn’t free money either. It is taxpayers’ money being returned to taxpayers — often with conditions attached. Sometimes, without even knowing what those conditions may be. Now Ontario is imposing “Buy Ontario” procurement requirements on municipalities. I support Canadian businesses, Canadian workers and Canadian manufacturing. But municipalities also have an obligation to obtain the best overall value for taxpayers. Price matters. Quality matters. Availability matters. Delivery time matters. Competition matters. If restricting competition increases costs, taxpayers ultimately pay the difference. There is also a larger contradiction Canadians are entitled to question. The federal government reported spending approximately $12.5 billion on international assistance in 2024–25, including hundreds of millions categorized specifically for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, along with funding for sexual and reproductive health initiatives abroad. Whatever one’s view of those programs, Canadians are entitled to ask about priorities. Municipalities are being told to find efficiencies, manage enormous infrastructure pressures and accommodate unprecedented growth. Families are struggling with affordability. Yet billions of Canadian tax dollars continue to be spent internationally. Before governments tell municipalities there isn’t enough money here at home, taxpayers deserve to know why their priorities are being placed elsewhere. This issue extends beyond money. When upper levels of government push aggressive housing and growth targets, municipalities are left dealing with what happens on the ground: traffic, roads, emergency response, infrastructure capacity and public safety. If development is moving faster than local infrastructure can safely support, municipal representatives should be prepared to say no. If residents overwhelmingly oppose a decision being pushed from above, their representatives should make their voices heard. Municipal government is closest to the people. We see the roads. We hear from residents. We know where infrastructure is failing and where communities are being stretched. That local knowledge should matter. Premier Ford and Prime Minister Mark Carney have both spoken about defending Canadian interests in the face of economic pressure from President Donald Trump. Prime Minister Carney has even said Canada should never accept “a deal at any price.” I agree with the principle. But it should apply at home too. Municipal leaders should be equally prepared to stand up to Queen’s Park and Ottawa when policies imposed from above don’t serve the communities we were elected to represent. That doesn’t mean fighting other governments for the sake of fighting. It means cooperation without surrender. If I have the privilege of serving as Pickering’s next mayor, I will work constructively with Queen’s Park and Ottawa. Those relationships matter. But my first responsibility will remain with the people of Pickering. Municipal leaders need to ask difficult questions, challenge bad deals and push back when decisions made elsewhere put local taxpayers, infrastructure or public safety at risk. Regardless of which political party controls Queen’s Park or Ottawa, one principle should never change: The people we represent come first.

The Art of Finding Work - What Being 'Qualified' Means to an Employer

By Nick Kossovan A recurring grievance among job seekers is, "I'm qualified, so why are employers not contacting me?" Asking this reveals a lack of understanding of what being "qualified" means from an employer's perspective. Being qualified involves more than just degrees and experience; it includes both tangible and intangible qualities. On one hand, you have tangible qualifications—degrees, certifications, hard skills, and quantifiable results. These are your baseline requirements. They're what get you interviews, hence the importance of showcasing them properly, throughout your résumé and LinkedIn profile, especially using numbers that demonstrate the impact you made on previous employers. On the other hand, you have intangible qualities, such as communication skills, adaptability, teamwork, problem-solving skills, time management skills, leadership skills, and creativity, to name a few, that make you truly qualified. When you don't consider these intangible qualities as part of being actually qualified, you fail to recognize what "being qualified" means to an employer; therefore, you might not be as qualified as you believe. Employers will not view you as being qualified when... Your written and verbal communication skills are substandard. All workplaces require effective communication. An all-too-common scenario is a candidate with an impressive résumé, which they have paid to have written, making it seem they have strong writing skills. However, when they interview, they struggle to articulate their career story and effectively sell themselves. Your communication skills are the most important factor influencing your job search and career. If you can't express yourself confidently, you're not qualified. An aside: Communication is primarily about word choice. When selecting words, less is more. The key to powerful and persuasive communication, whether written or spoken, is clarity and, whenever possible, brevity. You don't provide numerical proof of how you impacted your employers. Numbers, the language of business, provide tangible proof of your contributions. When a job seeker fails to support their claims with specific numbers, they're simply boasting. Making unsubstantiated claims about yourself doesn't make you qualified. Your digital footprint is controversial. Employers will Google you and review your LinkedIn activity when assessing your candidacy. Don't cross your fingers hoping they won't. If they find inappropriate comments or questionable behaviour, you're not qualified. I can't emphasize enough how crucial it is to align your online presence with the professional image you want to project. You're unwilling to work on-site. If you want to prolong your job search, insist on working from home. Companies are enforcing a return-to-office mandate, which is well within their right to do so. A candidate who tries to negotiate working from home when the job description states the job is on-site shows a sense of entitlement and, regardless of their skills, isn't qualified. Failing to consider these aspects, along with many others I haven't listed, explains why many job seekers meet the skills and experience requirements in the job posting, secure an interview, and then receive a rejection email. When you get the standard "We decided to go with another candidate" response, it's not about your qualifications on your résumé and LinkedIn profile; you wouldn't have been invited for an interview if you didn't appear to be qualified. Essentially, the employer is saying, "The candidate we hired has your education and experience, more or less; in addition, they have attributes and evidence that make us want to work with them." From speaking with hiring managers, it would be safe to say that employers don't have a hard time finding tangible, qualified candidates, which in today's job market are 'a dime a dozen.' The challenge employers are facing is finding candidates who meet the intangible, non-measurable aspects of being genuinely qualified. While there's no guaranteed method of getting hired, being a candidate that the employer and those who'd be your colleagues want to work with is as close to a guarantee as you can get, since, from an employer's point of view, this is the essence of being "qualified. Every day, job seekers share with me, or on LinkedIn, which isn't a good look, as it shows employers that they can't manage their emotions, their "woe is me" story. They claim they're an accomplished professional who's following all the job search advice given by self-proclaiming career experts. Yet, they can't figure out why they're missing out on opportunities for which they believe they're qualified. They naively assume their track record, which isn't unique, will speak for itself. Most job seekers lead with their skills and experience, believing this is what makes them "qualified." Savvy job seekers, those getting hired, show employers how they'll fit into the company's culture and be a value-add employee. Since no one achieves corporate goals alone, they understand the importance of demonstrating interpersonal skills. Above all, they come across as someone who'd be easy to manage and not a headache for the business or their colleagues. The truth is, employers don't focus solely on hiring the "most qualified" candidate; their priority is to hire the safest one, who'll make the hiring manager's life easier. Therefore, getting hired involves demonstrating not only that you have the qualifications that secured you the interview, but also that you pos

The Unsung Heroes With a Toolbox

By Dale Jodoin Columnist                                               My knees made a decision for me recently. I needed some trees trimmed around my Oshawa home. A few years ago, I probably would have grabbed the tools and tried doing it myself. Not this time. I called someone local. He showed up, did the work, cleaned everything up and headed to his next job. That should have been the end of the story. Instead, I wondered how many handymen and handywomen work around Oshawa every day without most of us noticing. Look around Oshawa's older neighbourhoods. There are people living in homes where they raised their children 30, 40 or even 50 years ago. Many want to stay there. Houses age along with the people inside them. Steps crack. Railings loosen. Faucets leak. Doors stick. Trees need trimming. For a handyman with the right tools, it might be a twenty minute job. For an older person with bad knees, it could sit there for months. These local handymen and handy women are not simply fixing houses. Sometimes they are helping people remain independent. It is not only seniors. People with disabilities may need help with ordinary repairs. Single parents are balancing work, children, bills and a home where something always seems to need fixing. Widows and widowers may suddenly face jobs their spouse once handled. Sometimes you just need a trustworthy handyman who knows what to do and is willing to take the smaller job. There is another part worth thinking about. We hear a lot about buying Canadian. But supporting Canadians does not stop at the checkout counter. Hiring Canadians counts too. Hire a handyman, handywoman or small tradesperson from Oshawa or Durham Region and you support a Canadian worker and local business at the same time. They buy fuel, tools and supplies and spend money at other local businesses. Money paid to repair a railing or trim a tree can continue moving through the community. That small job helps more than one person. There is a caution here. A few years ago, I was ripped off because I failed to properly check references. I am normally pretty hard nosed about checking people out, but I let my guard down. That should not make us afraid to hire a local handyman. It should remind us to be sensible. Ask neighbours who they trust. Check references. Get the price and work in writing when appropriate. Good handymen and handywomen understand reasonable questions. Be especially careful when someone unexpectedly comes to your door offering work and pressures you for an immediate decision or payment. If you believe you have been the victim of fraud, theft or another crime, contact police. But dishonest operators should not define the many honest handymen and handywomen doing good work. Find someone reliable, keep the number and tell a neighbour. Reputation remains one of the best advertisements a small business can have. There are also people, young and old, who were simply never taught household repairs. There is no shame in not knowing something nobody taught you. A good handyman or handywoman can fill that gap and sometimes pass along a little knowledge too. Now think beyond Oshawa. Handymen and handywomen are everywhere. Across Canada and around the world, they move from one job to another, helping people they may never see again. They help seniors remain independent. They help families. They keep homes from falling into disrepair. They spend locally and help keep community economies moving. Here is the question I keep coming back to. What would happen if they all stopped showing up tomorrow? Who fixes the elderly neighbour's steps? Who repairs the single mother's gate? Who changes the light for someone who cannot climb a ladder? Who takes the small job nobody else wants? Maybe we would finally notice how much our local handymen and handywomen actually do. They rarely make headlines. Nobody puts their name on a plaque. They finish the job, put the tools away and move on. Yet somewhere tonight, an older person can safely use the front steps because a handyman fixed them. Somewhere a family can close its gate again. Somewhere a person can remain in the home they love because somebody took care of those little jobs. Little jobs? Maybe we have been calling them that for too long. Look around your own community and think about the handyman or handywoman quietly keeping things working. You might be surprised by just how much we need them.

Karmageddon MR. X: Two Mayor's Races - And Two Candidates Worth Watching

By Mr. ‘X’ ~ John Mutton, Former Mayor of Clarington Election campaigns have a funny way of looking predictable - right up until they aren't. Over the past several weeks, I have been following municipal races across Durham Region, looking at everything from candidate experience and organization to issues, historical voting patterns and what appears to be happening on the ground. Two races particularly interest me: Oshawa and Clarington. And I'll disclose something right at the beginning. While I intend to continue analyzing these races based on the evidence, I have a positive view of Tito-Dante Marimpietri in Oshawa and Tom Dingwall in Clarington. Readers can decide for themselves whether they agree. Oshawa: Nine Candidates, One Chair. Oshawa's election is fascinating because Mayor Dan Carter isn't seeking another term and nine candidates are competing to replace him. The certified field includes Sherland Chhangur, Michael Coons, Derek Giberson, Jeremy Large, Jim Lee, Tito-Dante Marimpietri, Henry Onwuachu, Joseph Tomlins and Dave Westlake. That is an extraordinarily fragmented ballot. And it is one reason I keep coming back to Tito-Dante Marimpietri. Whatever your opinion of Tito, nobody can reasonably describe him as inexperienced in municipal government. He has spent more than two decades in Oshawa municipal politics and currently serves as a Regional and City Councillor. There is something else I believe matters. Oshawa is sitting beside one of the greatest economic opportunities this region has seen in generations: Ontario's nuclear expansion. OPG, Darlington, the SMR program, nuclear supply-chain investment and thousands of skilled-trades and professional jobs are transforming Durham's economic landscape. The next Mayor of Oshawa should be asking a very simple question: How much of that investment can Oshawa capture? That means offices. Engineering companies. Nuclear suppliers. Professional employment. Skilled trades. Restaurants and businesses serving those workers. And, particularly in my view, an opportunity to bring high-quality employment into downtown Oshawa. Our earlier assessment identified economic development as one of Marimpietri's stronger areas, while also recognizing the obvious vulnerability that accompanies a long record in office: voters wanting change can hold that record against him. That's the kind of trade-off voters should actually examine. Clarington: No Place to Hide. Cross the municipal boundary and the mathematics change completely. Clarington voters have only two choices for mayor: Tom Dingwall and Adrian Foster. Foster isn't a newcomer. He is serving his fourth term as mayor, so voters have a substantial record on which to judge him. And that's precisely why I find Dingwall's candidacy interesting. A two-person election strips away most of the usual electoral noise. There is no third candidate to split the opposition vote. No fourth candidate to absorb protest votes. No complicated mathematical path involving somebody winning with 30 percent. Clarington voters get a straightforward choice between an incumbent administration and an alternative. I have known municipal government from both sides of the council table, and one thing I have learned is that elections shouldn't simply be about personalities. They should be about what municipal government actually does with your money. What are the core services? What should they cost? Are taxpayers receiving value? Which programs are required, which are discretionary, and are there things municipalities continue doing simply because they've always done them? Those are questions I believe deserve much more attention in municipal politics. And they are among the reasons I am interested in the direction Dingwall is presenting. Analysis Isn't Polling - There is one other point I want to make because readers are going to see more election analysis from me over the coming weeks. I've developed analytical models for several municipal races. They are not polls. My September Oshawa analysis, for example, specifically described its percentages as analytical probabilities rather than voter-intention polling or projected vote share. That's an important distinction. I don't intend to manufacture a poll and tell you that 37 percent of Oshawa supports Candidate X when nobody actually surveyed Oshawa voters. Instead, I look at measurable information: previous election results, candidate experience, campaign organization, issues, endorsements, public visibility and developments during the campaign. Then I update the analysis as the evidence changes. And Here's Where I Stand So I'll make my own perspective transparent. I like what I see in Tito-Dante Marimpietri's potential to capitalize on Oshawa's economic opportunities. And in Clarington, I like the discussion Tom Dingwall is bringing about municipal priorities, services and the direction of local government. That doesn't mean either candidate gets a free pass in this column. If they stumble, I'll say so. If their opponents make a good proposal, I'll say that too. And when the evidence changes, the analysis should change with it. Because there's a difference between having an opinion and manipulating the numbers to support it. Readers deserve to know which is which. Between now and election day, these two neighbouring municipalities are going to give political junkies two very different elections to watch. Oshawa has nine candidates fighting to emerge from the crowd. Clarington has two candidates fighting over the direction of the municipality. And I'll be watching both.

Home security starting from the inside out

By Tom Reimer Home security starting from the inside out Here’s a fresh, original story centered on home security and protecting valuables—no recycled plot, no clichés, just a clean narrative with practical ideas woven into the fiction. The house sat quietly at the end of the cul‑de‑sac, its windows glowing with warm evening light. Inside, Marissa moved through each room with a deliberate calm, checking the small details most people overlooked. She wasn’t paranoid—just prepared. After a break‑in on her street last winter, she’d decided her home would never be an easy target. She started in the living room, where her grandmother’s jewelry box rested inside a cabinet. It looked ordinary enough, but the cabinet itself was anchored to the wall, and the jewelry box was empty. The real heirlooms—rings, brooches, and a delicate gold necklace—were locked in a fire‑rated safe bolted to the floor in her upstairs closet. A thief could smash every drawer in the house and still walk away with nothing but splinters. Next, she checked the windows. Each one had security film, nearly invisible but strong enough to slow down anyone trying to smash their way in. The sensors blinked softly, armed and ready. She tested the latch on the back sliding door, then tugged gently on the dowel rod she kept in the track. Simple, cheap, effective. Her phone buzzed. A notification from her camera system: motion detected in the driveway. She glanced at the screen—just a raccoon waddling past the car. Still, she appreciated the reminder that her cameras were always watching, always recording. The system uploaded footage to the cloud automatically, so even if someone tried to destroy the cameras, the evidence would survive. She walked into the hallway and paused at the console table. Beneath it, hidden behind a decorative basket, was a small lockbox containing her passport, birth certificate, and spare credit card. Not exactly a fortress, but enough to keep important documents from being snatched in a quick grab‑and‑go burglary. Upstairs, she opened the closet and checked the safe. Solid steel, digital keypad, anchored into the studs. Inside were her valuables—but also a USB drive with scanned copies of every important document she owned. If disaster ever struck, she’d have backups ready. As she closed the safe, she heard a soft chime from the front door. Someone had opened it. Her heart jumped, but only for a moment—she recognized the pattern. Her neighbor, Daniel, had come by to borrow the ladder she kept in the garage. She’d given him a temporary access code earlier that day. “Just grabbing the ladder,” he called out. “No problem,” she replied, smiling. Even trust had layers. Temporary codes expired automatically, and her system logged every entry. When he left, she locked the door behind him and glanced around her home. It wasn’t a fortress, and she didn’t want it to feel like one. But it was secure—quietly, intelligently, confidently secure. Marissa turned off the lights, set the alarm, and headed upstairs. Her home wasn’t just where she lived. It was where her memories lived, where her future lived, where everything she valued was protected. And she intended to keep it that way.

Oshawa Convergence Music & Art Fest ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST

By Joe Ingino Another event ‘BITES THE DUST’. The question that always lingers... WHY? Well, the answer is as simple as day. Those that organize events including many at Oshawa tourism and City hall have no clue how to promote events. They are entrenched in the idea that they know best that even when reality hits them in the face. They still call failed events a success.... and this is because they have no real ruler to compare a real big success... or for Oshawa a little success. Today we sit on the eve of what could be something great for Oshawa. We are loosing about 4 seats out of the 11. If we push enough we can possibly have 10 seats replaced including the mayor. This would be a great start. Unfortunately there are so many scoundrels int he pack/former councillors wanting to get back to the easy money at City Hall. I say easy money because those wanting to come back. When in office did nothing short of collect tax payer pay cheques. People like Bouma, Jane Hurts, Doug Sanders and they in my opinion should not be elected back. Tito, Giberson, Lee, Gray, Kerr, Nicholson, McConkey, Mark, Chapman should not be considered as experienced as they are in part responsible for the run away taxes, the many people forced to live on the streets. The open drug use on our streets and the distant relationship between the City and Durham Regional Police Services. Not to mention that they do not support local businesses. I along with many others... have been shun and ignored. You would think that the only in print newspaper serving the City and Region for over 34 years... that the City would approach to do business with. NO. They reason is not that The Central is not accredited, proven and or known...  The problem is that those elected are afraid... due to political stand. Staff supports council... they hire in my opinion under experienced people that do not understand the market, the people and or basic principles of marketing and advertising.... Events come and go. These events hold a very important key to the revival of our core. These events could be multi million dollar revenue generators for the entire region.  NO. Instead the same people keep promoting to no one. No vision. No plan. No marketing. No advertising. You reading this. You are probably thinking. Boy, you are harsh Joe. How would you do it.? Well. The answer is simple. In this recent event... Oshawa Convergence. First and foremost. I would change the name.... to something more catchy. I would Invite one or two major acts to come to Oshawa. I would use the local media including the only in print city newspaper. The local radio station and all the promoters that circulate. I would offer them free sponsorship in return to enter in a contra agreement to assist in broadcasting the event months before. This is something that is unheard of today by the city and or event promoters. No tax payer money used... A MESSAGE TO THE ORGANIZERS... ‘THE INTERNET IS DEAD.’ Because it is cheap/free it does not work unless you have it as part of a marketing strategy. Something that organizers of these events have no clue on how to compose. Once the advertising is put in place. We need an attraction. Four local artists and a few artsy farcys type does not cut it. I would invite some big name ‘STREET ARTISTS’. A Graffiti master. I would encourage municipalities to enter in to an arts competition. Representatives from all municipalities could enter. The winning artwork would be featured and advertised across Durham. I would also enter a pay a flat fee and tour participating restaurants.... Much like a ‘buffet’ operates... But in a control basis... that would allow people from outside Oshawa to sample our local restaurants for a flat rate. I would work on local hotels to host special events that would promote the event.... Such as each hotel host it’s own party for visitors. Possibly showcasing some of the art produced. Food, music fun events apart from the main event. As it stands... the event is nothing short but a red-neck make shift shit show. . When you look at the turn out of this event. You can’t help to note the number of candidates working the crowds. You can’t help to notice the far from few people attending from outside Durham. Why? NO or poor promotion. You may be wondering.... why can’t they get it right. The City does not promote local businesses.... The Central is living proof. Sad. Oshawa has such potential...

TIFF Is More Than a Film Festival—It Is a Canadian Institution

by Maj (ret’d) CORNELIU, CHISU, CD, PMSC FEC, CET, P.Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East Every September, Toronto becomes one of the centres of the international film world. Actors, directors, producers, distributors, journalists and moviegoers gather for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), transforming theatres and streets into meeting places for art, commerce and public conversation. The 51st edition of TIFF, taking place from September 10 to 20, 2026, presents nearly 300 films. The program combines major premieres with independent productions, documentaries, international cinema and the work of emerging filmmakers. At a time when streaming services, artificial intelligence and changing audience habits are disrupting the industry, TIFF’s continuing importance should not be underestimated. TIFF is not merely a celebrity event. It is an economic engine, an instrument of cultural diplomacy and one of Canada’s most recognizable international institutions. Founded in 1976 as the Festival of Festivals, TIFF grew without the advantages enjoyed by older European festivals. Cannes had Mediterranean glamour, Venice had history, and Berlin had geopolitical importance. Toronto developed something different: an accessible festival supported by enthusiastic and knowledgeable audiences. That public participation became TIFF’s distinguishing characteristic. Unlike festivals organized primarily for invited industry professionals, TIFF gives ordinary moviegoers an important role. Audiences attend premieres, question filmmakers and help determine which productions generate momentum. The People’s Choice Award has frequently helped identify films that later achieved substantial commercial and awards-season success. This democratic quality reflects Toronto itself. The city’s extraordinary diversity makes it an ideal place to test films intended for international audiences. Within the Greater Toronto Area are communities connected to virtually every region of the world. A Romanian, Korean, Italian, Iranian, Hungarian, Indian or African film can find spectators who understand its language and cultural references, as well as Canadians encountering that culture for the first time. TIFF therefore performs a valuable social function. Films allow audiences to enter other lives and see political conflicts, migration, family relationships and historical events from unfamiliar perspectives. In a fragmented world, cinema remains capable of generating empathy in ways that statistics and political speeches frequently cannot. The festival is also immensely important for Canadian filmmakers. Canada shares a language and media market with the United States, whose entertainment industry possesses vastly greater financial and promotional resources. Without strong Canadian cultural institutions, our stories can easily be overwhelmed. TIFF gives Canadian directors, actors, writers and producers an international stage. A Canadian production screened in Toronto can attract foreign distributors, obtain financing for future projects and reach audiences that might otherwise never discover it. This is particularly valuable for independent, Indigenous, French-language and culturally diverse filmmakers who do not have the promotional machinery of major studios. Canada’s identity cannot be protected solely through laws, flags or government declarations. A country also expresses itself through the stories it tells. Canadian cinema records our landscapes, history, humour, conflicts and changing population. TIFF helps ensure that Canadians are not simply consumers of other countries’ cultural products but creators whose work travels internationally. The economic importance is equally significant. TIFF estimates that its activities generate approximately $240 million in annual economic impact. The benefits extend beyond the festival’s 11 days. International attention strengthens Toronto’s reputation as a location for film and television production. Producers attending TIFF can see the city’s studios, skilled crews, technical expertise and diverse architecture. Toronto can represent New York, Chicago or a European city on screen, but it can also appear confidently as itself. Canada’s screen industry provides employment to performers and directors, but also to carpenters, electricians, engineers, costume designers, caterers, computer specialists and construction workers. Supporting cinema is therefore not a luxury reserved for artists. It is an industrial strategy connected to technology, tourism, education and skilled employment. The launch of an official TIFF content market in 2026 represents an important development. Festivals exhibit films; markets help finance, purchase and distribute them. By connecting creators with buyers and investors, Toronto can capture more of the commercial activity surrounding the productions it presents. This could strengthen Canada’s position between the established European film markets and the enormous American entertainment industry. However, success should not be measured simply by the number of deals completed. The market must create genuine opportunities for Canadian companies and help them retain intellectual property rather than surrendering ownership at the earliest financing stage. TIFF also contributes to Canada’s international influence. Canada does not possess the military or economic weight of the world’s largest powers, but it exercises considerable soft power through culture, education and diplomacy. A respected international festival presents Canada as open, creative, pluralistic and capable of bringing different societies together. At a time of tariffs, geopolitical confrontation cultural connections are especially valuable. Governments may disagree, but artists and audiences can continue communicating. A film festival cannot resolve international conflicts, but it can preserve a space in which people encounter one another as human beings rather than merely as political categories. Nevertheless, TIFF must address significant challenges if it is to maintain public trust. Ticket prices and the concentration of screenings in downtown Toronto can make the festival feel inaccessible to many residents. TIFF should expand affordable screenings, student programs and community partnerships throughout the Greater Toronto Area. A festival that depends upon public enthusiasm must ensure that the public is not gradually priced out of participation. The organization must also balance celebrity premieres with its responsibility to discover original voices. Famous actors attract attention, sponsors and international media, but TIFF’s cultural purpose would be weakened if glamour displaced artistic merit. Independent films, documentaries and first-time directors need more than symbolic inclusion; they need good screening times, promotion and access to industry decision-makers. Political controversy presents another test. Films inevitably address war, injustice, identity and historical memory. TIFF should not avoid difficult subjects merely because they may provoke protests or criticism. Its responsibility is to apply transparent standards, respect lawful expression and create conditions for serious discussion. Freedom of artistic expression does not mean that every film is beyond criticism. It means that controversial work should normally be answered through debate, analysis and other artistic work—not through intimidation or opaque cancellation. The survival of theatrical cinema is itself at stake. Streaming platforms provide convenience and have broadened access to international productions, but watching alone at home is different from experiencing a film with hundreds of people. A collective audience laughs, falls silent and reacts together. The conversation afterward becomes part of the experience. TIFF reminds us that cinema is not merely digital content delivered to an individual device. It is a communal art form. Toronto should therefore regard TIFF as essential cultural infrastructure. Governments and sponsors should support it, while respecting its artistic independence. TIFF, in return, must remain accountable, accessible and firmly committed to Canadian talent. The festival’s red carpets will disappear after September 20, and international visitors will depart. Its real influence, however, will continue through the films discovered, agreements concluded, careers launched and conversations begun. TIFF matters because it brings the world to Canada while carrying Canadian creativity to the world. It strengthens Toronto’s economy, supports a national industry and gives Canadians an opportunity to understand themselves and others through storytelling. TIFF is an enduring investment in Canada’s culture, identity and international standing.

More Than a Day at the Farm: How Community Events Help End the Stigma of Homelessness

By Margaret Eskins Executive Director DARS Dedicated Advocacy Resource Support Community events such as the recent DARS Family Fun Farm Day are about much more than food, games and an afternoon outdoors. They create opportunities for people from different circumstances to meet one another as neighbours. In doing so, they help challenge the assumptions and stigma that too often surround homelessness. Homelessness is frequently discussed through statistics, headlines and images of people at their most vulnerable. Although public awareness is important, this limited picture can cause society to see homelessness as a person’s identity rather than a difficult circumstance they are experiencing. At DARS, we truly believe a person should never be defined by where they sleep or their current living situation. I remind our team often that many people are closer to becoming unhoused than they may realize, and that we must all remember: “There but for the grace of God go I.” People experiencing homelessness are parents, grandparents, friends, workers, veterans, artists, animal lovers and community members. They have talents, humour, hopes and stories. Many have experienced circumstances that could happen to almost anyone: the loss of employment, rising housing costs, illness, family breakdown, domestic violence, trauma or the death of someone they depended upon. The DARS Family Fun Farm Day, held last weekend, provided a welcoming space where those labels began to disappear. When people gather around a corn roast, meet the farm animals, listen to music, play games or watch children participate in activities, they are not divided into categories of “housed” and “homeless.” They are simply people sharing an experience. Conversations begin naturally, common interests emerge and relationships form. This kind of personal connection is one of the most effective ways to challenge stigma. It is much harder to hold onto a stereotype after sitting beside someone, sharing a meal, laughing together or hearing part of their story. Fear and judgment can be replaced by understanding. The person who may once have been viewed only as “a homeless individual” becomes a neighbour with a name, a personality and something meaningful to contribute. The farm itself plays an important role. It offers open space, fresh air, animals, shared crops, honey from our hives and purposeful activities in a setting that feels less formal than an office or social-service environment. During this special day, people participated at their own comfort level. There was no pressure to explain their circumstances or identify themselves as needing assistance. Everyone was welcomed with dignity. Events like Family Fun Farm Day are also valuable for children and young people. They offer families a gentle and age-appropriate opportunity to talk about homelessness, compassion and inclusion. Children learn that people experiencing hardship should not be feared, ignored or blamed. They learn that kindness includes saying hello, sharing space and recognizing that every person deserves safety and respect. For people who have experienced homelessness or housing insecurity, being genuinely included in a community event can be deeply meaningful. Stigma often creates isolation and can make individuals feel invisible or unwelcome. A warm greeting, a shared activity or an invitation to sit at the same table can help rebuild confidence and restore a sense of belonging. During the event, someone even asked one of our residents how he came to volunteer at DARS. Consider what that moment means. He woke up that morning as a resident of the DARS Farmhouse—a home for people transitioning out of homelessness—and went to sleep that night knowing that a neighbour had seen him not as someone experiencing homelessness, but as a valued member of the volunteer community. These events also show the broader community what DARS represents. DARS does not simply respond to immediate needs. We work to create relationships, rebuild trust and remind people that they remain part of the community, regardless of their housing status. At the DARS Farmhouse, support is grounded in dignity, participation and the belief that everyone has strengths to offer. The person a visitor assumed was one of our volunteers? He is a resident—and a grill master. Our honey bee demonstrator is a resident. The person greeting neighbours at the front gate is another cherished member of the DARS household. They were not simply recipients of support that day. They were hosts, teachers, volunteers and contributors to their community. Community events cannot solve homelessness on their own. We still need affordable housing, adequate income supports, accessible health care and properly funded community services. However, lasting solutions also require a change in how people experiencing homelessness are perceived and treated.

Pickering’s Next Council Must Be Ready for the Bill That’s Coming

By John Meloche Municipal budgets rarely make exciting reading. I know because I recently spent a considerable amount of time going through Pickering’s capital budget and long-term forecasts. But buried inside hundreds of pages of numbers is a conversation I believe Pickering residents need to be having now: how do we continue building the city we want without losing control of what it costs? Pickering’s approved 2026 capital investment is approximately $73.2 million. The City’s own financing summary shows that 17.7 per cent is financed through debt, with another 10.3 per cent identified as development-charge debt. Debt itself is not automatically bad. Cities borrow to build infrastructure that will last for decades. Roads, fire stations, recreation facilities and major civic infrastructure should not necessarily be paid entirely by the taxpayers who happen to live here in the year they are constructed. The concern is capacity. Pickering is growing rapidly, and our list of capital requirements is growing with it. The City’s Asset Management Plan identifies significant capital spending during the 2027–2029 period, including major renovations and rehabilitation of existing facilities. At the same time, we are undertaking major new projects. The Seaton Recreation Complex and Library is a perfect example. I support investing in recreation and community infrastructure. A growing city needs these facilities. But Council has already directed staff to seek additional government funding, naming-rights revenue, efficiencies and other funding sources specifically to reduce the project’s reliance on debt and property taxes. That tells us something important: affordability matters even when the project itself is worthwhile. Pickering has also benefited enormously from casino revenue. The City received $16.38 million from OLG during the 2025–26 fiscal year and nearly $76 million since the Pickering Casino Resort opened in July 2021. That is an extraordinary advantage, but advantages should be used strategically, not treated as an excuse to become less disciplined. My approach is simple. Before approving major expenditures, Council should be asking: What is the full lifecycle cost? What will we borrow? What will the interest ultimately cost? What other projects are coming behind it? What happens if a forecasted revenue source changes? Could grants, sponsorships, naming rights or partnerships reduce the burden? And most importantly, what does this decision mean for the taxpayer five or ten years from now? Residents should not need an accounting degree and several evenings of research to answer those questions. I want Pickering to provide far more accessible, plain-language financial reporting — including understandable capital forecasts, debt projections and explanations showing residents not merely what something costs today, but how it will be financed tomorrow. That reflects the broader commitment I have made to transparent government and measurable taxpayer value. Johns-Platform-ideas.txt Fiscal responsibility does not mean saying no to everything. It means knowing when to say yes, understanding exactly what that yes will cost, and making sure tomorrow’s taxpayers can afford the decisions we make today. Pickering has tremendous opportunities ahead of it. Growth can bring new homes, new employers, better amenities and a stronger tax base. But opportunity without financial discipline can become obligation very quickly. The next Council will inherit some consequential financial decisions. Residents deserve councillors prepared to read beyond the headline numbers, ask difficult questions and explain the answers clearly. That is the standard I believe every taxpayer should expect from City Hall.