Lest we forget/Je me souviens

My Great-Grandfather’s World War One Lie

  My great-grandfather, Ernest Henry Blackwell, was born in Sussex, England. In 1893, he and his wife Annie Ellis emigrated to Canada where he would spend the rest of his days. They had five children: three sons and two daughters. His eldest child, George Ernest Blackwell, was my grandfather. I have recounted some of his

Even electric vehicles need parking spots

In Montreal, we are entering the final weeks of municipal election campaigns. The two main candidates vying for mayor of the city are locked in a virtual tie. Promises are coming fast and furious. The incumbent, Valérie Plante, is hoping to hang on to her mayor’s seat, but her opponent, Denis Coderre, whom she defeated

Kamikaze food delivery

While many, if not most, industries have taken it on the chin during the pandemic, there are a few that actually flourished. Chief among them is the food delivery business. Certainly, the concept of home delivery was around long before COVID19, but with restaurants closed to in-house dining, the only hope of survival was take-out

Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

September 30, 2021 marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day honours the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process. The creation of this federal statutory

Confusing Twitter Feeds

No wonder folks are confused these days. While scrolling through my Twitter feed today as I sipped my morning coffee I was pleased to see the breaking news from BBC about Scotland ending almost all COVID restrictions. Phew … some good news to start the day. I know Scotland is a long way from Montreal,

Navigating Downtown Montreal’s Pedestrian Maze

Last week I went downtown shopping for a gift for my wife’s birthday. As is my usual practice I had looked online first, found what I was looking for, determined that my local store had the product in stock, and made my way to the store to get it, pay for it, and get the

Replays Not Penalty Kicks

In the interest of clarity , let me point out that the following post is about football. Not the game we call football here in North America, but the Beautiful Game we refer to as soccer. Last weekend Italy won the Euro Cup by defeating England. I can’t say I’m a big football fan, but

McGill University And Cancel Culture

Recently the administrative powers that be at McGill University succumbed to pressure from cancel culture adherents and removed a statue of founder James McGill from the main campus. James McGill was not only the university’s founder, but was, like many wealthy folks of his vintage, an owner of slaves. Does removing the statue erase this

COVID19 In Our Rear-view Mirror

It’s so close you can almost touch it. But not just yet. I refer to the time when the COVID19 pandemic will be, like Lubbock, Texas in the Mac Davis song, in our rear-view mirrors. I can’t imagine what Mac had against Lubbock, but he was sure pleased to be leaving. Things are getting better