COVID-blues getting you down? No matter how difficult life was to begin with, the current pandemic has, for most of us, made it even harder. Families are financially strapped, kids are missing their school friends, and parents everywhere are united in their chorus of, “If I have to cook one more meal…” What follows is…
One of the things that frustrated me the most during my run for school board trustee in the recent municipal election was the almost-complete lack of attention given to the trustee elections. Everyone was so focused on the positions for mayor and city council that they just kind of forgot about the trustee candidates. Trustee…
I’m back on my soapbox, and I’m angry. And I’m sorry (not sorry), but the focus of my anger has barely shifted from the gun violence I ranted about last time. Over the weekend, we saw the young people of America – indeed, the world – come together in a spectacular way to protest gun…
It’s always a little awkward, writing a blog post after a long period of silence. I decided that instead of trying to explain my absence, I would come back with a regular Soap Box feature. About once a week, I would find something that made me feel outraged, and I would vent about it. With…
This is a message for those who are equating white nationalists with Black Lives Matter. Stop it. Just stop. For you to draw any equivalency whatsoever between the two is disgraceful, disrespectful, and insulting. I really shouldn’t have to explain the difference, but here it is, just in case you really are that stupid. The…
Mental illness exists in the fabric of every society. It does not know geographic, educational, economic or cultural boundaries. Almost a quarter of deaths among Canadians aged 15 to 24 can be attributed to suicide. And yet people are afraid to talk about it. About half of those who believe they are going through depression…
So. Donald Trump is now the President of the United States. Very few people thought this would actually happen, including, I would venture to say, Mr. Trump himself. I think most of the world held onto an unrealistic hope, right up until the ninety ninth hour, that something would happen to prevent or delay him…
Dear friends who voted for Donald Trump, I’m going to start this letter with a disclaimer: I am not an American. I am a Canadian citizen who voted for Justin Trudeau in the last federal election. That should give you an idea of which way I lean politically. If you were to look up the…
Last night a truly hateful video appeared on my Facebook timeline. It was originally posted by something called “Highways and Hedges Ministries”, and it is a rant about the evils of transgender restrooms. The man in the video makes several sweeping statements about members of the LGBT community. They are perverts. They are sinners. They…
Last year, I wrote web content for a facility called Addiction Rehab Toronto. I was working nights at the time, staying up long after the family had gone to bed, doing research, learning heartbreaking things about addiction and reading gut-wrenching real-life accounts written by addicts and their loved ones. Addiction is one of those subjects…