I used to think that putting up Christmas decorations right after Halloween was rather early. But now, more than a month later, I realize the wisdom of that logic. It’s akin to shopping for presents before the December madness that has tortured us for the last century. Or you could think of it as the need to gather provisions before the cold weather arrives.
I was reading Christopher Curtis’ piece in his online publication The Rover about the passing of Alexandra de Kiewit, a Montreal advocate for people who use drugs, sex workers, and people living with HIV. I did not know Alexandra personally, but as an advocate for harm reduction and safe-use policies, I greatly admired her work.
The holidays are upon us and for most it’s a time of joy, sharing and goodwill to all. However, some people believe sharing is a one-way street leading to their own doorstep. They want to take advantage of the goodwill that these holidays taught us to believe in.
It is hard to believe that Christmas 2022 and the holiday season is right around the corner. There are Christmas parades happening in most cities and towns right across the country. For many this is the first time since 2019 before the wretched Covid pandemic hit the world and stopped us all in our tracks. It is good to see Santa back on his sleigh running around the streets and greeting all the kids. We all need that idea of the goodness of Christmas and Santa this year.
Ahh the cold crisp air, the strong winds whipping your breath away, the frozen fingers trying to zip up that cranky zipper, the baseball cap flying through the air… you know what I’m talking about – winter is back.
It happened as I stepped off a bus in Montreal. There was this joyful yell near me. I looked over and saw one of the biggest smiles I have seen in a long time. The girl looks at me and shouts, “This is my first time in Canada. People here are so nice. I’m from Ukraine.”
There was a time years ago when absorbing yourself in a comic book was something that whittled away a few hours of the day. As often as we could, we tried to keep up with the ongoing adventures of Batman and Robin, Superman and the Hulk. And if you were of legal age, Wonder Woman.
This year’s Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP27) was hosted by Egypt, where more than 100 world leaders discussed our most pressing environmental challenge. There were also powerful fossil-fuel lobbyists who tried to gaslight everyone into thinking their industry is not responsible for destroying the planet.
We can all remember the story of Jordan River Anderson, a Cree kid from Norway House First Nation in Manitoba. Jordan had a rare muscular disorder that required years of medical treatment. When doctors finally said he could live in a home, the provincial and federal governments fought over who had to pay for necessary home care.
Halloween was always a big deal for me, my family and friends back in Attawapiskat when I was growing up. This event full of goblins, monsters and funny costumes is still prominent in remote Indigenous communities up the James Bay coast and across Canada.
