No better time for Canada to refine fossil fuel contingency plans

The oil crisis gripping the planet could be described as an economic apocalypse. Or, it could be positioned as an unprecedented economic opportunity.

ESG, ru OK?

It’s been a rough year, depending on your viewpoint, for the world.

That’s especially true for folks who believe in climate change science, as they watch the largest economic power in the world make statements like: “We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion.”

That’s a March 2025 statement by Lee Zeldin, head of the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States.

Since then, the Trump administration hasn’t just embraced climate scepticism, it’s seemingly tried to accelerate climate change, repealing protections while rapidly expanding oil and gas, and even coal development.

Mustard farmers face cross-pollination risk

Genetically modified crops may have gained widespread adoption among farmers since their introduction 30 years ago, but they remain a polarizing force within the farming community.

Because GM technology still struggles to achieve full market acceptance, many farmers reap the benefits at the expense of a few others who lose relatively small but important markets.

For example, nearly 100 per cent of the commercial canola produced in Canada comes from varieties that are herbicide-tolerant, which is most often a result of GMO traits.

Their widespread use makes it impossible for organic farmers to grow canola that is certifiably free of GM contamination, thanks to Prairie winds that move pollen easily from one field to another.

Raise a glass to the mighty Malbec — now, better than ever

Every year on April 17, lovers of big, inky, dark red wines raise a glass to the much-loved Malbec grape.

Arsenal sputtering? There’s a joke for that

“What’s the difference between Arsenal and a book? A book has a title.”

Sure, go ahead and laugh. Everyone’s having a bit of fun — even Arsenal fans, albeit in a morbid sense. But let’s none of us quit our day jobs, especially when the jokes write themselves.

Like the one last weekend, when the Gunners lost 2-1 at home to Bournemouth. Although, with The Cherries in 13th place prior to kickoff, it seemed inevitable that the host’s luck was about to run out.

Only, luck had little to do with what happened at Emirates Stadium (which is apparently the ideal landing spot for aliens, as it has no atmosphere). Nor was Bournemouth, despite its victory, the protagonist of the story.

Supervised consumption site can be delayed no longer

If not now, then when?

That question hangs over Manitoba’s long-delayed supervised drug consumption site as the province weathers yet another surge in overdoses — one that front-line workers say is among the worst they’ve ever seen.

In just two weeks, organizations on the ground report as many as 15 deaths tied to drug toxicity.

Main Street Project executive director Jamil Mahmood calls it “the worst spring I’ve ever seen.” That’s a warning from someone watching the crisis unfold in real time.

Kinew stars in untidy bit of ‘he said, she said’ political theatre

Any time a relationship comes to an end, you can be sure there will be a dispute about who broke up with whom. Such is the case right now with Premier Wab Kinew and his very public, very messy breakup with former teacher misconduct commissioner Bobbi Taillefer.

The Free Press revealed that Taillefer, who began her job as Manitoba’s first Commissioner of Teacher Professional Conduct in January 2025, had been working remotely in Florida for much of the past winter.

In addition, for the first six weeks that Taillefer was heading up the teacher misconduct office in Manitoba, she was also working concurrently for the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, the union representing educators in that province.

On April 9, two weeks after the Free Press informed the NDP government it had received several credible tips that Taillefer was working out of the country, Education Minister Tracy Schmidt confirmed Taillefer had resigned. The minister would not discuss the details of the resignation, only that she found out Taillefer was working from Florida when the Free Press called her for comment.

Threat hits close to home with fear, helplessness and, finally, relief

It’s 4:20 p.m. last Friday and I’ve just filed my column when my phone rings.

It’s my colleague, Stephanie, in Ottawa. Odd, she usually texts.

“Have you talked to Sarah?” she asked.

I hadn’t.

Poilievre, aggrieved Tory critics could benefit from taking a political science course

If you’re going to accuse a government of subverting democracy, it helps to understand how that democracy works.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and other critics are claiming the Liberals’ new majority (gained this week following three byelections) is the result of “dirty backroom deals” — as though something improper or illegitimate has taken place.

It’s a compelling bit of political theatre. But it’s also wrong.

The core of the argument — that Canadians “didn’t vote for a majority government” in 2025 — is deeply flawed and reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of Canada’s parliamentary system.

Carney’s pragmatic political monster not much to look at, but… ‘it’s moving, it’s alive!’

Say hello to Dr. Carney’s Frankenparty, constructed of disparate — and in some instances, unwanted — body parts shed from other political parties that have come together around a common purpose.

NDP’s bold campaign promise is one it alone cannot keep

The Manitoba NDP made an ambitious promise during the 2023 provincial election: end chronic homelessness within two terms of government. It was bold, compassionate and politically popular.

It is also proving to be far more difficult than advertised.

New figures released Monday by End Homelessness Winnipeg show 8,248 people were living without stable housing in March — up 104 from the previous month. More troubling still, 4,463 of those individuals are now considered chronically homeless, meaning they’ve spent at least six months of the past year without stable housing or have cycled in and out of homelessness for years.

Those are not just numbers. They represent a deepening humanitarian crisis in a city that is already stretched to the breaking point.

Governments change, priorities change… and genocide goes on

Years after Canada's prime minister recognized a genocide was occurring, very little has changed in response to the findings of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.