By Jason Menard
If you’re a casual outside observer of the City of London, you may think that the city is falling apart at its seams: job losses, closures, rioting in the streets, violence… So the time is right for council to give itself a raise, right?
Actually, yes. If the members merit it. And that review should be only the first step in recognizing that running this city actually requires a full-time commitment. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
Despite what the cookie-cutter, 70s-esque jingle implies, London is not the City of Opportunity right now. Job losses, civic despair, a fractured council, and an old-and-white reputation have all combined to make the Forest City appear as bleak as its leafless trees.
But London, Ontario does have one thing going for it – hope. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
What’s that old adage? Two wrongs don’t make a right? As good-intentioned as the Cross the Floor petition may be, encouraging elected representatives to bastardize the voices given to them by the Canadian electorate can’t be condoned.
I don’t think it will come as a shock to anyone familiar with my writing that I’m not exactly a Conservative supporter. I’ve long considered myself socially and culturally liberal, but fiscally conservative. Continue reading
By Jason Menard,
The Catholic school system’s decision to get all up in arms over the naming of a mandated club may finally cause people from all walks of life to wonder why (in the name of God) are we still funding Catholic schools at all?
Laurel Broten, the Ontario Minister of Education, has said that all publicly funded schools in Ontario must create clubs that specifically target the bullying of gay, bisexual, and transgender students. Oh, and students have to take the lead in the groups – including having the power to name them. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
Old. White.
For some reason, London’s movers and shakers continue to sidestep the fact that London has a reputation issue – beyond one caused by banana throwers and wannabe thugs. Both within the city and without, it’s known as two things: old and white.
That reputation makes it hard to entice or retain young talent into the city. And despite best intentions, yesterday’s release of the new “official” theme song for the City ofLondon only served to solidify that old and white image. Continue reading
The M-Dash by Jason Menard 