By Jason Menard
Name-calling, turning one’s back to the person, folding one’s arms, picking up one’s toys and going home – these behaviours are common on the schoolyard playground. Sadly, these behaviours, or their electronic equivalent, are just as prominent on the Internet.
The question isn’t “have we lost our ability to engage in and accept criticism?” The question should be, “when did we, as a society, lose that ability?” 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
By Jason Menard
Technically speaking, we’re not morons. So why, in trying to repackage tax increases in cute euphemisms and technicalities, are our politicians treating us as such?
This morning, the City of London’s finance and administration committee voted on what they called a “tax shift,” which would have transferred some of the tax-paying burden from industries (to the tune of a 23.5% decrease) to the residential tax payers (an increase of 1.3 per cent). (The committee voted against the increase).
Because the numbers would basically wash, technically it’s wasn’t a hike, true. But for tax paying citizens already struggling under the weight of sizeable property tax bills (not to mention various charges collected by City-run utilities such as London Hydro), it’s insulting. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
I have one word for the decision taken by City council on Monday night to officially declare London as Canada’s first Compassionate City.
That word? “And?” Continue reading
The M-Dash by Jason Menard 