Tag Archives: London

Go Go Go Joe? That’s Not So Black and White

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By Jason Menard

Right and wrong are supposed to be easy concepts. There’s supposed to be a clear definition of the two, but as has been illustrated by the allegations — and now charges — against London’s mayor Joe Fontana, various shades only serve to cloud our perceptions.

One would think that there are only two sides to this story: one side thinks that Fontana should temporarily step away from his position until the charges have been dealt with; the other side — including the mayor himself — feels that he’s been given a mandate and should continue in that role while the legal proceedings progress. Continue reading →

Hey London, This Bud’s for You

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By Jason Menard

What’s in a name? When it comes to fans and their sports arenas, quite a bit. But unless fans are willing to dig a little deeper into their own pockets, perhaps they should take solace that the marquee outside has little impact on the product inside.

And that’s something that the citizens of London, Ontario need to keep in mind, with our curious case of preferring one brand over another. Continue reading →

London Takes a New Name and Reveals its Red-Headed, Hoops-Playing Stepchild

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By Jason Menard

For a city that’s trying to brand itself as the City of Champions, showing clear favoritism and treating an actual champion as the ugly red-headed stepchild is hardly winning behaviour.

The City of London recently decided to try branding itself as the City of Champions to coincide with an expected Memorial Cup victory. It sounds nice to say, but if you listen closely you’ll hear an echo as the name is totally hollow. Continue reading →

A Night of Tears

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By Jason Menard

It was a night of tears in London, Ontario.

There were tears of joy, of course, as the London Knights claimed the Ontario Hockey League title and earned a berth in the Memorial Cup. But, more poignantly, there were tears of sorrow as just across Dundas Street a jury convicted a man of the murder of Victoria Stafford. Continue reading →

Playground Games Norm on Twitter; Playground Behaviour Shouldn’t Be

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By Jason Menard

The more time you spend on Twitter, the more you realize that it’s nothing more than a glorified schoolyard – in both the best and worst sense of that term!

The value you get out if it is directly related to the choices you make: will you play Follow the Leader or be King of the Castle; are you going to isolate yourself, follow the whims of the so-called cool crowd; or invite everyone to play along?

Unfortunately, no matter how you choose to approach the Twitter schoolyard, other childish antics abound that can undermine the experience. From bullying to sticking one’s fingers in your ears, there are behaviours that compromise its value – and limit one’s opportunity to learn and grow. Continue reading →