The origins of COVID-19 should not be politicized
According to data from the World Health Organization, as of May 7, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide hit more than 3.6 million, and the global coronavirus death toll has reached a quarter million. Sadly, instead of focusing on the COVID-19 containment in their own countries, certain politicians in some countries, out of […]
Governments must do more to provide critical internet access to low-income households
There was a time when internet access was a luxury, but that time has long since past. Now, with COVID-19, internet access is an essential lifeline to health appointments, school, work, food, and medicine deliveries, banking, government emergency funding, and so much more. Every household needs internet access. With the novel coronavirus, not having internet […]
Cinema Quarantena: what to watch (and not) in isolation
After so many weeks of Isolation Nation quarantine that snow is now as discombobulated as the rest of us about which season it is, I’m down to streaming entertainment content that can best be described as “Whatever isn’t Tiger King.” Having processed just enough information about Tiger King weeks ago to sort its fight-or-flight triggers, my amygdala identified […]
Push to reopen the economy fuelled by disinformation, political gaslighting
OTTAWA—Donald Trump’s gaslighting of America is rapidly turning into Canadian policy. This is being orchestrated through an aggressive disinformation campaign, controlled and co-ordinated by the White House. On May 11, thousands of children in Quebec returned to school after an eight-week absence as a result of measures undertaken to stop the spread of COVID-19. […]
Mercenary mess should prompt Ottawa to drop picked Venezuelan president
OTTAWA—Last week, a bizarre drama unfolded on the shores of Venezuela. Security forces engaged several boatloads of armed gunmen, resulting in eight dead and a dozen prisoners. Two of those who surrendered to Venezuelan authorities were ex-U.S. Special Forces soldiers who had identity cards showing they worked for Silvercorp USA; a Florida-based private security company. […]
Now is when opportunity has a chance to meet preparedness
When considering financial support in a post-COVID world, we might want to use the lens of climate change and the future in which we want to live. The past, we will recall, has led us to where we are today. When opportunity meets preparedness, significant synergies can result and include a future by design. Money […]
There isn’t any time to waste in fixing the long-term care crisis
Arguably, the exposure of the long-term problems in this country’s long-term care homes is as equally devastating an issue as the virus that is killing so many of those who reside in them. For example, in just one home in Ottawa, Carlingview Manor, out of a potential 303 beds, there were 147 cases of COVID-19, […]
An act of care: reframing global efforts to contain COVID-19
We are waging a war, we are told. We are all in this war together. We have to fight this disease—look at how this country is winning this battle, this is how we flatten that curve, and here is how we will emerge victorious. This militarized narrative is used to describe the COVID-19 pandemic: fighting […]
The Star’s Macpherson defined moments in history in a single frame
OTTAWA—As the pandemic grinds on, two noticeable phenomena have emerged: the monopoly of COVID-19 on the news, and the melding of one day into another. Although the 75th anniversary of VE day on May 8 was marked with muted celebrations, other days have been lost in the fog of passing weeks. One such overlooked date […]
Digitalization is the way forward and out of COVID crisis
OTTAWA—The coronavirus has accelerated the application of digital technologies. Big jumps in digital activity have been reported in countries that have imposed the strictest lockdowns. Remote working, online teaching, medical assistance, commerce, and teleconferencing have become a “new normal.” There are no proven guidelines as to how to act in these trying times. Digital infrastructure, […]
