Archive for August 2013

Will the real Prime Minister Stephen Harper ever stand up?

Aug 27th, 2013 | By | Category: Ottawa Scene

Just over a week ago we heard that “Proroguing Parliament till October buys Harper and Tories time … The restart effectively gives Mr. Harper two high-profile opportunities … to sell Canadian voters on the notion he is still the person to lead the country.” The first opportunity is “a Speech from the Throne that will […]



50 years in Toronto reading the New York Review of Books ..

Aug 11th, 2013 | By | Category: Entertainment

TORONTO, ONTARIO STREETCAR SUBURBS, AUGUST 11, 2013. When I bought the Summer Issue of the New York Review of Books at my local magazine store several days ago, it came wrapped in a plastic bag, with a red and white seal on the outside saying “FREE 1963 premier issue reprint!.” Technically, the summer of 2013 […]



August 1 Ontario byelections : a bit of a surprise – Libs 2, NDP 2, Cons 1

Aug 2nd, 2013 | By | Category: In Brief

Not long ago I overheard a local politician of more or less conservative bent answering a question about Kathleen Wynne’s performance as Ontario Liberal premier so far.  Some people, he suggested, belong to a party because they know they couldn’t get elected if they belonged to the party of their heart. Premier Wynne is a […]