RANDALL WHITE, TORONTO. FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2026. In some ways calling Canada’s most populous province of Ontario “Central Canada” is a misnomer.

The geographic dead centre of the country is in Manitoba, just next door west of Ontario. (And the current Premier of Manitoba, Wab Kinew, was born in Kenora, Ontario — the real-world metropolis for which is Winnipeg, Manitoba not Anyplace, Ontario.)

Nonetheless there is a sense in which Ontario — from the Ottawa River to the Lake of the Woods and the Great Lakes to Hudson Bay — does at least see itself as a kind of cultural central Canada. It is, to start with, the most populous province (with some 38.9% of the Canada-wide total population, as of the First Quarter of 2026).

With the second-largest provincial geography (after Quebec) Ontario is anchored by Canada’s current largest metropolis at one southern end, and at the other northern end by the only somewhat icy waters of Hudson Bay and assorted inland lake-and-river systems, that still almost echo the far northern universe four centuries ago.

And finally at least to many Ontario ears, it never seems quite right to say we live in Eastern Canada. Some US friends, eg, say we’re North American Midwest. And on and on … into at least central if not quite Central Canada. (And note how the Ontario and Manitoba flags do look similar.)

Central Canada in any case, it’s fair to say, is concerned that “Canada slipped into a technical recession on an annualized basis as economic growth stalled in 1st quarter.” But this concern is, for the moment, nicely contained by “Bank of Canada says financial system is in good shape, but vulnerabilities have increased.” (Where : “High stock market valuations, corporate debt and more money borrowed by hedge funds are some vulnerabilities.”)

At the same time, beneath the good shape of the financial system — welcome only to those with money to invest — there are always troubles brewing where large numbers of people gather.

Most recently we have eg : at one end of the north-south paradigm in the great metropolis on the northwest shore of Lake Ontario : “Second teen arrested in GTA synagogue shootings … Earlier this month, police announced that they had arrested a male who was 17 at the time of the shootings and charged him with a total of nine offences”.

And then, almost as close as modern media can get to the far north, on the shores of the greatest Great Lake : “Thunder Bay … First Nations say they’re being disrespected as tension rises with Thunder Bay police over missing persons … Police chief defends force’s commitment after grand chief says Indigenous search methos are being disregarded.”

Somehow when I gaze at the moon late tonight or early tomorrow, out over the lake with hints of summer in the late May air, I will think about both these troubling issues — in southern and northern Great Lakes metropoli. They do concern me a lot, if only as examples of what seem like increasingly far too many shootings and stabbings, reported here nowadays in the local “Greater Toronto Area” (GTA) news.

I’ll finally close my eyes, however, as I remember the very last thing I read in the local news. Before an aging person’s mindless journey to finally getting to bed at night :

“Canada gets revenge over USA at World Hockey Championship … It’s not the Olympics, but Canada got some measure of revenge over the United States at the IIHF World Championship in Switzerland on Thursday … USA’s tournament is over, as Canada beat them 4-0 in the quarter-final … Canada, meanwhile, heads to the semi-final with a perfct 8-0 record.”

It’s good to see PM Carney getting down to business at last.