In Brief

Freedom Convoy 2022 in Canada — a Tale of Two Protests

Feb 12th, 2022 | By | Category: In Brief

NORTH AMERICAN NOTEBOOK. COUNTERWEIGHTS EDITORS, FERNWOOD PARK, TORONTO, 12 FEBRUARY 2022. As the third weekend of protests in Canada alleged to have been inspired by trucker complaints about COVID-19 policy settles in, at least one thing seems increasingly clear. There have certainly been (and still are) somewhat different protests in different parts of the country […]



There’s logic to Quebec’s Bill 21 : freedom from religion is inevitable part of better known cousin, freedom of religion

Jan 31st, 2022 | By | Category: In Brief

SPECIAL FROM ASHOK CHARLES, TORONTO. JANUARY 31, 2022 : As Kristopher Kinsinger explained a while ago in the Policy Options journal, Quebec’s still controversial Bill 21 : “In essence … prohibits state employees such as prosecutors, police officers and teachers from wearing religious symbols — including head and face coverings — when carrying out their […]



New polls suggest Ontario election could be more interesting than we thought?

Jan 22nd, 2022 | By | Category: In Brief

ONTARIO TONITE. RANDALL WHITE, FERNWOOD PARK, TORONTO, 22 JANUARY 2022. [UPDATED JANUARY 24]. With the June 2, 2022 Ontario election almost within eyesight pollsters have been getting restless. Five different polls have recently appeared, nicely summarized on January 20 by the excellent Polling Canada @CanadianPolling. The short message of the five polls taken together is […]



Doug Ford’s good snowstorm neighbour coincides with lowest ever approval rating as provincial premier

Jan 18th, 2022 | By | Category: In Brief

ONTARIO TONITE. COUNTERWEIGHTS EDITORS, GANATSEKWYAGON, ON, 18 JANUARY 2022. Yesterday marked a very big seasonal snowstorm in these parts. It started while we were sleeping, and was well underway when we got up. Various hands at our global headquarters here on the shore of the smallest great lake shovelled three times before the day (and […]



What happens to democracy in 2022 elections not just important in USA

Jan 14th, 2022 | By | Category: In Brief

NORTH AMERICAN NOTEBOOK. RANDALL WHITE, FERNWOOD PARK, TORONTO, 14 JANUARY 2022. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 34 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be contested in the US mid term elections some 10 months down the road, on November 8, 2022. There will also be contests for Governor in […]



Canadians still “deeply disturbed and saddened” by “attack on democracy” in USA .. but still like Willie Nelson too

Jan 5th, 2022 | By | Category: In Brief

NEW YEAR SPECIAL FROM L. FRANK BUNTING, PANCAKE BAY, ON. 2 AM ET, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022. It has lately been seriously enough cold up here on the eastern shore of Lake Superior (though nothing like Edmonton, Alberta at – 26° C). Most recently in the local metropolis of Sault Ste Marie the weather has […]



“Where is Doug Ford?” at end 2021 (& will he win 2022 Ontario election anyway)??

Dec 28th, 2021 | By | Category: In Brief

NORTH AMERICAN NOTEBOOK. RANDALL WHITE, FERNWOOD PARK, TORONTO, 28 DEC 2021. Shortly before the arrival of Santa Claus (as tracked for the 66th year by NORAD — aka North American Aerospace Defense Command), blogTO ran a piece called “People are wondering where Ontario Premier Doug Ford is right now.” Written by Karen Longwell, the piece […]



21 steps into 2022 .. looking back on a crazy year (even in Canada)

Dec 18th, 2021 | By | Category: In Brief

COUNTERWEIGHTS EDITORS/SEASONS GREETINGS, TORONTO, DECEMBER 18, 2021. We’re back from the Northern California exurbs. (Possibly just in the nick of time?). And more on that later. For now we’ll just note that everything was excellent without exception. Meanwhile, in some strange brew of celebration and commemoration here are 21 counterweights blogazine articles from the year […]



We’re off to the exurbs of Northern California … at yet another strange time ..

Dec 1st, 2021 | By | Category: In Brief

FROM THE COUNTERWEIGHTS EDITORS, 1 DEC 2021. It may seem a bit academic at this late stage of this particular blogazine history (when there is more time between fresh postings in any case). But we just want to note anyway that most of us are off tomorrow, to our first in-person colloquium in two years […]



On Nov 30 the old British “Realm” of Barbados will turn itself into a modern democratic “Republic” — can remaining realms like Canada be too far behind?

Nov 26th, 2021 | By | Category: In Brief

NORTH AMERICAN NOTEBOOK. RANDALL WHITE, FERNWOOD PARK, TORONTO, ON, 26 NOVEMBER 2021.This coming Tuesday, November 30 Dame Sandra Mason will be sworn in as the first President of the island nation of Barbados (“the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands,” current population c 288,000). With this act Barbados will officially change from a “Commonwealth Realm” […]