Editorials - Aug. 16, 2024

The Paris Olympic competition has wound down, the closing ceremonies are complete and the athletes have returned to their homes to celebrate their successes and contemplate their defeats, with only four short years to train for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

 

Canada’s athletes, despite some early drama within the support camps, went on to make the country proud, winning a record medal haul (in a non-boycotted games) at 27 medals, including a historic number of golds at nine. Paris certainly provided a feast for the eyes, from the unique opening ceremonies along a six-kilometre stretch of the Seine River to the mesmerizing marathon route against a backdrop of some of Paris’ most well-known monuments, the Paris region’s iconic parks and forests and the majestic Palace of Versailles. The games continue to evolve with new sports like skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing and breaking. The jury is out on whether “breaking” will be a one-and-done, as it isn’t scheduled for the 2028 games, despite the IOC’s hope to attract younger, social media-savvy viewers. Other sports, such as baseball and karate, did not make an appearance, proving that times change.

 

Finally, the Olympics have reached gender parity: of the 10,500 athletes who participated, 50 per cent were women and 50 per cent were men, a level that has never been reached before. This is a notable achievement, when you consider that just 40 years ago at the 1984 Los Angeles games only 23 per cent of the athletes were women. Truly a historic Olympics for Canada and the world. – DS

Like your divorced uncle who, perhaps unsurprisingly, tended not to have much in the way of plans, Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford seems to have two things on his mind: gambling and booze. And yet, what if that same uncle were responsible for running the province?

 

As Ontarians scream for accountability in matters like farmland being stolen, assets like the Science Centre and Ontario Place being jettisoned to the highest bidder and basic affordability on everything from housing to groceries, what are we given? Gambling and booze.

 

Ford’s government is now seeking a court ruling that would allow Ontarians to gamble away their money - “What money?” you may ask  - to those outside of Canada, not just within their own country. 

 

Not to worry, though. When you’ve lost everything, Ford will be there with booze. A Global News report shows that as Ford worked to roll out the sale of beer, wine and pre-mixed drinks at convenience and grocery stores, experts like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Arrive Alive and the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH) urged a slow, steady approach. That advice was ignored.

 

This government has repeatedly, and with impunity, pushed through changes to ain’t-broke systems, all the while railroading institutions and programs that people like and want to return and ignoring the cries from Ontarians against the government’s actions. At least consistency can be found there - Ford doesn’t listen to anybody. Whether you’re MADD or just an Ontarian on the street, Ford isn’t listening. 

 

As this government continues to operate in the shadows, free of oversight from opposition governments, watchdogs, and the media, we need accountability. We don’t need online poker and a sixer. – SL 

A Donald Trump/J.D. Vance campaign rally in Bozeman, Montana took an unexpected turn recently when Canadian legend Celine Dion’s iconic 1998 hit “My Heart Will Go On” played to the crowd. The problem? Dion had not given permission for her song to be used, and she made her disapproval clear on social media.

 

Over the years, Trump has repeatedly faced criticism from artists for using their songs at rallies, including R.E.M., Tom Petty and Neil Young. Music is a powerful, personal art form that conveys the artist’s emotions and worldview. When used without permission in a political context, it strips the song of its intended meaning, reducing it to mere background noise for a campaign that the artist may not support.

 

Political campaigns are drawn to popular music for its ability to unite and inspire, but there’s a fine line between drawing on that power and appropriating it. Politicians should respect the integrity of music and seek proper permissions. If their message is strong enough, it shouldn’t need to borrow someone else’s voice to be heard. If Trump wants to avoid the ire of artists like Dion, who clearly aren’t on board with their songs being used at his rallies, he might want to consider sticking with musicians who actually like him, such as Kid Rock. 

 

Consider Kid Rock’s line, “This is for the questions that don’t have any answers.” It’s almost tailor-made for Trump, who seems to operate in a world of unanswered questions, like why he thought playing “My Heart Will Go On” at a rally was a good idea. After all, “Bawitdaba” has a certain charm if you enjoy lyrics that sound like a toddler banging on a keyboard: “Bawitdaba, da bang, da dang diggy diggy.” – SBS