Editorials - Aug. 23, 2024
Case closed?
A decade ago, the execution-style slaying of a bird dog enthusiast in the Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area in Central Huron rocked the community. A fellow dog trainer, Boris Panovski, was charged and eventually convicted of the first-degree murder of Don Frigo and the aggravated assault of his wife, Eva, who was injured in the attack.
Despite tons of circumstantial evidence, including testimony by Panovski’s girlfriend that he had gone hunting, cell phone records that placed him in the area, changing his licence plates and tinting his car windows and fixing his gun in the days leading up to the shooting, and ultimately making his way to Macedonia three days later, the conviction was overturned and a new trial ordered. Late last week, the judge in the retrial acquitted Panovski and he left jail after nearly a decade.
Eva Willer Frigo’s inability to positively identify Panovski, and a discrepancy between whether the car was Panovski’s blue Toyota or possibly closer to a Nissan model was at the heart of the trial. The judge admitted that the Crown’s case was built on strong circumstantial evidence, and that he thinks that Panovski had something to do with the murder, there simply wasn’t enough evidence to name him positively as the shooter. It is a very high standard of proof required indeed if all of the circumstantial evidence can be negated by the lack of a positive identification of a man in camouflage and the exact make and model of a car by a woman who had just been hit in the face by a shotgun blast.
It is a bizarre ending to a case that held our attention, and we may never know what happened out in the conservation area that day. – DS
This is fine
At last week’s Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, municipal leaders had concerns. It’s a wonder why, as Premier Doug Ford’s self-aggrandizing speech painted a picture of an utterly bucolic Ontario in which life is beautiful and affordable - all thanks to him.
Many municipalities are buckling under the weight of infrastructure costs and a nearly impossible path forward and came together to ask the provincial government to appoint ministers to solve the problems of homelessness and addiction. And yet, in what some have described as an early election speech, Ford boasted about investments made, all the ways his government has made life easier for municipalities and announced an online portal to connect municipalities and investors.
This is classic Ford. Delivering things no one wants, while ignoring the true needs of, in this case, municipal leaders. The Greenbelt? Paper bags are back in LCBO stores! What about stealing land in Wilmot? You know what’s a steal? The price of beer at your corner store!
This comes just as The Trillium reported, through a freedom-of-information request, that Ontario’s official estimate of its homeless population is approximately 234,000 people, meaning three in 200 Ontarians are homeless. “Ontario is the envy of the world,” he said.
An old Judge Judy-ism is that, with two ears and one mouth, people should listen twice as much as they talk. Ford, like so many of today’s politicians, is talking a lot and not listening nearly enough. Our mayors and reeves are asking for help. Will he ever hear them? – SL
The view from the centre
Alex Garland, known for films like Ex Machina and Annihilation, recently articulated a defence of political centrism during a discussion at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. His remarks carry weight beyond the cinema, especially when considering his recent work, Civil War, which explores the consequences of extreme political divisions.
In Canada, a country historically dominated by centrist politics, Garland’s defence of centrism feels especially relevant. Our political landscape has been shaped by parties that, while occasionally veering left or right, have largely remained anchored in centrist ideals. The Liberal Party, for instance, has often positioned itself as a champion of progressive, yet balanced policies, while the Conservative Party, at least in its more traditional form, has espoused fiscal responsibility without straying too far into the territory of far-right ideologies. However, recent developments, particularly within Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party, have raised concerns about a potential shift away from centrism. Poilievre’s leadership victory over Jean Charest signaled a turn toward the right. Since then, Poilievre has been flirting with far-right fringe groups, a move that has unsettled many Canadians who have long valued the moderation and pragmatism that centrism represents.
Garland asserts that centrism is specifically a stance against extremism. His view that the greatest threat to democracies often comes from the extreme right resonates with the concerns of many Canadians who fear our political discourse is becoming increasingly radicalized.
In the Canadian context, the continued relevance of centrism is a reflection of the values that have long defined our nation. As we navigate an increasingly polarized world, moderation, compromise and respect for differing viewpoints may be more important than ever. – SBS