Editorials - June 21, 2024

This past week saw most of Ontario sweltering under a heat dome, yet another new weather term thanks to climate change. The lingering heat wave will result in most of us altering our normal patterns to cope with the risks associated with such intense heat. Gardens and lawns will wait until dusk for tending, walks will happen after dark, outdoor workers will need more breaks and employers will need to make accommodations for cooling stations. In the future, schedules may be altered even more, allowing more and more outdoor activities to take place earlier in the morning or after the sun sets.

 

Even the athletes are calling for climate change consideration for the host city. Paris is planning to host the greenest Olympics ever, but part of the plan is to reduce air conditioning, which is causing some concern, as the city is facing average July and August temperatures at least five degrees warmer than the last time it hosted in 1924. Athletes are calling for the IOC to consider ensuring that the host cities and dates are selected to avoid the heat of the summer, to reduce the risks to participants and spectators and to allow athletes to compete at their peak performance. 

 

As climate change creates more frequent extreme weather events, like heat domes, civilizations will have to undergo some cultural shifts to adapt to the environment we’ve created. – DS

Far be it from this editorial board to directly contradict itself just one week later, but, as rural Ontarians, it’s hard not to see the dividing of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs portfolios as a good thing.

 

Sure, Premier Doug Ford is growing his cabinet at a rate that would be the envy of an old-fashioned Irish Catholic family. However, it may be overdue to split the worlds of farming and rural affairs into their own ministries. After all, not all farming is a rural affair and vice versa. 

 

Now, rural Ontarians can know that a dedicated minister is spending her time working to make their lives better and champion them. Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson will now take on that task. Meanwhile, Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Rob Flack will oversee the worlds of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. Not only does Ford’s change reflect the differences between farming and rural life, but it also looks to the future of agriculture, folding agribusiness into the portfolio at a time when farming and its associated businesses are changing.

 

Flack will now be able to focus on agriculture, while Thompson can dedicate more of her attention to the issues with which rural Ontario is grappling. While some of these will no doubt cross over with other ministries, rural Ontarians need housing, they need open and staffed hospitals, mental health supports and drug addiction programs and they need to know that their way of life is just as important as anyone else’s.

 

It will now be up to Thompson to be our champion at a time when everything is so urban-focused. Ours is the way of life she grew up loving and still loves. Hopefully in her new position, with dedicated attention towards rural affairs, we will see our way of life, and the land upon which we live, preserved for generations to come. – SL 

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has urged Congress to mandate warning labels on social media platforms, akin to those on cigarette packages. This proposal is not merely symbolic, but a vital step to address the mental health risks social media poses to young people.

 

In a New York Times opinion piece, Murthy stresses that social media is contributing significantly to the mental health crisis among adolescents. “A surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms is necessary to regularly remind parents and teens of its potential harms,” he stated. Evidence from tobacco studies suggests that such labels effectively raise awareness and change behaviour.

 

However, warning labels alone aren’t enough. They are part of a larger strategy to make social media safer for young users. According to 2022 data, 95 per cent of teens aged 13 to 17 use social media, with over a third using it “almost constantly”. Despite federal regulations, underage users easily bypass age restrictions on platforms like TikTok, which introduced a 60-minute limit for users under 18 - an easily overridden measure. Murthy questions why society hasn’t responded to social media harms with the same urgency as other safety issues. These harms aren’t due to parental failure, but the unchecked release of powerful technologies without sufficient safety measures.

 

This concern extends to Canada, where young people face similar risks. The call for action is clear: social media companies must prevent data collection from minors, limit addictive features and share health impact data with independent researchers. Additionally, schools, parents and healthcare providers need to promote safer social media practices.

 

Murthy’s proposal for warning labels is a positive step in protecting the mental wellbeing of young people. It’s an urgent call to action that Canadians must also heed to help protect the next generation. – SBS