PONDERABLES
Why did Justin Trudeau need a $6,000 a night hotel room when attending the Queen’s funeral while US President Biden stayed free at the US Ambassador’s residence?
Is Jeopardy! “second chance” winner. Rowan Ward, the most annoying contestant of all time?
Was Pierre Poilievre actually right when he criticized the Bank of Canada?
THINGS I FIRMLY BELIEVE
Speaking of Poilievre, if he wants to become prime minister of Canada he better start talking to journalists.
The answer to the above Trudeau ponderable is that he didn’t need it, he just wanted it.
TVO’s Steve Pakin is the best television host in Canada. And among the ones I regularly watch on US television, CNN’s Erin Burnett and Anderson Cooper (who seems to be everywhere) are the best.
There are far too many journalists and editors (if there still are editors) who don’t know the difference between “homing” and “honing.”
It’s just a matter of time until the Republican Party splits in two.
SOME MORE TANTALIZING COUNTRY SONG TITLES
Where’m I Gonna Live When I Get Home?
Too Much Is Not Enough
I Miss You Already & You’e Not Even Gone
PHIL KESSEL
Because I think he’s the most unfairly maligned player in NHL history I’ve always had a soft spot for Phil Kessel, so I was delighted to see him score his 400th goal and play in his 990th consecutive game earlier this week, his consecutive game streak being a new NHL record.
TORONTO MAYOR JOHN TORY WASN’T ALWAYS A WINNER
John Tory, arguably the most popular mayor in Toronto history, this week won his third consecutive term, receiving more votes than all of his thirty-one opponents put together. If he completes his term (and other than an unforeseen calamity, there’s no reason to believe he won’t) he’ll overtake Art Eggleton as the longest-serving mayor in Toronto history. However, Tory’s run as mayor of Toronto is his first major success after a long series of failures.
In 1993 he managed Kim Campbell’s disastrous campaign to become prime minister of Canada, and was blamed for the dreadful ads mocking Jean Chretiens’s face. (The ads were quickly withdrawn after a thunderous public outcry.) In the late 90s he was CEO of Rogers Cable, a company whose reputation at the time was truly dreadful. (In fairness to Tory, it’s not very good.) In 2003 he lost his first run to become mayor of Toronto. Then turning to provincial politics he was defeated by Liberal Kathleen Wynn in 2007, and in 2009 lost a by-election to Liberal Rick Johnston.
There have been sixteen mayors during my time living in Toronto and there’ve been only two whose popularity came even close to Tory’s: Nathan Phillips and David Crombie.
Don’t misunderstand the purpose of this item. I’m an unabashed fan of John Tory.
THERE ARE STILL NO DEER ON PEI
A white-tailed deer swam from New Brunswick to PEI on Wednesday, but was almost immediately hit and killed by a truck. Carcasses of deer wash up on the south shore of PEI from time to time, apparently having drowned while trying to make the same swim.