I am alive and well. My last post was just before the Canadian election. It was the Soft Power instalment of my Canada Serenity Prayer series. I did start to write a third instalment about investment in national defence or Hard Power. But then, the election was over and it has been a whirlwind ever […]
Third of the Serenity Series Joseph Nye coined the term in his 1990’s book, “Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics”. The Oxford English Dictionary definition: “a way of dealing with other countries that involves using economic and cultural influence to persuade them to do things, rather than military power or economic sanction”. […]
First on the “Be Brave, Be Ambitious” agenda has to be the concept of the Mid-Canada Corridor (“MCC”, “Concept”). When I dismissed the idea of pipelines running coast-to-coast as un-ambitious, this was the alternative that I had in mind. “The lack of a strategic plan for this corridor is not a recent concern. Retired major-general […]
“Today I hope for the serenity to accept what cannot be changed, the courage to change what can be changed, and the wisdom to know the one from the other.” My version of the Serenity Prayer I am not very religious or spiritual, thus the need for the changes to the prayer. And, I don’t […]
In my last post, I discussed why cities need density. Now, thoughts on the how of densification, Part 1. Leave My Neighbourhood Alone Dear NIMBY – nobody’s single-family neighbourhood will change tomorrow. Neither your house nor your neighbour’s will be demolished overnight. And, if you choose to demolish, nobody will take away your right to […]
This has to be the next logical topic. So, why go from favouring single-family housing to zoning for densification? Next instalment – some suggestions for the how. And later, I will tackle land use and buildable area. The Why I have touched on the various reasons in my last post. Also, I wrote about the […]
I don’t think that controlling fentanyl and illegal immigration has ever been the Trump end game. Driving the Trump Tariffs for Canada – control of our resources and our geographic location. The dead giveaway: “We don’t need anything they (Canada / Canadians) have”. Donald Trump Translation from years of negotiating, what I hear – “we […]
Do you share my frustration at the disintegration of civility in today’s world? Is there anything we can do to reverse the trend towards insolence and contempt? A start – do one good thing. What is civility? To paraphrase a recently-read quotation that lamented “there lacks an adequate definition of civility ,but I can recognize […]
I had ambitions of tackling densification, zoning, and land use all in one post. Indeed, that was ambitious. So for now, I will tackle the problems of the single-family home fixation. City Zoning Favours Single-Family Housing Toronto’s yellow-belt covers 75% of its land area. Until quite recently, the yellow-belt restricted development to detached and semi-detached […]
Well, we made it through all 366 days of 2024. I kind of shut down on December 22nd. Enough of 2024 already and I needed to put my brain to sleep for a few days. Okay, okay! Save the snarky comments. Anyway, here’s to 2025! Sad Start I have never been to New Orleans but […]