Monday’s special CBRM council session on affordable housing was so full of information that I find myself forced to choose one part to write about today, for fear of overwhelming you with facts and figures. It started with a presentation by Paul LaFleche, the deputy minister of Municipal Affairs andRead More

I don’t know when I realized that former Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi was a very different kind of politician — not only the first Muslim mayor of a major North American city, but one with some very progressive views. In an interesting and also entertaining interview with the host ofRead More

When it comes to social (or “public” or “subsidized”) housing, Vienna really seems to have its act together. I am tempted to present this information as though I’ve long been an admirer of the social housing of Vienna, but the truth is, I hadn’t realized it was a claim toRead More

Mary Makes a Meme How it started:     How it’s going:   On the bright side, having let it it sit empty for two years (and catch fire once), the entrepreneurs who bought the building for $225,000 are hoping to sell it for $399,000.   Mary Makes Another MemeRead More

If you follow CBRM politics, are on social media or hold local elected office, you probably know the name Rod Gale. The South Bar resident (who has written for this publication in the past) doesn’t hesitate to share his thoughts, especially on matters about which he’s passionate — like poverty.Read More

Like so many during this long COVID period, I have found refuge in HGTV shows where older homes, often unfit for occupation, are snapped up, made over and sold for not-too-shabby profits. (I’m convinced that on many of these shows — and there are new ones sprouting seemingly daily —Read More

I don’t really know the situation today, but in the 1950s, working for the church especially as a secretary, I got to know those who were referred to as “stemmers.” They were the dedicated few who every so often rang the glebe house doorbell in search of a dollar orRead More

If writing about poverty, homelessness, food banks and the need for a guaranteed annual income (GAI) could solve any of the problems associated with such matters, I would surely have solved a few over lo! these many years I’ve been contributing to the Spectator. The battle cry at the momentRead More

I’ve been thinking about what constitutes “journalism” lately and I’ve decided it all boils down to asking one question — and asking it repeatedly — and that question is: “Is it true?” In no area is that question more appropriate right now than that of proposed “developments” for downtown Sydney.Read More

Providing Coverage On Tuesday, October 27, at about 12:45 PM, police were contacted about a body discovered in the abandoned train station at 75 Dodd Street in Sydney. Writing about this on Wednesday, I guessed that over the next few days we’d be discussing the problem of homelessness in ourRead...