Alberta’s business leaders need to take education failures seriously

Alberta’s business leaders need to take education failures seriouslyThe province needs to begin ensuring students are graduating ready for citizenship and the workforce It’s everyone’s favourite time of year in Alberta: not only was there a recent provincial budget, but we’re also just three months out from the spring election. So naturally, keyboards are clacking away in corporate boardrooms and C-suites across the…

Profanity can make product reviews more persuasive

Product website gatekeepers might be better off allowing some profanity on their platforms

Profanity can make product reviews more persuasiveProfanity in online reviews can pack a powerful punch, says a University of Alberta business researcher. According to Katherine Lafreniere, an expletive or two in a review can enhance an evaluation of a service or product, especially when qualifying descriptions of a given attribute. That means a dishwasher described as “damn quiet,” for example, is…

Mentors are key to embracing new Canadians

An important lesson for nation-building in Canada

Mentors are key to embracing new CanadiansAs a new Canadian, I was fortunate to have had the guidance and mentorship of many outstanding Canadian role models. They helped pave my integration into a new society and provided me with invaluable advice for my professional career. There’s an important lesson here for nation-building in Canada. Bringing immigrants to Canada is only half…

Respect was once a cornerstone of Canadian society

You can disagree with the opinions but you must always show respect to the person who presents them

Respect was once a cornerstone of Canadian societyAs a Canadian, I was deeply saddened by a recent exchange in the House of Commons between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of the Opposition. Trudeau said, “Conservative Party members can stand with people who wave swastikas. They can stand with people who wave the Confederate flag.” In fact, interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen…

Destruction, eco-terrorism won’t deliver an energy revolution

Attack on the Coastal GasLink site was far more violent than the Freedom Convoy

Destruction, eco-terrorism won’t deliver an energy revolutionWhat Canada offers to its citizens isn’t glamorous or sexy, and it doesn’t inspire the beating of drums. It’s peace, order and good governance. These modest goals are accepted and expected by most Canadians. We may even have tended to take them for granted. But our peace and order have been threatened. For the past…

The urgent need to end the uncertainty over restrictions

Our policymakers must start reflecting on the consequences of their actions

The urgent need to end the uncertainty over restrictionsThe more time that passes, the more the restrictions on our lives seem to have run their course in the eyes of the population. At least that’s what a February 1st Angus Reid poll indicates: Fifty-four per cent of Canadians believe it’s time to lift the restrictions and let people who have COVID, or who…

How a bike ride across Canada restored my belief in people

It changed my view of Canadians and perhaps of human nature itself

How a bike ride across Canada restored my belief in peopleSo, we enter another year under a cloud. Omicron is on a rampage. Airlines are cancelling flights. Putin is playing brinksmanship with Biden. Colorado is experiencing wildfires in the winter. House prices are on speed. And Canada’s national debt is at historic levels. There’s a lot to be stressed out about. It’s a bad year…

The trouble with lusting after status

If the price requires sacrificing civility and honour, we've lost ourselves

The trouble with lusting after statusStatus is a constant in human life, although much of the time we don't think about it because it's everywhere and takes so many forms. It’s been said that “if it doesn’t happen on YouTube, it didn’t happen.” But are those messages helping or hindering? Are we unintentionally inviting individuals to seek their moments of fame…

Covid’s cost in liberty lost

Nova Scotia’s authoritarian response to the pandemic

Covid’s cost in liberty lostBorn and raised in Halifax, I currently live in Munich, Germany. I have been monitoring the Nova Scotian response to the pandemic from abroad by reading the news and keeping in touch with family and friends. I write this article to lend some perspective on the pandemic through the lens of a Bluenoser living much…
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