My column in today’s The StarPhoenix In the column, Political moves on Saskatoon council (SP, Jan. 27) John Gormley suggested an NDP takeover of Saskatoon city council. In addition to the "Gang of Five," he saw additional threats in Sean Shaw, Pat Atkinson and Frank Quennell as contenders in an organized attempt by the NDP [...]
The StarPhoenix
Column: MDs aiding prescription abuse
My column in today’s The StarPhoenix A well-known drug addict went to four doctors last summer and got four prescriptions for morphine on the same day. He had the prescriptions filled at different pharmacies, which gave him more than enough morphine to abuse, sell or trade. That’s exactly the kind of abuse that the province [...]
Column: Managed Alcohol Problems Help
In today’s The StarPhoenix Over the years I have received a lot of phone calls about a couple of people who are well-known on the streets of Saskatoon. Others see them on the streets during the winter months and want "someone" to help them – that someone always being emergency shelter providers. The problem is [...]
Column: Don’t abandon addicted seniors
My column in today’s The StarPhoenix Most of us know someone who conquered an addiction. Many of us know someone who has lost the battle with drugs and alcohol, and the addiction rules that person’s life. Employment becomes a struggle, and many end up needing help from Social Services to stay alive. For those who [...]
Column: Dream Big to Tackle Challenges
My column this week in The StarPhoenix When business writer and consultant Jim Collins wrote the book, Built to Last, he introduced the term BHAG into the lexicon. The Big Hairy Audacious Goals are organizational changing objectives that change how businesses operates. One of the best examples was General Electric’s CEO Jack Welch declaring that [...]
City growth is new normal
My column for The StarPhoenix When I moved to Saskatoon in 1984, it was a sleepy and tired city. The landmark that endures in my mind was the unfinished foundation that dominated Five Corners on Broadway and sat uncompleted for years. Moving here from a struggling Calgary, Saskatoon’s plight seemed worse. It seemed to be [...]
Column: Incentives a better way to deliver holiday cheer
This week’s column for The StarPhoenix A long-standing Saskatchewan tradition is that Social Services Ministry cheques are sent out earlier in December so that recipients can partake in some holiday cheer. It might provide some cheer, but what’s being spent is money for January. A combination of grocery money being spent early on the holidays, [...]
Column: Let’s Put More Fun Into Winter
In today’s The StarPhoenix While the winter has been mild so far, it still is winter. That means dressing in layers, being cold and not being able to enjoy so much of what makes Saskatoon great – mainly spring, summer and fall. Even though winter is our dominant season, we don’t do a great job [...]
Column: City lead on street life welcome
In today’s The StarPhoenix City hall was concerned enough by reports of panhandling and street activity that it commissioned a report this year to study the problem. The comprehensive Street Activity Baseline Study was completed and sent to council in November. One issue that arose from the study is that people don’t feel comfortable in [...]
Column: Reserves Need a New Strategy
My column in today’s The StarPhoenix In case you missed it, public health in the northern Ontario community of Attawapiskat has deteriorated as families are living in shantytown conditions and are without running water, electricity, sewage or heat. A month ago its chief declared a state of emergency, which was ignored until she held a [...]
Column: Vote to help exploited women
In today’s The StarPhoenix A couple of Fridays ago I met over the noon hour with Jason Moore and Don Windell of Lighthouse Supported Living, and they were talking about a problem we have all confronted over the years in Saskatoon: How do we help sex trade workers to get off the streets? While the [...]
Column: Turbine Project Handled Poorly
My column in today’s The StarPhoenix The city announced a couple of years ago that it was exploring the idea of a tall wind turbine in Saskatoon. I loved the idea when it came out and have followed its progress off and on. The city evaluated sites near the university, Diefenbaker Park and the landfill. [...]
Column: Homeless need more than just shelter
My column today in The StarPhoenix I enjoy winters in Saskatoon. There is Wintershines, the Meewasin skating rink, turning down Blades tickets because I don’t want to drive out to the Credit Union Centre, and reminiscing about when Blackstrap used to be open. No matter how cold it is at the end of the day, [...]
Column: Change calls for more than talk
In this week’s The StarPhoenix A couple of years ago, I found a video documentary series posted on YouTube by actor Sam Slovick. He was living on skid row in Los Angeles and decided to film some of the madness he saw daily. There are knife fights, other violence and drug deals interspersed among stories [...]
