The Canadian Human Rights Commission must at least log marks for audacity by attacking Christmas and Easter as “obvious examples” of religious intolerance following the Oct. 7 Hamas hate slaughter in Israel. Even in the wake of the most barbaric outbreak of religious “intolerance” afflicted on Jews since the Holocaust, after all, the CHRC created a media flutter with its recent “Discussion Paper on Religious Intolerance.” To do so, it singled out the two main Christian holidays as prime causes of “present day systemic religious discrimination.”
It all started with a call from a friend. “Would you be able to meet with a relative of mine who is sleeping rough on the streets and into drugs?” I said that if he was willing, I would meet with him. We arranged to meet at “Ripples of Kindness,” the outreach program run out of Sacre Coeur Parish in downtown Toronto. Little did I know that the meeting would lead me deep into the Rock ’n’ Roll scene of the ’80s and ’90s.
It’s a condition that increases the risk of heart disease by 29 per cent, strokes by 32 per cent and premature death by 26 per cent. It has the same effect on the body as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. People with this condition are more likely to catch viruses, contract respiratory illnesses and develop dementia, among many other ills.
I suppose I am one of the young, old. In January I will turn 65, and officially become a senior citizen. Not long ago I spent a weekend with an old friend. During an evening of wonderful conversation he said, “you know Harry, we are in the prime of the rest of our lives.” I thought his comment was noteworthy, so I wrote it down.
Verbatim: Remarks by Hugh MacKinnon at the 44th annual Cardinal's Dinner
Opening remarks by Hugh MacKinnon, CEO of Bennett Jones, as chair of the 44th annual Cardinal’s Dinner in Toronto on Nov. 14.
How devastating to hear of the removal of Bishop Joseph Strickland from the Diocese of Tyler, Texas (“Texas bishop removed from office,” Nov. 19).
‘I believe’
As the darkest days of the year arrive in the northern hemisphere, my heart is aching with the knowledge of just how conflicted the world is. So many people not only fail to find comfort in faith, but struggle with the concept of belief itself. There is a crisis of engagement — in service clubs and churches and political issues, just to name a few. And it begs the question, what does it mean to believe in something.