Canadian Crossing

2024 Saskatchewan election preview

The fall of 2024 is a great time if you are a provincial political junkie. Saskatchewan is the third and final (scheduled) province to have a provincial election, set for October 28.

The Saskatchewan Party (right-wing people and centrists) have won 4 straight majority governments in the province. Their neighbour to the east (Manitoba) flipped from Progressive Conservatives to NDP. Is that possible in Saskatchewan in 2024?

Let's start with the nuts and bolts. There are 61 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan so 31 seats are needed for a majority. Scott Moe, who has been premier since February 2, 2018, is the leader of the Saskatchewan Party, which had 48 seats in the 2020 election. The party has 42 at the writ drop.

Carla Beck is the New Democratic Party and the opposition leader. Beck has been in charge of the party since June 26, 2022 so this is her first election as leader. The NDP won 13 seats in 2020 and currently has 14 legislators. Jon Hromek of the Saskatchewan United is very new to this race as of May 16 of this year. Hromek's party won 0 seats in 2020 and currently has 1 MLA.

There are 3 Independent MLAs with 1 vacancy. There has been speculation of a possible merger between the Saskatchewan Progressive Conservative Party and the Saskatchewan Buffalo Party. Neither party has any seats in the legislature.

So far, the governing Saskatchewan Party is the only team to already have a full 61-person roster. Of those 61 people, the party has said 16 are women, 45 are men, 27 are currently serving as MLAs and 34 are vying for a seat. Also, the Sask. Party disclosed that five of its candidates have past convictions for impaired driving, including Premier Scott Moe.

The Regina Leader-Post reported on the lead up to the provincial election. The Saskatchewan Party has a surprisingly small number of incumbents. Normally that would be bad for the party in power but if boats are being overturned, some of that Sask Party candidates can claim they aren't part of the establishment. 14 Saskatchewan Party MLAs are retiring and not running in 2024 vs. 2 for the NDP.

Love the fact that the procedure is to disclose past convictions for impaired driving and there are quite a few in the Saskatchewan Party. Reminds us of a major presidential candidate in the United States in 2000 where the press was trying hard not to write about that conviction for that candidate.

In covering a lot of provincial elections, we are often surprised that parties don't have a candidate in every riding. We don't have numbers for the NDP and those numbers can shift in the early part of the election cycle.

Under Premier Scott Moe, Saskatchewan is in last place in healthcare and education.

Saskatchewan deserves better. pic.twitter.com/ZbViOwIb4U

— Saskatchewan New Democrats (@Sask_NDP) September 2, 2024

One of our readers pointed out this ad that ran on the CFL on TSN. We love the contrast of Canadian political ads versus those for the States. We also are intrigued since New Brunswick and Saskatchewan have female opposition leaders. The only current female premier is Danielle Smith in Saskatchewan's neighbour to the west in Alberta.

Lorne Calvert was the last NDP premier in the province, serving from February 8, 2001 until November 21, 2007.

Saskatchewan passed a transphobic policy against kids in their schools, just like New Brunswick. There isn't any reason to pick on people on the edges of society except to pick up cheap political points. We don't think the political damage is as substantial in Saskatchewan as it has been in New Brunswick, though that doesn't change the cruelty of the legislation.

Like Manitoba, the battle for ridings is mostly in Regina and Saskatoon, the 2 largest cities by far in Saskatchewan. Food and gas prices, carbon tax are key though housing is a more significant issue in British Columbia and New Brunswick, fellow provinces with provincial elections in October.

Saskatchewan Party wins a fourth straight majority government

British Columbia Saturday, Saskatchewan on Monday: Election results likely to be delayed

2020 Saskatchewan election preview

2024 Canadian politics preview

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

Often when there is a new premier, there is political pressure to have an election. Moe waited over 2 years after being premier to have an election. Saskatchewan has a different pace to things.

Saskatchewan also had a pandemic election, just like British Columbia and New Brunswick. The other 2 provinces moved their elections up within a pandemic but not Saskatchewan. Manitoba had been scheduled for 2020 but moved theirs up to 2019. Now an election can truly be about which direction that the constituents of Saskatchewan want to go. The general thought is that the 2024 elections may be "throw out the baby and the bathwater."

We would argue that the situation in each province is very different. We watched the Canadian press take an odd interpretation in the 2 recent federal byelections almost as if they wrote the story before the results came out.

Celebrating Donald Sutherland and his love for Canada, especially the Montreal Expos

CanadianCrossing.com Saskatchewan coverage

The first photo is of the Tommy Douglas bust in the legislature building in Regina. Tommy Douglas brought single payer health care to Saskatchewan and eventually to Canada. Douglas also was briefly the father-in-law to the late Donald Sutherland and grandfather to Kiefer Sutherland.

The second photo is of the beautiful and local Saskatoon berries that the province is known for growing. I have been to all 10 provinces but Saskatchewan was the final one I had not been to before I visited.

photo credits: me; Elections Saskatchewan; me
Twitter capture: @Sask_NDP

2024 New Brunswick election preview

I’m calling on leaders across party lines to denounce the misinformation spreading through mailboxes and social media across our province. New Brunswickers deserve leadership they can trust. pic.twitter.com/l4NE1QjmFo

— Susan Holt (@susanholt) September 14, 2024

The British Columbia election next month may get more headlines but don't sleep on the upcoming New Brunswick provincial election. The writ dropped last Thursday for the election coming up on October 21.

Progressive Conservative leader Blaine Higgs resisted the temptation to call an early election. Policy 713, which now requires parental consent before teachers can use a chosen pronoun requested by a child under 16, is definitely on the ballot.

The population surge, especially in the largest cities, is an intriguing factor. One estimate is that on average, 1,600 new residents have been added per riding in 13 ridings in the 4 largest cities. Moncton, Saint John, and Fredericton (provincial capital) are the major 3 cities in order of population. Dieppe, just east of Moncton, is fourth with about half the population of Fredericton.

There are 49 seats in the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, 25 seats needed for a majority. The Progressive Conservatives won 27 seats in 2020 and currently have 25 seats. Susan Holt is the opposition leader for the Liberals, winning 17 seats in 2020 and having 16 MLAs at the moment. David Coon is the long-time Green Party leader, since 2012: the party won 3 seats in 2020 and keeps that total. The right-wing Party People's Alliance under Rick DeSaulniers won 2 seats in 2020 and currently has 0 MLAs. There is an Independent MLA and 4 vacancies.

The Party People's Alliance has gone through a transformation with Kris Austin and Michelle Conroy leaving the party to join the Progressive Conservatives. The party was deregistered and then re-registered under DeSaulniers in 2022.

Will a population boom blow up New Brunswick politics? (The Current)

Parents worry overcrowded N.B. schools can't meet kids' needs (The Current)

The housing issue in Canada also affects New Brunswick, even without a population boom. Those in Ontario complaining about food prices, as they should, might be shocked at how much food and gas costs in New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada.

Susan Holt has promised a HST cut for electric bills. Blaine Higgs has proposed a 2 point HST cut (currently at 15%). Holt has brought a promise for free school breakfasts in the province, a promise Higgs did not keep in 2020. 

Why New Brunswick is mostly absent from Canadian film landscape

Canadian politics notebook: Russell Brown steps down as Supreme Court justice

Blaine Higgs wins a majority government for Progressive Conservatives in New Brunswick

New Brunswick is calling a provincial election in a pandemic

CanadianCrossing.com New Brunswick coverage

As we noted in our British Columbia preview, the provinces with scheduled elections (also Saskatchewan) had pandemic elections in the heart of the pandemic. They were seen more as keep the ship steady. The general thought is that the 2024 elections may be "throw out the baby and the bathwater." The New Brunswick election might have other reasons. The better question is whether the voters know which way will that go.

We would argue that the situation in each province is very different. We watched the Canadian press take an odd interpretation in the 2 recent federal byelections almost as if they wrote the story before the results came out.

Twitter capture: @susanholt
photo credit: New Brunswick
video credit: CPAC

2024 British Columbia election preview

My name is David Eby, but I approve Kevin Falcon’s message. https://t.co/KddcerEHsc

— David Eby (@Dave_Eby) August 29, 2024

The original plan for covering the 2024 British Columbia election on October 19 was to explain the name change of the BC Liberal Party (not connected with the federal Liberals) to the BC United Party. We were also going to talk about the resurgence of the BC Conservative Party (not connected with the federal Conservatives).

Kevin Falcon, leader of the BC United Party (new name, formerly the BC Liberal Party), had been at odds with John Rustad, leader of the BC Conservative Party. Falcon kicked Rustad out of their party.   

Then Falcon self-imploded the BC United Party, sending its incumbents and new candidates scrambling to stay on the ballot or even dropping out of the race. The BC Conservative Party picked up a few BC United candidates. Some former BC United people will run as independents. Some just won't run.

Meanwhile, David Eby has been premier since 2022 and this is his first election as NDP leader and premier.

The writ dropped Saturday on what should be an intriguing election. Where do the "free enterprise" centrists in British Columbia go? The NDP that believes in addressing the climate crisis vs. the Conservatives, whose leader isn't that concerned with climate change. A centrist may like the fiscal policy of the Conservatives and also be pro-vaccine.

Let's start with the nuts and bolts of the 2024 election. The number of seats in Victoria jump from 87 to 93 seats, so 47 is needed for a majority. David Eby and the New Democratic Party won 57 seats in 2020 and currently have 55. The BC United, the opposition party that is no more, won 28 seats in 2020 and has 23 seats. The Conservatives won 0 seats in 2020 and currently have 5 MLAs, including Rustad.

Sonia Furstenau, leader of the BC Green Party, is one of 2 MLAs, a number that has not changed. There are 2 current independent MLAs.

British Columbia decriminalizes some drugs but at a really low threshold

The decriminalisation experiment in British Columbia has little to no impact in the majority of the British Columbia ridings. Outside Vancouver and Victoria, there may be consternation about the policy but not a direct impact. Still, this will be an issue for the BC voters.

Eby made adjustments to pacify centrists and perhaps even some in the NDP camp. Will that be enough to sway voters who care more about this issue than other pressing topics? Something to watch for on 

David Eby to replace John Horgan as British Columbia premier

David Eby is seemingly on the right side (left side?) politically on the climate crisis in this race. The centrists lose their party that cares about climate change. The Conservatives aren't that concerned.

So Eby comes out earlier this month with the announcement that the BC government would ditch the carbon tax if there wasn't  a federal requirement. Eby's announcement came on the heels of NDP federal leader Jagmeet Singh taking a position about the costs o the carbon tax to lower-income consumers.

The province became the first Canadian jurisdiction to introduce a carbon tax in 2008. This was done under the BC Liberal Party with centrists and conservatives. 

Both announcements are tied to the NDP getting out of the federal supply-and confidence agreement with the Liberal Party. Singh and Eby taking positions much more in line with opposition leader Pierre Poilievre and the federal Conservatives.   

The BC premier cited the need to shift the burden to "big polluters." You can do both.

We can understand the cynicism of Eby taking some positions to appease to centrists in British Columbia yet this move doesn't do this.

British Columbia looks like a NDP majority government

British Columbia Saturday, Saskatchewan on Monday: Election results likely to be delayed

2020 British Columbia election preview

2024 Canadian politics preview

CanadianCrossing.com British Columbia coverage

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

The 3 provinces with scheduled elections — British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan — had pandemic elections in the heart of the pandemic. They were seen more as keep the ship steady. The general thought is that the 2024 elections may be "throw out the baby and the bathwater."

We would argue that the situation in each province is very different. We watched the Canadian press take an odd interpretation in the 2 recent federal byelections almost as if they wrote the story before the results came out.

Twitter capture: @Dave_Eby
photo credit: BC United Party

Canadian journalism notebook: The loss of a daily paper in Newfoundland and Labrador

The pressroom is quiet now. Newfoundland and Labrador’s last web press just finished printing the province’s last daily paper. When I started my career in journalism, I never thought I’d see this day. It doesn’t feel real. pic.twitter.com/36hgLuiWvV

— Juanita Mercer (@juanitamercer_) August 24, 2024

We reported earlier this summer that Postmedia had taken over the SaltWire collection of newspapers. Postmedia doesn't have a track record of helping the beleaguered newspapers purchased by the American hedge-fund controlled Canadian newspaper company.

Shortly after the takeover, Postmedia slashed 30 percent of its editorial staff with layoffs. This included all the photojournalists. While there is some dispute over the latter part, there is likely semantics involved.

The other major story is that Newfoundland and Labrador is the first Canadian province in over 100 years to not have a daily newspaper. Postmedia has said The Telegram will only be published on Fridays with an online version the rest of the week.

Canadaland news editor Jonathan Goldsbie, in a podcast episode with editor-in-chief Karyn Pugliese, that from his research, he believes the last province without a daily newspaper was Saskatchewan in the fall of 1905 with about 10 weeks difference between the start of the province (September 1, 1905) and the Regina Leader switching from a weekly to a daily newspaper.

We can hear some of the remarks now:

"Nothing happens in Newfoundland." "The paper is still every day but without expensive newsprint." "These decisions have to happen because of capitalism."

Decisions about journalism in Newfoundland and Labrador are being made in Toronto from people who aren't concerned about the quality of journalism in the province. People smarter than your humble narrator would point out that Postmedia has to acquire more debt to feed its American hedge fund corporate overlords and are stripping these papers for parts.

The traditional names are there but they are a shell of what they once were. News does happen in Newfoundland and Labrador. Journalists need to protect the public interest through investigations.

For those who say Postmedia will only do this in Newfoundland and Labrador, Atlantic Canada is next.

Newfoundland and Labrador didn't have a daily newspaper outside of The Telegram. Smaller communities have weekly newspapers. St. John's has 2 TV stations: CBNT (Channel 8) with the CBC and CJON (Channel 21) with NTV (Newfoundland Television). Here is a list of radio stations in the province.

Yes, The Telegram readers can go online every day to read the news. The idea of sitting at Rocket Bakery right there on Water Street in St. John's and not seeing people reading the newspaper makes your humble narrator very sad.

Canadian journalism notebook: Will there continue to be a Global News in Canada?

New Brunswick switches out one newspaper monopoly for another one

Canadian journalism notebook: Canadian cities losing Monday newspaper editions

📚 Bookends with Mattea Roach, CBC's new author interview show, premieres Sept. 8!

Tune in on CBC Radio or catch it as a podcast. 📚https://t.co/ulv7zuISP4

— CBC Radio (@cbcradio) August 27, 2024

We love listening to Mattea Roach as the host of Backbench through Canadaland. Roach now has a second podcast in their repertoire, this time with CBC Radio. Bookends is an author interview show where Roach explores the creative process for writing with novelists and authors.

Bookends airs Sunday afternoons at 1 pm local time (1:30 NT, 3 PT) on CBC Radio and CBC Listen with repeats on Wednesdays at 1 pm (1:30 NT). The program essentially replaces Writers & Company as Eleanor Wachtel has retired. Roach interviewed Wachtel for the final episode of that show.  

Roach has shown their literary bonafides, winning Canada Reads in 2023 when they championed Kate Beaton’s graphic novel Ducks.

Tom Power interviewed Roach recently on Q. They have some commonalities: relatively young people who excelled in other areas besides radio. Both are from out east: Power from Newfoundland and Roach from Nova Scotia.

Roach noted that they didn't think they would end up hosting a podcast. We were waiting for Roach to mention their current podcast. While Roach referred to a political podcast, they never mentioned the name of the podcast or its primary source.

We also are in favour of more recognition for Canadian authors though we know the podcast will have Canadian and international authors.

U.S. listeners can listen live through CBC Listen and, of course, download episodes of the podcast.

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

CanadianCrossing.com radio coverage

ICYMI Gill Deacon is leaving the CBC. A good friend, an outstanding broadcaster I've known for 30 years. The place won't be the same without her. https://t.co/5U05AStr3B

— Tom Harrington (@cbctom) September 4, 2024

Gill Deacon had been the host of Here and Now on CBC Radio yet hadn't been "here" and "now" in awhile. Deacon had been dealing with long COVID, which is very real even if you don't believe in it. 

The good news is that she has recovered from long COVID. The bad news is that Deacon is leaving Here and Now and CBC Radio.

Deacon has hosted the afternoon show for more than a decade and filled in on many CBC Radio shows. You can read more about her story.

Deacon's voice, brain, and thoughtfulness were traits that made her really good at this job. Good luck in her future endeavors.

Here and Now will find a permanent host down the line.

Canadian politics notebook: Very little of Canada in latest CPC ad

Bell Media making deep cuts to W5, CTV local newscasts

A guide to quality Canadian journalism in lieu of Meta and Google being childish

CanadianCrossing.com journalism coverage

Stephen Harper was subtle about the CBC. Death by several thousand cuts. Recent Conservative Party leaders have not been subtle about their take on the CBC: Pierre Poilievre and Erin O'Toole leap to mind.

Kerry-Lynne Findlay is the chief opposition whip in the House of Commons for the Conservative Party. Findlay released a video this summer on the party's position on getting rid of the CBC. The original video made a case to keep Radio-Canada as well as English language radio programming.

Then the Conservative Party took down the video and the video came back up minus the part about radio programming.

We should note that the Conservative Party playbook is to separate English from French in their thought process. There are 2 strategies to this distinction: Conservatives really want votes in Quebec where they have struggled outside of the Brian Mulroney years. The vast majority of their base would never access Radio-Canada so they wouldn't know any potential negative coverage.

From the National Post:

"Let's talk about the radio part of all this for a moment," Findlay says at one point in the slickly-produced video, filmed in what appears to be West Block on Parliament Hill. On Friday, Findlay reposted the video with that section removed.

"Because radio is very low production cost and the CBC radio programs and Radio-Canada, they do still serve a purpose, particularly in smaller communities and I think (are) fairly well listened to, so I think there can be a case made to keep that," she said.

Poilievre has not directly said the same when it comes to radio programming.

The Conservative Party video we discussed last week was yanked without posting it in some form. This video was yanked, edited, and reposted as if the section never happened. You might wonder why we are quoting from the National Post, the right-wing national newspaper owned by Postmedia, this is because no one else reported on this story (that we could find).

We did get a sense of conservative logic from this sentence: "Findlay also touched on its history, arguing that because 'every Canadian can be their own broadcaster' the need for a national one to unify the country is no longer necessary." Postmedia has issued a single editorial and forced its many newspapers to run the same editorial. The American hedge fund controlled Canadian newspaper chain has a monopoly, controlling both major newspapers in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa.

National unification is fine for them but only with conservative voices. Also, francophones can have national unity, just not anglophones.

The acclimation is that the "cost" is too high (it's not) but there would still be a cost to Radio-Canada funding.

Per the story at the top of this column, imagine Newfoundland and Labrador journalism without CBC TV and CBC Radio.

Twitter captures: @juanitamercer_; @cbcradio; @cbctom
photo credits: SaltWire/The Telegram; Q/CBC Radio
video credit: Q/CBC Radio

Canadian politics notebook: Very little of Canada in latest CPC ad

A family in Tuscany. Guns and fields of crops from the United States. A university in Slovenia. Russian fighter jets. An elementary school in Serbia. Foothills in Indonesia.

The federal Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) released a 3-minute video of its leader — Pierre Poilievre — giving a speech at the 2024 Calgary Stampede.

The video was made to seem like all of these lovely images were Canadian since the speech itself talks about Canada, perhaps one some feel like we haven't seen in awhile (if ever). The obvious problem is that the party used footage from everywhere else but Canada. The image of the school guard welcoming the students is from Canada. The rest of the footage isn't from Canada.

Okay, mistakes get made. Even huge mistakes. What is intriguing about this instance is that the party pulled down the ad almost immediately. No acknowledgment that any mistakes happened or any explanation. Pulled down. Nothing to see here.

Let's acknowledge the true Canadian heroes. Calgary-based Twitter user @disorderedyyc, who tracked down the information about the misleading footage. Using Utah's Rockies and not even the Canadian Rockies?

Tom St Denis, who saved the footage of the original video for all to see.

"We're home" is the message but the visuals in the ad are anything but, well, home, as in Canada.

The teacher greeting the students when the video shows us a school crossing guard greeting the students. Celebrating sobriety with alcohol. Somehow hearing the sounds of nails into Canadian lumber. Why are grandpa and grandma looking west?

The images aren't Canada (all but one) and the words are about a Canada that never existed.

CNN thought it was news.

The Guardian thought it was news.

Yet most Canadian news organizations didn’t, or used the Canadian Press reporting if at all.

That’s a problem. https://t.co/ZKcVVo0fCa

— Greg MacEachern (@gmacofglebe) August 23, 2024

This was newsworthy, even significant. If the Liberals or the NDP were this foolish, the story would be high on news pages throughout Canada.

Pierre Poilievre does this? Crickets. Typical was this response from The Current on CBC Radio One (Matt Galloway on vacation) where the ad was barely mentioned and the attitude basically was "no one will care in a year and why care now."

The CPC isn't even confronted on pulling the ad without explanation. The party knew the mainstream press wouldn't challenge them.

The 2 Canadian heroes did what we normally call journalism. The actual journalists? They wanted the story to go away.

Canadaland was a lot better, though even they took their time getting to this story. A conservative episode glossed over the ad, dismissing it like most of Canadian mainstream journalism.

The use of the overseas footage was one concern. At a time when Conservatives in Ontario are closing safe consumption sites, having a part of a speech where they celebrate sobriety with alcohol is really insensitive. That segment on The Current could have mentioned that point.

CanadianCrossing.com journalism coverage

Canadian travel notebook: Brittlestar talks up Atlantic Canada

Brittlestar as well as This Hour Has 22 Minutes put more energy into commentary over the ad than all the mainstream Canadian journalism combined. Not just the origin of the ads but the running commentary.

Season 32. September 17th at 8pm on @cbc & @cbcgem. pic.twitter.com/51mcZtbHq1

— 22Minutes (@22_Minutes) August 30, 2024

This Hour Has 22 Minutes made sure to capture its take on the CPC ad. We will run our look at the CBC television fall lineup next week.

The official news release on the collapse of @voteBCUnited pic.twitter.com/nIKaoFPT0b

— Rob Shaw (@RobShaw_BC) August 28, 2024

Usually a political party in Canada will ask the leader to step down. Kevin Falcon, BC United leader, took the unusual step of resigning the party for the upcoming British Columbia election, scheduled for October 19.

The scramble is for the 140 candidates combined for the BC United Party, formerly known as the BC Liberal Party, and the relatively new BC Conservative Party for 93 ridings. This has forced some incumbents to not run next month. Shirley Bond and Todd Stone are 2 of many who aren't running for re-election. Both served as cabinet ministers in what was then the BC Liberal Party.

Some BC United members might find an easy path to support John Rustad and the BC Conservatives. Falcon, who is not running for re-election, throw his support to that party. The BC Conservatives were a spinoff of the BC United Party over significant disagreements.

Many other BC United politicians are caught in the middle without a place to land or some will shift to David Eby and the NDP government currently in power. Some of the BC Conservatives takes on issues, such as vaccines, were not in the comfort zone of some BC United members and presumably voters.

At the time of the announcement, the BC Conservatives have 5 MLAs and 83 candidates while B.C. United had 23 MLAs with 57 candidates. Vote splitting was a concern in some of those ridings, which would increase the chances for the NDP candidate in a riding.

Falcon kicked Rustad out of BC United and then threw his support behind Rustad. The name switch from BC Liberals (which included Liberals and Conservatives) was likely a hindrance. Money was also likely a concern, as in raising funds for the party.

My name is David Eby, but I approve Kevin Falcon's message. https://t.co/KddcerEHsc

— David Eby (@Dave_Eby) August 29, 2024

The NDP has been in charge in the province since shortly after the 2017 election. While the Liberals won the most seats, that party was unable to form government. The NDP and Green Party then formed government. The NDP won a majority government in 2020. The Liberals had been in charge from 2001-2017.

This is a developing story and very new territory. The closest parallel in Canadian provincial politics was when then Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith, the then Opposition Leader in the Alberta legislature, led a floor crossing to the Progressive Conservatives in 2014.

The writ is expected to drop on September 21 for the October 19 election. We will run a preview for that race as well as provincial elections this fall in New Brunswick (October 21) and Saskatchewan (October 28).

2024 Canadian politics preview

CanadianCrossing.com British Columbia coverage

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

This isn't #journalism, it's stalking.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is confronted during his family holiday by Keean Bexte of Rebel News on a Tofino, B.C. beach.https://t.co/6GlG3z5bub via @thehilltimes

— André Picard (@picardonhealth) July 25, 2024

We have seen a couple of "gotcha" type moments against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the last month or so. There was the stalking of a right-wing person with Trudeau on a BC beach while the prime minister was on vacation. The more recent incident was an infiltration with another right-wing person impersonated a steel worker to complain about paying 40% in income taxes (the numbers didn't even come close).

We get that some would love for Trudeau to leave. Paul Wells is obsessed about not knowing the prime minister's schedule when Wells conveniently ignores the efforts that right-wing people are doing to confront Trudeau. Even if you are someone who doesn't agree with Trudeau's policies, the prime minister deserves decent Canadian respect.

Liberals and NDP people were far more frustrated with Stephen Harper in 2015 and behaved in a civil manner.

Montreal - the town to henceforth be known as, "Wherever my parents' job took us."

— Alexander Panetta (@Alex_Panetta) August 23, 2024

Not so much Canadian politics but politics that can't say "Montréal" or "Canada." U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is running for the top job, president of the United States. The convention speech is a time to introduce yourself to voters who may not know who you are.

Harris lived in Montréal from 1976 to 1981 because her mother got a job at McGill University. She was a teenager who couldn't control where she lived. The vice president just couldn't realistically say the word "Montréal" in her convention speech. What if she speaks French? Does she have friends affiliated with the Parti Quebecois? Does she endorse Bill 101? When (if?) Harris went to a Montréal Expos game at Stade Olympique, did she sing O Canada in French and English? All English? Not at all? Sacre bleu!!

photo credit: Conservative Party of Canada
Twitter captures: @gmacofglebe; @22_Minutes; @RobShaw_BC; @Dave_Eby; @picardonhealth; @Alex_Panetta
video credits: Tom St Denis; Brittlestar

Canadian travel notebook: Brittlestar talks up Atlantic Canada

Brittlestar has wonderful content about Canada and being Canadian. His take on tourism videos in Atlantic Canada makes us want to go back to that part of the world, especially in late summer. His take on Halifax: a lot of walking uphill. Brought back great memories of my time walking a lot uphill in downtown Halifax.

Canadians aren't stereotypically good at conveying how good Canada is, especially as a travel destination. Shy about self-promotion is good, unless you want to get people to come visit you.

Even among Canadians, traveling to Atlantic Canada is not high on the list of travel destinations. I might have thought the same thing until I went there to find out for myself. Prince Edward Island, a popular tourist destination, is trying to figure out the best way to manage tourism marketing.

Brittlestar said it well in one of his recent Substack entries:

One of our poorest character traits as Canadians is to dismiss anything Canada has to offer until it is celebrated elsewhere then we become annoyingly patriotic.

Here’s the reality…
We don’t have to wait for some other place to tell us our place is cool.
Our place is cool.
Occasionally cold, but still cool.

You can catch his YouTube videos or find him on a platform that is more your speed, such as TikTok.

See Canada through Canadian road films

How Canadian film can show U.S., North Korea what Canada looks like

We are in the dog days of late August. We wrote a piece a long time ago on the beauty of road trip Canadian films. Maybe you've done your summer travel or travel is too expensive for you. Watching Canada through road trip films can serve a travel requirement where you can sleep in your own bed.

Highway 61, Cas & Dylan, and One Week are just some of the Canadian film titles we mentioned. I miss the type of films that Tatiana Maslany used to do as a film actor. Maslany was influenced by Gena Rowlands, who just recently passed away, and John Cassavetes. From the Guardian:

When Tatiana Maslany was 20, she wondered whether acting was really for her. The Canadian was already 11 years into her career, having begun working as a child, and had recently relocated from Regina in Saskatchewan to Toronto in order to be where the jobs were. "I suddenly had this urge to re-evaluate why I was doing it," she says. "Was I just doing it because it was this thing I did as a kid?" But then she watched John Cassavetes' 1974 film A Woman Under the Influence, in which Gena Rowlands' suburban housewife reaches breaking point. "And I thought: 'Yes, that's it! That's what I want!'" she exclaims. "I wanted that level of freedom and inventiveness and presence and connection. It was so powerful to watch. That movie showed me what was possible."

Come back to Canada and do those kind of films (not with Joey Klein).

If you have a favorite Canadian travel film — English, French, or whatever language — please let us know.

Just had a realization-- Is there seriously no other regional rail offerings besides GO Transit (ON) in all of Canada?

BC? AB? QC? There's no non-VIA passenger rails between cities outside of Ontario? Why?

You'd think Calgary-Edmonton or Vancouver-Whistler would be easy wins.

— Olivier Bourgeois (@olivi_eh) April 29, 2024

This is a topic where we have gone into detail. Whatever our criticisms of Amtrak are in the United States, there are stretches where trains are a great option to get from Point A to Point B. You could fly from Rome to Florence but having been on the train between the 2 Italian cities, you know the train is the only way to go.

This person mentioned Calgary-Edmtonton and Vancouver-Whistler. We would add Regina-Saskatoon. You can take Via Rail from Winnipeg to Saskatoon but that isn't terribly convenient from a schedule standpoint. I took the overnight bus (Greyhound RIP) from Winnipeg to Regina that worked out well enough.

High-speed rail brings people closer together, even in wide open spaces such as Alberta

I took short buses in between Atlantic Canada points: Charlottetown-Moncton as one example. Trains to and from Prince Edward Island have a major barrier in the Atlantic Ocean. Halifax-Yarmouth would take you across Nova Scotia.

I've done Vancouver to Victoria in a seaplane. Gorgeous trip though frighteningly expensive. Downtown to downtown travel is psychologically freeing on vacation. Compare that by contrast to Vancouver to Tsawwassen and then BC Ferries to Swartz Bay to Victoria. Speaking of Victoria ... .

For those who don't follow the CFL, the league has had Touchdown Atlantic as a way to draw interest in getting a team into Atlantic Canada. Regular season games have been held in Moncton, NB as well as games (finally) in Nova Scotia in Wolfville in 2022 and Halifax, the ideal site for the Atlantic Schooners, in 2023.

Touchdown Atlantic has shifted to Touchdown Pacific in Victoria. The BC Lions host Ottawa on August 31 (Labour Day Weekend) at Royal Athletic Park. The stadium is about 2 km away from the water's edge in downtown Victoria. You do move uphill away from downtown but not nearly as steep as Halifax or St. John's.

I recommend Red Fish, Blue Fish for dinner after the game if you are going to the British Columbia capital for the game. Beautiful seafood and a view of the sunset into the harbour. The government building lights up at night in the harbour. Munro Books is just down Government Street.

Victoria is also a good stepping point to explore Vancouver Island: Nanaimo as well as Tofino and Ucluelet.

We talk about travel to Canada tied to sports events. I went to New Brunswick in part because of Touchdown Atlantic in 2013. The Toronto Blue Jays were recently at Wrigley Field, which draws Canadians to come in part because of sports. Met a very nice father and son who came in from Bathurst, New Brunswick. They drove to Bangor, Maine and then flew to Chicago.

Canadians and Americans can get along better if they know each other's country. That leads us to the final news story.

Yesterday, met a guy at a gas station, he asked where I was from and I said Manitoba Canada and he goes how do you say hello in your language?? He was American

— Marni Cramer (@CramerMarni) August 17, 2024

We started this blog many moons ago to get a better understanding of Canada by Americans. Whatever progress we have made, well, there is a long way to go. Americans are not taught to be curious about the world. Those who are curious know a lot, such as your humble narrator.

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

Say hello, bonjour, Nǐ hǎo (Mandarin), Tansi (Cree), or Taanshi (Métis). Do say hello in some form.

video credit: Brittlestar
photo credits: Cas & Dylan; Brittlestar; CFL
Twitter captures: @olivi_eh; @CramerMarni

A message to Canadians about the whole Joe Biden situation

Hi. We know Canadians consume a lot about the United States. That is awesome. Americans kind of know Canada exists. They don't know Pierre Poilievre and not looking forward to having to explain him anytime soon.

A lot of Canadians might have been nervous for the 2024 U.S. election even before Sunday's announcement of U.S. President Joe Biden withdrawing for re-election later this year. U.S. history is filled with examples of changing vice presidents in mid-stream but not usually the person at the top of the ticket.

Vice President Hubert Humphrey ended up at the top of the Democratic ticket in 1968. Vice President Nelson Rockefeller watched as President Gerald Ford ran with Bob Dole on the 1976 GOP ticket.

While we don't know what the Dems will do in Chicago next month, Vice President Kamala Harris is likely to be at the top of the Democratic ticket in November. Yes, Harris has a history with Canada, having lived in Montréal as a teenager.

Of note to Canadians: If Kamala Harris is elected president, she’ll have a personal understanding of our country as a former Montreal resident. That’s very helpful given how critical the cross-border relationship is. However, due to that history, she may also hate the Leafs.

— Josh Matlow (@JoshMatlow) July 21, 2024

Kamala Harris, Jackie Robinson, and their association with Montreal

Joe Biden's visit to Canada as president shouldn't be his last

The impact of the Joe Biden presidency on Canada

Looking back at when Joe Biden was in Canada

Tucker Carlson shows ignorance of Canada by mispronouncing Ottawa

We feel confident that Kamala Harris will be a friend of Canada if she is president in 2025. There are some who imagine a meeting of Harris and Chrystia Freeland, somehow being the leaders of their country at some point.

We know the nominee for the GOP is not a friend of Canada.

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

CanadianCrossing.com U.S. politics coverage

Canadian politics do not have the equivalent of the vice president. The primary system used in the United States is a post-Watergate political reality. The next scheduled Canadian federal election will be in 2025.

Updates will follow as needed.

photo credit: CTV Montréal
Twitter capture: @JoshMatlow

2024 Canada Day notebook

🤔 You know, we Canadians are the nicest, politest people on Earth...😇
...things change. however when you threaten our f***ing wild salmon!!! 🤬
You get THIS! 👉🏻🖕🏼.
Don't be a 🍆 be an 😇 and say #FckOffFishFarms #FOFF!
Much Love, Bill the proud Canadian ❤️ pic.twitter.com/jhUcG3CM7a

— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) June 20, 2024

Welcome to Canada Day 2024. The day used to be Dominion Day. Quebec is not the biggest fan of this day while Newfoundland celebrates Memorial Day on this day.

We agree with the video above for the quality of those fish in the life they lead and how they taste on the plate. The omega-3s are in part because of salmon being wild.

The video is there mostly for perceptions of Canadians and stereotypes and William Shatner being around for another Canada Day.

The 2024 Calgary Stampede starts Friday and runs though July 14. You can lead horses to the Calgary Stampede but what if there is no water. The recent water shortage has been a concern for Calgary residents. Factoring in thousands of tourists and 4-legged tourists means more water usage.

Barry Hertz at The Globe and Mail has been diligent on keeping up with the CRTC and Bill C-11 as well as the 25 greatest Canadian actors ever.

This Canada Day comes hours after a temporary reprieve for Revue Cinema in Toronto, which was under threat for its existence. There is a long way to go in the matter. Independent cinema in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada needs to be protected.

Edmonton Oilers fell short of the dream of winning the Stanley Cup

Celebrating Donald Sutherland and his love for Canada, especially the Montreal Expos

The less said about the Stanley Cup final. Not the best written story but plenty of frustration. A good way to catch up if you are a casual fan or bystander.

Bob Clark (with the beard and microphone) sings the anthems in Edmonton. The loud crowds inside and outside Rogers Place are pleasant memories from the spring of 2024.

We get that "not all Canadians" were rooting for the Edmonton Oilers, especially in Calgary. The people who were rooting against Edmonton because they were Canadian: that was an odd choice.

We won't write obituaries for every Canadian luminary. We did find some Donald Sutherland stories that reminded us of how Canadian he was. Go Montreal Expos.

CANADA IS NOT AMERICA
(https://t.co/Pv6yUzii32) pic.twitter.com/aV0kib21FF

— Brittlestar (@brittlestar) June 24, 2024

Canada Day is a good day to point out that Canadians are not Americans. Brittlestar, whom I absolutely adore, says that better than I would.

Random thoughts about Orphan Black finale and beyond

Examining the legacy of Orphan Black

Orphan Black: Echoes is a sequel to the original Orphan Black. The program debuted on June 23 on AMC, AMC+, and BBC America. Couldn't find if the show will air on CTV Sci-Fi Channel.

While I wish this program much success, your humble narrator will not go down this rabbit hole. There are 10 episodes in Season 1 for those who chose to go down the rabbit hole.

I was not aware of the original show right away. I started watching toward the end of Season 1. That pilot episode is one of the best I've seen for any show.

Anna Fishko created Orphan Black: Echoes from the original Canadian science fiction television series created by John Fawcett and Graeme Manson. The sequel stars American actor Krysten Ritter.

If you try the new show and like it (or hate it), let us know.

Canadian film review: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2019

2019 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award is selected

We often feature the Canadian film shown where I live that shows the Wednesday before Canada Day. This year's entry is an old and very good film from 2019: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open.

Not everyone is as up on films or Canadian films as your humble narrator. Recommended especially if you haven't seen the film.

2024 Toronto Blue Jays preview

CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage

The Toronto Blue Jays should be in their red home uniforms for Canada Day as the team hosts the Houston Astros for Canada Day. The Blue Jays are in the middle of a homestand, having played 4 games against the New York Yankees and 4 coming up with Houston.

The team will then go on a West Coast trip to Seattle, San Francisco, and Arizona before the All-Star Game break.

Today's 3:07 pm (Eastern) start will be on Rogers Sportsnet and simulcast on the MLB Network (outside the Houston market) in the United States.

We will have more on the Blue Jays' collective woes in 2 weeks.

Congratulations to Naheed Nenshi, the new leader of the Alberta NDP! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/ZFuRbChQdZ

— Alberta NDP (@albertaNDP) June 22, 2024

The Alberta NDP elected a new leader, allowing Rachel Notley to leave politics. Notley left the leadership as well as representing the Edmonton-Strathcona riding. Notley's replacement is significant in that Naheed Nenshi is the new party leader.

Nenshi is the former mayor of Calgary and a very popular politician who didn't have a political color. Liberals are red, Conservatives are blue, and NDP is orange.

Nenshi will have time to get acclimated to this level of politics. He will have to win a seat to get into the legislature, perhaps Edmonton-Strathcona.

This does mean one fewer female opposition leader and former premier at that. We will be curious if Notley has a different political future, perhaps on a national scale.

2023 Canada Day notebook

2022 Canada Day notebook

Canada Day 2021: A time for reflection and some celebration

Celebrating Canada Day 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic

2019 Canada Day reflections

2019 Canada Day notebook: More delays with edibles

How to celebrate Canada Day 2018

The Canada Day notebook has a lot of variety. Feel free to check out some versions from recent years.

CBC has Canada Day celebrations on television, radio, and streaming via CBC Gem. Canadians and Americans can access CBC Radio via the CBC Listen app.

Twitter captures: @WilliamShatner; @brittlestar; @albertaNDP
photo credit: Rogers Sportsnet/ESPN/NHL
video credit: AMC/BBC America

Doug Ford puts beer access in Ontario over more pressing concerns

Samantha Bee's best running joke about Canada during her time on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was about the Beer Store.

Doug Ford wants to fulfill a campaign promise to get beer and wine into local stores in Ontario. We are normally all in on campaign promises but by doing so early, there is a $225 million penalty of Ontario tax money that would go to the alcohol companies that run the Beer Store. The LCBO (wine) has a different structure in terms of penalties.

The $225 million penalty is bad enough but the list of related costs will likely total hundreds of millions more. If Ford waits until 2025, when the contract runs out, then there is no $225 million penalty. Ontario doesn't have to go to the polls until 2026. So why would Ford do this … now?

Is Doug Ford’s $225M booze plan worth it? (Front Burner)

British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick have to go to the polls in 2024. All of them are scheduled for October. We thought New Brunswick might roll the dice and go early. Saskatchewan isn't likely to flip and British Columbia is more unknown.

2024 is not likely a year where a government wants to go up for re-election. Food prices, housing troubles, and trouble finding a family doctor would be at the top of the list. Why would Doug Ford voluntarily go up against this tide?

The better question is why is Doug Ford obsessed with alcohol since his time in office since 2018?

Buck a beer, Ontario News Now: Doug Ford in motion

If you are a conservative, you likely looked at the provincial alcohol distribution method and thought, "when we get to power, we should destroy this." A whole lot less tax revenue but the elimination of bureaucracy. The taxpayer money to the big breweries is a payout from Ford and his cronies. Think of it as foam on top of a beer mug.

Ford portrays these moves as blue collar and for "the working man." They aren't but the opposition hasn't made an impact in saying otherwise.

Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie puts the price tag at $1 billion. Even if you throw out both estimates, the truth lies closer to the Liberals than the Progressive Conservatives.

NDP leader Marit Stiles, the official opposition leader, noted that these costs come as "emergency rooms are closing, millions of Ontarians are without a family doctor and our shelters are at capacity."

Green Party leader Mike Schreiner said, "people need the government to fast-track funding for housing affordability and health care instead of giving hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to The Beer Store to speed up a timeline they announced just five months ago."

Doug Ford and the PCs win a second term in Ontario

2022 Ontario election notebook: Why the election has been so meh

Our Doug Ford Ontario coverage since 2018

Unlike the other provinces that will have elections in 2024, Doug Ford isn't as worried about going back on not developing the Greenbelt or the damage done in the province through intentional and unintentional actions.

The government spends $ on ads going after their opponents, since they still have little name recognition. That recognition is code to journalists not to take them seriously. Other than Schreiner, Ford has run against women, even down to Christine Elliott for the PC leadership race. That may seem insignificant but I think that is a factor in some voters' eyes.

"The exact cost doesn’t matter. It's a bizarre use of money in any case, especially since the existing deal was expiring next year anyway. This isn't fiscally prudent, and it's not the best use of taxpayer money. There's no serious argument that it is or could be."

Journalist Matt Gurney at TVO weighed in on the beer deal in this column. The odd part is that Gurney is in favour of the deal, despite this quote. This might sum up the whole discussion.

2022 Ontario election preview

2024 Canadian politics preview

Canadian politics coverage on CanadianCrossing.com

CanadianCrossing.com Ontario coverage

Your humble narrator was mystified at how well Ford is running for a second term as premier and how Canadian journalism treated the election like everything was a foregone conclusion and the necessary focus on issues was missing.

The beer decision may be popular but the loss of tax money is a great concern, long after Ford is no longer the premier.

If there is an early election, hoping for an Ontario constituency to ask needed questions in a democracy. Why was valuable taxpayer money wasted on getting beer into convenience stores a year early would be a start.

video and photo credit: CBC News

A history of why the Loblaws grocery store boycott was necessary

Grocery store prices are climbing through the roofs collectively around the globe. The concern feels worse in the United States and Canada because food prices have been relatively low. You have to go to the grocery store so what can you do about it?

In Canada, there has been an unofficial boycott of Loblaws through the month of May. As you might imagine, a boycott of Loblaws means way more than just the stores called Loblaws. The Canadian company owns other food outlets, such as Atlantic Superstore, Dominion, Loblaws, Maxi, No Frills, Provigo Le Marché, Valu-Mart, Real Canadian Superstore, Wholesale Club, Your Independent Grocer, and Zehrs. While Shoppers Drug Mart is mostly a drug store, they sell groceries.

Loblaws controls 29% of the Canadian grocery industry.

The United States has some major grocery players, such as Kroger and Albertsons, who are trying to merge themselves. Canada has more of a monopoly in grocery store ownership. These are spots in Canada where a Loblaws boycott is a very difficult task.

Minnow and the Shark — episode 6 of Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent on Citytv — was about the death of an executive at a major grocery chain. Ripped from the actual Canadian news headlines, the reference is about an actual price-fixing scandal by Loblaws (and other chains) on the price of bread. Marie Antoinette, who never said "let them eat cake," would be envious over how they got away with their behavior. Also, why baguettes in Paris are cheaper than you might think they would be.

Food in Canada is more expensive than in the United States for a number of logistical reasons. A more spread-out population. Dairy and poultry supply management in Canada, which means much higher prices albeit for a better product. Difficulty in travel in places such as Atlantic Canada, including Newfoundland. Your humble narrator has spent a few trips at the Food Basics in Windsor, Ontario. Food Basics is owned by Metro and is a competitor to No Frills (Loblaws) as basic bones grocery stores. The prices at the basic bones grocery store would blow the minds of Americans.

The Daily Show years ago interviewed a Detroit woman about the Ambassador Bridge. Her impression of Canadians was that they buy American milk. While Canadian milk is legitimately better, the price difference even then is significant.

Canada has foreign invasion from American companies in quite a few categories, but not grocery stores. Target made a move in the Canadian market. Wal-Mart has a base in Canada but most of that is non-grocery. While there are a handful of Whole Foods in large Canadian cities, Trader Joe's is not in Canada.

Pirate Joe's was a cry for Trader Joe's to come to Canada, specifically to Vancouver. Trader Joe's was not happy and went after the company legally. Though Pirate Joe's won the case, they couldn't afford the follow-up suit.

If Trader Joe's won't come to Canada

Pirate Joe's had a good run in Vancouver (BalanceofFood.com)

The mainstream media usually covers these types of stories by factors such as "did Loblaws suffer a loss or make more money" as the only measurement of a successful boycott.

Consider the practical nature of the photo at the top of the story: "purchase loss leaders." A loss leader is a grocery store term for an item where the company would take a loss to draw people into the store to buy enough items to more than make up for the loss. Milk was often a loss leader before the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Avoid non-essentials." If you don't have to buy something until June, take that course of action.

The point isn't win/loss on a large company spreadsheet. The point is how people can feel better about an unfortunate reality in dealing with rising food prices and massive grocery store profits.

Could a grocer code of conduct have prevented the bread price-fixing scandal in Canada?

The proposed grocery code of conduct has sparked debate regarding its efficacy in stabilizing prices in Canada, and justifiably so. The public lacks detailed knowledge about this code, and… pic.twitter.com/yz8wmx75OM

— The Food Professor (@FoodProfessor) May 20, 2024

A grocer code of conduct is an idea floating in Canada these days. Grocers are waiting to see if other companies will step up and sign on before committing to the idea. You would think this would have been automatic once the bread price-fixing scandal came out.

You would think a large company would lay low during a boycott of your company yet word of that didn't travel to a Toronto (King and Peter) location of Shoppers Drug Mart. The Shoppers location advertised for a volunteer to help out in the store for zero compensation.

Loblaws had a 50% discount on food nearing expiration dates. The company announced a few months back that they would get rid of the policy. The outcry forced the company to reverse that move.

The discussion has even entered Canadian politics. The Trudeau Government also introduced a grocery rebate for taxpayers dealing with high grocery prices.

Grocery rebate is a nice idea but only a short-term solution to rising food prices (BalanceofFood.com)

Sobeys boycott in June? pic.twitter.com/MN5kll2zoR

— Matt Dagley (@mattdagley) May 10, 2024

Here are some resources that go into more detail about the Loblaws boycott:

Fed-up consumers are boycotting Loblaws (The Current on CBC Radio)

How Loblaw inspires anger, boycott (Front Burner)

Short Cuts #989: Loblaw & Order (Canadaland)

Why some Canadians are boycotting Loblaw for the month of May (CBC News for kids)

Stock Buybacks: How Grocers Eat Themselves (Canadaland)

Monopoly #1 – Lost in the Supermarket (Commons)

Some independent grocers and farmers say they’re seeing an increase in business as well as interest in locally sourced produce and products while the boycott of Loblaw and their associated brands continues in the month of May. @DilshadBurman reports. https://t.co/2uv5xHM9Jx

— CityNews Toronto (@CityNewsTO) May 20, 2024

Independent grocers are easier to find in large Canadian cities, especially Toronto. I've seen fruit and vegetable stands scattered throughout downtown Toronto. St. Lawrence Market is a wonderful place of local establishments under one giant roof. The Granville Island Public Market is a wonderful way to spend some food shopping time in Vancouver.

There are 14 Whole Foods locations in all of Canada: 6 in the Toronto area, 6 in the Vancouver area, and single locations in Ottawa (ON) and Victoria, BC.

Montréal has well-known local markets: Marché Jean Talon, Marché Atwater, and Marché Maisonneuve. I've been to farmers markets in Victoria, Windsor, St. John's, and Halifax. 

Consider this new resource for alternative grocery stores as well as local farmers markets.

The theoretical beauty of a large grocery company is you might save pennies because of their buying power. So even if independent stores are in a community, they might not have the absolute best prices compared to a behemoth such as Loblaws. Boycotts are not easy, almost by definition. How much is a boycott worth to the average Canadian consumer of grocery stores?

photo credits: @foodprofessor (where I found the photo but not knowing the original source); Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent/Citytv
Twitter captures: @FoodProfessor; @mattdagley; @CityNewsTO