Why is voter turnout in municipal elections so low?
Pradip Rodrigues Last week a story on the CBC website caught my attention. It’s title was – Mississauga’s population is 57% visible minorities. So why …
Is too much screen time affecting your child’s development?
Sabrina Almeida That our children are spending most of their waking hours on their electronic devices is not breaking news. I’ve tried for years to …
New Canadians tend to be more religious
Pradip Rodrigues A recent Angus Reid survey showed that Canada’s high levels of immigration are making the country more religious. New Canadians are unsurprisingly twice …
Reflections on Canada’s first gender equality week
Sabrina Almeida Canada celebrated its first gender equality week from September 23 to 29. It was established by Bill C-309 (the Gender Equality Week Act) …
Uber, Lyft or public transit – what’s your choice?
Sabrina Almeida “Public transit here sucks,” complained a relative who recently immigrated from India. It had taken him almost three hours to get to Square …
What can be learnt from federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh
Pradip Rodrigues When NDPs Jagmeet Singh was in the process of considering a run for the federal NDP leadership race in 2017, he admitted being …
Are you among the world’s 1.4 bn inactive adults?
Sabrina Almeida More than 25% of adults (1.4bn) in the world have a sedentary lifestyle according to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) study. Don’t …
When it comes to city council size matters big time
Pradip Rodrigues This week’s ruling against the Province of Ontario’s plan to slash the size of Toronto city council in half or rather stick with …
Can old school-parenting create healthier children and happier families?
Sabrina Almeida A new report entitled Raising Canada revealed rather alarming findings about the physical, mental and emotional health of children in our country. Released …
The link between religion and mental illness is troubling
Pradip Rodrigues Many philosophers and social scientists through history have viewed religion as a mild form of insanity. It is because one has to take …
Resolutions we parents can make for the new school year
Sabrina Almeida The one thing all parents can agree on is that raising children is not easy. There is no manual to help us get …
The case for and against “birth tourism”
Pradip Rodrigues At the Conservatives’ recently concluded party convention in Halifax last week, delegates voted on a motion to end a birthright citizenship policy that …
Don’t let back-to-school shopping put your finances in the red
Sabrina Almeida With the new school year just 10 days away, malls and other shopping centres are overflowing with parents and kids rushing to make …
Western truth tellers get a bad rap
Pradip Rodrigues A couple of weeks ago, controversial and now beleaguered Fox News host Laura Ingraham said something that has possibly struck anyone living or …
Matchmaking still as popular among millennials
Sabrina Almeida It may surprise millennials to learn that several of their demographic cohorts are comfortable with parents or matchmakers finding a suitable life partner …
Dealing with nations no different from dealing with people
Pradip Rodrigues So last week Saudi Arabia reacted or rather, over-reacted to what its leaders perceived to be Canadian interference into their justice system. Nothing …
Why the case for Universal Basic Income gets stronger every year
Pradip Rodrigues One of the few progressive moves made by the previous Ontario Liberals was the Ontario Basic Income pilot project launched in April 2017, …
Sex-ed curriculum: Are parents the right decision makers?
While some parents and religious groups are rejoicing over the roll back of Ontario’s controversial sex-ed curriculum, any celebrations might be premature and short-lived. Premier …
The challenges of housing a new immigrant
Sabrina Almeida Housing new immigrants either temporarily or permanently is quite common in Canada. After all, the country’s open-door police and large number of applicants …
Claiming killers suffer mental health issues seems like a travesty of justice
Pradip Rodrigues Ayanle Hassan Ali the man who in 2016 attempted to murder three soldiers at the Canadian Forces recruitment centre in North York was …
Is gun violence pushing Toronto the US way?
Sabrina Almeida Until last year reports of shootings usually referred to incidents south of the border. But not anymore. The spate of gun violence in …
Why many second-gen immigrants distance themselves from their heritage
Pradip Rodrigues A while ago I was watching a television program where an elderly Mexican-American woman, a life-long Democrat who didn’t approve of President Trump’s …
Real men don’t cry: Is silence leading to suicide?
Sabrina Almeida In the past week, I received the sad news that two dear friends, one his 40s and the other in his 50s, ended …
Canadians should learn to fall in love with smaller homes
Pradip Rodrigues Last week the governor of the Bank of Canada, Stephen Poloz, caught many off guard when he suggested that one way Canadians could …
We all have a part to play in ending racism
Sabrina Almeida Being at the receiving end of a racist barb or comment is not a pleasant experience. Neither is witnessing such an incident. After …
Elections for municipal councillors should be scrapped
Pradip Rodrigues On Monday, October 22, 2018, Ontario will hold municipal elections and it is safe to say that an overwhelming majority of these sitting …
Is your cellphone addiction making you unsociable?
Sabrina Almeida It’s ironic that after all the hullabaloo about teens being addicted to their screens, their parents have fallen victim to this social malaise …
Those seeking ‘open borders’ should be ready to pay
Pradip Rodrigues Recently Mayor Tory has been urging federal and provincial financial help as the number of refugees and asylum claimants streaming into Toronto swells. …
‘International students’ cast a shadow on Brampton
Pradip Rodrigues In December 2017 a viral video of a brawl between two large groups of young Punjabi men at a Brampton plaza should have …
The truth about lying to your doctor!
Sabrina Almeida Certain questions the family physician may ask at a physical exam can cause many of us to get defensive and evade the truth …
We should be more outraged by taxes rather than tariffs
Pradip Rodrigues Much of the Canadian news cycle was dominated largely Trump and ofcourse we got a taste of the rare streak of Canadian jingoism. …
It’s time to live a plastics-free life!
Sabrina Almeida The recent move to eliminate single-use plastics such as grocery bags, straws, freezer bags, garbage bags and plastic-coated paper plates and cups will …
What we can learn from China
Sabrina Almeida Travel offers a learning experience that no text book or news report can equal. I am thankful to our three tour guides who …
Ethnic businesses should invest and respect human capital
Pradip Rodrigues Recently I had three conversations with three different people and it all ended with the same conclusion. Most small Indian businesses are condemned …
Want better restaurant service? Smile, be polite and TIP
Pradip Rodrigues A couple of years ago after receiving poor service at a bar from an indifferent waitress I had words with the manager and …
The high price we pay for “free” health care!
Sabrina Almeida Everything has a price… and our publicly-funded (often mistaken for free) health care system is exacting heavy dues from its users. While news …
Modi’s burden has become heavier after Karnataka setback
The hopes of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) adding Karnataka to the list of 19 states where it is in power has been dashed although …
The nomination process is broke, what’s Plan B?
If there is one thing Ontarians can take away from the upcoming elections regardless who wins, it is the fact that the nomination process political …
Why Facebook is suddenly bullish on Indian smartphone consumers?
MUMBAI When we talk about advertising potential on Facebook, the fact is that 2.2 billion global users — almost a quarter of the world’s population …
Why staying off all media is good for you
A few days ago, a lawyer posted an audio clip on WhatsApp declaring he had given up his lucrative practice in a district court and …
Empowering South Asian girls requires a cultural shift in mindset
Recently I was in conversation with Rekha Rao, who is National Technical Director, Dynamics 365 at Microsoft who uses her personal example to encourage more …