JUSTCAWS

I am heartened to see many videos and images this morning of Police joining with peaceful protesters in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. While racism in society is pervasive and progress toward true equality moves at a frustratingly slow pace, the relationship citizens have with those sworn with a duty to protect them is at the core of this anger. I am not a police officer and I have no family connection to law enforcement. However, like many of us I know many and some very well. I have heard their stories and have nothing, but respect for the job they do. Many of the officers I know are also black. I have deep admiration for these heroes because I would imagine their sense of duty to their communities comes with an inner battle that must be won before they join that group and don that uniform. So I am careful not to suggest solutions in policing, or offer changes to law enforcement structures that I don’t understand.   I am a member of another professional tribe an...

Click  HERE  for the published version. With so much time on our hands, it is only natural that many have turned to social platforms to offer their two cents on how our governments are responding to the COVID – 19 crisis. So let me chime in, with my nickels worth of observations. I have nothing but praise for the way our governments has handled this difficult, unprecedented situation. In fact, I believe Canadian leaders of all political stripes have done an admirable job of maintaining a balance between trying to protect public health and the economy.   This is evident if you dare enter the arena of social media. Here you have people posting that governments are overreacting, causing too much economic damage to our economy and impoverished. While the other side believes government is not doing enough to protect the public health of the most vulnerable.   To tick both sides off governments have obviously achieved some sort of a middle ground. Unfortun...

To commemorate black history month I am posting my first column published this month 28 years ago.  In pursuit of this goal I spoke with a number of professors and scholars including Duke University's John Hope Franklin. I also traveled to the University of Guelph  and meet with Dr. C.J. Mumford. I was able to have a sit down meeting with the Chancellor of the University of Western Ontario.  The column did build awareness around the issue and I am pleased to see that Western now offers this course. I hope a diverse group takes this class. So what now... I continue to advocate for a strong, diverse public education system.  Learning in a diverse setting that has a deep respect for human rights, builds a strong foundation of perspective and understanding. And in the future... Many of our culture wars and petty political squabbles are inconsequential in a global context. Our biggest global problems will only be solved with a global mindset. We must embr...

I have waited on writing this, hoping the man would say something. So on the anniversary of the big trade that saw the Raptors acquire Kawhi Leonard, my disappointment turns to disbelief. I doubt anything is coming. Not sure who Kawhi Leonard has as his publicist, or if he even has one. Sad, because the man could use some advice. Most Canadians do not begrudge Kawhi for wanting to go home and play for the LA Clippers. Sorry to see him go and not return for another Championship run, but no anger. Well that maybe changing Kawhi. A city and country opened its arms to you and offered you the moon. The least you could do is offer some token acknowledgment. It's standard practice to post something thanking the fans. Danny Green did his  late in the night, after word go out that he was leaving to go to the Lakers. Apparently, this gesture is just too much for the fun guy who was given the literal key to the city. Fine, you don't like talking to the press and avoid s...

In our last lesson we showed you how to easily put aside a portion of your paycheque into a high interest savings account. While you enjoy seeing that money grow, we can now focus on making your walking around cash last. Tracking your spending indicated how much money you need to get by on between pay periods. Whatever that amount is, go to your bank’s ATM and take it out in cash. I told you to use a debit card before — so that you could track where your money was going over a month’s time. We’ve done that — so now we can start using cash to make our purchases. There are many reasons to do this — but a key one is that you will spend less money using cash to buy things instead of debit. Why? You will control your own spending because you will always know how much money you have left. If your bank has provided your account with overdraft protection, you have the option of going into debt if your account balance goes below zero. You pay fees and interest every time you use this dangerous ...

Ah, April, that beautiful time of year when the snow melts away and things are supposed to warm up. April is also tax season for Canadians. With that in mind, this lesson in finance will examine income taxes from a teenage perspective. For the 2018 tax year, the basic personal tax exemption is $11,809. If you earn under this amount, then you don’t have to pay federal income taxes. Some employers, however, will deduct income taxes from students’ paycheques if the gross pay they earn, pro-rated for the year, is greater than the exemption limit. Many students who only work during the summer months are in this situation. If, for example, a student earns $2,000 a month during July and August — but does not work the rest of the year — their employer will deduct income taxes from their paycheque even though they are earning below the exemption limit. To the employer, the student’s monthly earnings equate to $24,000 (12 months times $2,000). This amount is above the exemption limit, and theref...

Have heard a number of people lament today's politics. Leaders no longer concern themselves with governing for all the people. All they are concerned with is antagonizing their enemies and delivering to their political base. Why has it gone this way? Sadly like many things in a democracy - we the people are to blame. Social media and the echo chamber that it creates has polarized the electorate. The open minded, middle of the road voter still exist , but they no longer have much clout. The two political leaders in Ontario and Ottawa are products of this new political reality. Ford and Trudeau kowtow to their base because there is no political benefit to trying to appeal to the other side of the political spectrum. There are too many voters out there who will never vote for either side. No matter what political overtures a leader makes toward them. The sway in elections comes less from the undecided and more from whether one side's supporters are motivated enough to get out and ...

Published Version: https://www.guelphmercury.com/opinion-story/9248912-toronto-blue-jays-fans-should-hold-on-to-their-low-expectations/ Another Blue Jays season is upon us and expectations could not be lower. Many pundits have the team pegged at 65-75 wins, and that may be optimistic. The Blue Jays finally flipped the page from the vets of 2015-16 to a youth movement of promising position player talent. It had to be done. Paying the likes Tulo, Martin, and now Molasses (misspelling intentional) to go away is the right move. It will free up at bats for the kids and show the organization what they've got. So that part of the plan, is fine. Fans upset their stars of years ago are gone - get over it. It was time. What doesn't get enough attention, is this idea that this needed rebuild must come with a white flag attached. The potential stars here and coming up are position players - not pitching. The best pitching prospect they have - Nate Pearson, will probably n...

OK, time for a little review. We began our first lesson telling you to get a job. Then you were told how rich you are right now and the need to keep track of where all your money is going. Finally, you were given some motivation to start saving your cash now for the tsunami of bills that are coming your way. Now we can move forward. This lesson is all about saving your money with ease. To begin taking charge of our money, we must use the tools out there that make spending our money easy to do. The great thing about this plan is it is flexible to accommodate a wide variety of income scenarios. It can be used no matter how much you make, just as long as you have money coming in on a regular basis — either through an allowance or paycheque. The amount of money can also vary from one paycheque to the next. There are numerous saving products offered by the banks. Unfortunately, many, such as savings bonds or Guaranteed Investment Certificates, require that you have money already saved up be...

Plenty of Blue Jay's talk about their upcoming superstar in waiting Vladimir Guerrero Jr.. If this young hatch-ling is a good as the pundits believe, he could follow his Dad and fly right into Cooperstown. To do that of course he will have hit some major milestones, as the hall rewards not a few years of brilliance, but a career. Your life -time stats in hits and home runs to name a few, are measured against all that came before you.  So you can see why Vlad Jr. has been anxious to get his career started. Unfortunately, for him the Blue Jays, like many clubs want to delay his entrance into the majors and maximize the years he is Blue Jay before he becomes a free agent. He didn't play on the big club last year and it is widely speculated that he won't make his earliest debut for the Blue Jays until this May. By doing so the Jays keep him locked up a year longer year and delay him from becoming a free agent and making ridiculous dollars.  While many fans complain about not be...

       They say perception is reality. If you’re Mark Shapiro of the Blue Jays the reality of his current perception with the fan base is not a good one. If you’re one of the many fans lamenting what “Shatkins” has done to your beloved  Blue Jays, perhaps a little inside perspective into what’s been going on behind the scenes is in order. To do so, let’s look back as to as to why Rogers went out and got Shapiro in the first place. Let’s be clear, Rogers does want to win. But they will not do so at all cost. Shapiro was brought in to get away from the boom, and bust cycle of pro sports. Rogers wants a perennial contender who keeps fans interest going and money flowing for most, if not all of the season. They also want this within set budget parameters. Rogers is a publicly owned corporation and not all shareholders see the Blue Jays as an asset worthy of a constant hefty investment. The other key pressing file for the organization was the handling of numerous ren...

If you are a high school senior your inner desire for independence is beginning to emerge. Your ability to move out of your parents’ shadow and be your own person is going to be tied with your financial independence. If your folks are still buying everything for you or giving you a steady allowance, they are stunting your financial growth. It’s time to lay claim to your own financial independence. If you don’t have a job yet — get one. You are never going to be able to manage your own money if you don’t have any of your own money to manage. Many young people shy away from working because they or their parents feel it will hurt their marks at school. As long as you are not involved heavily in extracurricular activities you should be able to handle up to 15 hours a week. From my research and observation teaching high school students, academic performance begins to suffer around the 15 hour per week mark depending on the student. Some students can push it, but go 20 hours or m...