Editorials - June 28, 2024

Residents of southwestern Ontario may have had an inkling that tornado seasons in this area are worse than they used to be, but now there is research to back it up. Over the past 30 years, according to Canadian research organization Northern Tornadoes Project, Ontario has become the Tornado Capital of Canada, a post previously held by Saskatchewan.

 

The shift in tornado activity from the sparsely populated prairies to the more settled provinces to the east is troubling, but not surprising. Climate change is warming the Gulf of Mexico, increasing the amount of water vapour rising above the southern half of the continent and the path of the jet stream is in flux. Researchers in the United States have documented that “tornado alley”, traditionally a swath from northeastern Texas to eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas and Missouri, has shifted about 500 miles east over the past 20 years and now takes in western Kentucky and Tennessee, northern Mississippi and Alabama.

 

While the central states have long dealt with tornadoes and are prepared with tornado shelters and strengthened building codes, the eastern half of North America is less prepared, and studies have shown that moist air from the gulf is more likely to spawn thunderstorms after dark in the east, creating even more danger.

 

While Environment Canada’s warnings and watches, as well as the cellphone push alerts, could stand a little fine-tuning to give more details on the nature and location of the danger, the early warning system will save lives as tornado seasons continue to lengthen and intensify. – DS

The Ontario Science Centre is now closed. The abrupt decision was made by Premier Doug Ford’s provincial government after an engineering report, paid for by said government, said the roof could collapse. The building’s architect disputed the claim, saying it was constructed to last far more than 250 years if properly maintained.

 

Supporters of the centre are now rallying to save it - in one form or another - but, as it stands, the centre is closed indefinitely and will not be open, regardless of its location, until at least 2028. Opposing politicians and Ford critics are pointing to this as blatant corruption in Ford’s government that reminds them of, oh, the Greenbelt situation, the selling off of Ontario Place, expropriation of land in Wilmot, etc.

 

It’s easy to suspect that our Premier is up to something, but what? No journalist has yet to shake the right tree and Ford is as skilled as a magician in terms of misdirection. And yet, he leads the Liberals and NDP in the polls, despite seemingly selling off the province right out from under us. If a vote were to be called now, he would win.

 

And while Ford is being criticized by small protest groups and left-leaning politicians and their supporters, he has proven to be largely immune to the kind of corruption accusations and visceral hate that so many have for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. While Trudeau has had his share of scandals, what really raised the ire of his harshest critics was suggesting that an unlawful occupation of the nation’s capital with an eye on overthrowing the government wasn’t awesome. Meanwhile, real, concrete (shoddy or otherwise) corruption could well be taking place in Ontario and most seem to shrug it off as inconsequential. 

 

The Ontario Science Centre did so much to make education fun and entertaining for generations of people both young and old. Don’t let our Premier dismantle this province piece by piece. – SL 

On the one hand, the Edmonton Oilers lost game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals on Monday night. But on the other, the Edmonton Oilers made it to game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals on Monday night. Not only did they make it to game seven, they made game seven happen by clawing their way back from the edge of elimination with some truly thrilling games of exciting hockey. They may not have come home with the cup, but the Oilers gave Canada everything else a country could possibly want from a sports story. In a quest to end a decades-long, national losing streak, this team battled unlikely odds with class. 

 

The team is full of memorable characters, from charismatic captain Connor McDavid to stoic netminder Stuart Skinner. Losing the first three games cast Edmonton firmly into the role of the scrappy underdogs. Being down and out made it exciting when the Oilers rallied together as a team to win three games in a row, forcing a seventh game. It is a far, far better thing to come from behind like that and lose in game seven than it is to trounce one’s opponent by sweeping the first four games. 

 

Game seven is the best part of any playoff series, in any sport, because it is the most rare, the most exciting and the most memorable game of the year. Having a Canadian hockey team make it to game seven of the Stanley Cup meant that our country enjoyed watching more of the game we love, together, for just a little bit longer. 

 

The Edmonton Oilers may not have won on Monday night, but it was still a game seven that is absolutely worth remembering. – SBS