Noteworthy: Canadians banding together taking some of the sting out of damaging trade war

By Bruce Penton on July 30, 2025.

There’s not much in the way of optimism for Canadians as it relates to the U.S. approach to tariffs. Canada has depended on U.S. imports for decades and our cost of living will be, or already is, negatively impacted. But there are a few positives, too.

It appears, for instance, that nationalism in Canada is at an all-time high, despite the ‘separation’ talk Albertans hear on a daily basis. Canadians are generally a proud group and we’re banding together to battle the monster to our south. As well, making it easier for interprovincial trade to take place is a plus, and our governments seem to be coalescing on a plan to get more oil flowing across Canada.

Another positive, according to a recent report in the New York Times, is that a number of stalwart scientific and academic leaders in the U.S. are abandoning their home country and moving to Canada, primarily Toronto. Said the Times: “Some say Toronto could become a major intellectual hub.” The United States, the Times said, could “tumble from its position of scientific supremacy in the world.”

Make America Great Again? That job may fall on the next administration.

• There’s no medicine for Blue Jay Fever, but a good chunk of Canadians have come down with that particular malady in recent weeks.

Pre-season picks to finish fourth or fifth in the American League East – and really, no reason to believe otherwise back in late March – the Jays have stunned the baseball world by posting the best record of all 30 Major League teams. Their lead in the A.L. East over the runner-up Yankees on Monday night was five and a half games.

The team’s bandwagon is overflowing with Canadians who are suddenly rabid baseball fans, and ratings for Jays games on Sportsnet may not be through the roof (as they’ll likely be come playoff time), but they’ll certainly be healthy.

Sports columnist Cathal Kelly of the Globe & Mail says the team’s star players are doing what’s expected, but the Blue Jays’ rise to No. 1 overall has been because “the little people are overperforming. Addison Barger, Ernie Clement, Tyler Heineman, Eric Lauer, Brendon Little, et al. You’ve heard of Murderers’ Row? The 2025 Blue Jays are Misdemeanours’ Row.”

• I don’t normally plan my life too far in advance, but starting next June, new plans will be required for my pre-bedtime entertainment. That’s because CBS is taking The Late Show with Stephen Colbert off the air. What to do in that now-empty hour?

– Watch taped programming from Medicine Hat city council meetings.

– Rearrange my book shelf by putting titles in alphabetical order of title.

– Review YouTube videos of how to get an extra 20 yards on my tee shots.

– Buy a 5,000-piece puzzle and get to work.

– Wash my car one night; wax it the next; vacuum it on the third night. Repeat.

– Go for a walk down Strachan Road and write down the licence plate numbers of all the speeders.

The Colbert cancellation announcement came last week and blame was widespread. CBS said it was strictly a financial decision, that Colbert’s multi-million-dollar salary and the show’s $10-million annual losses made it financially untenable to continue. Colbert fans claimed it was made on direction of Donald Trump, victim of Colbert’s wicked humour night after night. (CBS and its Paramount parent needed federal government approval for the company’s sale to a media monolith called Skydance Media, and Colbert said the cancellation of his show was, in essence, a ‘bribe’ paid to Trump.)

The ‘bribe’ comment was made one night on the Colbert show and the announcement of his show’s cancellation was made the next day. Strictly a coincidence in timing, of course.

• Best-before dates on food containers in Canada are certainly valuable, but a few people I’ve come across seem to think that eating a blueberry yogurt on July 25 when the best-before date says July 24 is reason enough to have the poison-control unit on speed dial.

Ridiculous, of course. As long as nothing green is growing on top of the food, and it passes a quick smell test, it’s good enough to enter my mouth.

Best-before dates actually tell the consumer when its freshness and taste will be at their peak quality. It doesn’t mean it’s unsafe to eat after that date.

There are a couple of caveats, of course. If the food container has been opened and re-refrigerated, the shelf life and best-before date of the product may be altered.

The best advice is this: If you’re unsure about the safety of a food item, err on the side of tossing it into the trash. Otherwise, bon appetit.

Bruce Penton is a retired News editor who may be reached at brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca

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