Noteworthy: Tommy Douglas the obvious choice

By Medicine Hat News on February 20, 2020.

So who’s your pick for whose face graces Canada’s new $5 bill?

Terry Fox is getting a lot of love from the social media world but since the CBC identified Tommy Douglas as ‘the Greatest Canadian” in a TV promotion a few years back, the Father of Medicare would probably be the best choice.

Viola Desmond, who spearheaded racial change in Canada, has been honoured with her visage on the new $10 bill, so it’s only fitting that Douglas, who pioneered the medical system that helps make Canada the greatest country in the world, be so honoured, too.

Two points on the Tommy Douglas argument: 1. Advocates of Canada’s ‘two-tier health system’ may not agree; 2. Our monetary system as we know it today, with paper money and coins, is likely on its last legs as digital currency takes over.

… Nobody asked me, but I kind of like the idea of Prince Harry and Meghan, HRH the Duchess of Sussex, moving to Canada. We pay millions of dollars annually to support the monarchy as it is, so what’s a couple million more?Look at the attention Canada will get from having on-site royalty. And if it’s true Harry’s looking for financial independence, Larry Faichuk, Garry Schwab or Alison McKenzie in the News’ circulation department should alert him to the openings for carriers in South Ridge.

… Maybe one day we’ll wake up to media outlets quoting Donald Trump saying ‘Yes, I abused my powers; yes, I obstructed Congress. I will resign the office of President of the United States as of 12 noon tomorrow.” Or maybe not.

… It was journalistic duty that led to a visit to the new Fatburger restaurant in Medicine Hat and it’s a pleasure to report that the grub was between great and excellent. Still, ‘Fatburger’ as a restaurant name seems to carry a negative connotation for those in a constant battle with their waistline, similar to the name Overwaitea Food Group, which operates Save on Foods across the West.

… A recent Leger poll says Canadians’ level of happiness is 7.2 out of 10 – pretty good apparently. The happiest folks are in Atlantic Canada while Ontario and Alberta are, by comparison, a little less gleeful. What drives happiness? According to the poll, money as a factor ranks third, while the top two are our current sense of freedom, and a belief that we’re living the life we’ve always dreamed of. Still, winning $7.2 million on a lottery would put a smile on a few faces across the country.

… Our southern neighbours don’t vote ‘for’ anyone anymore. The Republicans know they have a flawed candidate in Donald Trump but since they despise the Democrats so much, they’ll be voting against the ‘blue’ nominee. The Democrats don’t really care who their candidate will be, they just plan to vote against Trump. Canadian voters seem have a more ‘I like this candidate’s policies’ approach and tend to vote ‘for’ a candidate rather than ‘against’ another one.

… Medicine Hat’s ‘I told-you-so’ crowd was emboldened with the Feb. 7 news about Aurora Cannabis cutting 500 jobs – including 11 from the local facility – and severing ties with its boss, Terry Booth. Now many Hatters are wondering whether that massive greenhouse to end all greenhouses in the city’s north end will ever get completed. And how many of those promised 400-plus jobs will actually materialize?

… If I were a regular on Facebook, Twitter or other social media outlets, I’d first brush up on the difference between ‘your’ and ‘you’re’, ‘its’ and ‘it’s’, ‘peek’ and ‘peak’, ‘there’, ‘their’ and ‘they’re’ and a few other common spelling and grammatical challenges. Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s minister of education – education!!!! – used ‘their’ when he meant ‘they’re’ in a recent tweet. Can you spell credibility?

… Drew Barnes, get off that Alberta separation train. It’s going nowhere. And while there’s nothing wrong with demanding a fair deal for Alberta from Ottawa, it wouldn’t hurt for our government in Edmonton to offer an across-the-board fair deal for all Albertans.

… How would you like to be the marketing manager for Corona Brewery these days?

… There was a new approach to Presidents’s Day in the U.S. Feb.17. Kind of like April Fool’s Day, but instead of pulling pranks, people just went around telling lies all day.

… If you were a Canadian journalist, you were likely a big fan of Christie Blatchford, the Toronto-based columnist who died recently at age 68. Blatchford, who began her career as the first female sports columnist at a Canadian major daily, covered many high-profile crime cases and political events over her career, including the trials following the murder of three members of a Medicine Hat family in 2006 in which a 12-year-old girl was involved. Blatchford was a journalist’s journalist.

… It may be the Trudeau way, and the play-nice Canadian way, but negotiating with those responsible for the rail blockades, which has a crippling effect on Canada’s entire economy, probably won’t work. The RCMP are going to have to start throwing people in jail before this gets settled. It could be worse. Some with more radical views are calling for gunplay.