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Cities and Commitment

[This article was originally published here in ‘The Cardus Daily’ Blog on September 11, 2012.]

Toronto’s Deputy Mayor, Doug Holyday,evoked political controversy this summer when he objected to the requirement that 10% of the units in a new condo development be 3-bedroom, family-friendly units. Mr. Holyday referred to the requirement as “social engineering.” He expressed reluctance to dictate that the developer build 3-bedroom units when there “may or may not be a market for it,” and alienated his urban colleagues and parents when he said the downtown core was “not an ideal place to raise children.”

Toronto currently has a record number of new condo developments, outpacing both Mexico City and New York City by more than 40 projects. Toronto’s downtown core is full of new condo developments, many of which are investment properties rather than owner-occupied homes for the city’s inhabitants. Many real estate agents share the Deputy Mayor’s concern that in an investor-driven market, there is little demand for larger condo units. According to one expert, larger condos are more difficult to rent and to flip, making them a greater risk and less profitable.

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The Culture of Death and the Beauty of Life

[This article was originally published here in ‘The Cardus Daily’ Blog on August 10, 2012.]
The summer of 2012 has been unlike any other in recent history. News reports have been dominated by stories of violent crimes, many of which have led to the death of innocent and unsuspecting bystanders.

What stands out about these crimes is their very brazen nature. An online video of the death and dismemberment of a Chinese student who had come to Canada in search of a better life. Gunfire in a crowded shopping mall food court that claimed 2 lives and sent 6 others to hospital. An execution-style hit in broad daylight at an outdoor café. A gunfight reportedly resulting from a dispute over a parking spot, which killed 2 people and injured more than 20 others.

For some, life has ceased to have inherent value and meaning. It has taken a back seat to pride, money, the quest for infamy, the exercise of power or even something as trivial as a parking spot. When subordinated to such things, life is cheap and dispensable and the culture of death prevails. It is difficult not to despair.

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Ontario’s Bill 13 is a Missed Opportunity

[This article was originally published as  ‘Tipped Hands and Missed Opportunities’ in ‘The Cardus Daily’ Blog on June 11, 2012.]

The recent debate between the Ontario government and concerned Catholic parents and educators (over the McGuinty governme

nt’s anti-bullying bill, discussed here on the Cardus Daily Blog) highlights the need for a more robust understanding and public discourse about the interplay between freedom of conscience and religion, advancing public policy, and the role of government in a diverse society.

Bill 13 aims to promote positive, inclusive, and accepting school climates, and to prevent bullying. These are laudable goals. Children of all ages should be able to go school without fear of being bullied. And in our highly diverse society, learning with and from one another helps build understanding, compassion, and a sense of community.

Whatever the merits of Bill 13, it is lamentable that the reported public debate has been reduced to a putative clash between religion and “fundamental values” such as respect and tolerance, and to a dispute about the name of clubs designed to promote understanding between students of different sexual orientations. Freedom of conscience and religion is itself a fundamental value, one that legislators tend to ignore or curtail when there is an apparent clash with other fundamental values. A more robust understanding of the value of freedom of conscience and religion in a highly diverse society is long overdue.

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Whither civility in politics?

[This article was originally published as ‘When sorry doesn’t mean it…’ in ‘The Cardus Daily’ Blog on April 24, 2012.]

imageMy brother and I had an expression growing up that was usually invoked when my mother asked one of us to apologize to the other for saying or doing something hurtful: “Sorry doesn’t mean it.” It was a brilliant if grammatically incorrect expression that served both to call the offender’s bluff when the apology was insincere, and to repudiate even the most sincere apology when the offense was so egregious as to be inexcusable in our childish minds. It also betrayed, for just a little longer, the pettiness of the victim who profited from being hurt or insulted.

Needless to say, this exasperated my mother, who tried to teach us lessons about decency, civility, and compassion. Both insincere apologies and petty repudiations of heartfelt ones stood in the way of true reconciliation.

As I witness the hurtful words and half-hearted apologies spoken in the House of Commons, I understand my mother’s exasperation. Instead of decent and respectful civil discourse aimed at addressing the key issues that confront our nation, we get hurtful and petty banter that reflects my childhood quarrels with my brother.

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Religious Inheritances: The Good, the Bad and the Apocryphal

[This book review was originally published here on ‘The Cardus Daily’ Blog on June 8, 2011.]

imageIn his latest book, Beyond the Gods & Back: Religion’s Demise and Rise and Why it Matters, Reginald Bibby sets out to answer these questions: “What is the situation with religion today?” and “What does it mean for Canadian life and lives?”

Building upon his earlier work, Bibby notes the steady decline in religious identification, attendance, and belief between the 1960s and mid-1990s, followed by leveling off—and in some cases, an upswing in religiosity—that suggested signs of new religious life and led some to conclude that we were seeing a renaissance of religion. It prompted a re-evaluation and even abandonment of the secularization thesis postulated by prominent social scientists. Upon closer examination of the data and trends since the mid-1990s, Bibby suggests we are seeing neither the death nor the rebirth of religion in Canada, but rather an increasing polarization between the religious and non-religious, between theists and atheists.

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