Brent Wiancko

@jhallwood Come people-watch at Toronto's Eaton Centre. Many of the shops in it have closed, but it is still full of people socializing (or maybe just loitering).

I’ve been lucky enough to travel quite a bit and recently dawned on me one thing that puts me at ease, and I think is a mark of a developed society, is seeing men and women of all ages socialising. It sounds basic and obvious but when you go to places it’s uncommon it’s striking.

@jhallwood In contrast, the 🇨🇦 Liberals remained very strong and stable throughout the decade of Conservative turmoil.

@jhallwood In the 90s, the 🇨🇦 Progressive Conservatives (PCs) nearly disappeared & were replaced by the harsher western-based Reform Party. To attract moderates / easterners, it became the Alliance & later merged with rump PCs to become the current Conservatives. I see similarities in UK.

Labour people who want PR at this particular moment in time are just asking for the party to fully fragment.

@forceninewinds I admit to having indulged in one last year when I feared I would never have another chance. The clearance sale also helped, sad though it was.

Wool point blankets (still made in England) and other HBC traditions live on at Canadian Tire. One can even buy a striped canoe. I don't think the Bay had those on sale, although canoes seemed to be incorporated into displays at the Bay's flagship store in Toronto often enough.

@jhallwood Waiting more than a few hours for election results does feel very 19th century.

"Counting begins in Scotland and Wales" no rush lads

@jhallwood Today's elections in the UK seem to have relevance more like US mid-terms than Canadian municipal elections, in which there are no organized parties generally. Of course, the elections in Scotland & Wales could be said to resemble Canadian provincial elections in many respects.

That's not a proxy for me - there are probably one or two parties I'd vote for in England (different story if I lived in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland where that would actually widen out) but no elections where I live, so purely a spectator sport right now.

Rather sad that my mum, who has always been so firm on voting, especially in light of the struggle made by women to achieve the right, won't even spoil her ballot today. Still interested in current affairs but no faith in any party.

Sir David Attenborough is 100 years old and still working. That is the tweet.

This morning in the back garden. My wife: "An animal must have fallen on it." Me: "The raccoons are Calvinist iconoclasts?!"

The HBC lives on in our hearts and minds, and in a hardware/automotive/home furnishings store.

@zachcantrad I feel similarly from a weekend of re-enacting. The ground might not be as soft as it was when I was 14.

My body is sore & achy from a weekend of physical labour. I also have a sun burn.

Reenacting memory: 2026 Longwoods. Assortment of my photos ... did not have time to take many! Amazing weekend ... a little cold at night but everyone seemed to weather that. Dry canvas for the trip home!

@BenRamanauskas I think a somewhat stronger and deeper trading relationship is desirable and realistic. I do not think Canada joining the EU is either.

Given that France and Canada are home to some of the world's most protectionist farmers, I look forward to watching the negotiations! 🍿

Today, His Majesty the King visited the Canadian Cross of Sacrifice at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, USA. This monument honours the Americans who, moved by a sense of duty to fight for freedom, joined the Canadian Armed Forces in the years before the United States officially entered the First World War. It was later rededicated to all Americans who joined Canadian forces in the Second World War and the Korean War. His Majesty’s act of remembrance is a powerful reminder of the bonds between our countries.

@jhallwood Never met a Norwegian I didn't like. And the Vikings were probably just misunderstood.

Norway is basically extended family anyway

@zachcantrad Glad to read 'not in a bad way'. Take care. Keep making X a worthwhile place & northwestern Ontario an architecturally improved place.

I’ve been suddenly overcome with intense emotion on numerous occasions the last few weeks (not in a bad way).

@EvanAG1999 I'd be worried about spilling a pint on my keyboard and papers.

if you asked me, I would say the working world seems to have gotten worse since people stopped having two pints at lunchtime.

The dock is in the lake and the lake is rushing through the dams.

House of Commons or Senate chamber?

The New York Times predicts that Britain’s Princess Elizabeth will take the throne to become Queen of England, although she is currently far back in line.