obituary

Thursday May 16, 2024

Alice Munro, the Nobel Prize-winning Canadian author, passed away at 92, leaving behind a literary legacy marked by her exceptional storytelling abilities, profound insights into human relationships, and unwavering dedication to her craft

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday May 16, 2024

Alice Munro (1931 – 2024)

Alice Munro, the Nobel Prize-winning author renowned for her exceptional storytelling abilities, passed away at the age of 92. Throughout her prolific career, Munro captivated readers with her poignant portrayal of the emotional lives of girls and women, leaving behind a lasting legacy in literature.

News: Alice Munro, Canadian author who won Nobel Prize for Literature, dies at 92

May 8, 2014

Sandra Martin’s piece in The Globe and Mail reflects on Munro’s transformative impact on the literary world. Munro’s ability to pack insight, nuance, and suspense into a few pages was unparalleled, earning her international acclaim and numerous prestigious awards, including the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2013. Martin highlights Munro’s dedication to her craft, which persisted despite personal challenges, emphasizing her resilience and determination as an artist.

Munro’s profound connection to her small-town upbringing, as articulated in her conversations with Daphne Merkin, allowed her to infuse her stories with a universal appeal that resonated across time and place. Martin underscores Munro’s refusal to conform to societal expectations, which enabled her to craft narratives that delved into the complexities of human relationships with authenticity and honesty.

The editorial from The Toronto Star further celebrates Munro’s legacy, portraying her as a master of the short story form whose work transcended geographical and temporal boundaries. Munro’s stories, deeply rooted in the landscapes and lives of ordinary people, offered profound insights into the human condition, capturing the joys, sorrows, and complexities of life and relationships.

Editorial: Alice Munro found in Ontario a world as rich as any in literature

May 3, 2023

Both pieces highlight Munro’s ability to say more in a few pages than most novelists could in entire books, a testament to her mastery of the short story form. Munro’s clean prose, layered with nuance and empathy, explored the depths of the human heart, inviting readers to confront their own truths and vulnerabilities.

Moreover, Munro’s personal journey, from her humble beginnings in Wingham, Ontario, to receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2013, serves as an inspiration. Despite facing personal challenges, including the loss of her daughter and battles with dementia, Munro remained committed to her craft, producing fourteen bestselling collections over her career. Her ability to find beauty and meaning in everyday experiences, as well as her keen insight into the complexities of human relationships, cemented her status as one of the greatest fiction writers in English literature.

In sum, Alice Munro’s contributions to literature have left an indelible mark, characterized by her exceptional storytelling abilities and her profound understanding of the human experience. As readers continue to revisit her works, Munro’s stories will endure, offering solace, insight, and inspiration for generations to come. (AI)

Thursday September 9, 2022

Elizabeth was our Queen, too

The death of Queen Elizabeth at her Scottish residence of Balmoral Castle on Thursday has plunged the United Kingdom into mourning. Union flags at official buildings were immediately lowered to half-mast. Political foes suddenly spoke as one to extol her 70 unbroken years of service to their country in what was rightly celebrated earlier this year as the longest reign in British history. And a nation in which most citizens could not remember a time before Elizabeth sat on the throne was left pondering what the future — under King Charles, her oldest son — now holds.

June 10, 2022

But the passing of Elizabeth at the age of 96 was also immediately felt — and deeply so — on this side of the Atlantic by many, many Canadians. She was our Queen, too, and has reminded us of that over and over again ever since ascending the throne and becoming our head of state in 1952. The bond she forged with Canadians was more than ceremonial and more than symbolic; it was visceral, based on mutual respect, admiration and, quite arguably, love. And that was never because of the bejeweled headpiece known as the crown. It was because of the woman who wore it with grace, dignity and even humility.

June 4, 2012

As an institution in the U.K., Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms in which Elizabeth was head of state, the monarchy has had its ups and downs. Perhaps more downs in recent years. The odd behaviour — and misbehaviour — of some members of the Royal Family go a long way to explaining that. But the Queen herself was different and universally perceived as such. Yes, she represented the monarchy. Of course she embodied its highest values, devoted as she was to duty and acting more as a servant than ruler of the people. But on a personal level she was far bigger than this ancient, and in some minds, anachronistic institution.

June 11, 2016

While one of the most recognizable people in an era of history that is coming to a close, she was timeless. The Queen may have enjoyed fantabulous wealth. She certainly spent much of her time in the rarefied atmosphere of palaces surrounded by splendid objects d’art, with her needs met by an army of servants. But the way she lived each day often seemed as much middle-class as aristocratic. Indeed, during family vacations at Balmoral, Elizabeth was famous for doing the washing up. No wonder her name became synonymous with the term “work ethic.” Her steadfast commitment to making the performance of her job her highest priority could well be her greatest legacy.

Canada gained from that commitment, too. Her reign encompassed the tenures of 12 Canadian prime ministers. She made 22 official visits to Canada before the frailties of age convinced her to leave overseas travel to her children and grandchildren. And each visit offered in its own way a recognition of how Canada was changing, from a post-Second-World-War country still profoundly and uncertainly tied to its colonial past to one that was more confident, diverse and truly master of its own destiny. Canada prizes evolution over revolution. Elizabeth helped us evolve.

April 10, 2021

While she represented tradition, she was unafraid of change. And it was also her calling to provide something constant in the midst of that change, an anchor in often turbulent waters. She was here in 1959 to open the engineering marvel that is the St. Lawrence Seaway. She returned to celebrate Canada’s Centennial in 1967 and the start of the Montreal Olympics in 1976. But without doubt, Elizabeth’s most memorable moment in the life of this country came in 1982 when she arrived to sign the Constitution Act that introduced the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. That stroke of the pen also gave Canada the lasting power to change its founding documents without the consent of the British Parliament. That was true independence.

In coming days there will be many discussions about the future of the Canadian monarchy, and that is appropriate. But this is a day to reflect on the passing of Canada’s Queen. And we mean Canada’s. In her last public statement, which was issued on Wednesday just hours before she died, the Queen proved how much this country meant to her. In that message she expressed her deep sympathy for everyone impacted by last weekend’s stabbing rampage in Saskatchewan, a place she knew from six personal visits. “I mourn with all Canadians at this tragic time,” she said. Now, all Canadians can mourn for their Queen. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

 

Thursday April 7, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday April 7, 2022

A lament for Hamilton’s maestro

With the tragic death Tuesday of Boris Brott, 78, Canada has lost one of its outstanding orchestral and operatic conductors.

Maestro Brott

Born in Montreal to violinist-composer-conductor Alexander Brott and cellist Lotte Brott in 1944, Brott debuted as a violin soloist with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra at age five. Seven years later, he studied conducting with Pierre Monteux at his academy in Maine. It was Monteux who gave Brott his first conducting job as his assistant with the London Symphony Orchestra and on his European tours.

After studies with Igor Markevitch, Brott won top prize at the 1958 Pan-American Conducting Competition in Mexico. One year later, Brott, then a 15-year-old student at Montreal’s West Hill High School, founded the Philharmonic Youth Orchestra of Montreal.

After winning third prize at the 1962 Liverpool Competition, he served as Walter Susskind’s assistant at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra from 1963 to 1965. Brott then became active in England, conducting the Northern Sinfonia at Newcastle upon Tyne from 1964 to 1968, and was principal conductor of the Royal Ballet Covent Garden’s touring company from 1964 to 1967.

In 1968, he was awarded first prize at the prestigious Dimitri Mitropoulos International Music Competition in New York and later that year was consequently named assistant to the New York Philharmonic Orchestra’s charismatic and flashy music director, Leonard Bernstein.

Brott came to Hamilton in 1969 as artistic director and conductor of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (HPO). Over the years, he led the HPO from an amateur ensemble to a professional orchestra that at its peak had a 42-week season and some 16,000 subscribers.

Fantasy Classic 2020

Together with members of the community, Brott also spearheaded the construction of the 2,200 seat Hamilton Place, now FirstOntario Concert Hall.

After having made his opera conducting debut with “La fille du régiment” at the Canadian Opera Company in 1977, Brott was one of the movers and shakers who helped to found Opera Hamilton, conducting performances of “La traviata” in 1980 and “Tosca” in 1981.

During the late 1970s and 1980s, Brott was one of Canada’s busiest conductors. In addition to his duties in Hamilton, he held positions with the CBC Winnipeg Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia and the Ontario Place Pops Orchestra, among others.

Unfortunately, things turned sour for Brott at the HPO and the two parted ways around 1990. In 1989, Brott founded the Hamilton-based professional training orchestra, the National Academy Orchestra (NAO) of Canada, which served as the orchestra-in-residence for his eponymous music festival, Canada’s largest orchestral festival. Today, many of the NAO’s over 1,000 alumni hold positions in orchestras across North America and beyond. He also established BrottOpera, which staged operatic productions in the Hamilton area.

From the book, “You Might Be From Hamilton If…”

In the 2000s, Brott also took over the McGill Chamber Orchestra, which had been founded in 1939 by his parents. Renamed the Orchestre Classique de Montréal, Brott was to have co-conducted a “Forever Handel” concert with this ensemble on April 28.

Internationally, Brott was the first music director of the New West Symphony in Thousand Oaks, California, in 1995 and also guest conducted throughout Italy. A career highlight came in 2000 when he conducted Bernstein’s “Mass” in Vatican City before an audience which included Pope John Paul II.

Brott’s many awards include an Officer of the Order of Canada (1986), Order of Ontario (2006), and City of Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Arts Award (2007).

Dorothy the Dinosaur – Illustration by Graeme MacKay

Though Brott had conducted countless works over his career, to many the most essential of these was Handel’s “Messiah,” which he performed in Israel and led annually for many years in Hamilton and Montreal.

For Brott, it was always go big or go home. His chutzpah, his ability to make things happen and to figuratively move heaven and earth if necessary, are irreplaceable. Canada will not see anyone like him and we are all the poorer for his loss.

Brott is survived by his brother, Denis, of Montreal, his wife, Ardyth, of Hamilton, two sons and a daughter and their families.

May his memory be a blessing. (Hamilton Spectator) 

 

Sunday August 8, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay – Sunday August 8, 2021

Bill Davis, Former Premier of Ontario Dies (1929-2021)

William Greville Davis (born July 30, 1929) was the 18th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the MPP for Peel in the 1959 provincial election where he was a backbencher in Leslie Frost’s government. Under John Robarts, he was a cabinet minister overseeing the education portfolio. He succeeded Robarts as Premier of Ontario and held the position until resigning in 1985.

May 5, 1999

Shortly after taking office as premier, Davis announced that his government would not permit continuing construction of the rest of the Spadina Expressway into downtown Toronto (an initiative that had been unpopular with many of the area’s residents). The “Davis ditch”, the section of Allen Road south of Lawrence Avenue was nicknamed in his honour. He also rejected a proposal to grant full funding to Ontario’s Catholic high schools, which some regarded as an appeal to the Progressive Conservative Party’s rural Protestant base. Davis’s team ran a professional campaign in the 1971 provincial election, and was rewarded with an increased majority government.

Davis’s first full term as premier was by most accounts his least successful, with public confidence in his government weakened by a series of scandals. There were allegations that the Fidinam company had received special consideration for a Toronto development program in return for donations to the Progressive Conservative Party. In 1973, it was revealed that Davis’ friend Gerhard Moog had received a valuable untendered contract for the construction of Ontario Hydro’s new head office and related projects. Attorney General Dalton Bales, Solicitor General John Yaremko and Treasurer McKeough were all accused of conflicts-of-interest relating to government approval for developments on properties they owned. The government was cleared of impropriety in all cases, but its popular support nonetheless declined. The Conservatives lost four key by-elections in 1973 and 1974.

On the policy front, the Davis administration introduced regional governments for Durham, Hamilton-Wentworth, Haldimand-Norfolk, and Waterloo but shelved further plans in response to popular protests. The government was also forced to cancel a planned 7% energy tax in 1973 following protests from the Progressive Conservative backbench. In the buildup to the 1975 provincial election, Davis imposed a ninety-day freeze on energy prices, temporarily reduced the provincial sales tax from 7% to 5%, and announced rent controls for the province.

September 21, 2002

The 1975 campaign was far more bitter than that of 1971, with Davis and Liberal leader Robert Nixon repeatedly hurling personal insults at one another. Polls taken shortly before the election had the Liberals in the lead. The Progressive Conservatives won only 51 seats out of 125, but were able to remain in power with a minority government. The New Democratic Party (NDP) won 38 seats under the leadership of Stephen Lewis, while Nixon’s Liberals finished third with 36. Soon after the election, Davis hired Hugh Segal as his legislative secretary.

Davis appointed right-wingers Frank Miller and James Taylor to key cabinet portfolios after the election, but withdrew from a proposed austerity program following a negative public response. In 1977, he introduced a policy statement written by Segal which became known as the “Bramalea Charter”, promising extensive new housing construction for the next decade. Davis called a snap election in 1977, but was again returned with only a minority. The Progressive Conservatives increased their standing to 58 seats, against 34 for the Liberals and 33 for the NDP.

The Conservatives remained the dominant party after the 1975 and 1977 elections due to the inability of either the New Democrats and the Liberals to become the clear alternative. The Conservatives were able to stay in power due to the competition between both opposition parties. As there was no serious consideration of a Liberal-NDP alliance after both campaigns, Davis was able to avoid defeat in the legislature by appealing to other parties for support on particular initiatives. His government often moved to the left of the rural-based Liberals on policy issues. The opposition parties had also undergone leadership changes; Nixon and Lewis, who had posed a strong challenge to Davis, resigned after the 1975 and 1977 elections, respectively. Nixon’s successor Stuart Lyon Smith proved unable to increase Liberal support, while new NDP leader Michael Cassidy lacked the support of the party establishment and could not measure up to Lewis’s charismatic and dynamic figure.

June 7, 2003

This period of the Davis government was one of expansion for the province’s public health and education systems, and Davis held a particular interest in ensuring that the province’s community colleges remained productive. The government also expanded the provisions of the Ontario Human Rights Code, and expanded bilingual services without introducing official bilingualism to the province.

The Progressive Conservatives were returned with a majority government in the 1981 provincial election, mostly at the expense of the NDP. Soon after the election, Davis announced that John Tory (who would become leader of the PCs 23 years later) had been hired to succeed Hugh Segal as his principal secretary. He also announced that Ontario would purchase a 25% share in the energy corporation Suncor, despite opposition from within his own caucus.

In 1983 Davis considered moving to federal politics by running to lead the federal Progressive Conservatives when Joe Clark only received lukewarm support during a leadership review. Davis decided not to do so when he realized that he would not receive endorsements from western Canada because of his support for the Constitution patriation and the National Energy Program. His candidacy had been strongly opposed by Peter Lougheed, the Premier of Alberta.

January 12, 2019

He retired a few months before the 1985 election, with him and his government still well ahead in polls against David Peterson’s Liberals and Bob Rae’s NDP. One of his last major acts as premier was to reverse his 1971 decision against the full funding of Catholic schools, and announce that such funding would be provided to the end of Grade Thirteen. Although the policy was supported by all parties in the legislature, it was unpopular with some in the Conservatives’ traditional rural Protestant base, and many would stay home in the upcoming election because of this issue. (Source: Wikipedia) 

 

Sunday September 20, 2020

RIP John N. Turner

When John turner became the new Liberal Leader there was a very strong sense of change in the air in Canada. It wasn’t just the Liberal party that was looking to renew itself, the Progressive Conservatives had done that very thing by electing a promising, charismatic newcomer to the political scene, Brian Mulroney.

It wasn’t until I neared the age of 16 that I witnessed my first major changing of the guard in Ottawa. With the exception a brief interregnum when Joe Clark seized control the same machine that guided Liberal governments in the 1970’s was there into the mid 80’s.

The election leaders, 1984

Pierre Trudeau had essentially been Prime Minister since before I was born. 

People forget that by 1984 Canadians had grown quite tired of Pierre Trudeau. While his legacy now shines for repatriating the constitution and putting the nation on a progressive path, thanks in part to inspiring activist movements of the 60s and 70s, there were big dark clouds that hung over Trudeau and his government. Relations with the western provinces were horrible thanks to the National Energy Program, and Quebeckers were in full on separation mode thanks to work left undone in signing on the province to the Charter of Rights. The arrogance of the elder Trudeau had highlighted by growing deficits, crony patronage appointments, and a lavish farewell world ego tour (minus cultural costumes his son would later show up in) to promote peace in the waning days of the cold war.

A walk in a snow storm convinced Pierre Trudeau to retire from his position, a whiteout, perhaps, that was a metaphor for an empty slate of ideas left to run on. 

The last John Turner cartoon – May 26, 2016

John Turner, the Prince in waiting, had all the qualities to become a long reigning Canadian Prime Minister: Rich, smart and well-educated, athletic, handsome, bilingual, connected, and well experienced in powerful cabinet positions. 

Timing was Turner’s worst enemy, however. 

He couldn’t brush off the reek of arrogance left from 16 years of Liberal rule, and faced formidable opponents not just in Brian Mulroney, but also Jean Chretien, who, when running for the leadership against Turner in 1984, used the slogan, “call for a man from Main Street, not Bay Street.” The Turner vs. Chretien struggle was a carry over from the Trudeau vs. Turner fight that had brewed since the latter’s resignation from cabinet several years prior. This inner party challenge would play out among future Liberal leaders and wannabe leaders.

Patting the bum of Liberal Party President Iona Campagnolo during the 1984 election might be regarded as Canada’s first #MeToo moment that may not have sunk him were he a 1960’s cabinet minister. It did him no favours in the mid 80’s and will remain part of his ugly legacy, and among one of the many reasons which resulted in a rump of 40 or so Liberal MPs in the House of Commons.

by Graeme MacKay, 1988

The Free Trade debate and the passions it unleashed in John Turner may be his most enduring legacy of his leadership. But again, timing was his biggest enemy when he fought hard against Mulroney while at the same time having knives stuck in his back from the dissent in his own party.

Turner was able to oversee a doubling of the Liberal caucus following the 1988 convention he might have been able to carry on were it not for the ongoing sniping and sideline maneuvers from power hungry Jean Chretien. It became too much for Turner and he resigned from politics in 1990. Eight years of Chretien rule would send Turner deep into private life and declining health. While the testimonials are full of praise for a gentleman who devoted much to the importance of public life, he as much a victim of political skullduggery and dirty politics from within his own party.

It is interesting to see that in the recollections of the life lead by John Turner the strongest voice comes from his biggest foe, Brian Mulroney. 

Often said was the line that Robert Stanfield was the greatest Prime Minister Canada never had. Perhaps that’s true of an older generation, but from my vantage point John Turner was the greatest Prime Minister who never really got the chance.

August 25, 2015