Pedestrian Deaths in the GTA

Thousands of thoughts scatter through our minds as we scurry from one place to the next – from the bank to the bus stop, from the parking meter to a meeting, from the curb to the cab across the street. We carelessly cascade from work to play with a ticking clock beating in the back of our heads, perhaps forgetting to remember that one tiny slip in a driver’s judgement or a pedestrian’s alertness can lead to a catastrophe. We jeer at the concept of a nine-to-five life, wishing that minimalist expression actually rang some slight tone of truth. Wondering where the time went, the pedestrian puts an extra hop in her step as the driver gently steps on the gas. What’s an extra 10 kilometres, anyway? With every motion that we make, we guide our own fate. It takes just one second for lives to be turned upside down. Does the thought of safely crossing the street even cross your mind? What role does right-of-way really play? Read more

No Easy Answers to a potentially Deadly Outcome

The role of the barbarians who find a home in Emperor Bettman’s ring is to forge the fury of balance and clenched fists while pulverizing the face and skull of the enemy. Any time players drop the gloves, they take part in the controversial piece of the dynamic hockey jigsaw puzzle. To witness a live NHL fight, one is subjected to viewing hockey’s highly popular sideshow. Fans revive the Roman Empire, as chants from the Dark Age fill the arena with adrenaline, in the heat of the moment screams of “kill him” and “rip his head off” fly through the air with every jab and hook that lands flush on the opponent’s visage. This physical frenzy does not need to be dramatized, although NHL commissioner Gary Bettman donning the robes of Julius Caesar with a laurel wreath atop his brown comb-over would be magnificent. The difference between your everyday hockey arena and the Colosseum is that bloodthirsty Romans implored their gladiators to kill whatever stood in their way Read more