Harry Shannon
Data just released show that “Black people and other people of colour make up 83 per cent of reported COVID-19 cases while only making up half of Toronto's population.”
Quick now – how many times more likely are these racialized people to get COVID-19 than the rest of the Toronto population, i.e., white people? 1 ½ ti…
Month: July 2020
Policing
Harry Shannon
Another unpublished letter, this one sent to the Hamilton Spectator. Maybe too easy on the protesters, but the contrast is stark.
Re: Police launch criminal probe into ‘defund’ protest, July 25
In June, Peel police are called to a situation. A 62-year-old man may harm himself with a pocket knife. But he’s not the one t…
Time for a Wealth Tax
Harry Shannon
This was written as a letter to the Toronto Star. It wasn’t published, but you can read it here.
Re Covid-19 costs. Time’s up: help cities, Editorial, July 16
The COVID-19 pandemic has played havoc with people’s finances, and governments have had to go into huge deficits to mitigate the impact on people who have lost t…
Which do you trust: The numbers or your impressions?
Harry Shannon
I'm a big fan of football/soccer (your choice about what to call it). In particular, Manchester United of the English Premier League. I have supported them ever since I was about six or seven years old, when Gordon, the boy next door who was a year older and therefore knew everything, told me they were the team to go for.
So wh…
Are you a swinger?
Harry Shannon
I was listening to CBC radio this morning. A reporter was talking about the popularity of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and said that a year ago Ford’s approval rating was -49% [if I remember correctly]. Today, his rating is +39%. The reporter continued, saying that this represented an 88% swing.
This, of course, is wrong. To un…