News

Copy by Lawrence Zwer

The Heat Warning announced by Environment Canada is expected to continue through Tuesday night. With temperatures feeling like 42 to 46 with the humidity, please keep an eye on the elderly and friends and family in ill-health. If you need a place to beat the heat, please visit your local library branch or community centre. I’ll have more in the weather, following sports.

Mayor Steve Ferguson issued a statement on Facebook over the weekend, taking issue with a Wellington resident, after the commenter on an online article at theglobeandmail.com suggested the Mayor should be locked up in a cell with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and Iran’s ruling Ayatollah, among others. Mayor Ferguson suggested the comment was an example of public cruelty, possibly personal slander, and that such discourse was a threat to democracy.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday called into question the future of Iran’s ruling theocracy after a surprise attack on three of the country’s nuclear sites, seemingly contradicting his administration’s earlier calls to resume negotiations and avoid an escalation in fighting. “It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” Trump posted on social media. “MIGA!!!” The posting on Truth Social marked something of a reversal from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Sunday morning news conference that detailed the aerial bombing. “This mission was not and has not been about regime change,” Hegseth said. Up until the U.S. president’s post on Sunday afternoon, the co-ordinated messaging by Trump’s vice president, Pentagon chief, top military adviser and secretary of state suggested a confidence that any fallout from the US airstrikes would be manageable and that Iran’s lack of military capabilities would ultimately force it back to the bargaining table.

In Toronto yesterday hundreds of people braved the oppressive heat to take to University Avenue and protest the attack on Iran outside of the US Consolate. Some of the crowd expressed disappointment with the response from the Canadian government following the U.S. bombing. Prime Minister Mark Carney shared a statement on Twitter earlier Sunday, saying the actions by the U.S. were “designed to alleviate” the threat of Iran’s nuclear program but that Canada calls on those involved to immediately return to the negotiating table to reach a diplomatic solution.

Former Federal Liberal cabinet minister John McCallum has died. McCallum was elected the Liberal MP for Markham-Unionville in 2000. Throughout his political career, he served as a cabinet minister in several portfolios, including national defence, veterans affairs, and immigration, refugees and citizenship. And, as former Justin Trudeau’s first immigration minister, McCallum helped resettle 50,000 Syrian refugees in Canada. McCallum also served as ambassador to China from 2017-19, becoming Canada’s first political appointment to Beijing a post he went on to lose over comments he made during the diplomatic crisis surrounding Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou’s fight to avoid extradition to the U.S. from Canada. A statement from McCallum’s family said he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones. John McCallum was 75.

Finally, just a reminder that there is a partial burn ban in effect through Wednesday, as we deal with the current heat wave. Under a partial burn ban, burning is restricted to a container with a screened top or a small campfire and Propane-fueled appliances such as BBQs and fire tables are exempted from the Open-Air Burning By-law. Prince Edward County Fire and Rescue reminds residents that a burn permit is required for all open-air burning..

Sports

Hamilton-native Shai Gligeous-Alexander is the NBA Finals MVP, leading his Oklahoma City Thunder to a 103-91 victory over the Indiana Pacers and the Thunder’s first NBA Championship. He becomes the fourth player in NBA history to win MVP, Finals MVP, a scoring title and play for a champion in the same season. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it once, Michael Jordan then did it four times, and Shaquille O’Neal was the last entrant into that fraternity — until now. The title caps a season where the Thunder won 84 games, tied for the third most by any team in any season in NBA history. Gilgeous-Alexander finished the season with 64 games of at least 30 points.

The Toronto Blue Jays welcomed the lowly Chicago White Sox to the Rogers Centre this weekend, splitting the first two games, each with an unlikely score of 7-1. Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt fought through allergies yesterday afternoon to throw 7 innings of one-run ball, and the birds took a slim 2-1 lead into the 8th, where the pitching fell apart and the Sox scored three. That would be enough to seal the win 4-2.

And in soccer news, Canadian men’s forward and Toronto FC Captain Jonathan Osorio is out of the Gold Cup tournament due to what the Canadians are calling a ‘lower-body’ injury. The 33 year-old was kept out of Canada’s Saturday game against Curacao, and has been returned to Toronto FC for evaluation..