Ian Van Haren

AI recipes are flooding social media feeds. Can you tell what’s real? It’s home cook beware as AI-generated recipes take over the internet

This is a nice article by Dakshana Bascaramurty about AI recipes with a quiz to test your knowledge. (I failed!) A few months ago my social media feed was flooded with AI recipes but it seems to have subsided now, perhaps because I didn't click any of them. www.theglobeandmail.com/life/style/f...

Nombre record d’élus noirs au Québec | « Je suis le rêve le plus fou de mes ancêtres » Ils étaient une vingtaine autour de la table, samedi matin, dans le pavillon lumineux du parc Henri-Bourassa.

www.lapresse.ca/actualites/c...

The French lesson that Canada needs More needs to be done to improve the teaching of French as a second language

"more needs to be done to improve the teaching of French as a second language across Canada"

Je suis tout à fait d'accord.

www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/909ce72...

Thanks for the update! I hope you went skiing!

Smith and Poilievre find someone to blame for their problems: immigrants Canada has seen rapid population growth in the past without the issues now being attributed to newcomers

A nice overview by Andrew Coyne on misguided anti-migrant proposals in Canada: www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/909ce72...

Quebec City might be Canada’s most successful city The Globe and Mail offers the most authoritative news in Canada, featuring national and international news

www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

Reporting this story in Cameroon, I met people who were blind because larval worms died in their eyeballs: NTDs cause immense suffering and disability.
But they're preventable! And treatable! And eliminatable!

Three things witchcraft taught me about God - Anglican Journal People find Jesus in a lot of places, but I found Him in a spellbook.

Here is an example from Canada: anglicanjournal.com/three-things...
This article caused some controversy for the @anglicanjournal.bsky.social, they received some letters to the editor and posted a follow-up in subsequent issues.

Canada’s passenger rail lines are getting revived after decades of vanishing service Across North America, there is a grassroots clamouring for the return of railway lines that once provided a reliable and affordable alternative to cars and planes

Time to bring back the trains in Canada! 👏 🚆
Great article by @taras-grescoe.com

www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/909ce72...

I like this platform and the direction it is heading.

Sounds interesting, but the link doesn't work.

Irene Parlby Mary Irene Parlby (née Marryat), Alberta MLA (1921–35), women’s rights advocate, activist (born 9 January 1868 in London, UK; died 12 July 1965 in Red Deer...

thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/m...

I noticed the error because the 2nd woman in Canada to be appointed a provincial cabinet minister, Irene Parlby, was the MLA for my hometown of Lacombe, AB. She was a cabinet minister from 1921-1935 (long before I was born!) and advocated for women's rights in Canadian politics.

I was reading the Montreal Gazette (@mtlgazette.bsky.social) on the weekend and noticed an error in a column. So, I wrote them a little note and my letter is in the paper today!
montrealgazette.com/opinion/lett...

Changement des règles en immigration | Les élus montréalais réclament à l’unisson une « clause grand-père » L’abolition du Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ), qui obligera plusieurs travailleurs étrangers à quitter la province, nuit à la « crédibilité du Québec et celle de Montréal », affirme la mai...

Une belle initiative: Les élus montréalais réclament à l’unisson une « clause grand-père » www.lapresse.ca/actualites/g...

Meet my 96-year-old roommate Tom, who never charged me rent Tom lives independently and had hosted commuters in the past. I was to have a coffee with him every morning and read the paper

A nice reflection about an unexpected intergenerational friendship.
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/909ce72...

To Their Shock, Cubans in Florida Are Being Deported in Record Numbers

To Their Shock, Cubans in Florida Are Being Deported in Record Numbers, via @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/u...

AI and Hollywood and entertainment: an interesting episode of The Daily @nytimes.com

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/p...

I enjoyed your talk today, including this political cartoon! :)

Dossier | Abolition du PEQ | Des immigrants plongés dans l’incertitude (2 articles) De nombreux immigrants qui souhaitaient s’établir au Québec et à qui on avait promis une voie claire vers la résidence permanente se retrouvent aujourd’hui dans l’incertitude quant à leur avenir. Un d...

Des infirmières plongées dans l’incertitude, dans @lapresse.ca www.lapresse.ca/actualites/a...

Opinion | I’ve Been the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees for a Decade. This Is the Crisis I See.

From late last year, some thoughtful reflections from Filippo Grandi as he completed ten years as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/o...

Why Vance Committed So Hard to the Minneapolis Shooter The vice president knows what ICE means to MAGA.

"ICE is violence-prone because its main purpose has become theatrical. Under present leadership, ICE is less a law-enforcement agency than it is a content creator.

from David Frum:

www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

Bob Rae: We’re living through a time of crushing tariffs and uncertainty. There’s one thing Canada can do to prepare Ontario's challenge is that we are trying to compete globally while failing to create a dynamic partnership here between students, researchers, industry and governments.

Nice op-ed by Bob Rae from last month on the importance of investing in post-secondary education and research. It is true across Canada!

www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

This is an option, though a bit dated now: www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~pchsiung/LAL/

‘Not a simple journey’: a rare Inuvialuit kayak has come home from the Vatican Museums After a 20-year effort, the kayak, along with 61 other artifacts made by Indigenous communities across Canada, arrived Saturday in Montreal

A step in the right direction. www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/909ce72...

Quebec universities weather an unprecedented storm - University Affairs The province’s institutes of higher learning are navigating immigration restrictions, language policies, budget cuts and challenges to academic freedom.

"Quebec universities weather an unprecedented storm" in @universityaffairs.bsky.social.

universityaffairs.ca/features/que...

Indigenous fertility rates drop below replacement level New data show Indigenous fertility rates have fallen below replacement level, reshaping communities and national demographics.

Indigenous fertility rates in Canada have begun to decline over the past decade. Only the Inuit have replacement level fertility among Indigenous peoples in the country.
policyoptions.irpp.org/2025/10/indi...

My parents relished their English-French relationship. Things got tricky when they died When the issue of who was going to be buried where popped up in their last years, the thought of them apart felt wrong but while love may break down barriers, certain things run deep

After a long life together, an underlying tension remained. Interesting article.

www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/909ce72...

Ottawa narrows the private path for settling refugees Canada’s renowned privately sponsored refugee program is worth keeping

Nice @theglobeandmail.com op-ed: "let’s not lose track of our rich tradition of helping refugees".
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/909ce72...

Marriage and Sex in the Age of Ozempic

An interesting episode of the Daily on weight loss drugs and marital relationships: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/p...